Daniel does not indicate the length of the time gap between the 69th and 70th weeks.  This means the exact time between King Messiah’s first and second coming are unknown.  Although the exact time interval is not known, the result of the gap is known.

The Lord Jesus came the first time lowly with salvation, Zechariah 9:9.  At His glorious second coming, He returns to set up His kingdom over all nations.  When He returns, Daniel states it is with the “Clouds of heaven.”  The Scriptures show that the “Clouds of heaven” are an innumerable host of believers who return with the Lord Jesus at His glorious second coming.  The “Clouds of heaven” are the thousands times thousands and ten thousand times ten thousands which are in heaven and return with King Messiah.

Daniel 7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. (13) I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

The New Testament adds information to what Daniel reported.  The “Clouds of heaven” are described with the same innumerable multitude, but we are told they are the believers in King Messiah.  They are from every kindred, language, people and nation.  They are the ones who between the first and second coming believe in the Lord Jesus for salvation by His shed blood.  There is no “dead time” between King Messiah’s two comings.

Revelation 5:9 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;”

God uses this time interval to gather both Jew and Gentile that believe in the Lord Jesus into a huge multitude in heaven.  When God’s plan is complete, the believers will return with the Lord Jesus at His second coming.  The believers will be with Him when He destroys the nations gathered against Jerusalem .

     The Bible shows that the believers will be with Him in heaven at what is called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  After this event, the Lord Jesus returns to earth with His believers.  They are referred to as the “armies of heaven."  The believers are with King Messiah as He destroys the Beast and sets up His kingdom.  God is very busy between the comings of the Lord Jesus to gather a huge multitude of believers in His King Messiah:

Revelation 19:6 “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (7) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”

Revelation 19:14 “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”

Daniel 9:26 begins with King Messiah’s first coming.  At this coming, He was cut off but not for Himself.  He came lowly riding on donkey with salvation from sin.  The verse ends with Jerusalem being subject to wars and desolation.  This will happen until the second coming of King Messiah who will crush the nations making war against Jerusalem and establish His kingdom.  The prophet Daniel shows very clearly the two comings of King Messiah.  The first to come with salvation for sin.  The second to judge the nations and set up His kingdom over the earth.

The 70th Week of Daniel

Daniel 9:27 “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 first coming of King Messiah and the destruction of the temple all took place after the completion of the 69th Week but not during the 70th Week.  There is a time gap between these final two weeks.  Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.  If the destruction in 70 AD had been during the 70th Week then the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem would have to been made 490 years prior to this date.  If you start in 70 AD and go back 490 years (By 360 day years, it is 483 years), this time period ends in 413 BC.  Jerusalem was already rebuilt at this time.  No Persian King made a decree in 413 BC regarding Jerusalem .  The decree was made in 445 BC by the Persian King Artaxerxes as found in Nehemiah 2:1-8.

According to verse 27, a seven year covenant was going to be made by the Prince in verse 26.  The Romans destroyed the city so the covenant would have to be made with Rome .  After three and a half years, the Prince will stop the sacrifices taking place at the temple in Jerusalem .  The temple was destroyed by the Roman army on the 9th Av 70 AD.  This month corresponds with July/August.  For this destruction to be the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27, a covenant would have had to been made between a Roman Prince and Israel .  The covenant would have to been made three and a half years before July/August 70 AD.  This would be January/February 67 AD.  This covenant was never made between Israel by a Roman Prince.  History fails to record such a seven year covenant.  So we see this covenant is in the future, and the 70th Week is yet to come.

The Prophet Isaiah writes about a covenant that Israel would one day make.  He refers to it as a covenant with death and an agreement with hell.  The covenant which Isaiah describes has yet to be made.  This covenant is based on lies and falsehoods, entered into with a Roman prince.  There is no record in the Bible of Israel making such a covenant. This is further evidence that the covenant is yet to come in the future.

Isaiah 28:15 “Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: (18) And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.”

Israel will be deceived by the beast and think he is the long awaited Messiah.  He will offer peace but actually be planning the destruction of the nation.  He will have great world power and appear to be King Messiah.  The covenant that Israel makes with this world ruler will be with death and hell.  Israel is going to be horribly deceived.

The temple was destroyed in Daniel 9:26 by the Roman army in 70 AD.  According to Daniel 9:27, there will be a temple rebuilt at a future date; a seven year covenant will be made with a Prince from the area of the ancient Roman Empire; and in the middle of the seven years, this Prince will stop the reinstituted sacrificial system.  This will end with an attempt to once again to destroy Jerusalem and make it desolate.

The Prince to Come

The Roman empire destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD to fulfill Daniel 9:26.  Daniel wrote in verse 27 that the people of the “Prince to come” would destroy Jerusalem and the temple.  This indicates that just before the second coming of the Lord Jesus there will be a form of the Roman Empire in existence.  Daniel 9:27 takes place immediately before the coming of King Messiah to set up His kingdom.  This is yet future.

The old Roman Empire will be in some sort of political unity and a major player on the world scene.  The leader of this empire will sign a seven year covenant or treaty with the nation of Israel .  The signing of this treaty will initiate the 70th Week of Daniel’s prophecy.  The prophetic time clock will be activated when this covenant is made.  The 490 years will be completed at the end of this seven years.  It will end with the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of His kingdom.  The wars of the desolations of Jerusalem will continue until the end of the seven year period.

Daniel identifies the ruler of the Roman empire that will be in power just before the second coming of the Lord Jesus.  This ruler is identified in Daniel 7 as the “little horn” and “beast.”  In chapter seven, Daniel lists the four world powers to rule over Jerusalem . They are Babylon , Persia , Greece and Rome .  Rome is described as a terrible beast which is dreadful and exceedingly strong.  From this beast a “little horn” emerges.  A horn in the Bible can be used for political power to mean king.

Daniel 7:7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. (8) I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.”

This Horn, a Roman ruler, will speak great words against the God of Israel and shall persecute God’s people.  He will rule until the second coming of King Messiah.  This is the Roman Prince who will make the seven year covenant with Israel .  He will be directly opposed to the God of Israel and His King Messiah.  Daniel clearly shows this:

Daniel 7:21 “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; (22) Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

The New Testament also identifies this prince.  He is referred to as the antichrist, the Man of Sin and the beast.  Both Daniel and the Apostle John refer to him as the Beast, and they both show how his end will come about.  He will be destroyed at the second coming of the Lord Jesus.  This ruler will be slain and given to the burning flame or hell.

Daniel 7:11 “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.”

Rev 19:19 “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. (20) And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him,...These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

In the middle of this seven year covenant, the Prince/Beast stops the sacrifices in the temple.  The New Testament shows the Man of Sin or Beast will one day go into the temple of God in Jerusalem and proclaim that he is God.  Daniel refers to this event as the “Abomination that makes desolate.”  Daniel shows the end of the sacrifices during the 70th Week is very significant.  The Bible shows that incredible events follow this abomination.

Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”

The Lord Jesus made a direct reference to Daniel and his prophecy of the abomination of desolation.  He said this event was yet future in His day.  He described it as one of the major events of history.  When this event occurs, the believers are to flee because it is going to trigger tremendous persecution.  It is going to trigger the greatest time of God’s judgment to the point of near total destruction.  The Lord Jesus does not identify what this abomination is, He simply states it is going to happen.

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:) (16) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: (21) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (22)  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”

The Bible does describe this time period.  There will be a temple rebuilt before the coming of King Messiah.  The events found in Daniel 9:27 show the Roman prince and the Man of Sin have to be the same person.  The abomination of desolation commences when the Man of Sin/Son of Perdition goes into the temple in Jerusalem to halt the sacrifices.  The Beast not only stops the sacrifices, but at the same time he goes into the temple and proclaims that he is God.  He will enter into the holy of holies of the temple and sit as if he were the God of Israel (Ezekiel 43:7).  This has never happened in history and yet remains in our future.

2 Thessalonians 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.”

The Roman prince of Daniel 7 will be directly opposed to the God of Israel and His people.  The Man of Sin will be directly opposed to the God of Israel and everything He represents.  This Prince will be no ordinary ruler, but directly opposed to the living God, and he will demand worship.  The covenant that Israel will make with this Prince will be a covenant with death and hell.

Daniel 7:25 “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws:”

2 Thessalonians 2:4 “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.”

This prince will make a seven year covenant with the nation of Israel .  This was impossible to come to pass until our time because Israel was destroyed as a nation in 70 AD.  But Israel is once again a nation, just as the prophets told us would happen.  Daniel is very clear that a form of the Roman empire will be in existence prior to the second coming of the Lord Jesus.  This means that Europe will once again become the seat of world power and not the United States .  Watch the growth of the European Union (EU) as a world power.

The Prince of Daniel 9:27 could come from the EU.  The EU could take the form of the ancient Roman empire, and the leader of this empire could very well be the Prince that makes the seven year covenant with Israel .  The Prince of Daniel 9:27 will be revealed when the seven year covenant is made with the nation of Israel .

Just as Zechariah wrote, Jerusalem is now the center of world attention.  There have been several attempts to settle the Israeli-Palestinian issue.  The heart of this issue is the land of Israel and Jerusalem .  The world has jumped in to attempt to resolve these issues.  There was the Madrid peace process and Oslo Peace Accords.  The Oslo Accord was a seven year plan that began in September 1993 and ran to September 2000.  It failed in September 2000, and tremendous fighting broke out literally over the temple mount in Jerusalem .  The issue which caused the failure was Jerusalem .  The Oslo Accord has set the precedent for a seven year peace plan with Israel .  Perhaps the next seven year plan will be a treaty with the head of the European Union.

Daniel 9:27 clearly shows that Judaism will once again institute animal sacrifices in Jerusalem .  This would be on top of Mt. Zion or the temple mount as it is called today. Islam has two holy sites on this location.  These sites are the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Asqa mosque.  The Al-Asqa mosque is Islam’s third holiest site.  Islam will never allow a temple to be built on or near this site.  This indicates that an all out war may be in the future with Islam.  The result of the war could be the removal of Islam as a political force in the world.  Perhaps at the conclusion of this horrific war, a political leader will step forward with a peace plan for Israel .

The exact events which will allow the sacrificial system to once again begin are unknown.  But something radical is going to happen to Islam in order to allow the sacrifices to take place once again on the temple mount.

For 1900 years few people believed Israel would once again be a nation.  But just as the prophets wrote, Israel is once again a nation.  For 1900 years few people believed that Jerusalem would ever again be the capital of a Jewish state, but today Jerusalem is the unified capital of Israel .  Today few may believe that a temple will be rebuilt and the sacrificial system reinstituted, but the Prophet Daniel wrote 2500 years ago that it would happen.  Just as Israel is a nation and Jerusalem is the capital, the Bible prophecies are time tested and proven, and as all the other prophecies have shown, all will come to pass.  So the temple will be rebuilt.  The sacrifices will take place.  It is only a matter of time until this will be fulfilled.

The Conclusion of the 70th Week

The 70th Week will conclude with the coming of the Lord Jesus to set up His kingdom over all the earth.  It will end in what the Bible calls the Day of the LORD.  The nations of the world will unite in one last attempt to make Israel and Jerusalem desolate.  This event will trigger the second coming of the Lord Jesus.  Israel will recognize Him as their King Messiah, the One who was pierced.  God will pour out His holy Spirit upon the people, and they will mourn for Him who was pierced.  The desolations of Jerusalem will be over, and Jerusalem will be exalted as King Messiah reigns over all the nations from Mt. Zion .

Zechariah 12:9 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem . (10) And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

The One that Israel will look upon in the Day of LORD will be King Messiah standing upon the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem .  From atop this location, He will destroy the nations which have gathered to annihilate Jerusalem .  Israel will look upon Him who was pierced as He stands on the Mount of Olives .  They will see the Lord Jesus in His glory, and they will mourn for Him.

Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem , the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son,...”

Zechariah 14:3 “Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. (4) And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west,...”

King Messiah will destroy the Roman prince with the brightness of His glory as He speaks the word of God.  The Lord will return in what appears to be flaming fire, judging those who have rejected Him to join forces with the Man-of-Sin.  He will be reunited with His people Israel who have turned to Him.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”

2 Thessalonians 1:7 “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (8) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (9) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;”

God will annul Israel ’s seven year covenant with death and agreement with hell.  The estrangement between Israel and King Messiah will come to an end.  In the Day of the LORD, the nations of the world will be like a scourge to Israel .  They will attempt one more desolation of Jerusalem .  The covenant with the Prince will not stand. God Himself will end the covenant.

Isaiah 28:18 “And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.”

God will end this covenant when the “Stone cut without hands” smashes the nations in rebellion against Him (Daniel 2:44,45).  That Stone is God’s King Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He will smash the Prince and the nations at His glorious second coming.  He will personally annul the seven year covenant Israel made with death and hell.  This will conclude the 70th Week and the 490 years of prophecy.

The coming of God’s “Zion Stone” will be the foundation of New Covenant with His people Israel .  King Messiah is the “Zion Stone," a precious stone which is a sure foundation.  Those that believe Him stand on the Rock of the God of Israel.

Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”

By John McTernan
Defend and Proclaim the Faith

Blog: John McTernan’s Insights at www.johnmcternan.name