Hi Chaim, Are you saying that in the very same verse with the cut-off Messiah, the Temple that is destroyed is the future 3rd Temple? This is what I'm assuming, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

No, I am saying that at the end of the 69 weeks the messiah is cutoff, suspending the counting of time of the 490 years.

Then, the people ("of the prince who shall come" - the future Antichrist) destroyed the second temple in 70 AD. The people in 9:26 are associated with the destruction of the second temple, but not the prince. The prince is (still) yet to come and is associated with the third temple which is also yet to come.

"The prince who shall come" most Christians believe is way future of 70 AD and is yet to come. We believe that the people of that prince was the Romans, because historically it was the Romans who destroyed the second temple. Thus, we believe that the prince to come is a Roman, in some fashion.

That prince who is yet to come, the Antichrist, a false messiah, shall confirm a convenant with many - that action resumes the counting of time of the 490 years by beginning the final 7 year long 70th week.

Half-way through that 70th week, the Antichrist stops the daily sacrifice in the third temple, which must be built so that prophecy in 9:27 may be fulfilled (as well as prophecies in the Christian bible that when he stops the sacrifice, he goes into the temple, into the place reserved for the presence of God - and declares himself to be god.)

The third temple, in our view, is the same third temple that Jewish groups like "the temple institute" and "the temple mount faithful" are eager to build. That is one reason we believe that we are very very near that time when all of the
prophecies will begin to be fulfilled in rapid fashion.

Chaim, you had asked me in another post in this thread -
Also, doesn't Jesus place the abomination-of-desolation right around the fall of the 2nd Temple (70 ACE)?

Chaim, the event you are referring to, spoken of by Jesus, who himself referred to Daniel, the same abomination of desolation in Daniel chapter 12, is found in Matthew 24. Matthew 24 is the most referenced prophetic chapter in the Christian bible, and nearly every prophetic subject matter discussed amongst us Christians ultimately involves Matthew 24 at one point or another.

Specifically, in regards to the timing of the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, - no, not around the fall of the second temple, 70 AD.

Most Christians, by far and away, timewise, place the abomination of desolation of Matthew 24 still future - and will be concurrent when the Antichrist stops the daily sacrifice in the third temple, goes into the holy place and declares himself to be god. Jesus said that those living in Judea, when that abomination is standing in the temple, that they should flee into the mountains - because the persecution will be greater than any time on earth Matt 24:21 - which corresponds to Daniel 12:1, which also indicates that it is still future.

Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time : and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.


Matt 24:21-22 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

The "elect" above in Matt24:22 are the Jews, as the ones in Daniel 12:1 are also, explicitedly, the Jews; the times of the gentiles has ended at that point, because Jesus says that those living in Judea should flee. Obviously, he is not talking about gentiles at that point. Those events occure during the final 7 years of the 490 year prophecy - once the counting is resumed, yet to come, but soon IMHO. The 490 year prophecy, again, is not for the gentiles. Our time is done once the 7 years are resumed.

There is a split among Christians whether the abomination of desolation is (1) the act of the Antichrist going in the temple and declaring himself to be god or (2) the image of the Antichrist being placed in the temple also.

I personally am quiet confident that the abomination of desolation will be the image of the Antichrist - basically an idol of him, because in Daniel 12 it says....

12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

So that image will be set up to be worshipped. And Jesus said that abomination of desolation will be "standing" in the holy place - which is different from what the Antichrist is said to do in another Christian bible passage, 2thess2:4 of him "sitting" in the temple of God.

That image, a statue in the likeness of the Antichrist, not unlike the statue of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3, again the word is "set up"....

3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

...will not be the average run-of-the mill idol, because it comes alive and speaks and demands everyone worship it or die. Personally, I believe the deception will be that the idol is incarnated by Satan, because of the timing in Revelation 12, that Satan is forced down to earth during that short 3 1/2 year timeframe.

Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

....again, very similar to Nebuchanezzar's image that was to be worshippped. The "beast" above in Rev13:15 is neary universally believed by Christians to be the Antichrist.