Daniel: Chapter 9
Setting
This is another of the several extraordinary chapters in the book of Daniel. The setting is placed in the new era of the Medo-Persian Empire, almost a dozen years after the visions that were given to Daniel during the reign of King Belshazzar. Coincident to this chapter is Daniel in the den of lions, Daniel 6. Though there is no link between the two events in scripture, it does not take much imagination to see how Satan attempted to attack God’s man to whom was given prophetic passages for generations to come. It is inspiring to see Daniel’s belief in God’s Word; how he anticipated Israel’s return to their land based on the prophecy of Jeremiah, and how Daniel acted upon that information. Daniel prayed a prayer of confession, intercession, and petition on behalf of himself and Israel. Similar to the day of atonement when the High Priest would first make atonement for his sins, then for the sins of Israel, Leviticus 16:1-34. The church today would do well to follow Daniel’s example. The Word of God speaks of the “snatching away” of the church, the return of Christ to rule over this world, and the prominent place Israel will hold in the world when Christ sits on the throne of David, Psalm 122:1-9.
Daniel serves as a pillar and an example for Christian behavior today. As believers in Christ Jesus, Christians should be searching through the scriptures to understand what God has revealed and prepare ourselves in a manner like Daniel. All who believe in Christ need to pray a prayer of confession, intercession, petition, as Paul taught the Body-of-Christ, Ephesians 6:18, and for the peace of Jerusalem, Psalm 122:6, that the Lord will accomplish all He said concerning the church and Israel. It is the anticipation of these prophetic events which are at our horizon of time that should provide the motivation to actively engage in prayerful submission to God for all men, 1Timothy 2:1.
In Daniel 9:1, Daniel provides the timeframe of the events described in this chapter, which occur in the first year of King Darius over the realm of the Chaldeans. King Belshazzar had been overthrown and killed, Daniel 5:1-5. The events in this chapter confirm the observation of the other princes and governors under Darius in Daniel 6:4-5; Daniel loved God and was a man of prayer. The order of events in this chapter and when Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, from which God delivered him, Daniel 6:16-21, are not known. Daniel may have first been thrown into the lions’ den; the first order of business for Darius was to establish a governing body over his expanded empire, which began the court intrigue.
This chapter reveals specific details in God’s prophetic plan for the nation of Israel. He began to unveil the plan to Abraham after He called Abraham out of the Ur of the Chaldees, Genesis 15:7. This plan starts from this moment in Daniel’s life, all the way into the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, Revelation 20.
Before the events in this chapter, when Daniel was first taken into captivity, the children of Israel were warned through the prophet Jeremiah that they were not to pray for Jerusalem or for those left behind, but for the peace of their captors, Jeremiah 29:7. After 70 years of captivity, the people who believed God’s word knew that the time to return to their land had arrived. They had been marking the time and now the long-anticipated return was near. Daniel recognized the times for their return based on the scriptures that were known to him. This is no different for the believer in Christ Jesus today, who should be looking up for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Titus 2:12-13. Those in the Body-of-Christ should be as well studied in the word as Daniel, searching for promises the Lord had made to His church of His return and His leading in performing the good works that God had ordained for us until the Lord’s return, Ephesians 2:10.
Daniel searched the Word of God, spoken through Jeremiah, and he understood the desolations (plural) of Jerusalem, Daniel 9:2. Daniel also understood the dream in Daniel 2:1-49, and that there would be a transition from the Babylonian reign to the Medes and Persians. Based on Daniel's understanding and knowledge of the word of the Lord, he recited the words spoken by the prophet, Jeremiah 25:11-12, Jeremiah 29:10-11, and 2 Chronicles 36:18-21. Daniel knew that the whole land of Israel shall be desolate, and Israel and other nations would serve Babylon 70 years. After 70 years, God would punish the king of Babylon. The second desolation was the temple. It was destroyed in 586 B.C., and restored in 515 B.C.. Both desolations of Israel's land and the temple in Jerusalem, lasted about 70 years. Three principles from Daniel's reference to Jeremiah's prophecy are:
- The prophecies were taken literally with an expectation of fulfillment
- The Word of God would be fulfilled only by prayer
- Confession and repentance is a prelude to restoration
The dates of the exile and the counting of the 70 years began with the first invasion of King Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. and the third and final invasion was around 538 B.C. The admonition to the church today is that the word of the prophets is now made more certain by the Lord during His earthly ministry as witnessed by His disciples, 2 Peter 1:19-21. It is an extremely worthwhile effort, even a responsibility of every believer in Christ Jesus to study the word of God, as Daniel demonstrated. The words of the Lord, the Law, prophets, and psalms are certain, as the Lord stated, His words will not pass away, Matthew 24:34-35. All of words found in the word of God, the Bible, are given by inspiration 2 Timothy 3:16-17. It is God who conceals a matter, and we search it out, Proverbs 25:2, by rightly dividing the word, 2 Timothy 2:15.
On the basis of revisiting the prophecies of Jeremiah, and recent experiences of God moving His mighty hand against Belshazzar and keeping Daniel from the lions, Daniel exercises his faith as he prayed for himself and Israel. The just shall live by faith, Habakkuk 2:4. As Daniel prepared himself to pray, he addressed God with His personal covenant name, which He uses with those of Israel who are the only people group who ever lived on earth to have entered into a covenant relationship with Him, Daniel 9:2.
- The first time "Lord" was used occurred when Abraham was going to offer his son Isaac. Abraham called the place of sacrifice by the name JEHOVAH-JIREH, the Lord is our Provider or Provision, Genesis 22:14
- It is then that the Lord confirmed His covenant with Abraham
- The name of the Lord will be used several more times in the prayer of Daniel
Daniel took several steps to prepare himself before God. First, he prayed for himself and on behalf of the nation of Israel. He set his face to God, fasted, put on sackcloth and ashes for mourning, Daniel 9:3-8. Daniel humbled himself completely before the Lord. The whole context was in petitioning the Lord through prayer to perform the great wonders that he had promised to the nation of Israel after 70 years of captivity, nested within the prayer of King Solomon, 2Chronicles 6:19-39.
Consider the following examples when making a solemn prayer to God and supplications for important things, such as for America. Paul gave instructions on prayer to the Body-of-Christ, to:
- Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch with all perseverance and supplication for all saints, Ephesians 6:18
- Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, Philippians 4:6
- Make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and give thanks to God, in remembering all men, 1Timothy 2:1
Second, Daniel took other steps before praying, Daniel 9:3 by:
- Daniel set his face to the Lord God, that is, praying in the direction where Solomon’s temple once stood. Daniel then:
- Removed any possible distraction from taking away his full attention and mind toward God
- Recited God’s word that he understood from Jeremiah
- Intended to make his request to God, through prayer and by seeking answers to specific questions that related to the end of the Jews’ exile
- Fasted for a period of time leading up to the prayer to put his body into subjection and obedience to the Spirit
- Put on sackcloth to express great mourning and to show his abject humbleness before God
- Casted ashes upon himself to show great sorrow because of the past sins of the people of Israel
There were three main parts to Daniel’s prayer: confession, intercession, and petition. The first part of the prayer, Daniel 9:4, Daniel acknowledged the greatness and holiness of the Lord. Daniel recited the many great ways the Lord revealed Himself to mankind over the preceding centuries and millennia. Daniel understood and exhorted in his prayer that God keeps His covenant, is righteous, merciful and forgiving.
Next in Daniel 9:5, Daniel confessed the shame, sin, rebellion, and transgression of the children of Israel. They committed iniquity, where their heart was continually sinning against God and His ways, Hosea 4:1-19, 18. King Manasseh made Judah and Jerusalem to err, worse than the Gentiles before the children of Israel, 2Chronicles 33:9. During the time of the kings, the land had never enjoyed its Sabbaths, but it will, Leviticus 26:27-35.
Daniel continued to confess to the Lord, that they:
- Did wickedly before Him, to the point that they lost any desire to do good in the sight of God, cf. Isaiah 5:20, …who call evil good and good evil…
- Rebelled in that they refused God’s authority and those He placed in leadership positions
- Departed from God’s precepts, which dictate and govern a person’s behavior before the Lord and among other individuals
- Departed from God’s judgments, where they witnessed God’s judgment against countries who were in the land before Israel came to take possession. Israel practiced the same wrongdoing and worse, which God warned them of before they entered into their promised land, Deuteronomy 12:5-8, Deuteronomy 28-32, 2Chronicles 33:9
Daniel also confessed that Israel sinned by departing from God's precepts and from His judgments, such as Leviticus 26:27-35, the land will enjoy its Sabbaths
Just as the Lord gave man the Sabbath to rest, He also commanded that when Israel possessed the land He gave them, they were to allow the land to rest from sowing the fields, pruning their vineyards, and gathering in their crops, Leviticus 25:1-7. In the Sabbath year (every seventh year), all Israel will enjoy the Sabbath products of the land for food, including:
- Male or female, free or slave
- The hired man and the foreign resident who live as aliens
- The cattle and animals in the land shall have the crops to eat
God gave His promises to His people to observe the land Sabbaths, Leviticus 25:18-22. His promise to Israel, was that if they observe His statutes, they would live in the land safely, the land will yield its fruit and they will eat their fill, and God will command His blessings on them in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit the following three years.
When were the land Sabbaths observed? NEVER! When Israel first came into the land, they were under God’s direct rule. He would send judges in the land when the people sinned and turned their back on God. There were 12 judges of Israel. That ended in the days of Samuel, when Israel demanded to have a king over them like all the other nations, 1Samuel 8:5. This is when the nation of Israel rejected God, and for Him to rule over them, 1Samuel 8:7.
From that point on, beginning with King Saul, and ending with King Zedekiah, there were 23 rulers over Judah, and not one of them ever commanded the people to observe the land Sabbath. Why is this important? This serves as the basis of the 70 weeks of years that will be revealed to Daniel later in this chapter. God used the past to establish when the time of rest will begin for the land. This is shown in the following table:
| Kings over Judah | Years of Reign | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Saul | 40 | Acts 13:21 |
| David | 40 | 1Chronicles 29:27 |
| Solomon | 40 | 2Chronicles 9:30 |
| Rehoboam | 17 | 2Chronicles 12:13 |
| Abijah | 3 | 2Chronicles 13:2 |
| Asa | 41 | 2Chronicles 16:13 |
| Jehoshaphat | 25 | 2Chronicles 20:31 |
| Jehoram | 8 | 2Chronicles 21:5 |
| Ahaziah | 1 | 2Chronicles 22:2 |
| Queen Athaliah | 7 | 2Chronicles 22:12, 23:1, 15 |
| Joash | 40 | 2Chronicles 24:1 |
| Amaziah | 29 | 2Chronicles 25:1 |
| Uzziah | 52 | 2Chronicles 26:3 |
| Jotham | 16 | 2Chronicles 27:1 |
| Ahaz | 16 | 2Chronicles 28:1 |
| Hezekiah | 29 | 2Chronicles 29:1 |
| Manasseh | 55 | 2Chronicles 33:1 |
| Amon | 2 | 2Chronicles 33:21 |
| Josiah | 31 | 2Chronicles 34:1 |
| Jehoahaz | 3 months | 2Chronicles 36:2 |
| Jehoiakim | 11 | 2Chronicles 36:5 |
| Jehoiachin | 3 months, 10 days | 2Chronicles 36:9 |
| Zedekiah | 11 | 2Chronicles 36:11 |
| TOTAL YEARS | 492 years | or 70 Weeks of years |
In Daniel 9:6, in addition to all the previous ways Israel sinned against God, Daniel confessed that Israel did not listen to those sent by God to warn of His pending judgments, where:
- Prophets were sent to the kings, speaking in the name of the Lord, but they would rarely listen
- King Zedekiah who heard Jeremiah, failed to follow the word of God, and rebelled against Him, Jeremiah 27:12-17
- God also sent His prophets to the princes, fathers and to all the people. All in Israel and Judah heard God’s warnings and instructions, but they would not listen
- King Hezekiah, knowing that they and all of Israel had not kept the Passover, made a decree and sent it throughout the land, inviting all to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover, 2Chronicles 30:1-9
- When the decree was sent throughout the land, they laughed at those carrying the decree to scorn and mocked them, 2Chronicles 30:10
In Daniel 9:7-9, Daniel contrasts God’s righteousness with Israel’s shame.
| Verse | God’s righteous Character | Israel’s shame |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel 9:9-7 | Righteousness belongs to God | Shame of face, to the men of Judea, the people in Jerusalem, and all Israel, near and in far away lands: all because of unfaithfulness against God |
| Daniel 9:8 | Shame of face to our kings, our princes, and our fathers because we have sinned against you | |
| Daniel 9:9 | To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness | Even though Israel rebelled against Him |
Paul wrote in similar fashion, 2Timothy 2:11-13 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
In Daniel 9:10-14, Daniel continues his prayer by acknowledging that the Lord is merciful and forgiving, Exodus 34:5-7, and he further submits that all Israel has transgressed against the Lord and turned their back on Him. Daniel exposes the full extent of Israel’s sin, where:
- First, Israel did not obey the voice of the Lord, whom they audibly heard at the base of Mount Sinai, giving the law, Exodus 20:1-20
- Including His words through His prophets and servants
- Daniel confessed that ALL Israel transgressed His law, and did not obey His voice
- Second, Daniel points to when Moses pronounced blessings from Mount Gerizim, and curses from Mount Ebal, Deuteronomy 11:26-29, 28:3-14 (blessings), 15-48 (curses)
- Daniel confessed that all God’s words came to pass, against all the people and their judges who judged them, Daniel 9:12
- As the Lord visited His judgment upon the people, they did not pray to Him to turn from their iniquities to His truth, Daniel 9:13
- Daniel notes that God kept the disaster in mind, Daniel 9:14, Jeremiah 1:12, 31:28
- Daniel declares God’s righteousness above all these things
The Lord responded that it is not because the people had become perfect, which they had not, but because of His holy name that He would see their return to the land, Ezekiel 36:19-23. Daniel acknowledges that the Lord God of Israel is righteous in all His works, including the judgment against the people of Israel, for they did not obey the Lord. This testament of God's righteousness is repeated by the heavenly hosts and the saints of God as He disposes His judgments upon the world during the tribulation, Revelation 16:4-7, Revelation 19:1-2.
From this point on in his prayer, Daniel addresses God as Adonai and Elohim, not by His covenant name, to show His sovereignty over all. Daniel confesses God had made a great name for Himself on the exodus from Egypt, but they have sinned.
In Daniel 9:15, Daniel rehearses the greatness of the Lord as demonstrated by the exodus of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and that the renown of Him was told among the nations, even centuries later to the day of Daniel's prayer. Then Daniel begins his confession before the Lord. He identified himself along with his people in this confession of sin, Psalms 51:17-19, Isaiah 66:1-2. Their rebellion and sin before the Lord, and the Lord's judgment of His people is public knowledge and known among the nations.
After Daniel's confession, he acknowledged that God was faithful in all things. The Lord had been reaching out to a rebellious nation through His judges, prophets, and the Law of Moses. Now Daniel lays out his petition to the Lord in Daniel 9:16-19. Daniel's prayer is a vigorous plea for God’s mercy, asking Him to turn from His anger at His people who are a reproach to all those around them. He is crying to the Lord to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (based on the Lord’s word to Jeremiah). By Daniel 9:18, Daniel’s prayer arrives at a loud crescendo where he acknowledges that it is not by works, or the self-righteousness of men that he approaches God, but because of God’s mercy and forgiveness, Isaiah 57:15, Psalms 34:15-19. As Daniel prepares to conclude his prayer, and recalling his preparation before the Lord by his reading of Jeremiah, Daniel calls upon the Lord for the forgiveness and restoration of Israel, and specifically for Jerusalem which is called by His name. For the church today, we rest on faith, not works, just as Daniel states in his prayer to God, Galatians 3:10-14, Romans 1:16-17 (justified by faith).
It appears that immediately after the end of Daniel 9:19, that Gabriel interrupted Daniel's prayer. This is the second time that Gabriel was mentioned in scripture. The first time is in Daniel 8:1-27.
There are a few points to draw out in Daniel 9:20-23. First, Daniel was careful to observe the commandments of the Lord, though there were no longer animal sacrifices that could be made during their 70 years of captivity since the temple was destroyed. It appears that Daniel’s habit, in addition to praying three times a day (as seen in Daniel 6:1-28), was to offer his prayers when the sacrifices would have occurred, which again demonstrates the total dedication of Daniel in serving and worshiping the Lord throughout the years of captivity. He was faithful from the very beginning of Daniel 1, when he purposed in his heart to serve God by not defiling himself with the portion of the king’s food or drink.
Second, Daniel was still praying for the holy mountain of God, when he was interrupted by the appearance of Gabriel, Daniel 9:20. Gabriel flew swiftly to Daniel at the time of the evening sacrifice, about 3P.M., the same time of day Jesus died on the cross. At the evening sacrifice, a lamb was offered as the burnt offering, with flour and oil, with a drink offering added, Numbers 28:3-8. Daniel's description of the appearance of Gabriel and the time elapse from when he received the command to go to Daniel and the moment he arrived. Unlike the Lord who in His resurrected body following His crucifixion, could just appear before His disciples, Gabriel had to travel through space and time to get from one place to another, John 20:19-20, John 20:26-29. But all who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, will be transformed into like bodies as Christ, to ever be with Him, Philippians 3:20-21, 1John 3:1-3.
Third, Daniel mentions that this was the same angel that he had seen in the vision at the beginning. It is true that Gabriel was first named and identified to Daniel in Daniel 8. However, that was not Daniel’s first vision. His first vision occurred about two years earlier and recorded in Daniel 7. At that time, Daniel recorded only that he approached one that stood by so he could understand what was revealed to him, Daniel 7:15-16. In the vision of Daniel in Daniel 7, and the information imparted to Daniel in Daniel 9, those events and characters relating to the little horn or the prince of the people that destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. are both the Antichrist in Revelation. These associations are not to be confused with the little horn identified in Daniel 8, who is historically associated with Antiochus Epiphanes.
Fourth, these passages illustrate the close relationship Daniel had with the Lord who gave to Daniel this awesome responsibility to accurately report to us all that was revealed to him. Daniel is called greatly beloved, Daniel 9:23. God’s desire was to reveal his truth to all mankind, through Daniel who was greatly beloved. This special relationship was also shown to David. Both men had similar passions in trusting God, and looking forward; Daniel in the fulfillment of God’s promise, and David, toward bringing about a permanent place to worship God. The Lord responded to both men, but not in a manner that they would have anticipated, because He did much more than just respond to their prayers, He bestowed upon them great gifts and knowledge. This occurred to David when he sought to build a temple for God in Jerusalem. God did not permit David to build the temple but left that task to David’s son. However, God did reveal to David a great truth that the Messiah would come through his line. 2Samuel 7:16-17. Now it was the Lord's purpose to give Daniel through Gabriel, an understanding of the vision well beyond what he already had. Both David and Daniel hoped for the temple to worship the Lord in.
Before launching into the 70 weeks of years, Gabriel will reveal to Daniel, it is noteworthy to see the connection of this future time period with the past history of Israel. They were judged for their sins and wickedness, but the duration of their dispersion into Babylon was based the number of Sabbath years the land did not rest as required in the law, Leviticus 25:1-7. Just as the Lord gave Israel the Sabbath to rest, every seventh day, He also gave the land a year to rest during the sabbatical year. After the passage of six years of farming the land, on the seventh year there was to be no sowing the land or pruning the vineyards. Neither were they to harvest anything that grew on its own. The Sabbath produce was for all people, free or slaves, and livestock, to take what they needed, Leviticus 25:3-7. The problem was that with the beginning of the kings ruling over Israel, not once did they every observe a Sabbatical year. Israel missed observing seventy Sabbath years as required by the law, 2Chronicles 36:21. There is a connection between the 70 years of judgment and what Gabriel delivered to Daniel, Daniel 9:24. Both cover the same length of time, seventy weeks of years, or 490 years. The judgment of the Sabbath years looked backward to the times of the kings of Israel. The time period Gabriel talked about looked forward, seventy weeks of years, or 490 years when the Lord Jesus Christ would return to this earth to rule and reign over the entire world, and sit on the throne of David. The start of the 490 years Gabriel is speaking of, is discussed in the following paragraphs.
As a further introduction to these remaining verses in Daniel 9, the emphasis in this book has been with the end times (the seven years of tribulation) and in particular the last 3½ years. The events in Daniel 8 were to alert the children of Israel that the time of that little horn was not to be confused with the times of Jacob’s trouble, which is the seven years of tribulation. The reign associated with Antiochus Epiphanes would be horrible, but that would be eclipsed by the horrors that will occur during the tribulation period.
The events in Daniel 7 and Daniel 9 are complementary with one another through the association between the little horn in Daniel 7:11-28 with the Antichrist. The Antichrist is portrayed in this chapter as the prince of the people who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D.. He will be the one to make a covenant with Israel for seven years (represented as one week), then break the covenant after the first 3½ years in the seven-year covenant.
In Daniel 9:24-27, Gabriel reveals that the purpose of the 70 weeks is for the Jews and Jerusalem. It is not for the church or the Gentiles. The 70 weeks represents a period of time, separate from all other periods of time, such as the age of the Gentiles, Luke 21:24. God's prophetic plan for Israel is to restore her to be a light to the Gentiles and to spread his salvation to the ends of the world, Isaiah 49:6. Gabriel notes six things to be accomplished in Israel and Jerusalem when the time arrives for this to be completed:
- To finish transgression
- To seal up sins
- To make reconciliation for iniquity
- To bring in everlasting righteousness, Psalms 119:142
- To seal up vision and prophecy, Daniel 12:9
- They were unsealed by the Lord, Revelation 6
- To anoint the Most Holy, Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 5:6-7
The measure of 70 years is based on the land Sabbath, and was meant to be kept during the age of the kings. As an illustration, the graphic below shows the time period God held Israel responsible for.
One tick on the ruler represents one Sabbath year, which equals the passage of seven years. In this example, Israel failed to observe the Sabbath year for the land, 70 times, from King Saul, all the way to King Zedekiah. The actual calculation of calendar years Israel was judged for is shown in the equation below the "Land Sabbath Ruler." Daniel 9 started with Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the sabbatical years Israel did not observe, and that they would be enslaved in Babylon, one year for every sabbatical year they did not observe, or 70 years. Gabriel revealed God’s plan, which was in direct relation to the earlier prophecy of Jeremiah read by Daniel. It applied to all Israel. Every Israeli would have their part in God’s prophetic plan for Israel’s future. The term for weeks is meant to be measured by seven years, based on the lunar cycle (Leviticus 25:8-9 the sabbatical years).
Israel failed to enter into God’s blessings from the beginning of the age of the kings of Judah, because of their rebellion against Him. After a remnant returned from their first dispersion from the land to Babylon, they continued to rebel against the Lord. Jesus called the religious leaders out at the end of His first earthly ministry, when He called them hypocrites. Not only did they not follow the heart of the law, but they went out of their way to find Gentiles, to make them into proselyte Jews, and in the end made them twice the children of hell then themselves, Matthew 23:15, cp with God’s intention, Isaiah 49:6.
In Daniel 9:25, Gabriel indicates that the starting point for the future 70 weeks is based on when the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was issued. During the Medo-Persian empire, there were four separate decrees concerning the temple and the Jews, but only one decree concerned the rebuilding of Jerusalem:
- 539 B.C. Decree of Cyrus, Ezra 1:1-4
- 519/18 B.C. Decree of Darius, Ezra 6:1-12
- 457 B.C. Decree of Artaxerxes, Ezra 7:11-26
- A later decree that satisfies the criteria given to Daniel was declared in 444 B.C. which was the Decree of Artaxerxes, Nehemiah 2:1-8
The term for weeks in Daniel 9:25, is meant to be measured by seven years, based on the lunar cycle, as shown in Leviticus 25:8-9 concerning the sabbatical years and year of Jubilee. The usage of a week can be understood through the following relationships:
- 1 prophetic week in Daniel = 7 years according to the prophetic year
- 360 days = 1 prophetic year (based on the lunar cycle)
- 70 weeks = 490 years (lunar)
Gabriel further indicates that within the 70 weeks, Israel will see her Messiah, whom God had promised through His prophets, after the first 69 weeks had elapsed. This is the date of the Lord's triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the week of His crucifixion. Gabriel refines the length of the 70 weeks into three periods:
- The rebuilding of the wall and streets of Jerusalem, during the first seven weeks, or 49 years on Israel's calendar
- The rejection of Israel's Messiah, the following 62 weeks, or 434 years on Israel's calendar
- The last week is seven years of tribulation, when the Antichrist will be revealed and he will rule the earth. This is also the time when the abomination and desolation in the temple will occur. Temple worship to God will cease in the second half of the last week, or the 70th week
As described earlier, this "Land Sabbath Ruler" describes the 490 years Gabriel told Daniel of. However, this graphic breaks the 490 years into three periods. The last period lasts only 1 prophetic week, or seven Israeli religious years.
The trigger event that signaled the beginning of the prophetic 70 weeks was the order to rebuild the walls and streets of Jerusalem, Daniel 9:25. Those days were prophesied to be a difficult period of time, which is verified by the record of Nehemiah, Nehemiah 4:7-14. The second time period is when the Messiah will be cut off, or rejected by His people Israel, and then crucified. The people of Israel were are warned that the third prophetic period will be troublous times for them.
The historical context that led up to the initiation of this 70 weeks of years begins with King Cyrus. He issued the decree to rebuild the temple, Ezra 1:1-4. There were three major waves of Jews returning to Jerusalem. The first wave was led by Zerubbabel and Jeshua, Ezra 2:1-2. The second wave was led by Ezra about 80 years later, Ezra 7:1-7. The third wave was led by Nehemiah about a decade later, Nehemiah 2:1-8. Note that only a remnant of Jews chose to return to their land of promise. The majority of Jews desired the world's comforts instead and remained in Gentile lands.
After the arrival of the first wave of Jews returning to Jerusalem, the people in the land attempted to frustrate the rebuilding of the temple and city, Ezra 4:4-5. At that time the Jews attempted to rebuild the city and its walls, but were rebuffed by the king of Persia, Ezra 4:21-22. The adversaries of the Jews wrote another letter to the Persian king, to alert him that the temple and its walls were still being built, Ezra 5:8-10. On this occasion, when reviewing the records, the Persian king confirmed the records that indeed the Jews were allowed to rebuild the temple. So the original order was reaffirmed, that the house of the Lord was to be built, and this time paid out of the king’s own funds generated in that region, Ezra 6:6-8. It was not until a later time that King Artaxerxes was solicited about the rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem by Nehemiah. Then a decree was issued by the king of Persia to rebuild the walls and streets of Jerusalem Nehemiah 2:3-5, Nehemiah 2:17-18. It was God's sovereignty at work to set the exact date when the decree would be issued by the second decree of Artaxerxes, which began the prophetic clock of 70 years.
The conversions to the Gregorian calendar is not a trivial exercise. A tool is available on the Internet, at the time of this writing, which can be used to translate from lunar years to solar years, which is at the scienceworld.wolfram.com.
There are also two excellent books, one authored by Sir Robert Anderson, and the second by Harold W. Hoehner, who both conducted elaborate studies and calculations to convert prophetic time to our current Gregorian calendar in order to date the appearance of the Lord at His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Sir Anderson’s writing was pre-WWI, and was a very laborious analysis. Hoehner used solar time calculations to calculate the end of the 69 weeks, which he placed at the time of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem The last week of the 70 weeks will be the tribulation period.
Daniel 9:26 shows that after the first 69 weeks of years, Christ will be cut-off (crucified) without establishing His earthly rule. He will be rejected by Israel who did not know the hour of their visitation, Luke 19:41-44, and as John reported, His own did not recognize Him, John 1:10-11. They also did not accept Him as their Messiah, John 19:13-15. The 69th week of years was the time when the Lord approached Jerusalem and cried over it for their soon rejection because of the judgment that would come upon them, Matthew 23:37-39. It was because of their bold pronouncement that the Lord's blood be on us and our children, Matthew 27:24-25, which led to the Romans under Titus to later destroy the temple and Jerusalem, and impose a worldwide dispersion of the Jews.
The arrival of the Roman army under Titus, was revealed to Daniel. They would destroy the city and the sanctuary. The whole affair was characterized as being a flood, whose destructive affect would be sudden and complete. The result would be desolations, or no temple worship, until the end of the war, which is Armageddon. In Luke 21:20-24, the Lord warned of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, and then Jerusalem will be trodden underfoot by the Gentiles until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ at the battle of Armageddon, Luke 21:24, and Revelation 19:11-16.
In Daniel 9:27, Gabriel describes the last week of the 70 weeks, when the ruler from the renewed Roman Empire will enter into a seven-year covenant. In the first 3½ years of the seven-year covenant, Israel will build and operate their new temple, Revelation 11:1-2. Isaiah prophesied of this time and how God will look upon their sacrifices, Isaiah 66:3-4. In the middle of this covenant, the ruler (Antichrist as shown in Daniel 7:1-28 and Revelation 13), will break the covenant, set up his image in the holy place, and fulfill the events in Daniel 7:1-28. He will exceed the events recorded in Daniel 8 of the little horn, which is representative of Antiochus IV Epiphanes who is a type of the Antichrist. This is when Israel will flee into the wilderness, where they will be with the Lord during the great tribulation, Micah 2:12, Revelation 12:14. These events would continue until the end of the battle of Armageddon, Revelation 19:17-21. Immediately after the seven years of tribulation, and Armageddon, the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ will commence on earth. The Lord will lead His people from the wilderness, Micah 2:13, and He will rule over all people and nations, Isaiah 60:1-22.
The focus of this passage is further illuminated in Revelation 12, which is the last 3½ years of the tribulation period. The dragon represents Satan, the Woman represents the nation of Israel, and the man-child is Christ Jesus. During the last half of the tribulation, the children of Israel will be in the wilderness, where the Lord is going to again meet with His people. Matthew 24:15-22, Ezekiel 20:35-38, Zechariah 12:10, and Zechariah 13:6-9. There will be a day coming that will mark the end of the transgression of Israel as a nation against the Lord. During the time in the wilderness, the Lord will seal up the issue of sin, Ezekiel 20:31-38. The Lord will cause the nation to pass under the rod of judgment to separate the rebels from those whom would follow the Lord. Then He will enter into a new covenant with this remnant of Israel. Jeremiah 31:31-34. The issue of Israel’s transgressions, sins, and reconciliation will be forever resolved at that time. The last three events are tied to the second advent of Christ, with His return as King of kings and Lord of lords. Much is said of these future events that will occur following the end of the seven years of tribulation, Jeremiah 23:5-8, Revelation 19:11-16, Revelation 20:4-6.
When Christ returns to reign for a thousand years on earth, it will be in righteousness and complete sovereignty, exceeding anything that was the best of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, which was the golden head in his image he dreamt in Daniel 2:1-49. This will be the complete fulfillment of all that was promised to Abraham, David, and through all the prophets. Examples include the possession and habitation of all the lands that God had promised them, King David’s throne continuing through eternity, and that Christ’s rule will be righteous, Isaiah 11:1-5, Hebrews 1:1-3, Revelation 22:18-19. All things will be fulfilled through Jesus Christ, and after the book of Revelation given to John the Apostle, there is no further word given. The anointing of the Most Holy is consummated by the new temple, written about in Ezekiel chapters 41-46. There are many details describing the temple that will exist during the millennial rule of Christ, Zechariah 14:16-17, and Zechariah 14:20-21.
There are passages in the Old Testament which merge the first and second advents of Christ together, without a hint of the current halt in the prophetic time clock presented by the 70 weeks. These are found in the following passages:
- Isaiah 61:1-2, the passage quoted by Jesus in Luke 4:17-19 when he only quoted the first part of the prophecy and told the audience that part of the prophecy was fulfilled in their hearing
- Isaiah 9:6, the birth of Christ, and the government on his shoulders. The first advent of Christ Jesus was fulfilled by His birth, but the government on His shoulders will occur during His millennial reign
- Zechariah 9:9-10, riding on a colt, then rule from sea to sea, which was fulfilled during the Lord's first advent when He rode on the colt during His triumphal entry, but His rule from sea to sea will occur during His millennial reign