i think that based on all the different textual variants of Daniel 9:26, it’s at least clear that a ruler or governor comes to destroy the city and sanctuary of Jerusalem.
from the New Testament, it’s made even clearer as to why the city and sanctuary are destroyed: for crucifying Christ and killing the servants of God.
Matthew 21:37-41 “They will respect my son.’
38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’
39And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons”
Matthew 22:6-7 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.
7The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
Matthew 23:35-36
35so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah,
f whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
36Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Luke 19:43-44 For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side
44and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Luke 21:20-23 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near.
21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it,
22for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
23Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.
100% agreed. My own difficulty was with figuring out all of the pronouns surrounding this king and the Messiah. I've had a number of different views, and was affected, naturally, by the more popular views today.
However, I often find deeper assurance by resorting to older commentaries and the early Church Fathers. None of them are perfect, of course. But what's new under the sun? Did God really wait for you and I to come along and figure it out for the Church?
So much of what can be said about it has already been said, except that some things do obtain more relevance the nearer things get to the culmination of all these things. In this case, however, we're never told this is eschatology, ie in ch. 9.
Rather, we're told this is about the temple and Jerusalem, and about their destruction by the Abomination of Desolation, which I believe is the Roman general. And I don't think there should be much debate that Luke 21 indicates this very thing. And Luke 21, therefore, explains Matt 24 and Mark 13, which say the same things somewhat differently, because they all represent the same Discourse!
So here are the pronouns I'm talking about...
Dan 9.25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, (1) 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 will be put to death (2) and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. (3) 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.’ (4) In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. (5) And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." (6)
Currently, my theory is that...
CHRIST
1) "until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes" is Christ, which is a major focus of the prophecy, promising that 6 things will be accomplished at this time, terminating Jewish lawlessness and providing a means of forgiveness.
2) "the Anointed One will be put to death" is Christ's crucifixion by the Romans.
THE ROMAN GENERAL
3) "The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary" represent the coming of the Roman general with his army to destroy Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD.
4) "He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven" indicates the Roman general (the office--not a specific person) indirectly supports Christ's earthly ministry in the final and 70th Week, regardless of whether the full "Week" is completed. The ministry and death of Christ confirmed God's aim, under the Law, of providing a lasting sacrifice for sin. The Roman general "confirms" Christ's covenant simply by exercising authority and control over Israel during the time of Christ's ministry. It does not appear to be a "peace treaty," as is often suggested.
5) "In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering," ie, in the middle of the 70th Week the Roman general will somehow terminate sacrifices and offerings under the Law, which I believe took place via the crucifixion of Christ. This happened after 3.5 years of Christ's earthly ministry, and ended the 70th Week in its middle. If the Roman general confirmed the covenant of Christ's earthly ministry for 3.5 years, he also completed the Week by crucifying Christ in the "middle of the Week."
6) "At the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him" indicates what Christ said in his Olivet Discourse, that in his generation the Roman armies would surround Jerusalem and ultimate destroy both Jerusalem and the temple. The "end" to be poured out upon the Roman general may actually refer to the end of Roman Civilization at the return of Christ because Christ said the act of destroying the temple and Jerusalem in his generation would lead to an age of Jewish Tribulation, ending only at the end of the age. That's when I think Roman Civilization will be finally and fully punished.
Roman Civilization, aka European Civilization, is much like Israel herself. Israel was given the greatest gift, to know the true God and to have His Law, by which they could be blessed. In the same way, when Israel finally came to a full failure under the covenant of Law, God gave His New Covenant to Roman Civilization, resulting in tremendous blessing through the centuries. But like Israel, European Civilization is falling and will be fully judged.
Sorry I'm so long with this. As I said, for me this is an interesting subject, and I've been studying it and reading about it for a long time. And certainly the translations and original languages play into its interpretation--not easy.
