Dispensationalists interpret the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 as a chronological roadmap detailing future events, including the rise of the Antichrist, a seven-year tribulation, and separate covenants for Israel and the Church. This "chronological roadmap" outlines a literal 490-year period divided into three segments:

1. Seven weeks (49 years): Time to rebuild Jerusalem.
2. Sixty-two weeks (434 years): Period leading up to the Messiah.
3. One week (7 years): A future tribulation period involving the Antichrist.

This interpretation hinges on specific historical events, a prophetic gap between the 69th and 70th weeks, and a distinction between God's plans for Israel and the Church. The key claims of the Dispensationalist interpretation include:

1. 490 Literal Years: The "seventy weeks" in Daniel 9:24 represent seventy units of seven years, totaling 490 literal years. These 490 years are calculated precisely to fit historical events leading up to Jesus' ministry.
2. Starting Point in 445 BC: The starting point of the 70 weeks begins with Artaxerxes' decree to rebuild Jerusalem in 445-444 BC (Nehemiah 2:1-8), with 69 weeks (483 years) supposedly leading to Jesus' triumphal entry (Luke 19:28-44).
3. Gap Between "Weeks": A prophetic gap exists between the 69th and 70th weeks, corresponding to the ongoing Church Age of over 2,000 years. During this time God's focus shifts from Israel to the Church.
4. Future 70th Week: The final week is a future seven-year tribulation, marked by the Antichrist, who makes a covenant with Israel and then breaks it.
5. Antichrist's Actions: During the 70th week, the Antichrist will establish and break a covenant/peace treaty, halt temple sacrifices after 3.5 years, and desecrates a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (the "Abomination of Desolation").

A Correct Understanding of Daniel 9

A Summary of the Following Research

The following research is extensive and arduous so the following is a succinct summary. For evidence and arguments, continue reading.

Daniel 9:24-27 outlines a continuous prophetic timeline. The central character is the Messiah and it concludes in the fulfilment of God's redemptive plan. The dispensational interpretation introduces an unsubstantiated "gap" between the 69th and 70th weeks of the prophetic timeline, creating a future "tribulation" and separating God's plans for Israel and the Church. This interpretation lacks textual, historical, and theological support. The primary rebuttals of this interpretation are:

1. No Prophetic Gap: The prophecy flows sequentially without pause. Hebrew parallelism and recapitulation are used to emphasise thematic continuity, not chronological gaps.
2. Cyrus' Decree: The prophecy begins with Cyrus' decree in 538 BC, fulfilling both Jeremiah's prophecy and initiating the restoration of Jerusalem. The claim that it starts with Artaxerxes' decree is inconsistent with biblical and historical evidence.
3. Messianic Fulfilment: The 70th week is fulfilled through Jesus' ministry, atonement, and the establishment of the New Covenant. The "cessation of sacrifices" refers to Christ's ultimate sacrifice, rendering the old system obsolete.
4. Destruction of Jerusalem: The prophecy's reference to desolation is fulfilled in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, not by a future "Antichrist".
5. The Church as Fulfilment: The Church is integral to God's plan, not a parenthetical "gap." The Gospel confirms the new covenant to "many," fulfilling Daniel's vision of restoration and righteousness.

1. Chronological or Theological Interpretation?

Much of the dispensational understanding of Scripture relies on a strict literal interpretation. Aside from this being applied inconsistently, this approach also misunderstands much of the symbolic use of numbers Scripture. See Dispensationalist Literalism.

Biblical prophecies often make use of typology, symbolism, and are often not literally exact;

• Jeremiah's 70 years varied in exact length-The fall of Babylon by which the end/conclusion of Jeremiah's prophecy is reached occurred in 539 b.c. There are several suggested beginning points for the prophecy, none of which, however, add up to precisely 70 years:
  • fall of Nineveh in 612 b.c. = 73 years;
  • the battle of Carchemish or Nebuchadnezzar's accession, both of which were in 605 b.c. = 66 years;
  • the beginning of the captivity in 597 b.c. = 58 years;
  • the destruction of the temple and city in 586 b.c. = 47 years.
• Ezekiel 26:7-14's Tyre was not "never rebuilt."
• the fall of Babylon did not happen immediately as Isaiah 13:19-22 & Jeremiah 51:26 suggest.
• Genesis 15:13's 400 years of oppression was closer to 430 years.
• Isaiah 7:4's prophecy of Jesus was typological, not literal.
• Elijah did not literally return as Malachi 4:5-6 suggests.

The "seventy sevens" of Daniel 9:24 is translated as "a unit of seven things." Dispensationalist opt to conclude that the "units" are years and that "seventy units of seven years" would equal 490 years. Insisting a consistent literal interpretation of Scripture, as suggested for Daniel 9, would conclude that many Biblical prophecies (some mentioned above) are falsehoods.

Scripture often uses numbers symbolically. The number seven frequently symbolises completeness or perfection-God created the world in six days and marked completion by resting on the seventh (Gen 2:2-3), God promises sevenfold vengeance to mean full justice (Gen 4:15), Revelation often uses seven to signify completeness (Rev 5:1; 8-16). Jesus uses "seventy times seven" to mean limitless forgiveness rather than a literal numeric value in Matthew 18:21-22.

70 Weeks as the Ultimate Jubilee

Leviticus 25:8-12 speaks of Jubilee as a time of restoration, freedom, and the cancelation of debts. The Jubilee cycle is a period of 49 years (7 sets of 7 years). After 7 cycles, the 50th year is declared a Jubilee year, marking freedom and restoration. Daniel's 70 weeks (or "70 sevens") equals 490 years, corresponding with ten Jubilee cycles (10 x 49 years = 490 years).

The ten Jubilee cycles symbolise a period of divine completeness. Jesus, the fulfilment of Jubilee promises (Luke 4:18-19), is the ultimate liberation and redemption. This aligns with Daniel's vision of the culmination of transgressions, atonement for sin, and ushering in everlasting righteousness (Daniel 9:24).

2. The Context of Daniel 9 & the Decree to Rebuild Jerusalem

In 605BC Jeremiah (Jer. 25:1-11) prophesied that Israel would be taken captive in Babylon for 70 years and that Jerusalem and its temple would be destroyed. He also prophesied that at the end of this period Babylon would fall (Jer. 25:12). In 539BC Babylon fell to Cyrus of Persia. In this very year (Dan 9:1 - "in the first year of Darius"-also know as Cyrus), Daniel was reading Jeremiah's prophecy and prays for the restoration of Jerusalem (Dan 9:16-20). The angel Gabriel responds to Daniel's prayer with the prophecy of the 70 weeks (or "sevens" in Dan 9:20-27), the beginning of which would be a decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem (Dan 9:25).

In 538BC Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (Ez 1:2-3; 2 Chron 36:21-22). This decree fulfils what Isaiah had prophesied about Cyrus' role in rebuilding temple and city (Isaiah 44:28, Isaiah 45:13). 2 Chronicles 36:21-23 directly links Cyrus' decree with the fulfilment of Jeremiah's 70-year prophecy, marking both the end of captivity and the start of restoration.

Therefore, the decree of Cyrus in 539-538BC is both the conclusion of Jeremiah's prophecy of captivity (2 Chron. 36:21-23) and the beginning of Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy of restoration (Dan. 9:25).

But Cyrus' Decree "only Concerns the temple" And, Therefore, Cannot Be the Start of the 70 Weeks

• Logical Inconsistency: If Cyrus' decree is not the correct decree, Daniel's urgent prayer in Daniel 9 would not be adequately answered.
• Interconnected Restoration: The restoration of the Temple included rebuilding the city. The Temple was the central part of Jerusalem and required a large amount of inhabitants, priest, and therefore infrastructure. Additional to the cultural/logical necessity of rebuilding the city, Isaiah also explicitly states that Cyrus would rebuild the city (Isaiah 44:28; 45:13).
• Historical Records: Books like Haggai, Ezra, and Nehemiah indicate that Jerusalem was being rebuilt and inhabited before Nehemiah's time (eg. Haggai 1:4; Ezra 5:1).

What about Artaxerxes' Decree?

The dispensational interpretation of Daniel's 70 weeks hinges on the "decree" of Daniel 9:25 being Artaxerxes' decree of 445-444BC (Neh 2). This is integral to the dispensational interpretation as counting 483 years from the first of Nisan (14 March) in 445BC, you would arrive at Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. For a literal interpretation to be applied, the 490 years must be chronologically precise, hence why this decree is chosen. However, there are a few problems with this:

1. The Nature of Artaxerxes' Decree: This decree issued in Nehemiah 2 does not initiate the rebuilding of Jerusalem but rather grants Nehemiah specific permissions to address practical needs such as repairing walls and gates already in progress (Nehemiah 2:5-8). This is not a foundational decree but a continuation of ongoing efforts that began with Cyrus, as evidenced by Isaiah 44:28, 45:13, and historical records (Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah; Cyrus Cylinder; Elephantine Papyri; Josephus' "Antiquities of the Jews").
2. Chronological Inconsistencies: This decree places the beginning of the 70 weeks much later than the prophecy's clear association with the end of the Babylonian captivity and the restoration promises of Jeremiah (Jer. 25:12; 29:10). Delaying this start has required Dispensationalists to use 360 day "prophetic years" to calculate the coming of the Messiah, which they have interpreted as Jesus' triumphal entry.
3. Disregarding Scripture: Stating that Daniel 9:25's decree is Artaxerxes' decree disregards Ezra and Haggai's testimony that the rebuilding of Jerusalem was already well underway (Haggai 1:4; Ezra 4:12). It also disregards Isaiah's prophecy of Cyrus, and 2 Chronicles' records (Isaiah 44:28, 45:13; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23).
4. Logical Inconsistency: Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9:16-20 specifically pleads for the restoration of Jerusalem following Jeremiah's prophecy. Gabriel responds with a timeline tied to "the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem" (Daniel 9:25). The decree of Cyrus directly fulfills this in its immediate historical and prophetic context (Ezra 1:1-4; 2 Chron. 36:22-23). Waiting almost a century later for Artaxerxes' decree would make Gabriel's response nonsensical and disconnected from Daniel's prayer.

3. No Biblical Basis for a "Prophetic Gap"

The dispensational view of Daniel's 70 Weeks is dependent upon starting from Artaxerxes' Decree and concludes on Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem 483 years later. The remaining seven years in the 490 year "70 sevens" represents the final week, which they claim has not begun yet. Rather, dispensationalists claim that there is a "prophetic gap" between weeks 69 and 70, which encompasses the entire church age. Two reasons for this interpretation are:

1. The events of Daniel 9:24-27 have not happened yet and so there must be a "gap" of undefined time until the events start to unfold.
   • This is the only way to explain the lack of events without admitting that the Artexerxes' Decree is not the starting point, which would then undermine the entire belief of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture.
2. The primary purpose dispensationalist propose is that the Church Age was unforeseen in Old Testament prophecy.
   • With the rebellion of Israel in crucifying Jesus, God had to initiate a "plan B," being the church. The church age is a "parenthesis" to God's plan and the gap between the 69th and 70th week is to account for this break in God's plan, which will be resolved when God removes the church so that He can return to "Plan A" of Israel. See Dispensational view of Israel & the Church
   • Personal note: The idea that Old Testament prophecy did not "foresee" the church age undermines prophecy and God's omniscience.

Continuous Prophetic Timeline

Daniel 9:24-27 presents the seventy weeks as a continuous period of sequentially unfolding events without any indication of a gap or pause between the 69th and 70th weeks.

One of the hallmark features of Hebrew prophecy and Scripture is Recapitulation and Parallelism, which is being utilised here. These literary devices are used to describe overlapping or cyclical patterns rather than linear chronology. For example, Daniel 9:26 doesn't describe sequential events but rather all events that occur within the framework of the 62nd to 70th week, without any indication of separate time periods for each. The purpose of these devices is to emphasise the thematic progression rather than creating a gap.

• Other examples of Parallelism and Recapitulation: Isaiah 11:1-9 and Ezekiel 37 both expand on themes without indicating chronological gaps.

Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy is connected to Jeremiah's 70 years, which was a continuous timeframe. Daniel's 70 weeks build upon this idea of complete, uninterrupted periods of God's activity.

The concept of a "gap" between the 69th and 70th week is an argument from silence that is needed to account for the misalignment of a literal chronological interpretation of the 70 weeks. There is no explicit mention of a "gap," and the church is not a "parenthetical gap" but the fulfilment of God's promises. See Dispensational view of Israel & the Church

4. The Purpose & Fulfilment of the 70 Weeks

1. To Finish Transgression: Ending Israel's rebellion against God.
2. To Make an End of Sin: Dealing decisively with sin.
3. To Make Atonement for Iniquity: Providing a means for forgiveness.
4. To Bring in Everlasting Righteousness: Establishing a lasting state of righteousness.
5. To Seal Up Vision and Prophecy: Fulfilling prophetic revelations.
6. To Anoint the Most Holy Place: Consecrating the temple or holy site.

The dispensational understanding of these goals is that they are only partially fulfilled and await future completion. This is especially the case for Israel. To believe this, one must believe that God cannot have two covenant peoples-Israel and the church. However, the New Testament reveals that in Christ the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles has been broken down, making them one (Eph. 2:14-16). See Dispensational view of Israel & the Church.

The 70th Week Fulfilled by Jesus, Destruction of Jerusalem, & the Church Age

Start Of the Week - Jesus's Ministry

• Jesus's public ministry lasted approximately three and a half years, marking the first half of the 70th week. During His ministry, Jesus confirmed the new covenant with many through His teachings and miracles (Matt 26:28; Heb 8:6).

• Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection accomplish the purposes in Daniel 9:24. His sacrifice makes atonement for sin, brings reconciliation between God and humanity, and provides the means to end transgression. See Jesus is the True Israel & fulfilment of Old Testament Prophecy.
  • Atonement for Iniquity: Jesus's death on the cross serves as the ultimate atonement (Hebrews 9:26-28).
  • End of Sin and Transgression: Through His sacrifice, believers are freed from the power of sin (Romans 6:6-7).
  • Everlasting Righteousness: Jesus brings a righteousness that endures forever (2 Corinthians 5:21).
  • Fulfilment of Prophecy: Jesus fulfils the Old Testament prophecies (Luke 24:44).
  • Anointing the Most Holy: Jesus is the anointed one (Messiah), and His coming sanctifies the true "holy place" (Hebrews 8:1-2).

Middle Of the Week - Destruction of Jerusalem

• The cessation of sacrifices is symbolic of the end of the old sacrificial system due to Jesus's ultimate sacrifice.
• The "abominations" and making desolate point to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70AD by the Romans (Matt 24:15-16; Luke 21:20; Heb 10:8-10).
• Dispensationalists believe that "he" refers to a future Antichrist who will make and then break a covenant with Israel in the future. As the Messiah is the central figure in this passage, suggesting "he" refers to someone else is incoherent.

• "The people of the prince" refers to the Roman armies under General Titus. The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70AD by General Titus (a "prince") fulfils this part of the prophecy.
• Dispensationalists believe the "prince who is to come" is a reference to an Antichrist figure in a future tribulation period. However:
  • Daniel 9:26 flows without indicating a switch from discussing the Messiah to an unrelated future figure. There is no shift in subject, and suggesting there is disregards the Hebrew structure of the passage.
  • The "prince" is connected to events occurring shortly after the Messiah is "cut off," not thousands of years later.

Last Half of the Week - Church Age

• The latter half of the 70th week extends into the present age, where the new covenant continues to be confirmed with many (Acts 2:38-39; Eph 2:13). This period includes the spread of the Gospel and the inclusion of Gentiles into God's covenant people.
• The current church age is a time of grace, where the new covenant is in effect, and believers await the second coming of Christ (Titus 2:13; Heb 9:28).

End Of the Week - Christ's Return

• The ultimate completion of the six purposes in Daniel 9:24 will occur at Jesus's second coming, which brings everlasting righteousness and fulfilment of all visions and prophecies (Rev 21:3-4; 1 Cor 13:10; Acts 3:20-21).
• The "anointing of a most holy place" can be seen as the consecration of the New Jerusalem (2 Pet 3:13; Rev 22:3).

Sources

• Beale, G. K. (2012). A New Testament biblical theology: The unfolding of the Old Testament in the New. Baker Academic.
  • Explores the continuity between Old and New Testaments.
• Carson, D. A. (2007). Exegetical fallacies (2nd ed.). Baker Academic.
  • Discusses common errors in biblical interpretation, including those related to prophetic literature.
• DeMar, G. (2009). Last days madness: Obsession of the modern church. American Vision.
  • Critiques dispensationalist eschatology, including interpretations of Daniel's prophecies.
• Kline, M. G. (1974). The Seventy Weeks of Daniel: An Interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 17(2), 97-115.
  • An interpretation of Daniel's 70 weeks focusing on covenant theology and typological fulfilment.
• Mathison, K. A. (1995). Dispensationalism: Rightly dividing the people of God? P&R Publishing.
  • Critical analysis of dispensationalist theology and hermeneutics.
• Miller, S. R. (1994). Daniel: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. Broadman & Holman Publishers.
  • Comprehensive commentary on Daniel, including a detailed analysis of the 70 weeks prophecy.
• Vlach, M. J. (2012). Has the church replaced Israel? A theological evaluation. B&H Academic.
  • Examines the relationship between Israel and the Church.
• Young, E. J. (1949). The Prophecy of Daniel: A Commentary. Eerdmans.
  • Verse-by-verse exegesis of Daniel. Includes a critique of dispensationalist interpretations of the 70 weeks prophecy.

Scripture

Daniel 9