Honour and glory be unto Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour — He who offered Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world. We give Him thanks in that He has chosen, in these end times, to reveal His mysteries to the lowly — the things He has foreknown and prepared for the good and restoration of humanity. Amen!

Beloved, it is with joy and thanksgiving that I share with you this prophetic teaching on the 70 Weeks of Daniel. This is a most pivotal prophecy, and a sound understanding of it will help us to better reckon the time of God before the glorious return of Jesus Christ.

This prophecy of the 70 Weeks announced when Jesus Christ should come the first time to earth to be a sacrifice for our sins; it prophesied His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. It prophesied when the construction of the second Temple of Jerusalem should take place — the first having been destroyed by the Babylonians — and the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem; it also prophesied when the destruction of the second Temple and of the city of Jerusalem by the Romans should occur.

And what does it tell us concerning these end times? With respect to the end times, this prophecy of the 70 Weeks tells us that when we shall see the confirmation of the "Holy Covenant," we should know that no more than seven (7) years remain before the glorious return of Jesus Christ. That said, it does not give us the day, the month, the year, or even the hour of the return of Jesus Christ as some may believe; but it tells us simply that when we see the holy covenant confirmed by a particular individual, we should thereby know that no more than seven (7) years remain before the return of Jesus Christ. Still in regard to the end times, it also provides us with certain identifying marks of the Antichrist, which we will discover throughout this teaching.

From all of this, we realize how truly necessary it is for us to fix our gaze upon this prophecy. In order to approach it well, it is first necessary for us to go back in time — to survey a brief history — so as to grasp more fully how we arrived at these 70 Weeks of Daniel; after which we will examine the prophecy closely.

Beloved, most of the prophecies we know in the Bible were written within the context of the nation of Israel, and by Israelites. Israel is a nation that God Himself chose for His purposes — it is His firstborn. Through this nation, God planned to touch and draw all the other nations back to Himself; for as we know, attached to the calling of any one man by God is a great multitude of people. After four hundred years of slavery in Egypt, God decided to deliver His people — Israel — from the hand of Pharaoh and lead them to the Promised Land. Throughout their journey to the Promised Land, and indeed within the Promised Land itself, God had prescribed a certain number of rules, laws, and principles that the people were at all costs to observe. One example: God strictly forbade the people of Israel from following the abominations of the surrounding nations or from serving their gods (Deuteronomy 18:9; Joshua 23:7–8).

In the early days of the nation of Israel, there was yet no king (Judges 21:25); to speak plainly, it was God who was regarded as the one and only King of this nation, and He worked through the agency of the Judges. However, a time came when the nation of Israel desired a king — a human king — as all the other nations of that time had (1 Samuel 8:4–7). The first king established was Saul; the second was David; then came Solomon, the son of David. While Solomon reigned over the house of Israel, a significant event occurred: God decided to tear the nation of Israel in two because of Solomon's sin (1 Kings 11:1–12). From that time onward, there was the kingdom of Israel in the north, with Samaria as its capital, and the kingdom of Judah in the south, with Jerusalem as its capital.

As time went on, the kingdom of Israel began to commit abominable acts; God then decided to send the entire kingdom of Israel into captivity in Assyria — where they remain to this day. Only the kingdom of Judah remained (2 Kings 17:6–12, 18, 22–23). Like its neighbor Israel, Judah also rebelled against God; it was above all Manasseh king of Judah who did worse than any before him (2 Kings 21). During the time of Josiah king of Judah, Josiah attempted to repair the abominable deeds committed by his grandfather Manasseh. Yet despite this, God did not turn away from the fierce burning of His great wrath that was kindled against the kingdom of Judah because of the deeds of Manasseh. Thus the LORD decided to remove Judah from His presence and to reject Jerusalem, His chosen city. We can read this in 2 Kings 23:25–27.

2 Kings 23:25–27
²⁵And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. ²⁶Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. ²⁷And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

It is from this point that the three phases of the deportation (exile) of the Jews to Babylon unfolded — and it is from these deportations that the 70 Weeks of Daniel were born.

The Phases of the Deportations

The First Deportation

The first phase of deportation took place under Jehoiakim king of Judah. After the death of Josiah king of Judah, he was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz, who reigned for only three months before being deposed by Necho, the Pharaoh of Egypt (2 Chronicles 36:1–3). In his place, the king of Egypt installed his brother Eliakim, also called Jehoiakim. Like Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim did what was evil in the sight of God; and it was during his reign that God sent the first wave of captives to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem in the third year of Jehoiakim's reign and besieged it for three years.

In the time of this Jehoiakim, there was in Judah a prophet of God by the name of Jeremiah. Jeremiah began his ministry from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah until the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah (Jeremiah 1:1–3).

In the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim — which was also the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem — Jeremiah reminded all the people of Judah of the words that the LORD had declared, words which announced the ruin of Judah and Jerusalem. Let us read this in Jeremiah 1:13–16.

Jeremiah 1:13–16
¹³And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. ¹⁴Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁵For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. ¹⁶And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

Jeremiah was reminding them of how they had refused to heed the words of the LORD and had rejected the message of repentance proclaimed by other prophets of God. As a consequence of this — their refusal to change their ways and return to God — the judgment of God was decreed; God then decided to take the entire kingdom of Judah into captivity in Babylon for a period of seventy years. Let us read Jeremiah 25:1–11.

Jeremiah 25:1–11
¹The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; ²The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ³From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. ⁴And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. ⁵They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: ⁶And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. ⁷Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. ⁸Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, ⁹Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. ¹⁰Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. ¹¹And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Thus, at the time appointed by God, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Judah, thereby fulfilling the Word of God. Jehoiakim king of Judah was bound in chains and taken captive to Babylon, along with a portion of the people and some of the vessels of the house of God and the king's house. The account of all this is found in 2 Kings 24:1–4 and 2 Chronicles 36:5–7. Let us read only 2 Chronicles 36:5–7.

2 Chronicles 36:5–7
⁵Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. ⁶Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. ⁷Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

Beloved, it must be noted at this point that it was during this deportation that Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego were taken captive to Babylon — thereby fulfilling the word that Almighty God had spoken to Hezekiah king of Judah through the prophet Isaiah. Let us discover that word in Isaiah 39:5–7.

Isaiah 39:5–7
⁵Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: ⁶Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. ⁷And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.

Let us complement this passage with Daniel 1:1–7.

Daniel 1:1–7
¹In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. ²And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. ³And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; ⁴Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. ⁵And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. ⁶Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: ⁷Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

In fact, it was Isaiah the prophet who first prophesied the carrying away of the treasures of the house of God to Babylon — this after King Hezekiah had shown his treasuries to the Babylonian ambassadors. The prophet Isaiah did not stop there; he also prophesied concerning Daniel and his companions in the royal court of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. This shows us, beloved, to what an extraordinary degree God is omniscient — that is, He possesses an infallible foreknowledge of all coming events. And so a first portion of the people of Judah went into captivity in Babylon, for a period of seventy years.

The Second Deportation

After this first deportation, a second took place, and then a third. The second occurred under King Jehoiachin, also called Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim. It was during this deportation that Ezekiel, a prophet of God, was taken captive to Babylon. Let us read the following passages: 2 Chronicles 36:8, 2 Kings 24:8–16, and Ezekiel 1:1–3.

2 Chronicles 36:8
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

2 Kings 24:8–16
⁸Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. ⁹And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. ¹⁰At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. ¹¹And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. ¹²And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. ¹³And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. ¹⁴And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. ¹⁵And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. ¹⁶And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Ezekiel 1:1–3
¹Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. ²In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity, ³The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

The Third and Final Deportation

Yet even after these two deportations, the people did not return to God — to the point of committing all manner of abominations within the very house of God (Ezekiel 8); and the wrath of God became past remedy. Hence the third and final deportation. During this last deportation, which took place under King Zedekiah, the LORD sent Nebuchadnezzar, who put to the sword both small and great, young and old alike; the king of Babylon carried off to Babylon the remaining treasures of the house of God and of the king; he burned the city and the Temple of God. As for the king of Judah, he had his eyes put out and his sons slain before him. All those who were not slain went into captivity. At this juncture, it must be stressed that the sin of the people of God had reached an exceptional level — a point of no return; in other words, the cup of sin was completely full. Let us read 2 Chronicles 36:11–21.

2 Chronicles 36:11–21
¹¹Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. ¹²And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD. ¹³And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel. ¹⁴Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. ¹⁵And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: ¹⁶But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. ¹⁷Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. ¹⁸And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. ¹⁹And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. ²⁰And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: ²¹To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

And thus all of Judah went into captivity — for a period of seventy years.

You may read the texts of 2 Kings 25:1–17, Jeremiah 39:1–10, and Jeremiah 52:1–23 for a fuller understanding.

May the Lord bless you!