What Daniel 9:26 really means: Hope After Judgment

The 70-Week Prophecy and the Coming Anointed One

The vision in Daniel 9:24-27 lays out a divine timeline of 'seventy weeks' set over Jerusalem and the Jewish people, revealing how God will deal with sin and bring lasting righteousness.

This prophecy comes right after Daniel's heartfelt prayer for his people, who are still in exile and facing the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction. Gabriel appears to explain that seventy symbolic 'weeks' (or 490 years) are decreed to finish sin, atone for rebellion, bring in eternal rightness, and anoint the most holy place. The timeline starts with a command to rebuild Jerusalem and moves toward the coming of an 'anointed one, a prince' after seven weeks, followed by sixty-two more weeks leading to a tragic turning point.

Verse 26 marks a sudden shift: the anointed one is 'cut off' - a phrase often used for someone executed - and has 'nothing,' pointing to a suffering leader with no earthly power or kingdom. Then, the people of a future ruler destroy the city and sanctuary, as happened in 70 AD. War and desolation follow until the end. This moment is a hinge in history: the promised one arrives, but is rejected, and judgment falls, yet God's plan continues forward.

Unpacking the Symbols of Suffering and Siege in Daniel 9:26

This verse is packed with symbolic language that draws from deep Old Testament roots and Second-Temple expectations, revealing a pattern of divine judgment and redemptive purpose.

The phrase 'anointed one shall be cut off' uses the Hebrew word *mashiach* (Messiah), referring to a divinely appointed leader, often a king or priest - someone set apart by God, as when Saul or David were anointed (1 Samuel 10:1, 16:13). To be 'cut off' means to be suddenly removed, often by death, and without inheritance or legacy, a term used in Exodus 12:15 for those excluded from God’s people for breaking covenant. Here, it points to a leader who arrives with divine authority but suffers a violent, unjust end, having 'nothing' in earthly terms - no kingdom, no army, no lasting honor. This image echoes Isaiah 53:8, which says of the suffering servant, 'He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken,' clearly linking the Messiah’s death to atonement, not failure.

The 'people of the prince who is to come' likely refers to the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD, but the 'prince who is to come' himself remains mysterious, possibly a future figure tied to the final rebellion, as later described in Daniel 11:21-28 and echoed in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. The 'flood' that comes with destruction is a common Old Testament image for overwhelming judgment, like in Isaiah 8:7-8, where God allows a flood of enemies to sweep through the land because of unfaithfulness. 'Desolations are decreed' means this isn’t random. It’s a divine sentence, much like Jeremiah 4:23-27, which describes the land returning to chaos: 'I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void... no birds in the heavens, and all its cities were broken down.'

Together, these symbols form a single, powerful picture: God’s promised ruler arrives, but is rejected and killed, triggering judgment on the city and a time of chaos. Yet even in this, God is fulfilling His plan - not ending it.

The 'anointed one cut off' is not a tragic accident but a deliberate act woven into God’s plan to deal with sin.

This pattern of suffering before glory sets the stage for understanding how Jesus fulfills prophecy - not as a conqueror on a horse, but as a servant on a cross, and how final restoration still awaits.

The Balance of Judgment and Hope in God's Plan

The vision of Daniel 9:26, though filled with sorrow and destruction, reveals that God is not absent or indifferent but actively guiding history toward a final resolution.

God's decree of desolations shows He takes sin seriously - Jerusalem's fall was a response to rebellion, not random. This is similar to how Jeremiah 4:23-27 describes the land becoming 'without form and void' because of unfaithfulness. Yet even here, God’s heart is not only judgment but preparation: the cutting off of the Anointed One opens the way for everlasting righteousness, not through political power but through sacrifice.

Even when judgment comes, God is still working toward healing and restoration.

This message offered Daniel’s people hope: though they faced ruin, God had not abandoned them and would one day make things right.

The Anointed One Cut Off and the Coming Desolation: Jesus and the Final Rebellion

This prophecy gains its full meaning when we see how it unfolds across the entire Bible, connecting Daniel’s vision to Jesus’ death and the final rebellion yet to come.

The 'anointed one cut off' finds its clearest fulfillment in Jesus, who was rejected, executed, and had 'nothing' in worldly terms - as Isaiah 53:8 foretold: 'He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.' Jesus Himself spoke of this, telling His disciples in Mark 9:31, 'The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.' His death was not a surprise to God - it was the very moment the promise of atonement was fulfilled.

The 'abomination of desolation' mentioned in Daniel 9:27 is directly referenced by Jesus in Matthew 24:15, where He warns His followers: 'So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place - let the reader understand.' This points first to the desecration of the temple by foreign armies (fulfilled in 70 AD), but also to a future figure of rebellion described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 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.' Revelation 13 later paints this figure in vivid imagery - a beast rising from the sea, given authority to wage war and demand worship. This creates a tension: some of Daniel’s prophecy was 'already' fulfilled in Jesus and Jerusalem’s fall, but part is 'not yet' - still awaiting the final climax of history.

For Daniel’s original readers, this vision was a lifeline, not merely a prediction: it showed that even in exile and suffering, God was in control of history, orchestrating both judgment and rescue. They could worship with courage because they knew God had not forgotten His people, and that evil would not have the final word. The same is true for us: we endure hardship with hope because God has already won the decisive battle through the cross, and He will finish what He started. The Anointed One was cut off, but He rose again - and one day, every desolation will be undone.

The vision doesn’t just predict suffering - it reveals that God turns even the worst evil into the path of redemption.

This unfolding story across Scripture invites us to trust God’s timing, even when the world feels chaotic, and to live with faithful hope as we wait for His final restoration.

Application