A number of years ago I sat down with some preterist’s who were convinced in their view of Daniel 9.25-27 is Jesus breaking the covenant and becoming the abomination that makes desolation. This view becomes one of the most distorted errors of the Scripture I have ever encountered. Since then it has come up a number of times and needs to be addressed.

As with anything, before we dissect the Scripture and certain words to arrive at its correct interpretation we must read it in its context. This is not something that can be explained quickly though it can be explained in a simple manner.

Daniel 9:24-27 "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.”

v.25 "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.

V. 26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.

v.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 shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."

A period of 490 years is decreed for the people of Israel. The purpose is bringing to completion Gentile history and fulfill prophecy; reconcile their iniquity and have the Messiah (the anointed) as king (v.24). The first 483 years of this 490 year period has been fulfilled by the First Coming of Jesus. In the first sixty-nine sevens (483 years), Jerusalem is rebuilt during troubled times 445 BC. The rebuilding of the wall which brings us next to Jesus time in the first century (there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks). The weeks are grouped together and distinguished.

We find Daniels 70 weeks prophecy is broken up into three portions, (490 prophetic years, 360 days in each year) V. 25 speaks of the time until the Messiah there is 7 weeks and 62 weeks which makes this a total 69 weeks. Leaving one week left (the 70^th), seven years are put aside on the prophetic time clock which concerns Israel. These last seven years are often called “The Seventieth Week of Daniel” which are the seven years of the Great Tribulation. They are put aside because Israel needs to be returned to the land for any of this to be fulfilled as other scriptures describe pertaining to Daniels prophecy.

V.24 states “there are Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.”

What is the transgression? Israel in unbelief. To anoint the Most Holy has to do with the Temple in the Millennium. The Tribulation cannot begin until a covenant is signed by Israel which begins the 70 weeks prophesied to run to its completion. The main purpose of the 70^th week is to bring the Hebrews, the nation of Israel back into belief of God, specifically to accept Yeshua as their Messiah.

The seventieth seven, the last seven is the seven years of the Great Tribulation. These seven years are portioned in halves; 3 1/2 years each. Described in Daniel as a time, times and half a time (Dan. 7:25). In Revelation, these half’s are referred to as “1,260 days” (Rev.12:6 and as “forty two months” (Rev. 11:2-3; 13:5); the term "times" means two years, "half a time" means one half of a year. Which equals 3 1/2 years. Three interchangeable terms are used in the Scriptures denoting the last part of the Tribulation. They are 3 ½ years, 1260 days, or 42 months.

Daniel is writing the correlation of one future event (69 weeks) with another future event (in the 70^th week) "The Prince that shall come," becomes one of many titles in the Old Testament of the coming Gentile world leader.

The rules of grammar in the Hebrew apply here, as many point out a pronoun must go back to its nearest antecedent. The nearest is the he in verse 26 the prince that shall come. This he (who most believe is the False Messiah known as The Antichrist) makes a covenant in verse 27, shall confirm a covenant.

Dan. 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.” Which coincides with 2 Thess. 2:4 that Jesus spoke of in Mt.24:15.

Confirm is the Hebrew gabar- to prevail, to have strength, to be strong, to be powerful, to be mighty, to be great. This covenant is made with many; not with all.

Notice that this covenant is confirmed at the beginning, and midway though the contract is broken, the sacrifices are ended. In Jesus'  covenant they are ended when he is sacrificed.  Furthermore, Jesus’ covenant is eternal and is not a covenant for week (nor does he break his covenant in the middle of this week.) This is not Jesus that brings an end to sacrifice in the middle of the week, which is the 70^th week (though he did bring an end to sacrifices by himself Heb. 7:27; 9:12, 26,27; 10:10 as he stated at the end of his crucifixion ”it is finished,” the 69^th week)

As Peter writes of this stone, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame, in this matter act hastily(1 Peter 2:6).

The nationality of the people who destroy the city and the sanctuary are the Romans which took place in A.D. 70. In Daniel 8:11-12 we have another type of abomination that occurred before Jesus was born. Antiochus Epiphanes committed an Abomination the name he took, “Epiphanes,” calling himself “Antiochus Epiphanes”, the manifest God.” When he took the temple by force He erected a statue of Jupiter and sacrificed an unclean animal defiling the sanctuary.

Israel has not had a temple since 70 A.D. By the time the Tribulation takes place a temple will be built and sacrifices will be reinstituted in Israel. The building of temple could be one of the conditions of the treaty (as they have almost all the temple’s items already built today, the only need the structure). Scripture speaks of a physical building that the man of sin will enter to declare he is God. Paul refers to this in 2 Thess. 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

None of this can take place unless Israel is in her land has autonomy able to make her own decisions for the covenant to be made (so it could not happen in the first century with Israel under Rome). This is in the future, not past, because prior to this Paul describes this taking place during the time of the falling away from the faith which has been taking place in our time. The Antichrist will betray Israel, break his agreement with them. Like Antiochus, like the Romans, the Antichrist will stop the sacrifices, desecrate the Temple and desolate the city doing far more than his shadowy predecessors did.

Daniels vision is of the end. Dan 12:4"But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."V.9 And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”

1Thess. 5:2-3 “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

(The Day of the Lord is the whole Tribulation) This last 7 years comes suddenly and begins the countdown to Jesus return.

Paul said all of Israel will be saved (Rom.11:25-26). This happens with them going through the tribulation (Zech. 13:7-9)

V. 26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”

So we have Jesus cut off (meaning death in the 62 +7 weeks) and the people of the prince who is yet future (not the prince of peace) destroy both the city and the sanctuary (the Temple). Who was this? The Roman army, categorically the Gentiles.

Keep in mind that Preterist’s believe that Jesus returned in AD 70 to destroy the sanctuary and dispersed Israel fulfilling prophecy.

When he (this prince to come) takes his place of power it is called the Times of the Gentiles. Contradicting the Antichrist as being a Jew.

Luke in 21:24 "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. (Which is different than Rom. 11:25 the fullness of the Gentiles - for salvation)

The biblical type of the Antichrist that we see in history is found in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes, a Gentile we went in and defiled the temple.

Abomination of Desolation is given in Daniel 9:27: “And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that makes desolate”

The sacrifices are stopped in the middle of the 70^th week (Tribulation) which tells us that they have been going on at the Temple (that will be rebuilt) for 3 ½ years. This passage speaks of the breaking of the agreement (that was to last 7 years) of the false Messiah has between Him and Israel.

He will take the Jewish Temple away from them, sit in the Holy of Holies, proclaim himself to be God and call upon the whole world to worship him. Their acceptance of his claim to deity will be signified by their taking of his name and mark of six hundred and sixty-six. This takes place in the middle of the Tribulation, as he goes into the temple declaring that he is God.

How do we know this? Jesus explained this very event in Matt 24:15-22 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house." And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes." But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." 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.

"And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

Why would he tell his people in Israel to run from this event if it’s his covenant, if it is him doing this? The warning of the abomination of desolation, will mean a life or death, they are to immediately act. Jesus warns them of this event and person so again it cannot be him (the prince). The prince goes after the Jewish people to eliminate them (Jesus rescues the Jewish people when he returns, or no flesh would survive). So for this to occur Israel must be returned into the land (which is what we have been seeing since 1948).

Jesus says this is when the Tribulation comes into its greater judgments (v.21) and the false messiah into his full power (the last 1260 days, 3 ½ years.)

This prince turns from his mission of being a political leader to a religious one and his real intent is made known to the whole world.

Rev. 13:4-6 “So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. (this gives us the timing of 3 ½ years till his end) Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.”

The Tribulation lasts one week (7 years). From the sixty-ninth seven to the seventieth seven there is an undetermined gap of time (the church age). Paul in Ephesians 3:5 calls this a mystery which was hidden from the Old Testament writers.

The confirming of the false covenant with Israel begins the tribulation which ends with Christ returning to the earth with the church glorified and He saves Israel.

All this confirms we are not in the Millennium and neither has the Tribulation taken place or is taking place. More importantly, that Jesus is not the abomination of desolation.