Daniel 9:24-27 is the prophecy of the seventy weeks apportioned for Israel and for the holy city. According to history, from the time that Cyrus the king of Persia issued the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Christ was crucified on the cross was a period of seven weeks and sixty-two weeks, that is, four hundred eighty-three years. After this, there is a period of grace, the age of the church, that separates the sixty-nine weeks and the last week. Therefore, of the seventy weeks apportioned by God for Israel, only the last week remains to be fulfilled. In this lesson we will see the prophecies in the Bible concerning Israel in the last week.
After Christ’s ascension, the Lord’s prophecy in Matthew 24:1-2 was fulfilled when Titus, the prince of the Roman Empire, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple of the Jews in A.D. 70. This also fulfilled the prophecy in Daniel 9:26: “The people of the prince who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” After the destruction of the city and the sanctuary, the children of Israel had no way to offer sacrifices and oblations in the temple. This situation will continue until the last week. At the beginning of the last week, Antichrist will make a covenant with the many (v. 27), agreeing that the Jews can offer sacrifices to worship God in the restored and rebuilt temple. Hence, Antichrist’s making a covenant with the many and the Jews recovering their worship in the temple are an indication that the last week of the seven years has begun.
During the first half of the last week, Antichrist will be kind to the Jews. However, in the middle of the last week, that is, after three and a half years, his attitude will change. Although he initially agrees that the Jews can offer sacrifices to worship in the temple, he will change his attitude and begin to mistreat the Jews. Daniel 9:27 says, “In the middle of the week he [Antichrist] will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” Antichrist will order the Jews to stop worshipping God and offering sacrifices.
In Matthew 24:15 the Lord Jesus spoke of seeing “the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place.” Antichrist will stop the Jews from worshipping God, exalt himself as God, and put his image in the temple. This is an abomination in the eyes of God. Verse 21 says, “At that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until now, nor shall by any means ever occur.” This great tribulation will last for three and a half years, that is, the second half of the last week. This great tribulation will have Jerusalem as its center and Judea as its circumference.
Revelation 12 says that the dragon is defeated and cast out of heaven to the earth. This will be the beginning of the great tribulation of three and a half years. After coming to the earth, the dragon will stir up the beast from the sea. Therefore, when John saw the dragon standing on the sand of the sea (v. 18), he also saw a beast coming up out of the sea (13:1). This beast is Antichrist.