“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:” (Daniel 9:27a).

This begins one of the most important and least understood verses in this series. Because of this, we are going to go carefully through its key words.

This verse refers to the last “seven” of the seventy of the sevens – “one week.” Within its confines we will observe the completion of God’s purposes for His people. Recall verse 24: Within the time period of 490 years – the seventy weeks of years – all sin would be put away, everlasting righteousness would be established, the chazown vision would be completed and everything would become holy once again. Time breaks within this seven-year period with the death of the Messiah and the sacrifice and oblations no longer being of any use. But “everlasting” (olam) – the most distant of times – eternity – is to begin at the week’s end!

That may make some uncomfortable, having strictly historical views. What is God contextually saying? This prophecy sweeps history and terminates when the controversy with evil ends. It is when righteousness (tsedeq), the legal resolution of all spiritual conflict, ends with holiness in a people God can wed (Revelation 19). He has been trying to rivet that concept into our understanding since 8:14, when His people are made holy and righteous – when the adjudication process begins.

We’re not eager to “toy with” or debate the gap theory; and that is exactly what it is, a theory with a terrible gap where the last week of the 490 years is artificially thrown into the future. We must analyze in context the meaning of the Hebrew words. The beauty of chapter 9 is repeated in the book of Revelation relative to the heavenly invitation. There, many promises associated with “he that overcometh” in the “144,000’s victory” are given. Daniel 8–12 is a preface to that amazing book, including this verse.

“he shall confirm the covenant”

This presents an important challenge. Who will confirm the covenant? The Hebrew word for “confirm” is gabar. In Aramaic it suggests “rise or restore.” But here in Hebrew its meaning is rich and affirming. In the verb tense (hiphil) used here it means confirms or validates the covenant.

Messiah the Prince ratifies what began in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were promised a way of escape from the death penalty. The beauty of promise expanded and matured as God communicated His thoughts to His people.

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight” (Hebrews 13:20-21a).

“And this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33). That is holiness restored.

A covenant implies a transaction between two sides. God has put man on a timed probation. Man’s part of the contract must be completed within those timelines. Daniel acknowledged in his prayer that God kept His side of the covenant.

What if man doesn’t keep his part of the agreement? God reveals a remarkable principle about His justice in Genesis 6:3: “My Spirit shall not always strive with man.” Noah was then given 120 years of probation. In Daniel 9 the completion of the covenant was to be accomplished in 490 years. This time its termination would occur at the very end of time.

What would cause God to cease having a covenant of mercy toward mankind? There are many endpoints in the Scriptures. Examples include the end of the sixth millennium (Great Week of Time – Leviticus 25 setting), the gospel to all the world (Matthew 24:14), when God senses wickedness so deeply He wishes He hadn’t created man (Genesis 5:5-6), when “the first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Revelation 21:1).

The last week of the 70 is Messiah-driven. Heaven pulls all stops to give God’s people a note of mercy and the sound of justice. The Rescuer comes and is anointed or set apart for His mission. He is killed by the people He came to save in the middle of this last week. In spite of this, before and after (3½ years and 3½ years) He continues to affirm His love, His promises and covenant of grace. That is the note of mercy.

An essential observation to focus on is the significance of this 490-year period – now in its last week. As the clock strikes the end of the 70th week, everlasting righteousness will have entered, the opposition of Satan and his agents will have forever ceased and the heavenly courts will be cleansed of blood transactions. Daniel 9:24 is end-of-time restoration language. It goes way beyond 34 A.D.!

Before the cross He pleads His life of love and mercy. After the cross the disciples do the same as His representatives.

“For seven years after the Saviour entered on His ministry, the gospel was to be preached especially to the Jews; for three and a half years by Christ Himself; and afterward by the apostles.”[1]

“Jesus Christ was a minister … to confirm the promises made unto the fathers” (Romans 15:8).

“with many for one week”

“Many” (rab) is presumed to be an adjective referring back to the Princes’ people – “many people.” Confirming the covenant continues in a special way for one (echad) week. This refers to a cardinal number and implies unity of its individual timed parts (Exodus 26:6, 11; 36:13; Genesis 2:24, 34:16; Ezekiel 37:12; Malachi 2:5). That week is to be a unified whole in the context of restoration and redemption. “Week” here is once again shabuwa – a “seven-period.” That is a perfect number. But we saw that imperfect, hellish Satan split that perfect whole into three and a half and three and a half. Three and a half is prophetically imperfect and associated with evil.

Satan or his agents will war against the covenant (b@ryth). Why? It establishes everlasting righteousness. It legally binds Satan and restores holiness to the universe. The covenant is destructive to Satan and any of his followers. He is doing everything to block its completion and, in turn, keeping the seventy weeks probationary period from ending!

This is depicted in chapter 11 in an end-time setting:

•     The king of the north “shall be against the holy covenant” (11:28).

•     He shall “have indignation against the holy covenant” (11:30).

•     Those that do “wickedly against the covenant shall be corrupt by flatteries” (11:32).

Satan or his agents war not only against the covenant but against the covenant Maker and covenant people for “one week” or a total of seven years. That is a prophetic unit of time. It will be split in two but must be put back together. Echad shabuwa is a whole. That is why there are several 1260-day (3½-year) prophecies in Daniel and Revelation. They show how the seven will be once again put back together. The last probationary week must be a whole because its last year is a Jubilee Atonement year when the covenant is complete and man’s restoration occurs!