The prophecy in the book of Daniel 9 essentially speaks of the restoration of Jerusalem and its people. The prophet divides that period of 70 weeks of years (70 × 7 years) into a period of 7 + 62 + 1 years. Until the prophecy is fulfilled, this period was designated to put an end to lawlessness, to stop sins, to atone for guilt, to bring about everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy One.

During the 69th week of years (7+62), the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. This prophecy has already been fulfilled when the Messiah died and rose again—as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. After this event, the people of a coming ruler will destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the Holy Place (the Temple)—which is exactly what happened in A.D. 70, when the Romans besieged and destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Furthermore, there will be a longer period of time, until the beginning of the 70th week, during which Jerusalem and the Jewish people will experience wars and destruction.

Regarding these times, the Lord Jesus said: “As He approached the city and saw it, Jesus wept over it and said, ‘If only you had known, even on this day, the things that could have brought you peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:41–42). “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is near. Then let those in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the midst of Jerusalem get out of it, and let those in the countryside not enter it. For those days will be days of vengeance, so that all that is written may be fulfilled. Woe to the pregnant women and to those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives among all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:20–24).

During this period, the people of Israel will no longer receive any revelation from the Lord. In the book of Hosea we read: “For the children of Israel will remain for a long time without a king, without a leader, without sacrifice, without an idol, without an ephod, and without teraphim.” (Hosea 3:4).

The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, following the Messiah’s first coming, will be carried out by the people of the coming Lord. The coming Lord is the same as the little horn that rises from the fourth Beast, which is the Roman Empire (Daniel 7:7–8, 19:28), and as the shameless and cunning king (Daniel 8:23–26). It was the Romans who destroyed the Temple; thus, there is a connection between this horn and the Revived Roman Empire. In Revelation, we are told that this being is the Beast or the Antichrist.

We do not know exactly how long the period following the Anointed One’s death (that is, the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross) will last, at the end of the 69th week, but the prophet Daniel tells us that this period will be marked by wars and destruction in Jerusalem. That is precisely why the Lord Jesus will come twice. The purpose of the Messiah’s first coming was to save us from the power of sin, as Isaiah also stated: “But He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities.” The punishment that brings us peace fell upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all wandered like sheep, each going his own way, but the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5–6).

After the Messiah’s death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit filled Jesus’ disciples, giving them the power to preach the Gospel. According to the Great Commission given by Jesus (Matthew 28:18–20, Acts 1:8), this message was to be spread throughout the world, beginning in Jerusalem and continuing through Judea and Samaria, to the ends of the earth. Those who welcomed this message were born again through the Holy Spirit and joined the Church.

The birth of the Church took place on the day of Pentecost. When the Church is raptured, those who have believed that the Lord Jesus rose from the dead and have been born again—through the Holy Spirit—will be taken to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11).

The book of Daniel speaks of Jerusalem, the Jewish people, and the work of God as He fulfills His purpose to save them (Daniel 9:24–27). The Church Age (from Pentecost to the Rapture) is not mentioned in this prophecy. The Apostle Paul says that this is the mystery of God, hidden from the prophets: “Yes, to me, who am the least of all the saints, this grace was given to me—to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ and to make plain to everyone what is the administration of this mystery, hidden for ages in God, who created all things; so that the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms might now, through the Church, come to know the manifold wisdom of God.” (Ephesians 3:8–10).

When does the 70th week begin?

 It was revealed to the prophet that: “He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to the sacrifice and the grain offering, and on the wing of abominations will come one who brings desolation, until the decreed destruction falls upon the desolate one” (Daniel 9:27). The covenant in question marks the beginning of the 70th week.

We believe that the seventieth week begins after the rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11). The Rapture will take place at a time when life is proceeding as usual (Luke 17:34–36), and both Jewish Christians and Gentiles who believe in Jesus will be supernaturally taken from the earth. The Church Age spans the 69th and 70th weeks. The 70th week brings with it a seven-year period of great tribulation (the time of Jacob’s Trouble). During this entire time, God will judge Israel, and Israel will return to repentance and faith in Jesus the Messiah. The person in Daniel 9:27 referred to as “he” (the one who makes the covenant) is not the Messiah, but the last person mentioned in the previous verse, “the prince who is to come,” or the Antichrist. This means that the 70th week of Daniel 9 begins with a covenant made by the Antichrist with Israel, for a period of 7 years.

Isaiah prophesies a covenant of death made by the scoffers, the rulers of Israel (Isaiah 28:14–15). This covenant is based on false premises and is annulled by God: “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule over this people in Jerusalem! For you say, ‘We have made a covenant with death, we have made an agreement with the grave: when the overwhelming floodwaters pass by, they will not reach us, for we have falsehood as our refuge and lies as our shelter!’Therefore, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever takes hold of it will not be in a hurry to flee.” (Isaiah 28:14–16).

In the Book of Daniel, this covenant is made with many, but not with all (Daniel 9:27). There are also Jews who refuse to submit. In Isaiah 28:16, the reason is also stated: …thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever takes hold of it will not be in a hurry to flee” (Isaiah 28:16). Those who reject the covenant do not make hasty decisions; they trust in the tested stone, in Jesus the Messiah.

The prophetic Scriptures speak of a number of major events that will take place at the end of the seven-year period, centered on the Jewish people and the Lord Jesus. According to the prophet Jeremiah 30, this will be the time of Jacob’s trouble from which “he” (Israel) will be saved. This deliverance will also involve the correction of what is currently wrong in Israel—“For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you; I will destroy all the nations among whom I have scattered you, but I will not destroy you; I will discipline you justly—I cannot leave you unpunished.” (Jeremiah 30:11)

The book of Ezekiel states that there will be a war between the alliance led by Gog and Magog and Israel, which will then be supernaturally destroyed by God (Ezekiel 38–39). These events will be followed by a outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the people of Israel. According to the Book of Zechariah, there will be a final assault by the nations of the world against Jerusalem. During this time, the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon the remnant of the Jewish people, who will be living in Jerusalem and will look upon Me, the One who was pierced (Zechariah 12). This is also confirmed in the Gospel of Matthew: “For I tell you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!’” (Matthew 23:29).

A fountain of purification will be prepared for Israel, and the Messiah will appear on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 13–14). According to the Book of Revelation, 144,000 Jews will accept the Lord Jesus as the Messiah in a supernatural way (Revelation 7), just as the apostle Paul accepted Him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). This event will take place at the beginning of the Tribulation, a time when the Church has been raptured from the earth, and the saved Jews will have the power to spread the message of the Gospel. They will refuse to make a covenant with the Antichrist and will proclaim the true Messiah. As a result, multitudes of people will be saved, but many will be martyred. According to chapter 11 of the Book of Revelation, during the first half of the Tribulation (3½ years), two witnesses will prophesy in Jerusalem; they will possess supernatural powers, just like Elijah and Moses, and will be divinely protected. In the middle of the Tribulation, they will be killed by the Antichrist, but they will later rise from the dead.

Then, in Revelation 19, we are told that the Messiah will return for the final battle as King of kings, destroying all the Antichrist’s power and binding Satan, reigning on earth with the saints in Jerusalem for 1,000 years (the Millennium). This is the period described in Isaiah 2:1–4, 11–12 and Zechariah 14, and the stone that smashes: But in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed and will never be handed over to another people. It will crush and destroy all those kingdoms, and it itself will stand forever. This is the stone that you saw being cut out of the mountain without the help of any human hand, and which crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has therefore made known to the king what will happen after this. The dream is true, and its interpretation is reliable.” (Daniel 2:44–45)

Therefore, what are the events at the end of chapter 9 of the Book of Daniel? First, a covenant made with “the prince who is to come” (the Antichrist) for one week (7 years). This covenant will begin at the end of the 7-year period of Tribulation. In the middle of this 7-year period (that is, after 3½ years), the covenant will be broken by the Antichrist. The Book of Revelation speaks of a period of 42 months (3½ years, the second half of the Tribulation) that follows this event, during which the Antichrist will continue to exercise his authority (Revelation 13:3–5).

Then he will put an end to the sacrifice and the grain offering. This could involve the rebuilding of the temple so that the sacrificial ritual can be reinstated, only to be subsequently abolished by order of the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will wage war against the saints (Revelation 13:7–8), killing or imprisoning all the followers of the Lord Jesus, and will set up the abomination of desolation. Therefore, when you see the “abomination of desolation,” of which the prophet Daniel spoke, “set up in the Holy Place”—let the reader understand!—(Matthew 24:15, Daniel 11:31; Revelation 13:11–18). The abomination of desolation (idolatry) will mark the end of the three-and-a-half-year period during which God’s judgment will be poured out upon the world.

These events will culminate at Armageddon (Revelation 16:12–16), the final battle that will take place seven years after the false peace treaty is concluded. Then the Messiah will return and destroy the forces of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:11–21).This will be the desolation that will come upon the desolator mentioned in Daniel 9:27—the desolation (the end) in which judgment is poured out upon the desolator (the Antichrist and his allies).

How will the prophecy in Daniel 9:24 be fulfilled? The Messiah’s second coming will purify the Temple site of the abomination of desolation and of all the destruction wrought over time, and will lead to God’s reconciliation with the Jewish people. Here is the final answer to Daniel’s prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem and the Jewish people. Lawlessness will cease, sin will be brought to an end, eternal righteousness will be established, and the Most Holy One will be anointed. All the Messianic prophecies of the New Testament will be fulfilled: there will be peace in the world, the entire Jewish remnant will return to Israel, the lion will lie down with the lamb, and the millennial Temple will be rebuilt, etc.

The Messiah will rule the world from Jerusalem, and peace will reign over the entire earth. The saints who have been raptured will return with the Messiah (Zechariah 14:5, Jude 14–15, Revelation 19:14) and will join the New Testament saints (Daniel 12:1–3) and the saints from the period of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 20:4), who will be resurrected after Jesus’ return to earth. Christians who survive the Tribulation will enter the millennial Kingdom with mortal bodies to repopulate the earth. While the unbelievers will be driven from the earth, Satan will be bound and will no longer be able to influence the nations. Then the earth will be filled with the knowledge of God’s glory, just as the waters fill the depths of the sea. Amen!