- Daniel is praying and fasting while studying the 70 year prophecy of Jeremiah over the captivity of the children of Israel (Jeremiah 25:9-13). Through Jeremiah, God had promised that the captivity of Israel would last only seventy years Daniel prays for restoration and associates himself with his people.
- The 70 year prophecy of Jeremiah and the 2300 year prophecy have an interesting connection. Daniel was studying the prophecy of Jeremiah because God promised that after 70 years of captivity the Jews will go back to their country to restore the earthly Sanctuary and Jerusalem. Many years later, the remnant studied the 2300 year prophecy of Daniel with the promise that at the end of this time prophecy the Heavenly Sanctuary will be restored in its rightful state and God will give us the New Jerusalem as a home.
- The 70 week (490 day/year) prophecy tells us what will happen to God’s nation (the Jews). It points to the true Messiah and Who He is, His life, His covenant message and His death for us in the middle of the last week of the prophecy. The Jews pronounced a curse on anyone who reads this prophecy.
- This prophecy it not only shows us Who the Messiah is by what He will accomplish but also gives us the exact time when He will start His ministry as Messiah. At the end of these 490 years the Jews finally rejected the Messiah by the stoning of Stephen. It also tells us of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Every detail was fulfilled on time. This prophecy is explained further in chapter 6: “The longest time prophecy”.
🟠Link between Daniel 8 and 9
A close inspection of Daniel 8 and 9 shows that both chapters share a common central theme:
- Both chapters deal with the trampling of the city, the people, the sanctuary and the Prince (compare Daniel 8:11-14, 25 with Daniel 9:3-19, 25-26).
- However, while Daniel 8 focuses primarily on the trampling of spiritual Israel by the papacy (Daniel 8:13; Revelation 11:2; Daniel 11:31; Revelation 17:1-5; Matthew 24:15), Daniel 9 has to do with the trampling of literal Israel by Rome (Daniel 9:26-27; Luke 21:20; Matthew 24:15).
🟠It is obvious that Daniel did not clearly comprehend the shift from literal Israel to spiritual Israel.
- If he had understood this, he would have realized that the seventy weeks apply to the literal Jews in literal Jerusalem with a literal temple while the 2300 days have to do with spiritual Israel in spiritual Jerusalem with a spiritual temple.
- Daniel’s failure to comprehend this distinction led him to believe that the 2300 days applied to literal Israel, an idea he could not reconcile with Jeremiah’s seventy-year prophecy.
- Daniel 8 refers to both pagan and papal Rome. Daniel 9 then picks up on the destruction of literal Jerusalem by pagan Rome and Daniel 10-12 take us further ahead to the destruction of spiritual Jerusalem by papal Rome.
Daniel 9 verse 1 to 3
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.
🟠“Jeremiah the prophet”
Daniel had been studying the book of Jeremiah, and understood from the study of it that God was going to leave the Jews in captivity 70 years, then punish Babylon for their iniquity. (Jeremiah 29:10, 14; 25:11-13) But he also understood from prophecy, that it was going to be the Medes and Persians that would destroy Babylon and avenge the destruction of the temple (Jeremiah 51:11) also that they would ultimately be the ones to let the Jews return to their homeland and restore their worship in the temple. (Isaiah 45:1-5, 13)
Daniel 9 verse 4 to 19
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
🟠“Daniel’s prayer”
- He acknowledges/confesses the sin and apostasy of his people and ranks himself with them, even though he was living a godly life (not self-righteous).
- Admits that they have not heeded the council of His prophets or walked in His laws. Also have not turned back to God in their affliction for the course pursued.
- It is because of their rebellion, or trespass/sin, against God that they are in captivity.
- God is righteous/just or lawful, in His dealing out of punishment and in all His works for they have not obeyed His voice.
- He now appeals to God, that all the renown that had accrued to the Lord’s name, because of the wonderful works manifested among them from the deliverance of His people from Egypt, would all be lost if He should abandon them to perish.
- He pleads to God’s mercy, to turn from His fury against His (God’s) city Jerusalem, His holy mountain, which has become a reproach because of their iniquities.
- Asks God to have His face to shine upon the sanctuary which is desolate.
- Daniel asks for these to be restored from their desolation, not for their sakes or glory but for the name of the Lord and for His sake (to exalt the name of Jehovah), because of His great mercies.
- He then asks the Lord to hear his prayer, to forgive their ways, hearken and do/restore, do not defer it, for God’s sake and His city (which is called by His name), and His people which are also called by His name. Basically so God’s name can once again be exalted above the heathen.
Daniel 9 verse 20 to 24
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 At 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.
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.
🟠“Seventy weeks”
1 prophetic day = 1 literal year (Ezekiel 4:6, Numbers 14:34)
1 week = 7 days,
70 weeks = 490 days,
Therefore 70 prophetic weeks = 490 literal years.
🟠“Thy people and upon thy holy city”
That is upon the Jews, Daniel’s people, and upon Jerusalem. So all that is mentioned in this section is related to the Jews themselves and not other groups of people. This understanding helps in the interpretation of the symbols involved.
🟠“To finish the transgression”
During this time, the Jews would fill up the cup of their iniquity, they would reach the limit of transgression to which God could no longer forbear. Because of this ongoing apostasy they would be rejected as God’s chosen representatives on the earth. This they did in the rejection of the Son of God Himself (Matthew 21:33-46).
🟠“Make an end of sins”
The end of sin offerings was made at the cross, causing the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and also Colossians 2:14. Thus this is a reference to the ending of the sacrificial sin offerings which met their antitype in the death of Christ on the cross.
Jesus, legally, took away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Hebrews 1:3 tells us that when Jesus ‘had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.’ In Hebrews 9:28 we are told that ‘Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.
🟠“Make reconciliation for iniquity”
Reconciliation for iniquity was to be provided. This was accomplished by the sacrificial death of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
🟠“Bring in everlasting righteousness”
Everlasting righteousness was what our Lord manifested in His sinless life, and by His life, death, and resurrection Christ has made everlasting righteousness available to all who accept it by faith (1 Corinthians 1:30).