Daniel Chapter 9 Message 9
As we come to this portion of Scripture, Daniel 9, we should remember that we presented the prayer of Daniel in 9:3-19, as the introduction to preaching through the book. Before we continue with God’s plan for the future, we should take a few moments and review the prayer that led to message from God revealing the time of the coming of the Messiah and the plan for Israel.
1. The setting.

A. God brought judgement on Judah.

1. The time was 605 BC (2,024 years ago) we begin with Daniel’s description of how he and others were captured and taken to Babylon. This is known as the first carrying away –
…And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
Nebuchadnezzar was going to use the best of the youngest in Israel and use them for his own benefit – training them early to be loyal to him.
2. The time that they would be held captive was 70 years.

a. The purpose –

2 Chronicles 36:15-21 …And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

b. The punishment

Jeremiah had preached the word of God to the people for 23 years, warning them day and night –

Jeremiah 25:1-11 … Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant,. ….and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

B. God’s mercy offered in judgement.

The Lord sent the Chaldeans against them and took the best of the people and the treasures to Babylon as recorded in Daniel 1:1-4

1. The city was captured, but not destroyed during the first and second attacks
2. Many people, including the king and prophets, were left.

C. God’s message for His captive people. Jeremiah 27

1. It was God’s will for them to be captives of Babylon.

Jeremiah 27:11-17 …Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

2. It was God’s will that they submit to Him by submitting to them!

Jeremiah 27:22 They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.

II. The stubborn rebellion of the people.

Jeremiah 28:14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.

Nebuchadnezzar attacked the city two more times because of the refusal of the people to submit to him. Finally, during the third attack, the city was completely destroyed, the walls of the city, the houses in the city, and finally the Temple were broken down to the ground. God had given the people the opportunity to have some freedom and keep their city and towns. All they had to do was submit to God and be servants of Nebuchadnezzar.

III. The Supplication. Return now to Daniel 9
A. His Concern. Daniel 9:2 As a very old man, in captivity for most of his life, he knew the Israelites still had hard hearts.

B. His Confession –

Daniel 9:5,6 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 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. 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…

1. God’s judgment is righteous. (the people deserved punishment)
2. These people are un-righteous. (would not submit to righteous judgment)

C. His Cry – for mercy and restoration.

Daniel 9:16-19 …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. 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.

Today we learn of God’s answer to Daniel. God, in His mercy, would allow Israel to return to the land. As they were conquered and carried away in three phases, they returned in three phases. The first return was at the order of King Cyrus as prophesied by Isaiah in chapter 44, verse 28 one hundred and fifty years before he was born. The Jews were allowed to return with the intention of rebuilding the Temple. The next return was led by Ezra whose purpose was to complete the Temple and restore the worship service. The third return was led by Nehemiah and involved rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, all of this preparing to fulfil the promise of the Messiah. Daniel would learn that God will rebuild His city and send the Messiah. God was not through with His nation and His plans for future blessings are sure. The return led by Nehemiah is that which is referred to in the plan given to Daniel in these verses.

IV. The Sympathetic care of God for Daniel in answer to his prayer.
Daniel 9:23-27

Daniel 9:23 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.

A. The Plan of events.

1. Finish the transgressions – the rebellion of Israel against God.
2. Make an end of sin
3 . Make reconcilliation for iniquity – the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
4. Bring in everlasting righteousness.
5. Seal up the vision and the prophecy – completion of God’s written revelation.
6. Anoint the Most Holy – Jesus Christ anointed King over the earth.

B. The Presentation of the timetable.
70 sevens (translated weeks) are designated for Israel. The sevens are sevens of years. 490 years total.

1. The division of the ages. 7 sevens and 62 sevens.

Total of 69 sevens or 483 years will pass beginning at the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the time of the Messiah’s crucifixion.

2. The decree to rebuild the walls was given in 445 BC. Nehemiah 2:1-8

There are at least four decrees concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem recorded in Scripture: (1) the decree of Cyrus to rebuild the temple (2 Ch 36:22–23; Ezra 1:1–4; 6:1–5); (2) the, decree of Darius confirming the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 6:6–12); (3) the decree of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:11–26); (4) the decree of Artaxerxes given to Nehemiah authorizing the rebuilding of the city (Neh 2:1–8).
All agree that there was a decree to rebuild the temple, given by Cyrus approximately 538 B.C. The question is whether this decree also authorized the rebuilding’ of the city. The precise wording of the three decrees as recorded in 2 Chronicles 36 and in Ezra seems to deal only with the temple, and the rebuilding of the city was not fulfilled until the time of Nehemiah where the decree recorded in Nehemiah 2:1–8 clearly refers to the city as a whole.

A conclusion as to the accuracy of this declaration is determined through the simple calculation of days: 483 x 360 (the number of days in the Jewish lunar calendar year) = 173880 days. Convert into years according to current calendar years (365 days) = 476 years. 445 BC – 476 = 30 AD. This is the approximate date of the crucifixion.

This covers the 69 weeks revealed to Daniel, but the message stated that 70 weeks are determined on God’s working with the nation of Israel. What are we to understand by this 7 year period still to come. This is what is known in God’s Word as the Great Tribulation which begins at the coming of Jesus for His saints. It is thought that the wise men from the East that sought to find the King born in Israel knew of this prophecy and understood the timing of His coming. God’s Word is true. God’s Word is accurate in every way.

God blessed Daniel in by comforting him in answer to his prayer – the Lord will restore His nation Israel and He will establish His Kingdom. It is God who rules, not man!
Trust Him.