DANIEL’S “SEVENTY WEEKS” – Understanding the Backbone of End Times Theology
Why in the world do Christians believe in a Seven-year tribulation? Where does the doctrine of the anti-Christ come from? And what in the world is Daniel’s “Seventy Weeks?”
If you’ve ever studied eschatology, (the study of the end of the world), you’re likely to come upon a famous prophecy called “Daniel’s Seventy Sevens” (or seventy weeks). And yes, this comes from the same Daniel who survived the Lion’s Den! 
Recently, in our end times series, BRB – Tough Questions about the Second Coming of Christ, I preached on Daniels 77’s. (Which is the lighter video-teaching version of this blog – see our Youtube page).
Most eschatological scholars see the book of Daniel as the key to all Bible prophecy. And why? Well, the book of Daniel basically prophesies the entire course of history. And his words have been so dead-on about the progression of human empires (like the Medo-Persians & Romans) that non-Christian scholars have always struggled to believe that the book of Daniel was actually written as far back as it was.
But the most exciting part of his prophecies concern the coming Messiah. Daniel prophesied that an Anointed One was coming (in Hebrew, the Messiah). And this Messiah would usher-in everlasting righteousness. And the prophecy stated that, “when the decree to rebuild Jerusalem goes out (9:25), the Messiah is coming in exactly 483 years!” I mean, the prophecy was so specific. And sure enough, King Artaxerxes ordered the rebuilding of Jerusalem in 445 B.C.[1] And 483 years after this decree, Jesus performed his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey.
So, with this level of precision, you can understand why this prophecy has become one of the backbones of a lot of end times doctrines. And it’s called “Daniel’s Seventy Sevens” because, the prophecy begins with: “Seventy sevens are decreed.” (Dan.9:24).
THE CONTEXT:
But to quickly summarize the context around the prophecy: The passage begins with Daniel in his twilight years – about 67 years into the Babylonian captivity. He was reading the prophecies of Jeremiah and discovered, the desolation of Jerusalem would only last 70 years – which means, the Babylonian captivity is almost over! So, he prays a sincere repentance prayer – asking God for favor regarding the temple and Jerusalem. And all of a sudden, the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel (vs. 23), and told him about God’s vision for Jerusalem – a plan filled with good news and bad news. Gabriel said:
“Consider the word, and understand the vision: 24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city.”
In Ancient Hebrew, term “sevens” can imply years or weeks.[2] It’s like a nickname for decades or weeks. So, even though many translations render the word “weeks,” scholars are quite unified that the prophecy refers to years, or more specifically “weeks of years.” This concept would have been quite normal to a Jewish culture that kept track of “Sabbath years.” Thus, seventy “sevens” would equal 490 years.
To paraphrase Gabriel’s message: He basically said, “Daniel, I know you want a swift response to restore Jerusalem (vs. 19); however, the full restoration is going to take a lot longer than you think. Indeed, God has three specific movements or events, during which, he will focus on the Jewish people and the restoration of Jerusalem – which will add up to 490 years.”
THE THREE MOVEMENTS:
It’s fascinating to ponder why Gabriel broke these 490 years down into three segments. It seems to imply that God will focus on Jerusalem and the Jews in three waves – yet they won’t necessarily be sequential – hence the need to book-end each wave with prophetic signs. It’s similar to how classical music overtures can be written as movements, or songs, that fit within a greater collection. And these movements will start and stop at historic prophetic events – hence, they won’t necessarily be a sequential 490 years; however, they will definitely have significant beginnings and endings.[3]
Think of the 490 years like a puzzle that’s almost complete – yet it has three missing pieces. When you look at the big picture, we can deduce the shape and color of the three pieces. And thankfully, you and I have the added benefit of hindsight. The history books give us thousands of events (or puzzle pieces) following Gabriel’s prophecy that we can test out like a puzzle piece. Thus, we have the ability to ask: “Are there any historical events that fit the clues?” And the answer is Yes.
Gabriel said, (vs 25) “from the moment a decree is made to rebuild Jerusalem, it will take 49 years.” And this would be a simple “starting date” except for the fact that history gives us three potential decrees for the rebuilding of Jerusalem (see footnote one below). If we use the 2nd decree date (Artaxerxes decree in 458 B.C.), it leads to Ezra’s note about Jerusalem being complete in 409 B.C. And then then sixty-two sevens (434 years later), Jesus was baptized. Literally he was “anointed” by God exactly 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Alternately, if we take a later decree (to rebuild Jerusalem), it leads to the exact Day that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a Donkey. And, to help tie Daniel’s prophecy to the New Testament, God sent Gabriel, this exact same angel, to both Zechariah (Lk 1:19) as well as Mary (Lk 1:26). And by doing this, God was trying to draw an unmistakable connection between the birth of Christ and this prophecy in Daniel.[4]
Now, because we have the advantage of hindsight (and the events which confirm this), we also have the added confidence to interpret Daniel’s seventy sevens as literal years. For example, some scholars prefer to interpret apocalyptic numbers as figurative.[5] Yet, many would argue that the first coming of Christ necessitates that we take Gabriel’s timelines more literally. But let’s keep moving through Daniel’s prophecy.
The angel Gabriel gives Daniel a cut off time for the 2nd movement: In Dan. 9:26, he says, “After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.” I.e., Gabriel is predicting the death of the Messiah… which sounds confusing because, this Messiah is supposed to bring in “everlasting righteousness” (vs. 24). And how can a leader bring everlasting righteousness if they die? But, either way, Gabriel made it clear: Of these 490 years, (where God focuses on the Jewish people), the second big focus ends with the death of the anointed one.
Now, as a quick side-note: I’m sure this was not what Daniel wanted to hear! Like all of us, he wanted the restoration of Jerusalem to be fast. Yet, Gabriel is saying, “it’s a lot longer and more complex.” And even worse, “it’s not even sequential” – hence the subdivisions of sevens in which God focuses on Israel and Jerusalem in spurts – which communicated to Daniel: It could be a really long time.
New Testament authors like the Apostle Paul added to this divine plan by arguing, when the Jews rejected and crucified their own king (at the end of the sixty-two sevens), God shifted his focus to the Gentiles to “make the Jews jealous” (Romans 11:11-29) before the third movement starts.
THE THIRD MOVEMENT: THE FINAL SEVEN
But when does that third movement start (the final seven)? When the so called “Anti-Christ” appears to “confirm a covenant.”
Daniel 9:26b-27 “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. 27 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.”
Notice that Gabriel didn’t use the exact title, the anti-Christ. Some Christians believe that the above verse contains no reference to the anti-Christ, and all pronouns (like “he”) exclusively refer to the Messiah.[6] However, the New Testament passages which comment on this prophecy simply don’t allow for this interpretation – as both Paul and John indicate this refers to an evil ruler. But it begs the question: who is this “ruler who will come”?
THE MYSTERIOUS “RULER WHO WILL COME”
The passage gives us a good check-list of clues: This person will come bringing war – that will destroy the city and sanctuary (vs. 26). They will set up an abomination in the “middle of the seven” (aka., 3.5 yrs) – which is an important clue. And why? Because, this three and a half years is constantly referenced in relationship with an evil man in multiple Bible passages (see Dan.12:7-13; Revelation 11:1-4 & 13:5-10). [7]
Simply do a Bible search on 42 months or 1260 days or “A time, times and a half” (which are all just fancy ways of referring to this same distinct time period) and you will find additional passages which comment on this person.)
Revelation 13 describes this person as “uttering proud words and blasphemies” (13:5) while the abomination is being set up — which mirrors the Apostle Paul’s description of this same person:
“[The Day of the Lord] will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” 2 Thess. 2:3
Thus, we have multiple names for this “Ruler who will Come.” Paul calls him “the man of lawlessness.” John calls him “the beast.” Technically, the term “anti-Christ” doesn’t appear in the Book of Revelation; yet, John uses this term in his letters to describe anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ (1 Jn. 2:22); thus, the moniker, created by John, has become the catchy nick-name of this person. I.e., Some people think it’s more accurate to refer to this person as the “man of lawlessness” or the “ruler who will come.” Yet, he clearly fits the generic definition of an anti-Christ – (see 1 Jn 2:22; 2 Jn 1:7 or read my blog on the antichrist). Indeed, he’s the ultimate embodiment of this adjective. But, let’s not get caught in the semantics of his name and miss the fact that there are potentially dozens of passages that all reference the same leader.[8]
BUT WHY IS THIS PROPHECY SO IMPORTANT TO THE END TIMES?
One of the biggest reasons why Daniel’s Seventy Sevens has become the backbone of eschatology is because, Jesus gives us the New Testament timeline of his return in the Olivet Discourse – (Mt. 24; Luke 21; Mk 13); and, Jesus directly connects his description to Daniel’s description.[9] As a result, Daniel’s Seventy Sevens (in the Old Testament) and Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (in the New Testament) form a cypher of sorts – an interpretive key – that not only brings clarity to other end times passages, but creates a timeline for end times events. Hence, Premillennialists see Daniel’s “final seven years” as the “performance stage.” Israel’s treaty with the Anti-Christ is Act One. The Abomination in the middle (42 months / 1260 days) is Act Two. And the return of Christ is the climax.
But How do we know that Daniel’s prophecy hasn’t already been fulfilled?
Some scholars have tried to argue that all of these prophecies have already been fulfilled (an interpretive style called Preterism[10]). They often point to historical events that have a semi-resemblance to this prophecy, (such as Antiochus IV Epiphanes[11] who cleansed the temple in 163 B.C. or Titus who destroyed the temple in 70 A.D.); however, the math for these two events simply doesn’t work out right.
So, to remedy this, they either pick a starting point (49 years before Antiochus IV) that simply doesn’t fit with any possible “decrees to rebuild Jerusalem.”[12] Or, they resort to calling the Seventy sevens “symbolic years” which enables them to stretch them or contract them to fit any historical events they see fit.
Other Preterists like to point to Titus who destroyed the Second Temple in 70 A.D. – requiring us to set aside any literal approaches to the 49 + 434 years of Daniel. And yes, I suppose that Titus could qualify as belonging to “the people of the ruler who will come.”[13] However, even if we fudged the years a bit, it still creates an unreconcilable problem when considering other scriptures like 2 Thess. 2:8 or Rev.13.
For example, even if Titus (or Antiochus IV) destroyed the temple or stopped sacrifices, neither of them qualify as the anti-Christ because, the Bible teaches: The anti-Christ will be captured by Christ at his Second coming (Rev. 19:20). And Paul added: “The Lord Jesus will kill [the anti-Christ] with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming” 2 Thess 2:8. And, this obviously didn’t happen – as Christ hasn’t returned yet! (And if you want to read my blog on the Antichrist, [click here].)
Even more, the Book of Revelation has a lot more details about the anti-Christ and the temple (see Rev. 13:1-17; 17:12-13) – which wasn’t even written until a decade or two after the second temple was destroyed.[14] So, if we want to believe that Titus or Antiochus were the anti-Christ, we have to disregard both 2 Thessalonians and Revelation.
Lastly, Gabriel said: “When the 490 years are over, God will have accomplished these six goals” – Dan 9:24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[d]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.”
Some Christians have asked: “Couldn’t we say that all of these goals have been accomplished at the cross?” And, in a spiritual sense, yes.
But Premillennialists would argue that such an interpretation would be overly loose and symbolic because, remember the context: Gabriel came in response to Daniel’s prayer about the Jews and Jerusalem. This passage isn’t about Christians or heaven (spiritual Jerusalem). Premillennialists argue that Gabriel is talking about the Jewish people and the physical city of Jerusalem. I.e., Everlasting righteousness is not currently happening in Jerusalem. And there’s no way for Christ to anoint a Most Holy Place (in the temple) because, the Second Temple has been destroyed since 70 A.D. (once again implying that a Tribulation Temple – and ultimately, a Millennial Temple, must one day be built.)
Could this interpretation be wrong? Yes. This is why Daniel’s Seventy Sevens is such a long-running debate. But, in my opinion, if we desire to integrate all of the Bible’s other teachings on the Messiah, the temple, and the anti-Christ, (and do it with a hermeneutic that matches the first coming of Christ), then, we probably need to keep looking towards a future event.
To put it simply: The final “seven” of Daniel’s Seventy Sevens hasn’t been fulfilled yet.
FOR FURTHER STUDY (Citations are below)
For More Videos and Blogs on the End Times, visit the BRB landing page for more on the History of the End Times Views, Daniel’s 70 Weeks, the Antichrist, the Mark of the Beast, Blood Moon conspiracies, and some End Times Book Recommendations!
ALSO: I pasted a few of the above-mentioned passages side by side and highlighted some key phrases in red to compare.
Daniel 9:24-27 “24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[d] 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.[e]
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f]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. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[g] 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 [Heb. SoMayMote = desertion; deflowering; outrage] have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, [Heb. Mee’SoMem verbal noun] until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Daniel 12:7-13 “7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.[b] [3.5yrs] When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?” 9 He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. 11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. [note: 75 days extra] 13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
2 Thessalonians 2:1-10 “1Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing.
Mt. 24: 15-17. 15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house.” [NOTE: Alongside the abomination, Luke 21 adds there will simultaneously be armies surrounding Jerusalem.]
Luke 21:20-21 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.
[Note: The word anti-christ is not in the book of Revelation. But, we know the beast is the same person because, the anti-Christ is constantly being referenced in relationship to the 3.5 yrs (aka., 42 months or 1,260 days)]
1 John 2:18-19 “18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
Vs 22: “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist.”
Revelation 11:1-4 “I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”4 They are “the two olive trees” and the two lampstands, and “they stand before the Lord of the earth.”
Revelation 13:5-10 [Ppl often interpret the beast from the sea as the anti-Christ] “5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. 10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people”
CITATIONS:
[1] The Rose Guide to End-Times Prophecy says: “To Estimate the endpoint of Daniel’s seventy weeks, the first step is to determine when the 490 years began in the first place. According to Gabriel, the tick-tock of the prophetic clock would begin with “the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem” (9:25). This would be far simpler if only one decree went out to restore Jerusalem. But that’s not the case. At least three public decrees went out at different times that could fit this description” (pg. 165).
OPTION ONE: The Temple Decree of Cyrus: This was specifically to “rebuild the temple” not Jerusalem (2 Chron 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; 6:1-12). Yet, many say that “rebuilding Jerusalem” is implied in this decree. Thus, 490 years from this would lead to 48 B.C. And nothing like Daniel 9:24-27 occurred at this time.
OPTION TWO: The Decree of Cyrus Renewed by Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:12-26) This would take us to A.D. 27 (as there is no “year zero”). Some argue, this would take us to Christ’s Baptism. This decree talked about organizing the people who would live in the city. Yet, again, “rebuild the city” is implied.
OPTION THREE: A Later Decree from Artaxerxes: On March 4th, 445 BC, Artaxerxes specifically selected Nehemiah to return and to rebuild the city (Nehemiah 2:1-8). Using 490 Jewish years (comprised of 360 days), this would lead to April 6th 32 AD – the date that scholars believe the Messiah’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem happened on Palm Sunday (see Matthew 21:1-11).
[2] Modern westerners think about time in “decades” (increments of 10). Ancient Israelites thought in “sevens.” So although these expressions may seem strange and symbolic to us, to Daniel, it was a rather typical way of communicating about large chunks of time.
[3] Gabriel intentionally broke this 490 years into 3 subsets: 49 yrs (seven 7’s); 434 years (sixty-two 7’s) and a final seven. But why did Gabriel give these specific subsets? Several reasons: (1). These subsets are designed to point out historical events that he wants future readers to pay attention to. He’s giving us clues. And for each clue, there is an historic event that either signals or book-ends the end of a time period or the beginning of a new one. These three sub-sets also imply that, (2). These time periods may not all be sequential. I.e., These three movements might add up to 490 years; yet, they also might be spread out over 2000 years. Ie., These clues allow future seekers to use deductive reasoning regarding time.
[4] When we read scripture, it’s quite rare that we are given the name of the angel. The entire Bible only gives us the names of two angels: Michael and Gabriel. Perhaps it’s because, God didn’t want the messenger to eclipse the message? I.e., The angels didn’t want the moment to be about them but rather the mission for which they were sent. Thus, if Gabriel revealed his name, it was probably because he was commanded to reveal it. Thus, when Mary, Joseph and Zechariah also were visited by Gabriel (in the New Testament), it was probably because God wanted us to see an unmistakable connection between these passages in the Old and New Testament.
[5] For example, Historicists and Idealists tend to interpret numbers as symbolic. I.e., 7 is the number of perfection. Thus, “seven sevens” might simply mean: “after the perfect amount of time” or something less specific.
[6] Some attempt to argue that “the people of the ruler” are the Jews. And after rejecting their Messiah, they incidentally “destroy the city and the sanctuary” by turning on one another in their rebellion against the Romans. Thus, in 70 A.D., their temple was desolate and city was destroyed. Hence, the “abomination” is the Jewish rejection of Jesus – crucifying him “halfway through the seven.” And Christ’s death was the covenant “with many.” However, the problem with this elegant explanation is that: Jesus, Paul, and John all seem to interpret the abomination in totally different ways (See Mt. 24; 2 Thess 2; and Revelation 11:1-4 & 13:5-10). Thus, it doesn’t fully synchronize with the other passages which comment on this passage – especially Revelation. For example, Revelation was written at least 1 to 2 decades after the destruction of Jerusalem, yet it still refers to a future 3.5 year (42 month) era (presuming another temple as well). And remember, Daniel 12:7-11 also gives further commentary on the abomination that stretches the believability of this interpretation. I encourage you to copy and paste all of the above-mentioned passages to read them in parallel. (Also, see them pasted above the citations for this article).
[7] According to Tribulation math, Daniel 9:27 speaks of an abomination in the temple in the “middle of a week” (which equals 3.5 years). This is significant because, the book of Revelation also speaks about a three and a half year crisis, but it refers to this crisis as being 1260 days or 42 months (see Rev.11:3 and 12:6) – which is 3.5 years. According to John, the Jewish month God uses is 30 days/month or 360 day/year (42 months = 1260 days = 3.5 years = ½ of a “week”) – see Rev. 11:2-3; 13:5.
[8] Scholars debate if all of these passages refer to the same individual or, the “spirit” of the Anti-Christ which works in multiple eras. See Dan.7:8-24; 8:24-25; 11:21; 36; Rev. 13:1-2; 17:8-13; 2 Thess 2:4;
[9] 15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house” (Mt. 24: 15-17).
[10] A Preterist interpretation is when a person believes a given prophecy has already taken place at a specific time in the past.
[11] Most Christian scholars agree with Jewish scholars that Antiochus IV is the fulfillment of “the vile little horn” of Daniel 8:19-26. Antiochus IV banned sacrifices, desecrated the temple, and killed the high priest, Onias III – leading to the modern celebration of Hannukah. However, most Christian scholars feel that Daniel’s prophecy in chapter 9 has a completely different abomination in mind (especially in light of how Jesus interpreted it).
[12] Instead of picking a start date that fits a “decree to rebuild Jerusalem” (like Artaxerxes – or even Cyrus might do) they pick a random date, like the date of Jerusalem’s fall in order to make the time-table work correctly. But Gabriel specifically said, “From the time the decree goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’”
[13] In other words, the future anti-Christ will come from a European union of Gentile nations (Dan.7:8-24) a.k.a. Romans. And Titus comes from this people group. Therefore, it makes sense that he might be a fulfillment of part of this prophecy.
[14] One of the most reliable clues we have to the date of John’s Revelation comes from Polycarp – a man who personally knew John and studied under him. Polycarp told Irenaeus of Lyons that “John wrote Revelation while in exile during Domitian’s Reign” – which dates Revelation between 81-96 AD. Thus, many conclude that Titus (in 70 AD) simply doesn’t fit the criteria. Revelation is referring to a future event (see Rose Guide to End-Times Prophecy” pg. 225)
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