Bible Study Seattle

Daniel 9:24-27 has a prophecy about the Messiah:

“Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.

Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times.

And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: 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 even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined.

And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.”

This prophecy started in 454BC with the decree to rebuild the temple.  Seven weeks or 49 years later, the temple was rebuilt (405BC).  Sixty two weeks after this (or 69 weeks from 454BC) was 29AD, when Jesus was baptized for his public ministry.  In the middle of the 70th week, “he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease.”  i.e. the animal sacrifices of the law will be made obsolete.  Some think verse 27 referes to the antichrist (a person) making a covenant for the seven final years before armegeddon.  This is possible.  Likely, Ezekiel’s temple will be built in the great time of trouble before armegeddon.  It is possible an evil figure will cause sacrifices to be stopped.  Only time will tell.  But it’s also possible that verse 27 is only referring to Jesus making a covenant of sacrifice with all who are willing and wish to become part of the bride of Christ.  The end of verse 27 is obscure in the Hebrew, so we have to be careful how we interpret it.  Verse 26 talks about the coming prince who will destroy the city and sanctuary.  This was the Romans in 67-73AD.  Then it says the end will come with a flood.  Like Noah’s flood?  “And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man.  For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,  and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man.”   Matthew 24:37-39   

“And as it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.  They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”  Luke 17:26-27