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THE BOOK OF DANIEL
CHAPTER 9
Daniel 9: 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
Daniel 9: 2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
The events of this chapter followed the earlier two visions of Daniel in 553 B.C. and 550 B.C and the downfall of the Babylonia Empire in Daniel 5. The prophecies given to Nebuchandnezzar as well as to Daniel and the fulfillment of the downfall of Babylon must have given Daniel a great sense of the sovereignty of God and the certainty of prophecy being literally fulfilled. It was with this background that Daniel reported his discovery of the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the seventy years of Israel's captivity.
Daniel 9: 3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Daniel prepared himself spiritually through fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
Daniel 9: 4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
Daniel tells God of His greatness and the fact that He keeps His covenants, especially for those whom He loves.
Daniel 9: 5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
Daniel 9: 6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Daniel does not dodge the fact, that the captivity was caused by the sins of Israel, Daniel declares that the nation has sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands laws. Daniel identifies himself with his people.
Daniel 9: 7 O LORD, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
Peter reminds the Nation of Israel that the promises of God are to them and their children and all that are afar off.
Daniel 9: 8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
Daniel 9: 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
Daniel 9: 10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Daniel 9: 11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
Daniel knew by study the scriptures that God knew when the nation was disobedient. God had promised to scatter them and lead them into captivity and allow the land to rest in honor of the Sabbath which Israel did not keep. (Leviticus 26:33-35; I Chronicles 36:20-21). Daniel knew by studying Leviticus 26:40-46 what Israel had to do in order to be put back in the will of God. Daniel knew that the nation had to repent and mourn before God will comfort them. This is what Daniel is doing in these verses.
Daniel 9: 12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
Daniel 9: 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
Daniel 9: 14 Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
In Daniels prayer he points the necessity for spiritual preparation but also made confession of sins of which they may be guilty personally or corporately. Daniel points out how the very judgment brought on the people of Israel were fulfillment of prophecy. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to Your truth. The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything He does; yet we have not obeyed him.
Daniel 9: 15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
Daniel 9: 16 O LORD, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
Daniel 9: 17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
Daniel 9: 18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
Daniel 9: 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
Daniel continues to pray and confess the sins of the people of Israel. Daniel points out how God was righteous in fulfilling the prophecies of judgment; the result was that Jerusalem and the temple lay in ruins and the people were in captivity. Daniel pleaded with God on the basis of His mercy, the fact that He is a forgiving God, and prayed that God would not delay the answer further after these many years of desolation of Jerusalem and the temple.
Note: The 70th Week of Daniel only pertains to these two issues, Israel and Jerusalem.
Daniel 9: 20 And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
Daniel 9: 21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
Daniel 9: 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
Daniel 9: 23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
While Daniel was still praying, Gabriel, the man that could fly, that Daniel had seen earlier in a vision came to him about the time of the evening sacrifice. Gabriel told Daniel that he was greatly loved and that he had come to him so he could understand the vision.
Daniel 9: 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Daniel gives six major events that characterize the 490 years.
(1) "to finish the transgression" Israel's rejection of God and their Messiah and to bring to a close of their apostasy as Israel is brought to restoration at the time of the second coming.
1 Thessalonians 2:16 Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins always: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.
Matthew 23: 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
Matthew 23: 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
(2) "to put an end to sin" The sins of National Israel will not be forgiven until the deliver comes out of Zion and a new covenant is given to them.
Romans 11: 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Romans 11: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
(3) "made reconciliation for iniquity" The Day of Atonement for Israel will be when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth to rule with a rod of iron.
Isaiah 53: 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
(4) "to bring in everlasting righteousness" This is when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth and set up His kingdom.
Jeremiah 23: 5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
Jeremiah 23: 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
(5) "seal up the vision and prophecy" This will be the time when all prophecy is fulfilled and the Lord Jesus Christ will be Lord of Lord and King of Kings.
Revelation 19: 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
(6) "anoint the Most Holy" The Lord Jesus Christ will be anointed when the temple is cleansed at the end of the 2520 days when He returns.
Daniel 8: 14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
Malachi 3: 1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
Daniel has described how the prophecy program will be fulfilled and brought to a close which is the goal of the 70th weeks which are 490 years.
Daniel 9: 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Daniel 9: 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Daniel 9: 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The 70th begins with commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 2: 5 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.
Ezra 1: 2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Messiah is cut-off at the crucifixion which is the 69th week. God set aside the wrath that will come in the 70th week and revealed the revelation of the mystery to the apostle Paul and we will be in that gap until the rapture of the church and then God will pour out his wrath upon the earth.
Romans 16: 25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Romans 5: 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
1 Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
When the 70th week starts the antichrist will come to save Israel and make peace with them because he make them think that he is their Messiah.
Revelation 6: 2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.
A recap of the prophetic time schedule is as followed:
From the commandment to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem till the crucifixion of Messiah 69 weeks at which time the prophetic program is interrupted. The mystery program starts with the calling of the apostle Paul and the mysteries revealed to him that had been hid in God. The rapture of the Body of Christ which is a mystery. The antichrist shows up at the beginning of the 70 th week and God pours out his wrath on the earth and He deals with Israel again. The Lord Jesus Christ returns at the end of the 70th week and sets up His kingdom.
