Daniel's 70th Week
Introduction One of the more hotly contested Old Testament prophecies is the "70 Weeks" prophecy revealed to Daniel, as recorded in Daniel 9. The dispensational framework of interpretation , as formulated by John Nelson Darby in the 1830s and popularized in the Scofield Reference Bible (1909, 1917), finds correlation between Daniel 9, the Olivet Discourse, and Revelation as all pointing to a future seven year period beginning with the rapture of the church and ending with the physical return of Christ. This is inconsistent with the historic understanding held by the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and many Protestant churches. This article intends to examine the evidence and determine which understanding holds up best in light of the scriptural and historical evidence.