"SEVENTY WEEKS" TO FINISH OFF SIN

What an answer prayerful Daniel receives!  Jehovah not only assures him that the Jews will be restored to their homeland but also gives him insight into something of far greater significance-the appearance of the foretold Messiah. (Genesis 22:17, 18; Isaiah 9:6, 7) Gabriel tells Daniel:  "There are seventy weeks that have been determined upon your people and upon your holy city, in order to terminate the transgression, and to finish off sin, and to make atonement for error, and to bring in righteousness for times indefinite, and to imprint a seal upon vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies.  And you should know and have  the insight that from the going forth of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Leader, there will be seven weeks also sixty-two weeks.  She will return and be actually rebuilt, with a public square and moat, but in  the straits of the times." -Daniel 9:24, 25. 

This was good news indeed! Not only would Jerusalem be rebuilt and worship be restored at a new temple but also  "Messiah the Leader" would appear at a specific  time.  This would occur within "seventy weeks."   Since Gabriel does not mention days, these are not weeks of seven days each, which would amount to 490 days-a mere year and a third.  The foretold rebuilding of Jerusalem "with a public square and moat" took much longer than that.  The weeks are weeks of years.  That each week is seven years long  is suggested by a number of modern translations.  For example, "seventy weeks of years" is a rendering  indicated by a footnote on Daniel 9:24 in Tanakh-The Holy Scriptures, published by the Jewish Publication Society.  An American Translation reads: "Seventy weeks of years are destined for your people and for your holy city." Similar renderings appear in the translations by Moffatt and Rotherham. 

According to the angel's words, the "seventy weeks" would be divided into three periods (1) "seven weeks," (2) "sixty-two weeks," and (3) one week.  That would be 49 years, 434 years, and 7 years -totaling 490 years.  Interestingly, The Revised English Bible reads: "Seventy times seven years are marked out for your people and your holy city."  Following their exile and suffering in Babylon for 70 years, the Jews would experience special favor from God for 490 years, or 70 years multiplied by 7.  The starting point would be "the going forth of the world to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem."  When would this be?

Next time: THE "SEVENTY WEEKS" BEGIN

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999