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Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Mar. 9, 2025
Update	: Jul. 11, 2025
Parts	: 01

Synopsis:



Recently while browsing my Facebook news feed, I came upon a post -- along with dozens of companion comments -- where one of my friends was offering her personal interpretation of the well-known Seventy Weeks Prophecy which is found in the Book of Daniel. Let me share the full prophecy with you before we continue with our discussion:

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 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."


Sadly, although my online friend probably does not realize it just yet, similar to many modern Christians -- and just as I too was deceived by it for forty years of my Christian life until God woke me up -- this woman has been deceived by the false doctrine which is known as Futurism. As some of my readers may possibly already know, the problem with Futurism is that it takes ancient, already-fulfilled Bible prophecies which concern Israel and the Jewish people, and erroneously applies them to our modern times, as if they have not been fulfilled yet. One of the core tenets of Futurism revolves around the Seventy Weeks Prophecy -- and more specifically, the precise interpretation of the 70th week -- of which some of you are probably already fully aware.

As I discuss in my thirteen-part series called "Seventy Weeks Prophecy: What It Means", the main problem, is that like so many other Futurist-leaning Christians, my friend erroneously splits the seventieth week -- that is to say, the Last Seven Years -- from the first sixty-nine weeks. These sixty-nine weeks correspond to 483 prophetic years, Biblical years, or Jewish years, however you wish to refer to them. For those of my readers who may not be all that familiar with this topic, as I point out in the aforementioned series, based upon the underlying Hebrew word which is used in Daniel's prophecy -- meaning Daniel 9:24-27 -- in actuality, each week corresponds to a period of seven literal years. Thus, upon performing a simple calculation, we end up with the following:

69 x 7 = 483 prophetic years

70 x 7 = 490 prophetic years

01 x 7 = final week of 7 prophetic years

As I told my friend, splitting or divorcing the seventieth week from the first sixty-nine weeks, so that the seventieth week occurs almost 2,000 years later during our current time, is a serious mistake which many Christians make. The fact of the matter is that there's absolutely no logical, historical, literary or Biblical reason whatsoever for doing this, other than to force the Scriptures to say something which they do NOT really say, thus creating a false, misguided, man-made doctrine, plain and simple.

Stated more clearly, the prophetic Seventy Weeks of Daniel -- which I personally refer to as the prophetic Age of Daniel -- was one long, continuous period of 490 years which the Angel Gabriel divided into three distinct sections. However, there is no 2,000-year gap between the 69th and the 70th week. The entire prophecy concluded and was completely fulfilled before the First Century had even ended. Having said that, you need to understand that anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is either ignorantly or knowingly deceived, whether they realize it or not. If the case happens to be the latter, then sadly, they are intentionally deceiving others with false doctrine for some particular purpose or reason. So please be careful.

Furthermore, it is important to point out -- as I do in the seven-part series entitled "Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived" -- that the conclusion of the 70th week marked the end of this 490-year age -- and NOT the end of the world. The Koine Greek word which is used in Matthew chapter 24 is "aion". It is NOT "kosmos". With the first word -- "aion" -- you can even easily see how our English word "eon" is derived from it. An eon is in fact a very long period of time, or an age. In contrast, it is from the Greek word "kosmos" that we derive such words as cosmos, cosmology and cosmopolitan. In other words, "kosmos" concerns people and the world, while "aion" concerns a period of time. So again, the Apostles were inquiring about the end of that particular age -- meaning the age of Daniel -- in Matthew 24, and NOT about the end of the whole world as we know it.

Furthermore, this 490-year period concluded during the First Century, during the seven-year First Jewish-Roman War, which Jesus mentions in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. According to the historical record itself, this terrible seven-year war occurred from 66 AD to 73 AD. It was precisely in the middle of that period in 70 AD -- or "in the midst of the week" as the Prophet Daniel describes it -- that both Jerusalem and the temple compound were utterly destroyed by Roman general Titus, and his Roman legions, thus precisely fulfilling the prophecy which had been given to Daniel by the Angel Gabriel.

To clarify, as I more fully explain in the aforementioned series, the Romans were in fact "the people of the prince that shall come" who are mentioned in Daniel 9:26. Likewise, Titus himself -- who was the son of Emperor Vespasian -- was the prophesied prince in the same verse. Furthermore, it was because of the Romans' destruction of the temple compound, that the sacrifice and the oblation did in fact cease in the midst of the week -- meaning in 70 AD -- precisely as Daniel had also written in Daniel 9:27.

In short, my friends, there should be no doubt whatsoever that the historical record does fulfill the Biblical prophecy to the letter. It is as snug as a hand in a glove. There is simply no need to in any way try to force the interpretation as certain Futurists have a serious propensity for constantly doing. They twist, pervert, torture and distort the Word of God, so that it will conform to what they want to believe, as the Apostle Peter notes in the following verses in which the verb "wrest" is used:

"And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."


Furthermore, as the Prophet Daniel also wrote, until the end of the war in 73 AD, desolations were indeed determined upon Jerusalem and the Israelites. For those of you who may not be aware of this, in the Bible, the word "desolation" basically means destruction to such a degree that a place is left barren and desolate with few buildings and people. It is basically an empty, barren, deserted place. This too is mentioned in Daniel 9:27. Part of this seven-year period -- meaning the First Jewish-Roman War -- is also referred to in the Bible as the Great Tribulation. It is this same dark, tumultuous time of great suffering by the Jews of which Jesus warned in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.

As I mention in a number of my Bill's Bible Basics articles, it has been estimated -- by Jewish historian and general, Flavius Josephus, as well as by Roman historian, Publius Cornelius Tacitus -- that somewhere in the neighborhood of 600,000 to 1,100,000 Jews died during that terribly violent period. This was a direct result of the war itself, along with Roman crucifixion, as well as a result of the famine, disease, starvation and betrayal which the Jews suffered, due to Jerusalem being surrounded by a Roman siege wall.

To make matters worse, because it was the time of the annual Passover feast, and the feast of unleavened bread, when so many Jews traveled to Jerusalem from all around the region of the Mediterranean Sea, it was very much like a pressure cooker just ready to explode due to there being so many Jews trapped within the walls of Jerusalem. As I explain in the aforementioned series, General Titus in fact used this dire situation to his military advantage, because he knew from personal experience that the Jews would eventually turn on each other as the situation within the city continued to deteriorate. That is precisely what happened as one rebel faction turned against another -- and even more so against the common people -- as food supplies began to run low.

I am personally convinced that this terrible suffering and turmoil was in fact the fulfillment of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who we find described in the well-read Book of Revelation. What John describes in the following verses exactly matches how Josephus and Tacitus both describe the situation within Jerusalem in their two historical works:

"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."


My dear friends, I could tell you much more. However, all of these events are explained in explicit detail in many of my other articles and series which are found here on the Bill's Bible Basics website, some of which you will find listed at the end of this same article. Simply click or tap on the link to be taken to any particular article.

FOOTNOTE:

Sadly, the person to whom I wrote the above added a laughing emoji to my post, and then she snidely responded by saying the following, in which she shares her conclusions with me regarding what I had written to her in my comment:

1. The only thing I proved is that I don't know the Bible at all.

2. I am deceived and I don't have a clue what the Bible says.

3. I lack research, and I was exposed before I even spoke, whatever that is supposed to mean.

She also claimed that she proved that her view is the only view that exists. Incidentally, her view is in a soon-coming Pre-Tribulation Rapture, which I am personally convinced is utterly false. As I amply explain in a six-part series with the same name -- that is to say "The Great Tribulation and the Rapture" -- I am convinced that the Great Tribulation and the Rapture have absolutely nothing to do our current times. In her haughtiness she said "Good thing I was here to show you all your terrible error." Quite frankly, this woman came across to me as being rather proud, arrogant, and possessing a know-it-all attitude, and I plainly told her so before I said goodbye to her. I am reminded of the following Bible verses:

"Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."


"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I AM NOTHING."


You see, my friends, as I already explained, the main reason why Futurists get everything so very wrong, is because they begin with a very misguided premise, and that will skew the results. In other words, because they start out under the assumption that these prophecies have NOT been fulfilled yet, from that point forward, every single verse of the Scriptures which they read is interpreted through that lens. They pass everything through the Futurist filter, instead of accepting the Scriptures for exactly what they say. We simply cannot and should not do that. We need to allow God's Word to speak for itself, and to also interpret itself as much as possible. And it WILL do that, if we let it. I know this from personal experience.

So because they have convinced themselves that everything is in the future -- or have been convinced to believe that way by other teachers and preachers -- whenever a person such as myself comes along and tries to show them how some prophetic events perfectly match the historical record, they just can't see it or accept it. Worse yet, they adopt a proud, haughty, mocking attitude as this person has done with me. There is just no getting through to them. As such, there is no point in further pursuing this with her. Her mind is made up, and she is totally entrenched in her views. How sad!

Before concluding this article, I would like to take a moment to address my Christian brethren who still embrace Futurism. My friends, first of all, I want you to know that I do not judge you or condemn you for your current beliefs. After all, it would be rather hypocritical for me to do so considering that I was likewise deceived by Futurism for forty years of my adult Christian life, until the Lord finally woke me up.

I know that what I have shared with you here will probably be very hard for you to accept, because just as it was with me, and just as it still is with many other Futurist-leaning Christians, your current beliefs are no doubt quite engrained in you,. As such, you will more than likely resist everything I have just stated here. Some of you may even consider me to be a misguided teacher or a false prophet. However, before you choose to hastily arrive at that conclusion, I ask you to open your heart to the Lord, and seriously pray about what I have written here. Ask the Lord to reveal to you whether or not I have spoken the truth. I also urge you to continue reading my related articles and series in order to fill in the gaps more.

My goal in writing this current article, as is the case with everything that I have written over the years, is simply to share Scriptural truth as I have come to understand it. The truth is very important to me. I often pray that the Lord will not allow me to ever become deceived again, as I was for so many years. I also pray that He will continue to reveal more and more Biblical truth to me, as I continue to delve ever more deeply into His wonderful Word. As He does, it will continue to be my personal goal to share these truths with the world.

As a former Futurist myself, I know how you think. Some of the things you still believe today, I likewise believed for such a long time. I was completely convinced of them, and I fervently defended them and taught them to others. So as I already said, I understand how deeply embedded such beliefs can become in a person's life, even if those beliefs happen to be wrong. That is where the hard part enters the picture. It takes a lot of honesty and humility to be willing to admit to ourselves, to God, and likewise to our brethren, that we have been wrong, misguided, and a little off in our beliefs.

My friends, I have been down that road. After forty years of being a staunch Futurist, I had to admit that I had been misled, and that I had become quite deceived. Not only was I personally deceived, but I was unknowingly and ignorantly deceiving others as well due to the things that I taught. It was of course not done with malicious intent. I was simply convinced of those things which I taught, just as you still are today. However, once God began to reveal things to me back in 2011-2012, I simply could not resist the truth of the Scriptures. Thus, since that time, I have worked hard to correct, update and rewrite those articles and series where I know that I have been in error. It is a long, hard process, because I am not young anymore.

So, I want you to understand that the things which I write regarding Futurism, aren't an attack against you personally. They are an exposé of the false doctrines themselves. Simply put, I want you to know the truth. I want to give you a big opportunity to escape the deception of Futurism. However, it must be by your own choice. I can show you the evidence, but you alone must decide whether or not you want to believe it. I have done my job. The ball is now in your court. What will you do? I pray you make the right choice.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Abomination of Desolation: Explained!
Are You Flexible?
As a Thief in the Night
Fight Against Futurism
He That Shall Endure unto the End
Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word
In the Ages to Come
Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?
Modern Deception: Shall a Nation Be Born at Once?
Modern Deceptions: Return to Israel, the Fig Tree and This Generation
My Evolving Theology
Please Stop Misinterpreting the Scriptures
Preterist or Futurist? It's All by Faith
Prophetic Comparisons: Moshiach, Mahdi and Messiah
Psalm 83 War False Doctrine Exposed!
Seventy Weeks Prophecy: What It Means
So, You Have Got It All Figured Out, Do You?
Sorry, Jesus Is Not Coming at Any Moment
The Day I Am Waiting For
The Day of the Lord: What It Really Means
The Great Tribulation and the Rapture
The Last Seven Years Chart
The Misguided End of the World Predictions of Harold Camping
The Triumphant Touchdown of Jesus Christ
The Two Sackcloth Witnesses of Revelation 11
The Woman in the Wilderness and the 144,000
Tradition or Truth? Old Wine or New Wine?
Understanding the Bible in Context
Vespasian, Titus and the Fall of Jerusalem
When Was Satan Cast Out of Heaven?
Who Hindered the Antichrist?
Who is Babylon the Great?
Who is Moshiach ben David?
Who is Who?: Defining Important Prophecy Terms

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Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.