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Daniel Chapter 9
Verses 26 |
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Verse 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.
In this verse there are four main prophetic subjects; the Messiah, the people of the prince who shall come, the destruction of the city and temple, and the end. Connected with the Messiah is a period of time of 62 “weeks” (434 years): His being cut off and having nothing. The people who come are the people of the prince that shall come, and these shall destroy both the city (Jerusalem), and the Temple in Jerusalem. The end, which shall be with a flood and desolations, are determined with war. We examine at each division in more detail.
The 62 “Weeks.”
It is clear to us as to when the Messiah was cut off. So the end of the Messiah came after 434 years after something, some landmark in time. This beginning point of time has long been debated as to exactly what it was. Without going into the many different interpretations I will simply present what I consider is most probable. (Some scholars believe that it took 49 years to rebuild the city and hence it was from the completion of the rebuilding Jerusalem that the 434 years began.) By carefully examining the events in 434 B. C. the only thing of any significance was that the book of Malachi was written. This is the last book of the Old Testament; it is the last recorded portion of Scripture before the New Testament. It represents the end of the O.T. and from that time to the Messiah there is a gap of silence from God. Some have called it the Dark Age between the Testaments. When Christ was crucified He ended the law and the Covenant of Moses (Eph. 2:15, Col. 2:15). The point in time of His crucifixion became the official beginning of the New Covenant, the Church Age or the Age of Grace. The old had to end before the new began (1 Cor. 2:14). The old had to have been kept and fulfilled before the new could be enforced (Matt. 5:17,18).
The Messiah cut off.
The language is that He was cut down or drawn down by others. In other words, the Messiah was on the receiving end of the cutting off, inflicted upon Him at the hands of others. To be cut off means to be destroyed, denoting punishment of death, and a violent death. This is an accurate description of what was done to Jesus Christ at His arrest, trial, and crucifixion. The phrase “but not for himself” comes from the Hebrew, which states that in regard to the Messiah, He had nothing for Himself, He was without or had no possessions of His own. It is not of the material, which the possessions refer, but of His inheritance. If we think of what He was rightfully entitled to we can understand what was lost to Him. All of Israel should have been His - the people, the land of Israel, Jerusalem, the Temple, worship and the Throne. He was their God, they were His possession, but the leaders rejected Him, renounced Him, and had Him killed. All that He was deserving of was denied Him. When He died He had none of these things. Jesus did leave His Church when He ascended to heaven, but He had nothing of the Jews. He will return, however, and claim unto Himself all His possessions by Divine right.
The City and Temple at risk.
The next event after the cutting off of the Messiah is the destruction of the city and the Temple. One interpretation presents the idea that when the Messiah was cut off there was nothing to Him, that is, that He ceased to have authority and power, such as in the cutting off of a prince or ruler whose supremacy has come to an end. Accordingly His dominion, authority, or power over the covenant people as an anointed Prince would cease when He was cut off, and another one would come and desolate the sanctuary. This view makes a great deal of sense. For the Jews, once they had so cruelly disavowed their anointed One, they themselves became disavowed by Him. This left them without His security and safeguard. The hedge of God over the city was broken, making her an easy prey to her enemies. We recall the words of Jesus in Matt. 23:37 0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stones't 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.
The People of the Prince.
Who shall come and destroy the city and the temple? They are the people of the prince that shall come. The word “people” denotes subjects or armies of another. Literally, this word denotes people who are of, in this case, this coming prince, members of his own people, compatriots, fellow country men, or kinsmen. They are people who are of the same nation as this prince. In our quest for knowledge of the identification of the “antichrist” we have here a very convincing sign. The historical fulfillment of this prophecy happened in 70 A. D. In that year the Roman general Titus with his army did indeed destroy Jerusalem and all within that city including the Temple. Who were these people? They were of the Roman Empire. As I maintain, the Roman Empire has, in our age, been absorbed into the Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. But one day it will lead itself out from that unholy union and surface as the Ten Nation Federation as seen in the vision of Nebuchadnezzar's idol concluding with the feet and ten toes of iron and clay mixture. Some may object to the connecting of the prince mentioned here with the “antichrist” since the “antichrist” is a coming king. However, this objection cannot be sustained, for, as we have seen in verse 25, the Messiah is named “the Prince.” Without any objection, all will accept that the Messiah is a King. So we must be consistent in our opinions and admit, "”prince” and “king” are interchangeable terms. I strongly maintain that from this evidence of prophecy and its fulfillment that we have the identification of the nationality of the “antichrist.” This identification coincides perfectly with the little horn in Daniel 7 and the king of fierce countenance of chapter 8, who is also called a “little horn.” Both of the references to the “little horn” come from the prophesied, concluding world empire system. The phrase “that is to come” is applied to both time and location. Time, meaning that he is to come in the future, and location, meaning that he comes from abroad, a foreigner. This would preclude him from being a Jew and from the mistaken assumption that he would be accepted as Israel's Messiah. Nowhere can it be found in Scripture that indicates the Jews will ever receive the “antichrist” as their Messiah. To say that they will is wild unfounded speculation, without any evidence. The man is a Gentile. Very probably from Syria.
The End.
The final part of the verse can have various interpretations. Some believe that it is concerning the end of the “antichrist” and others about the end of Israel. It is possible it is speaking of both. For the “antichrist,” his end comes with a flood. For the city, desolations of war are appointed unto it. But whether the “antichrist” is meant or not is not critical, for surely the pending destruction of Jerusalem will come as a flood. The whole series of events will come as a gushing overwhelming flood. The end will come as a sudden inundation, carrying everything before it. It will be irresistible, unstoppable.
For the last part "and unto the end of the war desolations are determined," here are several renditions from different translations:
| And unto the end is, was, a decree of ruins." |
| "Howbeit up to the full end of the war are decreed astounding things." |
| "And till the end (is) war, determined (are) desolations." |
| And here a very rough (not in smooth English) translation. "At the end of (time) war, her decreeing, determining, to continually stunning her (the city, Jerusalem) with appalling, awestruck desolation.
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Whatever is the most accurate translation is a matter of judgment. But it is clear what Jerusalem's last fate of this age will be. Clearly, there will be war against her. Clearly, she will be desolated. Clearly, it has all been determined to come to pass upon her. This is the sentence of God's verdict against the city and her people. It is certain. This sentence cannot be accomplished without the Jews occupying Jerusalem and the physical existence of the sanctuary. As of this writing the Jews now occupy the city, the whole city. But there is not yet a sanctuary. It is assumed by the majority of Bible students that the sanctuary is the Temple. Must the Temple be built before the beginning of the last “week” (seven years)? We cannot tell for certain. It could be built in the first half of the seven years period and still be in accordance with scripture. So a word of caution, do not assume that the temple must first be built before the 70th week can occur. While it is true that the previous Temples took decades to construct, this could easily happen in less than 3 1/2 years with today's technology and resources. Wouldn't it be something for the temple to be built, and on the day of its completion and dedication that the “antichrist” would immediately occupy it (just a thought).
Conclusion: The Messiah has come, He was cruelly put to death, and He had nothing of the things, which were His by Divine right. The people of the antichrist have come, they have destroyed, and the inescapable end of the city and Daniel's people will come with appalling destruction.
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Next: Daniel Chapter 9:27
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This page last updated September 14, 2004 at 10:21am
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