Daniel 9
The Seventieth Week

26 "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. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
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."

The Dispensationalist/Futurist school of interpretation uses the word "after" in verse 26 as a means to create a "gap" in time. This means that verses 24 and 25 refer to the Messiah, while verses 26 and 27 refer to other events. Since all the events of verse 26 did not happen immediately after the 69 weeks, they reason, they have not yet occurred and must occur in the future. As we saw before, in Daniel 12:1, if Daniel meant immediately, he wrote it.

1 And at that time... Dan 12:1a

The events of the seventieth week happen after the 69, not at its precise end.

26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:...(KJV)

Jesus' ministry lasted 3 1/2 years, then he was crucified. The phrase "cut off, but not for himself", describes this to a "T". Jesus lived a sinless life, and was undeserving of any punishment. We have committed sins to numerous to count, and He died in our place. It is interesting to note that the Hebrew gives an even better description.

20 'But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the LORD, in his uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from his people.
21 'And when anyone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing, and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the LORD, that person shall be cut off from his people.' " Lev 7:20-21

The word karath (3772) translated "cut off" implies a judicial action. Short of telling all the details, a more graphic picture is hard to imagine. It also speaks of covenant, since "making a covenant" is always karath berith, "cutting a covenant." Thus, Messiah's death is part of His covenant to save us.

26 ...and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary...

Who is "the prince who is to come"? There are two ready choices. One school of thought says that the coming prince is Titus, the Roman general. His soldiers (his "people") disobeyed orders and destroyed the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. He later became the Caesar, the "Prince" of Rome. We should note, however, that the term prince is an anachronism in this application. It is a modern idea transported into ancient times. Rome did not have hereditary royal succession, so the term does not apply. Further, the Hebrew nagid (5057) does not imply the hereditary successor to the throne and is never used that way in scripture. Its root meaning is "leader" and it is translated in a variety of ways depending on context and the translator's judgment. It can just as easily mean "king" as in Psa 76:12, where it is placed in parallel with melek (4428) which means "king." Thus, we could readily read 9:25 as referring to "Messiah the King" and say that 9:26 is referring to "the king to come." Both readings would be perfectly legitimate. Finally, Titus does not belong in the Jewish mindset.

Daniel has just identified the prince (nagid) as the Messiah in 9:25. He repeats the title in verse 26, then calls him "the prince who is to come." This expression is parallel to the discussion in verse 25 where Messiah the Prince is to come in 69 weeks. But did Jesus' people, the Jews, destroy Jerusalem?

In Daniel's prayer in chapter 9 (esp. verses 11-4) Daniel clearly identifies the Jews as being responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586BC. They broke their covenant with God, and the desolation was a judgment by God against them. The physical destruction came at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar's army, but in the Jewish mind, he was acting as God's agent, and does not even come to mind. In fact, Jeremiah 25:9 identifies Nebuchadnezzar as God's "servant" in destroying Jerusalem. All responsibility lies with the Jews. In the same way, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70 was a direct result of the failure of the Jews to meet the conditions of their covenant probation outlined in verse 24. The curses which fell on the Jews were detailed in Deut 28:15ff.

God had given the Jews a set of rules for life. If they would follow those rules, which are laid out in considerable detail in the book of Deuteronomy, they would receive blessings (Deut 28:1-14). Failure to keep the covenant would lead to the most miserable curses (Deut 28:15-68). The Jews wandered away from God on numerous occasions. Finally, as a last reminder, God sent them into captivity in Babylon. At the restoration of their kingdom, the Jews began a final probation which they eventually failed. Titus was sent as God's agent of judgment, but the Jews destroyed the city.

 The rest of verse 26 fills in the details:

26 ...And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

The temple and city was destroyed so that "not one stone . (was) left upon another," (Matt 24:2). The city was destroyed with a "flood of arms", imagery used several times in the Old Testament. "Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them the strong and abundant waters of the Euphrates, Even the king of Assyria and all his glory; And it will rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks. (Isa 8:7) Josephus states that "the city was so completely leveled to the ground as to leave future visitors to the spot no ground for believing that it had ever been inhabited." Once again, a look at the clear statements of Scripture and the record of history finds the fulfillment of prophecy. Nothing is mysterious.

27 "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week,...

This is the first of three independent thoughts in this verse. But, once again, we need to deal with a translation issue. The phrasing in the NASB is "make a firm covenant". This sounds like the covenant to be made is new. This idea, which is repeated in the RSV, is a key part of the D/F interpretation. The liberally paraphrased translation in the Living Bible is particularly favorable to them.

27 This king will make a seven year treaty with the people, but after half that time, he will break his pledge and stop the Jews from all their sacrifices and their offerings; then, as a climax to all his terrible deeds, the Enemy shall utterly defile the sanctuary of God. But in God's time and plan, his judgment will be poured out upon this Evil One." (TLB)

The KJV, NIV, NEB, NJB, and NKJV present this differently.

27 He will confirm a covenant with many... (NIV)

This form indicates that the Messiah will "confirm" an existing covenant. The verb used, higbir (1396), appears only one other place in the OT, Psa 12:4. There it is used to mean "prevail". Other forms of the same root occur over 300 times. Its basic meaning is to "prevail, be mighty, or be great". It stands in stark contrast to the unfaithfulness of the Jews in their covenant obligations.

The proper translation of this passage is "He shall strengthen a covenant". The specific forms used presuppose an existing covenant. So the intent is best phrased "He will strengthen a covenant already in place". The force of the verb excludes any possibility of a new covenant or peace treaty. The next question is, "Who is 'he'"? We have seen that in verse 26 that the "Prince who is to come" is Jesus, the Messiah anticipated in verse 25. Grammatically, the antecedent to "he" is the "Prince". Therefore "he" is Jesus.

When Jesus came to earth, the Jews were the chosen people of God. God's covenant with the Jews was in force. Jesus came to the Jews to try to bring them back, even while he knew that they would not return to their duties under the covenant. (It is not my purpose to detail the covenant services in the sanctuary. A study of Leviticus would be required for that. I will touch only the high points.) In Matt 26 Jesus says (at the Last Supper):

28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. Matt 26:28 (Repeated in Mark 14:22-25 and Luke 22:15-20)

This text directly refers to all the concerns of Daniel. Jesus' ministry with the Jews is strengthening His covenant which they had repeatedly broken. He specifically states that it was done "for many", a technical term echoing Daniel's use of the term referring to faithful Jews. Finally, it is for "forgiveness of sins". This reflects the list of actions required of the Jews in verse 24 to bring them back into a right relationship with God. Jesus' focus on the "many" is reinforced in Mark, where He claims the identity of the "suffering servant" foretold of by Isaiah.

45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors. Isa 53:11-12

Jesus came at the end of the 69 weeks to give the Jews their final chance to satisfy their covenant obligations within the time of probation. God foresaw that they would fail, but it did not have to be so. The Jews were not condemned to failure. They remained masters of their own destiny. The final removal of the covenant blessings from the Jews was a result of their ultimate rejection of the covenant, just as the destruction of Jerusalem was the covenant curse poured out on them due to their rejection of God.

31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them, "declares the LORD.
33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Jer 31:31-33

The first covenant required the shedding of the blood of a sacrificial animal for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is the sacrifice for the new covenant with spiritual Israel.

22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. Heb 7:22

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;.

The parallel structure of verse 27 links the "covenant" and the "sacrifice" and "grain offerings" showing that it was the Levitical covenant. Christ's crucifixion terminated the system of sacrifices by tearing the curtain of the Most Holy Place, allowing anyone to look in and see that the glory of God was gone. This showed to all that sacrifices could no longer be presented before God, since the ultimate sacrifice had been made on Calvary.

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom,... Matt 27:50-51a

This is confirmed in Hebrews.

5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, But a body Thou hast prepared for Me;
6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast taken no pleasure.
7 "Then I said, 'Behold, I have come In the roll of the book it is written of Me To do Thy will, O God.'"
8 After saying above, "Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast not desired, nor hast Thou taken pleasure in them" which are offered according to the Law,
9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Thy will." He takes away the first in order to establish the second.
10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Heb 10:5-10

This happened 3 1/2 years after his baptism, or "in the middle of the week". Paul, in his epistle to Timothy, confirms that this occurred exactly at the time predicted in 9:27.

5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. 1 Tim 2:5-6

We don't have to look the future for fulfillment. Unfortunately, there are, once again, those who insist that our dates are wrong. We must first begin with Jesus' baptism. Earlier, we determined that this occurred in AD27. Therefore, the length of Jesus' ministry will tell us the time of His crucifixion. We cannot rely on the Jewish calendar to give us the exact year, because Passover is dependent on months that begin on a day when the new moon is first observed. Weather can cause as much as a two day delay in what would otherwise be a predictable date.

The Gospel of John gives us the clues we need. John 2:13, 6:4, and 12:1 specifically mention three separate Passover celebrations during Jesus' ministry. Since Jesus' baptism was soon after the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist in the fall of AD27, this requires a duration of at least 2 1/2 years. In John 4:35, Jesus comments on the fact that there are four months before the harvest in Samaria. This would put Him there in January or February since the harvest of barley would be in mid-May and the wheat harvest would be in mid-June. John 5:1 refers to a feast where Jesus went up to Jerusalem. This feast can be Passover, Pentecost, or Tabernacles. In any case, the chronology of events requires that John 4:35 be after the first Passover mentioned in John 2:13, and the feast of 5:1 to be before the Passover of 6:4. This puts another year into the chronology of Jesus' ministry.

Jesus was baptized in the fall of AD27. He observed Passovers in the spring of AD28 (John 2:13), AD29 (implied in John 4:35 and 5:1), AD30 (John 6:4), and AD31(John 12:1). This last Passover was the Last Supper. Three and one half years is exactly one half of the prophetic seventieth week.

The covenant of Daniel 9:27 is the Levitical covenant that the Messiah "ma(d)e strong". Jesus' death on the cross is the act which terminated the sacrificial system: "he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering." Matthew fills in the first part of this by telling us that at the moment Jesus died, the veil separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matt 27:51, cf. Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45). This allowed anyone who wished to see the chamber which formerly was filled with the glory of God. The sacrificial system, which annually culminated in the High Priest entering the presence of God, no longer had importance .This is confirmed by Paul's writings, where he refers to Jesus as our Passover. With this established, there is no possible way for the 70th week to be in the future. At the Crucifixion, it was half over. We just have one question left to answer.

What happened to the second half of the week? Within a few weeks of his resurrection, Jesus had returned to heaven. Do we just throw the other 3 1/2 years away? Or do we truly have to look to the future? We're on the right track, it's just not as obvious as the other items. There are two items to look at. First, during the next 3 1/2 years, the gospel was preached to the Jews. God was still working with his own first chosen people. They had rejected Him, but they still had a chance. Two dramas remained.