It’s a common misconception that the angel in Daniel 9 says there’s a 7-year tribulation. (It’s as common as people forgetting to include jubilee years in their timeline with every group of 7 sevens, since the angel was speaking in Jewish terms of sabbatical sevens.)
But … the angel doesn’t claim a 7-year tribulation. He says that someone will confirm a covenant for 7 years. God is the maker of covenants. Jesus is God. The angel summarizes the last “seven” for us, saying that Jesus, Messiah the Prince, will spend 7 years confirming a covenant, and be cut off in the middle of the seven. In the first 3.5 years, Jesus presented the New Covenant in His blood to us. At the midpoint of the Daniel 9 prophecy, the maker of covenants, puts an end to sacrifice and drink offering – accomplished on the cross with Jesus’ death for us. (God, not “antichrist,” a word only ever mentioned in the epistles of John, and defined as someone who denies Christ came in the flesh) Our sins were paid for and the Holy Spirit was granted, ending the need for sacrifice and drink offering.
Jesus would spend the last 3.5 years of the final seven confirming the new covenant by destroying the old covenant, the priesthood, the genealogies, physical temple, and taking the Ark to heaven (that’s why they’ll never find it. See Revelation, written during the 4th empire of Daniel – iron mixed with clay: Rome/Judea during the rule of King #6 (the Greek word is not the word for kingdoms. Rome had temples to false gods on its hills – just like revelation says) … and Jesus did all that by the deadlines He promised – in that generation (Matt 24:33-34), and before some standing there tasted death. (Matt 16:27-28), and before they made it through Israel (Matt 10:23). “this generation” is indeed repeated over and over by Jesus in regard to the judgment. Indeed, the Daniel 9 prophecy ends when the power of the holy people is shattered and the city and sanctuary are destroyed. (Done by Fall AD 70, during time of Yom Kippur). Furthermore, Jesus said that the destruction of Herod’s temple would fulfill what was written in Daniel.
Daniel tells us of a 3.5 year tribulation twice:
Daniel 7:25
25 He shall speak words against the Most High,and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
And in:
Daniel 12:7
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.
But you don’t just add these together. They are speaking of the same period. In Revelation, we have 3.5 yrs appearing in 5 places. You can’t add these up together either or you’d have 17.5 year tribulation. If you then added Daniel’s, you could even end up with a 24.5 yr tribulation.
Revelation 11:2
2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.
Revelation 11:3
3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Revelation 12:6
6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
Revelation 12:14
14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.
Revelation 13:5
5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.
There’s just no 7-year tribulation in the Bible. It’s 3.5 years every single time it’s described.
The real miscounting comes when we take a 70-group-of-seven prophecy, say that 69 of them were over when Christ died, add another 42 months to the 69, and then extend those 42 months to 2,000 + years, before adding an additional 7-year tribulation and judgment a long time after everyone standing there tasted death … that yields 70.5 groups of seven … not to mention 1/2 of one of those 7’s lasting 2,000+ years) and landing outside the same boundary Jesus gave in 4 different ways 10 different times.
Said more briefly, this can’t be right:
69 sevens
+
1/2 a seven lasting 2,000+ years
+
1 more seven
——
= 70.5 sevens with a seven not being a seven at all
Doesn’t work.
There’s just no 7-year tribulation in the Bible. It’s 3.5 years. And furthermore, Jesus said it would be in the 1st century!