Daniel Ch. 9; The Key to Bible Prophecy

DANIEL 9 THE PROPHETIC VISION PASTOR JAMES WOODLEY, Th.D. CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH I. VS. 1-2 DANIEL'S CONCERN: 70 YEARS First year of Darius is 538 BC. Daniel in captivity 68 years. Jeremiah 25:11; 29:4-10 limited captivity to 70 years. In light of previous revelations of 4 world empires, how can all this happen in 2 years. Also, 3 or 4 Babylonian crusades. Hope is that God will use the first to date the 70 years. II. VS. 3-19 DANIEL'S PRAYER Lev. 26:40-45; Deut. 30:1-10 = Promise Restoration When The Nation Confesses Its Sin Daniel wants to understand God's plan for Israel's future. Key Elements To This Prayer: 1. Based On God’s Promises 2. Confession & Repentance From Sin 3. Seeking To Serve & Glorify God III.VS. 20-23 GABRIEL'S RESPONSE Sent by God to answer Daniel’s prayer. Focus is on Israel & the ‘time line’. IV. VS. 24-27 THE PROPHECY OF 70 ‘WEEKS’ Dan 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. Dan 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. Dan 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. Dan 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. Seven Questions That Explain This Passage: 1. When Did The 70 Weeks Start? With the decree in nehemiah 2:1-10. There are 3 other decrees in Ezra, but none of those match Daniel 9. There are 4 decrees noted by commentators: Ezra 1:1-14 ( by Cyrus in 536 BC); Ezra 6:1-12 ( by Darius in 519 BC); Ezra 7:11-22 ( by Artaxerxes in 458 BC); and the only one which was to rebuild Jerusalem - Nehemiah 2:1-8 ( by Artaxerxes in 445 BC). 2. Is There A Gap In The 70 Weeks? Yes. There has to be a gap of at least 40 years. After the 69th week, messiah comes, then dies, then jerusalem is destroyed by the romans. All this before the 70th week. 3. Is The 70th Week Literal? Yes. There is no other view that honors God & His Word. God made many promises and prophecies in his word. If these don’t literally come to pass, how can we understand anything in the Bible?? The first 69 weeks were literal. The events in the gap were literal. Why wouldn’t we think the 70th week is literal?? 4. How Can We Know That The 490 Years Is A Correct Understanding? Because of the time references in the book of Revelation. Rev 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. Revelation 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. Revelation 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 42 MONTHS = 1260 DAYS = 3 ½ YEARS = ½ OF DANIEL’S 70th WEEK 5. Has The 70th Week Already Occurred? Answer: The key that unlocks this mystery was given to us by the Lord Jesus Himself: it is the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION. Jesus Himself told us to watch for that sign. It is a highly visible, unmistakable prophetic marker. Matthew 24:15 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:) Dan 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. Key facts: 1. It occurs in the midst of the week. 2. That week can only be the 70th week of the Seventy Weeks prophecy. 3. That week is 7 prophetic years long. 4. The Antichrist cause Jewish sacrifices to cease. 5. From the initial event of desolation (defilement) of the Temple, his “ministry” will be continuous until the end of the Week. Daniel 12:11-13 The link to O.T. saints RESURRECTION Dan 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Dan 12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Dan 12:13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. Vs. 11 starts with the Abomination of Desolation. 1290 Days to something special. 1335 Days to Resurreciton of Old Testament saints. The O.T. saint resurrection has clearly not happened. Conclusion: Abomination of Desolation & the 70 Week must still be future. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Antichrist reigns in TEMPLE 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 2 Th 2:4 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. Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14 Flight from JUDEA Matthew 24:15 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:) Matthew 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 6. What Starts The 70th Week? Dan 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. 7. What Ends The 70th Week? The Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Have These 6 Things Been Fulfilled? Dan 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. 24 "Seventy weeks" Week = a unit of seven. By studying Revelation, we learn that a ‘shabua’ is one year of 360 days length. Thus, 70 = 490 years. "determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city" This prophecy concerns the Jewish people and Jerusalem. There are six things which will be fulfilled by the end of the 70 weeks: 1. To finish the transgression 2. To make an end of sins 3. To make reconciliation for iniquity 4. To bring in everlasting righteousness 5. To seal up the vision and prophecy 6. To anoint the most Holy "from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem" This is the starting point. There are 4 decrees noted by commentators: Ezra 1:1-14 ( by Cyrus in 536 BC); Ezra 6:1-12 ( by Darius in 519 BC); Ezra 7:11-22 ( by Artaxerxes in 458 BC); Nehemiah 2:1-8 ( by Artaxerxes in 445 BC). The only one which was to rebuild 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" From 445 BC, 69 weeks were to elapse until Christ would come. By converting the prophetic years into our current chronology, it comes out to Matt. 21 and the Triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. The seven weeks probably denotes the closure of the OT canon and the "400 silent years". The remnant who rebuilt the temple had great opposition. 26 "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself" Messiah cut off refers to the death of Christ for our sins. This occurred after the prophetic clock stopped on the day of His entry into Jerusalem. There is a gap between the 69 and 70 weeks. "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." The people refers to the Romans. The prince that shall come refers to the antichrist. The Romans destroyed the city & sanctuary in 70 AD. "27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week" He is the antichrist. He must come from the revived Roman empire. Thus, the Roman empire must revive before the start of the 70 week. The "one week" is the remaining 70th week. The covenant may be for longer, and be interrupted by God after 7 years. The 70 week is yet future, and will begin with this treaty between Israel and the revived Roman empire. It no doubt offers protection to Israel and the right for them to rebuild the temple. "and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" This is the abomination of desolation spoken of in Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2 Thess. 2:3-4. Matthew 24:15 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:) Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 2:4 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. Daniel 11:31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. From this, it is evident that the Jews will rebuild the temple and reinstitute temple sacrifices. The term "midst of the week" enables us to know the length of the whole week. Revelation 11:2 & 13:5 use the term "42 months". Revelation 12:14 = 3 1/2 years. Rev. 11:3 & 12:6 = 1260 days. All of these give us the length of one half of the week. That is why we know that one week or 7 "SHABUAs" is 7 years of 360 days each. "and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation" God will allow this to happen ( the antichrist's reign of terror) to force all mankind to choose between God or Satan. The consummation is the end of the week when Christ returns. "and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." At the end of the 70 week, Christ will return and set up the Millennial Kingdom. The antichrist and false prophet are cast alive into the Lake of Fire. See Rev. 19:20. All of the unsaved are gathered unto the "Winepress" judgment and slain by Christ. See Revelation 19:11-21.