The Final Week of Daniel and the Centerpiece of History

The last verse of Daniel 9 has been the subject of intense study and long, deep debates among those who seek to discern the matters concerning Daniel’s 70 weeks of prophecy. Why so much energy is expended discussing this final verse of this twenty-seven-verse chapter to the neglect of the previous twenty-six verses is partially driven by the fact that the first 69 weeks of Daniel have already been fulfilled. With great excitement, students of the Bible are eager to know if they will see the unfolding prophecy of this final week.

Daniel is good to give us the setting, a significant historical marker as to when he received the vision that includes this final week of intense interest: the first year of Darius the Mede. We were first introduced to Darius at the end of Daniel 5 as the one who received Babylon the same night that Belshazzar the Chaldean was slain—Darius was an invader. For the captive people of Israel held in Babylon, hopes of deliverance were at an all time high. Daniel tells us that during the first year of Darius’ reign, he was reading the writings of the prophet Jeremiah. Other than reading Jeremiah’s prophecies concerning Judah’s seventy-year exile (Jeremiah 25:11–12; 29:10),[1] perhaps he also read something this:

“‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord. For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’” (Jeremiah 29:7-14)

Daniel, a Hebrew and Babylonian governor recognized the true King and sought Him in prayer against the expectation of what God was about to do at the end of the seventy years. Remember, Daniel was already a man advanced in years when Darius appointed him as one of three commissioners over the land. Also, Daniel was disciplined in prayer three times each day—and he had enemies. Since they could find no grounds by which to accuse Daniel, they used his law of love for God against him—or they tried to anyway. Darius was the king who signed the decree that got Daniel tossed into the lion’s den because he would pray to none other but the true and living God. Perhaps Daniel 9 is the record of the very prayers Daniel was praying when his enemies found him!

First, we’ve already observed Daniel’s obedience to the Lord God, so we should not be surprised to see that when God speaks through His Word, Daniel took it as a direct order—“Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare!” When God’s Word tells us to do something, how have we obeyed when we give God nothing more than an internal nod, or “personal note to self that I need to do that.” Nate Saint, one of the five missionaries killed by the Auca Indians decades ago, observed that obedience is not a momentary option, but a die-cast decision made beforehand. This was the character of Daniel, a man with a made-up mind. Selective obedience is not obedience at all. Through uncompromised prayer, God is glorified.

God’s Word said, “seek the welfare of the city where I sent you into exile.” If Daniel was guilty of prayer, he was guilty of praying for his enemies! He not only prayed for the city of his exile by confessing the sins of its rulers (9:8, 12), but also for the city called by God’s name, back home (9:16-18). Daniel recognized that God was at work glorifying His name through fulfilling His Word, and prayer was still required! One may ask concerning God’s will at a point in history, “what is God’s will for me right now?” If you are seeking God’s will, then you are expected to pray! Nothing is going to fall out of heaven in a golden box with your answer inside. Part of God’s answer to your question is “you, pray!” This is God’s will for every moment of history. Effective prayer is always consistent with God’s will!

God’s Word said, “Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them.” Daniel confesses they have not listened to the prophets of the Lord (9:6) and disobeyed God’s commands (9:10). Daniel understood the Holiness of God and this became evident as he recognized man’s sinfulness. Man would rather make it up as he goes because he is really out to live for himself—there is no love for God above all else. Daniel was not being weak confessing sin, but able to draw nearer because he knew where forgiveness and cleansing were to be found. The people of God need to be reconciled to the Lord as the Lord. Confessing sin guards for man the character of God. Confession puts man down on his knees, even on His face before the awesome perfection of Holy God.

Daniel also read, “When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.” I imagine Daniel sat up on his rug when he read that. Notice what he says in 9:2, “I, Daniel, observed the number of the years which was revealed.” Daniel recognized the future was on the doorstep and the hope promised by God of restoration was near. Daniel was holding God to His word and sought Him, and found Him! Daniel is praying from the edge of his seat because he is about to see history unfold in a singular way. God was about to fulfill a promise!

“Shall the Lord God Almighty fail in His promise? No, he will move heaven and earth, and shake the universe, rather than be behind hand with His Word. He seems to say, ‘It must be done. I have promised—promised, do you hear?’” (J. Wilbur Chapan)

The singular thread that runs throughout Daniel’s prayer concerns the righteousness of God and the sinfulness of man, seen by the breaking of God’s commands—disobedience. Daniel confesses on behalf of both Israel and Babylon their sin. While he was praying, Daniel had another angelic visitation, and this was unlike the visitation he had before, in dreams or visions. This angelic visitation came while he was reading God’s word, while in prayer. The visitation itself was part of the answer to his prayer. As angels are messengers of God, the highlight of the answer was the description of the Messiah, who will bring the end of sin, atonement for iniquity, everlasting righteousness, a sealing up (9:24) yet He will be cut off (9:25-26). The time of deliverance Israel waits for is at hand—and that deliverance will be national as well as spiritual! This is the application of faith to history, not applying history to faith; that is, we should not be so caught up in the events themselves to see how they line up with what we would believe; rather, the significance is on the sovereign control and we are invited to line up with Him.

With Jeremiah’s seventy-year exile proclamation ringing in the background, we find the following framework helpful as we consider the centrality of Messiah as the prophetic answer to prayer in this visitation. Daniel 9:24 is a summary statement describing what God will accomplish throughout the entire set of 70 weeks: “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.”[2]

Daniel 9:25-27 are the details following the summary statement where the 70 weeks are subdivided into three sets, a time span starting from the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah’s kingdom:

1) 7 weeks or 49 years, (from the Persian Artaxerxes’ decree to rebuild Jerusalem, ca. 445 b.c. (Neh. 2:1–8), possibly closing Nehemiah’s career in the rebuilding of the “street and wall,” as well as the end of the ministry of Malachi and the close of the OT;
2) 62 weeks or 434 more years for a total of 483 years to the first advent of Messiah. This was fulfilled at the triumphal entry on 9 Nisan, a.d. 30 (see notes on Matt. 21:1–11). The Messiah will be “cut off,” (a common reference to death);
3) The final 7 years or 70th week of the time of Antichrist (cf. v. 27). Roman people, from whom the Antichrist will come, will “destroy the city” of Jerusalem and its temple in a.d. 70.[3]

Let us not miss the central feature of this visitation: the Messiah. “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress”.[4] Matthew 21:1-11 records that Jesus entered Jerusalem as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 and Isaiah 62:11, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ He entered under loud Hosanna’s (“save now”) and spontaneous confirmations that He, the Son of David, comes in the Name of the Lord. The King has returned and was received as Messiah.

As we approach the last verse of Daniel and the meaning of that one week yet to be fulfilled, let us remember that this prophecy is given as an answer to prayer. God said in Jeremiah, “’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” The messenger of the answer is God-sent with the assurance that insight and understanding will be given to Daniel and that truth can be attained in the answer (9:21-23).

God covers the same subjects over which Daniel prayed. To name a couple:

Daniel prayed for the city. God will restore the holy city (9:24);
Daniel confessed sin. God will do away with sin through the Messiah (9:25);

“Verses 25-27 spell out the broad steps by which God will make v. 24 a reality. These extend from the rebuilding of Jerusalem (v. 25), to the cross of the Messiah (v. 26), and then to the end of desolations (v. 27). The last of these was still future from Jesus' vantage point at His first advent (Matt 23:37-39). God decrees the welfare described in Dan 9:24 as the final solution, not an intermediate one that leaves Israel still in difficulty. God's unalterable word is a pledge of ‘everlasting righteousness.’ . . . Daniel's prayer for Israel concerns matters of sin that have been roadblocks to blessing. He confesses the sin, but recognizes that Israel's blessing `a direct reversal of its desolation` will come from the God who is faithful to His covenant and His compassions. He depends on God's righteous acts, not the nonexistent ones of Israel. He pleads for restoration of the people, the city, and the sanctuary. God answers with reassurances that He will restore all three. The answer does not correct Daniel, but correlates with his prayer formulated in light of earlier OT Scripture. Submissive to God, he prays for the fulfillment of blessings God has promised. So he makes himself available to participate in what God wants to do. God has a plan from beginning to end (Isa 46:9-10) and affirms His good designs for Israel (Jer 29:12-14). He allows men the privilege of laboring together with Him by yearning and praying for the same wonderful ends (Jer 29:12).”[5]

Daniel’s seventieth week can be used to support any tribulation theory (pre-, mid- or post-) as well as the position that the events of the prophecy have already been fulfilled. While we could join the everlasting throng of trying to discover where we fit presently in relation to Daniel’s seventieth week, we would be best served to follow Rosscup’s conclusion and the principle of Daniel that we walk in prayerful obedience with the God of the nations who has glorified Himself in the Lord Jesus Christ by doing away with sin and ushering in everlasting righteousness. The subject of the contents of this verse will come up again at least two more times in Daniel, so we will wait until we have more insight to discern further meaning.

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[1]MacArthur, John. Daniel : God's Control Over Rulers and Nations. MacArthur Bible studies, Page 88. Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2000.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update, Da 9:24. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]MacArthur, John Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed., Da 9:24. Nashville: Word Pub., 1997, c1997.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update, Da 9:25. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5] Rosscup, James E. “Prayer Relating to Prophecy in Daniel 9.” The Master’s Seminary Journal, Vol. 3., No 1., Spring 1992. pp. 47-71