Last Things 6 - 2. The Great Tribulation - Part 1 - Daniel 9:1-24

6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: 8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

Daniel 9:1–27 (ESV)

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 7 To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you. 8 To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. 12 He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favour of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. 17 Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

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.”

Introduction

These verses in Daniel 9:24-27 are vital in our understanding what the Scriptures teach about the Last Things. Those who hold to the Dispensational view teach that they prophecy what is known as the The Great Tribulation. Their view is that at the end of The Church Age there will be the secret rapture of the church followed by seven years tribulation. We must approach this carefully and humbly seeking the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. It is this same passage that our Lord refers to in Matthew:-

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Matthew 24:15 ESV

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

Well will it be for us, if we too, in our study of this supremely important prophecy, place our emphasis, not upon dates and mathematical calculations, but upon that central Figure who was both anointed and a prince, who by being cut off has made reconciliation for iniquity and brought in the only righteousness that is acceptable with God, even His own eternal righteousness. Young, E. J. (1980). The Prophecy of Daniel: A Commentary (p. 221). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

1. The Context - Daniel 9:1-23

a. The Word of the Lord v1-2

b. Prayer v3-19

c. Answered Prayer v20-23

2. The Vision - Daniel 9:24-27

a. Seventy Weeks v24

i. God's Decree

ii. Three Negative

iii. Three Positive

b. Jerusalem Rebuilt v25

c. Anointed One v26

d. Covenant v27

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1. The Context - Daniel 9:1-23

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a. The Word of the Lord v1-2

Daniel 9:1–2 ESV

i. Darius

Daniel 9:1 ESV

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—

The year was 537BC - Daniel was taken captive in 605BC, 68 years have passed and Daniel is 82 years old.

There had been the writing on the wall when Belshazzar was king. He is killed and Cyrus, (Medes and Persians) conquers Babylon. Darius is appointed King, but not for long as Cyrus takes over two years later.

Darius appoints Daniel as one of three high officials to rule the Kingdom. Other officials p[lot against Daniel and he ends up in the lions den. God rescues him.

Daniel 6:25–28 (ESV)

25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. 26 I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. 27 He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”

28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

ii. The Books

Daniel 9:2 ESV

2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

So as the chapter opens we find him reading his Bible. It would not have been a single volume like our printed Bibles today, but a collection of scrolls, or ‘books’, as it is translated in many versions.Daniel was a great prophet and had had many remarkable visions and revelations, but he never outgrew the need to read his Bible. His example is worth noting.On this particular occasion he is reading from the scrolls of Jeremiah. Dare to Stand Alone: Daniel Simply Explained (A Great Discovery) - Stuart Olyott

iii. Jeremiah’s Prophecy v2

Daniel 9:2 ESV

Jeremiah prophesied from 627-586B

Jeremiah 25:8–11 (ESV)

8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, 9 behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10 Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

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Jeremiah 29:10 (ESV)

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.

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b. The Prayer v3-19

Daniel 9:3–5 ESV

3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.

Daniel did not say to himself, ‘God has promised that it will happen, therefore whatever I do, or do not do, it will happen.’ His logic was entirely different. It went like this: ‘God has said that after seventy years we can go home. That is the divine promise. Therefore I will pray to Him to turn away His anger from Jerusalem, and to bring the promised return to pass.’ Olyott, S. (1982). Dare to Stand Alone: Daniel Simply Explained (p. 118). Evangelical Press.

He resolved to beseech his God to be favourable once more to Jerusalem. Within a few months Darius was gone, and Cyrus stood up to announce that the Jews could go home! God had promised it. Daniel prayed for it. And it happened! Olyott, S. (1982). Dare to Stand Alone: Daniel Simply Explained (p. 118). Evangelical Press.

Daniel Prayed:-

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i. Seriously

Daniel 9:3 (ESV)

3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

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ii. Reverently

Daniel 9:4 (ESV)

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

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iii. Penitently

Daniel 9:4 (ESV)

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

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iv. Trusting in God's mercy

Daniel 9:4 (ESV)

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

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v. Specific Requests

Daniel 9:18 (ESV)

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vi. Strong arguments and importunity

(widow coming to a judge for Justice - Luke 18:5

Daniel 9:19 (ESV)

19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

We can learn much from this prayer.

Has God promised that the gospel will extend to the ends of the earth? He has. So let us pray for it—and it will happen!

Has God promised that when His Word goes out it will not return fruitlessly to Him? He has. So let us pray that His Word may have an effect on those who hear it—and it will!

Has God promised that His Son will come again, in glory and great power, and with all the holy angels? Yes, this is a clear and repeated promise in His Word. We therefore join with John to pray, ‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus’ (Revelation 22:20), and know that we will not be disappointed. Olyott, S. (1982). Dare to Stand Alone: Daniel Simply Explained (p. 119). Evangelical Press.

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c. Prayer Answered v20-23

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i. Gabriel

Daniel 9:20–21 ESV

Daniel 8:16 (ESV)

16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”

Vision of a Ram and goat. Shows God’s power over all nations the little horn particularly.

Had a deep effect on Daniel

Daniel 8:27 (ESV)

27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.

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Luke 1:18–19 (ESV)

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

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Luke 1:26–27 (ESV)

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.

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ii. Daniel is given understanding

Daniel 9:22–23 (ESV)

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.

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2. The Vision v24-27

a. Seventy Weeks v24

Daniel 9:24 ESV

Seventy weeks = Seventy periods of Seven.

I suggest to you, therefore, that a good way of understanding these numbers ‘seventy’ and ‘seven’ is this: in biblical symbolism seven is always a perfect number, as is the number ten. So seven times ten, which is seventy, suggests the complete era, the complete period, divided again into perfect periods suggested by the figure seven. And I do suggest to you that the more you take hold of the idea that you must not press these figures too far but regard them symbolically, the happier you will be in your reading of the Scriptures and the less liable to fall into error and bring the whole of prophecy into disrepute. Lloyd-Jones, D. M. (n.d.). The Church and the Last Things (electronic ed., Da 9:24).

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b. God’s Decree v24

Daniel 9:24 ESV

Is decreed]—i.e., by judicial decision, hence the AV “determined” is a good rendering. It is God who has decreed this period of time for the accomplishment of His redemptive purposes. Young, E. J. (1980). The Prophecy of Daniel: A Commentary (p. 197). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

i. Your people and your city

It is true that the primary reference is to Israel after the flesh, and the historical Jerusalem, but since this very vs. describes the Messianic work, it also refers to the true people of God, those who will benefit because of the things herein described. Young, E. J. (1980). The Prophecy of Daniel: A Commentary (p. 197). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

As is often the case the prophecy has more than one fulfilment. It is about the rebuilding of Jerusalem but it is much more so as it points to Jesus Christ and his redemptive work.

The Prophecy of Daniel: A Commentary (The Announcement of the Seventy Sevens (vs. 24))

The 70 sevens are decreed for the purpose of accomplishing six results, and these six results comprise two groups of three members each, thus:

Negative

To finish the transgression

To put an end to sin

To atone for iniquity

Positive

To bring in everlasting righteousness

To seal both vision and prophet

To anoint a most holy place

Conclusion

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Daniel 9:18–19 ESV

18 O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. 19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

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