The Seventy Weeks Revelation

1 It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians. 2 During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.

1- Daniel did not allow his circumstances to cause him to tune out God’s Word.

2- Daniel had an attitude of openness to God’s Word that allowed the truth to be revealed to him.

a. Note and .

Jeremiah 25:11–12 NLT

11 This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. 12 “Then, after the seventy years of captivity are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his people for their sins,” says the Lord. “I will make the country of the Babylonians a wasteland forever.

Jeremiah 29:10 NLT

10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.

B- Active Response to God’s Word. ()

Daniel 9:3 NLT

3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.

Daniel focused his attention completely upon God. “I turned my face to and sought the Lord God (adonoy Elohim)”

Daniel sought the presence of God through “prayer” ( Heb. tepillah= intense, undistracted, worshipful communication with God) and fasting.

Daniel employed the outward signs of grief and repentance toward God over the scriptural revelation of Israel’s sin.

Wore burlap clothing

Sprinkled ashes over himself

These all describe purposeful, active responses to God.

tepillah

C- Applicational Prayer that deals with the real issues at stake. ()

Recognition of God’s Awesome nature: ()

Daniel 9:4–5 NLT

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. 5 But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations.

Great and awesome

faithful to His people

demonstrates “unfailing love” to those who love and obey Him.

Recognition of the Rebellion of Israel (including self) ()

Daniel 9:5–6 NLT

5 But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. 6 We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.

Confession of God’s righteousness and Israel’s shame ().

Daniel 9:7–8 NLT

7 “Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. 8 O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.

“Covered with shame” literally means “shame has covered our faces.” (ho panim boset)

“because of our disloyalty” (lit. our treacherous acts of unfaithfulness.)

God is merciful, even in judgment, in light of Israel’s stubborn disobedience ().

Daniel 9:9–14 NLT

9 But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. 10 We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice. “So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. 12 You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. 13 Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. 14 Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.

God has blessed Israel and Israel has responded with rebellion ()

Daniel 9:15 NLT

15 “O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness.

Daniel pleads for forgiveness and restoration for the purpose of God’s glory. ()

Daniel 9:16–19 NLT

16 In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors. 17 “O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary. 18 “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy. 19 “O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”

Notice the recognition that Israel did not deserve mercy (vs. 18b).

II- THE REPLY OF THE REVELATION ()

A- God responds to the earnest prayer of His servant. ()

B- God responds

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