Daniel 9 [Direct Translation]
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, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
25 Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out 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.
26 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.
27 Within the seven he will confirm a covenant with many; in the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.
In God’s timing, every “seven” carries profound significance. Have you ever wondered when the seventieth seven will begin — and what it means? Through careful study of Daniel chapter 9, we can gain some clear understanding.
I. The Completion of the Sixty-Ninth Seven
Daniel 9:25 says:
“From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.'”
The seven “sevens” and sixty-two “sevens” mentioned here add up to sixty-nine “sevens” in total. These sixty-nine “sevens” ended when Jesus was anointed.
The Anointing of Jesus:
Matthew 3:16–17
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said: ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'”
Note: At this point the sixty-ninth seven was complete, but the seventieth seven had not yet begun.
II. The Goals of the Seventy Sevens and the Start of the Seventieth
To understand when the seventieth seven begins, the key is the goals the seventy sevens are meant to accomplish. We return to Daniel 9:24:
“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, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.”
The Six Goals of the Seventy Sevens:
| Goal | Status | Related Scripture |
|---|---|---|
| Finish transgression | Fulfilled | 1 John 3:6, 3:9, 5:18 |
| Put an end to sin | Fulfilled | John 1:29; Hebrews 9:26 |
| Atone for wickedness | Fulfilled | Isaiah 53:6, 10, 12; Hebrews 9:15, 28; 10:12, 17, 18 |
| Bring in everlasting righteousness | Not yet fulfilled | Revelation 15:1–4 |
| Seal up vision and prophecy | Not yet fulfilled | 1 Corinthians 13:8 |
| Anoint the Most Holy Place | Not yet fulfilled | Ezekiel 43:1–5, 44:4, 48:35; Revelation 21:22–23 |
We can see that when the sixty-ninth seven ended, not one of the six goals of the seventy sevens had been fulfilled. This means all six goals are to be accomplished within the seventieth seven.
The first three goals were accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The final three will be accomplished at the Second Coming of Christ.
Since the first three goals were accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the seventieth seven must follow immediately after the sixty-ninth seven — not, as is commonly taught, a final seven-year period immediately preceding the Second Coming of Christ.
III. The Time Structure of the Seventieth Seven
“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.
Within the seven he will confirm a covenant with many; in the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
The seventieth seven is divided into two halves:
▪ First 3.5 years: Following immediately after the sixty-ninth seven, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the first three goals were accomplished — God’s redemption and righteousness were fulfilled and revealed.
▪ Last 3.5 years: Through the Second Coming of the Lord, the remaining three goals will be fulfilled — including everlasting righteousness, the sealing of vision and prophecy, and the anointing of the Most Holy Place.
Combined with God Declares the End from the Beginning, the full picture looks like this:
