Daniel 9:20-27 Dare to Anticipate

Theological Proposition/Focus: God has given us specifics in which we can eagerly wait in anticipation.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: Since God has given us some specific details of his plan we can hope in the specific not just the general.

Introduction:

Image: The importance of specificity.

When I have taken people flying one of the things that almost everyone seems to be surprised by is the radio calls. Talking to Air Traffic Control is an important skill. But the hardest part of the skill is knowing the right degree of specificity. Every once in a while I will ask Emily to work the radios, what makes it hard is knowing what to say, and what not to say. In general what Air Traffic Control wants to know is 1) Where you are going, 2) That you have all the latest information, 3) Anything special or out of the ordinary about your method of going. In other words they want some specific information but not every detail. They want to be able to accurately anticipate your decisions but they don't care that you are drinking coffee or soda during the flight. For example, if you call up and say I want to fly somewhere in the Omaha area they will say where specifically? However, if you say I want to fly to the Council Bluffs airport and plan to stop there for a cup of coffee and a burger you will have given far too much information.

What I want us to understand as we read Daniel 9:20-27 is that we have some very specific events that we can anticipate. God has not told us every detail but he has told us some details. We should dare to anticipate what God is doing.

Setting the Stage:

Last week we read Daniel's prayer of repentance for himself and his people. Chapter 9 begins with an implication. Daniel had been studying Scripture, in particular Jeremiah, and had come to understand that some prophecies in Jeremiah were about to reach their conclusion. Daniel, based on this knowledge, determined to begin praying.

Daniel prayed for the forgiveness of sins and the restoration of Jerusalem. Daniel was deeply concerned about the desolation of Jerusalem and the Temple. He confessed the sins of the people of Israel and acknowledged God's righteousness and mercy.

Daniel's prayer is a heartfelt plea for God's mercy and the fulfillment of His promises to restore Jerusalem after the appointed time of exile. He seeks forgiveness for the disobedience and transgressions of the people, recognizing that they have not followed God's commandments. The prayer reflects Daniel's deep faith and reliance on God's covenant promises.

So, what happens? Well, let me tell you

Body

God answers prayer (20-23).

The Epistle of James, is attributed to James the Just, the half brother of Jesus Christ. The letter is addressed to Jewish Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire. James is known for its practical wisdom and ethical teachings, emphasizing the importance of faith accompanied by action. It touches on various themes including trials and temptations, the relationship between faith and works, the dangers of wealth and partiality, the power of the tongue, and the need for patience and perseverance in the face of suffering. The book concludes with a call to prayer. And a comparison to the prayers of Elijah. Within context the prayers called for certainly include prayers of repentance and forgiveness of sins. The point that James makes is that the prayer of faith is a powerful thing. One of my favorite parts of James five is James 5:16b, The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16b).

When I look at Daniel 9:20-23 I am reminded of the power of prayer. Daniel has been in prayer asking for forgiveness and God to reveal the next steps in his plan. The prophet Jeremiah had told the people that they would be exiled to Babylon for 70 year in Jeremiah 25:11-12 and now as Daniel considered the prophecy he had come to realize that the time was about to be up. The question that was likely on Daniel's mind was, "now what?"

So what does Daniel do with this big looming question? He begins to pray! Daniel enters into a prayer of confession and a request for the "holy hill" The request for the "holy hill" is a request that God would restore Jerusalem. To understand this reference it is helpful to recall Daniel 9:16 "Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. "

Daniel is going to bat for Jerusalem. Really, begging God to restore Jerusalem. So what happens? The results of Daniel's prayer are incredible. You see,

Sometimes the means by which God answers prayer are incredible (21-23).

The angel Gabriel arrives on the scene. We learn that in fact, as soon as Daniel had begun to pray the angel was dispatched to give Daniel an answer to the prayer. You may never get this sort of an answer to prayer but I want us to understand that our God does answer prayer and at times the answer to our prayers is nothing short of incredible. So, Daniel is about to get an answer but something we must recognize is that

Not every answer to prayer will result in immediate fulfillment of the request.

Daniel, in verse 20, asked about God's Holy Hill i.e. Jerusalem. God's answer was not the immediate glorification of Jerusalem but rather a clear explanation of what would happen. Daniel was about to learn much more about God's plan. The 70 years Jeremiah had prophesied were coming to an end. The thing was, the city of Jerusalem was not going to be immediately restored to glory. God had an entire carefully laid out plan and Gabriel was here to give some details to Daniel.

We need to pray with anticipation. The answer might be yes, it might be no, it might be wait. But God answers prayer. We pray with anticipation because we serve a God who answers!

MTR: Pray with anticipation.

Something that I want to emphasize here is that the city of Jerusalem was not immediately restored to its elevated grand status.

Cyrus's conquest of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 539 BC marked the end of the Babylonian Captivity for the Jews. The Babylonian Captivity refers to the period when the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar II conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the First Temple, and exiled many Jews to Babylon.

Cyrus's policy towards conquered peoples was generally one of tolerance and benevolence. He issued a decree allowing the exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples. This decree is recorded, particularly, in the book of Ezra. The return of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem and the subsequent rebuilding of the Temple under the leadership of figures like Zerubbabel and Joshua the High Priest. The initial return of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem began shortly after Cyrus issued his decree around 539 BC. The returnees faced various challenges, including opposition from neighboring peoples and logistical difficulties in rebuilding the city and its infrastructure.

The reconstruction of the Temple, known as the Second Temple, began in 537 BC under the leadership of Zerubbabel, who was appointed as governor of the province by Cyrus. However, progress was slow due to various setbacks, including interruptions caused by opposition and internal conflicts among the returned exiles.

The Second Temple was eventually completed and dedicated around 515 BC, approximately 20 years after the initial return of the exiles. So, from the decree issued by Cyrus to the completion of the Temple, the process took roughly two decades. However, it's important to note that the rebuilding efforts continued beyond the completion of the Temple as the city of Jerusalem itself was gradually restored and expanded over time. This is recorded in the book of Nehemiah. So what we know is that it was not a quick process.

God not only has a general plan for the redemption of His people but He has worked out the specific details too (24-25).

So, why did God not grant Daniel's request to simply rebuild the city of Jerusalem right there and then? Because God's plan involves so much more!

Verse 24 begins with a very strong statement, seventy sevens have been decreed for the consummation of God's program. You see, sometimes we are too short-sighted. Daniel wanted to know about the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. However,

God's plan involves much more than just rebuilding a city.

Every year the people would celebrate the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement, also known as Yom Kippur,was celebrated on the 10th day of Tishrei in the Hebrew calendar. It's a day of fasting, prayer, and repentance, where Jewish people seek forgiveness for their sins and reconciliation with God.

The primary sacrifice offered on Yom Kippur was the sin offering, which consisted of two goats. These goats were selected by the High Priest, one designated for sacrifice to God and the other as the scapegoat.

The Sin Offering: The High Priest would bring one of the goats forward and sacrifice it as a sin offering for the atonement of the people's sins. The blood of this goat was sprinkled in the Holy of Holies, the innermost sanctuary of the Tabernacle or Temple, representing purification and atonement.

The Scapegoat: The other goat, known as the scapegoat, was symbolically laden with the sins of the people and sent out into the wilderness, signifying the removal of sin from the community. Additionally, there were other offerings and rituals performed by the High Priest and the priests throughout the day, including:

Burning Incense: The High Priest burned incense in the Holy of Holies to create a cloud of smoke, concealing the Ark of the Covenant, the holiest object in the Tabernacle or Temple. Confession of Sins: The High Priest would confess his own sins and the sins of the people over the scapegoat before it was sent into the wilderness.

Fasting and Rest: The people were commanded to afflict themselves, which is interpreted as fasting, refraining from work, and focusing on repentance and prayer.

So, year after year the people participated in the day of atonement.

Hebrews 10:1-4 states

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

The problem was not the ruined city of Jerusalem, the biggest problem facing Israel. The problem that God had a program to resolve was the problem of sin.

God's plan involves the complete and total defeat of sin.

Six items are brought to light in verse 24. Three dealing with sin, and three with kingdom.

1) finish transgression

The word we translate as transgression carries the idea of rebellion or breaking of a law. Israel had rebelled against God but the culmination of God's program will end rebellion.

2) put an end to sin

Sin was defeated at the cross. Romans 6:18 states "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

3) atone for wickedness

The word for atone means to cover. The blood of Christ that was shed on the cross provides atonement for sin.

4) bring everlasting righteousness

The idea here is that God will bring about an age of righteousness. John, in Revelation, further expands on this by describing a 1000 year reign of Christ. The day is coming when there will be a kingdom of righteousness with Christ ruling on the throne.

5) seal up visions and prophecy

We tend to think of a seal as closing something up and it certainly has this idea but here I think the idea of seal is probably one of authority. God is stating that he will prove the authenticity of these prophecies by making them happen. In other words, when all this comes to completion it will be so obvious that God was involved.

6) anoint the Most Holy Place

The anointing of the most holy place may be a reference to the anointing to the millennial temple described in Ezekiel chapters 41-46 or it may be a reference to the enthronement of Christ in the millennial kingdom. either way, the promise is profound. God has much more that he intends to do in our world.

Now, I suppose I should deal with the math. As I do that let me remind you

God's plan included not just a general hope but the exact details of fulfillment.

Verse 24 states that seventy sevens are decreed. Since Daniel had been earlier reading Jeremiah who prophesied that Israel would be in captivity for 70 years it is reasonable to conclude that the measurement here is in years. Since the Jews were inclined to think in units of seven the statement seventy sevens would have easily made sense as the number 490 to a Jew. So, let's check God's math!

Verse 25 tells us that the seventy sevens would begin with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. The decree to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem was made in 538 BC. However, this decree was not a decree to rebuild the city. Instead, in 444 BC Artaxerxes Longimanus issued a decree that allowed the Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. This date is our key date.

The anointed one, or ruler who comes out, is Jesus and the triumphal entry. Most scholars agree that the triumphal entry occurred on March 30, A.D. 33. So how does March 5, 444 BC to March 30 33 AD come to 69 times 7 which is 483 years? The answer is that the Jewish Calendar only includes 360 days, not 365 days. I don't want to bore you with all the details but here is what I want you to realize. If you do the math accounting for leap years then you will find that the prediction here is exact down the to very day of the triumphal entry.

This is incredible! We can trust God. Next week when we celebrate Palm Sunday let's remember that we are serving a God who has the details worked out.

MTR: Determine to trust God in the details.

According to Daniel 9:26, the death of the Anointed One does not occur in the 70th seven but in the 69th seven and in fact, this is what the math shows. So what about that last seven years? Let me remind you

Sin was defeated on the cross, but there is still so much more to come (26-27).

The prediction of Christ's death was perfectly accurate.

I already told you about the math and if you want to read more about it then I am happy to refer you to a resource. Where I want to focus now is on the last week.

The culmination of sin is still to come.

Verse 26 states that after the 69th week a few events will take place. Note: it does not say during the 70th week. These events are the death of the Anointed One, check, that at his death he would have nothing, check, the city and sanctuary would be destroyed, AD 70, check, war would continue, check.

What is the point. Gabriel told Daniel that a lot would happen between the 69th and 70th week. Guess what we are today here in between the 69th and 70th week. The clock has paused but the day is coming when the clock will begin again. The countdown still has seven years and one day God is going to start the stop watch again. Verse 27 tells us that the clock will begin again with the establishment of a seven-year covenant. Now, I don't want you to all go looking in the papers for a seven-year covenant. That is not the point. The point of the passage is not to predict the future. The point of the passage is to understand that sin has an end! God is at work, specifically, to bring his program to a conclusion.