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Daniel Chapter 9
Verses 27 |
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(Dan 9:27 KJV) 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.
The Man and the Week
The subject of this verse is a person who shall (future in time) make a covenant and consequently will cause desolation and the overspreading of abominations.
Who is this person? The antecedent of the pronoun “he” is found in the previous verse. He is identified as the prince of the people who shall come and destroy the city and the Temple. The person making this covenant is the prince of those people. Jesus Christ made reference to this verse in Matthew 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:)” (The context of this reference in Matthew is within the body of the teaching of Christ on the subject of the “End Times.”) It is clear that He spoke of the “antichrist” and his actions. It is equally clear that this prince cannot be associated in any manner with God, since God never breaks His covenants.
The length of this evil covenant is one “week,” or seven years. This is the period taught in the Gospels and the book of Revelation. It is specifically named as “The Great The Tribulation.” This is also the concluding 70th week of Daniel's vision, the first 69 weeks having already passed from the time of the going forth of the commandment to restore Jerusalem until the Messiah. This last week (the 70th) is further divided in half, having two periods of 3 1/2 years each.
Confirm and Covenant
It is good for us to have an understanding of the two words “confirm” and “covenant”. To confirm is to make firm and sure. We might use the term today as to ratify an agreement. A covenant can have various implications depending upon the parties who enter into it. In this case one party is the “antichrist” and the other is “with many” indicating a collective group or groups of people, a nation or nations. It is presumable the “antichrist” is not acting alone, on his own, but in unification with his own people, nation. Hence, this covenant is most likely in the form of a treaty, or alliance. What the terms or subject of the covenant are we are not told. We conclude that is has something to do with the security and safety of Israel and very probably with other nations also. In today's life situation we would assume that the covenant context would involve the many controversies, which now exist with Israel and her neighboring Arab nations. But this all conjecture at this time. One other point to observe is that it is not called the covenant but a covenant. This fact would draw our attention away from the possibility that it is God's covenant, which is spoken of as The Covenant, which He has made with Israel.
Also notice that it is a covenant which is confirmed by this man; it is not the 70th week being confirmed. The 70th week is the conclusion of God dealing with Israel and is the prophetic time in which God brings His judgment against Israel in preparation of their repentance to Him. However, the fact that the involvement of the “antichrist”" with Israel for one week is not merely coincidence. This has all been orchestrated by God in using this man to accomplish His purpose with Israel. The involvement of this man and his seven year covenant has been determined by God. The covenant is solely that of the “antichrist.”
The Participants
We must appreciate that the language inspired by the Holy Spirit in revealing God's word is always precise. The covenant is made and ratified “with many.” We would think that if it were made exclusively with Israel that it would have been clearly stated, but it is not. We should not necessarily conclude that Israel is the only party of the covenant, but that there are other possible parties, nations, also involved in the covenant. Nor should we think that Israel is eliminated from the covenant (see below). So we may, but are not forced to, expand the participants to include others. But who they may be we can only speculate without divine insight.
The Treaty Broken
In the midst of the week, in the middle of the week, the covenant is broken. To say that it is broken is evident in the three actions which are taken - first, against the worship of Israel, second, the overspreading of abominations and third, the making desolate. Surely that could never be in the original terms of the covenant. It would be insane to think that Israel would agree to such a thing. So it must be a betrayal of the treaty or alliance. There are numerous references to these last 3 1/2 years in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 11:2,3; 12:6,14; 13:5). What is clear is that suddenly things have altered dramatically with abruptness. In the middle of the week he shall cause . . . Who is he? He is the same person who made the covenant, the “antichrist,” that coming prince.
The word cease conveys the idea of putting an end to. An example is found in Psalms 46:9; He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. In order for something to cease or end it must be in existence. The words sacrifice and oblation are naturally understood as to be those offerings made in the Temple. The sacrifices are blood offerings, exclusively administered by the Levite priests as required in the “Law of Moses.” Oblations are any other offerings, such as grains and portions of crops. The strong inference in this verse alone compels us to believe that there will be a Temple in which all of these offerings will be made and that the priesthood with its High Priest is re-established. As of now there is no Temple in Israel, and we do not know of any re-establishment of the ancient priesthood. There are no such offerings being made by the Jews to their God at this time. But such will restored at some time before or during this one week covenant.
The Consequences of the Broken Treaty
Our next portion reads as follows in the King James translation: and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate. If you carefully research this portion of text you will find a very perplexing literal verbal meaning of the written Hebrew. This is what is written; "Upon the battlements shall be the idols of the desolator." Some translators have put it this way; "And there shall be in or upon the Temple the abomination of desolation." There are many other renditions. But perhaps what is the surest interpretation for us is to see how Jesus quoted this passage. Matthew 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:)” Literally, it is an abomination, which makes desolate. If we think of something being desolated we tend to think of something abandoned, deserted, or left to ruin. In Daniel (the abomination is plural) it is either the “antichrist,” himself, or at the least the filth of him is the abomination or abominable things. The meaning of abomination is that which is regarded as detestable, unclean, and filthy. With the words of Christ (the abomination is singular) it is more in the sense of a person who is standing in the holy place, the Temple. The overspreading is as a wing covering, possibly like the dark shadow of a wing casting its darkness over the Temple. Even by his mere presence he makes desolate. He is called a desolator. Such a thing had happened in the past when the despot Antiochus Epiphanes slaughtered a pig on the altar of the Temple and smeared all the holy things of the Temple with a broth made from the animal. There could be nothing more horrid than such an act as this, and it indeed made the temple desolated. Not until it had been thoroughly cleansed and purified could the Jews occupy it. This is without doubt a parallel in history of the similar actions, which the “antichrist” will do (see Daniel chapter 11). If there is one horrid significant difference between these two personages, it is that the “antichrist” will set himself up as god, to be worshiped as god, in the Temple of God. 1 Thess 2:3 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (4) Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."
God’s Execution of Judgment
This abomination of the antichrist will last until the consummation. The consummation is the completion. It is the completion or end to the “antichrist,” the power of the Gentile nations (over the Holy land and Holy people), of Israel's unbelief, and it is the completion of the discipline of God upon them. It is the end of this entire age. At this consummation there is ushered in the return of Christ as King and His Kingdom here on earth. But all this is another study.
The phrase "and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" is regarded by many scholars as what has been determined or destined by God to be poured out upon the desolator. This is corresponding to the wrath of God being poured out upon the wicked, treacherous men in the last 3 1/2 years recorded in the book of Revelation. The words poured (here) and flood (verse 26) have a certain play on them. Both indicate an irresistible, overwhelming, suddenness of catastrophe upon whom it falls. Just as the flood of destruction came upon Israel, so shall the destruction be inflicted upon the antichrist and his henchmen.
When we review the portions of prophecy given here, which have come to past with such pinpoint accuracy, we can only stand in awe of what must surely yet come. But God is our Savior. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
This concludes the study of Daniel chapter nine.
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Next: Daniel's Weeks
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This page last updated September 14, 2004 at 10:21am
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