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.” – Daniel 9:20-27 ESV
As a result of Daniel's prayer, God responded. He sent the angel Gabriel to provide Daniel with "insight and understanding." Gabriel told Daniel, "The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision" (Daniel 9:23 NLT). This was Daniel’s second encounter with God’s heavenly messenger and, this time, Gabriel proceeded to give Daniel insight into events surrounding the end times.
As Daniel listened intently, Gabriel outlined a chronological framework regarding the future of Jerusalem. Daniel did not know that his vision had long-term implications, dealing with events that would take place far into the future and involve the coming of the Messiah. As Daniel had read the writings of Jeremiah, he was reminded that God was about to restore Israel to the land after their 70 years of exile in Babylon. But He had far more in store for the nation of Israel.
He was going to restore peace and righteousness to the world with the return of His Son at the end of the age. The same God of mercy, grace, and forgiveness to whom Daniel prayed was the one who would fulfill all His promises regarding the end of the age and the coming of His Son’s Eternal Kingdom.
Verse 24 contains the full outline of the prophecy.
“A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.” – Daniel 9:24 NLT
The term “weeks” is better translated “sevens,” thus Gabriel outlines a period of seventy sets of seven. Verse 25 describes a period of sixty-nine sevens and verse 26 describes what happens between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth seventh. Then verse 27 outlines the events surrounding the final seventieth-seventh. All of this cryptic-sounding talk of weeks and numbers must have left Daniel’s head spinning. He had no way of comprehending its meaning but Gabriel made it clear that it all had to do the prophetic vision of Israel’s future.
Daniel had just finished confessing the sins of his people and, now, Gabriel was letting him know that the day was coming when the rebellious Israelites would finish their rebellion. But this dramatic change in their behavior would not come as a result of their own effort but by the gracious hand of God. He would put an end to their sin, atone for their guilt, and bring in everlasting righteousness. The day was coming when God would do for the people of Israel what they could never have done for themselves.
The prophet Ezekiel recorded God’s promise of this epic and future transformation in the lives of His chosen people.
“For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. And you will live in Israel, the land I gave your ancestors long ago. You will be my people, and I will be your God.” – Ezekiel 36:24-28 NLT
God had great plans for the nation of Israel and for the world in general. In less than three years, He would orchestrate the return of a remnant of His people to the land of Israel, but that would be just the beginning of His master plan. Daniel was anxious to know that his people would be returning to Judah but God wanted His faithful servant to understand that He had something far greater in store for them.
To make sense of this prophecy, it is essential to understand the seventy-sevens as referring to years and not weeks. When you consider that Daniel understood the prophecy of Jeremiah as dealing with a literal 70-year span in which the Israelites would be captives in Babylon, it only makes sense to see the seventy-sevens (490) as a period of years. With the fall the Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians, the city suffered under the hand of Gentiles for 70 years. In the same way, Jerusalem would have to endure another 490 years under Gentile rule.
In a way, Daniel was receiving a good news-bad news message. He had just been reminded that the 70 years of Babylonian captivity were about to come to an end. That was the good news. But now he was being told that another period of Gentile oppression was in Israel’s future. Yet this prophesy is anything but clear. Daniel had no way of understanding the ramifications of what Gabriel was saying. When Gabriel said, “Now listen and understand,” Daniel must have been expecting a detailed and precise explanation of his vision. But, instead, he heard, “Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.” (Daniel 9:25 NLT).
What did it all mean? When would it all happen? Daniel likely understood that Gabriel was speaking in terms of years and not weeks but nothing else would have made sense to him. Then, Gabriel added another confusing aspect to the vision.
“After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.” – Daniel 9:26 NLT
None of this would have sounded like good news to Daniel. Despite his experience with interpreting dreams, this explanation was far from encouraging. Destruction, floods, war, misery – none of this came across as favorable or faith-inducing. Then Gabriel described the cessation of the sacrificial system and the desecration of God’s house. This would have been worse than anything Daniel had experienced six decades earlier. He had lived through the fall of Jerusalem and now he was being told that something far more devastating lay in Israel’s future.
Daniel is told that after a period of 434 years, an “anointed one” will appear on the scene. This “prince” or ruler will rebuild Jerusalem and make a treaty with the people of Israel.
The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven… – Daniel 9:27 NLT
Midway through this seven-year treaty, this ruler will break his agreement and outlaw the sacrificial system. On top of that, he will desecrate the Temple of God by setting up a false God within the Holy of Holies. Jesus spoke of this very event.
“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)” – Matthew 24:15 NLT
The apostle Paul also addressed this end times event when writing to the church in Thessalonica.
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NLT
The apostle John was also given a vision of this as-yet-to-happen event which he recorded in the Book of Revelation.
People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. – Revelation 13:5-8 NLT
At the point at which Daniel heard the words of Gabriel, he had no way of knowing the full extent of the vision’s meaning. He didn’t realize the significance of what he had seen and the long-term ramifications of its meaning and message. There were future events on the horizon that would dramatically alter the political, social, and religious landscape of the world – for eternity. God was going to return the exiles to the land of promise, but He had far greater things in store for His people and the nations of the world.
Daniel was not given a play-by-play explanation of the vision. He was not provided with a detailed timeline or the identities of any of the major players in the divine drama that would unfold in the future. God simply wanted Daniel to know that there was a plan in place and it would happen on time and in just the way God had ordained.
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