{9}         STUDY: BOOK OF DANIEL AND THE 70 SEVENS

Book of Daniel

        Daniel and Revelation are the two books in the Bible that are called the Apocalypse. They contain prophecies of end-time events.

        Some of the prophecies in Daniel are about 4 past empires and 2 future kingdoms.

Prophesy

Daniel 2

Daniel 7

Daniel 8

Babylon

(604-538 BC)

32,37

The head of the statue was made of pure gold; you (king of Babylon) are that head of gold

4

The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle

 

Media & Persia

(538-333 BC)

32,39

its chest and arms of silver; After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours

5

like a bear

3-6,20

ram with two horns

Greece

(333-147 BC)

Alexander’s empire divided into 4 (297BC)

32,39

its belly and thighs of bronze; Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth

6

looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird

5-7,21

goat with a prominent horn

Roman Empire

(272BC-AD476)

Roman Empire divided into 2 (AD285)

33,40

its legs of iron; there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron

7

terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims

8,22

his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven

Future kingdom eventually controlled by the antichrist

33,41-43

its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay; this will be a divided kingdom; this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle

7-8

it had ten horns; another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully

9,23-25

another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land

God’s everlasting kingdom

34,44-45

a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them; the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed

11

the beast was slain and its body destroyed; one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven

25

he will be destroyed, but not by human power

        Other prophecies in Daniel appear to be describe the end-time.

Prophesy

Daniel 7

Daniel 8

Daniel 9

Daniel 11

Daniel 12

Antichrist

8,20-21,24

a little horn, 3 horns uprooted, had eyes and boastful mouth; this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them; he will subdue three kings

9-12,23-25

small horn, grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land (Israel); it grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them; it set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host

27

He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering

21-30,37

(Antiochus IV Epiphanes), type for antichrist: will exalt himself above them all

 

 

Persecution of saints

25

He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws

12-13

the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it; the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot

 

 

1

There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then

Daily sacrifice stopped

 

11-13

it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low

27

In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering

31

His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice

11

the daily sacrifice is abolished

Abomination of desolation

 

13

the rebellion that causes desolation

27

desolations have been decreed; he will set up an abomination that causes desolation

31

they will set up the abomination that causes desolation

11

From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days

Middle of the last 7 years

25

The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time

14

It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated (1150 days)

27

In the middle of the 'seven'

 

7,11-12

It will be for a time, times and half a time

God’s eternal kingdom established

13-14

one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

25

he will be destroyed, but not by human power

24

Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness

 

2-3

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt

The end

18,28

The saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever

This is the end of the matter

17,19

vision concerns the time of the end; the vision concerns the appointed time of the end

26

The end will come like a flood

 

4,9,13

the time of the end; at the end of the days

        Many of the end-time prophecies in Daniel are found in parallel verses in the NT.

Antichrist

2Th 2:3,9

for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders.

Rev 12:3

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.

Rev 13:1,5-6

And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.

Persecution of saints

Rev 11:2

But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

Rev 13:7

He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.

Daily sacrifice stopped

2Th 2:4

He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Abomination of desolation

Mt 24:15

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel

Middle of the last 7 years

Rev 11:3

And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.

Rev 12:6,14

The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.

 

God’s eternal kingdom established

2Th 2:8

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

Rev 19:19-20

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Rev 21:1

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

 

70 Sevens

        Dan 9:24-27 talks about “seventy sevens”, a prophesy describing events that would happen in the history of Israel in a 490-year (70x7) period. However, events prophesied in the last “seven” have apparently not occurred. Most Biblical scholars believe that these events will happen in a 7-year period of Tribulation which is described in Revelation.

9:24 [about the purposes of the 70-7s]

Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.

These seventy sevens will result in the fulfilment of God’s final purposes. They will result in the glorious kingdom of righteousness with the following characteristics:

·         restraining of transgression

·         sealing up (end) of sins

·         reconciliation for (cover) iniquity

·         ushering in of everlasting righteousness

·         sealing up of vision and prophecy (meaning terminating, because of the final and complete fulfilment of vision and prophecy, it is no longer required in the future)

·         anointing of the most holy: anointment of the everlasting King or, more likely, annointing the supreme everlasting sanctuary to be the eternal dwelling place of God with men

9:25 [about the 3 periods of the 70-7s: 7-7s, 62-7s, and the last seven]

Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

The 490-year (70-7s) period will begin “from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.” This happened in 445BC with King Artaxerxes’ decree (Neh 2:1-6). During the rebuilding in the first 7-7s (49 years), there will be troubles (as recorded in Nehemiah).

After the 7-7s, there will be another 62-7s (434 years) and the Anointed One will appear during this time.

9:26 [about the end of the 69th 7]

After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.

The Anointed One (Messiah) will be cut off at the end of the 69th 7. This points to the death of Jesus. (Some explain “will have nothing” to mean “having no crimes.”)

Based on historical research, the birthday of Jesus is widely accepted as in 4BC. This will put the date of His death in AD30 (3.5 years of mission from age 30). Between 445BC and AD30 is a period of only 474 years (as there is no zero year). This is 9 years shorter than the 69 sevens (483 years).

The common explanation is that the calculation of year in the Hebrew calendar is based on lunar months, meaning one year is equivalent to 360 days. [Note that there are slightly different calculations by different Biblical scholars.] If so, the end of the 483-year period in the Bible will coincide with AD30.

The holy city and holy Temple were destroyed in AD70. The “desolations” refer to the placing of an idol at the burnt Temple site by the Romans.

“The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed”: may refer to the AD70 event or link to the end-time events in the next verse.

Most Bible scholars believe that the present time is the gap between the 69th seven and the 70th seven because the conditions specified in Dan 9:24 have not been realized. In addition, the description of the last seven fits prophecies elsewhere about the antichrist. This period, as described in many different places in the Bible, is characterized by the domination of the antichrist in the world and persecution of the saints. It is commonly identified as the 7-year Tribulation period in the end-time and the last 3.5 years are described as the Great Tribulation (this term used only in Rev 7:14).

9:27 [about the 70th 7—the antichrist]

He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

The antichrist will confirm a covenant of 7 years with the Jews.

However, at the middle of 70th seven, he will break the covenant and put an end to sacrifice and offering at the Temple. And on a wing of the Temple (Chinese translation incorrect, not “like flying”), he will set up “an abomination that causes desolation”, an image of himself.

At the end of the 70th seven, God’s decree will be enacted: the antichrist will be destroyed by God.

Application

        There is no contradiction in the prophecies written by many different authors and in very different time periods: Daniel at about 530BC, Jesus (as recorded by Matthew) at AD30, Paul (in 2Th) at about AD50, and John (in Rev) at about AD95. This alone acts as a powerful witness that the Bible is reliably the Word of God which forms a worthy foundation for our faith.

        While the world will get worse before the end, all Biblical prophecies also assure us that God will destroy evil at the end. All injustice in the world is only temporary. We need to rest in the assurance that God’s plan will work out according to His perfect timing.