APPENDIX B
DANIEL’S 70th WEEK
The question addressed here is, "Where does one find the seven year Tribulation in the Bible?" It comes primarily from Daniel's prophecy of the 70 weeks in Daniel 9:24-27. There, speaking in the context of both the first and second comings of the Messiah, an angel told Daniel...
"Seventy weeks (70) are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophesy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem (fulfilled by Artaxerxes in 445 BC. See Nehemiah 2:5-8) until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks (69); the street shall be built again, and the wall (accomplished under Nehemiah), even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, (speaking of the cross) but not for himself (speaking of his death for you and me); and the people (the Romans) of the prince who is to come (Antichrist) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (destroyed by the Roman general Titus in AD 70). The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he (Antichrist) shall confirm a covenant (make a treaty) with many for one week; (a 7 year treaty with the Jews at the beginning of the Tribulation) but in the middle (3 1/2 years after the treaty at the beginning of the Great Tribulation) of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, (Antichrist’s ceasing of the temple and setting up his own worship there) even until the consummation, which is determined, (Christ’s dealing with Antichrist at his Second Coming) is poured out on the desolate" (Christ's judgment of Antichrist, casting him into the Lake of Fire).
As far as specific times are concerned, this is the most amazingly precise prophecy in the entire Bible. Three key portions of it have already been fulfilled, namely:
When Sir Robert Anderson calculated the time between Artaxerxes decree (445 B.C.) and the first coming of Christ to Earth, he found that it was exactly 483, years just as Daniel had predicted it would be when he wrote, "from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks" (69 weeks). Using simple mathematics, he found that Daniel's 70 weeks were periods of seven years each or prophetic weeks. Therefore, 69 of them equal 7 X 69 = 483 years. He then found that from Artaxerxes' decree in the days of Nehemiah to the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey's colt and presented himself to Israel as their Messiah was in fact 483 years to the day, just as the prophet Daniel had predicted. In fact, this turned out to be so precise a prediction in Daniel, and such an exact fulfillment in history, that many liberal theologians began to say that the book of Daniel was not written by Daniel at all, but was written by someone else at a much later time who wrote it from hindsight rather than foresight! Careful study of Daniel, however, proves otherwise. The historicity and date of Daniel's writings are beyond question. This is dealt with extensively by Sir Robert Anderson in his classic book, The Coming Prince. I will not address it further here, but I refer the reader there if you wish to have more information on the topic.
Now, coming back to Daniel's prophecy, this means that there is just one week (7 years), that has not yet been fulfilled. When Messiah was cut off at the cross, Daniel's prophetic 70-week clock stopped. Its last week was left as yet unfulfilled. It will be fulfilled by the Tribulation.
Now, in the Old Testament, the mystery of the Church and its time period (from the cross of Christ until right now), is not found. The Church was not revealed in the Old Testament. The mystery of the Church Age lies between Daniel's 69th and 70th week. When the Rapture of the Church occurs, it will signal the end of the Church Age and the beginning of Daniel's 70th week. At that time, Daniel's 70 week prophetic clock will begin to tick down once again as its final week will be fulfilled during the last days of Earth's Gentile history, the Tribulation. After those seven years are over, all of Daniel's prophecy will have been completed.
Other references to the 7 year Tribulation come from several scriptures that mention its two 3 ½ year segments. The last 3 1/2 years is called the Great Tribulation. Here is a list of these scriptures. You can draw your own conclusions about them.
2. Revelation 12:6, says that the woman, Israel, will be hidden in the wilderness for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (1260 divided by 360 = 3 1/2 years).
3. Revelation 13:5, says that the beast with the big mouth (Antichrist) was granted to continue for forty-two months (42 divided by 12 = 3 1/2 years)
4. Daniel 7:25, says that the saints will be given into the hands of the little horn (Antichrist) for a time and times and half a time (a Jewish idiomatic expression where the term time means one year) (1 + 2 + 1/2 = 3 1/2 years)
5. Daniel 12:11, says that from the time that the sacrifice is caused to cease and the abomination of desolation is set up (until the end) will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days (1290 divided by 360 = 3 1/2 years + an extra 30 days) We don't know what that extra 30 days is all about. It is still a mystery.
6. Daniel 12:12, says that there will be one thousand three hundred and thirty five days until a day when all who arrive in Israel will be called blessed (1335 divided by 360 = 3 1/2 years + an extra 75 days) Probably this is referring to a particular red letter day that will occur in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ calculated from the day that the sacrifice was stopped by Antichrist at the middle of the Tribulation.
So, Daniel 9:24-27 is the prophecy where the foundation for the seven-year Tribulation is well laid. It’s already fulfilled predictions and time periods are precise beyond question. There is only one piece of the puzzle that is yet to be fulfilled, namely, its last 7 year "week". In addition, there are the other scriptures above that predict its three and a half year segments. Together, these scriptures clearly show that the length of the Tribulation will be seven years.