The Seventy Weeks of Daniel

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THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF DANIEL Presented to Michael O’Brien for BIBL 450 – Daniel/Revelation by Gregory Rains Student ID 23549 July 28, 2011 Of all the controversial texts found in Scripture, perhaps one of the most divisive is the prophecy of The Seventy Weeks of Daniel found in Daniel 9: 24-27. Written while the Jews were in exile in Babylon, this passage was a prophecy spoken by the angel Gabriel given to the Jewish people as a form of encouragement. “Whether Daniel understood all that he heard is not revealed to us, but Gabriel’s message assured him that the nation of Israel would be restored to their land, the city of Jerusalem and the temple would be rebuilt, and God would make provision for cleansing of the nation.” Scholars have disagreed over the interpretation of this passage with several points of view becoming fairly prominent over the years. However, the interpretation of the first sixty-nine weeks of the prophecy having now been fulfilled with the final week yet to come seems to be the most logical application of the text. This view is supported by the research herein and through exegetical study of the Scripture themselves. Daniel chapter 9 begins with Daniel praying a prayer of forgiveness and restoration for the Jewish people. “Daniel’s prayer for forgiveness and restoration was motivated by his reading of Jeremiah’s prophecy that the Exile would last seventy years.” Knowing that their sin was the cause of their suffering, Daniel pleaded with the Lord to turn His anger from Jerusalem and the holy temple. His desire was a holy one as his request for the restoration of Israel came from a desire that God may be glorified through it. As Daniel prayed, he was interrupted by the angel Gabriel with an interpretation of the seventy years. Gabriel’s suggestion is that the end of the Exile will begin a process. This process will last for

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