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Daniel 9:24-27

[24] 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. [25] 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. [26] And AFTER 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. [27] 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. threescore and two weeks shall

The SUBJECT of this entire discourse in Daniel is not “the people of the prince that shall come,” nor is it “the prince that shall come.” They are both subordinate to the subject. The contextual subject of these four verses can only be the messiah the prince, who is jesus, the anointed holy one, the Christ of the living god.

Prior to the Evangelical Movement of the mid 19th century, the most widely held belief among the Baptists was that the three personal pronouns signified by he in Daniel 9:27 referred not to the sub-topical prince in 9:26, but rather to the main topical subject of each verse, that is, the Jewish Messiah who was to come. We were advised in verses 25 & 26 that, AFTER 69 weeks of years (483 years), that is, DURING the final 70th week of seven years, the messiah would be cut off (crucified).

Please allow me to exposit these verses as they were exposited by most mainstream Baptist teachers up to the mid-19th century.

Daniel 9:25,26

[25] 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. [26] 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.

It was generally accepted that Jesus began the confirmation of the Abrahamic covenant by offering the Davidic Kingdom promise to the nation of Israel. He began to offer it to them after his baptism by John. His baptism marked the beginning of the 70th week. We know that his offering of the Kingdom lasted more than three years, but less than three and one-half. So he was cut off (crucified) in the MIDST of the final 70th week. In reality, we are not waiting for the 70th week to begin, we are actually waiting for the later part of it to be fulfilled. Let’s take it verse by verse, phrase by phrase.

Daniel 9:25,26

[26] 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. [26] 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.

Jesus arrives as Messiah the Prince, and is baptized by John 483 prophetic years after one of the decrees of Artaxerxes Longimanus. His Father’s approval at his baptism marks the beginning of his ministry of three plus years.

Matthew 3:16,17

[16] And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: [17] And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

John was preaching that the Messiah was coming to bring in the Kingdom of David, which would confirm the Abrahamic seed covenant. Then Jesus came to him, and John identified him as the Messiah. Then, when John was imprisoned by Herod, Jesus began to preach the same message of the Davidic Kingdom.

John 1:32,35,36

[32] And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. [35] Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; [36] And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

Matthew 3:1,2

[1] In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, [2] And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:14,15

[14] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Christ came to fulfill the Davidic Covenant as the Son of David and the seed of Abraham through the virgin Mary, the daughter of Heli. Mary had a double lineage from David through the man Zerubbabel, whose lineage on both sides was from David.

Genesis 15:18 + 22:17,18 + Galatians 3:16

[15] In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: [17] That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; [18] And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. [16] Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

Then the covenant was expanded through God’s mercies to David to all the nations. The covenant of Daniel 9:27 was first confirmed, and then fulfilled by Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It is the kingdom covenant found two chapters before 9:27.

Daniel 7:13,14

[13] I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

The Davidic Covenant of the Kingdom!

II Samuel 23:1-5 + Psalm 89:2-5,27-29 + Romans 4:6-8

[1] Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, [2] The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. [3] The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. [4] And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. [5] Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an EVERLASTING COVENANT, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow. [2] For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. [3] I have made A COVENANT with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, [4] Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. [5] And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. [27] Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. [28] My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and MY COVENANT shall stand fast with him. [29] His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. [6] Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, [7] Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. [8] Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Malachi 3:1,2

[1] Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of THE COVENANT, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. [2] But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope:

John was the messenger of the Messiah, and Jesus was the Messiah, the messenger of THE COVENANT.

And this is THE COVENANT Jesus confirmed for seven years, but was cut off in the MIDST of the seven years, between the third and fourth year.

Daniel 9:27

[27] 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.

Jesus completed more than three years into the fourth week, and was crucified to complete the sacrifice of sinless blood and flesh for the sins of all who will receive him. His final cleansing of the temple in righteous indignation against a nation that had turned His Father’s house into a house of merchandise, rather than a holy house of prayer, was the final overspreading of abominations that made it spiritually desolate toward God. He then abruptly ceased to honor their sacrifices and oblations until the consummation of this age, at which time those desolate of God’s Spirit, because of unbelief, will experience a time of trouble like man has never known.

Matthew 23:37-39

[37] O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! [38] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] 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.

Matthew 24:21,22

[21] For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. [22] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Daniel 9:26

[26] 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.

Jesus was cut off (crucified) for the sins of others because he possessed none of his own. As predicted in Luke 21:24, Titus, a Roman Prince, showed up 40 years later with his army and destroyed the city and the sanctuary. In the final attack his troops came in like a raging flood, overrunning and setting fire to the Temple Mount. The war raged on for almost three years after that, and many desolations were carried out by the army of Titus. They are recorded in the writings of Josephus, the Jewish historian. It may well make you sick at your stomach to hear the grisly desolation details. The final battle was for Masada, where the encircled Jews committed suicide rather than be carried into slavery.

Luke 21:24

[24] And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Daniel 9:27

The early church fathers, followed later by noted theologians such as Theodotion, Havernick, Hengstenberg, Barnes, and B.H. Carroll, held that the three personal pronouns (he) in Daniel 9:27 referred not to the prince of verse 26, but to the subject of all the verses, that is, “the most Holy” (v.24), “Messiah the Prince” (v.25), and “Messiah” (v.26), who is Jesus Christ, the Messiah the Prince.

As you have observed, I do not believe we have a full week of years left in Daniel’s final 70th week. So how much time do we have left when Daniel’s clock starts ticking again? And if the signing of the coming peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israelis isn’t what starts it ticking, then what does? I will attempt to answer these questions in Prophecy Update Number 58 next week, Lord willing.

#57A:

I have identified, on a number of occasions, the Islamic nations that will eventually attack Israel from the north in a vicious, lightning Jihad, naming a grouping from which they are likely to be drawn. Three nations who won’t join in this initial attack against Israel, have been moving into their biblically predicted positions since the Yom Kipper War of 1973 – First Egypt, then Jordan, and now Saudi Arabia.

In Prophecy Update Number 11, issued early in 2001, I indicated the growing mistrust of Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia by their fellow Islamic nations. I continually indicated that their brother Arab countries would not let these three be privy to the behind the scenes secret meetings between the terrorists and their sponsoring Islamic nations, at which plans are developed for the surprise Jihad, which would be launched after a brief period of false peace. In last years Prophecy Update Number 32, I went into detail to make a scriptural case as to why Saudi Arabia would not join the confederation of Arab nations that eventually drive Israel into the Negev. Again, in last years Prophecy Update Number 46 I presented a scriptural case to show why Jordan would not join the Islamic federation in their southward plunge. And, finally, in Prophecy Update Number 50 I presented a scriptural case to prove that Egypt would not be among those that come against Israel in the initial Jihad.

There is still a ways to go before the Biblical false peace comes to Israel, and intense fighting between the Israelis and terrorist groups will continue for awhile, but several factors are presently working in the Middle East that may well allow the Saudi peace proposal of Prophecy Update Number 56A, after concessions on both sides, to bring a false peace to the Middle East.

There is a growing fear among all the Islamic nations that an all out war will develop between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

They know that the Israelis will make mince meat out of the PA, and then drive them completely out of the West Bank and Gaza.

They also know, after the experiences of three previous wars with Israel, not to get directly involved in the present conflict, particularly with Israel’s big brother, the U.S., on a terror hunting posse, and looking for an opportunity to be justified in the United Nations for blasting them.

And now, the real reason for the Saudi Arabian proposal for peace – They, like all the other Islamic nations, don’t like the Palestinians any more that the Israelis, and they sure don’t want to have them flooding into their countries after they are driven out of the West Bank and Gaza. They have no desire to become welfare agencies for the troublesome sort of people the Palestinians have shown themselves to be in other countries.

There is a constant threat of more and more of their vast complex of terrorists and associated activities being exposed by the U.S. war on terrorism.

Ariel Sharon is making hay while the sun shines. I have great admiration for him and for Benjamin Netanyahu. They have a true picture of the reality of the situation. Sharon has been taking advantage of the U.S. abrupt awaking to terrorism to do a little rat killing on his own. He has been penetrating into many of the terrorist cities I identified as weapon storage zones in my earliest updates in 2001, which may be found in our archives at the top of this Update. His objective is to kill or capture as many of the terrorist leaders as possible, and to destroy as many weapon storage zones as he can locate.

Sharon’s actions are getting the attention of the terrorist groups and their sponsoring nations. The terrorist war of the U.S. is affecting both the terrorists and the nations that sponsor them.

The terrorist and their sponsoring nations are beginning to see that their objective to drive Israel into the Mediterranean Sea, through terrorism and three wars, has not met with success under the 54 year status quo. And, for the first time, the status quo is becoming a really severe problem for their economies. I believe they are about to change the status quo, after much consternation and wrangling, to ride toward the same objective on a different horse – The Saudi peace proposal.

A false peace, according to the scriptures, MUST come to Israel before the attack from the north. Of that I am certain! The initial attack will be by Islamic nations. Of that I am certain! Jerusalem will fall, two-thirds of the Israelis will perish in the conflict, and one-third will be driven into the Negev. Of that I am certain! I have previously given the Scriptures that support this in our archives at the top of this update. But I am not certain that the Saudi peace proposal is the one that will bring in the false peace. I think it may well be the vessel for peace, but so many others have gone down the drain in the past, that I am certainly not going to stick out my neck on it. However, I am certainly going to be watching the Arab Summit Meeting this month to see how individual nations react to it, and how it fares overall.

WATCH THE TERRORIST GROUPS! When they cease their activities then it will have been as a result of directives from the nations that sponsor them. Then the lulling of Israel into a false sense of security will begin that leads to a false peace.