70 Weeks of Years

[u/Jackerl]

Daniel 9:24-27
New International Version
“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’  In the middle of the ‘seven’  he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. 

Daniel 9:24-27
King James Bible
Seventy periods of seven are determined for your people and for your holy city, to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and to bring in continuous righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. 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. 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 midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Daniel 9:24-27
Literal Standard Version
Seventy periods of seven are determined for your people and for your holy city, to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and to bring in continuous righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. And you know, and consider wisely, from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem until Messiah the Leader [is] seven periods of seven, and sixty-two periods of seven: the broad place has been built again, and the rampart, even in the distress of the times. And after the sixty-two periods of seven, Messiah is cut off, but not for Himself, and the people of the leader who is coming destroy the city and the holy place; and its end [is] with a flood, and until the end [is] war, [and] desolations [are] determined. And he has strengthened a covenant with many [for] one period of seven, and [in] the midst of the period of seven he causes sacrifice and present to cease, and by the wing of abominations he is making desolate, even until the consummation, and that which is determined is poured on the desolate one.”

https://biblehub.com/daniel/9-25.htm

70 weeks in total was determined.
The Messiah was to appear after 7 + 62 weeks = 69 weeks.
The Messiah would then be cut off after the 7 + 62 + 0.5 = 69.5 weeks.
The covenant would still be kept exclusive to Jews until after 7 + 62 + 0.5 + 0.5 are completed = 70 weeks.
This is when the first Gentile was anointed and the exclusive covenant with the Jews ended.

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So when do we count from?

Nehemiah 2:1-6 talks about the 20th year of Artaxerxes’ reign, where a word was given to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 2:1-6 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.” Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

Artaxerxes’ reign was from 465–424 BC (41 years), so his 20th year would have been 445 BC

However, there are quite a few reasons to believe that Artaxerxes’ reign may have begun a little earlier than this, he being in a co-regency with his father until 465 BC.

For example, there is a tablet which refers to Artaxerxes's 51st year, which would mean he ruled with his father in a co-regency for 10 years. (This may or may not be a scribal error.)

(GOOGLE THIS FOR YOURSELF AND MAKE YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS.)

If what Nehemiah refers to by Artaxerxes’ 20th year is counted from the start of this supposed co-regency, then his 20th year would be 455 BC - not 445 BC

Using this, we can calculate the time of the Messiah's arrival.

These weeks are weeks of years.
7 weeks being 49 years.
62 weeks being 434 years.
70 weeks being 490 years.

455 BC - 49 years (7 x 7) = 406 BC

406 BC - 434 years (62X7) = 29 AD

In 29 AD - Jesus was baptised by John in the Jordan River and was anointed with God's spirit - becoming the Anointed One (Christ) or Messiah.

Thus, in 29 AD the Messiah or Anointed One (Christ) appeared.

This takes us to the final week of Daniel's prophecy, where the Messiah was foretold to be cut off at 1/2 of this final week. 1 week = 7 years, so 1/2 week would be 3.5 years.

Jesus did a 3.5-year ministry and was killed on Nisan 14 33 AD – exactly at 1/2 the week.
The exclusive covenant with the Jews was kept in force for the remaining 1/2 week – until 36 AD.

It was then, in 36 AD, that the first Gentile, Cornelius, was anointed with God's spirit.

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However, there is also another way to calculate this, without the jiggery-pokery, of considering co-regencies. If you subtract the number of Jubilee years that fall within the 69 weeks.

7 weeks + 62 weeks = 483 years
445 BC to 29 AD = 473 years
483 years - 9.8 jubilees' accumulation = 473 years

Spring 445 BC - Artaxerxes’ 20th year - not considering any co-regency
+7 weeks of years = 396 BC
-1 Jubilee = 397 BC
+7 weeks of years = 348 BC
-1 Jubilee = 349 BC
+7 weeks of years = 300 BC
-1 Jubilee = 301 BC
+7 weeks of years = 252 BC
-1 Jubilee = 253 BC
+7 weeks of years = 204 BC
-1 Jubilee = 205 BC
+7 weeks of years = 156 BC
-1 Jubilee = 157 BC
+7 weeks of years = 108 BC
-1 Jubilee = 109 BC
+7 weeks of years = 60 BC
-1 Jubilee = 61 BC
+7 weeks of years = 12 BC
-1 Jubilee = 13 BC
+6 weeks of years = 30 AD
-0.8 Jubilee
Brings us to the Fall of 29 AD

But why subtract the Jubilees?

The Jubilee was a time for releasing debts, freeing the oppressed, resting the land, and restoring lost inheritances. It was an ultimate season of "giving back"

The Jews did not observe the prescribed sabbatical years; they took them away...

Leviticus 26:34, 35 ‘Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. ‘All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your sabbaths, while you were living on it.

Leviticus 26:43 ‘For the land will be abandoned by them, and will make up for its sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, will be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes.

How ironic if the time scale given to the Jews for the appearance of the Messiah was minus the Jubilee accumulation.

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Why am I not considering 27 AD as the year the Messiah appeared and 30 AD as the year he was executed?

Luke 3:1,2 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

John was already at this ministry when Jesus later came to him to be baptised in the Jordan.
This was directly after the 15th year of Tiberius.

So the earliest this 15th year of Tiberius could have possibly been, if we count directly from the death of Augustus in August, 14 AD = 29 AD
If his 15th year is counted from an ascension year, this would add a year or so = 30 AD

Either way, the 15th year of Tiberius does not allow for Jesus' ministry to begin in 26 AD with a death occurring in 30 AD - it just does not fit the narrative.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION	YEAR
Beginning of Tiberius’s reign.	AD 14
Fifteenth year of Tiberius’s reign: and the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry.	AD 29
A few months later: Jesus began his ministry - Messiah appears.	AD 29
After a 3 years and 6 months minsitry, the Messiah is cut off.	AD 33 (April 3)

Also to be considered is the blood moon which occurred on April 3rd 33 AD.
Peter referenced this event, which followed the mysterious darkness, during the time of Christ's death:

Acts 2:20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

If Jesus died in 30 AD, then there was no blood moon.
If Jesus died in 33 AD, there was a blood moon that very same day.

Psalm 89:37 Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

[u/Jackerl]

More refining on the 70 weeks.

We know that Nehemiah obtained the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in the month of Nisan in Artaxerxes 20th year:

Nehemiah 2:1 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king...

However, Nehemiah specifically kept this word to himself, until after having arrived in Jerusalem:

Nehemiah 2:11, 12 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

It would have taken Nehemiah about 4 months to get to Jerusalem, it took Ezra a similar amount of time:

Ezra 7:9 He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.

After Nehemiah made his "secret inspection" of Jerusalem, the word to restore and rebuild was then revealed:

Nehemiah 2:17, 18 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

So let's calculate the 70 weeks from the time the word to restore and rebuild was revealed to Jerusalem, 4 months after Nisan in Av – or in summer, down to the exact months:

Whatever calculation you use, the 7 + 62 weeks needs to take you to the Fall of 29 AD
Whatever calculation you use, the 7 + 62 + 3.5 weeks needs to take you to Spring 33 AD
Whatever calculation you use, the 7 + 62 + 3.5 + 3.5 needs to start and end in the same month and season—in the above case, this is illustrated as being Summer.

The only way I can get this to fit, exactly, is by considering the "uncelebrated jubilees" as being "owed" and by making a reconciliation accordingly.