The Book of Daniel

Daniel was taught by Dr. James Modlish

 

Chapter Nine
(Jewish Prayers And The Seventy Weeks - 9:1-27)

 

Introduction:

Most of chapter 9 is a type of prayer that Jews will pray at the end of Tribulation - Penitent Prayer. The first two verses of this chapter indicate that Daniel had been studying his Bible and particularly those prophecies that related to the destiny of his people. He was now nearly 90 years old. He was reading (Jer. 25:1-14) and the Lord caused him to see that his people would be in Babylon 70 years. Babylon invaded Palestine and began its siege in 606 B.C., and Daniel understood the prophecies in the year 539-538 B.C.; so there were but two years left in the 70 years promised by Jeremiah.

 

I. The Cause Of The Prayer

It must have been an overwhelming realization to Daniel that after 68 years of Babylonian captivity Israel had not changed very much. His Prayer seems to-reflect a great concern for what might happen to Israel if there was no dramatic change in the two years to come. Daniel's attitude is pictured in (vs. 3). How strange it must have been for Israel to see the Prime Minister wearing sackcloth and ashes.

 

II. The Nature Of The Prayer

This is first and foremost a prayer of confession. It is one of the longest prayers in the Bible and would be a good one for a Christian, church or nation to-pray. Daniel identifies himself with the sins of the people - notice: vs. 4 "my confession", vs. 5 "We have sinned", vs. 6 "Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets", etc.

Some of the things that Daniel confesses are:

A. A departing from God's precepts (vs. 5)

The precepts of God is the final authority of His Word. Christians are no different today - how many are really willing to submit their lives to the authority-of God's Word. God commands us to:

[1]. Keep His precepts (Ps. 119:4)

[2]. To understand His precepts (Ps. 119:27)

[3]. To long after His precepts (Ps. 119:40)

[4]. To seek God's precepts (Ps. 119:45)

[5]. To meditate in them (Ps. 119:78)

[6]. Not forget them (Ps. 119:93)

[7]. To choose them (Ps. 119:173)

B. A failure to listen to the prophets of God (vs. 6)

Keep in mind that Daniel had been studying Jeremiah who had Personally preached to three different Jewish kings, none of which heeded the message of the prophet of God. See Jer. 21,25, 36,38. God's people have always had trouble accepting the message of God's prophets (Lk. 13:33,34).

C. The sins of the judges and judicial system of the land (vs. 12)

(See Jer. 5:25-31; Isa. 1:23-27)

 

III. The Results Of Sin

A. Confusion (vs. 7,8) God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33) so we must conclude that man brings it upon himself and it snowballs (Jer. 7:17-20). (See Ps. 44:15; Jas. 3:16).

B. Scattering and curse (vs. 7,11)

This scattering was first prophesied in (Deut. 28). It was a direct result of disobedience.

C. Jerusalem was downtrodden (vs. 16,19)

Jerusalem had been a city of great privileges. At one time it was the religious, economic, educational and political capital of the world. (Jer. 52) gives us a brief picture of the overthrow of Jerusalem and the desperate condition it was left in.

IV. The Plea For Mercy - (9:16-19)

Verse (18) makes it very clear that there is no basis of personal righteousness upon which Israel can approach God. If America will ever turn to God we will have to forsake an attitude of self-righteousness that controls our country today. Daniel knew there was nothing left to appeal to except the mercies of God. God help us!

Introduction:

Daniel is about to receive some of the greatest information that has ever been revealed to mankind. He is to receive the timetable of prophecy.

 

I. The Prayer Delayed

God sent the answer to Daniel's prayer (which was to understand the numbering of God's Word, Dan. 9:2) immediately (9:23). But the prayer was delayed (probably 21 days, 10:13). The picture being presented in (ch. 9 & 10) is that there are forces in the universe that battle against the messengers of God. Of course God could overrule at any time, but God informs us in Eph. 6 that we wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. The only piece of armour that is not listed in (Eph. 6) is shin guards, which makes it obvious God intends the warfare to be conducted on our knees in prayer.

 

II. The Vision Revealed

The number seven has been stamped on Israel from the beginning. They had a Sabbath of days (Ex. 23:12), setting apart the seventh day for honoring God. They also had a Sabbath of years (Lev. 25:1-7); they were to let the land lie fallow on the seventh year and give it rest. Because they broke this law, they went into captivity, one year for each sabbatical year they failed to obey God (2 Chr. 36:21; Lev. 26:33-34). They also had a "Sabbath of Sabbaths," with every 50th year set apart as the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8-17). But now Daniel was to be introduced to a new series of Sabbaths - seventy "weeks" (seven year periods) making a total of 490 years of prophetic time for the Jews. We know God is making one week equal with seven years because of what history has revealed, and Gods own equation in Num. 14:34. Please note that this 490 year period of time has to do with Jerusalem and the Jews: "thy people... thy holy city..." (vs. 24). And God has specific purposes to fulfill in this period: the removing of sin and the bringing in of righteousness. The result will be the anointing of the most holy place in the temple, that is, the return of Jesus Christ to the earth to reign in glory from His temple in Jerusalem.

Now for the outline of the 490 years. (Vs. 25) tells us that the event that will trigger the 490 years is a decree permitting the Jews to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. (It is interesting that the event that will trigger the last 7 years of this period will be the covenant of the Anti-Christ to protect the Jews. We find a decree at the beginning and the end of the 490 years.) History tells us there were four different decrees relating to Jerusalem: Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes all make decrees concerning the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 1:6-7); and Artaxerxes decreed that Nehemiah could return to rebuild the city (Neh. 2). This was 445 B.C. and it is the decree (Dan. 9:25) is talking about; it took place nearly 100 years after Daniel received the message from God. Gabriel said that there would be "seven weeks and threescore and two weeks" (69 x 7 - 483 years) between the giving of the decree and the arrival of the Messiah, The Prince, in Jerusalem. Keep in mind that prophetic years" in the Bible are not 365 days, but 360 days long. It has been calculated by scholars that there were exactly 483 prophetic years between the decree in 445 B.C. and the very day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday!

But Gabriel divided these 483 years into two parts - seven weeks ( 7 x 7 = 49 years) and threescore and two weeks (62 x 7 = 434 years). Why? Well, it took 49 years from the time of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem; and this was done "in troublous times." Read Nehemiah and see how difficult a task it was to restore the city. Then, 434 years later we come to the Messiah, The Prince, who is "cut off" (His death on the cross) for the sins of the world., It was His death on the cross that accomplished the purposes given in (vs. 24). What followed His death? Did Israel accept Him and His message? No! They lied about Him, persecuted His messengers, stoned Stephen, and refused to acknowledge His Lordship. What happened? Rome came and destroyed the city and wrecked the temple. The nation "cut off" Jesus Christ, so He cut them off from from being a nation! Until May 14, 1948, Israel was not a free nation.

Rome is called "the people of the prince that shall come." Who is this prince? Not "Messiah the Prince" because that refers to Christ. "The prince that shall come" is Anti-Christ! 'He will be the leader of the restored Roman Empire. So, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. was but an illustration of a future invasion and destruction to be led by Anti-Christ. This prince will make an agreement with the Jews to protect them from the other nations and this agreement will be set for seven years. This final seven years is the completion of Daniel's 490 year period.

Four decrees that have to do with rebuilding Jerusalem:

536 B.C. (Ez. 1:1-4)

519 B.C. (Ez. 6:1-12)

458 B.C. (Ez. 7:7)

445-6 B.C. (Neh. 2:1-8) Christ is 33 1/2 years old from this date!

NOTE: Between the death of Christ and the signing of this covenant you have the entire Age of the Church, a "great parenthesis" in God's program. The 490 years are in operation only when Israel is in God's will as God's people. When Israel crucified Christ, she was set aside and the "prophetic clock" stopped ticking. But when the church has been caught away to heaven and the Anti-Christ signs his pact with Israel, then the last seven years of Daniel's "70 weeks" will start being fulfilled. This seven year period is know as the Tribulation or the Time of Jacob's Trouble. It is described in Rev. 6-19.

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