Daniel 9:1-27

Daniel receives another vision that is delivered by the angel Gabriel.  This vision comes as a response to Daniel’s prayers of confession which came as a result of his study of God’s Word, specifically the book of Jeremiah.  This is one of the greatest examples of confession of sin in all of Scripture.  The vision that follows is one of the most controversial passages of all of Scripture because of its eschatological implications.  However, the undisputed truths of this passage are very clear.  The study of Scripture should impact the way we live and the way we pray.  Our prayers should include genuine and specific confession of sin as well as passionate petition for the Lord to exercise His mercy.  The Lord is in control of the future and has a very specific plan for dealing with our sin and accomplishing His will.  These truths ought to impact our study of God’s Word, our prayers and our trust of the Lord.

A PRAYER OF 70 YEARS: When Daniel was taken captive it was a major life change for Him and a part of God’s judgment on the nation of Israel.  God’s purpose and timing for this judgment was recorded in Scripture by men like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.  As Daniel studied these passages, he understood that the captivity was to last for seventy years.  Daniel was very well aware of the fact that this time of judgment was close to an end.  This understanding of Scripture caused Daniel to pray fervently to the Lord.  His first priority in prayer was to confess his sin and the sin of his people.  He recounted before the Lord the rebellion of the nation as well as their refusal to listen to the prophets of the Lord.  Daniel recognized his own spiritual failures as well as the failures of the nation to which he belonged.  We are all responsible for our own sin, but we are also a part of a larger group of people for which we are also responsible.  When our church, community, state or nation abandons the Word of God we will suffer the consequences and even bear a certain amount of responsibility.  Daniel does not blame God or question God about this discipline; rather he praises God for having been faithful to keep His Word.  Daniel also prays for God’s deliverance and mercy for the people.  Even though Daniel knew from Scripture that God would restore Israel but that did not keep him from praying for it.  Instead is encouraged him to participate in God’s work of restoration through prayer.  We all have the opportunity to participate in what God is doing to bring men and nations to Himself through our prayers.  We can learn much from Daniel’s example.

A PROPHECY OF 70 WEEKS: In response to Daniel’s prayer he is given a revelation about the future restoration God had planned for His people.  God’ purpose in redemption was clearly revealed.  This was the Lord’s plan to pay the price for sin, end the rebellion of mankind, fulfill the prophecies of Scripture and establish genuine worship in the temple.  These events would come to pass during this period of time that God was about to reveal to Daniel.  All eschatological positions agree that this prophecy finds its fulfillment in the work of Christ.  Where the controversy comes in is only relation to when and how this happens.  Amillennialists see all of these things as having been fulfilled in the first coming of Christ and the church.  Pre-millennialists see these fulfillments going through the first coming of Christ but culminating with the second coming of Christ and literal fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies with the nation of Israel in an earthly reign of Christ yet to come.  These are not things over which believers should fight but must agree to disagree agreeably.  I believe the Pre-millennial interpretation to reflect my understanding of Scripture the most accurately, but I am humble enough to know that my understanding may not be correct and that there are many godly men who understand differently.  So here is how I understand this passage in a nut shell.  First seventy weeks is not 490 days but 490 years or if following a Jewish calendar 483 years.  The text literally says seventy sevens.  The “weeks” are divided into three parts 7 + 62 + 1.  The first seven “weeks” start with the declaration to rebuild Jerusalem and end with the completion of that task about 50 years later.  The 62 weeks continue from that point until the triumphal entry of Christ in Jerusalem.  Now things get a little tricky.  Between the triumphal entry of Christ and the last week there is a very large gap in time.  The text states that there are two events that will happen before the last week: the death of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem.  These two events are about 40 years apart; so that gap, from my perspective, includes the time in which we are currently living. The last week corresponds to the tribulation period during which time the Anti-Christ will dominate the world offering protection for Israel but then persecuting them after three and a half years.  The tribulation will be a time of great spiritual awakening in Israel and the nation will finally turn to Christ who will return to establish His kingdom on earth and fulfill in a very literal way the covenants God made with Abraham, David and the nation of Israel as a whole.  This interpretation of prophecy is by no means the only way this passage is understood but no matter how one views the Millennium, we all agree that God is in control of history and Christ is the fulfillment of prophecy and the only hope of salvation for all of mankind.  We can rest in His sovereignty and rejoice in His salvation.