Daniel and The End Times

The words Gabriel spoke to Daniel recorded in Daniel 9:24-27,

²⁴ `Seventy weeks are determined for thy people, and for thy holy city, to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and to bring in righteousness age-during, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies.

²⁵ And thou dost know, and dost consider wisely, from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem till Messiah the Leader [is] seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks: the broad place hath been built again, and the rampart, even in the distress of the times.

²⁶ And after the sixty and two weeks, cut off is Messiah, and the city and the holy place are not his, the Leader who hath come doth destroy the people; and its end [is] with a flood, and till the end [is] war, determined [are] desolations.

²⁷ And he hath strengthened a covenant with many — one week, and [in] the midst of the week he causeth sacrifice and present to cease, and by the wing of abominations he is making desolate, even till the consummation, and that which is determined is poured on the desolate one.’  (YLT)

A prophesy was given to Daniel who had been asking for understanding of the scriptures he had found in Jeremiah chaps. 25 and 29 which told of the return from Babylonian captivity of the remnant of Israel to Jerusalem after 70 years.  Gabriel told Daniel what would happen to Daniel’s people – thy people – and Daniel’s holy city – thy holy city – after their return from Babylon.

We can therefore know that the prophesy was limited to Judah and the remaining tribes of Israel, and to their city, Jerusalem. (Dan. 9:7) The prophesy does not concern any other tribe or nation.

Gabriel also told Daniel the time period of the prophesies – “Seventy weeks…”  The Hebrew world translated as “weeks” was shavuim, which is literally “sevens.”   This is a mistranslation as “weeks” in Hebrew is shavuot.  Therefore, seventy sevens, and it is understood as a multiple of years because of the context and background, just as it is used in Lev. 25:8 for the seven sevens of sabbatical years.

Daniel had been asking about the 70 years he found in the book of Jeremiah, and was wondering how long the desolations of Jerusalem would last. (Dan. 9:2)  Gabriel was correcting Daniel, and telling him that the desolations would not be finished at their return to rebuild Jerusalem (70 years), but would be finished upon seventy sevens of years, or 490 years. 

Daniel had thought that the return to rebuild Jerusalem would signify the end of their desolations, but he had not yet understood what he had asked for…. the end of the desolations of Jerusalem and the remnant of Israel.

All of the events prophesied in verse 24 were to occur by the 490th year of that time period!  None of the events in verse 24 would happen after the 490th year.

So we have the time of the prophesy, 490 years; and we have the people and city of the prophesy – the Judeans and Jerusalem.

The point to consider is that if any one of the events prophesied in verse 24 can be identified as having already occurred, then all of them have been completed!  So let’s look at them. 

1) “to shut up the transgression”  or  “to finish the transgression” (NKJV)

Transgression is breach of trust, sin, rebellion, trespass against God.

What transgression?  The answer is Isa. 53:8, “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.“

1 John 3:4, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

Christ Jesus fulfilled this prophesy when He was crucified at the cross in the first century A.D.  He took all of the sins of all of the people throughout the world for all time, backward and forward on to Himself.  (Isa. 53:5; John 1:29; 1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:4; Heb. 9:15; 1 John 2:2; 4:10, etc.)

2) “and to seal up sins”  or  “to make an end of sins”  (NKJV)

This is not speaking of ending the sins on the part of mankind.  It is speaking of the end of sin offerings.  To seal up, or shut up sins was cutting off the continual and constant animal sacrifice for sins.   Christ became the sin offering when He died on the cross for our sins in the first century A.D.

Isa. 53:10, “ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.”

Jer. 33:18, “Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.“

Heb. 10:4-6, ” For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.  ⁵ Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:  ⁶ In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.”

Heb. 10:11-12, ” ¹¹ And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:  ¹² But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;“

3) “to cover iniquity”  or  “to make reconciliation for iniquity”  (NKJV)

To cover, to reconcile is to make an atonement.  

Rom. 5:10-11, ” ¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.  ¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.“

2 Cor. 5:18-19, ” ¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;  ¹⁹ To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.“

Rom. 4:7, ” Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”

This was fulfilled by Christ Jesus at the cross in the first century A.D.

Can you guess by now where this is all going?  We have identified three of the six prophesies of verse 24, and they have all been fulfilled by Christ’s death at the cross.  But, we will proceed and identify the last three.

4)  “to bring in righteousness age-during”  or  “to bring in everlasting righteousness”  (NKJV)

Jer. 23:5, ” Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.“

Jer. 33:15, ” In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.”

Rom. 5:17, ” For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)  ¹⁸ Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.“

1 John 2:29, “ If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.”

To bring in the everlasting righteousness was to bring in the righteous one of God, the promised seed, Christ Jesus.  And, when did He come?  When He was manifested on earth, and then crucified at the cross in the first century A.D., and afterward ascended to the Father.  Everlasting righteousness is now available to all who call on Him.

5) ” to seal up vision and prophet”   or  “to seal up vision and prophesy”  (NKJV)

To seal up means to finish or complete, to put an end to, or to cease.  This is a result of the previous prophesies, that by fulfilling all of the prophesy Christ has completed them, and there is no more need for prophesy or revelation. 

Christ brought an end to the vision and prophesy at His second appearance in that same generation of His crucifixion at the cross.  The Revelation given to John who lived to see Christ’s coming in A.D. 70 was the completion of the desolation of Jerusalem, which was the beginning point of these prophesies to Daniel.  (See previous posts for The Whore of Babylon and the Signs of Revelation under more stories above.)

6)  “to anoint the holy of holies”  or  “to anoint the Most Holy”  (NKJV)

To anoint is to consecrate for a special office, to appoint to office for service; specifically, the Messiah, the anointed one, Christ Jesus.

Only the high priest could enter behind the veil into the holy of holies in the tabernacle of the wilderness, and later in the temple in Jerusalem.  He did so once a year on the day of atonement to offer the sacrifice for the sins of the people.  (Lev. 16:30; Heb 9:7)

When Christ died on the cross, the veil before the holy of holies was torn in two.  (Matt. 27:50-51).  The tearing of the veil signified the removal of the barrier of sin between God and the people, and that Christ had entered into the holy of holies once for all time for atonement of the sins of the people. (Heb. 10:10)

Christ became our High Priest after the order of Melchisedek. (Heb. 7:15-28)

Heb. 10:19-21, ” Having, therefore, brethren, boldness for the entrance into the holy places, in the blood of Jesus,  ²⁰ which way he did initiate for us — new and living, through the vail, that is, his flesh –  ²¹ and a high priest over the house of God,”

Christ is not only our High Priest, He is the temple! 

Matt. 1:6, “ ⁶ and I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here;”

John 2:19-21, ” ¹⁹ Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  ²⁰ Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”  ²¹ But He was speaking of the temple of His body. ²² Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them;^[c] and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.”

Rev. 21:22, “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.“

His blood, shed for the sins of the world, anointed the holy of holies, the Most Holy of the temple of His body. This negates the argument that futurists and the so-called Jews occupying present day Israel put forth that the anointing spoken of in Dan. 9:24 is of a place and not a person.  The anointing that took place at Christ’s death on the cross was of both a place and a person, because He is both the High Priest and the temple.

Christ fulfilled all of the prophesy of verse 24 in Daniel chap. 9.  He completed all of verse 24 at the cross, and He completed the desolation of the holy city in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Roman army in A.D. 70, which was His second appearance in that generation.  (Heb. 9:28)

Therefore, the 490 years of the prophesy was completed by A.D. 70. 

Verse 25 continues, expounding on the same prophesy.  It tells of the division of the 490 years into 49 years for the rebuilding of the city and the temple in troublesome times which are detailed in chap. 11 covering about 400 years of secular history from Xerxes, the 4th king after Cyrus, to Julius Caesar;  and the time unto the appearance of Christ.   (See history detailed at Daniel Chap 11)

Verse 26 and 27 continues further to tell of the cutting off of the Messiah, the same Messiah anointed in verse 24.  His cutting off, His sacrifice in mid week of the 70th “week” was the reason that sacrifice and oblation ceased.  The animal sacrifices the Jews continued to perform after Christ was crucified were of no effect; they became profane.

After an interval of 40 years to allow for the preaching of the gospel of Christ, the last 3-1/2 years of the 70th “week” was finished at the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 when “the people of the prince” – the Roman army – came to destroy the city and the sanctuary.  That was the overspreading of the abominations, the abomination of desolation, the end of the desolations of Jerusalem which Daniel had asked to know.

God sent Gabriel to answer the question that Daniel had asked, but it wasn’t quite what Daniel thought he had asked.   Daniel had asked about the end of the desolations of his people Israel, and God did not fail to answer. 

Dan. 12:6-7, ” ⁶ And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

⁷ And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”

Time, times and an half; or 1260 days; or 42 months; or 3-1/2 years… the last half of the last “week” was finished when the power of the Israelites – the holy people – was scattered at the destruction of Jerusalem and their temple in A.D. 70.

The message left Daniel reeling (Dan. 10:1-3; 17) so much so that he even asked the question again about the end of these things (Dan. 12:8).

The imposters in the current state of Israel who call themselves Jews acknowledge that the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel was the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Roman army in A.D. 70.  They will admit this was the “end” of the war spoken of by Gabriel in verses 26 and 27. 

But, they refuse to see that the prophesies of Dan. 9, verses 26 and 27 are linked to those of verses 24 and 25.  They deny that Christ was the Messiah who fulfilled all of verse 24.  They cannot have it both ways.  If they admit to one, they must admit to all.

By the same faulty reasoning, the futurists will admit that Christ was the Messiah prophesied in Dan. 9:24, but they parse the time periods of verses 25 – 27, insert a 2,000 year gap between the crucifixion and the kingdom, and still look for the abomination of desolation as some future war of Armageddon in some other country or nation than Judea (the remnant of Israel) in which Christ appeared so long ago.

Neither one of them can see that all of Daniel 9:24-27 is linked and that if any of it happened then all of it has happened within that 490 year period just as Gabriel told Daniel it would. 

Daniel had thought there must be more for Gabriel to tell him because he did not get the answer he was hoping for… specifically of a restored earthly, national kingdom of Israel.

Just as many today are striving, fighting, and conspiring to make happen, they believe that the scriptures tell of an everlasting physical kingdom on earth.  But, that was not the message to Daniel, and it is not the message to us. 

The everlasting kingdom, the everlasting righteousness, the temple not made with hands is in Christ Jesus!

So, when they point to the events happening today in Syria, Israel, Iran, and the Middle East they are watching a scenario actively engineered by the Zionists and Jesuits out of their own desire for power and control over all the nations on earth.  As snake-oil salesmen, they then manufacture a false belief that these prophesies have yet to be fulfilled to sell to unsuspecting Christians.

They are trying to force God’s hand, and are committing murder and violence and genocide upon thousands of people, all to get their own way.  All because of false pride, false ideology, and false religion, and very much like a spoiled two-year old child.

There is much more scripture to consider regarding these prophesies in the previous posts, especially those of It’s Not The End of The World, Parts I- X; The Seventy Weeks of Dan. 9; The Beast of Revelation, The Whore of Babylon, The Signs of Revelation, Parts I – VIII.  All posts are also at https://shreddingtheveil.org.

Sources: Young’s Literal Translation (YLT), KJV and NKJV.  All bold emphasis is mine.