God's Plans are Intricate
Daniel • Sermon • Submitted
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Transcript
Recap
Recap
Last week we read Daniel 9:1-19 and we learned:
The Jews had almost completed the 70 years from the beginning of the desolation mentioned in Jer 25
We learned that God doesn't necessarily give us special revelations, but reveals His truths through the word of God using the Holy Spirit.
We also learned by Daniels example, that we need to ask God for forgiveness. (explain how Daniel pleaded with God)
Daniel 9:20-27
Daniel 9:20-27
As we peer into today’s text we are going to dissect some of it to get a better understanding. Here are a few things to consider as we look at today’s text.
God reveals the truth to us through the Holy Spirit. Context of scripture is often revealed when we understand that truth.
Today’s text gives Daniel, God’s Answer to His plea.
The truth is found in the text, but we might have to look at the translations to gain the understanding needed.
With all of that we will get a glimpse of how intricate God’s Plan really are. as we can think that Daniel is just a lesson to learn from, that isnt the only thing. If you look close you will see that that the events set in motion 2500 years ago are being played out even today.
20 Now while 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 in behalf of the holy mountain of my God,
It is important to understand that their was no evening sacrifice taking place in Jerusalem at the time, however Daniel had been in prayer at the time of the normal evening sacrifice. which lend to his faithfulness.
21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.
Now the NASB translates Gabriel as man, But it is important to understand that Gabriel in Hebrew is always represented as The Angel Gabriel. so to understand it this way, the Angel Gabriel came as a man to him. That means he was present in the flesh, not in a vision as he had appeared previously in a vision to Daniel in ch 8:21.
22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.
When studying the Bible you will find that the Archangel Gabriel typically has one important job, He comes to give insight, translation, or understanding, in Luke we can read Gabriel came with a message
19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
Gabriel is thought to be the second angel in the hierarchy, right below Michael. as we bump back to daniel
22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.
we can read that Gabriel was indeed there to bring Daniel a message and understanding. God’s plan is very intricate, and it has to be, because we have free will. Today we have the power of the Holy Spirit to bring us understanding. The holy spirit never leaves us, Daniel needed a Holy Power to explain what was happening and what it meant. God sent Gabriel.
23 “At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.
What Gabriel is telling Daniel must be important, not just for Daniels time and the immediate future, but it must have eternal importance for everyone. If we look at Daniel’s life to this point, His Life and the events surrounding his life are important, important even today. and that is what Gabriel reflects back to Daniel here. (re read the verse)
Maybe Daniel was at a turning point in his life, where he was losing hope? God knew his heart.
24 “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.
This Vs in controversial but before we get into the controversy lets look at the 6 points of redemption laid out here the first 3 are about repentance the second 3 are about obedience
Finish their rebellion
Stop their Sin
Atone for their wickedness
Bring eternal righteousness
Secure Vision and Prophecy (also to complete the prophecy)
Dedicate to the service of God the Most Holy Place.
The Controversy
The Controversy
The controversy is made in the beginning of the vs
24 “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.
NASB translates as with most every bible 70 weeks. However the term is 70 Heptads which mean 70 periods of 7. the easiest understanding would be to say yeah that is weeks. But what Gabriel is telling Daniel is this is way bigger than your immediate future. Let take a closer look at what Gabriel is saying needs to happen in this period of time
Finish their rebellion
Stop their Sin
Atone for their wickedness
Bring eternal righteousness
Secure Vision and Prophecy (also to complete the prophecy)
Dedicate to the service of God the Most Holy Place.
(Talk about the language used… Jesus) This Is describing the need and eventual entry of Jesus. And only 70 weeks??? this cant be. so now lets look at it as being 70 heptads and the periods of time not as weeks, not as months but as 7 year periods. that would be 70 x7 periods or 490 years. Just as 7 heptads is the year of jubilee that happens every 49 years or on the 50th year. This is the view that almost all biblical scholars have. that would place the messiah coming after 490 years.
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.
now if we understand the prophetic years are 360 days, scholars calculated the date from when the the decree issued from Artaxerxes permitting Nehemia to rebuild the temple walls to the moment Jesus walked through the gates on palm Sunday to be right around 490 prophetic years. The decree was made in 445 BC
5 I said to the king, “If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.”
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.
But Gabriel breaks this into two parts and 49 year stretch and a 434 year stretch, Why?
Simple, it took 49 years to rebuild the temple and this was done as Gabriel Said “in times of distress” and you can read nehemiah to see exactly how troubling those times were. and then 434 calendar years later Jesus walked through the gates of Jerusalem.
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.
and here we see The Messiah will be “cut off” as Just as Jesus was killed on the cross at the exact moment Gabriel had said he would.
What followed His death? Did Israel accept Him and His message? No. They lied about Him, persecuted His messengers, stoned Stephen, and refused to acknowledge His kingship. What happened? Rome came and destroyed the city and wrecked the temple. The nation “cut off” Jesus Christ, so He cut them off from being a nation. and Isreal wasn't freed until May 14th 1948
Who is the People of the Prince Who Should Come?
Who is the People of the Prince Who Should Come?
Rome is the people of the prince who should come, it is worth making the distinction here that the Messiah the prince is a different reference than the romans found here in vs 26 the prince who is to come is a reference to the Antichrist. and as we take a step back to Daniel 7 the antichrist is the leader of the restored roman empire of the end times.
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.”
Wiersbe’s describes the final week as this:
Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament Chapters 9–12
This final seven years is the completion of Daniel’s 490–year period. Between the death of Christ and the signing of this covenant you have the entire Age of the Church, a “great parenthesis” in God’s program. The 490 years are in operation only when Israel is in God’s will as God’s people. When Israel crucified Christ, she was set aside and the “prophetic clock” stopped ticking. But when the Antichrist signs his pact with Israel, then the last seven years of Daniel’s “seventy weeks” will start being fulfilled. This seven-year period is known as the Tribulation, or the time of Jacob’s trouble. It is described in Rev. 6–19
What should we take from this?
What should we take from this?
God’s plans are intricate. and the events we see from Daniel, 2500 years ago are still playing out today. This proves that Daniel is very much relevant to people today, and his words contain valuable wisdom for our walk with the Lord. The end is yet to come with this prophetic teaching and we all have a part to play in God’s plan.