What is the argument supporting that there is a break between the 69th and 70th week in the book of Daniel?

    PROPHECY IN DANIEL

“..he (King of the North).. have intelligence with them that forsook the holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength and shall take away the daily sacrifice and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.” Daniel 11:31

“Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment (completion - point where the “commandment” ceased going forth) to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the prince shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be build again and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary and the end thereof shall be with a flood and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease and for the over spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate even unto the consummation and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
(Daniel 9:26-27)

Some would contend that these passages are talking about a false messiah that is still to come, but that is not true. The messiah they are talking about is Jesus. He’s the messiah cut off in the middle of the week (sundown Tuesday night; which in the Jewish week is Wednesday - days run sundown to sundown). He also is the prince of the people who will come and destroy the city (Sovereign ruler over all creation, using the Romans to destroy Jerusalem). Jesus is the one confirming his covenant (with his people) and when he is “cut off” (atonement is taking place) the sacrifice is complete.

The passage in Daniel 9 beginning with verse 20, Daniel is praying for his people as well as confessing his sins and their sins. Gabriel comes to him and tells him “I’ve come forth to give you skill and understanding”. There is something concerning Daniel and his nation that God is about to reveal. Next he tells Daniel that he (Daniel) is greatly beloved of God and he goes on to explain what this vision (he had previously) means.

Right away the angel begins to expound to Daniel that 70 weeks is given for them to finish the transgression, end their sin, make reconciliation (to God), bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up the vision and the prophecy (bring to a close upon themselves the kingdom they are suppose to inherit) and (most importantly) - anoint the Most Holy! Seventy weeks is given to them to see if they will accept their messiah.

Verse 25 talks about “restore and to build Jerusalem” and “the street” & “the wall” will be built (having already been completed). This is preceded by the “going fort of the commandment”. As we notice by looking at the phrase the going forth of the commandment has been completed.

The commandment and the building of Jerusalem, the street and the wall have all been accomplished at the point where this seventy weeks begins. This is also the point where the abomination is set up. The desolation (or destruction) of that abomination comes with the cutting off of the messiah; this we see in verse 27.

“490 years” and “middle of the week”:

Historically, the priest Ezra read the law the year before Nehemiah dedicated the wall when the people had returned from the Babylonian captivity. (Nehemiah 8:2,12:26&27) The “70 weeks” (seventy equal slots of seven in the Hebrew) has been interpreted as 70 X 7 (or 490) years.

One difficulty I have with this interpretation is we can’t fit a year into an equal slot of seven and nowhere in the Hebrew text does it indicate we are to multiply this number to get 490 years.

Many have attempted to calculate this 490 years out and have usually come to 30 A.D. as the year of the crucifixion. We have a problem with 30 A.D. because the Passover did not fall on a Thursday night in 30 A.D.

Sometimes people find other hoops to jump through and make proclamations that Jesus really wasn’t crucified on a Friday morning, he was crucified on Wednesday. They conclude this to fit into this passage in Daniel that talks about the messiah being cut off in the middle of the week and the “3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth”.

I think to be fair to the texts of Scripture though, we need to take the numbers contained there in and let them speak for themselves, not trying to force them into a formula of sorts. The Bible is written in a way that gives us those hidden clues if we know how to search for them. Often times the clues are right in front of our faces, we just need to look at what’s there.

The correct year of Jesus’s crucifixion, from all we can tell of when Passover fell on a Thursday into a Friday is 33 A.D. It’s highly likely Jesus was born in 7 B.C. because we know from historical record that Herod the Great died in 4B.C. Jesus was about 2 years old when the magi came and it seems he spent approximately a year in Egypt before Herod the Great died. This fits well, since 7 B.C. was a jubilee year, and Jesus was probably born in the fall, right around the time of the feast of tabernacles. (For God would tabernacle among them.) Jesus died in the spring of 33 which would have made him approximately 6 months shy of being 40 years old (since there is no year zero).

Back to the text in Daniel. What did it mean to culturally (or via the law) build Jerusalem, the street, and the wall? Rebuilding efforts historically took place after people had returned to Jerusalem. This was usually precipitated by God and a repentance of the nation.

The building efforts accompanied a return to the laws and ceremonies. This was the physical picture of what was to be spiritually happening in the hearts of the people. How does this apply to the first century though? The last prophet of “the covenant” meaning the Hebrew Scriptures was John the Baptist. Notice what he says:

“Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths strait!” Here’s the “street” in Daniel.

“And there went out to him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.” (Mk 1:5) Here is the “building of Jerusalem”.

“Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance and begin not to say within yourselves: ‘we have Abraham as our father’ for I say to you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” (Lk 3:8) This is Daniel’s “wall”.

Herod the tetrarch of Galilee: Going back to Daniel 11, we have the description of a king who is obviously a Jew (or at least partially Jewish) for it talks about things he’s done that:

• “his fathers have not done” (vs 24)
• “neither shall he regard the God of his fathers”. (vs 37)
• “And both these kings hearts shall do mischief and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper for the end shall be at a time appointed” (vs 27)
• “For the ships of Chittim (Greece) shall come against him, therefore he shall be grieved and return having indignation against the holy covenant...and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.” (vs 30)
• “But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold and silver...”. (vs 38)

• “he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the holy mountain” (vs 45)

  All of these passages are descriptive of Herod the tetrarch of Galilee (and Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis - Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene (Luke 3:1))

  Herod and Philip are the “kings who do mischief” and “speak lies at one table” This was at the point where he’d arrested John the Baptist.

  “Have indignation against the holy covenant”, “pollute the sanctuary of strength”, “take away the daily sacrifice” and “place the abomination” is at the point were Herod had killed John the Baptist.

Herod and John the Baptist: John was the last prophet of the Hebrew covenant. He declared the proclamation of the messiah; who was to be the fulfillment of all the ancient promises. At the point where John died the “commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” was completed and “the street” and “the wall” were built.

From the point of John’s death until the messiah is cut off is “threescore and two weeks”. This is 62 weeks. There are 52 weeks in a year and John 6:4 tells us “Passover was near” upon the feeding of the five thousand.

Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that the feeding of the five thousand came right after the death of John the Baptist for these people followed Jesus into the wilderness. Jesus went into the wilderness because of the death of John the Baptist and the fact that Herod was looking for Jesus. (Matt 14:1-13, Mk 6:7-31, Lk 9:7-11)

Herod and Jesus: Now, let’s look at some of the other passages about Herod. In the beginning of Matthew & Luke we have “Herod” (Herod the Great) who died when Jesus was about three years old. After him, we have “Herod the tetrarch” who first appears in these verses related to the death of John the Baptist.

Lk 13:32 tells of a Pharisee who comes to Jesus and tells him that Herod will kill him (Jesus). Jesus tells this Pharisee to tell Herod that he (Jesus) does miracles and “on the third day I shall be perfected”.

Luke 23:7 also tells us that Herod was in Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixion. This was the first time Herod had seen Jesus in person and when Jesus refuses to do miracles for Herod; he sends Jesus back to Pilate wearing “a gorgeous robe”. (Lk 23:11) Luke also says “Pilate and Herod were made friends together; for before they were at enmity between themselves.” (Lk 23:12)

Herod in the book of Acts: Herod shows up next in the book of Acts. He kills James the brother of John and arrests Peter. Herod wishes to bring Peter before the Jews after Easter, (because it pleased the leaders of Israel) but that same night Peter is freed from the prison.

Peter goes to “the house of Mary the mother of John who’s surname was Mark” and knocks at the gate. A servant girl comes to the door and recognizes Peter’s voice; of course no-one believes her, but after they see him; he tells them to tell the others and leaves. (Acts 12:2-17)

Next we come to Acts 12:20 which speaks of how Herod is highly displeased with Tyre and Sidon but that the people of these regions come to him with one accord “having made Blastus the king’s chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king’s country.”

Herod comes out of the palace dressed in his royal robes to make a proclamation. Verse 22&23 say “And the People gave a shout, saying; It is the voice of a god and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him because he gave not God the glory and he was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost.”

On the following page I printed out a time line of the 70 weeks of Daniel 9. In this I included the point in which John appears in the wilderness up until the point where Jesus ascends back to heaven in body.

Day 1

John begins baptizing in the wilderness (counting the days back from the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 - we realize this was a Thursday) Jesus baptized (driven into wilderness)

Day 10

(This is the Sunday of the following week) Satan comes to Jesus

Day 40

(Tuesday - 30th day in the wilderness. This is where Jesus begins preaching). Jesus Begins public ministry.

Day 50

(same day left wilderness - Saturday and probably co-insides with one of the appearances he made in the synagogue in Capernaum. This is probably why Andrew and Simon followed Jesus (they heard him preach in the synagogue). Sometime during that week (likely Sunday); he’d called them while they fished.) (Mark 1:14) Point in where Jesus collected all his disciples.

Day 70

(In Luke 6:1 we find “the second Sabbath after the first”.)The “first” possibly being the Sabbath Jesus had come out of the wilderness. Verse 6 says “And it came to pass also on another Sabbath” Reason would have it that this would be the following Saturday. Verse 12 adds “And it came to pass in those days that he went out into the mountain to pray... And when it was day (Sunday morning) he called unto him his disciples...”) Beginning of the 70 weeks of Daniel 9

Day 800

John the Baptist is killed just at the start of this 70 weeks. Also, we see gentile nations presented with Jesus’s message. Exactly 2 years after Jesus chose his Jewish followers. Palm Sunday

Day 1288

Palm Sunday to 3 days & 3 nights (in heart of earth)

Day 1290

(& End of the 70 weeks of Daniel 9) Satan is cast out of heaven (John 12:31) (also begins on a Tuesday) 3 days and 3 nights (ends on day of crucifixion)

Day 1293

(Sundown Tuesday till sundown Friday is exactly three 24 hour periods) (from the point Jesus leaves the temple Tuesday afternoon the “great tribulation” begins. All scatter on the night of the Passover (upon the appearance of the angel of death) and the “great tribulation” ends right before Jesus dies) Saturday

Day 1294

(After “it is finished” Jesus’s body rests in the tomb his soul is in heaven with the Father) Resurrection Sunday

Day 1295

Jesus ascends to heaven

Day 1335

(Friday - as a whole person (body and soul) he returns to heaven)

The book of Daniel is/was sealed up UNTIL knowledge is increased and people run to and fro... Daniel 12:4,10.

The gap theory between 69th and 70th week is hundreds of years old when horse and buggy was still the norm for travel, and it took a century for knowledge to double. Today knowledge doubles in 2 years, and we travel to and fro by every means possible. As you can see the book of Daniel was still sealed up when the gap theory was invented.

Today the 70th week is totally fulfilled. Titus made a covenant with the Roman Empire to squelch the Jewish rebellion in 66 AD. This started a 7 year war (one week) ending with the fall of Masada in 73 AD. This war is called the Roman-Jewish War or Jewish Uprising. In the middle of that week/war Jerusalem was decimated and the temple destroyed ENDING the daily sacrifices and offerings. They are ended today. There is no Scripture to indicate that they will ever return.

As a result of the assumption and speculation surrounding Daniel's 70th week we have the false unscriptural idea that the great tribulation is a 7 year period of time. We have the false idea that there is a mid point in the great tribulation in which the temple will again be destroyed and the daily sacrifices will again end. There is absolutely no Scripture to support this idea. Today the temple does not exist. Today the temple is not built with hands, and God's people are the temple of the Holy Spirit. A physical temple may or may not ever be rebuilt. There is a temple that is measured in Revelation, but it's nature of physical verse spiritual is not indicated. Not to mention... it appears to have been measured in heaven.

Surrounding the nature of the destruction of the temple, Jesus warns, "Let no man deceive you." Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 21. Yet today we have a HUGE assumption, speculation, opinion, and conjecture mainstream thought that Daniel's 70th week is somehow futuristic with a huge gap of time and no Scriptural support of the idea.

The idea is important for those pushing a separation of the Jews and the church into two bodies of Christ Jesus. This is contrary to the Word of God...Eph 2:10-15, not to mention that there is only one body in Christ Jesus. The unpleasant tribulation gets pushed off on the Jews and the pleasant rose colored ideas are grabbed for themselves, such as the rapture. The truth often hurts, and any ideas that might cause a little pain and discomfort are rejected. Note the sole characteristic of the "stony" soil in the parable of the sower... it has the lack of mindset for tribulation and persecution..Mar, 4:18. They simply didn't sign up for that!

What is truly amazing is that this false gap of time between the 69th and 70th week is foundational in major doctrines. How interesting that such major doctrines are built upon assumptions that cause divisions in the body of Christ. We are told to avoid such speculations...1 Tim. 2:23.

Background

The premise of the "gap" of Daniel's 70 weeks is both structural and doctrinal.

There is no immediate indication in the text that it is required, except for the initial breakdown of the 70 weeks into three groups. 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and the final week.

Depending on many variables, various dates for both the decree and the crucifixion, as well as different terminal points for the 69th week have been suggested. Added to this, the text itself (Daniel 9:24-27) is difficult to accurately translate and then to understand, or at least to convince others of your translation/interpretation.

The Argument

The premise for the "gap" is, then, based on the structure. The final week is separated from the 7 and 62 weeks. While the 7 and 62 were without breaks, the argument holds that the there holds the possibility that there could be a break there.

More specifically, the doctrinal portion comes into play, claiming that the fulfillment of the "six things" of Daniel 9:24 has not yet occurred by Israel as a whole, and so that, due to the Jews rejecting Jesus as their Messiah, "the clock stopped", and the plan of God was put on hold. This is reflected in the larger system of "dispensationalism", which holds that the Kingdom was offered but rejected in Jesus' time, and it will be re-offered in the future.

Additionally, it is pointed out that even many opponents of a 2,000 (or so) year gap often adopt a "shorter gap", namely, the 33 or so years until 66 AD, or 3 1/2 years before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. This is because, for many, the 3 1/2 years mentioned in Revelation are often interpolated in the light of Daniel 9's 70th week, as in the "midst", or middle, of the 70th week, Messiah was "cut off" (karath).

Daniel 9:26 then becomes of importance, because it mentions the destruction of the temple and the city, by some interpretations. This is pointed out by defenders of the 2,000 year gap, because this event certainly did not happen until approximately 33 years after the crucifixion (again, depending upon the specific dates used). Because Daniel 9 references events that would have to be OUTSIDE of the 490 years themselves, it is argued that there is already a purported 33 year gap at least, and, then, on the basis of that, extending that to 2,000 years is "relatively easy".

The Summary

Thus, as the argument goes, the Jews will be offered yet another chance at the Kingdom. This time, they will fulfill the six things of Daniel 9, including putting away sin, sealing up vision and prophecy, etc.

These are viewed as the "final seven years of history", as after this, the "Kingdom Age", the proposed Millennium (Revelation 20:1-6), would come. This is supported by similar time periods in the book of Revelation, presented as varying forms of roughly 3 1/2 years (figuring a 360 day year, in general).

Simply by correlating the various 3 1/2 and 7 year portions in Daniel and Revelation, it is then argued that these periods of time are the same, and that, because much of Revelation is thought to be future, and the first 69 weeks have already occurred, there remains the possibility, now a necessity, that this seventieth week is yet future.

Since the text does not explicitly claim a contiguous 70 weeks, they enter in on the possibility of it, as I understand, on the necessity of the remainder of their position.

Rebuttal

Having presented the case as fairly as I am able, I will point out briefly a few weaker points of it.

• The 7 and 62 weeks are contiguous, why shouldn't the 70th week be as well.
• The system relies upon the city of Jerusalem to be built, destroyed, rebuilt, and destroyed again, as the 70th week entails is destruction. Since the prophecy itself contains its rebuilding, and does not contain its destruction and re-re-building, it adds weight that this may not be.
• The prophecy records a "moat" and "plaza", as interpreted by some. As these are very specific details of a particular city, it would appear that only the historical Jerusalem, with those historical features, would suffice.
• The argument hinges upon the idea that the 6 things had to be fulfilled. It states that since they were not, they prophecy was put on hold. This argument fails on two accounts. First, it can be conjectured that the six things WERE fulfilled fully, particularly by those who believed. Simply because only some believed and others did not does not invalidate the belief of those who did believe. Second, the prophecy is about the period of time to fulfill the 6 conditions, and not the actual fulfillment of them. That is, God promised the time period, not that they actually would. Compare this to, "You have until April 15th to file your taxes". You are promised the time period, not your compliance. Failure to meet the condition simply results in greater consequences, but does not invalidate the original decree, which was only for the time period.
• The argument generally stems from a dispensationalist viewpoint, or the 'Kingdom' aspect of it. The general line of thought behind it usually holds some form that the church is a 'parenthesis' in the plan of God, and that the 'Kingdom' is coming as a physical rule in the 'Millennium'. However, this does not hold, despite anyones view of what the Millennium may or may not be, because in the last 2 verses of the book of Acts (Acts 28:30-31), Paul is right there proclaiming the Kingdom of God. In fact, all through the epistles, it is the Kingdom that he is preaching, right there and then. The notion that God has 'put the Kingdom on hold' does not find support in the New Testament, despite Dispensationalist claims to the contrary (in my appraisal of the text).
• Taking into account that the Jewish calendar was built upon a 7-year cycle (and, additionally, a 7*7+1 cycle of the Jubilee), the similarity of 7-year, and 3 1/2 year periods becomes less of an identificational marker. Simply because there are multiple mentions of a 3 1/2 year period does not, in the light of a 7-year cycle very familiar to the Jewish people, does not constitute sufficient proof in itself that these all refer to the same time period. It could just as easily be an issue of the calendar.

In short, the failure of the majority Jewish people accept Christ as their Messiah does not invalidate the fulfillment of the 6 things of Daniel 9:24. Further, while the argument that Christ is cut off "after the 69th week", before the 70th week is mentioned, does not explicitly indicate a period of time elapsed between them.

Further, while some Preterists yet insert a "gap" of roughly 33 years, from the crucifixion to 3 1/2 years before the 70 AD time-period, this, also is not necessary unless you equate specific time periods on the basis of them both being of the same duration (3 1/2 years, as already stated, should not be sufficient proof).

The argument against any gap, for a contiguous 70 7's, points out that there is no claim that all of the last few events of Daniel 9:26-27 must happen within the 70 weeks, but are the mere outcome of those events situated within them. The differentiation comes in where v26 says Messiah will be cut off "after" the 69 weeks (hence, is that directly after, or is 3 1/2 years later still "after", but within the 70th week), while v27 says that in the middle of the last seven (or, week), "he" would put an end to sacrifice.

Personal Opinion

While "After" affords a sufficient grounds for flexibility, some would say, there remains debate on whether the 69th week ends with His baptism or His triumphal entry.

If it is His baptism, karath, or "cut off" (in my opinion), could refer to His baptism (karath, in its third use in the Scripture, is used for circumcision, of which baptism is a type), leaving him with "nothing" (John 2:24). Then, in the middle of the week, 3 1/2 years later, he was cut off. For the duration of this 3 1/2 years of ministry, plus 3 1/2 years afterwards, the invitation was still to the Jewish people, and Christ confirmed His Word, before and after (before is clear, after is Mark 16:20, Christ confirmed His Word by the signs that accompanied it).

This would have been terminated, then, roughly 3 1/2 years after the cross, possibly corresponding to the timeframe of the stoning of Stephen, and the subsequent salvation of Paul, wherein, the Jews demonstrated their adamant desire to reject the plan of God, and God chose a man, Saul of Tarsus, that the Gospel for the Jew would then go over to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.

Thus, in this understanding, the 70th week would follow continguously on the 69, but the necessary conclusion of this interpretation would be that the 3 1/2 year time frames of Revelation must then refer to a separate time frame than that of Daniel's 70th week, which is, indeed, what I would claim, seeing as there is nothing special about such a timeframe, as stated, when one considers the typical Jewish 7-year cycle, being the outline of God's calendar.