A leader will confirm a covenant with Israel and many nations.
In this article, we’ll take a further look at the person who will confirm this soon-agreed-upon covenant? But I should ask a burning question that’s on many people’s minds.
Is a soon revealed peace agreement the same ‘covenant’ that will start the tribulation week? You may have an opinion on this. Many people do. If so, let me know what you think. But I’ll jump in first. I do not believe the current peace talks will result in the specific agreement which the angel Gabriel revealed to Daniel. The covenant has a particular spiritual focus in mind. The covenant between Abraham and the Lord is the most likely covenant that was in mind when the angel spoke to the prophet. We can read about that covenant in Genesis.
If this is the covenant to which the angel referred, which I believe it is, then no peace deal will become the trigger point that begins the tribulation week. Daniel’s words seem to imply that the tribulation week starts on the same date that this covenant is confirmed.
And I refer to the final period as the tribulation week because it will be the final week of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy.
It’s Gabriel’s prophecy, not Daniel’s
Daniel was an excellent servant of the Lord. And he seems to have been one of the godliest men written about in all of scripture. He deserves all the appropriate praise we can lavish upon him. But this famous prophecy came directly from one of the Lord’s most high-ranking angels. So, in that sense, it’s Gabriel’s prophecy.
The angel said this to Daniel, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one week.” At this point in our study, we have reached a collection of valuable nuggets of truth in the Book of Daniel. We are now looking at probably the most contentious part of a hotly debated subject. And it’s for that reason that I’m covering less ground with the latest articles on this subject. This is now the second article covering the same passage. And there will be more. There are more key points that are worthy of discussion in Daniel 9:27.
Below you’ll find verses twenty-six and twenty-seven.
Gabriel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9:26-27)
26Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end, there will be war; desolations have been decreed.
27And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week, he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”
And he shall confirm:
The one who will confirm a covenant is a leader who has been targeted in the scriptures by several prophets. He will be both a military and a political leader. Daniel writes about this leader many times, but with various titles and identifying phrases. Look at the following verses as an example of the numerous times Daniel prophecies about this future leader. And these are just five among many verses in which Daniel refers to this man.
Daniel 7:25
In the 7:25 verse, we find some words that the Apostle Paul used when describing this future leader. As we proceed, we’ll take a dive into how Paul used Daniel’s words and expanded the prophetic picture we have of this mysterious person.
Daniel 9:26
Then in this verse, we see that the future leader arrives on the scene after the death of the Messiah. But this is also where we find the pause in the mathematical equation. It was assumed that the equation would continue to the end of the 490 years without a pause. But some prophecies are not clear until we see the fulfillment. Other verses in this article will show that what Daniel describes in verse twenty-six is a still-future event.
The ruler will destroy Jerusalem, but the first-century destruction did not fulfill the words of the prophecy.
Daniel 11:22
In chapter eleven of Daniel’s prophecies, we gain other valuable insight into past and future events. But for this context, I’ll point out that this future leader is seen in numerous battles with other nations and leaders. Thus we learn that the Antichrist won’t be the all-powerful leader that many people have suggested. He will be occupied with war through the entirety of his short, nearly seven-year rule.
Daniel 11:28
The Antichrist will have success as he fights to claim dominance over those who oppose him. In this verse, we read about some of the riches and success. Then we also read that he begins to contemplate “the holy covenant.” This is the same covenant that he confirmed at the beginning of the last week of Daniel’s prophecy. We also read that he returned from battle to his own country. That country will almost certainly be the nation of Turkey, not Rome or some European nation. I’ve discussed that in other articles. See here or here.
Daniel 11:30
From here, we can see some mysteries unfold and become more clear. This final week started with the confirmation of the covenant. But as troubles continue on the battlefront he becomes agitated toward the covenant. The anger that will stir in him is going to be specifically directed at the Jewish people and the fact that they worship God, not him. Jealousy will begin to boil in the Antichrist.
Daniel 11:32
Here, we have another fascinating verse that helps tie up some loose ends in Bible prophecy. The future leader of the ten-nation confederacy will take counsel from those who are bitter about the renewed religious fervor of the Jews. In this verse, we see that some will “do wickedly against the covenant.” Flatteries will fly in many directions. The Antichrist will receive flattery from those who seek power. And the Antichrist will flatter those who do violence against the Jews and Christians who hold to a belief in the One True God.
Yes, you read the last sentence correctly. The Bible doesn’t teach that Christians will escape this period of persecution. It is this writer’s belief that this passage is more specific to Christians than the Jews. The Jews will practice the Old Testament sacrifices. Their understanding of Christ’s sacrifice will still be a mystery to them. All Christians living at this time will be filled with the Spirit of God. As this verse says, “The people who know their God will be strong and do exploits.” The outpouring of God’s Spirit in the last days will lead to many miracles.
Cross-references and additional key verses
Matthew 24:15 The Abomination of Desolation
So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand).
These words were spoken by the Lord in his Olivet Discourse. He points directly at the prophet Daniel. And in doing so, Jesus creates a huge problem for the prophecy model known as Preterism. In that model, the adherents believe that most Bible prophecies were fulfilled during the time of Christ or shortly after. The abomination is especially troublesome for that theory. They insist that the abomination was fulfilled in one of a few possible ways. I’ll mention one of them. The Romans destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. When the Roman legions came into the city, they brought in banners bearing the symbol of eagles. According to the theories of some preterists, those banners with eagles upon them were enough to fulfill the abomination of desolation prophecy spoken by the Lord.
But Daniel’s words and later, those of the Apostles John and Paul paint a much different picture than eagles stitched on banners.
Also, it’s clear that something or someone must stand inside the holy place in order to fulfill the prophecy. Bible prophecy is confusing in many areas. But that’s no excuse to turn everything into an allegory in order to force fulfillment into certain events.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 The Man of Lawlessness
3 Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed.
4 He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Do you not remember that I told you these things while I was still with you?…
Now in these two verses, the Apostle Paul builds upon what Jesus and Daniel spoke and wrote about. The world will experience a time of great deception during the last week of Daniel’s prophecy. That’s similar to what the Lord said. But then he adds the fact that a rebellion or falling away will occur. Those who claim allegiance or obedience to faith in God will rebel. We learn in other passages that those who rebel will give their allegiance to the false leader of Daniel’s prophecy. The one who will confirm the covenant will inspire this rebellion. Paul calls him the man of lawlessness.
In verse four, Paul writes something that every Preterist wishes he hadn’t. This man of lawlessness will seat himself in the temple of God. The preterist doesn’t believe there will be a future temple in Israel. And for that matter, they don’t believe the current state of Israel has anything to do with Bible prophecy. And as Paul points out, this future leader will proclaim himself to be God. Nothing of that nature happened in the first century AD. And that’s another big problem for their ideas.
Daniel 11:36 He speaks against the God of gods.
Then the king will do as he pleases and will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will speak monstrous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must be accomplished.
If we jump back into Daniel, we see this verse. Paul clearly used this verse to build his case as to the identity and actions of the final ruler of humanity’s rebellion against God. And please notice when this rebellion of the Antichrist will end. He will lead the “successful” rebellion against God until the time of wrath is completed. When will the wrath of God be finished? Well, it’s not finished yet, though the preterist will try to argue that it is. No, the final week of Daniel’s prophecy awaits another seven years. As we learn in the Book of Revelation, the bowls of God’s wrath are the last judgments. And they are poured upon the kingdom of the Antichrist.
2 Thessalonians 2:7-9 The Man of Lawlessness
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and abolish by the majesty of His arrival. 9The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder.
As Paul continues, the increasing amount of details makes it clear we are looking at a future series of events. His comments about the “mystery of lawlessness” is similar to something we find in John’s short letters near the end of the New Testament. What Paul adds is that something or someone is keeping the final leader hidden from the world. At some point, the Antichrist will be revealed. As we read the Book of Revelation, the revealing of the Antichrist appears to happen at the mid-point of the tribulation week.
And now take note of the Lord’s role in slaying the Antichrist. Jesus will kill him with his words. He may take his breath from his lungs with a mere whisper or perhaps a shout. We don’t know. But Jesus will slay the final ruler of the rebellion against God.
The last ruler will confirm a covenant.
Here are the points I don’t want you to miss. All of these events are in the near future. The timing of which is still unsure. We looked at several verses that point to a mysterious leader. The leader will commit the abomination of desolation. That wasn’t a collection of banners carried by the Roman army. It can’t be. But it will be one man who curses God and stands in a future Jewish temple. Paul made that clear.
That leader is the Antichrist and at an unknown date and time, “He will confirm a covenant with many.” We can’t be certain what this confirmation will look like. Many people have guessed that it will peace a peace treaty. That may or may not be true. But once it happens, the clock starts ticking. And from that point on, the tribulation week will begin. Seven years, and then eternal judgment will stare everyone in the face. In the exact middle of the week, the world will see the abomination of desolation. And the persecution of Jews and Christians will increase at historic levels.
It will be worse in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. But it will become a worldwide catastrophe. And no, the rapture of the church will not happen before these events begin.
Let’s look once more at Paul’s words to be sure.
The man who will confirm the covenant arrives first.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5
1Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,
2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
Below, find a video summary of this prophecy book created and presented by The Bible Project.
Let me know what you think.