The 70 Sevens of Daniel
Daniel 9:20-27
Message #13
There are two 70's in Daniel Chapter 9. In the first half of Chapter 9, Daniel realized the 70-year exile of the Nation of Israel was about to come to an end, and it caused him to cry out to God in intercession for Israel. Daniel's heart was burdened - heavily - about what might happen to God's people Israel. And so, in the midst of his prayer (in the second half of Chapter 9), God reveals to Daniel his eternal long-term plan for Israel.
In the first half of Chapter 9, Daniel prays for the restoration of Israel. Nobody has replaced God's covenant with Israel.
In the second half of Chapter 9, God reveals his plan for the ultimate restoration of Israel.
The focus of these prophecies is God's people, Israel. But they definitely involve us and the entire world. This text is famously called - "The 70 Weeks of Daniel," and it forms the basis, or the backbone, for the most critical prophetic events in the Bible. Needless to say - it's a HUGE section of scripture to grasp! So let's get to grasping it!
In the first half of the Chapter, we left Daniel interceding for Israel - specifically for their restoration to God and to the land. Today, in the middle of that prayer, God (again) sends to Daniel his special messenger Angel, Gabriel.
Daniel 9:20–21 (NLT)
20 I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people (from 1st half) pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, His holy mountain.
21 As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice.
Daniel was continuing to cry out to God on behalf of Israel, afraid for them because they had strayed so far from God. But God wanted Daniel to know that God's plan was in place. What God had promised to do through and for Israel was absolutely going to come to pass - guaranteed. And so, God is going to give Daniel the timeline for how his great plan of restoration is going to work out.
God wants Daniel (and us) to know his plan is on track.
It will come to pass exactly as he ordained it
It will come to pass exactly when he has ordained it
And that gives this text incredible life-changing power for anyone who will read it and receive it.
Daniel 9:22 (NLT)
22 He (Gabriel) explained to me, "Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding.
God really wanted Israel to know these things, and God really wants us to know these things. It may not be as simple as we'd like it, but that's also the way God works. God wants us to want to know - enough so that we will dig into his Word and search for the full meaning. It's the same thing Jesus did when he taught by parables.
God wants Israel (and us) to get this, and so Gabriel tells Daniel in Daniel 9:23,
Daniel 9:23 (NLT)
23 The moment you began praying (interceding for Israel) a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.
The moment Daniel began interceding for God's people, a command was given in Heaven to respond. Is Heaven listening? YES! Heaven is listening! When YOU are crying out to God in accordance with his will, Heaven is listening. Because you are all so precious to God (as Daniel was), and in response, God sends us the Holy Spirit, just as the Angel Gabriel was sent to Daniel.
So, Gabriel comes to give Daniel insight and understanding, and he begins what is often called the "Backbone of All Biblical Prophecy" in Daniel 9:24.
Daniel 9:24(a) (NLT)
24 "A period of seventy sets of seven (excellent translation) has been decreed for your people and your holy city . . .
Where the New Living Translation (NLT) correctly translates "Sets of Seven," your Bible may say "Weeks." But if you'll look in your New King James Version (NKJV) or your English Standard Version (ESV), there's a footnote, and it says LIT - sevens because this Hebrew word means (most literally) seven periods of time. It is most often used for seven periods of days and so the word week became associated with it. But, most accurately, it is 70 sets of seven periods of time. And we know from the context from other uses of this phrase in the Old Testament and especially from history, Gabriel is talking about 70 sets of seven years.
These 70 sets of seven years have been decreed by God for Israel and for their Holy City. And what is God going to accomplish in this 70 sets of seven years?
Let's re-read all of Daniel 9:24.
Daniel 9:24 (NLT)
24 "A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to (1) finish their rebellion, (2) to put an end to their sin, (3) to atone for their guilt, (4) to bring in everlasting righteousness, (5) to confirm (seal) the prophetic vision, and (6) to anoint the Most Holy Place.
God is going to accomplish six things for his people during these 70 sets of seven years.
Three have to do with eradicating sin (and the effects of sin)
Three have to do with the eternal Kingdom of God
All six of these things revolve around Jesus Christ
Some of them Jesus Christ has already positionally accomplished. But all of them will be completely accomplished by the end of the 70 sets of seven years.
Let's review them from verse 24.
Daniel 9:24 (NLT)
24 "A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to (1) finish their rebellion, (2) to put an end to their sin, (3) to atone for their guilt, (4) to bring in everlasting righteousness, (5) to confirm (seal) the prophetic vision, and (6) to anoint the Most Holy Place.
These six things are what God will do for Israel and for you if you have been grafted in through faith in Jesus Christ. And now God is going to tell us when he is going to do it. Look in Daniel 9:25, where Gabriel is still talking to Daniel.
Daniel 9:25 (NLT)
25 Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.
Now, look closely, because the 70 sets of seven years are NOT presented as a single block of time. They are presented as THREE SEPARATE blocks of time. Seven sets of seven - plus sixty-two sets of seven - equals 69 sets of seven. Leaving out one set of seven years. (Remember that math.) And God says these first two blocks of time will pass from a certain point in time.
What is that point in time? In verse 25, we read "from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem." So, if we know when this command was given, then we'll know the start point for this timeline. And the date for that start point is found in Nehemiah 2:1.
Nehemiah 2:1 (NLT)
1 . . . in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' reign . . .
We know (from secular history) when the month of Nisan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes' reign was. On our calendar, we would call it March of 444 B.C. Now the calendar part of this prophecy is complicated... There is a Jewish calendar and a Western (Gregorian) calendar, which is the difference between lunar and solar calendars. There are adjustments for leap years and other things and an adjustment for the switch for B.C. to A.D. But still, we know when that command was given, and so we have a start date.
Let's look at Daniel 9:25 again.
Daniel 9:25 (NLT)
25 Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.
The first time block given in Daniel 9:25 is seven sets of seven years, which is 49 years, and it says at the end of verse 25 - Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times. And if you go from the command to rebuild Jerusalem ahead seven sets of seven years, you get to 395 B.C. and the Jewish historians mark 395 B.C. as the year Jerusalem was finally rebuilt - under extreme difficulty.
So, first time block of prophecy – seven sets of seven – a perfect hit – one hundred percent accurate so far.
The next time block in Daniel 9:25 is – sixty-nine sets of seven. And look closely at what Daniel 9:25 says will happen at the end of the first and second time blocks - together.
Daniel 9:25 (NLT)
25 . . . Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One (Messiah) comes . . .
Now God is getting serious because he just told Israel WHEN the MESSIAH would COME. Seven sets of seven, plus sixty-two sets of seven equals sixty-nine sets of seven years from the time the command to rebuild was given to the time the Messiah would come to God's people. So, all Israel had to do was get out a calendar and start marking off the days. They'd already passed down God's Word for 1,000 years. Certainly, they could've kept a calendar going. They'd just have to count the days - 1...2...3... and just keep counting - until they reached 173,880 days. That is how many days there are in the Jewish calendar for sixty-nine sets of seven years - 173,880 days.
Had they have done that, in the beginning of the year (we call) 33 A.D., they would have been getting pretty excited. And as (what we call) March of 33 A.D. came up, they would've been counting down the last days of that 173,880 days. They could've had a BIG calendar hanging in the Temple, with a priestly duty to mark the number each morning, until they got to 173,879 days. Because God is going to REVEAL the Messiah on the NEXT DAY - in March of 33 A.D.
Let's turn over to Luke, Chapter 19. Jesus had set his face as a flint toward Jerusalem because he was on a CRITICAL timeline. And on this particular day, he sent his disciples ahead to get him the colt of a donkey (fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.)
And we pick it up in Luke 19:35-38.
Luke 19:35–38 (NLT)
35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him.
37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
38 "Blessings on (Hosanna to) the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!"
Guys, prior to this day, Jesus sidestepped EVERY attempt to make him King of Israel. And a number of times in THOSE situations, Jesus responded with these words, "My hour has not yet come."
Do we think that is some kind of spiritualizing metaphor? NO!! No - there was AN HOUR that God the Father had set ON A DAY that he had specifically GIVEN to Daniel and that day and that hour had come.
And so, we read in Luke 19:39-40,
Luke 19:39–40 (NLT)
39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!"
40 He replied, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!"
Why? Why would the stones have to cry out on this day if the followers of Jesus were not? Because God had PROMISED that Israel's True King would come to them ON THIS DAY - IN THIS WAY. And God had revealed the exact day to Daniel. If Israel had only believed enough to have kept a calendar.
Sixty-nine sets of seven years (173,880 days) after the command to rebuild Jerusalem was given, Jesus Christ rode into the Eastern Gate on the colt of a donkey with the people crying out "HOSANNA!!" - Just as God said it would happen.
Now the math isn't easy, so we have to give the Jews that. But today, there are a number of well-respected books that break the math down over and over again and prove again and again that at the end of sixty-nine sets of seven years, Jesus Christ presented himself as MESSIAH to Israel.
BUT... they missed it. They weren't watching, and so they didn't know. They were too busy following rabbinical laws and religious rituals, and they completely MISSED the MESSIAH, even though this day was perfectly prophesied.
And so we read the next verse in Luke form the NKJV because it makes this verse so clear.
Luke 19:41–42 (NKJV)
41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
42 saying, "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.
Jesus was saying THIS was YOUR DAY. Daniel TOLD you it was TODAY. Why weren't you counting the days on a calendar instead of piling up religious rules and requirements?
But what about us? What have we missed about Jesus Christ just as badly as Israel missed his triumphal entry? Do we take the prophecies of God any more seriously than Israel did when Daniel wrote this prophecy? Maybe we need to start looking closer and taking God at his Word a little more.
So, what does Daniel say will happen AFTER the Messiah comes? Just in case you need more proof...
Daniel 9:26(a) (NLT)
26 "After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing . . .
Yeah, that is exactly what happened. And it may be another reason why Daniel has been buried in obscurity in the Hebrew Bible.
Okay, Daniel, then what happens after the Messiah is killed? Lets read Daniel 9:26 out of the ESV for you because the literal translation here is excellent.
Daniel 9:26 (ESV)
26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing (death of Messiah). And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (Temple). Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
After the Messiah is killed, the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the Temple. We have already made it clear in Daniel, the prince who is to come is a reference to the Antichrist. And Daniel says the people of the Antichrist will destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. Who are the people of the Antichrist? -- ROME. The Antichrist rises up out of the Revived Roman Empire. Who destroys Jerusalem and the Temple after Jesus Christ was killed? -- ROME. In 70 A.D., Rome came into Jerusalem like a flood, and they completely destroyed the city and the Temple, dismantling it stone by stone, not leaving one stone on top of another.
Now go back to Luke 19, and let's read a bit more. When Jesus was weeping over Jerusalem because they did not know the day of their salvation, he said in Luke 19:43-44:
Luke 19:43–44 (NLT)
43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side.
44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation."
This is exactly what happened in 70 A.D.
Exactly as Jesus said it would happen.
Exactly as Daniel said it would happen.
And we're still not sure if we can trust that God will do what he says he will do???
So, we have looked at sixty-nine sets of seven, and history has proven God perfectly correct in ALL of his miraculous detail. And that leaves us with one set of seven to go, and three objectives still to be accomplished.
So, first we ask why is the 70th set of seven separated from the other sixty-nine? And the answer is - because there is a time gap between the two events.
Over and over in the Old Testament, the prophecies of Jesus Christ include both his first coming and his second coming. Because the ultimate completion of the prophecies regarding Jesus require both his first and second comings.
Daniel 9:27 completes God's promise of restoration to Israel.
But in-between the sixty-ninth week and the 70th week, there's a little thing we call THE CHURCH AGE. So we are living between verse 26 and verse 27 right now.
The next event on the prophetic calendar is the RAPTURE, and after that event (probably right after), Daniel 9:27 occurs.
Daniel 9:27 (NLT)
27 The ruler (The Antichrist) will make a treaty with the people (Israel) for a period of one set of seven (the 7 year tribulation), but after half this time (3 ½ years), he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings (which means there will be a new Temple). And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration (marking half-way point), until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him."
The fate decreed for this defiler is to be FIRST into the Lake of Fire in Revelation 19. Daniel 9:27 is a one-verse summary of the events of the seven-year Tribulation, which occurs after the Rapture.
So here's my question... If God has been perfectly, completely, one hundred percent accurate in ALL of his prophesies so far, what's the chance God's prophecies about how he's going to wrap things up on this earth are also one hundred percent accurate?
Listen to me please. Today, in the Hebrew (Jewish) Bible the Book of Daniel is not included in the Books of the Prophets. It had been buried in the least read, third section of their Bible.
And the Rabbi's teach today:
Daniel is of minor importance
Daniel was not a prophet
And there is nothing in Daniel that is prophetic.
And most new Rabbi's are NOT required (nor encouraged) to really study Daniel.
Please – DON'T DO the same thing in YOUR LIFE.
Don't bury what God has made so CLEAR to you. There is SO MUCH supernatural, miraculous proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. Please don't bury all of that truth so that you don't have to deal with it.
Instead, embrace these miraculous proofs.
Ask Jesus to come into your LIFE, to be your Savior and your Lord. He will save you from your sin. God will become your Heavenly Father. And ALL the promises of Heaven will become yours - GUARANTEED!
In the first half of Chapter 9, Daniel prays for the restoration of Israel. Nobody has replaced God's covenant with Israel.
In the second half of Chapter 9, God reveals his plan for the ultimate restoration of Israel.
The focus of these prophecies is God's people, Israel. But they definitely involve us and the entire world. This text is famously called - "The 70 Weeks of Daniel," and it forms the basis, or the backbone, for the most critical prophetic events in the Bible. Needless to say - it's a HUGE section of scripture to grasp! So let's get to grasping it!
In the first half of the Chapter, we left Daniel interceding for Israel - specifically for their restoration to God and to the land. Today, in the middle of that prayer, God (again) sends to Daniel his special messenger Angel, Gabriel.
Daniel 9:20–21 (NLT)
20 I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people (from 1st half) pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, His holy mountain.
21 As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice.
Daniel was continuing to cry out to God on behalf of Israel, afraid for them because they had strayed so far from God. But God wanted Daniel to know that God's plan was in place. What God had promised to do through and for Israel was absolutely going to come to pass - guaranteed. And so, God is going to give Daniel the timeline for how his great plan of restoration is going to work out.
God wants Daniel (and us) to know his plan is on track.
It will come to pass exactly as he ordained it
It will come to pass exactly when he has ordained it
And that gives this text incredible life-changing power for anyone who will read it and receive it.
Daniel 9:22 (NLT)
22 He (Gabriel) explained to me, "Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding.
God really wanted Israel to know these things, and God really wants us to know these things. It may not be as simple as we'd like it, but that's also the way God works. God wants us to want to know - enough so that we will dig into his Word and search for the full meaning. It's the same thing Jesus did when he taught by parables.
God wants Israel (and us) to get this, and so Gabriel tells Daniel in Daniel 9:23,
Daniel 9:23 (NLT)
23 The moment you began praying (interceding for Israel) a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision.
The moment Daniel began interceding for God's people, a command was given in Heaven to respond. Is Heaven listening? YES! Heaven is listening! When YOU are crying out to God in accordance with his will, Heaven is listening. Because you are all so precious to God (as Daniel was), and in response, God sends us the Holy Spirit, just as the Angel Gabriel was sent to Daniel.
So, Gabriel comes to give Daniel insight and understanding, and he begins what is often called the "Backbone of All Biblical Prophecy" in Daniel 9:24.
Daniel 9:24(a) (NLT)
24 "A period of seventy sets of seven (excellent translation) has been decreed for your people and your holy city . . .
Where the New Living Translation (NLT) correctly translates "Sets of Seven," your Bible may say "Weeks." But if you'll look in your New King James Version (NKJV) or your English Standard Version (ESV), there's a footnote, and it says LIT - sevens because this Hebrew word means (most literally) seven periods of time. It is most often used for seven periods of days and so the word week became associated with it. But, most accurately, it is 70 sets of seven periods of time. And we know from the context from other uses of this phrase in the Old Testament and especially from history, Gabriel is talking about 70 sets of seven years.
These 70 sets of seven years have been decreed by God for Israel and for their Holy City. And what is God going to accomplish in this 70 sets of seven years?
Let's re-read all of Daniel 9:24.
Daniel 9:24 (NLT)
24 "A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to (1) finish their rebellion, (2) to put an end to their sin, (3) to atone for their guilt, (4) to bring in everlasting righteousness, (5) to confirm (seal) the prophetic vision, and (6) to anoint the Most Holy Place.
God is going to accomplish six things for his people during these 70 sets of seven years.
Three have to do with eradicating sin (and the effects of sin)
Three have to do with the eternal Kingdom of God
All six of these things revolve around Jesus Christ
Some of them Jesus Christ has already positionally accomplished. But all of them will be completely accomplished by the end of the 70 sets of seven years.
Let's review them from verse 24.
Daniel 9:24 (NLT)
24 "A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to (1) finish their rebellion, (2) to put an end to their sin, (3) to atone for their guilt, (4) to bring in everlasting righteousness, (5) to confirm (seal) the prophetic vision, and (6) to anoint the Most Holy Place.
These six things are what God will do for Israel and for you if you have been grafted in through faith in Jesus Christ. And now God is going to tell us when he is going to do it. Look in Daniel 9:25, where Gabriel is still talking to Daniel.
Daniel 9:25 (NLT)
25 Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.
Now, look closely, because the 70 sets of seven years are NOT presented as a single block of time. They are presented as THREE SEPARATE blocks of time. Seven sets of seven - plus sixty-two sets of seven - equals 69 sets of seven. Leaving out one set of seven years. (Remember that math.) And God says these first two blocks of time will pass from a certain point in time.
What is that point in time? In verse 25, we read "from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem." So, if we know when this command was given, then we'll know the start point for this timeline. And the date for that start point is found in Nehemiah 2:1.
Nehemiah 2:1 (NLT)
1 . . . in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' reign . . .
We know (from secular history) when the month of Nisan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes' reign was. On our calendar, we would call it March of 444 B.C. Now the calendar part of this prophecy is complicated... There is a Jewish calendar and a Western (Gregorian) calendar, which is the difference between lunar and solar calendars. There are adjustments for leap years and other things and an adjustment for the switch for B.C. to A.D. But still, we know when that command was given, and so we have a start date.
Let's look at Daniel 9:25 again.
Daniel 9:25 (NLT)
25 Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.
The first time block given in Daniel 9:25 is seven sets of seven years, which is 49 years, and it says at the end of verse 25 - Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times. And if you go from the command to rebuild Jerusalem ahead seven sets of seven years, you get to 395 B.C. and the Jewish historians mark 395 B.C. as the year Jerusalem was finally rebuilt - under extreme difficulty.
So, first time block of prophecy – seven sets of seven – a perfect hit – one hundred percent accurate so far.
The next time block in Daniel 9:25 is – sixty-nine sets of seven. And look closely at what Daniel 9:25 says will happen at the end of the first and second time blocks - together.
Daniel 9:25 (NLT)
25 . . . Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One (Messiah) comes . . .
Now God is getting serious because he just told Israel WHEN the MESSIAH would COME. Seven sets of seven, plus sixty-two sets of seven equals sixty-nine sets of seven years from the time the command to rebuild was given to the time the Messiah would come to God's people. So, all Israel had to do was get out a calendar and start marking off the days. They'd already passed down God's Word for 1,000 years. Certainly, they could've kept a calendar going. They'd just have to count the days - 1...2...3... and just keep counting - until they reached 173,880 days. That is how many days there are in the Jewish calendar for sixty-nine sets of seven years - 173,880 days.
Had they have done that, in the beginning of the year (we call) 33 A.D., they would have been getting pretty excited. And as (what we call) March of 33 A.D. came up, they would've been counting down the last days of that 173,880 days. They could've had a BIG calendar hanging in the Temple, with a priestly duty to mark the number each morning, until they got to 173,879 days. Because God is going to REVEAL the Messiah on the NEXT DAY - in March of 33 A.D.
Let's turn over to Luke, Chapter 19. Jesus had set his face as a flint toward Jerusalem because he was on a CRITICAL timeline. And on this particular day, he sent his disciples ahead to get him the colt of a donkey (fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.)
And we pick it up in Luke 19:35-38.
Luke 19:35–38 (NLT)
35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him.
37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
38 "Blessings on (Hosanna to) the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!"
Guys, prior to this day, Jesus sidestepped EVERY attempt to make him King of Israel. And a number of times in THOSE situations, Jesus responded with these words, "My hour has not yet come."
Do we think that is some kind of spiritualizing metaphor? NO!! No - there was AN HOUR that God the Father had set ON A DAY that he had specifically GIVEN to Daniel and that day and that hour had come.
And so, we read in Luke 19:39-40,
Luke 19:39–40 (NLT)
39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, "Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!"
40 He replied, "If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!"
Why? Why would the stones have to cry out on this day if the followers of Jesus were not? Because God had PROMISED that Israel's True King would come to them ON THIS DAY - IN THIS WAY. And God had revealed the exact day to Daniel. If Israel had only believed enough to have kept a calendar.
Sixty-nine sets of seven years (173,880 days) after the command to rebuild Jerusalem was given, Jesus Christ rode into the Eastern Gate on the colt of a donkey with the people crying out "HOSANNA!!" - Just as God said it would happen.
Now the math isn't easy, so we have to give the Jews that. But today, there are a number of well-respected books that break the math down over and over again and prove again and again that at the end of sixty-nine sets of seven years, Jesus Christ presented himself as MESSIAH to Israel.
BUT... they missed it. They weren't watching, and so they didn't know. They were too busy following rabbinical laws and religious rituals, and they completely MISSED the MESSIAH, even though this day was perfectly prophesied.
And so we read the next verse in Luke form the NKJV because it makes this verse so clear.
Luke 19:41–42 (NKJV)
41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
42 saying, "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.
Jesus was saying THIS was YOUR DAY. Daniel TOLD you it was TODAY. Why weren't you counting the days on a calendar instead of piling up religious rules and requirements?
But what about us? What have we missed about Jesus Christ just as badly as Israel missed his triumphal entry? Do we take the prophecies of God any more seriously than Israel did when Daniel wrote this prophecy? Maybe we need to start looking closer and taking God at his Word a little more.
So, what does Daniel say will happen AFTER the Messiah comes? Just in case you need more proof...
Daniel 9:26(a) (NLT)
26 "After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing . . .
Yeah, that is exactly what happened. And it may be another reason why Daniel has been buried in obscurity in the Hebrew Bible.
Okay, Daniel, then what happens after the Messiah is killed? Lets read Daniel 9:26 out of the ESV for you because the literal translation here is excellent.
Daniel 9:26 (ESV)
26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing (death of Messiah). And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (Temple). Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
After the Messiah is killed, the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the Temple. We have already made it clear in Daniel, the prince who is to come is a reference to the Antichrist. And Daniel says the people of the Antichrist will destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. Who are the people of the Antichrist? -- ROME. The Antichrist rises up out of the Revived Roman Empire. Who destroys Jerusalem and the Temple after Jesus Christ was killed? -- ROME. In 70 A.D., Rome came into Jerusalem like a flood, and they completely destroyed the city and the Temple, dismantling it stone by stone, not leaving one stone on top of another.
Now go back to Luke 19, and let's read a bit more. When Jesus was weeping over Jerusalem because they did not know the day of their salvation, he said in Luke 19:43-44:
Luke 19:43–44 (NLT)
43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side.
44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation."
This is exactly what happened in 70 A.D.
Exactly as Jesus said it would happen.
Exactly as Daniel said it would happen.
And we're still not sure if we can trust that God will do what he says he will do???
So, we have looked at sixty-nine sets of seven, and history has proven God perfectly correct in ALL of his miraculous detail. And that leaves us with one set of seven to go, and three objectives still to be accomplished.
So, first we ask why is the 70th set of seven separated from the other sixty-nine? And the answer is - because there is a time gap between the two events.
Over and over in the Old Testament, the prophecies of Jesus Christ include both his first coming and his second coming. Because the ultimate completion of the prophecies regarding Jesus require both his first and second comings.
Daniel 9:27 completes God's promise of restoration to Israel.
But in-between the sixty-ninth week and the 70th week, there's a little thing we call THE CHURCH AGE. So we are living between verse 26 and verse 27 right now.
The next event on the prophetic calendar is the RAPTURE, and after that event (probably right after), Daniel 9:27 occurs.
Daniel 9:27 (NLT)
27 The ruler (The Antichrist) will make a treaty with the people (Israel) for a period of one set of seven (the 7 year tribulation), but after half this time (3 ½ years), he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings (which means there will be a new Temple). And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration (marking half-way point), until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him."
The fate decreed for this defiler is to be FIRST into the Lake of Fire in Revelation 19. Daniel 9:27 is a one-verse summary of the events of the seven-year Tribulation, which occurs after the Rapture.
So here's my question... If God has been perfectly, completely, one hundred percent accurate in ALL of his prophesies so far, what's the chance God's prophecies about how he's going to wrap things up on this earth are also one hundred percent accurate?
Listen to me please. Today, in the Hebrew (Jewish) Bible the Book of Daniel is not included in the Books of the Prophets. It had been buried in the least read, third section of their Bible.
And the Rabbi's teach today:
Daniel is of minor importance
Daniel was not a prophet
And there is nothing in Daniel that is prophetic.
And most new Rabbi's are NOT required (nor encouraged) to really study Daniel.
Please – DON'T DO the same thing in YOUR LIFE.
Don't bury what God has made so CLEAR to you. There is SO MUCH supernatural, miraculous proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. Please don't bury all of that truth so that you don't have to deal with it.
Instead, embrace these miraculous proofs.
Ask Jesus to come into your LIFE, to be your Savior and your Lord. He will save you from your sin. God will become your Heavenly Father. And ALL the promises of Heaven will become yours - GUARANTEED!