Daniel 9:2 In the first year of his reign ( Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;) Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

In the early verses of chapter 9 of Daniel, the prophet is seen praying to God for his people Israel, and asking that Jerusalem might somehow be restored. Daniel had been searching the scriptures and through the prophecies in the book of Jeremiah had glimpsed the promise by God that the Babylonian captivity might soon come to an end.

Jeremiah 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Jeremiah 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. {punish: Hebrews. visit upon} Jeremiah 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

He is praying for understanding and for forgiveness for the sins of Israel, and for the soon restoration of Jerusalem when the angel Gabriel is sent to him, to comfort and instruct him:

Daniel 9:21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man (The angel) Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. {swiftly: Hebrews. with weariness, or, flight} 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. {finish: or, restrain} {make an...: or, seal up} {prophecy: Hebrew. prophet}

Of all the prophecies taken from the book of Daniel and applied to end time events, this particular text may be the most crucial to a correct understanding of the sequence of events surrounding the tribulation period. It is upon this verse and its alternative interpretations that two main schools of thought emerge as concerns the placing of the second coming of Christ either before or after the great tribulation of Matthew 24.

Let us begin by looking again at the words of Jesus in the 24th chapter of Matthew:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

There should be no doubt that this visible return of Christ occurs at some point after the tribulation period. This is very clear from verse 29.
*There is a school of thought that introduces the concept of the taking away of the Gentile church at some point before the great tribulation. This is usually placed seven years before the visible return of Christ, and is usually labeled as "the secret rapture of the saints." This is described by its adherents as the invisible return of Christ. This is accepted by a large number within the evangelical community.

For the new student of bible prophecy it is necessary to explain that the interpretation of prophecy relies on the application of other passages within the scriptures to define the symbology used in prophetic texts. Therefore we cite texts which define those symbols which are then used as basic assumptions, very much as we use a basic hypothesis in the realm of the sciences. The conclusions that we draw from our interpretations rest upon the assumptions that we have applied to construct them. An incorrect hypothesis leads to an incorrect conclusion.

For the day/year principle we cite at least these two texts in:

Numbers 14:34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

And in Ezekial 4:6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.

Applying this to be the case in the case of Daniel 9, therefore, gives us, in literal terms, 490 years. That is, 70 prophetic weeks equals 490 prophetic days, and applying the day/year principle arriving at 490 literal years. Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

We will come back to the 24th verse momentarily, but now look at verse 25:

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Applying the same day/year formula to verse 25 gives us 483 literal years which is derived from taking the number of days in seven weeks (49 prophetic days) + threescore and two weeks (62 weeks, or 62 X 7 = 434 prophetic days.) Or 49 prophetic days plus 434 prophetic days = 483 literal years.

Now take careful notice that the time line mentioned in verse 25 spans 483 years, (wholly dependent on our basic assumption or premise that a prophetic day equals a literal year) and notice also that the time line of verse 24 spans 490 years, which leaves a difference of seven literal years.

In verse 25 we are given a starting point in history upon which to overlay the time line of this prophecy: from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: (483 literal years)

Remember that the information given here to Daniel is supplied to him by the angel Gabriel: 21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation......and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

Is it possible to find if and when such a commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem occurred?

Cyrus gave this decree about 537/536 B.C. but not until Artaxerxes,the king of Persia, reaffirmed the decree did this law begin its implementation.

Ezra 7:11 Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel. 12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time. {unto...: or, to Ezra the priest, a perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven, peace, etc.} 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. 14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; 15 And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, 16 And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem: 17 That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. 19 The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. 20 And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house. 21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily, 22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. {measures: Chaldee, cors} 23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? {Whatsoever...: Chaldee, Whatsoever is of the decree} 24 Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them. 25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not. 26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment. {to banishment: Chaldee, to rooting out}

The decree of Artaxerxes went into effect in the autumn of 457 B.C.

With so many verses to read, it is easy to forget why we are looking for this date. Look again at the prophecy given to Daniel: from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: (483 literal years)

We are told that from the going forth of the decree to the Messiah would be 483 literal years. If you now count forward from 457 B.C. you will arrive at a date that, if our basic hypothesis is correct, namely the day/year principle, should coincide with the Messiah. The date upon which we arrive happens to fall in the autumn of A.D. 27 (Remember that B.C. dates are arranged in reverse so that 50 B.C. is 50 years later than 100 B.C.)

What happened in A.D. 27? It was in this year that Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. And so, this also fulfills another part of the prophecy of Daniel where it was written:

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people ....and to anoint the most Holy.

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
John 1:32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

So from the decree given by Artaxerxes to the baptism of Jesus we see the fulfillment of the 483 year prophecy of Daniel 9. But we still have the 490 year prophecy to contend with, and this is very important to understand. Remember that the angel Gabriel is speaking to Daniel, a Hebrew, who has been praying for his people and for an end to their captivity: Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city...

In this verse, the word that is used, "determined" is the one used to express the sense of being "cut off" or "set aside." The seventy weeks are "determined" or "cut off" and have an application to "thy people" which were the Hebrews or Jews.
*Note that it is the seventy weeks, and not only the last week of the seventy that are "determined" (cut off) "upon thy people " the Hebrews. This is the point where the pretribulationists separate the last week and put it nearly two thousand years into the future and apply it to a time just before the second advent of Jesus Christ.

So far, we have come 483 years from Artaxerxes to Jesus' baptism, but we are still 7 years short of the full seventy week (490 year) fulfillment. Let us read on:

Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. {the covenant: or, a covenant} {for the...: or, with the abominable armies} {the desolate: or, the desolator}

Again, following the day/year principle, a week of prophetic time would equal 7 literal years. We are told now that in the midst of the week he (Jesus Christ) would put an end to the sacrifice and the oblation. This refers to the system of animal sacrifice that had heretofore been the very essence of the Jewish religious economy.

Mark 15:38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. See also Luke 23:45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. The veil of the temple separated the "holy place" from the "most holy place" where the ark of the covenant was housed. No longer was it necessary to offer up the sacrifice of animals, for on the cross died the perfect sacrifice that had been ordained from the beginning. This happened in A.D. 31 and significantly this is 3 1/2 years after Jesus' baptism by John.

If the seventy weeks (490 literal years) pertain to the House of Israel, and the final week has the crucifixion in its midst (middle of the week), then the final 3 1/2 years of the last week (or 7 literal years) can be measured from the cross on Calvary. Is there anything of significance that happened 3 1/2 years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?

In A.D. 34 at the hands of the Jewish Sanhedrin, 3 1/2 years after the crucifixion of Jesus, Stephen was stoned to death. Israel, as a nation, rejected the Gospel.
It is at this very point in time that we see the Gospel of Jesus Christ go to the Gentile world. The seventy weeks reach their ultimate fulfillment here.

Acts 11:19 Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.
Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

*The following is a quote from 'The Israel of God in Prophecy'-Principles of Prophetic Interpretation; by Hans K. LaRondelle (Andrew University Press).

[Gabriel explained to Daniel that the history of Israel within this 490-year span would develop in three distinct phases: one of seven weeks, a second of sixty-two weeks, and a third of one week (see verses 25 and 27), However, nowhere does the angel imply a gap between any of these three phases. To suggest an indeterminate time interval between the seven and sixty-two weeks, or between the sixty-two and the one last week, is an unnatural assumption that militates against the expressed unit and goal of the seventy weeks (see verse 24).
The normal, natural, exegetical assumtion is that the seventy consecutive weeks are an unbreakable unity. They are presented as a unit, just as are the seventy years of Babylonian exile in Daniel 9:2. E.J.Young concludes, "If there is no warrant for inserting a gap in Jeremiah's prophecy, what warrant is there for doing so in the prophecy of the seventy sevens? Had there been a gap in Jeremiah's prophecy (Jeremiah 25:10) Daniel could never have understood the years of the captivity." "Never," concludes Philip Mauro, "has a specific number of time-units, making up a described stretch of time, been taken to mean anything but continuous or consecutive time-units." Because the other predicted time periods are consecutive, the natural expectation can only be that the seventy weeks of Daniel are also consecutive.]

It is not within the scope of this page to describe the details of the reasoning involved that puts the last seven years of this prophecy and takes it down to the time of the tribulation. Suffice it to say at this point that I do not believe that the angel Gabriel instructs that the seventy weeks are to be split in any way. The last seven years are focused upon separately and detailed because they apply to the ministry and death of Christ, and the final message of the Gospel to the Hebrews, as a nation.

The ethnic Jew is no less a candidate to receive the Gospel into his heart than is the Gentile. That Israel as a nation has denied the validity of Christ's claim to be the Son of God is not even argued by the Jews themselves. God still offers his invitation to all people of every nation, including those of Jewish heritage. And there are many ethnic Jews who do accept Jesus as the Messiah. (many times referred to as Messianic Jews)