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Daniel 9

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Verses 1-27

Intro: Prayer & Prophecy
1. More than a decade has past from Daniel’s last vision (ch.8).
2. Listen to Daniel’s heart as he prays for his people. 1/3 were slain by the sword. 1/3 were scattered to the wind. The remainder were swept away to exile.
  1. His homeland was in disarray. Trodden beneath the feet of invading armies. Land laid waste. His beloved capitol raised to the ground.
  2. Maybe we’ll find tips on how to pray for our homeland?
3. Outline: Daniel The Praying Prophet (1-19) & The Prophesying Prophet (20-27)
  1. Both periods involve the # 70.
  2. Feel the emotion & movement in this prayer – Read it
THE PRAYING PROPHET (1-19)
1. (1,2) Though a prophet of God Daniel still sought to understand Gods Word.
2. While pondering Jeremiah 25:8-11 he understood the 70 year captivity was almost over.
  1. Remember: Judah owed God 70 years, because for the 490 years they were in the land they were to have set aside every 7^th year for the land to have a Sabbaths rest. They never did. After they stacked up owing God 70, God said that’s enough.
    1. Maybe to forgive 70 x 7 is literal number? That many times & no more?
  2. They were about 66 years into the captivity…so 4 to go.
  3. With 4 years left, were the children of Israel ready to go back? Had they learned their lesson? Were they broken hearted over their own sin & the sin of their nation?
3. (3) I set my face toward God (I gave my full attention to) – Oh that this imagery would fill our mind each time we start to pray.
  1. John Donne said, I throw myself down in my chamber, & I call in & invite God & his angels thither, & when they are there, I neglect God & his angels, for the noise of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door. [distractions]
4. Fasting – Self-denial of an ordinary daily function.
  1. Fasting helps prioritizing. It forces us to ask the question is my heart ready? Not Perfect just Prepared.
5. Sackcloth & Ashes – Humility.
  1. Opposite of the self-righteous Pharisee, who thanked God, God, I thank You that I am not like other men. Lk.18:11
  2. But instead came like the Tax Collector who, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. - I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
6. (4-19) The Word of God & Prayer go together
  1. Acts 6:4…but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
7. Whether we pray for an individual or a whole country, we can learn from Daniel’s example of intercessory prayer. Swindoll
8. Note through the next verses how many times we (13) & us (10) is used.
  1. Daniel owns their national sins & constantly includes himself in it.
    1. Do we pray like this? If not for our nation, for our church? our families? ourselves?
9. (4) Starts with Praise…Great & Awesome God.
  1. When we gaze upon His Beauty (4) we tend to see our Blemishes (5) (see also vs.7)
10. (17) For the Lord’s sake - not for Brian’s sake, not for Pete’s sake, but for the Lord’s sake
11. (18,19) Israel’s hope was not in their own merits or what they had to offer God, but in God Himself.
THE PROPHESYING PROPHET (20-27)
1. Daniel’s praying Micro, while God’s answering Macro.
  1. Daniel’s asking...restore Israel to their kingdom now.
  2. God’s answering...usher in THE Kingdom.
2. Daniel is standing at an important point in Jewish history where 70 years is about over, but then what with Israel? – Well, another 70 is in store.
3. THE MESSENGER (20-23)
  1. (20,21) Note twice: while I was speaking to God. We call that answered prayer!
  2. (23) What an honored position before the Lord.
    1. Note, God heard him from the beginning of his prayer, & sent Gab immediately.
4. HIS MESSAGE (24-27) Math Time!
5. Weeks means 7’s, or units of 7’s. [70, 7’s. Or, 70 sets of 7’s]
6. Here God gave Daniel a preview of Jewish history.
  1. Slide#9a God reveals several future events in only 4 scriptures: Jerusalem will be rebuilt & the Temple restored. The Messiah would come & die. Jesus’ Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The 7 year Tribulation Period. The Covenant between the Evil Prince/Antichrist & the Jews. That Covenant will be broken & trigger desolation. & The 2^nd Coming of J.C.
7. (24) Find 6 things:
  1. The 1^st 3 have been fulfilled in Christ’s 1^st coming, dying & rising.
  2. The last 3 will be fulfilled in His 2^nd Coming.
8. We have 70 weeks (7’s) divided into 3 periods:
  1. Period 1 7 weeks = 49 yrs Period 2 62 weeks = 434 yrs Period 3 1 week = 7 yrs
  2. If we add these 3 periods up...7 + 62 + 1 = 70 weeks [or 70 x 7 = 490 yrs]
  3. So in years... 49 + 434 +7 = 490 years
9. (25,26) THE 1^st PERIOD starts in 444bc w/the decree allowing the Jews to return to their land & rebuild the city.
  1. Nehemiah tells us in 2:1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes (that is March/April 444bc)
    1. As Artaxerxes hands over the letters clearing Nehemiah’s way to rebuild the holy city, the prophecy clock starts ticking. Swindoll
    2. This time period covers 7 weeks/49 years. During which time Jerusalem will be completely rebuilt. And it was…it took only 52 days (Neh.6:15) to rebuild the walls, but it took the 49 years to rebuild the entire city, & plaza & moat.
10. (25,26) THE 2^nd PERIOD starts after the 49 years are over…when Jerusalem is rebuilt. And takes us up to the time of Christ. Actually Palm Sunday [or especially the Triumphal Entry, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord]
  1. *The detail of God’s pin point accuracy is like a precision laser guided smart bomb dropping exactly 173,880 days later.
  2. If we add the 7 weeks + the 62 weeks = 69 weeks, or 483 years.
  3. Since the Jewish calendar is based on a 360 day calendar, N.T. scholar Harold Hoehner points out that that is 173,880 days. Counting forward from Nissan 444bc, we arrive at Nisan 10 (March 30^th 33ad) The very day Jesus enters Jerusalem as messiah the prince.
  4. That’s why Christ was so emphatic when He said, I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. Why? Cuz IT’S TODAY!
    1. New meaning for Ps.118:24-26 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
11. The street (open square) shall be built again, & the wall (moat), even in troublesome times –
  1. We must learn to see an opportunity in every difficulty, not a difficulty in every opportunity.
12. (26) After the 62 weeks (Triumphal entry) what happens?
  1. Messiah shall be cut off = Jesus atoning death on the cross.
    1. But not for Himself (NIV, & will have nothing) i.e. no kingdom yet.
  2. The prince who is to come = Titus who destroyed the temple(ad 70).
    1. But also looking forward to the Antichrist who will do the same.
  3. The end shall be w/a flood – speaking of judgment.
13. Daniel would have never expected such a big gap (2000 years) in between the 69 & 70^th week. (i.e. the church age, where a date isn’t determined)
14. Illustration: The Phone Call. Abraham got a phone call from God. The conversation began with the promise of a family blessing. To Isaac, to Jacob/Israel, to the 12.
  1. When this rejection of Christ took place (26a but not for himself or, will have nothing, Lk.19:42 If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes) God put Israel on HOLD. And then picked up another line...the Church.
  2. The light on the Hold button is still flashing. Vs.27a he pushes it once again.
15. (27) THE 3^rd PERIOD is the missing 70^th week (the Trib) which will be fulfilled in the end times & parallels Rev.6-19.
  1. This is the final saga of Israel’s history.
  2. (27a) The wolf will shed his sheep’s clothing 1/2 way through Trib.
  3. (27b) Christ delivers the final blow to Satan’s not-so-Superman.
16. End: With confidence we can pray...Thy Kingdom Come!

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Verses 1-27

Intro: Prayer & Prophecy
1. More than a decade has past from Daniel’s last vision (ch.8).
2. Listen to Daniel’s heart as he prays for his people. 1/3 were slain by the sword. 1/3 were scattered to the wind. The remainder were swept away to exile.
  1. His homeland was in disarray. Trodden beneath the feet of invading armies. Land laid waste. His beloved capitol raised to the ground.
  2. Maybe we’ll find tips on how to pray for our homeland?
3. Outline: Daniel The Praying Prophet (1-19) & The Prophesying Prophet (20-27)
  1. Both periods involve the # 70.
  2. Feel the emotion & movement in this prayer – Read it
THE PRAYING PROPHET (1-19)
1. (1,2) Though a prophet of God Daniel still sought to understand Gods Word.
2. While pondering Jeremiah 25:8-11 he understood the 70 year captivity was almost over.
  1. Remember: Judah owed God 70 years, because for the 490 years they were in the land they were to have set aside every 7^th year for the land to have a Sabbaths rest. They never did. After they stacked up owing God 70, God said that’s enough.
    1. Maybe to forgive 70 x 7 is literal number? That many times & no more?
  2. They were about 66 years into the captivity…so 4 to go.
  3. With 4 years left, were the children of Israel ready to go back? Had they learned their lesson? Were they broken hearted over their own sin & the sin of their nation?
3. (3) I set my face toward God (I gave my full attention to) – Oh that this imagery would fill our mind each time we start to pray.
  1. John Donne said, I throw myself down in my chamber, & I call in & invite God & his angels thither, & when they are there, I neglect God & his angels, for the noise of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door. [distractions]
4. Fasting – Self-denial of an ordinary daily function.
  1. Fasting helps prioritizing. It forces us to ask the question is my heart ready? Not Perfect just Prepared.
5. Sackcloth & Ashes – Humility.
  1. Opposite of the self-righteous Pharisee, who thanked God, God, I thank You that I am not like other men. Lk.18:11
  2. But instead came like the Tax Collector who, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner. - I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
6. (4-19) The Word of God & Prayer go together
  1. Acts 6:4…but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
7. Whether we pray for an individual or a whole country, we can learn from Daniel’s example of intercessory prayer. Swindoll
8. Note through the next verses how many times we (13) & us (10) is used.
  1. Daniel owns their national sins & constantly includes himself in it.
    1. Do we pray like this? If not for our nation, for our church? our families? ourselves?
9. (4) Starts with Praise…Great & Awesome God.
  1. When we gaze upon His Beauty (4) we tend to see our Blemishes (5) (see also vs.7)
10. (17) For the Lord’s sake - not for Brian’s sake, not for Pete’s sake, but for the Lord’s sake
11. (18,19) Israel’s hope was not in their own merits or what they had to offer God, but in God Himself.
THE PROPHESYING PROPHET (20-27)
1. Daniel’s praying Micro, while God’s answering Macro.
  1. Daniel’s asking...restore Israel to their kingdom now.
  2. God’s answering...usher in THE Kingdom.
2. Daniel is standing at an important point in Jewish history where 70 years is about over, but then what with Israel? – Well, another 70 is in store.
3. THE MESSENGER (20-23)
  1. (20,21) Note twice: while I was speaking to God. We call that answered prayer!
  2. (23) What an honored position before the Lord.
    1. Note, God heard him from the beginning of his prayer, & sent Gab immediately.
4. HIS MESSAGE (24-27) Math Time!
5. Weeks means 7’s, or units of 7’s. [70, 7’s. Or, 70 sets of 7’s]
6. Here God gave Daniel a preview of Jewish history.
  1. Slide#9a God reveals several future events in only 4 scriptures: Jerusalem will be rebuilt & the Temple restored. The Messiah would come & die. Jesus’ Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The 7 year Tribulation Period. The Covenant between the Evil Prince/Antichrist & the Jews. That Covenant will be broken & trigger desolation. & The 2^nd Coming of J.C.
7. (24) Find 6 things:
  1. The 1^st 3 have been fulfilled in Christ’s 1^st coming, dying & rising.
  2. The last 3 will be fulfilled in His 2^nd Coming.
8. We have 70 weeks (7’s) divided into 3 periods:
  1. Period 1 7 weeks = 49 yrs Period 2 62 weeks = 434 yrs Period 3 1 week = 7 yrs
  2. If we add these 3 periods up...7 + 62 + 1 = 70 weeks [or 70 x 7 = 490 yrs]
  3. So in years... 49 + 434 +7 = 490 years
9. (25,26) THE 1^st PERIOD starts in 444bc w/the decree allowing the Jews to return to their land & rebuild the city.
  1. Nehemiah tells us in 2:1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes (that is March/April 444bc)
    1. As Artaxerxes hands over the letters clearing Nehemiah’s way to rebuild the holy city, the prophecy clock starts ticking. Swindoll
    2. This time period covers 7 weeks/49 years. During which time Jerusalem will be completely rebuilt. And it was…it took only 52 days (Neh.6:15) to rebuild the walls, but it took the 49 years to rebuild the entire city, & plaza & moat.
10. (25,26) THE 2^nd PERIOD starts after the 49 years are over…when Jerusalem is rebuilt. And takes us up to the time of Christ. Actually Palm Sunday [or especially the Triumphal Entry, Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord]
  1. *The detail of God’s pin point accuracy is like a precision laser guided smart bomb dropping exactly 173,880 days later.
  2. If we add the 7 weeks + the 62 weeks = 69 weeks, or 483 years.
  3. Since the Jewish calendar is based on a 360 day calendar, N.T. scholar Harold Hoehner points out that that is 173,880 days. Counting forward from Nissan 444bc, we arrive at Nisan 10 (March 30^th 33ad) The very day Jesus enters Jerusalem as messiah the prince.
  4. That’s why Christ was so emphatic when He said, I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out. Why? Cuz IT’S TODAY!
    1. New meaning for Ps.118:24-26 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
11. The street (open square) shall be built again, & the wall (moat), even in troublesome times –
  1. We must learn to see an opportunity in every difficulty, not a difficulty in every opportunity.
12. (26) After the 62 weeks (Triumphal entry) what happens?
  1. Messiah shall be cut off = Jesus atoning death on the cross.
    1. But not for Himself (NIV, & will have nothing) i.e. no kingdom yet.
  2. The prince who is to come = Titus who destroyed the temple(ad 70).
    1. But also looking forward to the Antichrist who will do the same.
  3. The end shall be w/a flood – speaking of judgment.
13. Daniel would have never expected such a big gap (2000 years) in between the 69 & 70^th week. (i.e. the church age, where a date isn’t determined)
14. Illustration: The Phone Call. Abraham got a phone call from God. The conversation began with the promise of a family blessing. To Isaac, to Jacob/Israel, to the 12.
  1. When this rejection of Christ took place (26a but not for himself or, will have nothing, Lk.19:42 If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes) God put Israel on HOLD. And then picked up another line...the Church.
  2. The light on the Hold button is still flashing. Vs.27a he pushes it once again.
15. (27) THE 3^rd PERIOD is the missing 70^th week (the Trib) which will be fulfilled in the end times & parallels Rev.6-19.
  1. This is the final saga of Israel’s history.
  2. (27a) The wolf will shed his sheep’s clothing 1/2 way through Trib.
  3. (27b) Christ delivers the final blow to Satan’s not-so-Superman.
16. End: With confidence we can pray...Thy Kingdom Come!

return to 'Top of Page'

DanielDan 8 DanielDan DanielDan 10

Copyright Statement
These files are the property of Brian Bell.
Text Courtesy of Calvary Chapel of Murrieta. Used by Permission.

Bibliographical Information
Bell, Brian. "Commentary on Daniel 9". "Bell's Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cbb/daniel-9.html. 2017.

Bible CommentariesDaniel 9

Bell's Commentary on the BibleBell's Commentary

Verses 1-27

Verses 1-27

Bible Commentaries
Daniel 9