While I respect my good friend M. J. Agee's opinion:
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/may2006/marilyna515.htm
>>>"Please reconsider your position that Dan. 9:27 applies to Christ. It doesn't. It can't."
When one uses absolutes like, "It can't"; them's fighting words to many of us that consider the best interpretation is not only that it can apply to Christ, but it does apply to Christ, who is both our Prince and our Messiah.
For example, EAR, who I thought had a reasoned response which posted the same day, states::
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/may2006/ear515.htm
v.27 The Covenant - Concerns the work of Messiah in confirming the covenant, and what happens as a result of Messiah being cut off in the midst of the final 70th week.
I realize that many of us have expressed our opinions regarding the "70 weeks" already on 5 Doves and in books that we may have written, myself included, and I don't know, well I actually doubt, that any reasoned response I can give will dissuade anyone who has long formed opinions regarding the subject. But here goes.
I suppose we should look first at the context of Daniel 9:27, starting at verse 24:
24: 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.
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.
The first question to answer is the identity of the "he" in verse 27. Is it really true that it "can't" apply to Christ? Since the sentence starts out with, "and", we know it is a continuation of the previous sentence and the pronoun "he" must be defined somewhere earlier. We have two nouns in the previous verse (26), Messiah and prince, and one pronoun, "himself" which refers to Messiah. And in the previous verse to that (25), we have the same two nouns, Messiah and Prince, and the identity of the Prince is clearly defined by equating Him to the Messiah in the title, Messiah the Prince". The Messiah is the Christ. Messiah and Christ both mean "anointed one". So to say that the "he" in verse 27 "can't" apply to Christ the Prince but must instead apply to, say the beast of the sea in Revelation 13:1 of the New Testament, is an absolute I "can't" agree with.
That said, I would also have to take exception to EAR stating that Messiah was cut off in the midst of the final 70th week. I would agree that He (Jesus Christ) was cut off after 62 weeks as it states in verse 26. I would also agree that He (Jesus Christ) confirmed the covenant with many as it states in verse 27, when He was cut off, a similar term to the animals that were cut asunder when God confirmed the same covenant with Abraham. This covenant was not "made" when Jesus Christ was cut off. It was confirmed. This covenant is the one God made with Adam for one week, for the redemption of many, for all those that would believe and accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah, their Prince.
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. Romans 5:15
Couldn't help but notice that Romans 5:15 is like the date 5/15 when the two posts above appeared on 5 Doves.
It also should go without saying how long the covenant God made with Adam for one week is:
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. II Peter 3:8
Okay, I guess I can't end now without giving my interpretation regarding the rest of these verses since we really have only explained the 62 week period that after which Messiah was cut off. That leaves 7 weeks that verse 25 says will be the time between the commandment to restore Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince. This same verse says that there would be (future then, past now) 62 weeks between the commandment to build Jerusalem and Messiah the Prince. Since we know there is not just a first coming which was in the past, but a second coming which is in the future, we would expect a prophecy that encompasses, (per verse 24) the determination, the outcome, of both the Hebrew Nation and their Holy City, Jerusalem, both of which currently exist, this prophecy cannot be complete as of right now, neither the 7 weeks nor the final unmentioned week that is needed when one adds 7 to 62. (I will not take issue with those that see a partial fulfillment of the 7 weeks as is done by some by adding 7 + 62 prophetic weeks of years and subtracting from 445 BC, the date pointed out by EAR)
While the posters on 5 Doves all seem to have very different views regarding a comprehensive interpretation of the 70 weeks, which is great for stimulating thinking and discussion, as far as I know, only John Nelson and I have expressed the view that the 7 weeks in verse 25 should be applied to June 7, 1967 as prophetic years to arrive at when we should expect His 2nd coming. If there are any others that share this view I would be most delighted to hear from you.
Shalom,
Ted Porter
(And we know that before the 2nd Coming, will first come the falling away, the Rapture, followed by the revealing of the man of sin).
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; II Thessalonians 2:3