Sermon Tone Analysis

Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.

And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

Intro

Daniel’s 70 weeks.

If you are familiar with the book of Daniel at all or the study of Eschatology, the study of the End Times, in general, then you have probably heard about Daniel’s 70 weeks.

And because this passage is so difficult to understand, it is a hotbed for theological disagreement and controversy.

Even from the earliest days of the church there has not been consensus on how we should interpret all the particulars of this passage.

Writing in 400 AD, the church father Jerome said: “Because it is unsafe to pass judgment on the opinions of the great teachers of the church and to set one above another, I shall simply repeat the view of each and leave it to the reader’s judgment as to whose explanation ought to be followed.”

Duguid, Daniel, Reformed Expository Commentary (P&R Publishing, 2008), 162.

And then he listed 9 different interpretations of the passage and at the end of it all he said he was unable to decide which one, if any, were right.

So we have our work cut out for us today, and we need to approach this passage with a great measure of humility.

Daniel 9:24-27 is a difficult passage.

In fact, commentators agree that it is one of the most difficult passages not only in Daniel but the entire Old Testament.

And that is the only thing they agree on.

So what does all that mean for us today?

I’ll be honest with you I have changed my mind on certain particulars of this passage back and forth and back again.

There are still other particulars of this passage that I think there is a good argument for another interpretation and if I changed my mind tomorrow, next week, or even after the end of this sermon I wouldn’t be surprised.

And I’ll tell you this.

I reserve the right to change my opinion on some of these particulars if God were so gracious to lead me into a greater understanding of the truth of the passages through further study.

You might not agree with me on every particular point of this sermon.

That’s ok.

I don’t even know if I agree with me on every point.

And I’ll try to make those spots clear.

But what you should be taking away from this is that this passage is hard.

Its hard.

And because of that, it would be foolish to write off a fellow member or even other Bible teachers just because they hold to a different interpretation of the passage.

We need to have charity with fellow believers and remember we are not the standard of truth Christians need to follow.

Jesus is.

Now, that makes it sound like I don’t know what I’m talking about and you should just ignore everything I’m about to say.

I wouldn’t do that.

Because even though we might disagree on the exact particulars and every minute detail of this passage, the overall point of the passage is unequivocally clear.

This passage is about the good news of Jesus Christ.

Here’s what Calvin said: No other interpretation can possibly be received than that which refers it to the advent of Christ, and the entire restoration of the Church of God.

Calvin, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Daniel, vol.

2, 203.

The sad thing about this passage is that we get so whipped up in eschatological debates that we miss the good news of it all.

The Christ of it all.

Listen.

You know me.

We are going to hit the hard parts of this passage head on.

But no matter where you land on the particulars of this passage, even if you disagree with me, I want you walking away with this Big Idea in your mind.

God sent Christ to give us the fullness of salvation from all of our sins.

That is what the 70 weeks is all about.

So with all that said, let’s get into it.

Let’s start with point number 1...

I.

The Purpose of the 70 Weeks

Daniel 9:24 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.

Remember where we are.

Daniel was reading the book of Jeremiah and saw that the 70 years of exile were almost over.

Because they broke the covenant, God ripped Israel out of the Promise Land, and now, Daniel was praying that God would bring them back.

That He would restore Israel and the Temple, and bring Israel back into life with God and all the covenant blessings that flow from Him.

And from Daniel’s prayer, God sent the angel, Gabriel, to give Daniel an answer.

Verse 22: O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding.

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.

This should give us some encouragement.

God wants us to understand the vision.

So Gabriel says, Seventy weeks (literally that’s 70 sevens.

We’ll come back to that) are decreed about your people and your holy city.

And then Gabriel gives six promises that will be fulfilled with the 70 weeks.

He says 70 weeks are decreed to:

Finish the transgression.

Put an end to sin.

Atone for iniquity.

Bring in everlasting righteousness.

Seal both vision and prophet.

To anoint the most holy.

Let’s walk through each of them individually, and then put it all together at the end.

First...

Finish the Transgression

The word finish can mean to restrain, overcome, or put to an end.

Spurgeon described it has taking transgression prisoner and stripping it of all power.

Spurgeon, “Shutting, Sealing, and Covering; or Messiah’s Glorious Work,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol.

28 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1882), 531.

And so with forgiveness, our transgression which carries the idea of turning away from God and hard-heartedly rebelling against him, our transgression is put away.

Overcome.

And defeated.

Next...

Put an End to Sin.

Put an end is the same word used for seal up vision and prophet, so this is a promise to seal up our sin and put them away once and for all.

It is sealed up, taken away, removed out of sight.

God pours out all the wrath and judgment He has against our sin on Christ, and we are so forgiven that sin truly is put to an end because who can bring a charge against God’s elect?

(Rom.

8:33).

Again Spurgeon said, If Christ has made an end of sin there is an end of it: the matter is ended, and no more is to be said.

Spurgeon, “Shutting, Sealing, and Covering; or Messiah’s Glorious Work,” 534.

Third...

Atone for Iniquity.

The Hebrew root word for atone means to cover.

So not only is our sin put to an end, removed, taken away, it is covered and hidden from God’s sight.

Micah 7:19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot.

You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Hebrews 8:12 I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.

The promise is that God would cover Israel’s sins and reconcile them to himself.

Summary

So when you put these three together, God is promising Daniel that at the end of the 70 weeks He will finish and overcome their sin.

He will put an end to it.

So utterly destroy it that it is completely taken away from His sight.