Daniel 9:24-27

This month we are looking at The Book of Daniel verse-by-verse. In the previous post, we covered what was said and occurred between Daniel and Gabriel while Daniel was praying. We ended yesterday's post with:

Daniel was praying and Gabriel showed up to tell Daniel to "understand the vision"...hmmmm.

Gabriel was talking about the vision that he had been helping Daniel understand "at the beginning". These chapters were CONNECTED...don't interpret one chapter without understanding all the chapters that came before it!

Today, we will look at the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible...

WARNING: Today's topic is one of those "emotional" topics...a topic they may trigger your amygdala. To that end, I'm going to address each verse with three separate sub-headings. First, we will cover what was factually stated. Second, I will offer some background information that will help YOU take what was stated further. Third, I will offer the key conclusion from the verse. If you don't agree with anything I've stated, that is okay. This is prophecy and open to interpretation. If you would like to offer a different point of view, I encourage you to post in the comments section.

Today's topic is emotional because it is important. I believe it is a mistake to dismiss today's topic by thinking it isn't a critical topic. I believe this is the GREATEST PROPHECY that is recorded in the Bible. ALL intelligent discussions concerning the end times begin with the following passage of The Book of Daniel.

Gabriel had stated that he had come to give Daniel wisdom and understanding. It was now time to hear what Gabriel came to Daniel to say:


DANIEL 9:24-27
"24 Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy."


WHAT THIS SAYS
Gabriel said that "seventy weeks" were given to "thy people and upon thy holy city" to:
-finish transgression
-make an end of sins
-make reconciliation for iniquity
-bring in everlasting righteousness
-seal up vision and prophecy
-anoint the most holy

Everything about this message was focused on the Jews (God's people) and Jerusalem (God's city). Remember, Daniel prayed in God's OWN place about how God's people and God's city deserved to be cursed like God stated through Jeremiah. Daniel also knew that God would restore His people and His city...and Daniel's prayer was encouraging God to do it now so that God could reach nations outside of Israel.

This verse was telling Daniel that God's people and God's city had 490 years to accomplish all that God intended for them to accomplish once the prophecy of God's city being built was declared. The symbolism was that God's people and God's city would be cursed 70 years...and then they would get 70 "seven's of years" to bring about God's Plan to reach out to other nations.


BACKGROUND
In The Sequel, we saw how God's Plan could only be implemented once all the other possible plans were proven to be flawed. There were seven possible plans (Dispensations) other than God's...we are currently in the sixth Dispensation. The Millennium is the seventh Dispensation.

In The Sequel, we saw that The Millennium (seventh Dispensation) is a Sabbath from the devil...he is locked up.

Once all of these Dispensations are proven to be flawed, God can bring about His Plan...the eighth and final Dispensation.

Gabriel was speaking to Daniel about the Jews and Jerusalem. Gabriel was speaking SPECIFICALLY about the fifth Dispensation: God's people and God's city. Gabriel was stating that the people of the fifth Dispensation had an objective (the list) and a deadline (seventy weeks). So, Gabriel was speaking DURING the time of the fifth Dispensation AND Gabriel was telling the people of the fifth Dispensation WHEN their Dispensation would be over.


KEY CONCLUSION: This list has NOT been achieved today.

There are a lot of people who want to say these seventy weeks have been completed in order to justify their point of view. In order to do this, they have to come up with a rationalization why this list IS completed OR why it didn't (and won't) get completed. This is the FIRST opportunity for someone reading this prophecy to get sidetracked. If you believe this list has been achieved or you don't think God intended for it to get achieved, please give your reasons in the comments section.


"25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times."


WHAT THIS SAID
Gabriel was stating the BEGINNING of the last 490 years of the fifth Dispensation occurs when the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem is given. Gabriel was stating there would be 483 years between the commandment to rebuild God's city and the anointed one...the Christ.


BACKGROUND
This prophecy occurred around 538 BC. The commandment to build rebuild Jerusalem occurred around 446 BC. The Sequel covers this "trigger event" in detail from the perspective of Zerubbabel. Here was the story from Nehemiah's perspective:

"1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
2 that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem." (Nehemiah 1:1-2, ASV)

Notice, The Book of Nehemiah began with Nehemiah in Shushan the palace...like Daniel was in Daniel 8 (previous chapter). The second chapter of The Book of Nehemiah began:

"1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2 And the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid.
3 And I said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
6 And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time." (Nehemiah 2:1-6, ASV)

Nehemiah began to build the wall after getting this command from the king around 445 BC. In rough terms, 483 years after this command is around 38 AD.


KEY CONCLUSION: The trigger event for the beginning of the countdown to the end of the fifth Dispensation occurred about 483 years before Christ was crucified.


"26 And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: 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 even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined."


WHAT THIS SAID
The anointed one will be cut off at the end of the sixty-nine weeks from the trigger event. Then the temple and God's city will be destroyed AGAIN. The end shall be with a flood with war and desolations occurring unto the flood.


BACKGROUND
This verse benefited people of the fifth Dispensation by stating the year in which the Messiah was cut off. Not only did Daniel give a time period for the Messiah, but he also reinforced that the Messiah would be cut off. THIS WAS HUGE ALL BY ITSELF!

If this was all there was to this prophecy, it would have been big enough to be considered the GREATEST PROPHECY in the Bible.

The Jews (and Pharisees) could have known Jesus was the Messiah by "understanding books"!

God didn't change a Dispensation without a warning. Each Dispensation demonstrated God's Ethics WITHIN the Dispensation. The principles that are true in EVERY Dispensation demonstrate God's Morals. It would be NOT Right and NOT Just for God to change the Plan AND NOT warn people of the coming change. God ALWAYS warns people about the change in Dispensations.

God didn't "trick" anyone into crucifying Jesus. The incompetence of the Pharisees due to not knowing God's Word was a CAUSE to Jesus getting crucified. God could ONLY have Jesus get crucified during a time that God's people were led by incompetent leaders, otherwise, they would have never crucified Jesus.

Remember, we saw Jesus spoke about "Daniel the prophet". So, the people living during Jesus' time had access to this information from Daniel! What is the response today from "Rabbinical experts"? They do NOT recognize Daniel as a prophet!...even though he gave the prophecy (this one) that signified when prophecy will come to an end!...at the end of the seventy weeks prophecy will be "sealed up".

As for the New Testament importance, here was what Jesus said to God's people about when the end would come:

"6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places.
8 But all these things are the beginning of travail.
9 Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.
12 And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.
13 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:6-14, ASV)

The next verse was when Jesus mentioned "Daniel the prophet".

Notice, so far, this explanation only covered sixty-nine of the seventy weeks. There was one more week left for the Jews and Jerusalem.


KEY CONCLUSION: This verse told God's people WHEN their Messiah would appear AND that their Messiah would be cut off! This ALONE would make this the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible.


"27 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate."

WHAT THIS SAYS
The last seven years of the fifth Dispensation will involve the last earthly king making a covenant for seven years but will change the sacrifice and the oblation to cease after 3 1/2 years. Then the end will come.


BACKGROUND
Remember, Gabriel told Daniel to "understand the vision". Daniel had been having visions about the latter times when a king with a fierce countenance would oppose the prince of princes and lose. That the rock cut out without hands would destroy this last king and bring in an everlasting kingdom that would fill the whole earth.

This verse explained the events of the last seven year period. However, this seven year period was DISCONNECTED from the first 483 years...it was not consecutive.

Notice, when the seventy weeks are over a lot of things from the list happen with "finality" or in an "everlasting" way...things that do NOT exist now.

The Dispensation of the Law is NOT over until the last seven years...until the last "week". However, we know the Dispensation of the Law is NOT CURRENTLY in place AND has already existed.

So, this verse was meant for us AND the people of the fifth Dispensation. This verse syncs up with the seven year period known as The Tribulation in John's Book of Revelation. The beast will make a peace treaty for seven years, but in the middle of this seven year period, he will require people to worship the image he sets up.

Notice the phrase "full end". We saw this in Daniel 8:23: "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up." This was the verse where we left open the option that Gabriel could be talking about Antiochus Epiphanes or the Anti-Christ or both. Now it looked like Gabriel at the very least was talking about the Anti-Christ.

Let's look at the next thing Jesus said in the gospel according to Matthew. Remember, Jesus was speaking long after Antiochus Epiphanes had existed. Also, the previous passage synced up with the previous verse (26) from Daniel 9. Let's see if the continuation of Jesus' words synced up with the current verse (27) from Daniel 9:

"15 When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth understand),
16 then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains:
17 let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house:
18 and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
19 But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
20 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath:
21 for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be."

It not only agreed, Jesus was referencing Daniel 9:27!!!!!
-abomination of desolation
-standing in the holy place
-great tribulation
-worst time on earth EVER!


KEY CONCLUSION: Daniel got more information concerning his continual vision about the king that will stand up in the latter times.


Notice also that Daniel prayed a pray in God's place for God's benefit. Daniel told God to cease from His wrath and anger in order to God to be able to reach nations outside of Israel. God's response through the angel was to tell Daniel God would cease from his wrath and anger giving Israel 490 years to complete the dispensation. However, this 490 years would be interrupted. WE NOW KNOW the interruption was our dispensation: the Dispensation of Grace where God reached out to the people outside of Israel through Grace via the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

HUGE POINT: Daniel's pray allowed God to cease from completely equalling out justice on Israel for the time being and graft in our dispensation.

EXPLANATION: At the beginning of this chapter, God was responding to Israel through Justice and would have kept responding until all of the Justice was exhausted. Daniel's prayer allowed God to CEASE from exhausting the Justice against Israel that He had accumulated. Instead, God retained that Justice (some of which will allow Him to respond during the Tribulation) and build up Israel in order to reach the Gentiles and temporarily bring in the sixth Dispensation which will result in Him accumulating even more Justice to bring about His Ultimate Will (eighth Dispensation).


SUMMARY
Clearly, this is the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible...it even explained when prophecy would cease (be sealed up)!

It had CRITICAL applications to people who lived in the fifth Dispensation before Christ's crucifixion.

It has CRITICAL applications to people who live in the current Dispensation as well as people who will live during The Tribulation (completion of fifth Dispensation).

NONE of this would have happened without Daniel praying in God's OWN place and his prayer resulted in the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible.

What could possibly happen next? What OUGHT to happen next? Were there more "spiritual warfare" applications?

On Monday, we will see how the enemy responded to Daniel getting the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible...and we will spend the entire week looking at the final "installment" of the CONNECTED vision Daniel got about God's people and God's city.

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