Daniel 9

Daniel Chapter NineVerse 1 This chapter recounts the prophecy of the seventy weeks, probably the most debated portion of the whole prophecy. The chapter has four divisions: (1) Daniel comes to understand that the “seventy years” of Israel’s captivity are about to end (Daniel 9:1-2); (2) his fervent prayer that God will indeed bless and restore Israel to Palestine (Daniel 9:3-19); (3) Gabriel interrupts his prayer in order to show Daniel things to come (Daniel 9:10-23); and (4) the prophecy of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9:24-27). Chapter Orientation (Daniel 9:1-2) Daniel 9:1-2“In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of years whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishment of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years.“Daniel himself was a prophet, indeed one of the greatest of the prophets, yet when he eagerly desired to know more of God’s will, he gave diligent attention and study to the prophets who were before him. What a remarkable contrast is here with the behavior of some of our present day religious leaders who pretend to be in constant communication with God Himself over every petty little thing confronting them, even their budget problems! The great avenue of communication established between the Father in heaven and his earthly children is still that of the Word of God, namely, the holy Bible. How did Daniel acquire that knowledge that the “seventy years” of the Babylonian captivity were about to end? He read it in the prophecy of Jeremiah, as follows: “For thus saith Jehovah, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10). Here is also something especially important regarding prayer. God had indeed promised Israel to restore them to Palestine after the “seventy years” were ended; nevertheless, Daniel considered it most important to offer this impassioned prayer to God with the most earnest supplications and petitions that God would indeed fulfil his glorious promises to the people. The prayers of God’s people are a constant necessity for the reception of those great blessings which God Himself has already promised. By Daniel’s mention of the “books” in this passage, it is quite evident that many of the Old Testament books were at that time in existence. A little later he mentioned “the curse” from the Deuteronomy 28. The critical conceit that would interpret “the books” here as the completed canon of the Old Testament (with a view to preventing Daniel’s prophecy from being considered a part of the canon) is merely another groundless, unproved, and ridiculous assertion. “Darius … who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans …” (Daniel 9:2). This monarch, Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, is still unknown by name to history and to the monuments; but that is no argument against Daniel, “Belshazzar’s name was also likewise unknown to the monuments, until the discovered memorials of Nabonnaid fully continued Daniel’s record. But the poor critics have not yet learned their lesson; and they will continue to doubt the Word of God until some day to their eternal loss they will find out their complete defeat as well as the wickedness of their destructive work."[1]As a matter of fact, the very text here gives evidence of the secondary nature of Darius’ kingship, thus providing the probable reason why the monuments ignored him. “After pointing out the near unique structure of the original language here, especially the Hophal; Keil declared that, `It shows that Darius did not become king over the Chaldean kingdom by virtue of a hereditary right to it, nor that he gained the kingdom by means of conquest, but that he received it from the conqueror of Babylon.’"[2]Thus we have additional confirmation of some of the conclusions reached in our study of Dan 6:1, above. Verse 3 “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed unto Jehovah my God, and made confession, and said, Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from thy precepts and from thine ordinances; neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, that speak in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.“DANIEL’S PRAYER (Daniel 9:3-19) Daniel here confessed the sins of Israel as progressing from mere wickedness and transgression to outright rebellion against God; also, it should be noticed that he included himself as partaker of the sins of the people and with them equally guilty before God. It was this general wickedness of Israel which had by no means abated during the “seventy years” captivity that actually moved Daniel to prayer. “The Exile had not produced the expected fruits of repentance; so that, although Daniel did not doubt the promise of God, namely, that the people would be returned; yet his concern appeared to be the blessings God had promised after their return."[3]Notice the mention of the prophets having spoken to, “our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people.” Why are not the priests mentioned here? Simply because, at the time when Daniel was written, namely, in Babylon shortly before the termination of the Captivity, there was no officiating priesthood of God’s people in Babylon. This was definitely not the case in the days of the Maccabees, the period in which critics have vainly supposed this prophecy was written. As a number of other factors in this prayer also indicate, this refutes the false allegations of the late-date fad. “To a man who still remembered the kings and princes in Jerusalem (as did Daniel), this language is natural; “but in the age of Antiochus Epiphanes (the Maccabean period) this language would be absurd and meaningless."[4]Verse 7 “O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of face, so at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are afar off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belongeth mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him; neither have we obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even turning aside, that they should not obey thy voice: therefore hath the curse been poured out upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God; for we have sinned against him.““The curse … and the oath …” (Daniel 9:11). This is evidently a reference to Leviticus 26:14 and toDeuteronomy 28:15, especially the latter where the “oath” is mentioned. Verse 12 “And he has confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil; for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil has come upon us; yet have we not entreated the favor of Jehovah our God, that we should turn from our iniquities, and have discernment in thy truth. Therefore hath Jehovah watched over the evil, and brought it upon us; for Jehovah our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth, and we have not obeyed his voice.” IN RUINSEven the most casual attention to this prayer reveals that Daniel’s concern was centered upon the devastated state of the city of Jerusalem. Here in the prayer, Daniel said, “Under the whole heaven” there does not exist another example of the kind of ruthless destruction that had been poured out upon Jerusalem. Not merely here, but a second time afterward in this prayer we have reference to the ruins of Jerusalem and to “thy holy mountain,” a Jewish designation of the destroyed temple (Daniel 9:16). Also, “sanctuary” (Daniel 9:17) carries the same meaning. Let the Bible student note the significance of this. Is the situation that was extant when Daniel uttered this prayer to be identified with the days of Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabean wars? Indeed no! Antiochus did not destroy the city of Jerusalem; and, although he desecrated the temple, he did not destroy it; and therefore, we have here another proof of the utter absurdity of the impossible theory that this prophecy was written in the Maccabean period. Even a novice in Bible study should know better. If the writer of Daniel had lived in the days of Antiochus, it would have been impossible for him to have regarded the mined state of Jerusalem and the temple as being “unique under heaven."[5]Verse 15 “And now, O Lord our God, thou hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, let thine anger and thy wrath, I pray thee, be turned away from thy city of Jerusalem, thy holy mountain; because for our sins and for the iniquity of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are round about us. Now therefore, O our God, hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies’ sake. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name.“This prayer reaches an amazing intensity and fervency in the final clauses. Note also the repeated references to the destroyed temple and the devastated city. Also, of interest is the basis of Daniel’s prayer: (1) the previous blessings of God are mentioned; (2) the persistent sins of the people are repeatedly confessed; (3) it is admitted that the reproach which has fallen upon Israel is of their own sinful deeds and entirely their fault; (4) not any righteousness either of the people or of Daniel are alleged as grounds for the requests uttered, but “the righteousness and mercies of God” are pleaded as the grounds of hope. Surely, this is one of the greatest prayers ever spoken. We shall pass over the nonsense in which critical enemies have tried to find out where Daniel got the terminology used in this prayer. Sure enough, there are certain phrases and expressions which are common to many who came both before and after Daniel; but there is nothing of any importance to be gained from such comparisons. As to the problem which must be solved when two writers used similar expressions, as to which one of them was “the original”; it is usually impossible to know. Keil alleged that in some of the similarities between Daniel and other writers, “Daniel did not borrow from Ezra or Nehemiah; but they borrowed from him! This is beyond doubt."[6]Verse 20 “And while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God; yea, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he instructed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.“GABRIEL THE PRAYERIt is of interest that from the place where Gabriel was when God’s commandment reached him, it evidently required some time, even at the velocity which the flight of an angel might attain, for Gabriel to reach Daniel. There are glimpses here of things mortals cannot know. The instructions of Gabriel to “understand the vision” should evidently be applied to a vision previously written in Daniel; because, in the prophecy of the seventy weeks about to be imparted to Daniel by Gabriel, it does not appear to be by means of a vision at all. “This revelation was not communicated to Daniel in a vision, but while he was in the state of natural consciousness."[7]Daniel mentioned the precise hour of Gabriel’s touching him, “about the time of the evening oblation.” That means about the time of the evening sacrifices; but of course, there were no “evening sacrifices” by God’s people while they were captives in Babylon. Nevertheless, Daniel had observed the times of the prescribed sacrifices by engaging in prayer as seen here. Furthermore, we may in all likelihood suppose that this was a regular habit, marking Daniel’s well-disciplined, godly life. Verse 24 “Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times. And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined. And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.“THE FAMED OF THE SEVENTY WEEKSThere is not a single word in this prophecy that is not disputed; and we shall note some of these opinions; however, in the overall sense, there is not anything very hard about this prophecy. First we shall notice some of what we hold to be impossible interpretations of it. (a) The critics who deny the trustworthiness and dependability of the holy Bible refer this prophecy to Antiochus Epiphanes in the Maccabean period about the year 160 B.C. The desolation is caused by Antiochus, and the anointed one is Onias III; and the passage is robbed of any reference whatever to the Messiah. “The objections to this type of interpretation are so serious that it cannot possibly be regarded as correct."8 A second school of interpreters (the dispensationalists) has many shades of beliefs; but generally, they deny that the six things to be accomplished in Daniel 9:24 were achieved by Christ in his First Advent. They interpose a gap between the 69th and 70th week and suppose that at the 2nd Advent of Christ, following the Church Age, the Christ will return and the seventieth week will resume at that time. The Scofield Bible gives a general presentation of this interpretation. We cannot possibly accept such notions about this prophecy, principally because they nullify the great work of Christ in his atoning death, burial and resurrection. Also, Christ gave his blood for the church (Acts 20:28), which is ample proof of the absolute necessity and importance of the Church. Such premillennial theories as these are guilty of downgrading the Church and of stripping it of its genuine place in the economy of redemption. THE TRUE As Keil said, “Most of the church fathers and the older orthodox interpreters find prophesied here the appearance of Christ m the flesh, His Death, and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70."[9]That this is indeed the true interpretation is plainly indicated by the words of Jesus Christ who definitely applied “the abomination” spoken of by Daniel as an event that would occur in the siege of Jerusalem, as prophesied by Christ repeatedly in Matthew 24; Mark 13; and Luke 21. Furthermore, Christ warned the Christians that, “When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, then let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains” (Matthew 24:15-16). Many Christian commentators have pointed out that the Christians indeed heeded that warning. Eusebius tells how the Christians fled from Jerusalem when the Romans most unpredictably lifted their siege, a fact that even Josephus noted.[10] No Christian is said to have lost his life in the final destruction of Jerusalem. Now, for the believer in Christ, one such indication from our Lord and Redeemer is worth more than thousands of human opinions. Since, therefore, Jesus Christ himself related this vision to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, that settles it; and we may therefore reckon the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. as an event that was indeed accomplished within the prescribed “seventy weeks” of this vision. That is what these verses actually say. WHAT THE SAYSNote that six things are to be accomplished within the seventy weeks:

1. To finish transgression.
2. To make an end of sins.
3. To make reconciliation for iniquity.
4. To bring in everlasting righteousness.
5. To seal up vision and prophecy.
6. To anoint the most holy. (as in Daniel 9:24). “To finish transgression” is a reference to the fairness of Israel’s sins culminating in their rejection of the Messiah. As a result of that “finishing” of their transgressions, they were judicially condemned and hardened, their city and religious economy destroyed, and the people scattered all over the world. For almost 2,000 years they disappeared as a nation; and, even with the revival of a modern “Israeli” today, it has no legitimate connection whatever with ancient Israel. “To make an end of sins …” This was accomplished when Christ “condemned sin in the flesh.” Only in Jesus Christ has there ever been any such thing as the absolute forgiveness of sins. This line alone makes it certain that Christ’s coming is here foretold. “To make reconciliation for iniquity …” “This means to pardon, to blot out by means of a sin-offering, to forgive.'"[11] Here is a certain reference to the atonement for human transgression wrought by Jesus Christ on Calvary, as a result of which "reconciliation of men to God" could occur. This is precisely the thing that restored the broken fellowship between man and his God. We are indebted to Thomson who tells us that the word used here, "To make an atonement,’ is the technical word used fifty times in Leviticus for the offering of atoning sacrifice."[12]“To bring in everlasting righteousness …” The only righteousness our poor world ever saw was the righteousness wrought by Christ. He is indeed “the righteousness of God”; there cannot possibly be any other source of it. The notion that this bringing in of everlasting righteousness could pertain to any other person that Christ is impossible of acceptance. This righteousness came from above; it did not rise out of the earth; Jesus brought it. “To seal up vision and prophecy …” We regard this as a figure referring to the confirmation of the ancient prophecies by their most marvelous fulfillment in the events of the ministry of Jesus Christ. Some 333 prophecies of the Old Testament pointing to the coming of Jesus Christ were most circumstantially fulfilled in his life, death, resurrection, etc. “To anoint the most holy …” This is so obviously a reference to Jesus Christ that we still marvel that the expression Most Holy is not capitalized, as in KJV or as in Douay which reads it, “Saint of saints may be anointed.” As we noted above, however, every word of this prophecy is disputed, and even Keil did not allow that this expression can refer to a person, making it a reference to some thing, not a person. Keil could not have so misunderstood this if he had consulted 1 Chronicles 23:23, where without the article (the basis of Keil’s rejection) the phrase applies to an individual. “It is indeed applied most frequently to persons: to Aaron (Exodus 40:13), to Saul (1 Samuel 10:10), and to David (1 Samuel 16:3);"[13] Therefore the ancient renditions of this place are correct. “This understanding of it was accepted by the Jews, and the old Syriac translates this text, `To the Messiah, the Most Holy.’"[14]The shenanigans of the critical community regarding the interpretation of this anointing were discussed by Keil. He noted that they refer all of this to the times of Maccabees or a little earlier, alleging that the “anointing” here refers to the consecration of the altar of burnt-offering which was restored by Zurabbel and Joshua, or to the consecration of the altar following its desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes. Keil stated categorically that, “None of these interpretations can be justified."[15] To begin with, there were not any anointings during the era of the 2temple! “According to the definite uniform tradition of the Jews, the holy anointing oil did not even exist during the times of the second temple!"[16]These six things therefore pertain exclusively to the times of the First Advent of Christ and the setting up of his eternal kingdom. Daniel 9:25 advances the prophecy by giving the “terminus a quem” for the seventy weeks, namely from the date of the commandment to restore and to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. This of course was somewhat subsequent to the end of the Babylonian captivity; and the difficulty is compounded by our ignorance of just exactly when that commandment went forth. It is not even known if this means the commandment “from God” or by some kingly edict. There are several proposals as to just exactly when we should begin counting the seventy weeks. There is another problem. The weeks, understood as “weeks of years” theory is widely accepted and generally taken for granted; and yet it has not been actually proved. The nearest thing we have to proof that these 490 days should actually be understood as 490 years derives from the fact that Christ identified this prophecy as reaching to 70 A.D., which definitely favors the day for a year understanding of it. The big message in Daniel 9:25, from Daniel’s viewpoint was that God definitely promised that “The city shall be built again … in troublous times.” For a city that had already lain in desolation for the better part of a century, this must have been welcome news indeed to the grieving prophet. The whole seventy weeks were not to pass before Messiah came; that event would occur at the expiration of 69 weeks, interpreted by many as 483 years. Here again is the difficulty of any certainty as to what part of Jesus’ life is reached by this calculation. His anointing (baptism) took place in A.D. 26; his death, burial, and resurrection in April of A.D. 30. Added to the uncertainty as to the “terminus a quem”, it is almost impossible to be dogmatically certain as to the exact times specified. Nevertheless there is great utility in the prophecy. Thomson calculated the starting point of the “seventy weeks” as 445 B.C., relating it to a positive command for Nehemiah to build “the walls.” Allowing this, the 490 years would bring us to 32. A.D. (about the time, but not exactly the time, of Christ’s Ascension); and the sixty-nine weeks would bring us to A.D. 25 (about the time of Christ’s baptism, that is, his anointing).[17] No one can fail to be impressed with how nearly these calculations correspond to sacred occasions in the life of Our Lord. Allowing for the fact, that the seventy years of Israel’s captivity turned about to be only about 68 or 69 years, one can see that such calculations as these commend themselves to many people. Daniel 9:26 begins with the statement, “After the threescore and two weeks”; and the interesting thing is that there has been no previous mention of any “threescore and two weeks.” There is a mention of the seven weeks and three-score and two weeks (69 weeks); and therefore it is hard to resist the conclusion that perhaps a word has fallen out of the text here, thus making the meaning to be, “Now after the sixty nine weeks.” Some scholars have raised the question of a defective text here; and we are not personally able to evaluate such claims. Nevertheless, it is perfectly clear that the 69th week takes us to “The Prince” who can be none other than the Christ. The cutting off of “the prince” followed quickly upon the appearance of Christ in his ministry; and although the destruction of Jerusalem which is mentioned in Daniel 9:26 as something to be accomplished within the seventy weeks, it is not necessary to suppose that the seventieth week needed to be extended unduly to reach the actual terminal date of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Christ indeed prophesied the total destruction of the city repeatedly, declaring that not one stone should be left on top of another within the temple complex itself, that her enemies would come and cast a trench about her and dash her little ones in pieces within her. True to the language of all the prophets, what God (or Christ) prophesied would happen was spoken of in the past tense, as something already done. That is why the destruction of Jerusalem was to be accomplished (in that sense) within the actual terminus of the seventy weeks. It is apparent that in this interpretation, we have ignored altogether the “sixty and two weeks,” there being no way that we can discover any meaning in them. That they are indeed a part of the seventy weeks, and that they do not constitute a gap and an extension of the seventieth week to some far off end of time appearance, has been discerned by many scholars. The destruction of Jerusalem is here plainly included in the seventy weeks; and we have interpreted this to mean that within that time, Christ indeed condemned the city to total destruction, a prophecy actually fulfilled nearly forty years after Christ spoke. “Even unto the end …” would appear to be a reference to the end of the Jewish nation. That there could also be overtones of the final termination of human probation in this is also freely admitted. Now, the prophecy in Daniel 9:27, to the effect that Christ should make the covenant firm with many for one week is a clear reference to the public ministry of Jesus Christ. It is here called “a week,” indicating a seven year period; but with this limitation! He the Messiah was cut off “in the midst of the week,” that is after three and one half years, which corresponds exactly to the facts. The further references to the destruction of Jerusalem, “the flood,” and “the war,” etc. are prophecies of the great tribulations that should overwhelm Jerusalem at the times when her doom was executed by the armies of Vespasian and Titus in the year 70 A.D. THE OF Jesus Christ interpreted this as an event that would be openly visible to all, saints and sinners alike; he associated it with the destruction of Jerusalem; and in the light of the fact that the destruction of that city was itself a type of the final holocaust on the eternal Judgment Day, and that many of the conditions existing in God’s Israel prior to that event would also be manifested a second time in the New Israel prior to final Judgment, it appears that a second abomination of desolation shall occur in the final days of Adam’s race on earth. Exactly what was this “abomination of desolation?” Notice that there are two things in this, namely, abomination, and desolation. The abomination referred to the gross pollution of the “holy place,” a reference to the temple sanctuary, or more properly, the Holy of Holies itself. This was to be the signal that indicated the approaching “desolation,” thus it is said that the desolation was to come upon the “wing” of abominations (note the plural), indicating that the desolations would be a direct result of the gross pollution of the holy place. What happened? The Jewish people requested that a robber, named Barabbas, should be released to them instead of Christ (Mark 15:11); and it was appropriate that the consequences of such a choice should have been received by them making it. Josephus devotes twenty pages to a description of the sordid details of how a band of ruthless outlaw robbers took complete charge of the city, along with the entire temple complex, long before the Romans came, and who committed wholesale barbarity, rapines, plunderings, and murders, “over 12,000 of the nobility being brutally put to death, along with countless thousands of the common people. They even filled up the Holy of Holies itself with dead bodies! The robbers fell upon the people as upon a flock of profane animals and cut their throats in what place soever they caught them!"[18] Josephus commented on this thus: “I cannot but think that it was because God had doomed this city to destruction, as a polluted city, that he cut off those great defenders, namely, the nobility."[19] In this connection Josephus also related how: “There was a certain ancient oracle of those men (the Jews), that the city should be taken and the sanctuary burnt, by right of war, when a sedition should invade the Jews, and their own hands should pollute the temple of God."[20]Bickersteth’s discerning comment on this is that, “Their outrages against God were the special cause of the desolation of Jerusalem … theirs was the abomination that filled up the measure of their iniquities and caused the avenging power of Rome to come down upon them and crash them."[21] Thus the Jews made the holy place desolate morally; and the Romans made it (and the city) desolate by their ruthless destruction of them. Almost certainly, here is the portion of this prophecy that may be applied to the end of all things culminating in the Final Judgment. Just as the Old Israel finally turned totally against God; so also shall it be in the final days of the New Israel when “the times of the Gentiles have been fulfilled.” Revelation 16 describes a time when the moral environment of the whole earth shall be corrupted in a near-total degree. It is of that period that Jesus asked, “When the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth” (Luke 18:8). In Christ’s multiple prophecy of the end of the world (Matthew 24:9-11), Christ warned that the ordinary upheavals of history such as wars and rumors of wars, floods, earthquakes, famines, etc. were not to be understood as “signs” of the end. The significant thing was what was happening among God’s people themselves! When the time comes that the Church herself has forsaken the fundamentals of her faith in Christ, the abomination that makes desolate shall again appear in the “holy place,” in the last instance of it, in the Church herself. There are many shameful developments in the visible Christendom of our own times that are frightening! All of this prophecy appears to this writer as clearly understandable except the matter of the 62 weeks which we cited above. What ever this may mean, granted that it could indeed be a faithful record of the sacred text, we have been unable to discover any means of arriving at a scriptural explanation of it. There remains the strong possibility that “the sixty two weeks” was not originally a reference to a period of sixty-two weeks (no such period having been mentioned previously in the whole Bible), but rather to the “seven weeks and threescore weeks and two weeks” just mentioned in the previous verse, namely, the 69 weeks. Certainly, we are justified in the rejection of the irresponsible millennial views that are imported into the passage. Some things are simply not revealed; and, as far as we can discern, the matter of these alleged 62 weeks is one of them. One thing stands out - these seventy weeks were about to be completed, as indicated by Christ’s reference to the abomination that makes desolate, which was soon to be fulfilled. This was clearly stated by Christ. Therefore, when Christ charged the Pharisees with being weather prophets who were nevertheless unable to “discern the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3), it was most likely that one of the signs the Pharisees could not discern was that of the “seventy weeks” of Daniel approaching their termination.

“THE BOOK OF DANIEL”

Daniel’s Penitential Prayer (Daniel 9:1-19)

1. As we continue our survey of the book of Daniel, we come to a remarkable chapter… a. In which we find a beautiful prayer expressed by Daniel

• Daniel 9:1-19b. In which we find an amazing revelation regarding “seventy sevens”
• Daniel 9:20-27

2. Without question, the latter part of the chapter is difficult… a. Edward J. Young describes it as “one of the most difficult in all the OT, and the interpretations which have been offered are almost legion.“b. H. C. Leupold wrote “This is one of the grandest prophetic passages; and yet, if there was ever an exegetical crux, this is it.”

3. In light of its difficulty… a. We should certainly approach this passage with humility, and not dogmatically b. We should be careful not to draw conclusions that contradict clear teachings of Scripture

4. But before we consider the actual vision of the seventy weeks, let’s take the time to consider the prayer offered by Daniel… a. A beautiful example of confessing sin and seeking forgiveness b. Akin to the prayer of David in Psalms 51 [A wonderful blessing we enjoy as Christians is the cleansing blood of Jesus as we confess our sins (1 John 1:9). Daniel’s prayer in this chapter provides insight into the art of confessing sin…]

I. THE SETTING OF THE PRAYER A. THE DATE OF THE PRAYER…1. In the first year of Darius, son of Ahasuerus - Daniel 9:1a. Of the lineage of the Medes b. Made king over the Chaldeans (Babylonians) - Daniel 5:31; Daniel 6:1-282. The time is now about 538 B.C. B. THE REASON FOR THE PRAYER…1. Daniel knew the prophecy of Jeremiah, regarding 70 years of Babylonian captivity - Daniel 9:2; cf. Jeremiah 25:9-12; Jeremiah 29:102. The 70 years of Jerusalem began in 606 B.C., with the captivity of Daniel and the first devastation of Jerusalem

• 2 Chronicles 36:5-7; Daniel 1:1-6– So with this first year of the Medo-Persian empire (With Darius the Mede over Chaldea, but with Cyrus the Persian over all), the prophecy of Jeremiah was almost completed
• 2 Chronicles 36:21-23; Ezra 1:1-4 C. THE FOR THE PRAYER…1. Daniel set his face toward the Lord God - Daniel 9:3a. To make request by prayer and supplications b. This may have included facing toward Jerusalem
• cf. Daniel 6:10-112. With fasting, sackcloth, and ashes a. Physical preparations which illustrated his humility and contrition b. Similar to the practice of others - Nehemiah 9:1-2; John 3:5-9 [With the Word of God fresh on his mind, his heart humbled by his own sins and those of his people, even his physical body humbled into submission, Daniel begins his penitential prayer…]

II. THE CONTENT OF THE PRAYER A. DANIEL’S …1. Addressing the Lord his God - Daniel 9:4a. As great and awesome b. Who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who:

1. Love Him
2. Keep His commandments - cf. Psalms 103:17-18; John 14:152. Confessing in behalf of his people - Daniel 9:5-6a. Of sinning and committing iniquity b. Of doing wickedly and rebelling c. Of departing from His precepts and judgments d. Of failing to heed His servants the prophets, who spoke to their kings, princes, fathers, and all the people

• 2 Chronicles 6:15-213. Contrasting their shame with God’s righteousness - Daniel 9:7-9a. To Judah, Israel, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem belong shame of face

1. Those both near and far off in countries where God had driven them
2. To them, their kings, princes, and fathers
3. Because of their unfaithfulness against God, their sin and rebellion - Ezra 9:6-7b. To God belongs righteousness
4. To Him belongs mercy and forgiveness
5. Even though they had rebelled against Him - Ezra 9:8-94. Reviewing their sin, and the fulfillment of God’s warnings

• Daniel 9:10-14a. The nature of their sin - cf. Nehemiah 9:13-301) They have not obeyed the voice of the Lord

2. They have not walked in His laws set before by His prophets
3. They transgressed His law, and departed so as not to obey His voice
4. They had not prayed that they might turn from their iniquities and understand His truth b. The fulfillment of God’s warnings - Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 28:15-681) The curse and oath written in the Law of Moses has been poured out
5. He has confirmed His words spoken against them by bringing a great disaster upon them
6. Especially the disaster which has come upon Jerusalem

5. Summarizing their sin - Daniel 9:15a. To Him who delivered them from Egyptian bondage with a mighty hand b. They have sinned, and done wickedly!

B. DANIEL’S …1. His passionate plea for God to: a. Turn away His anger and fury - Daniel 9:161) From His city Jerusalem, His holy mountain 2) Because of their sins and iniquities 3) For which they have become a reproach b. Hear his prayer and supplications - Daniel 9:17 ac. Cause His face to shine on His sanctuary, which is desolate

• Daniel 9:17 bd. See their desolation, and the desolation of the city called by His name - Daniel 9:18e. Hear, forgive, act and not delay! - Daniel 9:192. His passionate plea based, not because of their righteous deeds, but upon: a. God’s righteousness, and for His sake - Daniel 9:16-17b. God’s great mercies, and for His city and His people called by His name - Daniel 9:18-19

1. Like the penitential prayer of David in Psalms 51, this prayer of Daniel is a classic example of how to confess our sins and seek God’s forgiveness a. To seek forgiveness on the basis of God’s lovingkindness and mercy, not one’s own righteousness - cf. Psalms 51:1-2b. To acknowledge one’s sins before God - cf. Psalms 51:3-4– As we confess our sins (cf. 1 John 1:9), remember the example of godly men like David and Daniel!

2. Daniel’s noble character is seen in how he identified himself with his people in their sins… a. Even though he had been faithful to God throughout his life

• Daniel 6:10b. For such reasons he was “greatly beloved” by God - Daniel 9:23; Daniel 10:11; Daniel 10:19 May the example of Daniel’s life and faith inspire us in our own walk with God, for we too have been blessed to be “greatly beloved”:

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” - 1 John 3:1 a Are we trusting in the love and mercy of God for the forgiveness of sins, and not our own righteousness?

The Vision Of The Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9:20-27)

1. We come now to one of the most difficult passages of the Old Testament… a. Commonly called “The Vision Of The Seventy Weeks” - Daniel 9:20-27b. Edward J. Young describes it as “one of the most difficult in all the OT, and the interpretations which have been offered are almost legion.” c. Stuart says that “it would require a volume of considerable magnitude even to give a history of the ever-varying and contradictory opinions that have been offered”

2. With such a difficult passage before us, we should … a. Approach it with humility, and not dogmatically b. Not draw conclusions that would contradict clear teachings of Scripture

[We begin our study with verse 20, in which Daniel first describes…]

I. THE ARRIVAL OF GABRIEL A. AT THE TIME OF EVENING …1. Even as Daniel was confessing his sin and the sin of his people, and making supplication for the holy mountain of God (i.e., Jerusalem) - Daniel 9:20-212. This was the same person seen in the vision at the beginning

• cf. Daniel 8:16 B. TO GIVE DANIEL SKILL TO …1. Commanded to do so even at the beginning of Daniel’s prayer
• Daniel 9:22-232. For Daniel was “greatly beloved” - cf. Daniel 10:11; Daniel 10:19 [And so Gabriel, who provided explanation to Daniel regarding the vision of the ram and the goat (Daniel 8:16), now proceeds to give details concerning…]

II. THE VISION OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS A. A GENERAL OF WHAT IS TO OCCUR…1. 70 “weeks” are determined for Daniel’s people (Israel) and his holy city (Jerusalem) - Daniel 9:24a. The word “weeks” in Hebrew is actually “sevens” (i.e., 70 “sevens”) b. Most agree it likely refers to “weeks”, but weeks of what?

1. Weeks of days? a) Then it would be 490 days b) Few believe this to be the case, and so most all figuratize this passage to some extent
2. Weeks of years (i.e., each day representing a year)? a) Then it would be 490 years b) But the Jews used a lunar calendar (360 days/yr), so it would be 483 years according to our calendar) c) Many suggest this to be the answer, but it is not without difficulty
3. Of some complete, yet non-specific period of time? a) Then it may just refer to seventy complete periods of time b) And each week may not be equivalent in time (i.e., one “week” may be longer than other “weeks”)

2. This period of time will be for the fulfillment of six things, each apparently related to the work of the coming Messiah a. To finish the transgression1) The marginal reading has “restrain” for “finish”

2. The idea is that Messiah would provide a restraining power and influence which would check the progress of sin (Barnes) - cf. Acts 3:25-26b. To make an end of sins1) The marginal reading has “to seal up” for “make an end”
3. The idea is that sins will be sealed up, or closed, or hidden, so that they will not be seen, or will not develop themselves (Barnes) - cf. Acts 3:19c. To make reconciliation for iniquity1) Literally, to cover iniquity
4. How this would be done is not stated here, but cf. Isaiah 53:5-6; Isaiah 53:10-12– Note: The first three things relate to our Lord’s work of dealing with the problem of sin, how sin would “restrained”, “sealed up”, and “covered over” d. To bring in everlasting righteousness1) Literally, to cause to come
5. To provide a way by which a man could become righteous and holy - cf. Romans 3:21-26; 2 Corinthians 5:21e. To seal up the vision and the prophecy1) To complete, to finish, meaning the prophecies would be fulfilled (Barnes)
6. Young suggests that it is referring to OT prophecies, especially those related to the work of the Messiah making an end of sin - cf. Luke 24:44-47f. To anoint the Most Holy1) Barnes opines that the Most Holy refers to the temple in Jerusalem
7. And that the anointing of the temple refers to the presence of the Messiah in the temple - cf. Malachi 3:1-2; Matthew 12:63) Especially regarding the presence of the Lord in the temple during His final week - cf. Matthew 21:1-164) Some believe it may refer to the baptism of Jesus when the Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove - Matthew 3:16-17 B. A OF HOW THIS WOULD OCCUR…1. There shall be 7 weeks and 62 weeks - Daniel 9:25a. Beginning with the command to restore and build Jerusalem, until Messiah the prince (the street and the wall shall be built, even in troublesome times) b. At least three possible decrees may serve as the “terminus pro quo” (starting point) of the 70 “weeks”
8. The decree of Cyrus (539-538 BC) - cf. Ezra 1:1-4a) To rebuild the temple (and the city, cf. Isaiah 44:26-28; Isaiah 45:13) b) If one starts here, then the 70 weeks could not be 490 literal years, for that would place the end of the 70 weeks around 55 B.C. (much too early) c) The appeal of using this decree as the starting point 1] It is the most well-known decree regarding the restoration of Israel 2] It was given about the time Daniel received his vision of the 70 weeks – This decree is preferred by many who do not hold to a literal 490 years (Young, Harkrider, McGuiggan)
9. The decree of Artaxerxes (457 BC) - cf. Ezra 7:13-14a) For Ezra to restore the Law and its worship b) Starting here, 490 Julian years would end the 70 weeks around 33 A.D. c) But 490 lunar years end the 70 weeks around 26 A.D. (seven years too early) – This decree is preferred by some amillenialists who hold to a literal 490 years, but not lunar years (Haley’s Bible Handbook)
10. The second decree of Artaxerxes (445-444 BC)

• cf. Nehemiah 2:1-8a) For Nehemiah to build the city b) Starting here, 490 lunar years end the 70 weeks around 38 A.D. c) This would place the start of the 70th week near the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry (ca. 30 A.D.) d) There are problems with the first 7 weeks ending around 396 B.C., which some contend is too late for the restoration of the city – Premillenialists prefer to start with this decree, but so do some amillenialists such as Albert Barnes c. Each starting date has its problems, but I lean towards Barnes’ choice of the second decree of Artaxerxes in 445 B.C. as the terminus a quo for this prophecy

1. The 7 and 62 “weeks” is the period of time from the decree until “Messiah the Prince”
2. Barnes has this period ending with the baptism of Jesus and the beginning of His public ministry

2. After the 62 weeks, certain events will occur - Daniel 9:26-27a. Messiah will be cut off, but not for Himself1) This refers to the death of Christ

2. Whose death occurs midway during the 70th week (see below) b. People of the prince who is to come shall destroy the cityand the sanctuary1) The end of it shall be with a flood; until the end of the war, desolations are determined a) The people are generally accepted to be the Romans, who destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70 b) The “prince” is thought to be either Titus, the Roman general, or perhaps referring to Jesus Himself (with the Roman army as the instrument of God’s judgment upon Jerusalem)
3. Many contend that the destruction must fall within the 70th week a) However, Young and Barnes argue that such is not necessarily required by the text b) The desolation to befall Jerusalem may be the consequence of events during the 70th week, and not fall within the period of the 70th week c. For 1 week, he shall confirm a covenant with many1) “He” refers to Jesus (Barnes)
4. “Confirm a covenant” describes the work done by Jesus and His apostles in Israel, before and immediately after His death (Barnes) a) His earthly ministry lasted about 3 and half years b) The gospel was preached only to Jews for 3-4 years after Pentecost d. In the middle of the week he shall bring an end tosacrifice and offering1) This refers to Jesus who was cut off, but not for Himself (Barnes)
5. Through His death, He brought the need for sacrifices to an end - Hebrews 10:12-18e. The abomination and desolation to come - Daniel 9:271) Alluding to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70
6. Jesus referred to this in Matthew 24:153) Again, this desolation may be the consequence of what occurred in the 70th week, even though it occurred after the 70th week
7. But if required to occur during the 70th week, then the 70th week must extend beyond A.D. 70 (Harkrider, McGuiggan)

1. Such a brief look at this difficult passage will naturally raise many questions, which are beyond the scope of our study

2. For more detailed study, one might consider the following commentaries which provide several alternative views… a. Commentary on Daniel, Albert Barnes b. The Prophecy of Daniel, Edward J. Young c. Commentary on Revelation, Robert F. Harkrider d. The Book Of Daniel, Jim McGuiggan e. Exposition Of Daniel, H. C. Leupold – Each of these examine the passage from the amillenial perspective, which finds no place for the “gap theory” favored by dispensational premillenialists

While the passage is admittedly difficult, let’s not lose sight of the wonderful promises concerning the Messiah’s work related to sin and righteousness. For Jesus through His death has truly brought an end to the consequences of sin and introduced everlasting righteousness!

Chapter Nine In the first year of Darius (539 B.C.), understanding that Jeremiah’s prophecy of 70 years of captivity has been fulfilled (Jeremiah 25:11), Daniel confesses his nation’s sins and prays that God will restore them (Daniel 9:1-19). In response, Gabriel is sent to give Daniel understanding of key events that will take place in a time period of 70 “weeks” (lit., “sevens”), one of the most challenging prophecies in the Bible (Daniel 9:20-27).

POINTS TO PONDER

• Daniel’s prayer, confessing the sins of his people Israel

• The difficulty in interpreting the vision of seventy weeks

REVIEW

1. What are the main points of this chapter?- Daniel’s prayer for his people - Daniel 9:1-19- The vision of seventy weeks - Daniel 9:20-27

2. What prompted Daniel to pray with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes? (Daniel 9:2-3)- Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the 70 years of captivity which had been fulfilled

3. List some of the sins mentioned by Daniel that Israel had committed (Daniel 9:4-10)- Rebellion, failure to heed the prophets, unfaithfulness, failure to walk in God’s laws

4. What had come upon Israel for their sin? (Daniel 9:11-14)- The curse and oath written in the Law, involving great disaster (cf. Leviticus 26:27-45)

5. For what does Daniel pray God regarding Jerusalem and the sanctuary? (Daniel 9:16-19)- To turn away his anger, cause His face to shine; to hear, forgive, and not delay

6. Who was caused to fly swiftly to Daniel because of his supplications? (Daniel 9:22-23)- Gabriel, whom he had seen earlier (cf. Daniel 8:16)

7. List six things that were to happen within the period of seventy “weeks” (Daniel 9:24)- To finish the transgression

• To make an end of sins
• To make reconciliation for iniquity
• To bring in everlasting righteousness
• To seal up vision and prophecy
• To anoint the Most Holy

8. What events would occur in the course of this prophecy’s fulfillment? (Daniel 9:25-27)- A command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, followed by 69 weeks

• The coming of the Messiah who would in turn be cut off, but not for Himself
• The destruction of the city and the sanctuary with war and desolations
• The confirmation of a covenant with many for one week
• The end to sacrifice and offering in the middle of the week
• The coming of one who with abomination brings desolation upon the desolate

Daniel 9:1

Daniel 9:1. Another jump is made in the chronology of dates and the prophet comes down to the year following the taking of Babylon. This is the same Darius named in Daniel 5:31, who was explained to be the uncle of Cyrus the Persian, Although Cyrus was the one who actually made the successful attack upon Belshazzar and took over the city, he permitted his uncle to ascend the throne as the ruler as stated in this verse. It was in the first year of the reign of Darius that Daniel was reading the records.

Daniel 9:2

Daniel 9:2. The prophet read in the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:12) that the desolations of Jerusalem (the Babylonian captivity) was to last seventy years. That period was just ended when his attention was called to the prophecy. Of course he did not stop with the mere item of the length of the captivity, but read the history of the facts that caused God to send that calamity upon the nation.

Daniel 9:3

Daniel 9:3. Daniel was shocked by the history of his people, because their conduct was so rebellious that all this humiliation had to be imposed upon them. He was not personally responsible for the situation, but had to share in the sad debasement of the nation because be was one of its citizens. He set his face or made a firm resolution that he would approach God in prayer and supplication on behalf of his countrymen. He accompanied that prayer with fasting and wearing of sackcloth, a practice of devout people in olden times when under the weight of distress or anxiety.

Daniel 9:4

Daniel 9:4. Made my confession. This is in the first person because Daniel is speaking on behalf of the nation as a whole of which he was a member at the time of the great iniquity. Great and dreadful God is used in the sense of the supreme reverence and awe that should be accorded to Him. Them that love him is the condition on which God will fulfill the promises made to mankind.

Daniel 9:5

Daniel 9:5. We have sinned is to be understood in the same light as “confession” in the preceding verse. Have sinned is made more specific by the words departing from thy precepts; forsaking a law is the same as disobeying it.

Daniel 9:6

Daniel 9:6. Daniel recognizes the prophets to have been the servants of God, and that they spake in thy name which gave their words the weight of divine authority.

Daniel 9:7

Daniel 9:7. The switching back and forth between the first and third persons. and between the plural and singular pronouns, is because of the relationship of Daniel to the nation, as a whole. We have no evidence that he ever had an opportunity even to protest against the corruptions of the nation before his prophetic call, which came to him after being taken to Babylon.

Daniel 9:8

Daniel 9:8, Confusion of face refers to the state of humiliation that was felt by the people of Israel after being exiled into a foreign land.

Daniel 9:9

Daniel 9:9. The justice of God had been poured out upon the rebellious nation in the 70-year captivity that was Just ended. Now the prophet is praying for the mercy and forgiveness that can come only from the same God.

Daniel 9:10

Daniel 9:10. It is not enough to profess faith in the Lord, but we must show our faith by walking in Ms laws that had been set out by the prophets.

Daniel 9:11

Daniel 9:11. One outstanding place where Moses gave the threat of God’ s course upon a disobedient nation is Deuteronomy 28. That passage was plainly written in the book of the law, and the people had no excuse for their disregard of it.

Daniel 9:12

Daniel 9:12. The evil that God brought upon the nation means a puntshment, not in the sense of something wrong. By imposing this distress upon the nation God confirmed his words that were spoken against it.

Daniel 9:13

Daniel 9:13. This verse indicates the thought expressed at verse 11, that the people had been given plenty of opportunity for knowing the law of God, but they had turned from it unto their own wicked ways.

Daniel 9:14

Daniel 9:14. Watched upon the evil denotes that God sees all that is done by His servants. Daniel acknowledges that everything that God does is righteous, which includes the chastisement He had brought against the nation.

Daniel 9:15

Daniel 9:15. The gratitude of the prophet is so great that he goes hack to the very beginning of Israel’ s history as a nation. He recalls the deliverance from Egyptian bondage which was many centuries before; now the same people are just emerging from another bondage. However, there is a wide difference between the two eases. The former was imposed upon God’s people for no wrong on their part, while the latter was decreed by the. same God as a punishment for sin.

Daniel 9:16

Daniel 9:16. Daniel continues his prayer on behalf of his people, and acknowledges that all of their suffering is because of their sins. The most disheartening feature of it is that the nation has become a reproach In the eyes of the other nations.

Daniel 9:17

Daniel 9:17. Sanctuary that is desolate is in reference to the condition of the temple in Jerusalem. The captivity had just been ended, but the Jews had not yet rebuilt it which they will later on. For the Lord’s sake means that he prays for the holy place to be restored for His sake, not that the people deserved the favor.

Daniel 9:18

Daniel 9:18. Open thine eyes. The first word is from PAQAOH which Strong defines, “to be observant.” God never literally closes his eyes, hut Daniel means for Him to take favorable notice of them in their sad condition. The closing statement of the verse is very humble and respectful towards God, Daniel does not claim that his people deserved the favor of God on the ground of their righteousness; he is relying solely on the mercy of the Lord.

Daniel 9:19

Daniel 9:19. This verse is an excellent example of a supplication made to God. That word is a stronger one than merely praying or asking for a favor. It consists in expressions of deep and earnest entreaty, made impressive by repetitions of terms that indicate great humility and a profound sense of helplessness. And again the prophet portrays more concern for the dignity of the name of God than for any personal favor for himself or his people.

Daniel 9:20

Daniel 9:20. My sin and the sin of my people Is explained at verse 4, Roly mountain of my Ood is a figurative reference to the nation of God whose capital city was Jerusalem which was in ruins at the time the prophet was offering this prayer.

Daniel 9:21

Daniel 9:21. Daniel is about to receive an answer to his prayer, and the thing to be promised will be far greater or include more than he is asking. The favor the prophet is Beeking pertains to the restoration of the capital city of Jerusalem, That is going to be granted, and it also will be the dating place for an event concerning his people that will be without a parallel in all history. He is not going to be held waiting very long for the answer to his prayer, for even while he was praying the angel Gabriel came and contacted him Time of the evening oblation means the daily sacrifice that the Jews’ religion included when they were in their own land. The sacrifice was conducted twice daily, at 9 and 3 o’clock respectively. Daniel only refers to it by way of designating the hour when Gabriel contacted him, not that such an offering was being made, for the Jews were not permitted, even by the Lord, to perform their altar services in the strange land (Deuteronomy 28:36; Isaiah 43; Isaiah 24).

Daniel 9:22

Daniel 9:22. Skill and understanding means mental skill, that which comes from special understanding. Gabriel Informs Daniel he was sent to him for the purpose of giving him this favor. God could have inspired the prophet directly with the information as had been done previously, but He saw fit to do it in a different manner this time by sending an angel to him. In this circumstance we have an instance that Is spoken of in two passages of the New Testament; Hebrews 1:1; Hebrews 1:14.

Daniel 9:23

Daniel 9:23. As soon a9 Daniel had begun ills prayer, the Lord gave the order to Gabriel to go unto the earth and deliver the message. We do not know when the angel began his flight to the land of Persia, for he did not interrupt the prophet until he was near the conclusion of his prayer. When it was the proper instant to make the contact, Daniel saw him in a “forced march” or flight as he approached him. As a personal merit on the part of Daniel for his receiving the favor just promised, the angel tells him he is greatly beloved. The severe tests of faith which Daniel had undergone and withstood, endeared him to the God of heaven and determined Him to bestow upon the prophet this honor.

Daniel 9:24

Daniel 9:24, This verse introduces the most important time prophecy in the Bible; important because it concerns the last act in God’s provision for the salvation of mankind. The reason the subject should be considered as an answer to Daniel’ s prayer for his people, is the fact that it was to be accomplished through the instrumentality of those people and while their dispensation was still In force. The verse is a general statement that covers the entire period of the great transaction, after which the prophet sLarts with the details of the prophecy. Seventy weeks is figurative as to “weeks,” and means 70 times 7 years. In other words, the period to be covered by the great prophecy will he 490 years. The grand purpose to be accomplished, and with which it will complete the fulfillment of the prophecy, will include the items referred to in general terms In this verse.

Make an end of sins means to perform the final act of God for the salvation of mankind from their sins, Bring in everlasting righteousness refers to Ihe same fact that was predicted before Nebuchadnezzar about the kingdom that would “ stand forever” (Daniel 2:44). Sen? up the vision and prophecy means to ratify the prophecy about to be made through the prophet. Anoint the most Holy refers to the crowning of Jesus as ‘ “king of kings” for the whole earth, both Jew and Gentile.

Daniel 9:25

Daniel 9:25. This verse includes 69 of the 70 weeks, which brings us to the beginning of the public ministry of Christ, here expressed by the words unto the Messiah the Prince. This 69 week space is subdivided into smaller periods of 7 and 62 weeks. The first period (and hence the whole 70-week period) begins with the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem. When we learn the date of that commandment. we will know when the famous 70week time prophecy began. It is thought by some that the work of Nehemiah could not figure in the question of the beginning time, but the reference to the rebuilding of the streets undoubtedly connects the work of that great reformer with It.

And since the work of Ezra and others had to do with the temple and the services so vitally connected with Jerusalem, we may well Include that also In the subject. But there is a difference of 13 years between the work of Ezra and that of Nehemiah.

If each of the men Is used as a beginning point, will they both come out at the one time, that of the beginning of the public work of Christ? Yes, the apparent difficulty is clarified by remembering that in those times both the lunar and solar years were used. The solar year contains some 11 or 12 more days than the lunar, hence if the beginning point of Ezra be taken, using solar years, there will be enough extra days to make up for the 13 years between that and the work ot Nehemiah, using the lunar year from his date. The work of Ezra began in the year 457 B.C. which is to be regarded as the beginning of the 70week time prophecy now under consideration. There is a good reason for marking off the first seven weeks into a period to itself, for that was about the time covered by the commotions set up by the enemies of the Jews at the work and reforms of Ezra, Nehemiah and other zealous Jews, referred to here by troublous times. After that the prophet ignores all the events of the Intervening years down to the beginning of the public ministry of Christ, merely mentioning the period as threescore and two weeks.

Daniel 9:26

Daniel 9:26. After threescore and two weeks means 62 weeks after the first 7 (69 weeks in all) shall Messiah he cut off, but it does not say how long after. We shall see that it was to be three and a half years after, for it was that many years after Jesus began his public ministry that he was cut off by the crucifixion. Not for himself. The last word has no separate term in the original and it must be understood in the light of the context. Moffatt’ s translation renders the phrase, “leaving no successor,” and the American Standard Version says, “shall have nothing.” These renderings agree with Isaiah 53:8 on the same subject which says, “who shall declare his generation?” The statement is in question form but it is actually an affirmative prediction.

The meaning ts that when Jesus died he left no successor, and the thought is most significant and beautiful. Daniel 2:44 and many other passages predict that the kingdom of Christ was to “stand forever.” In that case He would have no need for a successor, and God would see to it that even death should not prevent his Son from ascending the throne of the everlasting kingdom to be set up soon after his death and resurrection.

People of the prince. The last word is from nagid which Strong defines, “A commander (as occupying the front), civil, military, or religious.” The prince in this passage is Titus, who commanded the Roman forces at the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. The reader should secure the history of Josephus and read the third volume if possible, for the matter is too lengthy to copy here. He will find that the stubbornness of the Jews forced Titus to press the siege with unspeakable suffering being imposed upon them, “ending in desolations” as this verse states. That event occurred 40 years after the death of Christ, and we may wonder why it is injected at this place, when the passage as a whole is not through with the public ministry and death of Christ. It was appropriate to interrupt the prophecy because of the direct relationship between the death of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem.

When Jesus was before Pilate (Matthew 27:25) and that governor was hesitating about what to do with his prisoner, the Jews cried out, “ His blood be on us, and on our children,” God sometimes takes people at their word, as lie did in this case. Forty years after that terrible sentence the city of Jerusalem was destroyed with ail the afflictions referred to above, and it was a punishment upon them for their murder of Jesus.

The death of the Son of God was necessary for the salvation of the world, and it was to be accomplished by the wicked Jews as predicted. But the Lord never did tolerate a wrong attitude shown by any of His agencies, even when they were carrying out the divine decrees. Hence we have the crucifixion of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem (40 years apart) predicted in one connection, after which the prophet resumes predictions of the Messiah.

Daniel 9:27

Daniel 9:27. The one week is the last one of the 70-week period, being the seven years from the beginning of Christ’ s public ministry to the conversation of Cornelius. The covenant is the one made with Abraham in Genesis 12:3 that “ In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” In other passages the same covenant includes the words “and in thy seed,” which we know refers to Christ (Galatians 3:16), The Mosaic covenant was for the Jews only but the one in this passage was for Jews and Gentiles alike, which is signified by the words toith many. The reason it required a week (of years) for Jesus to confirm or fulfill the covenant, is the truth that His office required him to continue the good work until both Jews and Gentiles had been accepted. The covenant demanded that, because it was to biess “ ail the families of the earth.” Jesus accomplished the work for the Jews in person while in his personal ministry of three and a half years: but this was for the Jews only (Matthew 15:24). The part for the Gentiles was performed by the apostles in the course of the three and a half years after the crucifixion, which culminated with the conversion of the household of Cornelius, Twice three and a half years gives us a week (of years), designated in this verse as one week.

In the midst of the week denotes the time of the crucifixion, which came three and a half years after Jesus began his public ministry, ami the same length of time before Cornelius. Before proceeding with the verse, I shall sum up the dates to show how this time prophecy was literally fulfilled in 70 weeks of years or 490 years. The work of Ezra began in the year 457 B.C., the public ministry of Christ began in the year 26 A.D., the conversion of Cornelius was in 33 A.D.; 457 plus 33 Isaiah 490, the number of years required by the time prophecy. Shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease means that the death of Christ put an end to all other sacrifices for sin (Romans 10:4; Hebrews 10:8-9; Hebrews 10:14). For the overspreading of abominations, etc., was commented upon in the preceding verse. The crucifixion of Christ and destruction of Jerusalem are very properly mentioned here in direct connection; for while the crucifixion had to be, yet the motive of the Jews in destroying Him brought upon them t.he destruction of their city.