Sometime after this 10 member confederation is formed an individual from this group establishes an agreement with Israel. This person is the Antichrist, although his initial activities may not hint at his eventual role. This agreement will be for a period of 7 years and seems to be a forced compromise. By the middle of this 7-year agreement, a Jewish Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem on the temple mount and Jewish sacrificial offerings will be made there. During the first half of this 7-year agreement, the temple mount will be divided between Jewish and non-Jewish authorities with each having control over different areas.
A treaty or agreement will be formed between Israel, her neighbors, and a ruling authority. This agreement begins the final 7-year period in which the Antichrist will operate. Prophecies of this 7-year block of time show that the Antichrist himself will play a part in establishing this strong agreement. Thus, the Antichrist has a significant role in initiating the final period in which he will become the dominant person on earth.
In this chapter, we will be examining many aspects of this future pivotal agreement with Israel, including the identity of the participants in this binding accord. Also of significant interest is the Jewish Temple and the Jewish worship rituals that can only be performed there. These will figure prominently in the events that result from this 7-year agreement. We will look at the forces put in motion because of it and the overall timeline for these and other related prophetic events. All these various elements of the biblical prophecies will be encountered as we work our way toward the main goal of this chapter – examining the claim that sometime during the 7-year firm covenant the temple mount will really be shared between Jewish and non-Jewish authorities.
We need to trace some of these future events through various prophetic passages. While some may contribute more than others, none individually reveals everything that is disclosed in the Scriptures. When we combine the many relevant passages the fullest picture of these events emerges.
We start again in the book of Daniel. As the 9th chapter of Daniel begins, the prophet is reading from the Old Testament book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah prophesied while the last Israelite kingdom was being conquered. Those who survived were removed from their land and brought back as captives to Babylon. Daniel was among these captives. Eventually, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and pulled down the beautiful temple that Solomon had built. These devastating events began when Daniel was a young man.
Now Daniel is an old man and the Jewish people long for a return to their homeland and to their heritage. As Daniel was reading the Jewish Scriptures he realized that Jeremiah said the captivity of the Jewish people would end after 70 years (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10).
I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
Daniel 9:2
When Daniel understood that the 70 years could be coming to an end he began to fast and pray. Daniel’s prayer is recorded in 9:4-19. The beautiful, humble, earnest prayer of this godly man was greeted by a new prophecy through the angel Gabriel.
Look at how Daniel ends his prayer with God. Especially notice his concern for the sanctuary (temple), Jerusalem, and the Jewish people.
So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Thy servant and to his supplications, and for Thy sake, O Lord, let Thy face shine on Thy desolate sanctuary. O my God, incline Thine ear and hear! Open Thine eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Thy name. ... O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Thine own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name.
Daniel 9:17-19
Gabriel begins his prophecy to Daniel by saying,
Seventy weeks have been decreed
for your people,
and your holy city,
to finish the transgression,
to make an end of sin,
to make atonement for iniquity,
to bring in everlasting righteousness,
to seal up vision and prophecy,
and to anoint the most holy place.
Daniel 9:24
With his first words, Gabriel says that the prophecy is for Jerusalem and Daniel’s people. Their captivity in Babylon will end after the 70 years prophesied by Jeremiah. However, there would be an additional 70 weeks of years before the 6 elements of the promise in v. 24 are established. Gabriel says there will be 70 weeks of years, or 490 additional years before these 6 promised conditions, including “everlasting righteousness,” would exist.
Gabriel explains that sometime after the 70 years of captivity are completed an official decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem will be given. He also assures Daniel that the decree will result in the city’s complete restoration. This was part of Daniel's earnest prayer.
So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.
Daniel 9:25
The additional 490 years begin with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem from its ruined condition. Gabriel separates these 70 weeks of years into three groups. The first is 7 weeks followed by 62 weeks. These two groups account for 483 years or 69 weeks of years.
Not only was the city of Jerusalem going to be built again, but so was the temple. However, the restoration of the temple sanctuary is revealed to Daniel in what must have been a crushing blow. Daniel is told that his beloved city and its temple will be destroyed for the second time.
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
Daniel 9:26a
Daniel learns that the temple, which did not exist when he prayed, will be built again. He knows that it will be rebuilt because Gabriel says that it will be destroyed again. Daniel now knows that after the 69th week of years his people will be worse off than during his own time. Not only will the restored Jerusalem and the rebuilt temple be destroyed again, but the long-awaited Messiah will be killed.
This must have been a tremendous blow to Daniel. He probably assumed that the “desolations” his people were suffering would end after 70 years. What Gabriel revealed to him must have been unimaginable. The future held not only the loss of a rebuilt temple and capital but the Messiah, the anointed one, would come and be killed.
It is important to recognize that the terrible events of v. 26 occur after the second group of years, the 62 weeks, is concluded. It is after the end of the 483rd year from the official decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem that the Messiah will be killed, and the rebuilt city and its temple will be destroyed for the second time.
Only one of the 70 weeks remains, there are only 7 more years until “everlasting righteousness” and the other longed for conditions from Dan 9:24 are established. Daniel’s prayer for his people, his city of Jerusalem and its temple are all addressed as Gabriel reveals the events of this final week of years.
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.
Daniel 9:27
The last 7 years seem to provide a measure of restoration that is ultimately halted, followed by even more destruction. Daniel learns that after the end of the 69th week and the destruction of the second temple, there will again be “sacrifice and grain offering.” The 70th week, the final 7 years, takes the form of a “firm covenant.” We will look more closely at this covenant a little later.
For a second time, Daniel learns that the city and the temple will be rebuilt again because Gabriel reveals that terrible things will take place there. Daniel learns that the temple will be rebuilt for a 3rd time because Gabriel says that sacrifices will cease and abominations and desolations will occur in the temple.
Stopping the sacrifices in the middle of the 7-year firm covenant suggests some kind of restoration. Both the city and its temple were destroyed for the second time after the end of the 69th week. However, Gabriel says that during the 70th week the sacrifices are halted. For the sacrifices to be halted they must begin again. Before they can begin again some amount of control and ritual purification of the sacrificial location must take place. The sacrifices would be practically impossible if the Jewish people do not have secure access to the temple area where they must be performed. Gabriel’s prophecy about more sacrifices in the last week of years hints at a third temple. When Gabriel says the abominations of desolations will occur, this also suggests another temple must be built by that time.
When Gabriel reveals that the sacrifices would be halted in the middle of the final week and that abominations and desolations follow, Daniel must surely have wondered what this would mean for Jerusalem. Renewed sacrifices suggest the temple’s restoration, but also hint at Jerusalem’s restoration. If a temple is to exist in the future and sacrifices will be halted, this would seem to point to a restored Jerusalem also since a temple could not be constructed without secure access and control of the site. Secure access and control of the temple site would seem difficult to maintain if Jerusalem itself were not also secure.
We have just seen that Gabriel’s message about the 70th week of years strongly suggests the existence of a 3rd temple and a rebuilt Jerusalem. However, this conclusion seems at odds with the events in the previous verse. In Dan 9:26, Gabriel reveals that both the temple and Jerusalem will be destroyed after the conclusion of the 69th week.
If the temple and Jerusalem are destroyed after the 69th week, why do the temple and the city seem present and intact in the following week of years? There are three potential solutions to the dilemma. Either the temple and the city are rebuilt before, during or after the 70th week of years. However, while all three are possible solutions, they are not all equally probable.
The 3 events prophesied in Dan 9:26 have already occurred and are known to history. The city of Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed in 70 A.D. by Roman armies under the command of General Titus. The death of Jesus the Messiah occurred around 30 33 A.D., more than 3 ½ decades prior. Dan 9:26 places them both after the end of the 69th week of years.
The big question is - how do they fit with the events in the 70thweek of years. The final 7 years are described in Dan 9:27. If the death of the Messiah occurs after the end of the 69th week, then that 69th week must have ended before Jesus died in 30 - 33 A.D. Did the 70th week begin at the end of the 69th week? If so, then some 3 ½ years later there should have been a suspension of sacrifices followed by abominations and desolation. But history tells us that the temple continued to operate until its destruction in 70 A.D. All of this strongly suggests that a break between the 69th and 70th weeks is the only choice where the prophecies don’t collide with actual historical events. [ 14 ] For these and other reasons, it is the interpretation followed in this book. A fuller development of these questions is in Appendix One.
This “firm covenant with the many” comprises the 70th and last week of years. Therefore, the length of this agreement is 7 years. Who makes this agreement with Israel? To answer this, we must identify the person called “he” in Dan 9:27.
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.
Daniel 9:27
Who does this pronoun point towards? The preceding verse allows only two possibilities.
So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
Daniel 9:25-26
One possibility is “Messiah the Prince” from vs. 9:25 & 26. [ 15 ] The second possibility is “the prince who is to come” from the end of v. 26. Of the two possibilities, the “prince who is to come” is mentioned just prior to the pronoun “he.” [ 16 ] However, there is another reason to see “he” as referring to “the prince who is to come.”
There seem to be 2 transition points associated with Gabriel’s 70 weeks of years. The first is when the 70 weeks begin. The second is when the 70th week begins. Both transitions feature human activity. The first transition initiates the 70 weeks of years by means of a decree.
Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people, and your holy city. ... So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.
Daniel 9:24a, 25
The event initiating this final 70 week period was of human action. The decree to restore Jerusalem was issued by a king. A discussion of which decree satisfies the requirements of Dan 9:24-25 can be found later in the first appendix.
The second transition initiates the 70th week by means of a firm covenant. The first transition was initiated by human action which initially resulted in favorable conditions for the Jewish people but ends badly for them. The second transition also seems to initially result in favorable conditions for the Jewish people that also ends very badly.
There seems to be a certain amount of symmetry in these two transitions and the periods they introduce. Thus, both periods of time, the first 69 weeks, and the final 1 week are initiated by nondivine human rulers.
By the end of the 69th week of years, the first 3 empires of Daniel 7 have risen and declined. The final empire, the 4th beast, Rome, was ruling in its initial phase. The destruction of the city and sanctuary of Jerusalem was carried out in 70 A.D. by the people of a yet coming prince. That coming prince of the 4th empire is the one who will initiate the final period of 7 years by making a “firm covenant with the many for one week.”
This may sound confusing. How could this prince's people be responsible for destroying the temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D. if he himself does not appear in history until after these events have already happened? Why does Gabriel associate a ruler, whose great grandparents were not even born when the Jewish Temple and its city are destroyed, with the Romans who did these deeds? The phrasing of Gabriel's prophecy provides that answer.
... and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
Daniel 9:26
When the people “destroy the city and the sanctuary” their prince is still coming, not yet arrived, not yet a prince. He is associated with the people who destroy the temple, but he himself is not their prince yet because he is not even alive yet.
A final issue is the status of “the prince who is to come” at the time he makes the covenant with Israel. Many have assumed this coming “prince” must be ruling the confederation of regions to have the authority to form this firm covenant with Israel. [ 17 ] However, Dan 9:27 has nothing to say on this issue. The covenant with Israel could also be initiated by an individual who is not the supreme ruler of his government. The individual making or forcing this covenant is “the prince who is coming.” The prince, who was yet coming at the time of the destruction of the city and sanctuary, could also not yet be “the prince” at the time he makes the covenant. It is certainly possible that this individual makes the covenant with authority given to him by another ruler or governing body. This investiture of authority and covenant making could be concluded still before this individual is installed as the “prince.” This understanding or interpretation is just as permissible as the alternate view.
Several Old Testament scholars have noted that Dan 9:27 contains forceful language concerning the covenant. [ 18 ]
...the two contracting parties are not viewed as standing on an equality, but he who concludes or who confirms the covenant prevails, and imposes or forces the covenant on the other party. [ 19 ]
Finally, the language used by Gabriel was quite strong. It indicated that the Antichrist will force or impose a strong covenant upon the many. [ 20 ]
The prophecy of the 7-year covenant does not occur by itself. It appears at the end of a rich passage of prophetic revelation that is given because of Daniel’s humble prayer. Daniel fasted and prayed because he was concerned for his people, the ruins of Jerusalem and the temple. The entire prophecy through Gabriel about the 70 weeks of years involves the very things that concerned Daniel.
Daniel’s prayer is being answered, but not in the way he expected. Gabriel's prophecy explains that the end of the 70 years in captivity would not result in the final “completion of the desolations of Jerusalem” (v. 2). In addition to the 70 years just completed there would be 70 weeks of years before “everlasting righteousness” and the anointing of the holy place would be fully seen. This must have been devastating personally for Daniel.
Gabriel reveals that Jerusalem and the temple will experience additional desolations during this 490 year period of time. The end of the Jewish people’s captivity in Daniel's time would happen after the 70 years were completed, but Jerusalem and the temple would know more periods of “desolation.” Both the city and its temple would be rebuilt, destroyed, rebuilt and then polluted again.
As we have just seen, in Dan 9:27 Gabriel brings his prophecy for the 70 weeks to a close by describing the culminating abomination that the temple will endure and the desolation which will come to the Jewish people.
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.
Daniel 9:27
Daniel 12 provides more information about this final act. At the end of recording a long series of significant future events, Daniel asks a question.
As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. ... And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.”
Daniel 12:8-9, 11
Daniel asks, “what will be the outcome of these events?” But he doesn't receive an answer. Instead, Daniel is given more detail concerning the time before the end. He is told that there would be an interim of 1290 days between the “abomination of desolation” and the end. Of specific interest is the linking together of the “abomination of desolation” with the halting of the “regular sacrifice.” From these two events, the countdown of 1290 days is marked off to the end.