Daniel Chapter 9 Vs. 25

 The Seventy Weeks

Daniel 9:25 "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."

street shall be... Streets and wall, expressing the completeness of the restoration of the city, including the places of resort and the thoroughfares leading to them.

The temple was 49 years in the building {7 weeks}. From Nehemiah building the temple till the coming of Messiah is 434 years {62 weeks}. These were very troublesome times. Nehemiah and Ezra, both, were involved in the reconstruction of the temple.

The commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem is said to be the point of commencement for the 490 year period. At least four decrees mentioned in Scripture have been set forth by various scholars as the fulfillment of this prophecy: the decree of Cyrus (in 539 B.C.; 2Chr. 36:22-23; Ezr. 1:1-4); the decree of Darius I (in 519/518 B.C.; Ezr. 6:1, 6-12); the decree of Artaxerxes I to Ezra (in 457 B.C.; Ezr. 7:11-26); and the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah (in 444 B.C.; Neh. 2:1-8).

Only the last decree however, could have fulfilled this statement, since it was the only one of the four that specifically concerned the rebuilding of the city. Cyrus’s decree was for the purpose of rebuilding the temple. Darius’s decree simply confirmed the intent of Cyrus’s earlier decree.

Artaxerxes’ decree to Ezra was concerned only with the return of additional exiles and with the beautification of the temple. Only Artaxerxes’ decree to Nehemiah refers directly to the restoration of the city.

According to (Nehemiah 2:1-8); this decree was given in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes (in the month Nisan, or March-April, 444 B.C.). From this date to the Messiah will transpire a period of seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks, or 483 years (see the note on verse 24 for the explanation of the week as seven years).

The reason the first 69 “weeks” are subdivided into two periods of seven and 62 is uncertain, but clearly these 69 weeks run consecutively with no gap between them.

The divisions of the 70 “sevens”

Important revelation was then given Daniel about the inception of this important time period and its divisions. The 70 “sevens” would begin, Gabriel said, with the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This decree was the fourth of four decrees made by Persian rulers in reference to the Jews. The first was Cyrus’ decree in 538 b.c. (2Ch. 36:22-23; Ezr. 1:1-4; 5:13). The second was the decree of Darius I (522-486) in 520 b.c. (Ezr. 6:1, 6:6-12). This decree actually was a confirmation of the first decree. The third was the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus (464-424) in 458 b.c. (Ezr. 7:11-26). The first two decrees pertain to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem and the third relates to finances for animal sacrifices at the temple. These three say nothing about the rebuilding of the city itself. Since an unwalled city was no threat to a military power, a religious temple could be rebuilt without jeopardizing the military authority of those granting permission to rebuild it. No one of these three decrees, then, was the decree that formed the beginning of the 70 sevens.

The fourth decree was also by Artaxerxes Longimanus, issued on March 5, 444 b.c. (Neh. 2:1-8). On that occasion Artaxerxes granted the Jews permission to rebuild Jerusalem’s city walls. This decree is the one referred to in Dan. 9:25.

The end or goal of the prophecy is the appearance of the Anointed One, the Ruler. This refers to Christ Himself. God the Father anointed Christ with the Spirit at the time of His water baptism (Acts 10:38), but the anointing referred to here is the anointing of Christ as the Ruler in His kingdom (cf. comments on “anoint the Most Holy” in Dan. 9:24). This prophecy of the 70 sevens, then, ends not with the First Advent of Christ, as some suggest, but rather with the Second Advent and the establishing of the millennial kingdom.

This 490-year period is divided into three segments; (a) 7 “sevens” (49 years), (b) 62 “sevens” (434 years), and (c) 1 “seven” (Dan. 9:27; 7:1-28 years). The first period of 49 years may refer to the time in which the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem, permitted by Artaxerxes’ decree, was completed (444-395 b.c.). Though Nehemiah’s wall construction project took only 52 days, many years may have been needed to remove the city’s debris (after being desolate for many decades), to build adequate housing, and to rebuild the streets and a trench.