Daniel 9 describes a final seven-year period. Halfway through, the Antichrist stops sacrifices in Jerusalem and commits the “abomination of desolation” in the Temple that Jesus later references in Matthew 24. Those sacrifices have not yet begun, and no Jewish Temple stands today. So before the midpoint, both must somehow be in place.

But what starts the clock?

Daniel gives us an intriguing answer:

Notice what it doesn't say.

It doesn't specifically say the Antichrist creates a peace treaty with Israel. It doesn't say he signs a brand-new agreement. And it doesn't actually use the words “peace treaty.”

It says he confirms a covenant with many for seven years. The ESV renders it “make a strong covenant with many.” The underlying Hebrew allows some nuance here, so we should be careful about building too much theology around the English word confirm.

Still, within the futurist interpretation of Daniel that I believe best fits the text, this covenant is enormously important.

It starts the clock.

This is where things get interesting.

On September 15, 2020, President Donald Trump hosted Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain at the White House for the signing of the Abraham Accords. Morocco and Sudan subsequently joined the normalization effort. For the first time in decades, Israel was establishing formal relationships with multiple Arab and Muslim-majority countries.

Then came October 7, 2023.

The Hamas attack on Israel and the war that followed seemed to throw the region in the opposite direction. Gaza was devastated. Israel's relationships with its neighbors came under enormous pressure. Iran and Israel moved into increasingly direct confrontation.

Then another agreement appeared.

On September 29, 2025, the Trump administration announced a 20-point Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict. It called for an end to the war, the return of hostages, staged Israeli withdrawal, reconstruction and a new framework for governing Gaza.

On October 13, Trump joined the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye in signing the Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity.

The language is worth noticing.

The declaration committed its signatories to implementing and sustaining peace arrangements for Gaza and described a broader vision involving Israelis, Palestinians and Israel's regional neighbors.

Then, in January 2026, the White House announced Phase Two. A National Committee for the Administration of Gaza was established, along with a Board of Peace and an International Stabilization Force. The United States described the effort as a transitional framework involving Israel, Arab nations and the international community.

And the diplomatic effort continued.

In May 2026, Trump publicly called for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan to join the Abraham Accords as part of a broader effort to reshape relationships with Israel while negotiating with Iran.

None of this means we've found Daniel's covenant.

But it should make us pay attention.

Daniel 9:27 doesn't give us enough information to identify the covenant in advance with certainty.

It could involve peace. It could be a treaty. It could involve security guarantees. It could be a broader regional agreement. And depending on exactly how we understand the Hebrew, it may involve strengthening or establishing an agreement involving “many.”

What Daniel does give us is a duration.

One seven. Seven years.

And that's where the word confirm becomes particularly interesting.

What if the agreement that eventually begins Daniel's 70th Week isn't created from scratch?

What if an existing agreement is expanded, strengthened, guaranteed or somehow confirmed by the future Antichrist?

I don't know.

The Abraham Accords aren't enough. The 2025 Gaza agreement isn't enough. Today's diplomatic maneuvering isn't enough.

But something has changed that I think is worth recognizing.

Large, multinational agreements involving Israel and its neighbors are no longer theoretical. We have watched several take shape in just the past six years.

I'm not watching for someone to step up to a microphone and announce, “Ladies and gentlemen, we have just signed the covenant of Daniel 9:27.”

I suspect it won't be quite that convenient.

I'm watching for a significant agreement involving Israel and many others. I'm watching its terms. I'm watching whether a powerful leader guarantees, strengthens, enforces or establishes it. And I'm particularly interested in whether it has a defined seven-year period.

Then I'm watching Jerusalem.

Because Daniel gives us something extraordinary to check our interpretation against. Three and a half years after the covenant, sacrifices are stopped and the Temple is desecrated.

That gives us markers.

Maybe the agreement Daniel described is decades away. Maybe it will look completely different from anything being discussed today. We shouldn't identify a treaty simply because it involves Israel and peace.

But the Middle East is once again searching for agreements that can somehow bring Israel, Palestinians and surrounding nations into a more stable arrangement.

And according to Daniel, someday a covenant involving “many” will matter more than anyone signing it probably realizes.

When that covenant is confirmed, the clock starts.