Daniel Gives Us The Definitions Of The 70th Week Of Daniel

This 70th week of Daniel 9 Decoded Bible study shows you how Daniel defined the terms; people, prince and covenant, which are used in the seventy weeks of Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy.

Prophecy teachers give narratives about the ‘people’ being the Roman army, the ‘prince’ being Titus or the antichrist, and the ‘covenant’ being an end-times Israel peace agreement by the antichrist. But those definitions are out of context with the passage, and they skew our ability to see what the prophecy is declaring.

When we study a particular passage, we need to look to see how Scripture defines the key terms that are being used, particularly how the same author defines them, especially when the author uses them in the same chapter and context. Try to put aside any preconceived notions about this prophecy and just look at the definitions which are provided for us by Daniel.

When you read all of Daniel 9, you see that he is praying about what will happen to the Jews after their release from captivity. You see how Daniel defines the terms; people, prince and covenant. And you notice that he’s not praying about the end times or the antichrist.

Here’s The People And The Prince Part One.

Here’s The People And The Prince Part Two.

Daniel tells us in verses 16, 20 and 24, that the ‘people‘ are the Jews.

O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. Daniel 9:16

And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Daniel 9:20

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

So when we get to Daniel 9:26, we understand that the ‘people of the prince’ are still the Jews.

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.

The Jews are the people of Messiah the Prince, for He is of the tribe of Judah.

Daniel associated the title of ‘prince‘ to Messiah in verse 25, so we should still apply the title of prince to Messiah in the next verse.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks. Daniel 9:25

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. Daniel 9:26

The ‘prince that shall come’ is Messiah, as that’s the primary topic of this prophecy. It’s telling us that He comes after the sixty-nine weeks are fulfilled, meaning in the 70th week.

It doesn’t make sense that the prince is Messiah in verse 25, and then it’s Titus or the antichrist in the next verse. The Hebrew word is the same. It’s still Messiah.

This congruency tells us who the ‘he’ is in Daniel 9:27, the primary subject of Daniel 9:25-26, Messiah the Prince.

These verses call Messiah the prince.

And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. Acts 3:15

Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:31

Daniel has already told us that the ‘people‘ are the Jews, so in 9:26-27 he is declaring that the ‘people of the prince,’ the Jews, would cause the desolation of the temple and the city, because of their overspreading of abominations.

It was Titus and the Roman army who carried out the desolation, but Daniel is pointing to the abomination of the Jews which caused Jerusalem, the temple and the Jewish nation to be desolated in 70 AD.

The phrase ‘of the prince that shall come shall’ is a modifier which tells us more about the people, the Jews. If you remove the modifier, the verse reads, ”and the people… shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”

Here’s how the Jews’ abominations caused the desolation of Jerusalem and the temple:

In Matthew 23, we see that Messiah cast woe judgments upon the Jewish nation because the religious leaders continued in their rebellion against the Heavenly Father and they rejected His Son and continually sought to kill Him.

Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. Matthew 23:34-36

The Jews chose to free a known murder, Barabbas (which means ‘son of the father‘) and they delivered the innocent, righteous Son of the Father up to be killed, which was an abomination.

Though Messiah’s one-time blood sacrifice ended the need for temple animal sacrifices, the Jews continued to make them, which was an abomination. And Josephus documents that the Jewish leaders made sacrifices for Rome in the temple twice a day, which was an abomination.

Daniel 9:26 mentions the ‘war of desolations.’ During the Jewish-Roman War of 66-70 AD, the Jewish Zealots sought to overthrow the Roman army at any cost, and their wicked behavior caused hundred’s of thousands of Jews to die in their civil war, which was an abomination.

It caused the normally peaceable Titus, who wanted to save the temple and Jerusalem and the Jewish people, to desolate them, as he was so disgusted by their wicked behavior towards their own people.

So we can see that it was the ‘people of the prince,’ the Jews, who caused the desolation of Jerusalem and their temple.

In Daniel 9:4 we see that Daniel is pleading with the Father to remember His ‘covenant of mercy, to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments.’

When talking about the seventy weeks of Daniel 9 prophecy, people tend to only focus on the four verses of Daniel 9:24-27. But context is everything and the prophecy in the last four verses of Daniel 9 is a result of Daniel’s prayer in the previous verses.

Read Daniel 9:3-19 and you see that Daniel is pleading for mercy and forgiveness for the Jewish people, as he knows that the majority of Jews are still in rebellion against the Heavenly Father. He knows that they’ve become steeped in the Babylonian Mystery Religion of pagan-god worship during their captivity.

Daniel understands that the seventy years of captivity is almost over and he’s wondering what will happen to the Jews. He’s not praying about the ends times or the antichrist. Those things are totally out of context with the chapter.

In Daniel 9:4, he appeals to the Heavenly Father, who keeps the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments.

Recall when Abraham obeyed the Heavenly Father and took Isaac up to sacrifice him. Isaac asked his father, where is the lamb? Abraham told him that the Heavenly Father would provide a lamb. That day, the Father provided a ram for the sacrifice; but they understood that one day the Father would send the spotless lamb for the atonement of their sins.

In Daniel 9:4, Daniel is pointing to the everlasting covenant; by which Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, etc., and all who believe by faith are saved. The everlasting covenant needed to be ratified with the blood of the spotless Lamb.

Romans 15:8 says that Messiah confirmed the promises that were made the Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc.

Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers.

Galatians 3:17 points to the everlasting covenant that was confirmed by Messiah.

And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

Hebrews 13:20 relates Messiah’s blood atonement with the everlasting covenant.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.

Hebrews 7:22 tells uses the word “surety,” which means “to pledge” as a “bondsman.“ Messiah agreed to be the surety, the bondsman, who would confirm the everlasting covenant with His blood.

By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant.

The covenant that He ratified with His blood is better, because He atoned for our sins, and our role is the love the Father with all of our heart, mind and soul; and to love our neighbor’s as ourselves; which fulfills the ten commandments. We don’t do this for salvation, but because of our thankfulness for our salvation and reverence for our Heavenly Father.

The covenant in Daniel 9:27 was an answer to Daniel’s prayer about the covenant in verse 4, in that Messiah the Prince was sent to confirm the everlasting covenant with His blood, which atoned for our sins, and ended the need for temple animal sacrifices.

The 70th week of Daniel has nothing to do with the end-times or the antichrist. To assign it to such, is to dismiss Messiah’s fulfillment of this prophecy which validates the authority of Scripture and the deity of Messiah. The seventy weeks of Daniel 9 prophecy were fulfilled in seventy consecutive weeks.

The studies on the website prove out the fulfillment. And the book proves a much more detailed explanation.

You can get a copy on The 70th Week Of Daniel 9 Decoded home page.