Chapter 1
The traditional KJV interpretation of the Angel Gabriel’s message to Daniel is as follows: “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,” Daniel 9:27. Can you understand the message relayed? The failure to give a clear yet accurate interpretation of this passage is a cause for concern. Who is the “he” in this passage? Modern day translators declare that the “he” is the Anti-Christ, yet according to proper grammatical analysis the subject here should be the “anointed prince.” This identity switch has flipped the meaning of current Prophecy projections and warnings.
The prior verse gives us the answer: “After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed Prince will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the commander (Anti-Christ) who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” The “appointed prince” is in the singular whereas the “people of the coming commander” is in the plural tense. The “he” in verse twenty-seven is also in the singular and therefore should refer to the “appointed prince” and not to the “people of the commander.” The appointed prince is also the primary subject and since verses 26 and 27 belong in the same paragraph or in the same line of thought, the “he” in verse twenty-seven must be the “Anointed Prince.” He, the “Anointed Prince” and not the commander, “shall confirm the Covenant with many for one week.” The word “confirm” is also incorrect. We will see that the favored translation of the Hebrew “gabar” is the word, “prevails,” not “confirms” and gives the message even more divine emphasis.
The commander’s army is the enemy of the Jews and will “destroy both the city (Jerusalem) and the Temple.” This happened at 70 A.D., and the commander did not confirm a covenant. To suggest that this commander will “confirm” a covenant 2000 or more years in the future is not only a poor translation but also a very uncharacteristic message that God’s special messenger would relay. After all Gabriel was appointed to announce great news concerning God’s coming Messiah. This would definitely include God’s spectacular Covenant of Grace allowing anyone to be in a covenant relationship with Him forever.
This flip in translation caused teachers, pastors, and authors around the world to misunderstand and then misrepresent one of the most important prophecies and announcements in the Word of God. Following the crowd is not a good excuse. It is important for everyone to understand that the New Covenant “prevails” and this inauspicious commander and his false covenant do not.
The “anointed prince” is Jesus Christ who is in Heaven directing Gabriel to make this important announcement to Daniel. Why would Jesus ignore sharing the purpose of His birth, mission, and resurrection which “prevails” against sin and death and all forms of wickedness, anxiety, and fear? This is the power and hope of Gabriel’s message to the exiled nation and to all of us who read and study the book of Daniel. If any of this seems insignificant or obtuse follow along in the following chapters and you will clear some of the prophecy fog in your mind and receive a blessing as promised by Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation.
Why would Jesus Christ ignore his Promise to Israel and waste time announcing Satan’s future commander as a covenant maker 2000 years into the future? And why would God jump time from 538 BC (the time of Gabriel’s announcement) to 33 A.D. (the time of the Triumphal entrance as promoted by the futurist movement) and then leap forward again into an unknown time over 2000 years later (when the commander makes a false covenant with Israel)? This timeline skips Jesus’ three-and-a-half years of ministry beginning in 27 A.D. to then give the prophetic stage to Satan and his Anti-Christ at an unknown time far into the future?
This odd twist in the futurist interpretation of God’s message would demote the 4 Gospels and most of the New Testament. It ignores the promises and prophecies fulfilled in the New Testament. How could this time jump be relevant in a Messianic message for the Jew who is looking for answers to their desperate situation? This is a dreadful manipulation of God’s purpose and eternal message of Grace and steadfast Love. It is a folly that must be exposed and that is why this book is so important.
The Archangel Gabriel also gave important messianic announcements to the Temple priest Zechariah and to the Virgin Mary. It would be out of character for him to digress from the theme of this divine message to introduce an Anti-Christ as the one who makes a covenant over 2000 years later. Why would God’s heavenly messenger skip the Messiah’s New Covenant that would end all sacrifices and offering? Why would he skip the message of hope and steadfast love that God was conveying to His exiled nation? And why would Garbriel ignore the “desolation” that Christ would suffer at the hands of this coming “commander?” The entire message recorded by Daniel would also comfort Jewish generations that would go through the trials of rebuilding Jerusalem and four hundred years of silence and severe testing.
We should note the three mistakes in translation as we adopt proper parsing, word meaning, and grammar:
1) The correct Hebrew translation for the verb “gabar” is not the word “confirms” but is the more commanding word “prevails.” The word “confirm” is only a secondary translation. In the Hebrew Lexicon the word “Gabar” is defined as “to cause to overpower.” Thus, verse 27 should read: “His Covenant will prevail with many for one week.”
The New Covenant of Grace “prevails” as the Anointed Prince defeats Satan in the wilderness, sets the captives free, brings sight to the blind, defeats death, and redeems humanity. Jesus is the 2nd Adam born fully man and fully God. He has come to reclaim the right of dominion from Satan and save mankind. Using the word “confirm” would carry less power and authority. God “prevails” and overcomes Satan, sin and death through Jesus Christ and His Covenant of Grace. The New Covenant “prevails” over the Old Testament but does not abolish it.
2) We can interpret the 2nd part of Daniel 9:27 as: “and He will be made desolate on the wings of abomination.” Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah who fulfills all prophecy and therefore is the suffering servant who is made desolate. An obvious way to translate this entire passage is, “The covenant shall prevail for many for one week. In the middle of the week, “He (Jesus Christ)” shall cause the sacrifices and offerings to cease, and upon the wing of abomination He shall be made desolate.” Jesus Christ was “made desolate” when He was betrayed by Judas, abandoned by his disciples, denied by Peter, and when he appeared alone before the High Priest who blasphemed God, the Jewish people that rejected him over Barabas, and Pilate who condemned Him. He was again “made desolate” when he had to carry the cross on which he would be nailed to and died on, bearing the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. Nobody in history has been made so desolate for the sake of others. The commander or Anti-Christ was not desolate.
“The wings of Abomination” refers to the location or locations where this atrocity took place. The majority of Christ’s physical torture and mocking began in the Roman Antonia and ended on the Cross which are located in the North and Western “wings” of Mount Moriah. This “wing of abomination” could also refer to the Garden Tomb which is also on Mount Moriah but further away on the far North edge of the Mount, Both are outside the city wall or on a wing outside the body of the Temple court. In each case the Lord “was made desolate on the wing of abomination.”
3) It is unfortunate that verse twenty-seven is one of the most misinterpreted verses in the entire Bible. In some versions the word “destroyed” replaces the word “desolate.” Again, “destroyed” is the wrong word to use for we know that Christ cannot be destroyed. He is “made desolate” when he is beaten up, scourged, and placed on a cross where He redeems the sins of the world. Jesus Christ is not “destroyed.” This incorrect translation is a result of improper interpretation throughout the Daniel 9:26-27 passage.
Improper translation in Daniel leads to wrong conclusions made in studying and teaching both Daniel and the book of Revelation. These teachers of prophecy claim that Daniel 9:26-27 proves that Revelation foretells an Abomination of Desolation in an “end time Temple” in Jerusalem. This is a false conclusion, for the book of Revelation never mentions the Abomination of Desolation.
Jesus warned His followers to look for the “desolation” spoken of by “Daniel the prophet.” This desolation began when Nero placed his image in the Temple in 67 AD and executed both Peter and Paul. The Roman siege of Jerusalem continued into 70 A.D. when the Roman commander Titus finally breached the walls and desecrated the Temple by burning it down. This is the final desecration and occurs 38 years after Jesus gave his Olivett Discourse in Matthew 24. Those in Jerusalem who did not flee with “just the clothes on their back” would die in Jerusalem. That is why Jesus warned his disciples to quickly leave Jerusalem when they saw Nero “set himself up as God” in the Temple in 67 A.D.
Teachers who are influenced by futurism point to Revelation 13:8-14, to say that “all who inhibit the earth will worship” the first beast and the second beast “is empowered to give life to the image of the beast.” They claim this place of worship with a beast empowered to create a living image must take place in a future Temple built on the Temple Mount. And they claim this event is the Abomination of Desolation. Note that the book of Revelation does NOT state the location where any of these events happen. If they happen, they could take place at the Vatican or in anywhere on earth including your home.
When asked by the author, no one attending futurist Prophecy conferences knew this and just took it for granted that Revelation mentions the Abomination of Desolation. The futurists declare that II Thessalonians 2:4 verifies their claim that “he opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship. As a result, he seats himself in the sanctuary] of God and himself declares that he is God.” However, they must admit that Paul wrote this prior to Nero placing the Abomination of Desolation in Herod’s Temple in 67 A.D. soon after he executes Peter and Paul. Thus, the sanctuary is the A.D. 67 Temple, and the Anti-Christ type was Nero, the Emperor of the Roman Empire. This also fits Daniel’s beast empire vision with iron teeth. There will not be a future Temple with a future Abomination.
Chapter 2 One Week equals Two 3.5-year Divine Periods
John the Apostle authored the Book of Revelation 20 years after the real Abomination of Desolation happened in Jerusalem in 67 AD. That is why it is not part of John’s vision given to him by Jesus Christ and portrayed in the book of Revelation. Both Paul and Jesus warned about the abomination of desolation because it had not happened. It would happen soon after Nero executed Paul on June 29, 67 A.D. In the Olivett Discourse Jesus warned his disciples about an abomination of desolation that would soon come and told them to flee before a three-and-a-half-year Roman attack would trap them. Before Titus, “the commander” destroyed the Temple and killed everyone in the siege, three other Caesars would enforce their control in Judea and Samaria that would lead to conflicts with zealots and heavy persecution against all Jews.
In summary the main theme of Gabriel’s message in about 539 BC was to announce to Daniel and to those who read Daniel’s scroll that a specific time was set for the Messiah to appear. This Messiah or Prince is Jesus Christ who proclaims the Kingdom of God and ministers for half a week, or 3.5 years. He is crucified near the end of this period. This represents the first 3.5-years. His death and resurrection end the need for sacrifices and offerings. During this “desolation” He redeems mankind. The Resurrection ends the need for a Temple since Jesus Christ is “the Temple” that He said would be “raised up after 3 days” and He is the New Covenant that redeems all those who place their trust in Him. He told the Pharisees that the “Kingdom of God is within us.” All who receive Him are a spiritual “Temple of God.”
The second 3.5-year period entitled “The Wrath of God” by Jesus Christ, John, and Paul was orchestrated by God from the beginning of Time to occur much later in the last generation. We are that “last generation” as defined by the parable of the Fig tree in Matthew 24. This parable and the Great Sign of Revelation 12 are discussed intensively in the author’s first book: Cosmic Crossroad Countdown: The Fig Tree and the Prophetic Generation. It will help you understand that the “WEEK” spoken about in Daniel 9:27 is divided prophetically into two 3.5-year periods—and only the first one has been fulfilled.
Alert #1: 3.5 YEAR BOOKENDS WITH CHURCH AGE INBETWEEN
Our generation began with the birth of the nation of Israel and may mark the end of the Church age. The Church age represents a 2000-plus-year span of time, like the 69-week span of time in Daniel’s 70-week Prophecy. This means that the final 3.5-year period of Daniel’s 70th week may start at any moment in the future. This will happen after the rapture and at a time when the God’s Wrath will impact earth as the sin of the world is judged. Jesus discusses this final 3.5-year period of wrath in his last discourse with the disciples and never mentions a 7-year period. Even though Jesus referred to Daniel’s 70-weeks prophecy, He did not warn of a “Wrath of God” that would last 7 years. Why not? Instead, he infers that his ministry represents only the first half of the 7-year period. This will be detailed more in Chapter 3.
Jesus warned His followers to look for the “desolation” spoken of by “Daniel the prophet.” This desolation began when Nero placed his image in the Temple in 67 AD and executed both Peter and Paul. The Roman siege of Jerusalem continued into 70 A.D. when the Roman commander Titus finally breached the walls and desecrated the Temple by burning it down. This is the final desecration and occurs 38 years after Jesus gave his Olivett Discourse in Matthew 24. Those in Jerusalem who did not flee with “just the clothes on their back” would die in Jerusalem. That is why Jesus warned his disciples to quickly leave Jerusalem when they saw Nero “set himself up as God” in the Temple in 67 A.D. As stated earlier, this is the abomination seated in the Temple described by Paul in II Thessalonians. After this Temple is destroyed by Titus there will not be another Temple. nor another desecration.
Twenty years after the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem, John the Apostle wrote in Revelation about a time of “great tribulation” that would last 3.5 years. The “Abomination of Desolation” had already happened in Jerusalem and now Jesus Christ visiting John from Heaven gives a vision of end time events that will happen on earth and in Heaven. Chapters 11, 12, and 13 describe events that last a total of three-and one-half years. Jesus does not describe any 7-year period of tribulation nor any 7-year “Wrath of God.”
Surely his detailed visions would reveal something about a 7-year judgment or wrath to come. But Jesus Christ never makes this declaration! This clearly suggests that He fulfilled the first 3.5 years of the 70th week and therefore was the Covenant Maker who ended sacrifices and offerings for eternity. Therefore, when Gabriel declares, “he will make a binding covenant for one week,” the Binding Covenant is the New Covenant that spans the time from His Resurrection all the way into our time and beyond into the final 3.5 years. The Week of time ends up being thousands of years-The Gospel Age of the Church.
In conclusion: 1) The Word of God reveals that we will be looking forward to a three-and one-half-year Wrath of God and not to a “7-Year Wrath of God” popularized by the futurist prophecy movement. 2) Jesus Christ has fulfilled the first 3.5 years of Daniel’s 70th Week Prophecy. This means that both the “covenant” and the betrayal following that covenant by the “commander” or Anti-Christ will not happen. Both were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. What Jesus and Paul described as “abomination of desolation” happened in their generation, in about 67 A.D. under the leadership of Nero and eventually Titus. 3) Therefore, the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Jesus in the Olivette Discourse and by Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians has already been fulfilled.
4) And note that there will be an Anti-Christ, but he will have “authority for only three-and one-half years.” 5) The covenant that Gabriel announces is the New Covenant given unconditionally to all who receive Jesus Christ as Savior and not Satan’s or the Anti-Christ’s covenant. 6) We are not looking forward to an “abomination of desolation” that Darby and others claim will happen in a Temple on the Temple Mount. 7) Both the Jews and secular believers do not want a Temple. A new Temple on the Temple Mount will not be constructed. What appears to be a minor issue has become a major deviation of Truth concerning the whole of end time Biblical Prophecy.