The “seventy weeks” of Daniel 9:24-27 is a prophecy specifically regarding the Jews and Jerusalem, as indicated in the first part of Daniel 9:24, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city.“ The English word “week” is derived from the Hebrew word (transliteration), ‘shabua,’ which refers to a period of seven days or years. This is the Hebrew word Moses used in Genesis 29:27 (regarding the time that Jacob would work for Laban for Rachel to be his wife), in reference to seven years. Since this prophecy is about the Jews and Jerusalem, it’s evident (to me, anyhow) that the Jewish calendar is the one used in reckoning the duration of the 69 and 70 ‘weeks.’ A ‘week,’ or seven years on the Hebrew lunisolar calendar, can be for either 2,540 or 2,569 days.
Due to the Jewish calendar being lunisolar, an intercalary month (of 30 days) is added periodically to bring it into sync with the solar calendar. So, a Jewish year will have either 12 months (approximately 354 days) or 13 months (approximately 384 days). If a Jewish seven-year timeline has three intercalary months, its duration will be 2,569 days. The ‘week’ will last 2,540 days if it contains only two intercalary months within a seven-year period. A seven-year Jewish timeline can be reckoned from either Tishri 1 to Tishri 1 (fall to fall) or Nisan 1 to Nisan 1 (spring to spring)… from new moon to new moon.
For more information on the Jewish calendar, see Calculated Jewish Calendar vs. Biblical Jewish Calendar:: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready or The Flaw in the Calculated Jewish Calendar :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready.
In previous articles (But as the Days of Noah Were :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready and But as the Days of Noah Were – Part II :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready), I reckoned the duration of the 70th “week” of Daniel 9:24, 27 (aka the seven-year Tribulation) would be for 2,569 days on the Jewish calendar. The phrase “devil’s advocate” refers to someone who intentionally takes the opposite side of a popular opinion or idea in order to encourage thought, debate, and discussion. In this article, I will play the role of devil’s advocate to stimulate debate and discussion regarding the timing and duration of Daniel’s 70th week and will present data in favor of a 2,540-day calendar for the 70th week of Daniel 9:27. Ultimately, the reader can decide which one they prefer.
Some may even prefer the conventional 2,520 (1,260 + 1,260) day calendar. To me, Daniel 9:27 and 12:11 disprove a 1,260-day timeframe for the last 3.5 years of Daniel’s 70th week. “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 from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 9:27, 12:11). Most pretribulation, premillennialist, dispensational adherents believe the ‘he’ in Daniel 9:27 is referring to the Antichrist, who will usher in Daniel’s long delayed 70th week, aka the Tribulation.
The first potential 2,540-day “Tribulation week” would start in our current calendar year, 2025, and end in 2032. A Jewish Shemitah/Shmita, or Sabbath year, as mentioned in Leviticus 25:1-7, begins on the first new moon of fall (Tishri 1) and ends on the last day of the year (Elul 29/30), which is the day preceding the new moon of the following year. According to Leviticus 25:2, the Shemitah cycle (or week of seven years) would begin when the children of Israel entered the Promised Land. After 49 years, or seven Shemitah cycles, the 50th year would be the Jubilee year. It is described in Leviticus 25:8-14.
The children of Israel entered the Promised Land on Nisan 10, 1406 BC. If the Shemitah (and Jubilee) cycle/s began in 1406-1405 BC and is reckoned continuously regardless of the Jews leaving and re-entering the land, and if the 50th year is also the first year of the following Shemitah week, then 2024-2025 would be the 7th year (the Sabbath or Shemitah year) of the 490th Shemitah cycle or week. Nisan 10 (April 8), 2025, marked the 3,430th (or 70 x 49) year since the Israelites entered the Promised Land. That would make Tishri 2025-Tishri 2026 the 70th Jubilee.
Four significant events for the Jews occurred on the 10th of Nisan. 1) The sanctification of the Passover lamb during the Exodus in 1446 BC. 2) Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land in 1406 BC. 3) In 33 AD, Christ, our Passover Lamb, rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as the King of the Jews but was rejected as such. 4) Ezekiel’s vision of the Millennial Temple occurred on Nisan 10, 573 BC, as recorded in Ezekiel 40:1-2.
Nisan 10, 1406 BC was the day the Hebrews claimed the promise God made to Abraham 470 years earlier, as first recorded in Genesis 12:7, “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there he built an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.”
Nisan 10, 33 AD was the day the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” On this day, Jesus also fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel 9:25, regarding the 69th ‘week,’ “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.”
We know what happened on Nisan 10 in 1406 BC and 33 AD, but we don’t know what will occur on Nisan 10 in 2026. Could it be something highly significant as well, for both the Jews and Gentiles? We don’t know exactly what will happen on this day, but we do know when it will occur. Nisan 10 will take place on March 28/29 on the Gregorian calendar in 2026 AD.
The seven-year (2,540 days) Jewish timeline from 2025 to 2032 has potential significance, as the first Shemitah year in this cycle, 2025-2026, marks the 70th Jubilee (as many scholars believe) since the Israelites entered the Promised Land. We will examine this potential Tribulation ‘week’ from the perspective of when the new moon conjunction occurs (AstroPixels – Six Millennium Catalog of Phases of the Moon), rather than from the calculated Jewish calendar, which has added numerous rules that aren’t biblical. I refer to this calendar as the “Biblical Jewish calendar.” The rule for determining the 1st day of a Jewish month is: The 1st day of any new Hebrew month is the sunset that follows the observed conjunction of the moon.
There could be a difference of a couple of days to a month between my “Biblical Jewish calendar” and the Jewish Hillel II calculated calendar (an official calendar of Israel that is used for ecclesiastical observances). Just as the first 69 weeks of Daniel 9:25 didn’t start and end on the first day of the Jewish civil calendar, Tishri 1, or the Jewish ecclesiastical calendar, Nisan 1 (I believe it started and ended on Nisan 10), neither does the 70th week. It can start and end on any day of the Jewish calendar, as it is the day the Antichrist confirms the covenant with Israel and the many, according to Daniel 9:27.
The following seven-year potential Tribulation timelines, spanning 2,540 days, adhere to the guidelines below. There are two examples for each of three different twenty-first-century timelines.
GUIDELINES FOR (2540 DAY) TRIBULATION “SCENARIOS”
1) The Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th week) will be for 2,540 days.
2) The “in the midst of the week” of Daniel 9:27 will be at the exact midpoint of the 2,540 days, which is the 1,270th day from the start and finish. In the middle of this final ‘week,’ the Antichrist will set up the abomination that causes desolation. This was confirmed by the Lord in Matt. 24:15 and Paul in 2 Thes. 2:4. Both passages speak of the abomination of desolation by the anti-Christ in agreement with Daniel 9:27.
3) Jesus will return to the Earth on Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets (Tishri 1), as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. His second coming to the earth is described in Revelation 19:11-21.
4) The 1,260 days of Revelation 12:6 will be reckoned from the midpoint of the Tribulation. This is not the end of the Tribulation. That will occur 10 days later on the 1,270th day from the midpoint of the Tribulation.
5) The end of the Tribulation will occur on the 2,540th day from the start of the Tribulation. It is the 1,270th day from the midpoint of the Tribulation.
6) The 1,290 days of Daniel 12:11 will be reckoned from the mid-point of the Tribulation. The 1,290th day will occur 20 days past the end of Daniel’s 70th week (the Tribulation). Author’s Note: As I wrote in my two-part article, “But as the Days of Noah Were,” I prefer the 2,569-day (seven-year) Jewish calendar because I believe the 1,290 days (from the “in the midst of the week”) of Daniel 12:11 should be included in the timeframe of the 70th week. In other words, the 1,290th day would be the last day of Daniel’s 70th seven.
7) The 1,335 days of Daniel 12:12 will be reckoned from the mid-point of the Tribulation. The 1,335th day shall occur 65 days past the end of Daniel’s 70th week.
8) Since the Jewish day begins and ends at sunset (approximately 6:00 pm) and the Gregorian day begins and ends at midnight, there are two Gregorian dates listed (six hours in one date and the remaining 18 hours in the other date).
2,540 DAY TRIBULATION “SCENARIOS”
2025-2032
EXAMPLE 1
START: Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – October 1-2, 2025
MIDDLE (1,270 days from the start): Nisan 10 – March 24-25, 2029
1,260 days from the middle: Tishri 1 (Trumpets) – September 4-5, 2032
END (1,270 days from the middle): Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – September 14-15, 2032
AFTER (1,290 days from the middle): Heshvan 1 – October 4-5, 2032
AFTER (1,335 days from the middle): Kislev 16 – November 18-19, 2032
Pros: The start and end of Daniel’s 70th week (the Tribulation) are on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. As the first 69 weeks began and ended on Nisan 10 (IMO), the last week will begin and end on Tishri 10. On Nisan 10, the middle of the Tribulation ‘week,’ the Antichrist will break the seven-year covenant with the Jews. He will declare himself king of the Jews and the entire world, on the very day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem as king of the Jews but was rejected as such. He will then stop the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation, thus fulfilling prophecy.
Cons: The last Feast of the Lord, Tabernacles, is outside of the 70th week. However, this could be significant as the Lord will be tabernacling with the Jews at this point and awaiting the rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem. The 1,335th day does not coincide with Hanukkah.
EXAMPLE 2
START: Tishri 19 (5th day of Tabernacles) – October 10-11, 2025
MIDDLE (1,270 days from the start): Nisan 19 (5th day of Unleavened Bread) – April 2-3, 2029
1,260 days from the middle: Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – September 13-14, 2032
END (1,270 days from the middle): Tishri 19 (5th day of Tabernacles) – September 23-24, 2032
AFTER (1,290 days from the middle): Heshvan 10 – October 13-14, 2032
AFTER (1,335 days from the middle): Kislev 25 (1st day of Hanukkah) – November 27-28, 2032
Pros: The start, middle, 1260th day, and the end of the 70th week are all Feast of the Lord days. The start, middle, and end occur on the 19th day of the first and seventh months. 19 is a number that represents judgment in the Bible and throughout Jewish history. See Judgment and the Number 19 :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready. The 1,335th day occurs on the first day of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, was the last religious observance that Jesus attended before the Passover, at which he was crucified. Jesus told the unbelieving Pharisees, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29). Jesus’ sheep will follow Jesus into His millennial kingdom and into eternity, perhaps on a future day of Hanukkah.
Cons: The end of the 70th week occurs two days before the last day of Tabernacles (Tishri 21/22).
2028-2035
The following data could make the seven-year timeline from 2028 to 2035 significant in relation to Daniel’s 70th week.
In my article Sevens :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready, I discussed the possibility that the Shemitah cycle for Israel didn’t start until the fourth full year after the Hebrews entered the Promised Land. “When you come into the land and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. But in the fourth year, all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord. And in the fifth year, you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:23-25). In the fourth year, all crops were considered ‘circumcised,’ which was a sign of the covenant between the Lord and Israel. Thus, the crops were considered ‘holy,’ and that was when the first Shemitah cycle began (IMHO). Therefore, the year that marked the beginning of the first Shemitah cycle was 1403-1402 BC.
Reckoning with this data, the year 33 AD is a Shemitah year (and the end of Daniel’s 69th seven) and is the 205th Shemitah year. 2028 is also a Shemitah/Sabbath year (the seventh year) and marks the 490th Shemitah year, in this instance. 2028-2029 would therefore be the 70th Jubilee. The 491st Shemitah cycle (or week) would span from 2028 to 2035. The year 2028 aligns with 33 AD (Jesus’ crucifixion) in that they are both in the 13th non-embolismic year of their respective 19-year Metonic cycles (if you add 105 nineteen-year cycles to 33 AD, you come to 2028).
EXAMPLE 1
START: Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – September 28-29, 2028
MIDDLE (1270 days from the start): Nisan 10 – March 21-22, 2032
1,260 days from the middle: Tishri 1 (Trumpets) – September 2-3, 2035
END (1,270 days from the middle): Tishri 11 (one day after Day of Atonement) – September 12-13, 2035
AFTER (1,290 days from the middle): Heshvan 2 – October 2-3, 2035
AFTER (1,335 days from the middle): Kislev 17 – November 16-17, 2035
Pros: The start, middle, and 1,260th day (from the middle) are significant Jewish days.
Cons: Nothing significant regarding the remainder of the ‘week.’ The Feast of Tabernacles is outside of the end of the Tribulation week.
EXAMPLE 2
START: Tishri 19 (5th day of Tabernacles) – October 7-8, 2028
MIDDLE (1,270 days from the start): Nisan 19 (5th day of Unleavened Bread) – March 30-31, 2032
1,260 days from the middle: Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – September 11-12, 2035
END (1,270 days from the middle): Tishri 20 (6th day of Tabernacles) – September 21-22, 2035
AFTER (1,290 days from the middle): Heshvan 11 – October 11-12, 2035
AFTER (1,335 days from the middle): Kislev 26 (2nd day of Hanukkah) – November 25-26, 2035
Pros: The start, middle, 1,260th day (from the middle), and end are significant Jewish days. The 1,335th day occurs on the 2nd day of Hanukkah. The “in the midst” event of Daniel 9:27 occurs on March 31, 2032 on the Gregorian calendar. Jesus died on March 31, 33 AD (Nisan 17) on the proleptic Gregorian calendar (IMO).
Cons: The seventh day of Tabernacles is outside of the end of the Tribulation week.
2033-2040
The following data could make the seven-year timeline from 2033 to 2040 significant in relation to Daniel’s 70th week.
It’s possible that both the Rapture and the start of Daniel’s 70th week (the Tribulation) could begin in 2033, which is the 2,000th year (two days for the Lord) since Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and ascended to heaven. It will also mark the 2,000th year since the Church of Jesus Christ was established. It makes sense that since the Church began in 33 AD (on Shavuot/Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection), it would end 2,000 years later (two days for the Lord) in 2033 at the Rapture.
In this scenario, if Jesus descended to the first heaven (the sky) to rapture His church in 2033, seven years later, He will return to the Earth to destroy His enemies and set up His millennial kingdom. Isn’t it ironic that the Greek word ἑπτά (or hepta), translated as seven, is assigned the number G2033 in Strong’s Lexicon? If the Jews had accepted Jesus as their Messiah King, the prophecy of Daniel 9:24,27, regarding the 70th week, would have been fulfilled. Christ would have established his Millennial Kingdom seven years after his death (in 33 AD) instead of having to wait 2,000 years because of the Jews’ unbelief. The Millennial Kingdom of God would then have started in the year 40 AD. Instead, in this scenario, the Kingdom will begin 2,000 years later in 2040.
EXAMPLE 1
START: Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – October 2-3, 2033
MIDDLE (1,270 days from the start): Nisan 9 – March 25-26, 2037
1,260 days from the middle: Elul 29 – September 5-6, 2040
END (1,270 days from the middle): Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – September 15-16, 2040
AFTER (1,290 days from the middle): Tishri 30 – October 5-6, 2040
AFTER (1,335 days from the middle): Kislev 16 – November 19-20, 2040
Pros: The start and the end of Daniel’s 70th week are on the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish year. If the 69 weeks of Daniel 9:25-26 were from Nisan 10 to Nisan 10, then the 70th week will be from Tishri 10 to Tishri 10.
Cons: Nothing significant regarding the remainder of the Tribulation week. The Feast of Tabernacles is outside of the end of the week.
EXAMPLE 2
START: Tishri 20 (6th day of Tabernacles) – October 12-13, 2033
MIDDLE (1,270 days from the start): Nisan 19 (biblical Feast of Firstfruits) – April 4-5, 2037
1,260 days from the middle: Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – September 15-16, 2040
END (1,270 days from the middle): Tishri 20 (6th day of Tabernacles) – September 25-26, 2040
AFTER (1,290 days from the middle): Heshvan 10 – October 15-16, 2040
AFTER (1,335 days from the middle): Kislev 25 (1st day of Hanukkah) – November 29-30, 2040
Pros: The start, middle, 1260th day, and the end are significant Jewish days. The middle of the Tribulation ‘week’ is on the 5th day of Unleavened Bread; and as it is the Sunday after Passover, it is also the biblical Feast of Firstfruits. The 1,335th day is on the first day of Hanukkah. If you started this timeline one day later, on Tishri 21, you could get all of Tabernacles in the 70th week; however, the middle of the ‘week’ would no longer be on the Feast of Firstfruits. However, if Tishri 21 (the last day of Tabernacles) is the first day of the Millennial Kingdom, it might fulfill the message/prophecy of John 7:37-38.
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Jesus also spoke of this “living water” earlier to the Samaritan woman in John 4:7-15.“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:10,13-14).
Cons: The seventh day of Tabernacles is outside of the end of the Tribulation ‘week.’
THE 2569 DAY TRIBULATION SCENARIO
After playing “devil’s advocate” (a role I don’t particularly enjoy), I still prefer the 2,569-day, seven-year Tribulation timeline.
In Time, Times, and Half a Time – Part 1, I speculated that 2026-2033 would be the best choice for the timing of Daniel’s 70th week (the seven-year Tribulation), with 2033 being the year of Christ’s return (second advent) to the Earth. Of course, 2033 is 2,000 years since Christ was crucified, resurrected, and ascended to heaven, and Scripture says one day with the LORD is as a thousand years for man (2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 90:4). Also, Hosea 6:3 says, “After two days will he (the LORD) revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.”
Daniel’s prophecy regarding the 70 weeks for Israel and Jerusalem to bring in everlasting righteousness, as stated in Daniel 9:24, can only occur when Jesus Christ returns to judge the Earth and establish His millennial kingdom. Jesus fulfilled the 69 weeks of Daniel 9:25-26 during his first advent, which ended in 33 AD. See In The Midst of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy. The 70th week was interrupted and delayed due to the Jews’ rejection of Jesus as their Messiah and King. It still awaits a future fulfillment. The 70th week is also known in the Bible by other names, such as the Day of the Lord, the Time of the End, and a Day of Wrath. Nowadays, most students of the Bible simply refer to it as the Tribulation.
Now, let’s compare the #1 scenario (IMV), which has a seven-year timeline of 2,569 days (compared to our previous examples of 2,540 days), as mentioned in my earlier articles. I don’t believe the phrase “in the midst of the week” mentioned in Daniel 9:27 (KJV) necessarily refers to the exact middle of the seven-year Tribulation. In Scripture, this phrase typically refers to a time or location near the center or middle, but not necessarily the exact middle. If the Tribulation lasts for 2,569 days, then the exact center would be 1,284.5 days (Nisan 24, or April 27, 2030). However, I believe the “in the midst” point of Daniel 9:27 occurs on the 1,279th day of the Tribulation, on Sunday, Nisan 19 (April 21, 2030), on the biblical (the first Sunday after Passover) Feast of Firstfruits.
The biblical Feast of Firstfruits is the day that Jesus rose from the dead. It is the greatest day in the history of mankind, and the Antichrist knows this. That is why he will choose this day to stop the sacrifices in the newly built third temple in Jerusalem and commit the abomination of desolation. Of course, the Jews don’t celebrate the Feast of Firstfruits. They observe the “counting of the Omer” beginning on the second day of Passover/Unleavened Bread, which, to them, is Nisan 16. Therefore, the biblical Feast of Firstfruits for 2030 AD corresponds to the fifth day of Passover/Unleavened Bread (Nisan 19) for the Jews.
The Antichrist, who seemingly died and was brought back to life (per Revelation 13:3), and the False Prophet will have ‘another’ resurrection of their own on the biblical Feast of Firstfruits. They will bring to life (probably through the demonic realm and possibly A.I.) the image of the beast that was made in honor of the beastly Antichrist. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Revelation 13:15).
All the different ways of Scripture saying “three-and-a-half years” start from this Feast of Firstfuits day and date (Sunday, April 21, 2030); such as “a time and times and the dividing of time” (Daniel 7:25), “time, times, and an half” (Daniel 12:7), “time, times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14), forty and two months (Revelation 11:2, 13:5), 1,260 days ((Daniel 12:11), and 1,290 days (Daniel 12:11). Jesus called these 3.5 years (starting from the abomination of desolation) “great Tribulation” in Matthew 24:21.
As Jesus fulfilled the spring Feasts of the Lord during His first advent, so will he fulfill the fall feasts during His second advent (and within the 2,569 days of Daniel’s 70th week). The first fall feast to be fulfilled by Christ will be the Feast of Trumpets, as described in Revelation 19:11-21, when Jesus returns to Earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. This will only happen when Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:39 is fulfilled. “For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
2026-2033 AD
START: Heshvan 10 (Jewish calendar) – October 20-21, 2026 (Gregorian calendar)
IN THE MIDST (1,279 days from the start): Nisan 19 (biblical Feast of Firstfruits) – April 21-22, 2030
1,251 days from the middle: Tishri 1 (Trumpets) – September 23-24, 2033
1,260 days from the middle: Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – October 2-3, 2033
END (1,290 days from the middle): Heshvan 10 – November 1-2, 2033
AFTER (1,335 days from the middle): Kislev 25 (1st day of Hanukkah) – December 16-17, 2033
Pros: Begins and ends on Heshvan 10, which allows for the last three Feasts of the Lord to be fulfilled before the end of Daniel’s 70th week/Tribulation. The “in the midst” day, 1,251st day, 1,260th day, and 1,335th day are Feast of the Lord days or significant Jewish holidays. I especially like the “in the midst” event of the abomination of desolation is on a Feast of Firstfruits day.
Cons: The “in the midst” event is not located precisely in the exact middle (definitely not a deal breaker).
The 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy has been paused or delayed for 1,992 years (now in 2025 AD), in my opinion and that of many Bible scholars. The reasons for this pause and why the 70th week didn’t immediately follow the 69th week are sometimes debated. As I wrote about in Daniel’s Dual Reference Prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready, many theologians believe this vast time gap could have been avoided if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their King and Messiah.
However, even if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their King and Messiah, He would still have had to die on the cross to completely fulfill the dual-reference prophecy of Isaiah 53 and other Old Testament prophecies concerning “Jacob’s Trouble.” Additionally, the 70th week (Daniel 9:24, 27) would also have to be fulfilled, as only 69 weeks had elapsed since the “terminus ad quem” (endpoint of the 69 weeks), which was Palm Sunday, when Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of Zechariah 9:9 and Daniel 9:25.
If the Jews had accepted Jesus as their Messiah King, He would have established his Millennial Kingdom seven years after his death (in 33 AD) instead of having to wait 2,000 years because of the Jews’ unbelief. The Millennial Kingdom of God would then have started in the year AD 40. So, Daniel’s 70th week would have been from the fall of 33 AD to the fall of 40 AD.
The period from 33 to 40 AD spans a 7-year timeline of 2,569 days (as does 2026-2033). Now, compare the Hebrew and proleptic Gregorian calendars of this ‘week’ with the ‘week’ of 2026-2033 AD. I will show the 2026-2033 timeline again for comparison. It appears that 2026 picks up where 33 left off, regarding the 70th week of Daniel 9:24-27. Most of the differences between the first century and the twenty-first century timelines on the Jewish calendar amount to only hours, not days. This is another reason why I prefer this timeline over the others.
THE SEVEN YEARS AFTER JESUS’ DEATH: 33-40 AD
START: Heshvan 11 (Jewish calendar) – October 20-21, 33 AD (proleptic Gregorian calendar)
IN THE MIDST (1,279 days from the start): Nisan 20 (6th day of Unleavened Bread) – April 21-22, 37 AD
1,251 days from the middle: Tishri 1 (Trumpets) – September 23-24, 40 AD
1,260 days from the middle: Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – October 2-3, 40 AD
END (1,290 days from the middle): Heshvan 11 – November 1-2, 40 AD
AFTER (1,335 days from the middle): Kislev 26 (2nd day of Hanukkah) – December 16-17, 40 AD
START: Heshvan 10 (Jewish calendar) – October 20-21, 2026 (Gregorian calendar)
IN THE MIDST (1,279 days from the start): Nisan 19 (biblical Feast of Firstfruits) – April 21-22, 2030
1,251 days from the middle: Tishri 1 (Trumpets) – September 23-24, 2033
1,260 days from the middle: Tishri 10 (Day of Atonement) – October 2-3, 2033
END (1,290 days from the middle): Heshvan 10 – November 1-2, 2033
AFTER (1,335 days from the middle): Kislev 25 (1st day of Hanukkah) – December 16-17, 2033
“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he has torn, and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days, he will revive us: on the third day, he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” (Hosea 6:1-3).
Scripture says that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years to man (2 Peter 3:8, Psalm 90:4). In 2033, it will have been “two days for the Lord” since Jesus accomplished the will of the Father and then ascended back into heaven. Jesus is “the rain” that brings life-sustaining water to the earth. “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). It may sound backward to Gentiles, but the latter rain in Israel occurs in the early spring, and the former rain occurs in the fall. Jesus came the first time as the latter rain, fulfilling the spring Feasts of the Lord. He will return as the former rain, fulfilling the fall Feasts.
“Be patient, therefore brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain” (James 5:7).
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Randy Nettles
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