13 THE PROPHECY OF THE 70 WEEKS

The Bible prophesied, or foretold, when the Messiah would appear. This would be at the end of a period of time called the 69 weeks, which began in the year 455 B.C.E. and ended in the year 29 C.E.

How do we know that it ended in 29 C.E.? The 69 weeks began in the year 455 B.C.E. when Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem and began to rebuild the city. (Daniel 9:25; Nehemiah 2:1, 5-8) Just as the word “dozen” makes us think of the number 12, so the word “week” reminds us of the number 7. The weeks in this prophecy are not weeks of seven days but are weeks of seven years, in line with the prophetic rule of “a day for a year.” (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6) This means that each week is seven years long and that the 69 weeks add up to 483 years (69 x 7). If we count 483 years from 455 B.C.E., it takes us to the year 29 C.E. This is exactly the year when Jesus was baptized and became the Messiah!​—Luke 3:1, 2, 21, 22.

The same prophecy foretold another week, which is an extra seven years. During this time period, in the year 33 C.E., the Messiah would be killed, and beginning in the year 36 C.E., the good news of God’s Kingdom would be preached to all the nations and not just to the Jews.​—Daniel 9:24-27.