Daniel 9 -- Consider the word and understand the vision

[ZNP]

We need to have a grounded understanding of the end of the age because the amount of irrational and wrong teachings are going to multiply. The world is about to go crazy like a computer crashing. One minute everyone will be denying the Bible and using the term “apocalyptic” like it is a joke, the next minute they will be panicking and running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I saw this happen on 9/11. I was in the Lobby of a stock brokerage firm that I worked at in Manhattan when the first plane hit the Twin towers. We had a big screen TV with the news on so a number of people gathered around looking at what was going on. Someone said it was a terrible accident. I said “that is not an accident, that was intentional”. They immediately attacked me “you don’t know that”. I said ‘look out the window, it is blue sky, clear day, no one is supposed to fly over Manhattan, and that plane didn’t even try to veer out of the way’. This stirred up a lot of people to shout me down when the 2nd plane hit the twin towers. Instantly they all started to go crazy, “how do we get out of here”. I said ‘what are you doing? We are on the ground floor. This is much safer than the street’. They went from total denial to total panic in the snap of your fingers. I expect that will happen when the UN ratifies the peace treaty with Israel. So, while we can still have a rational conversation on what is going to happen we need to go over why Christians teach there will be a tribulation, why it is “7 years long”, and why there is a “great tribulation” during the last 3 ½ years. In addition, we need to know when it starts.

9 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

This prophecy that he is referring to is in Jeremiah 25:11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 “But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever., and Jeremiah 29:10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. Daniel read the prophecies and understood them and so can we. It was obvious to Daniel who this Babylonian empire was, he was living in Babylon. But today you can’t say that God’s people have been held in captivity in Babylon (Iraq). So I think to get into this chapter in Daniel we have to first go to Jeremiah and get an idea of who Babylon could be, who the Medes could be, etc.

 

[ZNP]

My basic premise is that the word of God is living and applies to us today. Judah represents a segment of God’s people but what does Babylon represent?

1. I will give all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon.

Babylon is a country into which all of Judah has been given into. Judah was where Jerusalem, the city of Peace was, it was where the city on the hill was. They were the tribe that had king David. They weren’t the majority of the Jews but they were the ones where the law giver came from.

1. I will deliver the wealth of this city into the hands of their enemies and they will carry it off as plunder to Babylon

Babylon takes all the wealth of these Christians typified by Judah. It is a secular nation that has taken captive those from Judah and stolen all their wealth.

1. These nations will serve the King of Babylon seventy years.

Babylon rules all the nations for seventy years. For the last seventy years the only country that could possibly fit this bill is the US. They are a secular nation, they are also called a “christian nation”. They have taken all the hymns and stories of the Bible and used them as themes for their TV shows and movies. They took their schools and universities and plundered them and made them Babylonian.

1. But when seventy years are fulfilled I will punish the king of Babylon and their land for their guilt.

After 70 years they are filled with guilt and need to be punished. Seventy years ago was 1950, a year in which the US was recognized as the superpower. We were a nuclear power, had the most vibrant economy, the best education, the best universities, and ruled all the nations.

1. If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand.

There have been many nations punished during these seventy years for not “serving” the US.

1. ‘They will be taken to the land of Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them’ declares the Lord.

After these seventy years the Lord will come for His people.

1. Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Apart from the US what country could this be describing, a superpower, the “jewel of kingdoms” that will be overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the way people describe the US. They had such a high regard for the country but when they came and saw they realized it was Sodom and Gomorrah.

1. ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!’”

The US is filled with images. We call them logos. Whether it is McDonald’s M, or Nike’s swoosh, or whatever it is, every business, every company has a logo.

1. Babylon was the golden head of the statue depicting human government.

If Babylon is not referring to the US then which nation would be the “golden head” of human government. The US constitution is considered the crowing achievement of human civilization.

Babylon is also described as a golden cup filled with wine that makes the nations drunk. According to the Bible the word of God is fine gold. What nation is known for being the source of Bibles to the rest of the world. We print them and distribute them worldwide. However, we make the nations drunk with our “wine”, Coca Cola, or McDonald’s, or Hollywood. We make the nations drunk with our wine. So then I feel that Judah represents the Christians in the US, Babylon represents the secular nation of the US, and the Medes are the inferior nation that comes after. The Medes have two arms and are depicted by silver which refers to money and bankers. China and the Central Bank could be these two arms. Clearly an inferior government to the US.

 

[ZNP]

3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.


This is what the tribulation and the end of the age is all about. God is great and awesome, He is not mocked, whatever a man sows this he shall reap. God keeps His covenant. We have a contract with God and God will honor that contract, it is called the New Testament and also the Old Testament. Both contracts are still in effect and will be kept by God. Keeping the laws of God are the requirements in the contract for us to keep. The most important law is to love God with your whole heart. Think of this covenant as a marriage covenant. When we sin and do wrong we are obligated to confess those sins, repent of those sins and make atonement. For example, if you stole $5,000 that would be a sin. You have to confess it, repent of it and also make atonement for it. Simply telling someone “sorry I stole $5,000 from you” is not sufficient, you need to return the money. But just returning the money would also not be sufficient, they could have been earning interest on the money. There are other issues that may have taken place from your theft. According to the Bible if you confess and repent without the police catching you then you need to repay double. You stole $5,000 you must pay back $10,000 to be at one, to make atonement for the theft. However, if you get caught by the police you now need to pay back five times, or $25,000. This is fair, you need to pay back the police and the courts as well as the victim. The gospel was offering people a chance to repent of their sins and pay for their sins by receiving Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. Stealing $5,000 is a relatively easy thing to atone for, but what if someone died, how do you pay for a death? You still need to confess, repent, and to the best of your ability make it right. But there will be sins that you can’t make right, if it were not for the Lord’s blood you could never be forgiven. But the end of the age is when the Lord deals with all those who refused to accept His sacrifice to atone for their sins. Daniel is also mentioning that many people refused to listen to the prophets, those that brought the gospel to them. Jeremiah 6:17 “I appointed watchmen over you and said ‘listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen’”.


7 “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. 8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.


This is the reason for the tribulation: unfaithfulness, sins, and rebellion against God. The world as a whole has turned away from God refusing to obey Him. So the solution is quite simple, obey the Lord. Repent of the sins, repent of the rebellion, repent of the unfaithfulness and obey the Lord. We have been scattered. If we weren’t scattered, if we were one even as the Lord was one with the Father then we could not be enslaved.


“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. 12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. 14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.


This is good news or bad news depending on you. The fact that God has fulfilled all the words of the covenant in the curses can be seen as encouraging because He will also fulfill all the blessings of the covenant. This word is a testimony that God is faithful. What He says He will do He will do. So it is true that the disaster that is coming will be unprecedented, but it is also true that if we confess, repent and seek God’s favor He will be merciful and just. The Lord’s blood is still fully effective at making peace between us and God. There will come a day shortly where the gospel of grace will end, but at this moment anyone who confesses and repents will be saved. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord Jesus and believes that God has raised Him from the dead shall be saved.

 

[ZNP]

15 “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. 16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.


This is important. This chapter and the prophecy that he is going to give us is about Jerusalem. In 1948 the Jews returned to Israel, but not to Jerusalem. It was 1950 when Israel first recognized Jerusalem as their capital. Then in 2019 the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel for the first time, and then in 2020 several more nations recognized Jerusalem as a result of the Abrahamic Accords.


17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.


This peace treaty is not just about Jerusalem but also about the temple. Yes, the temple in Jerusalem but also the church, the temple of God.


18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name.We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.


Righteous judgement can be cold and cruel. If God was simply a righteous God we would all see that judgement as cold and cruel. But God is also a merciful God.


19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”


This vision is an answer to this prayer. The Lord did forgive, He did act. God sent His only begotten Son because He loved the world and so that the world might be saved.

 

[ZNP]

20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.


Too many people think they can come to this topic skipping the confession, repentance and faith in a God who keeps His covenant, who is righteous and who is merciful. They skip over His love, and forgiveness and salvation. Therefore they don’t get insight and understanding they get crazy. All they can see is a cold, cruel God.


23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.


God loves us. He says those that honor Me I will honor.


Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:


Again, I will repeat, “therefore”. Everything that Daniel has prayed is a prerequisite to considering this word and understanding it.

 

[ZNP]

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.


Verse 24 is a very big verse. There is no need to read further until you understand this verse. The number seven is composed of 3 + 4. The number three signifies the triune God, the number four signifies the creation or specifically the four living creatures. The number 7 is God added to His creation. Seventy is 10 x 7. The number 5 signifies the responsibility of our hands and feet. It is 4 (creature) plus 1 (God). The things we do with our hands, our works, and the places we go with our feet need to be accountable to God. The number 2 is a testimony. The works of our hands and the paths of our feet need to be a testimony of God + Man. This can explain why they would be in Babylon for seventy years, it was a complete judgement on the sins of Israel both for the works of their hands and the paths of their feet. But what does ‘seventy sevens’ mean? This is a witness of both heaven and earth. The New Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of the divine revelation. It will be a witness to both heaven and earth. This period of time, the seventy sevens is a time for the transgressions to be finished, to put an end to sin, and to atone for wickedness (to pay for what we have done). Right now we are seeing transgression and sin and wickedness to an extent we could never have imagined. The lies and hypocrisy are astounding. The mainstream media is now quoting Mein Kampf referring to the questions surrounding the election as “the big lie”. They are calling for the deprogramming of 75 million Americans, passing laws that would make it illegal to question if elections were conducted honestly, and having loyalty pledges for government employees. It is as though we are watching the cup get filled to the brim with transgressions, sins and wickedness.


Meanwhile this period of time will be used to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy place. That is the purpose of human history during this time. We have needed this time to learn about the consequences of sin, to learn that the wages of sin is death. Like a little seed sins grow and ultimately you reap death. A major focus of this prophecy is paying for these sins. Jesus' death “redeemed” us, He paid the price for our sins. The good news is that you can receive that by faith. The bad news is that if you don’t receive it then at the end of the age the bill will come due and if you haven’t received Jesus redemption then you will be required to pay the price. At the same time as sin has been getting worse and worse the Lord has been doing a secret, mysterious work with the church, His kingdom. The end of this age will not only result in the judgement of sin, it will also see the unveiling of the church, His kingdom established in righteousness. In addition to all this during this time we had the entire New Testament written. Finally, the most holy place signifies man’s spirit, when Jesus was crucified the way to the most holy place was opened and our spirit has been anointed with “The Spirit”. All of these things are being accomplished during this time, so don’t get distracted by the judgement on sin, that is only one small portion of what is being done.


25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem


The seventy weeks begins with the word to go and rebuild Jerusalem. Daniel had been carried off to Babylon, Jeremiah told him they would be there for 70 years, at the end of this time there will be a decree to the Jews to return and rebuild Jerusalem. That word starts the clock on this ‘70 7’s’.


until the Anointed One,


The anointed one refers to “the Christ” or the Messiah.


the ruler,


The ruler refers to the Lord.


comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’


This accurately predicts the time that Jesus will come if you understand each week to equal 7 years.


It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.


The books of Ezra and Nehemiah cover this period in Israel’s history where they returned and rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple. They describe having to work on the wall of the city with their sword by their side. It was a perilous time.

 

[ZNP]

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.


Verse 24 is a very big verse. There is no need to read further until you understand this verse. The number seven is composed of 3 + 4. The number three signifies the triune God, the number four signifies the creation or specifically the four living creatures. The number 7 is God added to His creation. Seventy is 10 x 7. The number 5 signifies the responsibility of our hands and feet. It is 4 (creature) plus 1 (God). The things we do with our hands, our works, and the places we go with our feet need to be accountable to God. The number 2 is a testimony. The works of our hands and the paths of our feet need to be a testimony of God + Man. This can explain why they would be in Babylon for seventy years, it was a complete judgement on the sins of Israel both for the works of their hands and the paths of their feet. But what does ‘seventy sevens’ mean? This is a witness of both heaven and earth. The New Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of the divine revelation. It will be a witness to both heaven and earth. This period of time, the seventy sevens is a time for the transgressions to be finished, to put an end to sin, and to atone for wickedness (to pay for what we have done). Right now we are seeing transgression and sin and wickedness to an extent we could never have imagined. The lies and hypocrisy are astounding. The mainstream media is now quoting Mein Kampf referring to the questions surrounding the election as “the big lie”. They are calling for the deprogramming of 75 million Americans, passing laws that would make it illegal to question if elections were conducted honestly, and having loyalty pledges for government employees. It is as though we are watching the cup get filled to the brim with transgressions, sins and wickedness.


Meanwhile this period of time will be used to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy place. That is the purpose of human history during this time. We have needed this time to learn about the consequences of sin, to learn that the wages of sin is death. Like a little seed sins grow and ultimately you reap death. A major focus of this prophecy is paying for these sins. Jesus' death “redeemed” us, He paid the price for our sins. The good news is that you can receive that by faith. The bad news is that if you don’t receive it then at the end of the age the bill will come due and if you haven’t received Jesus redemption then you will be required to pay the price. At the same time as sin has been getting worse and worse the Lord has been doing a secret, mysterious work with the church, His kingdom. The end of this age will not only result in the judgement of sin, it will also see the unveiling of the church, His kingdom established in righteousness. In addition to all this during this time we had the entire New Testament written. Finally, the most holy place signifies man’s spirit, when Jesus was crucified the way to the most holy place was opened and our spirit has been anointed with “The Spirit”. All of these things are being accomplished during this time, so don’t get distracted by the judgement on sin, that is only one small portion of what is being done.


25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem


The seventy weeks begins with the word to go and rebuild Jerusalem. Daniel had been carried off to Babylon, Jeremiah told him they would be there for 70 years, at the end of this time there will be a decree to the Jews to return and rebuild Jerusalem. That word starts the clock on this ‘70 7’s’.


until the Anointed One,


The anointed one refers to “the Christ” or the Messiah.


the ruler,


The ruler refers to the Lord.


comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’


This accurately predicts the time that Jesus will come if you understand each week to equal 7 years.


It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.


The books of Ezra and Nehemiah cover this period in Israel’s history where they returned and rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple. They describe having to work on the wall of the city with their sword by their side. It was a perilous time.

 

[ZNP]

26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.


“The anointed one will be put to death” refers to the crucifixion of Jesus.


The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.


This refers to the Roman army that destroyed Jerusalem and the temple after Jesus' crucifixion.


The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.


This refers to the age of grace. There are other prophecies that go into this in greater detail, once Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed there is a gap in the seventy sevens. It comes after 69 sevens and before the seventieth seven.


27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’


Again, there are other prophecies that indicate that this “he” here refers to the antichrist. This does not refer to the covenant that God had with His people, that covenant has already been confirmed and would not be referred to as “a” covenant but as “the” covenant. Antichrist confirms “a” covenant with Israel and “with many” which we understand to refer to the UN for one seven, the last seven years of this age, which we call the tribulation.


In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.


This verse indicates that the sacrifices and offerings have been renewed, as a result we understand this to mean that the Temple has been rebuilt. He “puts an end to the sacrifice and offering” again refers to the Antichrist breaking this covenant in the middle of the tribulation. The term “midst” sort of indicates the middle, and the middle of seven years would be around three and half years. This is why we think the tribulation is divided into two parts, the first half and the second half.


And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”


This is very clear that the “he” cannot refer to the Lord or to God. It also makes it very clear that the temple has been rebuilt. There are other prophecies that confirm that it is the antichrist who breaks this covenant and sets himself up in the temple, which is an abomination.


This is a super simple summary. There are those who spend years on these prophecies. At first I was quite interested in them but as I spent more and more time in these teachings I began to realize they are like majoring in the minors. For example, every year we have a state exam in June for the students, a final exam for the year. Knowing when that exam is held is important. But knowing when the exam is is trivial when it comes to doing well on the exam. You will be judged on transgressions, sins, and how well you have made peace with God. Remember, as believers we don’t just get judged for sins we commit, we get judged if we see someone sinning and don’t tell them. These are the major points on this exam. We will also be judged on the works of our hands and the paths of our feet. We will be judged for the work we have done to build up the kingdom as fellow workers of God. We will be judged on our ministry of the word and the Spirit. These are the majors. Even if you never studied the prophecies of the Lord’s coming but take care of the majors you will do just fine at the judgement seat of Christ, on the other hand I suspect there will be a number of experts on the Lord’s second coming who will not do nearly as well.

 

[ZNP]

Here is the problem with this interpretation. I began this chapter saying the word of God is living, it is active, it is a light to our path today. Based on that I tied Judah and Babylon to the US and the Christians in this country. They only represent 1/12th of the Christians worldwide, but they are central to this prophesy. But then why did we change gears and the rest of the prophesy only refers to a historical fulfillment? Why is it that the path the Lord took to the cross cannot enlighten our path today as we are supposed to take up our cross and follow Him?

 

[Ahwatukee]

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.


Verse 24 is a very big verse. There is no need to read further until you understand this verse. The number seven is composed of 3 + 4. The number three signifies the triune God, the number four signifies the creation or specifically the four living creatures. The number 7 is God added to His creation. Seventy is 10 x 7. The number 5 signifies the responsibility of our hands and feet. It is 4 (creature) plus 1 (God). The things we do with our hands, our works, and the places we go with our feet need to be accountable to God. The number 2 is a testimony. The works of our hands and the paths of our feet need to be a testimony of God + Man. This can explain why they would be in Babylon for seventy years, it was a complete judgement on the sins of Israel both for the works of their hands and the paths of their feet. But what does ‘seventy sevens’ mean? This is a witness of both heaven and earth. The New Jerusalem is the ultimate consummation of the divine revelation. It will be a witness to both heaven and earth. This period of time, the seventy sevens is a time for the transgressions to be finished, to put an end to sin, and to atone for wickedness (to pay for what we have done). Right now we are seeing transgression and sin and wickedness to an extent we could never have imagined. The lies and hypocrisy are astounding. The mainstream media is now quoting Mein Kampf referring to the questions surrounding the election as “the big lie”. They are calling for the deprogramming of 75 million Americans, passing laws that would make it illegal to question if elections were conducted honestly, and having loyalty pledges for government employees. It is as though we are watching the cup get filled to the brim with transgressions, sins and wickedness.


Meanwhile this period of time will be used to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy place. That is the purpose of human history during this time. We have needed this time to learn about the consequences of sin, to learn that the wages of sin is death. Like a little seed sins grow and ultimately you reap death. A major focus of this prophecy is paying for these sins. Jesus' death “redeemed” us, He paid the price for our sins. The good news is that you can receive that by faith. The bad news is that if you don’t receive it then at the end of the age the bill will come due and if you haven’t received Jesus redemption then you will be required to pay the price. At the same time as sin has been getting worse and worse the Lord has been doing a secret, mysterious work with the church, His kingdom. The end of this age will not only result in the judgement of sin, it will also see the unveiling of the church, His kingdom established in righteousness. In addition to all this during this time we had the entire New Testament written. Finally, the most holy place signifies man’s spirit, when Jesus was crucified the way to the most holy place was opened and our spirit has been anointed with “The Spirit”. All of these things are being accomplished during this time, so don’t get distracted by the judgement on sin, that is only one small portion of what is being done.


25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem


The seventy weeks begins with the word to go and rebuild Jerusalem. Daniel had been carried off to Babylon, Jeremiah told him they would be there for 70 years, at the end of this time there will be a decree to the Jews to return and rebuild Jerusalem. That word starts the clock on this ‘70 7’s’.


until the Anointed One,


The anointed one refers to “the Christ” or the Messiah.


the ruler,


The ruler refers to the Lord.


comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’


This accurately predicts the time that Jesus will come if you understand each week to equal 7 years.


It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.


The books of Ezra and Nehemiah cover this period in Israel’s history where they returned and rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple. They describe having to work on the wall of the city with their sword by their side. It was a perilous time.

the ruler,


The ruler refers to the Lord.

The problem with 'the ruler' referring to the Lord, is that it would mean that Jesus would be the one who made the seven year covenant, the one who causes the daily sacrifices to cease and the One who sets up the abomination in the holy place, which cannot be. The abomination 'bdelugma' is likened to a reeking stench which goes up before God.

The ruler is mentioned in verse 26 and is the 'he' mentioned in verse 27. Note: the 'weeks are weeks of years.'

* And 'he' will confirm a covenant with many for one week
* In the middle of the week 'he' will put an end to sacrifice and offering.
* And at the temple 'he' will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him

Who is 'the ruler?'

"The people of 'the ruler' who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary."

The anointed One/Jesus is cut off at the end of the 69th seven and therefore is not present during the last seven years, which will be fulfilled leading up to Christ's return to the earth to end the age.

The ruler is that future antichrist who will make a firm covenant with Israel, which will make it possible for them to rebuild their long awaited temple and begin to make sacrifices and offerings. In the middle of that future seven years, he will stop the sacrifices and offerings and set up that abomination, which Jesus refers to in Matthew 24:15-22. From the time that Jesus prophesied of this until the temple was destroyed, none of these events have been fulfilled.

Once the church has been gathered, then following that will be the time of God's wrath during that last seven years, which includes the emergence of the antichrist, the man of lawlessness.

 

[ZNP]

The problem with 'the ruler' referring to the Lord, is that it would mean that Jesus would be the one who made the seven year covenant, the one who causes the daily sacrifices to cease and the One who sets up the abomination in the holy place, which cannot be. The abomination 'bdelugma' is likened to a reeking stench which goes up before God.

The ruler is mentioned in verse 26 and is the 'he' mentioned in verse 27. Note: the 'weeks are weeks of years.'

* And 'he' will confirm a covenant with many for one week
* In the middle of the week 'he' will put an end to sacrifice and offering.
* And at the temple 'he' will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him

Who is 'the ruler?'

"The people of 'the ruler' who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary."

The anointed One/Jesus is cut off at the end of the 69th seven and therefore is not present during the last seven years, which will be fulfilled leading up to Christ's return to the earth to end the age.

The ruler is that future antichrist who will make a firm covenant with Israel, which will make it possible for them to rebuild their long awaited temple and begin to make sacrifices and offerings. In the middle of that future seven years, he will stop the sacrifices and offerings and set up that abomination, which Jesus refers to in Matthew 24:15-22. From the time that Jesus prophesied of this until the temple was destroyed, none of these events have been fulfilled.

Once the church has been gathered, then following that will be the time of God's wrath during that last seven years, which includes the emergence of the antichrist, the man of lawlessness.

It says that it is 69 weeks "until the anointed one, the ruler" comes and then is cut off. It is generally agreed that this refers to Jesus crucifixion.

After he is cut off it says "the people of the ruler who is to come will destroy". So this term "ruler" refers to Jesus and it also refers to a destroyer who comes after Jesus is crucified. The term does not refer to a single person, but to two warring entities over who the real ruler is. One ruler comes while the city is being rebuilt in perilous times. There is a battle going on between one who is building up and one who is destroying. They are both rulers, only one of them is "the anointed one"

 

[ZNP]

The antichrist is going to set up one world government and yet in some strange way doing that is to deny that Jesus has come in the flesh. So maybe if we consider what it is to set up this one world government, we will see how that is to deny that Jesus has come in the flesh.

Initially only the rulers were educated. Pharaoh would build these great monuments and it took expertise in science and engineering. They are very impressive, very intimidating to the common man. But then more people got educated, the elites, the priests, and philosophers. Kings had counselors, and kings went from "divine rule", from being the "Sun God" to being human beings under the law like everyone else. By the American and French revolutions it was clear people were much more willing to trust their own judgement. The US constitution was a crowning achievement to what was called "the age of enlightenment". No doubt the printing of the Bible and the widespread teaching of the Bible played a very important role in this.

But as we go down this path what happens? The rulers become less and less "god like" and more and more human and fallible. Today, in the US, the elected representatives are not highly respected and in many cases they aren't respected at all. Their salaries also are not very impressive. In most cases it only makes them middle class. However, the US only represents a small percentage of the world's population. The rulers in totalitarian regimes like China, Russia and the Middle East are still the elites. You don't dare disrespect them in the media. Rich and successful businessmen better show them the deference they demand or else they'll be thrown in prison or worse. Does Xi or Putin want to become like the US where Pelosi and Schumer and Trump are regularly questioned, challenged, and treated disrespectfully?

But it gets worse. It wasn't realistic to think we could practice Democracy the way the Greeks did by having the citizens vote on laws and bills. But with the internet it is becoming much more real. Imagine that those that can work from home continue to do so. This eliminates an average of 1 1/2 hours of commuting a day for everyone who does this. It is good for the environment and it is very good for the economy. The reality is that elected officials would be become less and less necessary. So then they would go from Sun God, to King, to elected ruler to more of a tutor. They might give 20 minute Zoom sessions describing the legislation before us and then we would vote via the internet.

In other words human government has been moving more and more towards recognizing that the Lord of all resides in each and every person. The antichrist denies that, he wants to make each and every person a dumb beast, you aren't allowed to question, you aren't allowed to think anything that is different from what he tells you.