DANIEL 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations [shiqutzim] shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate. (NKJV) This verse speaks of the 70th week of Gabriels prophecy. The one who confirms the covenant with many is the Messiah, since he is the focus of this prophecy. This portion of the verse cannot be speaking of the Antichrist, because this entity is never mentioned here. Unfortunately, those conditioned by years of false teaching mistakenly continue to read the Antichrist into this text. Because he is the ultimate Yom Kippur sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, the Messiah brought an end to the need for this annual sacrifice when he died on the cross in the middle of the 70th week. The author of Hebrews, speaking of the annual sin offering for the nation of Israel every year at Yom Kippur, explains this concept in more detail: HEBREWS 10:1 For the Law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5 Therefore, when he came into the world, he said: Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, Behold, I have come – in the volume of the book it is written of me – to do Your will, O God. 8 Previously saying, Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then he said, Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God. He takes away the first that he may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (NKJV) For the nation of Israel, Yeshua on the cross became the offering that would cleanse them of their sins. After his resurrection, he became the heavenly High Priest that went before the mercy seat of God the Father to intercede for Israel. The Levitical priesthood was thus superceded by the priesthood of Melchizedek, which had in fact preceded it (Gen. 14:18). The next part of verse 27 in the NKJV says that on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate. This is a poor translation from the Hebrew, most likely due to the preconceived notion that this portion of the prophecy is speaking of the Antichrist. A better translation of this would be upon the wing of abominations it shall be made desolate. The root of the Hebrew noun translated abominations here (shiqutz) is frequently associated with the worship of idols in the Old Testament. Gabriel is simply emphasizing again that because of the increase of Israels sin (particularly idolatry evidenced by the rejection of the prophesied Messiah), desolation will fly down upon it (the city and/or the sanctuary). The next part of the verse confirms that Jerusalem, the Temple and the Jewish people are the focus of Gabriels prior statement. The Soncino Commentary on Daniel 9:27 translates this part of the verse as: and that until the extermination wholly determined be poured out upon that which causes appalment (p. 79). The extermination or desolation was poured out upon the Jewish people and their cities, particularly the holy city Jerusalem. Josephus tells us the number of Jews caught up in this desolation: Now the number of those that were carried captive during the whole war was collected to be ninety-seven thousand; as was the number of those that perished during the whole siege, eleven hundred thousand, the greater part of whom were indeed of the same nation, [with the citizens of Jerusalem,] but not belonging to the city itself; for they were come up from all the country to the feast of unleavened bread, and were on a sudden shut up by an army . . . (Book 6, Ch. 9, Sec. 3, The Wars of the Jews) In this entire passage of prophecy, Gabriel was giving Daniel (and through him, the Jews) a time line showing WHEN to expect Messiah, the Prince who was to redeem his people. He was to appear after 69 weeks of years (483 years) and he was to be cut off in the middle of the 70th week (after 3½ years). His cutting off in the middle of this last prophesied week of years is what brought about the desolation of the holy city spoken of by Gabriel. Thats why Yeshua gave this warning during his ministry: MATTHEW 24:15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elects sake those days will be shortened. (NKJV) The nature of the abomination of desolation is clearly defined in the parallel account in Lukes Gospel: LUKE 21:20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (NKJV) Luke makes it plain that the abomination of desolation is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies. But it cannot be just the desolation of Jerusalem by the Romans, because this prophecy in all the Synoptic Gospels takes us up to the return of Messiah from heaven to initiate the day of vengeance of our God (Isa. 61:2). So the desolation of Jerusalem must be dual – it happened in 70 CE, and it will happen again at the time of the end. Another army will desolate Jerusalem before the last half of the 70th week, as Zechariah tells us: ZECHARIAH 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. (NKJV) God is once again, at the time of the end, going to allow Jerusalem to be desolated by invading armies. This time, as Zechariah tells us, it will be the united armies of all nations. Just as the desolation by the Roman armies came AFTER the first 3½ years of the 70th week, it appears the desolation by the international armies will come BEFORE the final 3½ years of the 70th week. When the final half of the 70th week is over, the ultimate redemption of Israel will occur, as the apostle Paul told us: ROMANS 11:25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins. 28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. (NKJV)
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:09:41 +0000
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