God's Timeline For His People

Daniel Believed God’s Promise (vv. 1-2)

Daniel is near 80 years old. (approx.. 538/537 B.C.) Reading Jeremiah

God’s Promise – Jeremiah 29:10 ““For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.”

God’s Purposes – Jeremiah 29:11–13 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

God’s Plan – Jeremiah 29:14 “I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”

Daniel Prayed For God’s Forgiveness (vv. 3-19)

Gabriel’s Appearing (vv. 20-23)

God hears the prayer of one who is sincere and confesses their sin.

God wants us to understand his purposes.

The Timeline (vv. 24-27)

70 sets of seven (490 years) decreed.

They are regarding Daniel’s people and Jerusalem.

Their purpose is six fold:

Bring an end to THE Transgression pesa (Rebellion)

(cf. Zechariah 12:10–14 ““And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.”

Romans 11:11–36 “So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? ...” )

Bring an end to sin chatah – sin in general

Make atonement for iniquity avon – guilt, twistedness, evil

Bring in everlasting righteousness. - An Eternal Kingdom

Seal up prophecy – because Christ will dwell among men.

Anoint the Holy of Holies – a new temple!

Issuing of decree to rebuild – 7 weeks (49 yrs) + 62 weeks (434 yrs) = 483

Either began by Artaxerxes in 457 – (comes to 26 AD) baptism (Ezra 7:11)

Or Artaxerxes in 444 – (360 year plus months) 173,880 days comes to (476.33 yrs) – AD 33

After this the temple will be destroyed the people of the prince to come - Rome possible Arabs (most of the soldiers in the 5 Legions were from Syria and Asia Minor).

The final week

Mid-point cf 7:25; Rev. 11:2; 12:14; 13:5

Revelation 13:5 ESV

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.

At the mid point antichrist sets up an idol. Matthew 24:15–16 ““So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”

Christ returns to pour out destruction on the desolator!

Application

Believe God’s Word! God wants you to know His plan for the future - verse 22.

Rejoice in God’s Love! God treasures those who seek him - verse 23.

Trust God’s Plan! He powerfully and precisely fulfills His purposes.