Daniel Chapter 9

Many people believe that Daniel chapter 9 is the most important chapter in biblical prophecy. In fact, there are many people in Christian circles that believe that Daniel 9:24-27 is the most important passage in all of prophetic scripture. Many of the different views in eschatology and end time prophecy are directly related to how these belief systems view this chapter. Chapter 9 is like a corner-stone in many end time belief systems. There are mistakes found in various interpretations of eschatology, and many of them can be traced back to a misunderstanding of this passage. For this reason we are going to break this chapter down and provide context. Then you will be able to come to your own conclusions. We will use the King James Version in this breakdown simply because many different beliefs have relied on this version. Fasten your seatbelt, this is going to be a long study.

Daniel 9:1 “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;” -KJV

“First year of Darius” also appears in Daniel 11:1. Darius also played a role in Daniel’s fate in chapter six when Daniel was cast into the lion’s den. “Seed of the Medes” refers to the fact that his ancestry was not Persian, but rather his background was from the Medes. The Medes shared in the reign of what is known as the Medo-Persian Empire.

He was “made king over the “Chaldeans”, which seems to imply that this was an appointment given to him by the Persian King. There are no later years of his reign mentioned in the rest of Daniel, which could mean that his reign was a short appointment. Daniel 5:31 states that he was 62 when he received the kingdom. The kingdom he receives is the one that belongs to the Chaldeans, which means he was set over Babylon. Daniel 6:1-2 also states that Darius had installed governors to administer the kingdoms affairs and Daniel was one of these governors.

Daniel 9:2 “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.” -KJV

This is what Daniel read

Jeremiah 25:11 “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.” -KJV

Jeremiah 29:10 “For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” -KJV

Since the time of Daniel’s capture he prayed three times a day every day for the release of his people. He was longing for the day when Israel would be restored. He probably hoped that one day he would return to Israel. He was carried away as a boy. When we get to the ninth chapter of Daniel we see a man who lived most of his life in captivity. Now Medo-Persia is the ruling empire.

Somehow he gets the book of Jeremiah. While he is reading in the book of Jeremiah he discovers that his captivity is actually a punishment that was sent to the nation of Israel because they turned from the Lord. Daniel was more than likely also very familiar with Isaiah’s prophecies concerning Cyrus. (Isaiah 44:28-45:4) Daniel may have been encouraged to see a man named Cyrus rise in power over Persia. Now for the first time Daniel discovers the real reason for Israel’s captivity and his whole attitude changes. There was still a little time left in this 70-year time frame. Instead of praying for deliverance on behalf of his people he begins to pray prayers of repentance. His whole attitude changes

Daniel 9:3 “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
9:4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
9:5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
9:6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
9:7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
9:10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
9:11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
9:12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
9:14 Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
9:15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
9:16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
9:17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
9:18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
9:19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name”. -KJV

Daniel referenced the Law of Moses throughout his prayer. According to Leviticus we find that there is a yearly Sabbath as well as a weekly Sabbath. They can work the land for 6 years, then in the seventh year they let the land rest from plowing, planting and harvest. In Hebrew this is known as Shibah or Sheba and it simply means 7. There is a Shibah of weeks and there is a Shibah of years.

It takes 49 years for 7 of these yearly Shibahs to pass. (7×7=49) When that happens the following year is known as the year of Jubilee. During this time debt is erased, slaves are set free, and lands are restored to their owners.

Leviticus 25:1 “And the Lord spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,
25:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord.
25:3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
25:4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
25:5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
25:6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee.
25:7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.
25:8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
25:10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
25:11 A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
25:12 For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.
25:13 In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.
25:14 And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour’s hand, ye shall not oppress one another:
25:15 According to the number of years after the jubile thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee:
25:16 According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.” -KJV

Israel was punished because the nation fell into idolatry and worshiped false gods. In addition to this they ignored the Shibah of years and did not let the land rest for 490 years. So Jerusalem was led away captive until every year the land was denied rest was fulfilled.

Chronicles 36:21 “To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.” -KJV

A score is 20 years, 3 score is 60 years, plus 10 equals 70 years. It is possible that Israel could have ignored the years of Jubilee as well. This fiftieth year after 7 Shibahs represented a time when people were released from bondage. The family inheritances of lands were restored, all debt was erased, and slaves were set free. Ignoring the fiftieth year would also keep many in bondage. While Daniel is praying he sees the angel Gabriel. He had seen him in an earlier vision.

Daniel 9:20 “And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God;
9:21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
9:22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.” –KJV

Daniel meets the angel Gabriel and explains that it’s the same Gabriel he had seen in an earlier vision. Now that you know the background we can dive into the main prophecy

Daniel 9:24 “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.
9:25 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.
9:26 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.
9:27 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.” -KJV

Let’s break this down. The first thing to understand is that 70 weeks are determined on Daniels people, (Israel or the Jews) not the church. These are not weeks as we know them. They are the yearly Shibahs we talked about earlier. The King James Version translated week from the word Shibah or Seven. This is not a week of days. This is a week of years.

A good example of this can be found when Jacob worked for his two wives. He worked one week for each wife. Each wife cost him 7 years of labor.

“Genesis 29:26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
29:27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.” -KJV

This is different from the weeks mentioned in Daniel chapter 10. Daniel specifies that he fasted for 3 weeks, and then later clarifies it as 21 days.

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people” (The Jews) “and upon thy holy city,” (Jerusalem)

This is a prophecy regarding Israel and Jerusalem. It is directed to the Jewish Nation. Some in the church have taught that Israel is replaced by the church or that the church is the new Israel. This is a heresy in the highest order. The Church does not replace Israel, especially in the area of biblical prophecy. This has created much confusion in the area of biblical prophecy. Some have also put an allegorical meaning to this passage. But as we shall soon see we can take this whole passage in the literal sense

The angel Gabriel gives a list of things to be accomplished in seventy weeks or Shibahs. Seventy times seven equals four hundred and ninety years. (70×7=490) Here is the list of events that will be completed during this 490 year time frame.

• “To finish the transgression” This says that transgression itself will be finished. If you take this literally, it means establishing an entirely new order on earth, with a complete end to man’s rebellion against God!
• “To make an end of sins” Taking these words literally would mean not only the end of the guilt and punishment of sin, but an end of sin itself. It means to “seal up” or to “restrain” sins. This looks to a new redeemed world.
• “To make reconciliation for iniquity” Man’s iniquity must be reconciled to God’s justice and holiness. This work was clearly accomplished at the cross.
• “To bring in everlasting righteousness” This could be viewed in an individual sense, but taking the statement literally means a new order of society brought in by the Messiah himself.
• “To seal up the vision and prophecy” This is speaking about the ending and fulfillment of prophecy, and concluding the final stage of human history which will bring about the reign of the Son of God.
• “To anoint the most holy” Taken at its most simple and literal meaning, this refers to a place, not a person. There is a most holy place. It could mean the most holy place of the temple that will be anointed and blessed.

As we look back in our history, we can only claim these things are already fulfilled if we ignore the literal and plain meaning given to these events. Some belief systems have given them a spiritualized meaning that replaces their literal meaning. Some make the claim that these promises were fulfilled in a general sense when the Gospel spread over the centuries, but this spiritualization belief purposely neglects the plain and simple meaning of the text.

“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,”

This timeframe starts when the command to rebuild Jerusalem and its surrounding walls is given. It will take 7 Shibahs to do this, or 49 years. The Bible presents four possible decrees that could possibly fulfill this description. Here they are in order.

• Cyrus made a decree giving Ezra and the Babylonian captives the right to return to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the temple in 538 B.C (Ezra 1:1-4 and 5:13-17).
• Darius made a decree giving Ezra the right to rebuild the temple in 517 B.C. (Ezra 6:6-12).
• Artaxerxes made a decree giving Ezra permission, safe passage, and supplies to return to Jerusalem in order to rebuild the temple in 458 B.C. (Ezra 7:11-26).
• Artaxerxes made a decree giving Nehemiah permission, safe passage and supplies so that he could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the walls in 445 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-8).

Only the last of these four decrees was a command to restore and build the walls in Jerusalem. The first three decrees only focused on the temple itself, and not on the streets or on the walls.

Nehemiah 2:1 “And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.” -KJV

Artaxerxes ascended the throne in 465 B.C. and his 20th year would correspond to 445-444 B.C So here we see the starting point of the 490-year prophecy.

“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”

Gabriel’s message to Daniel simply states that it will take 7 of these weeks (or 49 years) to rebuild the walls. Then 62 weeks (or 436 years) after that the Messiah will show up in Jerusalem. “The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times:” This passage seems to imply that the rebuilding of the streets and walls of Jerusalem would happen in the first seven weeks mentioned. So a grand total of four hundred and eighty-three years (or 69 units of seven years) will pass from the time of the command to rebuild Jerusalem until the appearance of Messiah the Prince.

Some have claimed the 483 years were completed at the time of Jesus’ birth. (5 or 4 B.C.) There is little chronological support for this date.

Others claim that the 483 years were completed at the time of His baptism which is at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. This is only possible if one begins with the earlier decree of Artaxerxes, and figures with our present measurement for years (365.25 days to a solar year) instead of the Jewish measurement of years (360 days to a lunar year).

Some say the 483 years were completed at the exact time of the crucifixion. This is a minority opinion. Most who find the date near this time also see it belonging to the triumphal entry, which happened seven days before the crucifixion. This belief can also be tied to a preterits point of view.

I believe the 483 years were completed at the triumphal entry of Jesus on what is known as Palm Sunday. This is a more common belief and it can apply if His death can be dated at 32 A.D. Sir Robert Anderson’s brilliant work “The Coming Prince” follows this theory with much detail.

In our mind a prince is a good step lower than a king, but in the Hebrew vocabulary “prince” has the deeper meaning of a strong, mighty ruler rather than the son of a king and heir to the throne.

Let’s look a little more closely at the fulfillment of these prophetic events as they unfold.

Luk 19:29  “When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,
Luk 19:30  saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.
Luk 19:31  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”
Luk 19:32  So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.
Luk 19:33  And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”
Luk 19:34  And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”
Luk 19:35  And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.
Luk 19:36  And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.
Luk 19:37  As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,
Luk 19:38  saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Luk 19:39  And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”
Luk 19:40  He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Luk 19:41  And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,
Luk 19:42  saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”

Not only is this prophecy a fulfillment of Daniel, but Mathew’s account says this is also a fulfillment of a prophecy found in the book of Zechariah.

Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

When the crowd was declaring “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! They were actually quoting a well-known messianic prophecy. By saying this they were declaring that Jesus is the Messiah.

Psalm 118:26 “Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.”

This is why the Pharisees demanded that Jesus silence the crowd. The Crowd was claiming that Jesus was the Messiah! That is why Jesus declared the stones would cry out if the crowd held their silence. Jesus deliberately arranged the event to present Himself as Messiah. On that day, Jesus welcomed praise instead of charging people to keep quieting about what He did and who He was. Jesus made special reference to the importance of that day (Luke 19:41-42).

The Coming Prince

This viewpoint is from the book “The Coming Prince” by Sir Robert Anderson. This is an explanation of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel as purposed by Sir Robert Anderson

Daniel 9:24-25 says that from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah will be 483 years.

7 weeks for rebuilding + 62 weeks after rebuilding = 69 groups of seven years. 7 x 69 = 483 years

Sir Anderson knew that a prophetic year according to the Hebrew calendar was 360 days. This is based both on ancient history and on several passages in Revelation which indicate that 42 months or 3 ½ years are equal to 1,260 days. See Revelation 11:2, 11:3, 12:6, and 13:5

We can now conclude 483 years, times 360 days, equals 173,880 days. Artaxerxes started his reign in 465 b.c. The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given on the first day of Nisan, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes. In our calendar system which is based on the sun, that date is March 14, 445 b.c. (See Nehemiah 2:1-8)

Jesus started His ministry in the 15th year of Tiberius. (see Luke 3:1) Tiberius started his reign in 14 A.D. This means that Jesus started his ministry in 29 A.D! Sir Anderson believed that Jesus celebrated four Passovers during His ministry, one each in a.d. 29, 30, 31. He believed His final Passover was in 32 A.D. With the help of lunar charts, we can calculate the exact date of the ancient Passovers! It is possible to calculate the exact day of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem by Jesus as April 6, 32 A.D.

According to his calendar, Daniel told us there would be 173,880 days between the decree and the arrival of Messiah the Prince. Sir Anderson then counts forward from the date to show you the exact date is April 6th 32A.D.

Of course this is a simple break down. You can get more of the details by reading Sir Anderson’s book in the link below.

The Coming Prince

So to recap – the seventy weeks are divided into three parts:

1. Seven weeks equals 49 years, until the city and its walls are rebuilt.
2. Sixty-nine weeks (which is 7 plus 62) equals 483 years from the decree until Messiah the Prince appears.
3. A final 70th week to complete the prophecy.

So what happens after the 69th week?

Daniel 9:26 “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.” -KJV

After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off. The Biblical term “cut off” is sometimes used to describe execution. (See Genesis 9:11 and Exodus 31:14) Gabriel told Daniel that the Messiah will be cut off for the sake of other people and not for Himself.

“The people of the prince who is to come shall destroy” The destroying army is made up of the people of the prince who is to come after Messiah is cut off (Crucified).

“Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” After the Messiah was cut off, Jerusalem and her temple would be destroyed again with a flood, which is a reference to an overwhelming army. Most all Bible scholars and commentators agree that this was fulfilled in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D.

Daniel 9:27 “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.” -KJV

He shall confirm the covenant: Many believe the word “he” in verse 27, is the prince mentioned in verse 26. If we know that the prince’s people destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. then some will also assume this coming prince has his ancestral roots in the soil of the ancient Roman Empire. Because of this many conclude that the prince who is to come will in some way be an heir to the Romans, even as some conclude the final world government is an heir to the Roman Empire (Daniel 7).

Many people believe that the covenant that is referenced here is a peace agreement that the antichrist will make with Israel for 7 years. With this new peace deal Israel will accept the antichrist as a political messiah. This is because Israel rejected the literal Messiah. Jesus predicted this outcome in John 5:43: “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” -KJV

Some believe that the “he” that is referenced in verse 27 is still talking about Titus from the previous verse. The coming prince will make a covenant with Israel for the final unit of seven years, completing the seventy weeks prophesied for the Jewish people and Jerusalem. This is known as a preterits point of view. Preterist believe that all biblical prophecy has already been fulfilled.

If we take the description of what will be accomplished literally in the 70 Weeks from Daniel 9:24, we know that the 70 Weeks are not yet complete. Yet the events promised in the first 69 weeks are fulfilled with great accuracy.

This seems to suggest that there is a lengthy pause or gap between the 69th week and the 70th week. There is even a gap in the preterits point of view. They view the 70th week as being completed by Titus. Their gap could be from 32 A.D. to 70 A.D. This would mean that the 70th week was completed in 77 A.D. Their gap can also be from 32 A.D. to 63 A.D. This would make the 70th week complete in 70 A.D. The main point here is that there is a gap.

Many people believe the 70th week has not been fulfilled yet. The 70th week will begin when the coming prince shall confirm a covenant with the Jewish people. These gaps or pauses in prophecy may seem strange to us, but they are found in other prophecies too. When we compare Isaiah 9:6-7 to Luke 1:31-33 we see another great gap or pause in prophecy regarding the coming of the Messiah.

Isa 9:6  “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. -KJV
Isa 9:7  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”

Luk 1:31  “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” -KJV

In Daniel’s prophecy God appointed 490 years on Israel for His redemptive plan. The years were paused because Israel rejected Jesus as being the Messiah. At this present time there is no emphasis on Israel in God’s redemptive plan because God is focused on the Gentiles in this age of grace. One day God’s attention will return to Israel and the 70th week found in Daniel will begin again.

“He shall confirm the covenant” I don’t believe the covenant that Daniel is referencing is a peace agreement. I think we can be victims of modern-day prophecy teaching. This verse is talking about a covenant that the antichrist makes with the Jewish people. This verse is not talking about a 7 year peace agreement. The word “peace” is not found in any of the bible versions I have read regarding this version. Whatever this covenant is, it must have been in place and used at one time in the past.

In all the bible versions you read, this verse seems to imply strengthening an already existing covenant or reestablishing an older covenant. I believe this verse is talking about reestablishing and setting up the sacrificial covenant system found in the Law of Moses. The rest of this verse seems to verify this.

“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,” The coming prince will break the Mosaic covenant with Israel in the middle of the seven years. (The 70th week).

Jer 31:31  “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Jer 31:32  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
Jer 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

Christians know this verse as Jesus establishing the plan of salvation. However, The Jews read this and believe that the covenant of Moses will be reestablished. Everyone recognizes this as a Messianic prophecy, but the Jews believe that once the Messiah comes he will reestablish the daily sacrifice and they will once again be able to abide by the laws of Moses. They view the term “New Covenant” as a reestablishment of the original Covenant.

Another point to make is that scripture never says that he (the antichrist) claims he is setting up a 7-year covenant. The bible tells us that this covenant will only last 7 years, but I believe the antichrist will make the claim that this will be an everlasting covenant. Then after three and a half years he will stop the daily sacrifice and proclaim himself to be God. Parts of the covenant will still continue another 3 and a half years.

“and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” The ending of sacrifice will come with abominations then it is followed by tremendous desolation.

“Abominations” translates from the Hebrew word “shiqquwts” this means horrific idolatry. The impression is that the coming prince will break the covenant and bring an end to the daily sacrifice and offering by desecrating the holy place of the temple with a horrific idolatry. (See Deuteronomy 29:17, 1 Kings 11:5-7, 2 Kings 23:13)

Conclusion

I believe that According to the 70th week of Daniel, the antichrist rises in power and becomes some sort of leader. He establishes the Mosaic covenant with Israel. After three and a half years he stops the sacrifice and he shows himself in the temple as God. He proclaims himself to be God. He demands that people worship him, and this is horrific Idolatry. This is an abomination, and that leads to desolation. Then another 3 and a half years passes and Jesus returns, and man’s rule on Earth ends. The 70th week will start after the temple is rebuilt and when the daily sacrifice begins. The first day that the Covenant is established the clock starts ticking.

The preterits view says that the 70th week in Daniel has already been completed. I reject this view based on the fact that Jesus ties the 70th week in Daniels prophecy to His second return. This can be found in Mathew chapter 24 and Mark chapter 13. Jesus refers to this as “The Abomination of Desolation” spoken by Daniel the prophet. Paul also ties the second coming of Christ to the abomination of desolation in II Thessalonians Chapter 2!

The disciples ask Jesus three questions regarding the end of the earth.

Mat 24:3  “And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

Jesus responds by talking about events right before His second coming then He says this.

Mat 24:15  “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)”

Paul states that Jesus won’t come before an event happens. The event he describes is the abomination of desolation.

2Th 2:1  “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
2Th 2:2  not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
2Th 2:3  Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
2Th 2:4  who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” –ESV

Here we see the Apostle Paul describe the abomination of desolation in detail. Many of the events written in Revelation happen inside this 70th week that Daniel prophesied. This is why it would be very hard to understand the book of Revelation without first understanding this prophecy ,and that is why many people think this chapter contains the most important prophecy concerning the last days. I tend to agree.