WHEN IS A FLOOD NOT A FLOOD IS WHAT MANY PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. A Flood Is Not A Flood When It Is A Metaphor. One of the means to guard truths from being understood by people who are to be excluded from understanding them is to use symbols and metaphors that are not readily understood.

When did this "Flood" occur according to Daniel 9:26?

Daniel 9:26. . . and the end thereof shall be with a flood of war. ( At the time of the crucifixion. )

Harry Riches · Answer requested Al Zeeper 

Importantly, some context is required to understand from where this idea was taken.

• Seventy weeks of years are decreed concerning your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off, and shall have nothing; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war; desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week; and for half of the week he shall cause sacrifice and offering to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator. (Daniel 9:24–27)

This is a cryptic message that only those who possess the keys to understand the Scripture can truly answer. Many understand some aspects of what is written here, particularly that the weeks represent years, but determining the days in the years alters the equation. Some see this prophecy as ending at the time of Jesus’ death. Some believe that in 70 CE, this prophecy was fulfilled. Others believe that this prophecy will be fulfilled when the Antichrist appears. Take your pick!

The natural reading of the text seems to be:

• And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off, and shall have nothing; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood.

This points to the destruction of Jerusalem. The city and the sanctuary will end with a flood. The flood has to be interpreted as metaphorical reference to destruction, for there was no flood when Jerusalem was destroyed.

The book of Job gives us an example of flood being used as a metaphor:

• Terrors overtake him like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries him off. (Job 27:20)

One of the mysteries about the Bible is that the prophecies are written in such a way that they appear relevant to the present time. Only when matters are clearly pinpointed historically can a true picture emerge of what was meant. Of course, punctuation by those who edit the various translations can be influential as well, and lead people in different directions.

Many people wrongly interpret the Bible’s prophecies based on a number of factors, but the real reason is they are interpreting what is written according to their own understanding without permitting themselves to be shown by the Holy Spirit what the Scriptures might really mean, and letting the truth reveal itself.

In the context of the book of Daniel and the historical evidence, flood in this instance has to refer to the terrors of destruction. This occurred in 70 CE at the sacking of Jerusalem. The city was flooded with people for the Passover celebrations when the Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) began. Some 600,000 people had been trapped for 143 days before they were brutally murdered and The Temple Destroyed. Terror as a flood came upon the people who had assembled for Passover.

Understanding the truths of the Bible begins with understanding what God wrote