PART 4: MORE REVELATION — MESSIAH WILL COME, MESSIAH WILL BE CUT OFF, AND JERUSALEM WILL BE DESTROYED

There is a time gap between the crucifixion of Messiah Jesus and His return in the air for church age biblical believers. Clearly, this gap is prophesied in the Old Testament; however, there is not a hint as to how long the space of time would be.

26a Then after the sixty-two weeks Messiah will be cut off [but not for Himself (KJV)] and have nothing,

To make sense of the sixty-two weeks of years, we want to realize that Daniel is incorporating the seven weeks stated in verse 25. He is saying: Then after—

the seven weeks	occurring first
+ the sixty-two weeks	occurring second
= the sixty-nine weeks	total weeks

Then after the sixty-two weeks there was a gap — The Clock Stopped.

Cut off means "executed for being a criminal." It could have read criminally executed; Jews understand it reads legally executed.

When Messiah Jesus left this world, He left empty-handed, meaning He did not leave with the Kingdom. He had nothing.

26b and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.

The people (the Romans) of the prince (Caesar) who is to come (from the Roman Empire) will destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the Temple). That happened in 70 A.D.

The sequence of events prophesied in Daniel 9:26 is as follows:

1. Messiah will come.
2. Messiah will be cut off.
3. Jerusalem, including the Temple, will be destroyed.

Question: Why do Jewish Rabbis not want Daniel 9 taught?

• It is proof Messiah has already come.
• It shows an individual believes in Jesus as their Redeemer and is redeemed when God alone enables him. Even knowing the truth does not give you the spiritual capacity to believe.
• It shows how unbelievably hard the human heart is. Apart from God intervening in any individual, that person can be willingly blind like the Pharisees of Jesus' day.

Peter says the same thing about people who deny the promise of Messiah Jesus' Second Coming; he says:

The City is to be destroyed…

9:26c And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

Until the end of time, there will be fighting in Jerusalem.

A flood is a word that was used in a military context meaning a flood of soldiers. That is what happened when General Titus' army crashed through the wall in Jerusalem — it was exactly like a flood!

Josephus presents this scenario as one of the most devastating…

Overall, the Romans were good rulers. If the people paid their taxes and honored Caesar (contrary to what we hear today that they were not required to worship Caesar) then, generally speaking, they governed themselves. During this time, the people were allowed to practice any religion.

The Jews were not prejudice; they were rebellious against everybody, including God, Nebuchadnezzar, and Rome. In 66 A.D., one of the revolutionary factions, the Zealots, roped off the Temple area, announced they were a sovereign nation, refused to pay taxes, and said Rome had nothing to do with them. You did not do that to Rome.

So the Roman emperor sent General Titus (later, emperor) to Jerusalem. General Titus besieged Jerusalem for months. The food and forces were insufficient for the Jews. They were starving to death behind the walls — they ate their children, corpses, clothes, and dirt. The Jews robbed the dead and threw dead bodies over the wall; death was stacking up before them. The Romans knew the City's fall was near.

When all that was left for the Jews was to defend the Temple area, the Romans crashed through the wall. General Titus had given strict orders not to destroy the Temple. But a Roman soldier threw a torch into the Temple, caught the linens on fire, and the whole Temple burned.

Messiah Jesus' prophecy—

It is fascinating how this prophecy was fulfilled. The Roman soldiers did not knock the stones over to deliberately tear the Temple down. Instead, because the fire melted the gold that ran between the cracks in the stones, the Roman garrison troops [during off-duty hours] chipped at the stones and tore them apart to get out the little nuggets of gold. Literally, they tore every stone from every stone.

It is clear from the passage that he is talking about two different events; this is to occur twice. The first time was in 70 A.D. [actually, ending at Masada] — the Romans, Caesar, and the Roman Empire, Phase I. There is to be a later version of those same events — the Europeans, Antichrist, and the Roman Empire, Phase II (Europe). We know that there are two references because it is made clear in verse 27.

Prophecy telescopes out now…

27a He will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.

He is the prince — the Antichrist — who will come out of the Roman Empire [Phase II] (Europe).

The many is the Jews.

The seventieth week (week of years = seven years) will be triggered when the Antichrist makes a firm covenant (peace treaty) with Israel. This agreement will be brilliant.

Imagine This: The Antichrist will put an end to the Middle East crisis. He will come up with a solution where Israel will have a Temple and its ministries and services (priesthood, animal sacrifices). The Muslims will say Okay! because they will have a Mosque on the Temple Mount simultaneously. What the Antichrist will do is superhuman; however, he will pull it off.

27b But in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.

The Antichrist will make an agreement with Israel, and after three and one-half years into the seventieth week, he will turn his back on them and break the agreement.

The Daniel 9:226-27 passage is clear to us because we can look back and see the on-going battles of the Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman [Phase I] Empires. And unlike commentators as recent as one hundred years ago, we can look also look forward because we see the development of the Roman Empire, Phase II. The existence of the Roman Empire at the End of Time does not baffle us.

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