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Daniel 9 [+/-]Daniel 9
[9:1]In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus,
by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the
Chaldeans-- [2]in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel,
perceived in the books the number of years that, according
to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass
before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely,
seventy years.
[3]Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by
prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and
ashes. [4]I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession,
saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps
covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and
keep his commandments, [5]we have sinned and done wrong and
acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your
commandments and rules. [6]We have not listened to your
servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings,
our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the
land. [7]To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us
open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are
near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which
you have driven them, because of the treachery that they
have committed against you. [8]To us, O LORD, belongs open
shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers,
because we have sinned against you. [9]To the Lord our God
belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against
him [10]and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God
by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his
servants the prophets. [11]All Israel has transgressed your
law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the
curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the
servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we
have sinned against him. [12]He has confirmed his words,
which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled
us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the
whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has
been done against Jerusalem. [13]As it is written in the
Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we
have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning
from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.
[14]Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has
brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in
all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his
voice. [15]And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people
out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made
a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we
have done wickedly.
[16]"O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let
your anger and your wrath turn away from your city
Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for
the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people
have become a byword among all who are around us. [17]Now
therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant
and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,
make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is
desolate. [18]O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open
your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is
called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before
you because of our righteousness, but because of your great
mercy. [19]O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay
attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God,
because your city and your people are called by your name."
[20]While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin
and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea
before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God,
[21]while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I
had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift
flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. [22]He made me
understand, speaking with me and saying, "O Daniel, I have
now come out to give you insight and understanding. [23]At
the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and
I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved.
Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.
[24]"Seventy weeks are decreed about 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. [25]Know therefore and understand
that from the going out 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.
[26]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. [27]And he
shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and
for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one
who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on
the desolator." (ESV)
The interpretation of the Book of Daniel from an apocalyptic perspective depends almost entirely on the understanding of the seventy weeks in
Daniel 9 [+/-]Daniel 9
[9:1]In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus,
by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the
Chaldeans-- [2]in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel,
perceived in the books the number of years that, according
to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass
before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely,
seventy years.
[3]Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by
prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and
ashes. [4]I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession,
saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps
covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and
keep his commandments, [5]we have sinned and done wrong and
acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your
commandments and rules. [6]We have not listened to your
servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings,
our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the
land. [7]To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us
open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are
near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which
you have driven them, because of the treachery that they
have committed against you. [8]To us, O LORD, belongs open
shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers,
because we have sinned against you. [9]To the Lord our God
belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against
him [10]and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God
by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his
servants the prophets. [11]All Israel has transgressed your
law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the
curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the
servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we
have sinned against him. [12]He has confirmed his words,
which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled
us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the
whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has
been done against Jerusalem. [13]As it is written in the
Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we
have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning
from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.
[14]Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has
brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in
all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his
voice. [15]And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people
out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made
a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we
have done wickedly.
[16]"O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let
your anger and your wrath turn away from your city
Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for
the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people
have become a byword among all who are around us. [17]Now
therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant
and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,
make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is
desolate. [18]O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open
your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is
called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before
you because of our righteousness, but because of your great
mercy. [19]O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay
attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God,
because your city and your people are called by your name."
[20]While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin
and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea
before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God,
[21]while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I
had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift
flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. [22]He made me
understand, speaking with me and saying, "O Daniel, I have
now come out to give you insight and understanding. [23]At
the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and
I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved.
Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.
[24]"Seventy weeks are decreed about 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. [25]Know therefore and understand
that from the going out 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.
[26]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. [27]And he
shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and
for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one
who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on
the desolator." (ESV)
. Thus, at the outset of our study of this chapter we need to be clear about several very critical realities:
1. Although this chapter is as inerrant and as infallible as any other in the book, we must no more make our ability to hear the message of Daniel hinge on getting the seventy weeks right than we should make our understanding of the Book of Revelation hinge on our understanding of the millennium. The latter is just one small paragraph in a book of twenty-two chapters and the seventy weeks here is s small part of one of twelve chapters. So, let’s keep this issue in its proper perspective. There are those who are strong believers and good, solid Bible interpreters who see this passage limited to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes and no later than A.D. 70 as well as equally gifted interpreters who see this text tied almost totally to the end of time.
2. This text has as much to teach us about the study of the Word of God and prayer as it does about the character of the seventy weeks. We will be greatly benefitted by what this chapter teaches us about prayer.
3. The two keys to understanding this chapter are the texts that Daniel studied to get the number of seventy years and the meaning of
Daniel 7:24 [+/-]Daniel 7:24
[24]As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
and shall put down three kings.
. We will begin our study of this chapter with these two issues.
I. Three Major Views of the Seventy Weeks
Daniel Nine is the key to prophetic interpretation and the backbone of prophesy, James Boice
I am going to present the three basic views of the seventy weeks of Daniel below. It is important, however, to remember that all the views emerge out of one of two understandings of the material in Daniel, and this same approach is applicable to Revelation. What determines the approach to the book is whether the weeks are seen as “symbolic†or “literalistic.†Symbolic interpretation does not require exactness in dating; literalistic interpretation does.
A. The first view is that the seventy weeks refers entirely to events surrounding he reign of Antiochus Epiphanes IV from 175-164 B.C. This view is the most difficult to establish since marking 490 years from either 605 B.C. or 586 B.C. does not take us near the time of Antiochus. Even more difficult is fitting the key text of 9:24 into the framework of the period of Antiochus Epiphanes.
B. The second view takes the numbers symbolically and figuratively and does not tie them to any time frame at all. The arguments are rooted in the common use of number symbolism in apocalyptic literature so that 7 X 70 would be a perfectly complete period of time which would in effect be “kairos†and not “chromos†or time as it is useful in serving God’s purposes known only to Him which He works out in His own time. Most scholars, however, who take this view would suggest that it most likely refers to the time from the exile to the time of Christ with the “seventieth†week taking us through the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. By the way, one of the issues that this view raises that all interpreters of the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation have to face is the issue of symbolism vs. literalism. We can know that a person is captured more by his or her theological system when he uses numbers symbolically and then literally depending on which way of seeing them assists the strengthening of his system. Yet, this way of using the numbers should cause us to stand away from any system that would interpret the numbers first one way and then another.
C. The third view holds that the seventy weeks refers to events around the time of Christ with the last set of seven referring to the end time. The issue for this view is two-fold. First, what is the starting date for the seventy years that culminate at the time of Christ and what date do we use for the point of culmination? If we use 538 B.C. when Cyrus gave the edict for the Jews to return to Jerusalem (
2 Chron. 36:23 [+/-]2 Chronicles 36:23
[23]"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, 'The LORD, the God
of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and
he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which
is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may
the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.'" (ESV)
,
Ezra 1:2-4 [+/-]Ezra 1:2-4
[2]"Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of
heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he
has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is
in Judah. [3]Whoever is among you of all his people, may
his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which
is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of
Israel--he is the God who is in Jerusalem. [4]And let each
survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the
men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with
beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God
that is in Jerusalem." (ESV)
) this would yield a date of 48 B.C. which has no significance at all. Another possibility is the edict of Artaxerxes (
Ezra 7:12-26 [+/-]Ezra 7:12-26
[12]"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the
scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace. And now
[13]I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or
their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers
to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. [14]For you are sent
by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries
about Judah and Jerusalem according to the Law of your God,
which is in your hand, [15]and also to carry the silver and
gold that the king and his counselors have freely offered
to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
[16]with all the silver and gold that you shall find in the
whole province of Babylonia, and with the freewill
offerings of the people and the priests, vowed willingly
for the house of their God that is in Jerusalem. [17]With
this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls,
rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink
offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the
house of your God that is in Jerusalem. [18]Whatever seems
good to you and your brothers to do with the rest of the
silver and gold, you may do, according to the will of your
God. [19]The vessels that have been given you for the
service of the house of your God, you shall deliver before
the God of Jerusalem. [20]And whatever else is required for
the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide,
you may provide it out of the king's treasury.
[21]"And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all
the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever
Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of
heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence,
[22]up to 100 talents of silver, 100 cors of wheat, 100
baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt without
prescribing how much. [23]Whatever is decreed by the God of
heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of
heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and
his sons. [24]We also notify you that it shall not be
lawful to impose tribute, custom, or toll on anyone of the
priests, the Levites, the singers, the doorkeepers, the
temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
[25]"And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God
that is in your hand, appoint magistrates and judges who
may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River,
all such as know the laws of your God. And those who do not
know them, you shall teach. [26]Whoever will not obey the
law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be
strictly executed on him, whether for death or for
banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for
imprisonment." (ESV)
) in 458 B.C. which takes us to A.D. 33. This calculation also makes
Dan. 9:24 [+/-]Daniel 9:24
[24]"Seventy weeks are decreed about 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. (ESV)
make sense. One other view is when Nehemiah was given letters from King Artaxerxes in 445 B.C. to begin the rebuilding of the walls of the cities of Jerusalem. This approach, of course, assumes that the numbers are to be understood literalistically and that the dates in the Bible that we construct by attaching them to certain events are exact.
I do need to mention here the view of John MacArthur which makes the most sense of this third view. MacArthur says that if we use the figure of 70 weeks and remember that Daniel was told that there would be seven weeks from the decree to restore Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one there would be seven weeks. If we take the decree f Artaxerxes in 444 B.C. and add 49 years to it, that takes us to 395 B.C. and then the Bible says that there would be 62 weeks from that point when the anointed one would be cut off or crucified. This would be 434 years with a year added for the transition year so that we are taken to A.D. 40 or to A.D. 33 and the crucifixion of Jesus plus seven years during which the Jewish and Gentile Mission of the church was clearly established.
II.
Daniel 9:1-2 [+/-]Daniel 9:1-2
[9:1]In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus,
by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the
Chaldeans-- [2]in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel,
perceived in the books the number of years that, according
to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass
before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely,
seventy years. (ESV)
and 24 as keys
A.
Daniel 9:1-2 [+/-]Daniel 9:1-2
[9:1]In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus,
by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the
Chaldeans-- [2]in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel,
perceived in the books the number of years that, according
to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass
before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely,
seventy years. (ESV)
is the first key. Daniel is studying the Book of Jeremiah and comes to a conclusion about the number of the years of captivity. It seems that Daniel would have been studying
Jeremiah 25:1-13 [+/-]Jeremiah 25:1-13
[25:1]The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the
people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of
Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), [2]which Jeremiah the
prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem: [3]"For twenty-three years, from
the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of
Judah, to this day, the word of the LORD has come to me,
and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not
listened. [4]You have neither listened nor inclined your
ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you
all his servants the prophets, [5]saying, 'Turn now, every
one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell
upon the land that the LORD has given to you and your
fathers from of old and forever. [6]Do not go after other
gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with
the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.' [7]Yet
you have not listened to me, declares the LORD, that you
might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to
your own harm.
[8]"Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Because you
have not obeyed my words, [9]behold, I will send for all
the tribes of the north, declares the LORD, and for
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will
bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and
against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them
to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an
everlasting desolation. [10]Moreover, I will banish from
them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the
voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the
grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp.
[11]This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and
these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy
years. [12]Then after seventy years are completed, I will
punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the
Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the LORD, making
the land an everlasting waste. [13]I will bring upon that
land all the words that I have uttered against it,
everything written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied
against all the nations. (ESV)
and 29:1-14. These texts ought to be carefully read and closely studied. Please pay close attention when reading
Jeremiah 29 [+/-]Jeremiah 29
[29:1]These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah
the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of
the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the
people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from
Jerusalem to Babylon. [2]This was after King Jeconiah and
the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and
Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had
departed from Jerusalem. [3]The letter was sent by the hand
of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of
Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: [4]"Thus says the
LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I
have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: [5]Build
houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their
produce. [6]Take wives and have sons and daughters; take
wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage,
that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and
do not decrease. [7]But seek the welfare of the city where
I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its
behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
[8]For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do
not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you
deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they
dream, [9]for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you
in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD.
[10]"For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are
completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill
to you my promise and bring you back to this place. [11]For
I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans
for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a
hope. [12]Then you will call upon me and come and pray to
me, and I will hear you. [13]You will seek me and find me,
when you seek me with all your heart. [14]I will be found
by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes
and gather you from all the nations and all the places
where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will
bring you back to the place from which I sent you into
exile.
[15]"Because you have said, 'The LORD has raised up
prophets for us in Babylon,' [16]thus says the LORD
concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and
concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your
kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: [17]'Thus
says the LORD of hosts, behold, I am sending on them sword,
famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs
that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. [18]I will pursue
them with sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them
a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a
terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations
where I have driven them, [19]because they did not pay
attention to my words, declares the LORD, that I
persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but
you would not listen, declares the LORD.' [20]Hear the word
of the LORD, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem
to Babylon: [21]'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the
son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my
name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them
down before your eyes. [22]Because of them this curse shall
be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: "The LORD
make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon
roasted in the fire," [23]because they have done an
outrageous thing in Israel, they have committed adultery
with their neighbors' wives, and they have spoken in my
name lying words that I did not command them. I am the one
who knows, and I am witness, declares the LORD.'"
[24]To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say: [25]"Thus says
the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters
in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to
Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the
priests, saying, [26]'The LORD has made you priest instead
of Jehoiada the priest, to have charge in the house of the
LORD over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the
stocks and neck irons. [27]Now why have you not rebuked
Jeremiah of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? [28]For he
has sent to us in Babylon, saying, "Your exile will be
long; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and
eat their produce."'"
[29]Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing
of Jeremiah the prophet. [30]Then the word of the LORD came
to Jeremiah: [31]"Send to all the exiles, saying, 'Thus
says the LORD concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because
Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and
has made you trust in a lie, [32]therefore thus says the
LORD: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his
descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this
people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my
people, declares the LORD, for he has spoken rebellion
against the LORD.'" (ESV)
as verse 11 is one of the most misapplied texts in the Bible. It was written as a promise of God to people who were under His judgment and the promise is to them only as they belong to Him. It is not at all about them and what they deserve after their pain; it is all about God and what He gives and does in spite of the pain.
B.
Daniel 9:24 [+/-]Daniel 9:24
[24]"Seventy weeks are decreed about 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. (ESV)
. It is important to read verses 20-23 as the foundation for verse 24. We will study these verses as we move through the chapter but they focus for us the importance of this verse. And this verse would lead us to a more literal interpretation so that seventy weeks or years is decreed for the people of God and for the city of God. Now we have to be precise here in deciding whether the people of God or Jewish only or are they Jews and Gentile and is the city of God the real Jerusalem of the symbolic city of the saints of God, and we must not mix and match here. I believe that the word here is for the Jewish people and the city is the city of Jerusalem so that what follows if first and foundationally for them. And then when we read this text we see that there are six statements here with the first three very clearly focused on the first coming of Jesus and the second three very clearly focused on the second coming of Jesus.
1. The First Advent of Jesus is for:
a. Finishing the Transgression
b. Putting an end to sin
c. Atoning for iniquity
The focus for the first coming of Jesus is His cross; His sacrificial atoning death for sin. Now, if we go to a text like Luke and look at it from the perspective of what is being said here and in the context of the vocabulary that is used we see how the Bible is not only inherent but so very coherent. Look at
Luke 2:10-11 [+/-]Luke 2:10-11
[10]And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I
bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the
people. [11]For unto you is born this day in the city of
David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (ESV)
. The word for “people†in verse 10 is a word that in Luke always refers to the Jewish people. The shepherds were Jewish people and the good news is for them and for all Jewish people and the good news is that their Messiah has come and that their Messiah is Lord. Go then to the Book of Acts and see the struggle that the early church had taking the Gospel to the Gentiles and even watch Paul who was called to preach to the Gentiles but who always went first to the synagogue to his own people. The foundational focus of God in the coming of Jesus was the salvation of the Jewish people who were first called of God to be a light to the nations. This means that when Gentile believers are involved in outreach to Jewish people, we are involved in that which represents the very heart of God.
2. The Second Advent of Jesus is for:
a. Bringing in everlasting righteousness
b. To finish the vision of Daniel
c. To anoint the most Holy Place
Here again if this holy place is tied to the holy people then the focus must be the city of Jerusalem where the Temple will be rebuilt with a splendor unknown since the days of Herod and all the nations will flow toward Jerusalem for either ultimate salvation or ultimate condemnation. Read
Zechariah 14:16-21 [+/-]Zechariah 14:16-21
[16]Then everyone who survives of all the nations that
have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to
worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast
of Booths. [17]And if any of the families of the earth do
not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of
hosts, there will be no rain on them. [18]And if the family
of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on
them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with
which the LORD afflicts the nations that do not go up to
keep the Feast of Booths. [19]This shall be the punishment
to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not
go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
[20]And on that day there shall be inscribed on the
bells of the horses, "Holy to the LORD." And the pots in
the house of the LORD shall be as the bowls before the
altar. [21]And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be
holy to the LORD of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may
come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in
them. And there shall no longer be a trader in the house of
the LORD of hosts on that day. (ESV)
for what is a prophetic understanding of the centrality of the city of Jerusalem and the reinstituted festival of booths or tabernacles that will be observed there in the last of the last days.
Now with this as a background and context we turn our attention to the three movements of Daniel Nine. We will look first at the focus of his study (9:1-2), then the faithfulness of his prayer, (9:3-19) and finally at the fulfillment of His prophesy (9:20-27).
The interpretation of the Book of Daniel from an apocalyptic perspective depends almost entirely on the understanding of the seventy weeks in Daniel 9 [+/-]Daniel 9
[9:1]In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus,
by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the
Chaldeans-- [2]in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel,
perceived in the books the number of years that, according
to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass
before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely,
seventy years.
[3]Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by
prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and
ashes. [4]I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession,
saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps
covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and
keep his commandments, [5]we have sinned and done wrong and
acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your
commandments and rules. [6]We have not listened to your
servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings,
our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the
land. [7]To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us
open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are
near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which
you have driven them, because of the treachery that they
have committed against you. [8]To us, O LORD, belongs open
shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers,
because we have sinned against you. [9]To the Lord our God
belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against
him [10]and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God
by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his
servants the prophets. [11]All Israel has transgressed your
law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the
curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the
servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we
have sinned against him. [12]He has confirmed his words,
which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled
us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the
whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has
been done against Jerusalem. [13]As it is written in the
Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we
have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning
from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.
[14]Therefore the LORD has kept ready the calamity and has
brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in
all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his
voice. [15]And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people
out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made
a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we
have done wickedly.
[16]"O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let
your anger and your wrath turn away from your city
Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for
the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people
have become a byword among all who are around us. [17]Now
therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant
and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord,
make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is
desolate. [18]O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open
your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is
called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before
you because of our righteousness, but because of your great
mercy. [19]O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay
attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God,
because your city and your people are called by your name."
[20]While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin
and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea
before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God,
[21]while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I
had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift
flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. [22]He made me
understand, speaking with me and saying, "O Daniel, I have
now come out to give you insight and understanding. [23]At
the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and
I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved.
Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.
[24]"Seventy weeks are decreed about 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. [25]Know therefore and understand
that from the going out 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.
[26]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. [27]And he
shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and
for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one
who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on
the desolator." (ESV)
. Thus, at the outset of our study of this chapter we need to be clear about several very critical realities:
1. Although this chapter is as inerrant and as infallible as any other in the book, we must no more make our ability to hear the message of Daniel hinge on getting the seventy weeks right than we should make our understanding of the Book of Revelation hinge on our understanding of the millennium. The latter is just one small paragraph in a book of twenty-two chapters and the seventy weeks here is s small part of one of twelve chapters. So, let’s keep this issue in its proper perspective. There are those who are strong believers and good, solid Bible interpreters who see this passage limited to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes and no later than A.D. 70 as well as equally gifted interpreters who see this text tied almost totally to the end of time.
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