Sunday Evening Bible Study
Daniel 9:20-27
Introduction
Last week we saw Daniel studying the prophecies of Jeremiah.
He discovered the prophecy that said that
Daniel himself had been captive for 66 years.
And so Daniel did what the prophecies said to do, and began confessing the sins of his nation, and asking God to restore them to their land.
:20-23 Gabriel's response
:20 for the holy mountain of my God
The holy
Daniel's praying for it's restoration.
:21 whiles I was speaking in prayer
speaking - dabar - to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing
Daniel is talking out loud in his prayer.
Lesson:
Praying out loud
Sometimes it's really hard to stay focused in prayer.
My mind wanders all the time.
One of the best ways to stay on your subject, is to pray out loud.
Hearing your own voice keeps you on target.
Other tips for staying focused in prayer:
Prayer Lists
Prayer Walks
:21 Gabriel whom I had seen
This is the angel Gabriel.
We already saw him a few weeks back, in Dan.8:16.
He was the one who gave Daniel the understanding of the vision of the goat and the ram.
:21 being caused to fly swiftly
The Hebrew here is difficult for the translators.
It either means:
1. Gabriel came flying to Daniel very quickly, or,
2. Daniel was extremely weary, (lit., "being weary with weariness")
:21 touched me
naga` - to touch, reach, strike
Gabriel comes up and touches Daniel
:21 about the time of the evening oblation
or, the evening offering.
There were two daily burnt offerings that the Jews gave every day, a morning and an evening offering.
The evening offering began around
The time of the evening sacrifice, as the morning sacrifice, was also a time of prayer.
But in actuality, there had not been an evening offering for 47 years.
It is now 539 b.c., the daily
offerings ceased with the fall of
And Daniel hadn't witnessed one for the last 66 years of his own captivity.
Yet Daniel is still running his life based on the time clock of the offerings.
Lesson:
The life of regular, disciplined worship
Daniel's internal clock was set by his daily habits of regular worship.
It didn't depend on whether or not he got to church that day.
If he was out of town on business, he still worshipped God.
He obviously didn't need to be in
This was what his co-workers tried to get him hung on, was his regular devotion habits.
They got Darius to make a law against praying for a month.
But that didn't stop Daniel.
To Daniel, God is God, and He must be worshipped.
:23 at the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth
When Daniel began to pray for his nation, his prayers went up before God, and God responded by dispatching an angel, Gabriel, to give a message to Daniel.
Lesson:
God can answer prayers with angels.
God has many ways to answer your prayers, and one of them is to use His secret agents.
»Hebrews 1:14-AV Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
One woman's vision of heaven:
I saw on channel 40 a bit of an interview with a lady who had been revived after being dead for 28 minutes. When she came back, she was healed, and had quite a story to tell. Though we have to be careful with experiences like these, to measure them with the Word of God, hers presented an interesting picture.
She said that the thing that made her want to come back was the prayers of her father.
In heaven, she was at the throne of God, and there was Jesus surrounded with myriads of angels.
Coming up from earth she saw what looked like laser beams or spotlights, which were the prayers of Christians.
When a prayer would come, Jesus would dispatch an angel to take care of the situation.
She heard one of the prayers, and it was that of her father, and his heart's desire was that she'd come back. She did.
One thing that impressed her was how important it is to pray, that prayer really reaches God, even if we don't feel like it does.
:23 for thou art greatly beloved
chemdah - desire, that which is desirable; pleasant, precious
It seems that the reason Gabriel was dispatched to Daniel was because he, Daniel, was greatly beloved by God.
Wouldn't that send chills up your back, hearing from an angel of God that you were greatly beloved by God?
»1John 3:1-AV Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
:23 understand the matter, and consider the vision
Listen up, son
:24-27 Seventy Weeks
:24 Seventy weeks
shabuwa` - seven, period of seven (days or years)
The Jews not only referred to a week as a period of seven days, but also used it to refer to a period of seven years. (ie Gen.29:27; Lev.25:2-4,8; 26:34; Ez.4:6)
We will look at this as seventy weeks of years, or seventy groups of seven years, or, 490 years.
:24 determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city
It's important in prophecy to keep in mind who this period of time of for.
Who are Daniel's people?
The Jews.
What was Daniel's holy city?
Why is this important?
Because we're going to see that the last "week", or group of seven years is going to be that period of time that we call the Great Tribulation period.
And I think that one of the reasons why people get confused over the Great Tribulation and whether or not we as the church will be there, is because they don't take time to see what the Great Tribulation is aiming at.
It's not for the Church.
It's for the nation of
This in itself doesn't mean that we won't go through the Tribulation, but it also certainly doesn't mean that we have to be there either.
To the church in Thessalonica, Paul wrote:
»1Thessalonians 5:9-AV For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
:24 to finish the transgression
Now we get a list of things that will be accomplished through this period of 490 years.
kala (to finish) in the sense of bringing to an end.
Bringing an end to
This has not yet happened.
:24 to make an end of sins
tamam - to be complete, be finished, be at an end
Sin will finally be ended.
Has not yet happened.
Sin is still around
:24 to make reconciliation for iniquity
kipper - to cover, wipe out, make as harmless, non-existent, inoperative, to annul, to withdraw from God's sight.
Was provided for by Jesus on the cross (Heb.9:14,
»Hebrews 10:12-AV But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
:24 to bring in everlasting righteousness
Do you see everlasting righteousness all around you?
I don't think so.
:24 to seal up the vision and prophecy
The expression "to seal up" indicates that no more is to be added and that what has been predicted will receive divine confirmation and recognition in the form of actual fulfillment.
There's still plenty of prophesies to be fulfilled!
:24 to anoint the most Holy
Probably refers to the annointing of the Holy of Holies.
Could refer to the second temple to be built
in
Could also refer to the temple that Ezekiel
describes that will be in the earthly
Could also refer to the New Jerusalem.
Not yet completely finished.
Summary:
Most of these things have yet to be accomplished.
Though, as we'll see, we're most of the way through the seventy weeks.
:25
from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build
This is going to be an amazing prophecy describing the time of the coming of the Messiah.
It starts with a commandment, or, a decree:
Suggested, but incorrect decrees:
Ezra 1:1-2 - Cyrus (536 b.c.)
Ezra 6:1-8 - Darius
Ezra 7:11-13 - Artaxerxes
(458 b.c.)
None of these are the correct decree in that they are only
decrees to rebuild the temple. Here
Daniel it told that the decree is to rebuild
It must be to restore and rebuild
Neh.2:1-8 (esp.vs.5)
»Nehemiah 2:5-AV And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
This took place (according to Neh.2:1) in the month of Nisan
(assumed the first day), in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes:
:25 seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks
7 weeks and 62 weeks = 69 weeks.
Daniel worked off of the Babylonian calendar:
Prophetic year = 360 days (compare Dan.9:27,
69 weeks x 7 years x 360 days = 173,880 days
March 14, 445 B.C. + 173,880 days =
The event that occurred on
»Luke 19:41-42 AV And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
»Psalms 118:22-25 AV The stone [which] the builders refused is become the head [stone] of the corner. 23 This is the LORD'S doing; it [is] marvellous in our eyes. 24 This [is] the day [which] the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
God's Word is wonderful!!
:25 the street shall be built again, and the wall ...
This is the first seven weeks.
In the first 49 years after the decree, the streets and walls of the city were built.
Read Nehemiah.
:26 after threescore and two weeks
After the total time of 69 weeks (7 + 62).
:26 shall Messiah be cut off
Q. How was the Messiah cut off, and in what way did He have nothing?
His crucifixion, He did not receive the kingdom.
At this point, God's prophetic time clock stops.
How do we know this?
Because the things in verse 24 have not been fulfilled.
The antichrist has not yet come.
:26 but not for himself
He was crucified for our sins.
:26 the people of the prince that shall come
The prince that shall come is a reference to the antichrist, who will be discussed in verse 27.
The people of this coming prince will be the ones who come to destroy the city.
:26 shall destroy the city and the sanctuary
The Roman emperor Titus comes against the city of
What does this tell us about the antichrist?
He is of the
We saw this in Daniel 7:
The fourth beast, the
From the fourth beast, a little horn would spring up:
»Daniel 7:25-AV And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
:26 the end thereof shall be with a flood ... desolations...
The city would be totally wiped out.
:27 And he
Meaning, the prince that is to come.
This is the antichrist.
:27 shall confirm the covenant with many for one week
covenant - b@riyth - covenant, alliance, pledge
We believe that this is some kind of a treaty that the
antichrist will make with
It will be for one week, or, seven years.
How many weeks have been fulfilled up to this point?
Sixty nine, there is one remaining week.
When this treaty begins, then God's timeclock starts again.
This is the seven year tribulation period.
Note:
We often think that it is the Rapture of the church that starts the Great Tribulation.
Wrong! It is the
beginning of this treaty with
:27 in the midst of the week
In other words, after 3 1/2 years.
»Daniel 7:25-AV And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
:27 he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease
Note:
Remember in verse 26, that the city and the sanctuary are destroyed???
This means that the temple is going to have to be rebuilt.
The Jews are working on it!
He will stop sacrifice and grain offerings in the temple in
He will actually demand to be worshipped himself
»2Thessalonians 2:4-AV Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
:27 for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate
What he will do is going to be a heinous, abominable thing to God.
It will lead to the desolation of this new temple, it's rejection by God.
This is what Jesus referred to:
»Matthew 24:15-16 AV When ye therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy
place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in
:27 even until the consummation ... desolate
This abomination will be until the end, when Jesus comes back.
Lesson:
God's word will happen!
Remember how the first 69 weeks came to be true?
The last week will happen also.
You can count on it.
Want to get excited?
Watch