Daniel 9

Chapter 9 is not an easy read for the beginner but it's well worth the effort because in it we are informed about the last seven years. This is a vital part of the puzzle for all who will be alive on the earth during that time. And, even if you can't wade through this entire chapter, don't miss the very last verse!

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;

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.

3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

(This is some serious prayer and focusing on God. And Daniel gets results! Not just for himself but for everyone down throughout history! Especially us!)

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;

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:

6 Neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants the prophets, which spake in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

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.

(As we know from the first book of Daniel, Daniel was just a boy when he was captured, but he realized even then that God had allowed the captivity to happen to Israel because of their sins. Israel had turned its back on God and was worshipping idols. They were totally backslidden. So Daniel is praying for his nation as he faces towards Jerusalem.)

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.

9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him;

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.

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.

12 And He hath confirmed His words, which He spake 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.

(So God allowed Babylon to destroy Jerusalem and kill, capture and plunder Israel. But, that doesn't mean that Babylon will go unpunished... in the future. Take a look at what's happening in Babylon (Iraq) today! According to prophecy, Babylon will be left desolate and empty.)

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.

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.

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.

(God does not like to be ignored.)

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 father, Jerusalem and Thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

(God's people are supposed to set the example of obedience to God, not cause their heathen neighbours to stumble by being a bad example.)

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.

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.

(Daniel is really getting this right! He knows that only God is good and none of us are righteous.)

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.

20 And whiles 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;

21 Yea, whiles 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.

22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

23 A the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

(It's a thrilling experience to be told that you are greatly loved of God, especially being told by one of God's archangels!)

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.

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.

(God is telling Daniel here that his prayers have been answered and that Jerusalem will be rebuilt! He is also telling him when Jesus [the Messiah the Prince] will come. He will come 7 weeks and 3 score and 2 weeks from the time of the commandment to build Jerusalem.

In 445BC, Artazerxes Longinus gave the commandment to Nehemiah to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.

Since 3 score is 3x20, that means 69 weeks altogether. 7+60+2=69 weeks. In this case, a week is a group of 7 and it must be referring to a group of 7 years, because, we know from history that Jesus was crucified in 32AD, which was approximately 69 weeks or 483 Jewish years later.

This doesn't add up in our solar years today, but according to the Jewish calendar, there are 360 days in a year. That means 483 Jewish years = 476 solar years plus 27 days. It brings us up to the very year of the crucifixion.)

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.

(The people of "the prince that shall come" shall destroy the city and the sanctuary... is referring to the Roman Empire that destroyed the temple after Christ's resurrection. But, as we see from the two dreams about the world kingdoms, Rome is a prototype of the final ruling kingdom.)

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.

(Who is this guy who will confirm the "covenant" with "many" for one week?

If we look at world history the way it was depicted in the dreams of Daniel chapters 2 and 7, there are only going to be 5 world powers: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and the final world government ruled by who we refer to as "The Antichrist" because he will be against Christ.

This future world leader will start off his rule with a seven-year covenant or peace treaty or agreement with many. And in the midst of the "week" or seven years, he will break the covenant.

In Matthew 24:15 & 16, Jesus warns us,

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains..."

Q: How will we know when that last week has begun?
A: We will know when the covenant has been signed. (Stay close to the Lord and be on the alert. There is a lot of talk these days about a peace agreement being drawn up for Israel. Another thing to keep our eyes on is the unifying of all the religions. This in itself is an abomination to God.)

Q: How do we know that there will be exactly seven years left?
A: Coincidentally, the world dictator or the "beast" of Revelation draws up a seven-year agreement, but the Bible also predicts that his end will come at the end of that seven-year contract! It also tells us that the "Tribulation" will continue for exactly 3 1/2 years, stated in weeks and in days just to make it clear.

Q: Where are we now in Bible prophecy?
A: I don't believe the last seven years have begun yet. Ten nations will join together with the rising world dictator and we are just beginning to see which nations they are.