Two rulers or one ruler in Daniel's 70 week prophecy?

Question

In Daniel 9:25-27, which the angel ("man") Gabriel states

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One (or an anointed one), the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One (or an anointed one) will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’, he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple, he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him,”

there are two separate instances of the word "ruler"; one refers to the Anointed One, the ruler, and the other refers to the ruler who starts the last 'seven' and ends the daily sacrifice. My question here is whether or not we can truly say that the instances of these "rulers" are separate since they are both nagids in the Hebrew version of Daniel. After all, Saul was an anointed ruler, but still fell from glory; so why couldn't this anointed one be twisted by Satan into something malevolent?

I understand that some might object to this as the anointed one, the ruler, and the anointed one who is cut off are perceived as one and the same (that is, Jesus Christ). However, if the vision and the recorder of the vision, really intended on making this clear, wouldn't they have repeated that the anointed one, the nagid (or prince) would be cut off and have nothing? Although it might seem trivial to many, this difference would be crucial in the passage's interpretation.

Answer 1

Will try to provide some clarification on a few things without the presumption. There are two characters, but I believe the ruler(s) is the same individual.

This may be confusing in English and different biblical versions translate things very differently, but if you look at the underlying Hebrew things become a little clearer.

The Anointed One, who is identified as the ruler in Hebrew is "māšîaḥ" or "messiah". This is Jesus, who was put to death as the final sacrifice (thus ending the time of sacrifice and offering) and begins the tribulation (Rev 1:9). You can thus interpret the 'people of the ruler' to either be the Israelites or simply any people since Christ died for all. In the details of the destruction of the temple destroyed by the Romans, it was the rising up of rebels in Jerusalem that prompted the reaction from Rome that led to the destruction of the temple. This could be what is being referenced.

The second character is the Abomination of Desolation, in Hebrew "šāmēm". The "him" at the end of the passage is the same word, "šāmēm". It's unclear if this character is a group of people, a specific individual, or a personification, but it is this character who has the insinuated judgment "poured out" onto them.

In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks about the Abomination of Desolation directly from Daniel, but he doesn't mention the "Anointed One" because the assumption is that he is that character. Instead, he only discusses the desolation and connects it with end times and coming deceptions. There is a lot to be said about similarities here and with Satan in Rev 20 as well as Apollyon/Abbadon in Rev 9.

One thing to keep in mind as well is that biblical prophecy is often both symbolic and layered. Meaning the same prophecy may be fulfilled several times and apply to multiple contexts (part of the brilliance of the scriptures) and when you see heavy amounts of numbers and time, it's best to understand that symbolically.

Answer 2

Many responses had already discussed the interpretation of the seventy seven. I'm not going to repeat. I am using the literal understanding to answer the question.

In verse 25, the ruler was called the (an) Anointed One. In verse 26, the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. Then the people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.

Logically, if the first ruler, the Anointed One was said to have put to death, then the second ruler must be someone else, unless the Anointed One was not physical dead, but spiritual dead. This perhaps is your question;

why couldn't this anointed one be twisted by Satan into something malevolent?

I did give it a thought but if this hypothesis was true, historically could we find anyone that fitted into this prophesy? And what message did this tell us? There were so few a person can remain their righteousness in their whole life. The Bible tell us the Lord's punished those remained evil, and gave kindness to those who repented. What could be the message of this hypothesis that the Anointed One turned evil and destroyed the sanctuary? and how was it essential to be written in Bible?

Another question is: "Why couldn't the writer make it clear that there were two rulers"

My answer is, not just this question, the whole Bible has a lot of questions and that is why the Biblical Hermeneutics created. In my observation, many events in Bible did not make it clear from the beginning to the end. However, the purpose of reading Bible is not to read a fiction. We are reading to know God, His righteousness, judgement and kindness.

I believe the last seven has yet to come. When it comes, it is the tribulation when would be the time we cry out hallelujah to the 2nd coming of Christ.

Answer 3

I will start by quoting the comment that the Net Bible links to the point marked [67] in this passage of Dan 9:25:

"there will be a period of seven weeks [67] and sixty-two weeks."

[67] tn Heb “sevens” (also later in this line and in v. 26).

sn The accents in the MT indicate disjunction at this point, which would make it difficult, if not impossible, to identify the “anointed one/prince” of this verse as messianic. The reference in v. 26 to the sixty-two weeks as a unit favors the MT accentuation, not the traditional translation. If one follows the MT accentuation, one may translate “From the going forth of the message to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince arrives, there will be a period of seven weeks. During a period of sixty-two weeks it will again be built, with plaza and moat, but in distressful times.” The present translation follows a traditional reading of the passage that deviates from the MT accentuation.

Recalling that king Cyrus the Great is called "anointed" in the book of Isaiah:

Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: (Is 45:1)

and that the time from the destruction of Jerusalem to Cyrus' edict to rebuild it [1] is 587 - 538 = 49 years, i.e. seven weeks, it is clear that the decree that the author of the book of Daniel means in "the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem" is the divine decree, which God issued as soon as Jerusalem was destroyed. Note that this is fully consistent with God having decreed from eternity that Jerusalem would be destroyed and later rebuilt, because it is only God's issuing of the decree to restore Jerusalem what comes after Jerusalem's destruction, not the conception of the decree in God's intellect. Because, in order for people to make sense of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, the decree has to be issued once Jerusalem has been destroyed.

So, the "anointed one, a prince" of v. 25 is Cyrus the Great.

Moving on to v. 26 after the (symbolic) 62 weeks, the "anointed one" that "will be cut off and will have nothing" is High Priest Onias III [2], whose murder in 171 BC at the behest of his second successor, the hellenizing High Priest Menelaus [3], marked the beginning of the 70th week, in the middle of which Jerusalem was taken and ravaged and the Temple desecrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes [4], whose death in 164 BC marked the ending of that week.

So, the "prince" of v. 26, who is also spoken of in v. 27 as the one who "will confirm a covenant with many for one week" and "in the middle of that week" "will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt", as well as the "one who destroys", is Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus%27s_edict

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onias_III

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menelaus_(High_Priest)

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IV_Epiphanes

Answer 4

Peace.

There are 2 rulers being spoken of here in Daniel 9.

The Messiah the Prince is one Ruler and is Jesus who is called Christ the Son of God.

Daniel 9: KJV (25) 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: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

The 2nd ruler (or prince) is “another Jesus” that is being preached by false prophets. The false prophets are the “people of the prince that SHALL COME”.

This counterfeit “Jesus” (the other “prince”) that false prophets preach is claiming to be the true Jesus the Christ but is not the true Christ but is instead the “antichrist”… a “Jesus” who is the instead-of- Christ (antichrist = instead of Christ).

(26) 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.

The people (the false prophets in these last days...the last week) of the “prince that SHALL COME” do not acknowledge in their preaching that Jesus Christ IS COMING now in the flesh…in our mortal flesh where His eternal life is set to be made manifest outwardly.

They are preaching that “Jesus” (their “prince"…another Jesus) SHALL COME sometime in the future and are not looking for Him to be coming now in our mortal flesh.

1 John 4:1-3 KJV (1) Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

This is the test….every breath (spirit) that does not confess (acknowledge in their preaching) that Jesus Christ IS COMING now in our mortal flesh is not of God while those who do preach it are of the Spirit of God.

There are many false prophets preaching “another Jesus” who SHALL COME and not preaching that the true Jesus Christ IS COMING now in our mortal flesh.

(2) Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

The false prophets are preaching that their prince “Jesus” (“another Jesus” ) SHALL COME (the prince that “shall come”). They are the people of the “prince that SHALL COME”.

They are not looking for the life of the true Jesus who is the Christ (the Messiah) to be actively coming in our mortal flesh which gives our mortal bodies His eternal life now in this earth.

The spirit of antichrist is preaching through false prophets that Jesus SHALL COME (their “Jesus” shall come in the future) and is not preaching that the true Jesus Christ is coming NOW in our mortal bodies.

Again, they are the people of the prince that SHALL COME (their “Jesus” the instead-of-Christ) as that is what they are preaching and we have all heard that their “Jesus”…their “prince”…. SHALL COME.

Jesus…the prince that “shall come”… is not correct as He IS COMING now in our mortal flesh. Their "prince" is another prince.

(3) And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

But THE Jesus (the real Jesus) whose life is coming now to our mortal flesh shall be manifest in due time as we keep His “daily” sacrifice in our mortal bodies.

We are to always (daily) bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus (His daily sacrifice) so that His life which is coming now shall be made manifest …appear….in our outer mortal flesh. He that is coming shall appear and not tarry. He comes quickly.

2 Corinthians 4:10-11 KJV (10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

We which live are always delivered unto death (the daily sacrifice) through Jesus’ sake so that the life of THE (definite article)Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. We always die to sin as Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that His resurrected eternal life appears in our outer mortal flesh in the here-and=now.

(11) For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

The spirit of the antichrist is not preaching this but instead cuts off the present coming of the Messiah by preaching that He “SHALL COME” and by the removing of the keeping of the Lord’s “daily” sacrifice in our lives. He has nothing as many are being deceived about the timing of the coming of Jesus.

They are the “people of the prince that SHALL COME” and not of the Prince of Life who IS COMING now in our mortal flesh. They are serving their “prince” that “shall come” and not the Prince of Life who is coming. They want us to receive their prince and not The Prince of Life. By doing receiving their prince...another Jesus, the Prince of Life is killed out of our own lives even though God has already raised Him from the dead.

Acts 3:14-17 KJV (14) But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; (15) And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. (16) And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. (17) And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

They...the people of the prince that shall come... are enemies of the cross of Christ as they deceptively remove the keeping of the daily sacrifice out of our lives so that His eternal life never appears outwardly in our mortal flesh.

Who shall declare His generation? His life is being cut off out of the land of the living.

Isaiah 53:8-9 KJV (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.

His grave is made with the wicked and the rich in His “deaths”…..plural in Hebrew. His eternal life is not being made manifest in this earth because of the many false prophets handling the Word of God with deceit even though the real Jesus was and is NOT found with deceit in His mouth. They are leading MANY astray down the broad way that leads to the destruction of their mortal flesh as the eternal life of Jesus is never made manifest (His “deaths”) in those that are being deceived.

(9) And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

In the midst of the “week”….the seven…he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.

Daniel 9:27 KJV (27) 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.

One of the heads (of the “seven”) of the beast (the false Jesus the instead-of-Christ) had his deadly wound healed and all of the world (that is, earth) followed after the beast.

The real Jesus Christ is the “Lamb” slain (and not a predator wild animal…. beast) as we are to keep His daily sacrifice (the Lamb) in our mortal bodies by always dying to sin (the Lamb slain)so that His eternal life appears. The healing of the deadly wound is the causing of the daily sacrifice to cease.

Revelation 13:3 KJV (3) And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

All that “dwell on the earth” ….those who are not focusing on those things above (love, peace, joy, gentleness, patience, etc)…worship “another Jesus” as preached by earthly-minded false prophets who are not preaching that Jesus is coming now but that He “shall come” in the future sometime. They are the “people of the prince that SHALL COME” and are living in divisions, envy and strife and hatred of one another.

They are found not written in the book of life of the "LAMB SLAIN"..as those who "dwell on the earth" do not keep the daily sacrifice so that His eternal life should appear outwardly in their mortal flesh.

Revelation 13:8-9 KJV (8) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (9) If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Those who “dwell on the earth” are not mortifying (killing) the deeds of the body through the Spirit of God as the beast (another “Jesus”….the name of blasphemy as he is not the real Jesus Christ) that they worship has his deadly wound “healed”. They are not keeping the daily sacrifice of the real Lord Jesus Christ (the Lamb slain) and are perishing…dying…by continuing to live after the flesh.

Romans 8:12-14 KJV (12) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. (13) For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Those who “dwell on the earth” worship “another Jesus”….one that is not the “Lamb slain”…as they settheir affections on things on the earth and not on the things above. Those who "dwell on the earth" are led astray by false prophets and perish from off this earth.

Colossians 3:1-6 KJV (1) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (2) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (3) For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

Christ our life now shall appear (in our mortal flesh) and when He does manifest, we appear with Him in glory.

(4) When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Without the keeping of the daily sacrifice….without deadening our members which are “upon the earth”, we shall perish under the wrath of God which comes on the children of disobedience (those people who “dwell on the earth” in their focus).

(5) Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (6) For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

No wonder that the false prophet makes “fire come down from Heaven”….ON THE EARTH…on those who children of disobedience who “dwell on the earth” as they dwell on their envy, strife, hatred, wrath etc and have not put to death those things by the keeping of the daily sacrifice…the Lamb slain. The wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience who are deceived by the false prophet into worshipping "another Jesus".

Revelation 13:13-14 KJV (13) And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, (14) And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

The “people of the prince that shall come” worship “another Jesus” ….the name of blasphemy upon his heads.

Revelation 13:1 KJV (1) And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Answer 5

Two rulers or one ruler in Daniel's 70 week prophecy?

The short answer is, that there are two separate rulers in question here.

The 70 weeks prophecy actually begins in Dan, 9:24 and this verse ends with.... an anointing to be carried out in the most holy place, the last of 6 fulfillment's regarding the Jewish people and their holy city (Jerusalem). All 6 points of contention/fulfillment here, being brought about through Christ's death and subsequent resurrection, but not forsaking the PROPHETIC 40 year period from Christ's death up to and including the mass suicide at Masada (33 AD - 73 AD).

It would appear that compensation for all of the Jews errors, with respect to the Law Covenant was achieved as a result of the first 3 fulfillment's, i.e. to finish their transgression; make an end of sin and make atonement for their iniquity. The 4th fulfillment saw the value of the anointed one's death, which was to provide reconciliation for all repentant believers, for everlasting righteousness's sake. The 5th fulfillment, regarding the sealing up of vision and prophecy most likely came to it's conclusion in 73 AD (more on this date later). In verse 25 we are introduced to the anointed one, who is non other than the Messiah, who started his ministry some 3.5 years prior to the end of the 69th week (more on this timeline later). Verse 25 reads:

"So you are to KNOW and DISCERN that from the issuing of a decree to RESTORE and REBUILD Jerusalem (NOT the Temple, that was the earlier decree of Cyrus, the Persian) until MESSIAH the Prince (RULER), there will be SEVEN weeks and SIXTY-TWO weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress."

.....these were to be weeks of (360 day) years...483 years (69 x 7 years, 1 x 7 years shy of the full 490 years), 173,880 days, to be more precise. If this number was to be divided by regular days in a year i.e. 365.2422 one would arrive (after rounding) to 476 years only, whereas 483 is to be the all important (prophetic) number. Let me explain: The angel Gabriel, appearing to Daniel as if a "man", informs Daniel that he is to KNOW and DISCERN the relevant decree, to RESTORE and REBUILD Jerusalem, leading to the MESSIAH. The question should be: "Are we talking, birth; beginning of ministry; death; or even ascension??? Let me give you a clue and it's to do with that number 483.

The most popular consensus, among many a theologian, as to which decree (involving Israel) starts the countdown to the MESSIAH, is the first decree of ARTAXERXES I of Persia, in 458/7 BC (7th regnal year), which involved the Jewish priest Ezra. BUT, they use the modern 365.2422 year and base their calculations on an erroneous 27 AD baptism and 31 AD death of Jesus, instead of the 29 AD and 33 AD truth. See: "7 clues tell us precisely when Jesus died..." https://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/when-precisely-did-jesus-die-the-year-month-day-and-hour-revealed

If on the other hand, we take the second decree of ARTAXERXES I, the less popular consensus, which was in 445/4 BC (20th regnal year), which involved the Jewish leader, Nehemiah, rather than Ezra, this is the ONLY decree, especially when taken from the Spring of 444 BC - when using the, more relevant to the time, (360 day) year - that can survive the math. Artaxerxes' first regnal year started in the Spring of 464 BC (20 years before 444 BC), even though his father XERXES died in August of 465 BC. This was due to the murderer of Xerxes, i.e. Artabanus (one of the king's ministers) usurping the throne, for apparently 7 months, before Artaxerxes killed him.

NOW, if we count down 483 (360 day) years (remember the "0" year), or 173,880 days, from the Spring of 444 BC, we come to the Spring of 33 AD, the proven season and year of Christ's "DEATH", not baptism........

NB: Jesus, while having been anointed/infused with holy spirit at his baptism, in 29 AD, did not become truly anointed until after his death (after the 69 weeks), the true anointing came (6th point of fulfillment in Dan, 9:24) in the heavenly realm when Jesus ascended to sit at the right hand of God in the Holiest of Holies.

SECOND RULER

Now we come to Dan, 9:26, as follows:

" Then (immediately) AFTER the SIXTY TWO weeks (69 weeks of years in actuality) the MESSIAH will be cut-off (CRUCIFIED) and have nothing, and the people (armies) of the prince (RULER) who is to COME (Roman General Titus, who after his princely duties, then became Emperor), will destroy the city and the sanctuary (Jerusalem and it's Temple). And it's end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined."

[ All bible verses in this presentation are taken from the NASB (the words in capitals, brackets and italics mine)]

As the Roman General Titus had still to COME, after the 69 weeks had already ended, this proves there to be a gap between the end of the 69th week and the start of the 70th week amounting to some 33.5 years. Bare with me:

You should remember that Dan, 9:24a, was to also involve destruction of the Jews HOLY CITY (Jerusalem), which of course did not happen in 33 AD. It was 37 years later when the SECOND RULER, Titus was to destroy the city and sanctuary (Jerusalem and it's Temple) i.e. in 70 AD, right slap in the "MIDDLE" - whereupon the STOP TO SACRIFICE AND GRAIN OFFERING aspect of the 70th week was fulfilled, due to everything being destroyed - of an incredible (off and on) 7 year siege (see: First Jewish War by Flavius Josephus, 66 AD thru 73 AD, which contrary to further popular opinion, most probably indeed amounted to the 70th week of our said prophecy (culminating in the fulfillment of the 5th point of Dan, 9:24) although the Dispensationalists beg to differ, in no uncertain terms. According to them the 70th week has not even happened yet, but that's another story.

Answer 6

Two rulers or one ruler in Daniel's 70-week prophecy?

Daniel 9:25-27 King James Version (KJV)

25 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: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

26 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.

27 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.

There are two rulers the "Messiah the Prince (Vs 25 and 26a) and the "prince that shall come and destroy the city" of Jerusalem.(Vs 26b)

The "prince that shall come and destroy the city" of Jerusalem, is none other than Titus the Roman general, son of Emperor Vespasian of Rome that led the Roman armies, which laid siege to Jerusalem in 70 C.E. Eventually like a flood, the Roman armies entered and desolated the city and destroyed its temple.

The standing of Roman pagan armies in the temple was the "abomination of desolation" spoken by the prophet Daniel.

Matthew 24:15 (KJV)

15 When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Answer 7

This passage, IE: the seventieth seven, is about the exploits of the Messiah, "the ruler of my People, Israel":

[2Ch 6:5 NKJV] (5) 'Since the day that I brought My people out of the land of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel in which to build a house, that My name might be there, nor did I choose any man to be a ruler over My people Israel.

[Mat 2:6 NKJV] (6) 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.' "

Brenton LXX Dan 9:27

• "And one week shall establish the covenant with many:"

[Heb 9:16-18 YLT] (16) for where a covenant is, the death of the covenant-victim to come in is necessary, (17) for a covenant over dead victims is stedfast, since it is no force at all when the covenant-victim liveth, (18) whence not even the first apart from blood hath been initiated,

[Luke 22:20 CSB] (20) In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

• "and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away:"

[Heb 10:3-10 CSB] (3) But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. (4) For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (5) Therefore, as he was coming into the world, he said: You did not desire sacrifice and offering, but you prepared a body for me. (6) You did not delight in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings. (7) Then I said, "See -- it is written about me in the scroll -- I have come to do your will, O God." (8) After he says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law), (9) he then says, See, I have come to do your will. He takes away the first to establish the second. (10) By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.

• "and on the temple the abomination of desolations;"

[Jer 7:30-34 NLT] (30) "The people of Judah have sinned before my very eyes," says the LORD. "They have set up their abominable idols right in the Temple that bears my name, defiling it. (31) They have built pagan shrines at Topheth, the garbage dump in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they burn their sons and daughters in the fire. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing! (32) So beware, for the time is coming," says the LORD, "when that garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. They will bury the bodies in Topheth until there is no more room for them. (33) The bodies of my people will be food for the vultures and wild animals, and no one will be left to scare them away. (34) I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard in the towns of Judah. The land will lie in complete desolation.

[Mal 3:1-2 NLT] (1) "Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. (2) "But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes.

[Mat 23:34-38 KJV] (34) 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: (35) That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth [IE: the land of Israel], from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. (36) Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. (37) O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (38) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

While it is the Messiah that comes to execute judgment on Jerusalem, he does so, as the LORD always had done with Israel, by means of a foreign army:

[Isa 8:5-8 NLT] (5) Then the LORD spoke to me again and said, (6) "My care for the people of Judah is like the gently flowing waters of Shiloah, but they have rejected it. They are rejoicing over what will happen to King Rezin and King Pekah. (7) Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River--the king of Assyria and all his glory. This flood will overflow all its channels (8) and sweep into Judah until it is chin deep. It will spread its wings, submerging your land from one end to the other, O Immanuel.

Compare verse 6 above with...

[Mat 23:37-38 NET] (37) "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! (38) Look, your house is left to you desolate!

And verse 7 with:

[Isa 30:28 NLT] (28) His hot breath pours out like a flood up to the neck of his enemies. He will sift out the proud nations for destruction. He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin.

[Dan 11:10, 40 NLT] (10) However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy's fortress. ... (40) "Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the king of the north. The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood.

So the Ruler is the Messiah but the Abomination that actually effects the Jerusalem's house desolate is Titus' army Circa 70 AD. Titus and his army, but they are also described as Michael and his angels:

[Rev 12:7-10 NET] (7) Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. (8) But the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, so there was no longer any place left in heaven for him and his angels. (9) So that huge dragon - the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world - was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. (10) Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, "The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the ruling authority of his Christ, have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down.

Notice the literal version of Daniel 9:27:

[Dan 9:27 YLT] (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.'

The word translated "wing" can, and here, does, refer to an army:

[Isa 8:7-8 NLT] (7) Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River--the king of Assyria and all his glory. This flood will overflow all its channels (8) and sweep into Judah until it is chin deep. It will spread its wings, submerging your land from one end to the other, O Immanuel.

• "and at [ἕως = "until"] the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation."

[Isa 6:10-12 ASV] (10) Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed. (11) Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until cities be waste without inhabitant, and houses without man, and the land become utterly waste, (12) and Jehovah have removed men far away, and the forsaken places be many in the midst of the land.

[Luk 13:35 ASV] (35) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

[Mat 24:30 ASV] (30) and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth [IE: Israel] mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Answer 8

There are two anointed princes in the prophecy, one coming after seven weeks, the other after 69 weeks. The first one was a good prince. The Jews would like to think it was Cyrus, but they can't get the math exactly right. (Sounds familiar?) The second was a bad prince, one who would "cut off." Cut off doesn't mean crucified, as Christians would like to believe. It means removed from the congregation of the Lord. It's a very common expression throughout the Bible. In Genesis 7:14, those who are not circumcised are cut off. In Exodus 12:15 and 19 that fate falls on those who eat leavened bread during Passover. In Leviticus 7:27 and other verses it’s those who eat blood, a major sin in the Torah. In Leviticus 20:6 it’s the mediums and necromancers. In Psalm 37.9 it’s all the evil doers. And there are dozens and dozens of other examples. It always means the same thing. So, when Christians claim that Jesus was the prince of week #69 they are saying that Jesus is such a bad man that God rejected him.

The authors of the Christian Bible scoured the Tanakh with a fine tooth comb looking for any prophecy, and statement, any expression that might enhance their claim for Jesus as the long-awaited messiah. It is surprising, therefore, that they failed to take into account any of Daniel’s prophecies. It’s not that they ignored Daniel.The author of Mark noticed something interesting in Daniel 7:13-14, and John of Patmos also referred to Daniel 10:6. But none of the New Testament authors took note of Daniel 9. None of them made any messianic claim based on Daniel. Neither did any of the early church leaders. Justin Martyr (100-165 CE) was a strong proponent of messianic prophecies for Jesus, but even he failed to take note of Daniel.

So the seriousness with which Christians make such claims today is baffling, especially since all their math is long past due. No matter how creative they get in figuring out the seventy weeks, they can't make the last week last 2,000 years! And counting! They have to accept that Jesus could not have been the bad prince that God rejected. Shouldn't they be happy about that?

Answer 9

Titus and his army are men, not angels. I agree that Titus is that prince that both came to destroy the city in 70 A.D.--who afterward became a king (Emperor), then died, then who will come again as the resurrected king that was, and is not, yet is when he is finally resurrected.

Being a man, Titus was not judged before he died. Hebrews 9:27 firmly establishes the order of death and judgment:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (My emphasis)

That order applied even to Jesus, being a son of man who also had to die before being judged for the sin of the world. Titus, not being a believer, certainly also had to die before being judged, even as his false prophet, also, had to die before being judged.

Accordingly, the beast (Titus--the "prince" who Daniel was so concerned with--and the false prophet (Judas--the "prince of this world" who had nothing In Jesus, and who came to that place where Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place), will also both be resurrected according to God's established order, to be judged for their own sin because they both were unbelievers. Accordingly, they will both be first resurrected to rule during the first three and one-half years of Daniel's final 70th week of years, then be defeated by the WORD of God and cast alive into the "lake of fire".

This will happen a thousand years before any other man will be cast in there because no other unbelieving man will be resurrected until a thousand years after Jesus casts them into that lake of fire. No mortal man could withstand the eternal punishment of that lake of fire EXCEPT he is first resurrected for that judgment. Therefore, the beast and the false prophet will become the "first-fruits of eternal judgment" for every unbeliever.

Lucifer is Titus. the ruler of Babylon as extended to the eleventh ruler of the fourth beast--Rome. Titus--the greatly feared little horn--was the son and eventual ruling heir of Vespasian--that tenth big horn, including the three plucked-up-by-the-roots kings according to Daniel's prophecy--(Dan 11:20-21). These two rulers worked together as a father/son twosome to destroy the city of Jerusalem (Dan 11:27). Titus, that eleventh king of Daniel, is also that noteworthy eighth king of Revelation 17:11:

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. (Daniel 11:20) Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.

John does not include the three rogue plucked-up-by-the-roots kings because they will have already been considered and recognized as being those rogue civil-war anti-glory-of-the-kingdom "plucked-up ones" by the time that John's revelation is written and published.

NOTE: John's revelation was given to him (probably late) in Nero's reign. just months before Vespasian restored the "glory of the kingdom" following the civil wars (Dan 11:20, supra).

As to the timing of this reigh of first the beast and his false prophet, followed up by Jesus' victory over them and their subsequent punishment, 2nd Peter 3:3 declares:

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (My emphasis)

Read the 109th Psalm. Obviously, "That Wicked" of 2nd Thessalonians 2:5-12 is that wicked (Judas), having another wicked man (Titus) over him, with Satan who will stand at his right hand.

This is the order of death, resurrection, and judgment established by all Scripture. Peter was a "futurist". those who oppose his futurism must necessarily be considered as "scoffers".

Answer 10

SUPERNATURAL BEING

The prince in verse 26 is described as “the prince who is to come.” A few verses later we read of another prince who is “to come:”

"I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; … the prince of Greece is about to come. … Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince." (Dan 10:20, 21; see also Dan 12:1)

Since this is a supernatural being that is speaking here (Dan 10:16, 18), the princes against whom he fights, and the prince Michael who stands with him, are also supernatural beings. The NASB, quoted above, refers to them as “forces.” They are not human beings.

Since both the “prince of Greece” and the prince of Rome are “to come” (Dan 10:20; 9:26), it is implied that the prince of Rome in 9:26 is also a supernatural being.

The Messiah is also called a prince (Dan 9:25). Since He could say, “before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58) and, since the Baptist could say, “He existed before me” (John 1:30), the Messiah is a human being but also a supernatural being.

Each of the princes (of Persia, of Greece, and “Michael your prince”) represents a nation:

1. Michael is the prince of the nation of Israel (Dan 12:1).
2. Both the princes of Rome and “of Greece” are “to come” (Dan 9:26; 10:20). But the “prince of Greece” was to come sooner, for he was “about to come,” just like the empire of Greece came before the Roman Empire.

In conclusion, the prince in 9:26 is not a human being but a supernatural “force” (Dan 10:21) or being representing the Roman nation.