Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed
of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
Dan 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number
of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he
would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Daniel was not one of those who rejected the word of the prophets before him. He
existed at the same time as some of the prophets. Here we see beloved
Daniel's prayer of repentance for the nation of Judah that had fallen in to
captivity to Babylon. It is getting closer to the end of that captivity and many
will be returning to their own land. Perhaps this prayer is what starts the
process going for surely God would answer a prayer of repentance.
Even though Daniel repents of the sin of his nation, we know that Daniel himself
did not commit those sins. Still he takes it upon himself to repent on behalf of
his nation.
Dan 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and
supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Fasting helps to get the mind off temporal things of this life and gets us
focused on the things of the spirit that really count. It shows a true repentant
heart when we forget about food for a time and seek diligently the face of God.
Dan 9:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said,
O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that
love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
Although new testament commandments are centered around faith in Jesus and
walking in the spirit, God still shows mercy to those that love Him and that
keep His commandments. Now we have access to the Holy Spirit which is within
each individual that has turned from sin and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord. We
now can keep the commandments of God by being led of the Holy Spirit. Still we
have the power to refuse this and return to the ways of the flesh. Our free will
is never taken from us. God doesn't want puppets but those that willingly seek
and love Him. When we love God and endeavor to obey the leading of the Spirit
always with an attitude of repentance from any sin or dead works, God will hear
our prayers. He will hear prayers of sinners but only if they come with a heart
that wants to be free from that sin and turn their lives over to Him. If we try
to pray and want to keep on with our evil works, He does not hear. Daniel knows
to repent in order to be heard of God. Why would God want to answer our prayers
if we desire to continue in sin and not repent?
Dan 9:5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly,
and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
God's laws were given for their good, not to make them miserable and rob them of
having fun. His laws are always for the good of mankind. That is what we
sometimes fail to realize. For instance, why would "Thou shalt not steal" be
good? Any person with half a brain would know that if someone steals without
ever repenting, someone else loses or gets hurt. Adultery, murder and other sins
also harm innocent people. God hates that. His laws protect the innocent.
Although the law of the Sabbath is not as binding as in the Old Testament we do
see that the commandment to honor the Sabbath Day was for mankind to have a day
of rest and spiritual refreshing. If He had not of made that day, slaves and
servants would never have a day of rest. Although we need to worship God every
day, we do need to set aside a special day out of the week in order to
concentrate mainly on our worship and refreshing in the Lord. We need also to
rest from our labor. We need these times. His laws are always for our good.
The commandment to worship only God and avoid idolatry is also for our good. God
knows that an evil presence lurks around any idol and is also in every false
religion that substitutes something or someone in place of God. A person is
really worshipping the devil ignorantly. God knows that Satan is out to steal,
kill and destroy our very souls. So we see even that commandment is for our good
not against us. God is a good, just God.
Dan 9:6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spoke
in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of
the land.
God in His mercy sends prophets, preachers and watchmen to warn and instruct in
the ways of God. He warns before sending judgment. To change God's mind when
judgment is given, all people usually do is have to repent. Repent means to
change and turn around, go the right way.
Dan 9:7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of
faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the
countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they
have trespassed against thee.
Daniel does not blame God for what has befallen them, but acknowledges that they
deserved everything that happened to them.
Dan 9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our
princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
All Israel has ever had to do was admit their sin and repent. This is the same
for the Gentiles also and also the church. When we sin, we need to repent. God
has sent to us a savior or one who came to bear our sins and pay the penalty for
our sins. When Jesus died for sins, it counts for all who believes in what He
did both those that died before He came and those that died after He came.
However, it only counts for those who are willing to repent and change and not
continuing willingly in their sin. God hates sin. Sin separates us from God.
Jesus came to remove the sin, not save us in our sin. We must have a heart that
desires to be free from sin before we can be saved. Eternal life is granted to
all who hate their sin and believe in Jesus to free them from that sin. When the
sin is removed by the blood of Jesus applied to our hearts, we then are not
separated from God and can enter into His kingdom.
Dan 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have
rebelled against him;
Dan 9:10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his
laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Dan 9:11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they
might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath
that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned
against him.
Moses warned Israel of all that would happen to them if they rebelled and went
after other gods, forsaking His word.
Dan 9:12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and
against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under
the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
Dan 9:13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us:
yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our
iniquities, and understand thy truth.
At any time, they could have repented, cried out to God and all the curse would
have been reversed. This is the purpose of the future 7 years tribulation that
is to come just before the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. The tribulation period is
to bring Israel back to God by showing them that the Messiah their ancestors
rejected is the very Jesus Christ who was crucified. The 2nd purpose of the
tribulation period is to bring judgment upon those that persecuted and tormented
the Jews and faithful believers in Jesus Christ.
Dan 9:14 Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon
us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we
obeyed not his voice.
Dan 9:15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the
land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day;
we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
Dan 9:16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine
anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain:
because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy
people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
The sins of Judah and Israel is the cause of surrounding nations mocking and
persecuting them. That does not excuse the mocking nations for God will judge
all those that persecute Israel even if Israel deserved that judgment. The
promise given to Israel still stands.
Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I
will show thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make
thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:
and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
In light of history and today's world it is hard to understand what God told
Abraham that in him and his seed after him will all families of the earth be
blessed. In other words, through Israel the whole Gentile unbelieving world
would be blessed.
God used the nation of Israel to bring forth the Messiah that was to be a light
to the Gentiles. God's plan of salvation was to go forth from the Jewish people
and reach the whole world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Salvation is offered
to all who are willing to turn from sin and believe. Jesus said:
John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and
cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water.
Joh 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet
glorified.)
This promise is for Jews and Gentiles. It is for all who will believe these
words of salvation. To really believe is to be willing to turn from sin. If we
say we believe in Jesus Christ but want to hold onto our old sinful nature, we
are not really believing, we are just believing in the existence of a person
called Jesus Christ. To accept Jesus into our lives is to repent of sin. We
cannot separate the two. God and sin do not mix.
Dan 9:17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his
supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate,
for the Lord's sake.
Dan 9:18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our
desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our
supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
We all have to appeal to the mercy of God. We can never approach God with our
own righteousness. We can't say in other words," Lord answer my prayer because
I've been faithful and deserve thy blessings." That is not the way to approach
God at any time. We must trust in His mercy not in our own works.
Dan 9:19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not,
for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy
name.
Dan 9:20 And 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
for the holy mountain of my God;
Dan 9:21 Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had
seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me
about the time of the evening oblation.
God sees that Daniel is not praying a generic prayer to be heard and seen of men
but he is praying from the depths of his soul. God sends Gabriel to answer his
prayer and show him the 70 weeks of judgment that is to befall Israel.
Seventy weeks means seventy periods of seven years. 69 of those weeks are
fulfilled the 69th week was fulfilled at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ when
the church age began. The last week of seven years is the future tribulation
period which is the final time of God's dealing with Israel and brings them back
into fellowship with Him. These seventy weeks do not concern the church or
Gentile believers but only Israel.
Confusing Israel with the church causes us to misunderstand bible prophecy. We
have to discern what scriptures primarily concern Israel and what concern the
church. Some scriptures of sin, right, wrong can apply to both. If the church
commits the same sin that Israel was judged for, we can suffer the same judgment
but concerning prophecy, we must realize the Israel means Israel and the church
means the church and not get them mixed up in any way.
The future tribulation involves mostly Israel and the nations surrounding
Israel. The wrath of God is never for the true believers in Jesus Christ. They
may suffer persecution of those that reject their message but they will not
suffer any wrath of God if they have repented of sin and have not returned to
sin. According to my understanding of scripture the true saints of God will be
ruptured either before this seven year period or in the middle of this period.
There is a small chance that the church goes through the whole thing but in
order for that to be true, the church would have gone into total apostasy by
that time and do not exist. God promised the Philadelphia church that he would
save them from the hour of temptation that is to try them that dwell upon the
earth. There we have a hint that the faithful church will escape the tribulation
or at least the part where the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth. Notice
that the 144000 that are sealed in the book of Revelation is only Israel. The
church must not be there at that time or he would seal them also. Not one
Gentile or non-Israeli is sealed. So we must be gone by that time at least
unless we all backslid and went into unbelief (apostasy). I tend to believe in
the pre-trib rapture but I am open to change if God shows me that, it is not so.
Perhaps God wants us to be ready spiritually and does not show us for sure. I
have been on message boards where people really come down hard against pre-trib
believers. That is not a good thing. We must not bite and devour one another or
we will not make any rapture whether it is pre-trib, mid-trib or post-trib.
Perhaps there are so many views on this because Jesus said that no man knows the
day nor the hour and God wants us to walk in the spirit at all times and be
ready no matter which theory is true. Be watchful, pray always and be ready.
Dan 9:22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now
come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
Dan 9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I
am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the
matter, and consider the vision.
Wouldn't that be the goal of all goals to have God say that about us? For God to
call Daniel, greatly beloved is the ultimate joy of all joy. Wow.
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.
This is the whole purpose of the tribulation and seventy weeks of Israel.
Finish the transgression:
All rebellion will be put down and obedience restored over all
the earth but especially Israel.
Make an end of sins:
Israel will repent of sin when they realize that Jesus is the
Christ. There will be a great outpouring of repentance in the latter half of the
tribulation at the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself is the one who will
save Israel from surrounding armies.
To make reconciliation of iniquity:
This was accomplished when Jesus died on the cross for sins but
Israel as a nation did not see this until the end of the tribulation period.
To bring in everlasting righteousness:
This has been God's plan from the beginning. He wants the whole
earth to be righteous. When Israel repents, this is accomplished once and for
all time.
To seal up the vision and prophecy:
When all prophecy and warnings of the prophets are revealed and
fulfilled.
To anoint the most holy:
This could refer to Jesus Christ or the cleansing of the temple after the
anti-christ defiled it and anoint the holy place again. I believe a new temple
is built for Christ to reign from . Ezekiel indicates a whole new temple is
built.
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.
This is 483 years until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The time period starts when they are commanded to leave their captivity and go
rebuild Jerusalem. After that the 1st coming of the Messiah occurs in which He
is cut off or put to death.
There is a long delay until the last seven years because it is the age of the
Gentiles and also the church age in which the gospel goes to the Gentile
nations. This delays the tribulation until the end times. That is another reason
why some of us believe in the pre-tribulation rapture because the seventy years
of Daniel do not resume while the church is here. We are either raptured or in
total apostasy so that there is no church. That period of seven years may not be
able to start until the church is gone one way or another.
Even though Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD and the Jews were scattered
throughout the earth, wars, sufferings and all those things occurred during the
whole time of the Gentiles, the true believing church also exists at the same
time thus hindering the man of lawlessness to come in full until they are
removed. Yes, we have had many forerunners and great apostasy in the Middle Age
church but the real church existed somewhere. The gospel had to be spread over
all the earth first to give all a chance to receive Jesus Christ until this
final day of tribulation to end all things.
There has to be a seven year period at the end just before Christ comes. To
assume that all the years after the death of Christ was that tribulation spoken
of may be considered but there was tribulation even before Christ came the first
time. There seems to be a literal latter day time of Jacob's trouble that is
worst than any time before. Even worst than the holocaust. I hate to say this
but if the holocaust was this time, Jesus would have already come and set up His
reign. It has to be future because Jesus is not here yet. What is He waiting
for? Probably for the true gospel to be spread all over the earth. Israel as a
nation will reject this gospel until they to through the tribulation period
although many Jews are coming to Christ ahead of that time. The nation as a
whole does not. Always search these scriptures yourselves, pray in the spirit
and seek God for interpretation. I'm just a person who is subject to
error. I'm seeking along with everyone else.
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.
We see here that after the death of Jesus and a few years later, 70 AD. The
whole city of Jerusalem is destroyed and the time of the Gentiles begins more
fully.
Here is where we jump ahead and we see Israel back in their own land. The time
of the Gentiles is about to come to a close. The church age is over, the delay
is over and the last week of this prophecy, the tribulation period begins. The
anti-christ appears on the scene having been hindered in someway before this and
he makes a covenant with Israel for 7 years in which he breaks the covenant in
the middle of those seven years.
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.
This anti-chist or beast will defile the temple which is rebuilt again in the
latter days. At the coming of Christ a second time everything is cleansed, the
anti-christ and his armies defeated and the reign of Jesus Christ begins with a
new temple, cleansing of all sin and triumph over all evil.
These words have to be taken with the words in Revelation to get the whole
picture.
We do not have to understand all these things perfectly in order to obtain
salvation freely given to us through faith in Jesus Christ. If we have not yet
repented of sin whether we are Jew or Gentile, we can do that right at this
moment. The fear of death does not have to reign in our hearts. Repent of sin
and turn to Jesus Christ (Yeshua) for salvation. It is freely given to all who
believe. We can escape all these things and stand pure before the throne of God.
We may not escape the wrath of men who reject our message but we will escape the
wrath of God poured out upon the those that reject His Son. We will escape
eternal damnation in the fires of hell. God's eternal purpose is to save, not
destroy. We are destroyed by our own rejection of His way out. That way is Jesus
Christ.
John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.
Daniel Chapter 10