Remember the context of Gabriel's
message - the decree is for Israel and Jerusalem.
John MacArthur rightly reminds us that
God is not finished with Israel as is sadly taught in so many otherwise
conservative churches...
Israel remains at the center stage of
redemptive history. Despite the many issues facing modern society our focus
is constantly drawn to the Middle East and the nation of Israel--a country
smaller than the state of New Jersey. Yet despite its importance, when a
well-known Bible teacher was asked about the significance of the modern
state of Israel not long ago, he replied, "It has utterly no significance at
all because God is finished with Israel as of the crucifixion of their
Messiah. " (Ref)
In fact according to God's Holy Word, He
is clearly not finished with His chosen people, Israel, despite the fact
that the majority of Jews continue to reject saving belief in the
Messiah...hear God's testimony to His faithfulness to keep His covenant
promises...
For the LORD will not abandon His people
on account of His great name (His name is everything He is, His attributes,
His character, etc), because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people
for Himself. (1Samuel 12:22)
Comment: "This crucial
declaration makes abundantly clear the principle by which God was operating
in behalf of Israel. God's program for the nation of Israel was never based
upon the inherent worth or loveliness of Israel, but rather upon the
sovereign disposition of God. God's continuing program for Israel is not
dependent upon Israel's faithfulness to God, but upon God's faithfulness to
His Word and to His purposes {Deut 7:6, 8}. Because of "His great
name's sake," God will not forsake His people. In other words, God has
announced a plan for Israel which He must accomplish, or else disparage His
name by faithlessness {cf. Ezek 37:11}
(Ref).
(The psalmist records God's affirmation)
Ps 89:31 If they violate My statutes, And do not keep My commandments,
32 Then I
will visit their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with
stripes. 33 "But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him, Nor deal
falsely in My faithfulness. 34 "My covenant (see
notes on Abrahamic Covenant -
although in context this may refer specifically to the Davidic Covenant) I
will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. 35 "Once I have
sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. 36 "His descendants (remnant
= those Jews who place their faith in Messiah) shall endure forever, And his
throne (Jesus as David's greatest "Son" - in the lineage of David - will
reign but Scripture also teaches that David himself will reign - see Ezek
34:24 which describes the "Greater David" and David who God will resurrect -
Jer 30:9) as the sun before Me. 37 "It shall be established forever like the
moon, And the witness in the sky is faithful." Selah. (Psalm 89:31-37)
For the LORD will not abandon His people
(Israel), Nor will He forsake His inheritance (see Dt 4:20 where this same
Hebrew word is used to refer to Israel as "His own possession"). (Psalm
94:14)
(God's faithfulness to keep His promises
to Israel are repeated in the NT, Paul writing) I say then, God has not
rejected His people, has He? May it never be! (the strongest
negative statement possible = no way, not ever!) For I too am an Israelite,
a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not
rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the
Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against
Israel? (Ro 11:1, 2 -See notes
Ro 11:1;
2)
Comment: To take "Israel" out of the NT and "replace" it with the
Church contradicts God's clear word of promise. See the related discussion
of
The Israel of God.
The book of Revelation is all about God's promise to purge and restore
Israel and it follows that if one says the NT Church is the "spiritual
Israel", then it should come as no surprise that interpretation of that
blessed last record of God's faithfulness becomes a virtual quagmire of
gnarled incomprehensible comments that attempt to "wash" this final prophecy
clean of a literal fulfillment. Little wonder that so many find themselves
"dazed and confused" by a book, the very title of which signifies it is to
be a "taking of the lid off". This "God is finished with Israel" approach
also explains why the single greatest prophecy in the OT here in Daniel
9:24-27 is also one of the most fiercely debated and challenged passages in
the entire Old Testament. To reiterate God is not finished with Israel and
Daniel 9:24-27 and the book of Revelation both bear dramatic testimony of
this truth! Let God's faithfulness to His rebellious people Israel give each
of us encouragement and hope in our daily walks which are not always as
"holy" as we would like them to be.
After ('achar) means afterward, later, some
time later or following in time and pertains to a time subsequent to another
time, in this case Messiah's being cut off subsequent to the 483 years, not
during the
Seventieth Week which therefore by default signal a time yet
future and implies an interlude (or gap of time).
For example, 'achar is used this way in Genesis where Abraham
says to his three visitors at Mamre
I will bring a piece of bread, that
you may refresh yourselves; after that ('achar) you may go
on... (Genesis
18:5)
The sixty two weeks
- 7 weeks plus 62 weeks or a total of 483 years. After this time has
passed the Messiah will be cut off which is clearly a reference to His
crucifixion.
Gabriel states that after the sixty-two "sevens" plus
the seven "sevens" or after sixty-nine "sevens" (483
years) the "Messiah will be
cut off". Note that Gabriel does not say the Messiah will be cut
off "at that time" nor
does he say it occurs during the seventieth "seven" but "after"
the sixty-ninth "seven".
Messiah will be cut off and have
nothing
Messiah (04899)
(Mashiyach/Mashiach from mashach = basic meaning is to
smear something on and conveys the idea of anointing something as act of
consecration) is an adjective often used as a noun and is one of the most
important words in the OT. An "anointed one" would have sacred oil poured on
their head, which set them apart as an individual with a special authority
and/or function. And so we see that patriarchs, priests (Lev 4:3), or
kings (Cyrus Isa 45:1) were anointed ones.
In Psalm 2 Mashiyach clearly
refers to the Messiah, the Christ...
Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth take
their stand, And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and
against His Anointed (Hebrew = Mashiyach > "Messiah"; Lxx = Christos
= one who has been anointed).
Cut off (karath) means to sever an object
from its source or cut into parts and implies a violent action. The
Septuagint translates karath in Daniel 9:27 with the verb
exolethreuo which means to be utterly destroyed (only NT use is Acts
3:23)
The first OT use
of karath gives us a good sense of the meaning...
And I establish My covenant with you;
and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood,
neither shall there again be a flood to destroy (karath) the
earth." (Genesis 9:11) (see also same use Deut 20:20;
Je 11:19; Ps 37:9)
Moses records God's instructions regarding idolatry writing
that...
you are to tear down their altars and
smash their sacred pillars and cut down (karath) their Asherim (Exodus 34:13)
MacArthur adds that...
Karath is used a number of
times in the Old Testament to describe the execution of a criminal (Lev
7:20; Ps 37:9; Pr 2:22). Daniel's usage of the term implies the Messiah
would die a criminal's death--a prophecy so specific, it seems
incomprehensible that when Jesus was presented in triumph in precise
accord with Daniel's timetable () but then crucified, the Jewish people
would not immediately recognize who He was. They waited for centuries
for their Messiah to come and then missed Him through hate and despite.
And if it is argued that Daniel 9 is somewhat obscure and easily
misunderstood, one need only turn to Psalm 22 (which describes the
crucifixion in detail) or Isaiah 53 (which describes the suffering and
death of the Messiah) to understand that the Old Testament clearly
declares the Messiah would die. (Ref)
Almost every conservative evangelical source agrees this
verse is clearly a
reference to the crucifixion of Christ. Christ was indeed not only "cut
off" from man and from life, but on the cross indicated that He was
forsaken of God, crying out
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
(Mt 27:46)
Isaiah records that
By oppression
and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered
that He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the
transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? (Isaiah 53:8)
Nothing either `nothing' or `no one'.
The exact meaning of this phrase is uncertain. Some interpret this as the desertion
by His disciples (who fled at the time of his arrest and trial). Others feel
that nothing that rightly belonged to Him as Messiah the Prince was given to
Him at that time. In other words, He did not come into His full reward nor
the exercise of His Kingly authority.
MacArthur
explains this difficult to understand phrase this way...
When Jesus died on the cross He received
nothing that was due Him: no honor, respect, love, or acceptance. "He was in
the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He
came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:10, 11). Instead He
received what He didn't deserve: the sins of the world. (Ref)
The people of the prince who is to
come
will destroy the city and the sanctuary:
Who are these people?
Recall that Daniel has previously revealed four Gentile world empires
that would have a great impact on the fate of Israel - Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome (see Daniel 2:31-43; 7:1-8 - click to
study
these passages charted out in
parallel with Daniel 9:24-27).
As discussed in those passages it becomes obvious that the Roman
Empire will be revived ("Revived Roman Empire" - this term per se does
not appear in the Bible) again as a ten-nation confederacy during the
last days. Thus the people of the prince to come will have some
connection with the Romans and a revived Roman Empire.
How do we know? If one looks at the action
of these people in
destroying the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the
Holy Jewish Temple in Jerusalem), the most obvious conclusion from
history is that this event was fulfilled in the sacking and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70AD,
which would identify the people as the Roman Empire led by
the Roman General Titus. The prince
who is to come would then be associated somehow with the Roman
Empire or what has been designated by most evangelical commentaries as
the "Revived Roman Empire". Observe carefully that this verse
does not state that the prince comes at this time nor that the
city is destroyed by him but by his people.
Donald Campbell notes that...
Leopold Cohn, a European rabbi,
studied the prophecy of the 70 weeks and came to the conclusion, based
on verse 26, that Messiah had already come because His coming was to be
before the destruction had taken place in A.D. 70! Approaching an older
rabbi, he asked where Messiah was. The rabbi said, "Go to New York and
you will find Messiah there." Selling most of his belongings to buy
passage to America, Mr. Cohn came to this country and wandered the
streets of New York City, looking for Messiah. One day he heard singing
coming from a building and went in, only to hear a clear gospel message.
That night he received the Lord Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior.
Shortly after, Mr. Cohn bought a stable, swept it out, set up some
chairs, and began to hold gospel meetings, the first outreach of what
was to become the American Board of Missions to the Jews.
(Campbell, D. Daniel God's Man in a Secular Society)
Spurgeon has the following
devotional on Daniel 9:26...
"The Messiah shall be cut off,
but not for Himself." - Daniel 9:26 - Blessed be His name,
there was no cause of death in Him. Neither original nor actual sin had
defiled Him, and therefore death had no claim upon Him. No man could
have taken His life from Him justly, for He had done no man wrong, and
no man could even have lain Him by force unless He had been pleased to
yield Himself to die. But lo, one sins and Another suffers. Justice was
offended by us, but found its satisfaction in Him. Rivers of tears,
mountains of offerings, seas of the blood of bullocks, and hills of
frankincense, could not have availed for the removal of sin; but Jesus
was cut off for us, and the cause of wrath was cut off at once, for sin
was put away for ever. Herein is wisdom, whereby substitution, the sure
and speedy way of atonement, was devised! Herein is condescension, which
brought Messiah, the Prince, to wear a crown of thorns, and die upon the
Cross! Herein is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down His life for
His enemies!
It is not enough, however, to admire the spectacle of the innocent
bleeding for the guilty, we must make sure of our interest therein. The
special object of the Messiah's death was the salvation of His church;
have we a part and a lot among those for whom He gave His life a ransom?
Did the Lord Jesus stand as our representative? Are we healed by His
stripes? It will be a terrible thing indeed if we should come short of a
portion in His sacrifice; it were better for us that we had never been
born. Solemn as the question is, it is a joyful circumstance that it is
one which may be answered clearly and without mistake. To all who
believe on Him the Lord Jesus is a present Saviour, and upon them all
the blood of reconciliation has been sprinkled. Let all who trust in the
merit of Messiah's death be joyful at every remembrance of Him, and let
their holy gratitude lead them to the fullest consecration to His cause.
The people of the prince
who is to come - Note that it is not “the prince who is to come”
that does the destroying, but “the people” of that prince. "The
city and the sanctuary" in context is clearly a reference to Jerusalem
and the Temple, which were destroyed in 70ad by Roman troops led by Titus.
Thus "the people" are identified as Roman and "the prince"
will arise from the Roman empire.
As discussed in
notes on Daniel 9:27
this prince is identical to
the future Antichrist (the best known title of this individual but
found only in one NT passage 1Jn 2:22) and since Rome has long
disappeared from world history, his origin must be from a revived Roman
empire (See Dr Walvoord's article -
Revival of Rome).
|
THE PRINCE WHO IS TO COME
"THE ANTICHRIST"
HIS VARIOUS TITLES |
|
TITLE |
SCRIPTURE |
|
Prince who
is to come |
Daniel 9:26 |
|
little horn |
Daniel 7:8 |
|
insolent king |
Daniel 8:23 |
|
one who makes desolate |
Daniel 9:27 |
|
despicable person |
Daniel 11:21 |
|
king who will do as he
pleases |
Daniel 11:36 |
|
worthless shepherd |
Zech 11:16-17 |
|
man of lawlessness |
2Thes 2:3 |
|
son of destruction |
2Thes 2:3 |
|
the lawless one
|
2Thes 2:8 |
|
the beast
|
Revelation 11:7 |
|
the Antichrist |
1John 2:22 |
Beloved though believers are
instructed not to ignorant of the evil one's schemes lest we be taken
advantage of, we as the Bride of Christ must not become side-tracked or
distracted from our call to continually, eagerly, longingly be on the look
out for the imminent return of our Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Believers are to be looking for the Christ, not the Antichrist!
An older commentary from the 1800's by
Adam Clarke (1762-1832) gives the following interpretation of the
prince who is to come...
By the "prince" Titus, the son of
Vespasian, is plainly intended; and "the people of that prince" are no other
than the Romans, who, according to the prophecy, destroyed the sanctuary. (Comment:
Clearly I disagree with Clarke's rather dogmatic interpretation, but present
it so that the discerning reader is alerted to the fact that many of the
"older" commentaries are often not good resources to aid one's
interpretation of Bible prophecy. And yet since these are virtually all
public domain, they are the most common free resources on the Internet. Be a
Berean!)
Pfeiffer sums this up commenting that
"These considerations show that the idea of a gap in the weeks at this
point is a matter of exegesis (from Greek exegeomai meaning "to
draw out" and so is the process of careful, analytical study of the biblical
text, usually verse by verse, phrase by phrase, in order to explain or
interpret the passage). Considerations of theology are not primarily
involved...Let us stay by what the passage says." "Amen!" (The Wycliffe
Bible commentary: Old Testament : Moody Press)
Destroy the city and the sanctuary
-
In Luke 21 Jesus had given a
prophetic warning concerning the
coming destruction of Jerusalem declaring...
But when you see
Jerusalem
surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. 21
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who
are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the
country enter the city 22 because these are days of vengeance
(Lev 26:25 'I will also bring upon you a sword which will execute
vengeance for the covenant; and when you gather together into your
cities, I will send pestilence among you, so that you shall be
delivered into enemy hands...28 then I will act with wrathful
hostility against you; and I, even I, will punish you seven times
for your sins. 29 'Further, you shall eat the flesh of your sons and
the flesh of your daughters you shall eat. {This prophecy was
literally fulfilled in the lengthy siege of Jerusalem. Josephus gives
a dreadful detail of a woman named Mary, who in the extremity of the
severe famine killed her nursing baby and had cannibalized a part when
discovered by Roman soldiers!}), in order
that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 Woe to those who
are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days for there will
be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people (Those who tried
to escape or terrorize the enemy were frequently captured and
crucified--often 500 were nailed to crosses on a given day. The
forests {"distress upon the land"} around Jerusalem were
completely destroyed to supply the wood necessary for battering rams,
ramps, catapults, camp fires, ladders, and the many crosses that rose
outside the city. See note below regarding believers who did escape.),
24 and they will
fall by the edge of the sword and will be led captive into all the
nations; and
Jerusalem
will be trampled under foot
by the Gentiles until the times
of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
(Luke 21:20-24)
Comment:
See "Times of the Gentiles"
in the chart entitled "God's Plan for Jerusalem".
In context, the sign of
Jerusalem surrounded by armies was a warning of the future siege
{which apparently went on for some 143 days} of Jerusalem by the Roman General Titus in A.D. 70,
a siege which would preface the complete destruction of Jerusalem and
the Temple. Unbelief might have argued that with a besieging army
outside the walls, escape would be impossible; but God's Word never
fails. As recorded by Josephus {Wars 2.539-540}, the Roman
armies withdrew for a short season {Josephus says "without any just
cause" expressing some confusion as to why the withdrawal - of course
God is sovereign and by faith we see that surely He orchestrated this
brief hiatus allowing believers to escape!}, thus giving the believing
Jews the opportunity to escape. For those who heeded Jesus'
warning this was clearly the signal to flee the city. This they did
and went out to a place called Pella, a little town east of the Jordan
near the Sea of Galilee, where they were preserved as recorded by the
historian Eusebius. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded that nearly
a million people were killed by the Romans, and over 100,000 taken
captive. This
historically verifiable "holocaust" is but a faint picture of the yet future
"holocaust", that
Jesus explained in Matthew 24:15 concerning the abomination of
desolation standing in the Jewish Temple.) (For an even more
detailed description of the horrific scene in Jerusalem in 70AD
click here
for John MacArthur's
discussion).
As an aside, did you note God's
warning in Leviticus 26:28 of seven times more
punishment? Recall that the Babylonian exile lasted 70 years and yet
even after returning to Jerusalem, the post-exilic Jews continued in
rebellion. So here in Daniel 9:24-27, we see the fulfillment of God's
prophecy of judgment in that seven times seventy (years in
Babylonian exile) is 490 years, the exact number specified in
Daniel 9:24 for the Jews and Jerusalem ("your people and your holy
city")! And when this final indignation and purging of Israel has
run its full course, all of saved Israel will enter the promised
Messianic Kingdom. This is a succinct recap of God's Plan for Israel!
And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war;
desolations are determined :
(Matthew 24:6, 7 , 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14; Mark 13:7) (Da 11:10; Is
8:7; Je 46:7; Amos 8:8; 9:5; Nah 1:8)
And its end will come with a flood
-
The desolations to be visited on Jerusalem will be as destructive as a
raging flood, which is probably being used metaphorically, picturing for
example sudden destruction.
even to the end there will be
war; desolations are determined -
Israel has experienced a steady
stream of desolations that began with the destruction of
Jerusalem in 70AD, including the Medieval Crusaders (many of whom were
more like "mid-evil" for they challenged Jews to convert or die!
-
Click
and scroll down to "Crusades"),
the Spanish Inquisition,
the
Russian pogroms, Hitler's insane Nazi holocaust. And yet the rise of
the Antichrist will commence a holocaust beyond any Israel has
previously experienced. (Re 12:13, 14, 15, 16, 17 - See notes
Re 12:13;
14;
15;
16;
17,
where the woman is clearly Israel). That final desolation is
vividly prefigured by the first Roman "holocaust" in 70AD.
The end is a phrase that
is used numerous times in Daniel to refer to the end of this age (see below)
and therefore comparing Scripture with Scripture, it seems very appropriate to take the use in this verse as a
reference to the end of this age.
Da 8:17 So he came
near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and
fell on my face; but he said to me, "Son of man, understand that the
vision pertains to the time of the end."
Da 8:19 And he said, "Behold, I am going to let you know what will
occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the
appointed time of the end.
Da 11:27 "As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil, and
they will speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not
succeed, for the end is still to come at the appointed
time.
Da 11:35 "And some of those who have insight will fall, in order to
refine, purge, and make them pure, until the end time;
because it is still to come at the appointed time.
Da 11:40 "And at the end time the king of the South will
collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him
with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter
countries, overflow them, and pass through.
Da 12:4 "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the
book until the end of time; many will go back and forth,
and knowledge will increase."
Da 12:9 And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for these words are
concealed and sealed up until the end time.
Da 12:13 "But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter
into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the
end of the age."
Harry Ironside feels that
These words briefly describe the history
of Palestine from the coming of the Roman armies under Titus to the present
time. Jerusalem, and Palestine as a whole, have been trodden down of all
nations, and shall be, ‘until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
The phrase "desolations are determined"
once again indicates that God knows where history is going.
even until a complete destruction, one
that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate -
From this verse we can see that "the
one who makes desolate" is the same one who made and then broke the
seven year covenant, and is without doubt the Antichrist whom Jesus warned
about declaring
"when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
("the abomination that causes desolation", NIV) which was spoken
of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the
reader understand)...21 for then there will be a great tribulation,
such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor
ever shall." (Mt 24:15,21)
The breaking of the covenant and desolation
of the temple will signal the beginning of the end of this age, the times
of the Gentiles and the onset of the last three and one-half
years of God's wrath as described in Revelation, beginning in Re 11:14
through Revelation 19:21.