Understanding the Tribulation Period

One of the most important prophetic passages in all of Scripture is Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks found in Daniel 9:24-27. This remarkable prophecy provides the chronological framework for God’s dealings with Israel and forms the foundation for understanding the future Tribulation period.

Dispensational theology recognises that the future seven-year Tribulation is not an isolated doctrine derived from a few obscure passages. Rather, it rests upon the clear teaching of Daniel’s prophecy and is developed throughout the Old and New Testaments. Daniel’s Seventieth Week explains the purpose of the Tribulation, its duration, its relationship to Israel, and its place within God’s prophetic programme.

Understanding this prophecy is essential because it demonstrates that the Tribulation primarily concerns Israel and the nations rather than the Church. This distinction provides one of the strongest arguments for the pre-tribulation rapture discussed in the previous chapter.

Daniel’s Prayer

The setting of Daniel 9 is important. Daniel was living in Babylon during the Jewish captivity. As he studied the writings of Jeremiah, he discovered that the seventy years of captivity were nearing completion.

“I Daniel understood by books the number of the years” (Daniel 9:2). Recognising that God’s appointed period of judgment was almost over, Daniel turned to the Lord in prayer. His prayer is one of the most remarkable prayers in Scripture. Daniel confessed the sins of the nation. He acknowledged God’s righteousness. He pleaded for mercy upon Jerusalem and the Jewish people.

Throughout the prayer, Daniel’s concern is unmistakable. His focus is upon Israel, Jerusalem, the covenant people and the holy city. This context is crucial because God’s answer directly addresses Daniel’s concerns.

The Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

In response to Daniel’s prayer, the angel Gabriel was sent with a revelation concerning Israel’s future. Gabriel declared, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city” (Daniel 9:24). This statement establishes the recipients of the prophecy. The prophecy concerns Daniel’s people (Israel) and Daniel’s holy city (Jerusalem). Nothing is said about the Church. Nothing is said about Gentile believers. The focus is entirely Jewish.

The Meaning of “Weeks”

The Hebrew word translated “weeks” literally means “sevens.” The context indicates that these are groups of seven years rather than seven days. Several considerations support this conclusion.

First, Daniel had been thinking about Jeremiah’s seventy years. Second, Israel’s prophetic calendar frequently employs year-weeks. Third, the events predicted require far more than seventy literal weeks of days. Seventy sevens equals 490 years. Gabriel therefore revealed a prophetic programme spanning 490 years.

The Purpose of the Seventy Weeks

Daniel 9:24 provides six objectives that will be accomplished by the end of the seventy weeks.

Israel’s national rebellion will ultimately be brought to an end. Sin will be judged and dealt with completely. This points to the atoning work of Christ. This anticipates the righteous reign of the Messiah. God’s prophetic programme will reach its fulfilment. This likely refers to the consecration of the millennial sanctuary.

These objectives have not yet been fully realised. Their complete fulfilment awaits the future kingdom.

The First Sixty-Nine Weeks

Gabriel divides the seventy weeks into three sections. “Seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks” (Daniel 9:25). The first sixty-nine weeks consist of Seven weeks (49 years) and Sixty-two weeks (434 years). Together they equal 483 years.

The prophecy begins, “From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25). This decree was issued during the Persian period. The rebuilding of Jerusalem marked the beginning of the prophetic countdown.

The Arrival of the Messiah

Gabriel declares that after sixty-nine weeks, “Shall Messiah be cut off” (Daniel 9:26). The prophecy predicts the coming of Messiah and His death. Remarkably, this was foretold centuries before Christ’s birth.

The Messiah would come, but instead of immediately establishing His kingdom, He would be cut off. This points directly to the crucifixion.

After describing the sixty-ninth week, Gabriel mentions two events. “Messiah shall be cut off” (Daniel 9:26).

“The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26).

This was fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Notice something significant. These events occur after the sixty-ninth week but before the seventieth week. This indicates a gap in the prophetic programme.

The Mystery Interval

The Old Testament prophets often saw future events together without revealing the intervals between them. The Church Age occupies this interval between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks.

This explains why the Church is not mentioned in Daniel’s prophecy. The Church was a mystery not revealed in Old Testament prophecy. God temporarily interrupted His prophetic dealings with Israel while calling out a people for His name from among the nations.

When the Church Age concludes, God’s programme for Israel will resume.

The Future Seventieth Week

Daniel 9:27 describes the final week. “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.” This final week lasts seven years. It has never been fulfilled. The events described do not fit any past historical period. Therefore, the seventieth week remains future.

The Coming Prince

The “he” of verse 27 refers to the prince introduced in verse 26. This individual is commonly identified as the Antichrist. He arises from the sphere of the revived Roman Empire and becomes the dominant political figure of the last days.

The Covenant with Israel

The Antichrist confirms a covenant for seven years. The covenant apparently provides Israel with political security and religious freedom.

This agreement marks the beginning of Daniel’s seventieth week. In other words, it marks the beginning of the Tribulation period.

The Midpoint of the Tribulation

Daniel continues, “In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease” (Daniel 9:27). After three and a half years, the Antichrist breaks his covenant. Jewish worship is interrupted. The Temple is desecrated. This event is known as the Abomination of Desolation.

The Teaching of Jesus

Jesus referred directly to Daniel’s prophecy. “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (Matthew 24:15).

Christ placed the fulfilment of this prophecy in the future. The event had not occurred during His earthly ministry. Jesus connected it with the coming period of unparalleled distress.

The Great Tribulation

The final three and a half years are often called the Great Tribulation. Jesus said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world” (Matthew 24:21). This period represents the climax of human rebellion and divine judgment.

The Tribulation in the Book of Revelation

Revelation 6-19 provides the most detailed description of Daniel’s seventieth week.

The judgments unfold in a series of seals, trumpets an bowls. Each series intensifies God’s judgment upon the earth.

The Tribulation affects every aspect of life. Wars increase. Famines spread. Disease devastates populations. Natural disasters multiply. Political systems collapse. The world experiences unprecedented turmoil.

The Rise of the Antichrist

The Antichrist emerges as a global ruler. He deceives the nations. He persecutes God’s people. He demands worship. His reign fulfils numerous prophetic passages found in Daniel, Thessalonians, and Revelation.

Why the Tribulation Primarily Concerns Israel

One of the most important questions is this: Who is the Tribulation designed for? The biblical answer is clear.

The prophecy was given concerning, “Thy people and thy holy city” (Daniel 9:24). Daniel’s people are Israel. Daniel’s city is Jerusalem. The prophecy is Jewish from beginning to end.

Jeremiah writes, “It is even the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). Jacob is Israel. The Tribulation is specifically linked to Israel’s future experience.

Israel’s National Repentance

The Tribulation serves as the means by which Israel is brought to repentance. Zechariah prophesied, “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10). Israel will finally recognise her Messiah. The nation’s long rejection of Christ will end.

Preparation for the Kingdom

The Tribulation prepares Israel for the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. The rebels are removed. The nation is purified. A believing remnant enters the kingdom.

Why the Tribulation Does Not Primarily Concern the Church

The Church is absent from Daniel’s prophecy. This fact is significant. The Church was not revealed in Old Testament prophecy. Since Daniel’s seventy weeks concern Israel, it is not surprising that the Church is omitted.

Believers are promised deliverance from divine wrath. “God hath not appointed us to wrath” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

The Church Is Absent in Revelation

The Church is prominent in Revelation 1-3. Yet after chapter 3, the Church is never mentioned as being on earth during the Tribulation. Instead, the focus shifts to Israel, Jerusalem, the nations and the judgments of God.

God’s Distinct Programmes

Dispensationalism recognises that God has distinct purposes for Israel and the Church. The Tribulation belongs to God’s programme for Israel. The Church’s programme is completed before the Tribulation begins.

The End of the Seventieth Week

The Tribulation concludes with the glorious return of Jesus Christ. The armies of the world gather against Jerusalem. The Antichrist reaches the height of his rebellion. Then heaven opens. Christ returns in power and glory. The beast is defeated. The false prophet is judged. Satan is bound. Israel is delivered. The kingdom is established. The objectives of Daniel 9:24 move toward their ultimate fulfilment.

The Importance of Daniel’s Prophecy

Daniel’s prophecy provides the framework for biblical prophecy. It explains the first coming of Christ, the rejection of Messiah, the present Church Age, the rise of Antichrist, the Tribulation, the Second Coming and the Kingdom. Without Daniel 9, much of biblical prophecy would be difficult to understand. With it, the prophetic programme becomes remarkably clear.

Final Remarks

Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks provides the foundation for understanding the future Tribulation period. Sixty-nine weeks were fulfilled with astonishing accuracy in the coming and death of the Messiah. One week remains unfulfilled.

This future seven-year period, known as Daniel’s Seventieth Week, will be a time of unprecedented judgment upon the world and unparalleled distress for Israel. Yet it will also serve God’s gracious purpose of bringing the nation to repentance and preparing the earth for the reign of Jesus Christ.

The prophecy concerns Israel and Jerusalem, not the Church. The Church occupies the present interval between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks and will be removed before God’s prophetic programme for Israel resumes.

When the seventieth week concludes, the Messiah who was once rejected will return in glory, deliver Israel, judge the nations, and establish the kingdom promised by the prophets.

Daniel’s vision therefore points beyond the darkness of the Tribulation to the dawn of the Messianic Kingdom and the fulfilment of God’s covenant promises to Israel.