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August 24, 2016 |
| Daniel 9 | ||
Where in the world are Daniel and his people?
Daniel is in Babylon. He has been there since he was a teen and he is now quite old.
Why are Daniel and his people there?
The Israelites turned away from God. God sent many prophets to warn them but the people would not
listen. So God sent the Assyrians to conquer the Northern Kingdom of Isreal and later sent the Babylonians to conquer the
Southern Kingdom, which is where Daniel lived. The surviving Israelites were moved to Babylon in 3 large groups over a period
of 20 years.
Who was the first prophet to tell Israel that they would be taken from Israel to another country if they turned away from
God?
Moses was the first. The consequences he described were not just a warning of what it
might be like but a prophecy of what it would be like. "The Lord will bring you and your king, whom you set over
you, to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone."
(Deuteronomy 28:36) "The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down,
a nation whose language you shall not understand." (Deuteronomy 28:49) Moses also said that God would bring them back when
they repented.
How long would the Israelites be captive in Babylon and why that long?
Jeremiah was a prophet when Judah was conquered. Afterward he prophesied that they would be in
Babylon for 70 years, one year for every Sabbatical year they had not kept. For 490 years, since before King Saul they had
never observed even one Sabbatical year.
Where is Daniel buried?
1 Daniel was probably buried in Babylon. The location
is not known for sure and there is more than one place called Daniel's tomb, but it seems certain he never made it back to
Israel. This is a picture of the site in Susa, Iraq known as Daniel's tomb.
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans - 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
After Babylon is conquered, Daniel 6:31 says "So Darius the Mede received the kingdom at about the age of sixty-two." Historians don't have a record of this Darius and the attempts to fit him into history are further confused by at least two other Medo-Persian kings called Darius. Here Daniel specifically lists the father's name, Ahasuerus. This was the practice when there could be confusion with another person with the same name. Historians have no record of a Darius with a father called Ahasuerus. So again it seems certain this is a different Darius from the better known people with the same name.
Daniel would have been about 20 years older than Darius. Perhaps that contributed to the king's fondness and respect for Daniel that we see in the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den. After that incident, Daniel 6:28 says "So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian." The mention of Darius and Cyrus reigning at the same time is another indication that this Darius is not one of the better known people called Darius. They all reigned after Cyrus.
Two different events now happen very close together in the first year of Darius' reign.
We don't know the order of these two events but it only makes sense that this chapter of Daniel comes first and the freedom of the Jews comes after as a response to the prayer that Daniel is about to pray.
3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and loving kindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.
When Daniel realizes the time in Babylon is nearly over, he recalls how they came to be in Babylon, the evil things God's people had done. He feels profound regret for this and he confesses it to God. He includes himself in this even though he was only a young boy when Jerusalem was conquered.
Daniel has started to make a series of contrasts between God and Israel. He began his prayer by recalling the greatness of God, his commitment to his covenant, and his love. He does this by quoting what Moses said to the Israelites as they were about to enter the Promised Land, "Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments" (Deuteronomy 7:9)
Daniel then contrasts God's commitment and love by recalling the sinfulness of God's people, saying they had sinned, committed iniquity (broken the law), done wicked things. and rebelled (rejected God's authority over them). Moses had told them to follow God and not to turn to the right or the left (Deuteronomy 5:32, Deuteronomy 17:20, Deuteronomy 28:13-15). Daniel confesses they turned away.
Daniel is going to keep going back to Moses in his words because Israel's time in Babylon has been the result of serious ongoing breeches of their covenant with God established through Moses.
6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.
Daniel continues to list the mistakes the people had made. Not only did they refuse to listen to God's prophets, as Daniel says, but they abused and killed some of them and found prophets of their own who would tell them what they wanted to hear.
7 "Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day - to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8 Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.
Here Daniel contrasts God's righteousness with their shame. A shame that comes from their unrighteousness and unfaithfulness.
9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets.
Despite God having the Babylonians destroy Israel, leaving only a remnant, Daniel praises him for his compassion and forgiveness. God had every right to destroy them completely but Daniel knows that Moses said that God would forgive them when they turned back to him.
11 Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him.
Here Daniel refers to the blessings and curses Moses talked about. "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; 28 and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known." (Deuteronomy 11:26-28 and detailed in Deuteronomy 28)
Daniel closes by saying, essentially, "Yeah, we even sinned against Moses too, by breaking the oath with him."
12 Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
Despite the warnings, Israel had not turned back to God. Daniel says, "We got what Moses said we would get, in spades."
Daniel also contrasts God's righteousness with their ongoing disobedience
15 "And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day - we have sinned, we have been wicked.
Daniel's point is that God has been building a name for himself and has continued to do so during the time in Babylon. Israel has also built a name for themselves, one of sin and wickedness.
Having confessed their many sins, Daniel now begins his plea.
16 O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us.
Daniel's argument is not that Israel deserves mercy but that God, because he is righteous, should show mercy, and not even on Israel, but on God's city and his holy mountain. He is reminding God how his name would be enhanced by showing mercy where none was deserved. Through the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple, the nations would marvel at the name of God. And who would be able to do that restoration except God's people (hint, hint).
When he says "your people have become a reproach to all those around us", he is again referring to what Moses said would happen to them.
17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.
Daniel says don't do this for us but for your name.
19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name."
20 Now 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 in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.
The vision referred to is from Chapter 8 but that happened many years before. One connection between then and now is Gabriel. He appeared in the vision of Chapter 8 to "explain" it, but now he appears in person.
Temple services, while they were running in Jerusalem, began the day with a sacrifice at sunrise and ended the day with a sacrifice at sunset. That's the reference Daniel is making.
22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.
The angel says that Daniel is highly esteemed by God. In short, God thinks very highly of Daniel and is very pleased with him. Daniel, now in his mid 80s, has a life of dedication to God behind him. So when Daniel is wondering what this change from the Babylonian empire to the Medo-Persian empire will mean for his people, God dispatches an angel to answer his concerns
The angel is about to give Daniel a message but notice what he also says. This message will increase Daniel's understanding of the vision of Chapter 8.
We began this study with Daniel realizing that the 70 years that Jeremiah prophesied against them was coming to an end. The angel is about to prophesy a period of 70 weeks for them. The 70 years came from 490 years of not observing the sabbatical year. The 70 weeks will actually be a period of 490 years.
The angel begins the message he has for Daniel.
24 "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
The angel is saying that this prophecy will cover the period from Daniel's time until all of these have been done:
Plainly these are not done now, so we know the prophecy is not complete. From other parts of the Bible we recognize that the angel is talking about the Second Coming. Therefore this prophecy concludes with the Second Coming. Next the angel will give the starting point of the prophecy.
25 "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing,
The angel is describing time in weeks but not the weeks we would think of. This was a very common way for a Jew to refer to a Sabbatical week, a "week" made of seven years. For Jews like Daniel this seven year cycle was a part of their lives as given by God in the book of Exodus.
These weeks would not have been just any seven year long period. In the same way that the Sabbath is a day at the end of a week of days, there was a Shemitah year that marked the end of Sabbatical week. Just as the Sabbath is a day of rest, the Shemitah was a year of rest, though different from the Sabbath rest.
The angel describes two periods of time here and in the next verse he will describe a third.
| 7 | of the | 7 year periods | 49 | years | } | 483 years |
| 62 | of the | 7 year periods | 434 | years | ||
| 1 | of the | 7 year periods | 7 | years | ||
| 70 | in total | |||||
Therefore the angel has laid out a period of 483 years that begins with a particular event and gives the number of years from that event to 2 other events.
| Begins with | Ends with |
| the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem | The city and temple are rebuilt |
| The city and temple are rebuilt | the Anointed One will be put to death (cut-off) |
All of these events are recorded in history, though the dates of some are known more accurately than others. The date that the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem happens March 14, 445 B.C. when Artaxerxes Longimanus2 gives the command. This is recorded in the Bible as well, in the book of Ezra. Under Ezra the temple is rebuilt. Later, under Nehemiah the city wall is rebuilt. These books also record the 'times of distress' in which the construction was done just as the angel had said.
The date when the anointed one, Jesus the Messiah, was put to death is not known as exactly as the other dates. There is no dated historical record of the event. There are different ways to count forward 483 years from the March 14 date above to get the date the Messiah was cut-off. One possible calculation gives a date of April 6, 32 A.D.3. This date fits very well with what we know of Jesus life. We believe he was born around 4 B.C., and he began his ministry at about age 304 and was crucified 2.5 to 3.5 years after.
Now note that the treatment of those first two periods in the verse makes it very clear that one follows the other. It says "there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks". And we know one followed the other from history. The verses present a gap, however, between the first two periods and the last period.
This subtle signal tells us that Daniel's prophecy is about to take another leap through time and history.
"[...] and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
The sanctuary was not destroyed until about 40 years after Jesus death and the city was not completely destroyed for another 20 or 30 years after that. So we know right away that the verses are starting to skip through time again.
The verse says there will be war until the end, and that's true. The Jews were kicked out of Jerusalem after that and had various wars to try to regain it. About 600 years later the Muslims showed up and the Catholics fought with them for the next 1000 years over who would control Jerusalem. Now Israel has returned only to immediately see wars again. We know from prophecy that there are more and worse ones to come.
Then the verse starts to talk about the end, a time not just in Daniel's future but also in our future. From all of this we know that there is a "war and desolation" gap in the timeline that has been given to Daniel. But we are not given the duration of this gap like we were for the other periods. So far that gap has been about 1980 years long.
One very important statement comes out of these verses. The city and the sanctuary will be destroyed by "the people of the prince who is to come." Until recently most people understood that the city and sanctuary were destroyed by the Roman army, and most still do. So they believe this "prince who is to come" will be Roman.
But recently there has been a greater awareness that the Roman army units that did the destruction were made from Syrian peoples. Josephus describes this quite graphically. Not only that but Josephus describes the destruction of the temple being done against the will of the Roman officers. Therefore the ruler who will come could be Syrian.
The verses now continue by referring to the actions of this person who was called the 'prince who is to come'. We know him better as the anti-Christ, or the first beast of Revelation. Future chapters in Daniel will refer to him in other ways.
27 "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."
This ruler who will come will make an agreement that is supposed to last for 7 years. By the time the agreement is halfway through, the Jews will have a temple and will be making sacrifices and offerings there just as they did in the other temples. At that halfway mark the ruler will force the sacrifices and offerings to stop. And he will do something that will cause the temple to become desolate and remain desolate until he is destroyed. Revelation describes his destruction5.
The description of this person is very similar to Antiochus Epiphanes described in Chapter 8. This explains something about the prophecy in Chapter 8, just as the angel said it would. Daniel's prophecies all skip forward through time to the Second Coming, but Chapter 8 seems to stop in the time of Antiochus. In fact it also continues to the Second Coming by using Antiochus as a type for the anti-Christ. What Chapter 8 describes of Antiochus is also true of the anti-Christ. So, in describing one he is in fact describing both. (Matthew 24:15)
This verse from Matthew is really very interesting. In this prophecy from Daniel we've seen the angel talking about the coming Messiah. In Matthew we see that very Messiah refering back to the prophecy from this chapter in Daniel, a prophecy that speaks about him. He doesn't refer to the part of the prophecy that speaks about him though. That may be intentional. He probably wants people to think about what else that prophecy says and realize that he is the fulfilment of that part.
But we need to understand that the angel didn't make up this prophecy himself. It came from God. So when you think about it, when Jesus, who is God, quotes from this prophecy he is actually quoting himself where he speaks about himself.
This prophecy by Daniel was well known to the Jews of Jesus time. Daniel was accepted as a prophet; Jesus even refers to him as a prophet (Matthew 24:15).
They also had sufficiently accurate records to know when to expect the Messiah and many of them were expecting him at about the right time. But they had not correctly understood the prophecies of Isaiah and were expecting someone to free them from the Roman occupation.
These expectant people caused a lot of trouble. There were so many people who had different theories about exactly when the Messiah was coming that it started to bother the priests. Eventually they ordered everyone to stop talking about it in the temple area. There were also lots of theories about who the Messiah would be and many people claiming to be the Messiah.
The belief that the Messiah would overthrow the Romans was also a problem. The people would form into groups around these false Messiahs6 and, coupled with a belief that being God's people made them special, they would fight against the Romans. These insurrections would eventually lead to the destruction of Jerusalem.
Knowing this Old Testament scripture of Daniel, a Christian might think that he could show a Jew of our time that the Messiah has already come. How else could you interpret the 70 weeks?
It turns out the Jews did something not long after Jesus' crucifixion. In Jesus time the books of the Old Testament were not available as a single printed work. Instead they were individual scrolls. Thus there was not necessarily an agreed upon order to the books like we have now. But the Jews did organize the scrolls into 3 groups: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. In Jesus' time Daniel was considered to be in the Prophets, but now Daniel finds himself in the Writings - with Psalms and Proverbs.
The effect of this change was that Daniel's prophecies could be 'spiritualized', that is, not interpreted literally. Therefore their value to the reader is only in spiritual insights that can be derived from the book.
The value of this prophecy to Christians of today is that it reveals that there is a God and that God knows the future. No man could know future events with that precision. And it shows that God doesn't predict the future like a weatherman predicts tomorrow's weather - maybe. But God knows the future 483 years in advance.
Also, because this prophecy has been fulfilled as far as the Messiah, we have the confidence that the remainder of this prophecy will be fulfilled and that all the other prophecies will be fulfilled
We've seen how God provides proof of his existence and omniscience through the fulfillment of prophecy. No other religion has fulfilled prophecy. In Isaiah 46 God says this.
9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.' 11 From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.
With part of this prophecy fulfilled we have the assurance that all of it will be fulfilled. If God can know the future 483 years in advance why would we doubt that he can know the future thousands of years in advance? Likewise with all the prophecies that have been fulfilled we have the assurance that all the others will be fulfilled.
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Daniel
2 First identified in Sir Robert Anderson's classic work, The Coming Prince, published originally in 1894.
3 http://www.khouse.org/articles/2004/552/
4 Luke 3:23
5 Revelation 19:20
6 Mark 15:7 (Barabbas), Acts 5:36