Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9:24-27) are an important and pivotal portion of End Time Scripture. I have long struggled with verses 26 and 27 in the King James Version (KJV). Part of my struggle is with phraseology and part with the use of pronouns. Who is being referred to? Here is Daniel 9:26-27:
“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: 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 unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 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 Lord Jesus and the Apostles, when quoting Scripture, were quoting from the Septuagint (LXX) translation. The LXX is a Greek version of Old Testament Hebrew and was translated between the Second and Third Centuries before the time of Jesus.
There are two English translations of the LXX; the translation of Charles Thomson (1808), which has been later revised, and the translation of Lancelot Brenton (1845). I have compared the Brenton, Thomson and KJV and find them to be in agreement in principal.
The following is the Brenton LXX amended by the Thomson LXX and the KJV. I believe you can see the theme and principal is the same:
"And after the sixty-two weeks, the anointed one shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment (crime – Thomson) in him: and he(?) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming: they(?) shall be cut off with a flood, and to the end of the war which is rapidly completed he(?) shall appoint the city to desolations. And one week shall establish (confirm – KJV) the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away: and on the temple (overspreading the Temple - KJV) shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation." – Daniel 9:26-27The prophecy of the Seventy Weeks is divided into three sections; seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and the last week. The seven and sixty-two total sixty-nine weeks, leaving only one week. Scholars have computed the time from the announcement of the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25) in about 445 B.C. until the Crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, and have found it to agree with the prophecy.
This fits the prophecy that after the sixty-two week period the Anointed One, the Messiah, would be “cut off,” and there was no crime, or sin, found in Him.
In the following line, clearly the Lord Jesus did not destroy the city and the Temple. Apparently, the “he” referred to here is the Roman General Titus, and “the prince that is coming” refers to the person we generically call the anti-Christ. “They” are apparently the people living in Jerusalem at the time of the destruction in 70 A.D. Again, “he,” or General Titus did in fact appoint the city to destruction. It was basically leveled, with the exception of the Roman fort, and was renamed Aeolia Capitolina. This scenario matches the historic account. The pronoun references are my best guess.
When reading this, or any other, prophecy, please consider that the Creator of all things is able to prophesy one event that is also a foreshadow of another, yet future, event. The next verse (9:27) refers to a seven-year covenant. You will notice that this Scripture does not say that the anti-Christ will make a covenant or treaty. It merely notes that there will be one.
What is interesting is the prophecy that after three and one-half years, sacrifice and drink-offering will be stopped. The ministry of the Lord Jesus was about three and one-half years, and by His death He certainly stopped sacrifice and drink-offering. Does this verse refer to the New Covenant instituted by the Lord in Jeremiah chapter thirty-one? I believe so.
The three and one-half year ministry of Jesus was to the “lost sheep of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24) Perhaps the three and one-half year Great Tribulation will be a time of ministry to Israel and will fulfill the remaining portion of the covenant.
Whether it deals with the covenant or not, the Abomination of Desolation described in Daniel 9:27 certainly aligns with the prophecy of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 24:15) and the statement made by the Apostle Paul (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
The very end of verse 27 also fits with other prophecy. When the Lord Jesus returns, He will put and end to the desolation. The Return of Jesus will bring the six-millennium long age of sin and rebellion to an end. The Millennium of Peace will begin (Revelation 20:1-4), and then the End will come (Revelation 21:1).
Reading the English translation of Daniel chapter nine in the Septuagint has made it easier for me to understand this passage of the Bible. To me, it makes more sense, and it correctly aligns with other prophecy and Scripture. I pray that this has been a blessing to you, also.