The Seventieth Week Of Daniel

JUNE 14, 2020 STUDY NOTES SERIES: SECOND COMING SUBJECT: DANIEL’S SEVENTIETH WEEK BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE SEVENTIETH WEEK OF DANIEL (Daniel 9:24-27) Daniel chapter 9 is one of the most amazing passages of prophecy found in the Bible The 70th Week of Daniel is one of the most important prophecies in all-of the Bible Much of which has already literally been fulfilled Fulfilled with such accuracy that only the Omniscient God could have revealed it And only the Omnipotent God can fulfill every event to detail And He is the Omnipresent God presently working towards the fulfillment of all prophecy A study of prophecy reveals to us the divine inspiration of scripture The study of prophecy should have a strong spiritual impact upon our life Daniel read what God said He was going to do, and Daniel believed it Daniel prayed for God to soon do what He said He was going to do As we study prophecy and watch the news, we should be praying just like Daniel Daniel was lining up with God, praying to be in on what God was going to do We must study, learn, pray, and live according to what God says He is going to do The 70th week is a chronological key to understanding prophecy related to the Second Coming Why was Daniel given the vision known as the “Seventieth Week of Daniel?” Daniel knew from Bible study Israel’s judgment period, Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Israel was a captive of Babylon for 70 years, Jer 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. Seventy years was the land debt, Israel had violated 70 Sabbaths, their judgment had a time limit Daniel knew that is was time to hear from God, the time of captivity was near its completion Jer 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. When the 70 years are accomplished, then God will visit with God’s good word The seventy-year prophesied time of captivity was about to be fulfilled (Daniel 9:1-6) It was time to hear from God, Daniel begins to pray, confess his sin and the sin of his people Daniel was sorrowful over the sins of Israel, his people had rebelled against God Daniel prayed to God, his prayer was a time of confession of sin and a request for mercy Confessing his sin and the sin of Israel, his confession was on behalf of the nation of Israel His prayer was that Israel would repent and confess their sins before God and be forgiven Daniel prayed for God’s favor to be bestowed upon Israel, he prayed for the future of Israel He prayed for the temple to be restored and for God to bless Jerusalem Daniel prayed for God’s face to shine once again on the desolate sanctuary (Daniel 9:17) His prayer was on behalf of the holy mountain of God, the temple mount in Jerusalem (Dan 9:20) It had been in ruins for 70 years and Daniel prayed for its restoration Before Daniel could finish his prayer, God sent the angel Gabriel to Daniel (Dan 9:20-21) While Daniel was still praying, God’s visit came, and God’s good word came Gabriel came to Daniel with one of the most important prophecies of scripture found in the Bible Dan 9:22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. Gabriel’s revelation to Daniel is in direct response to Daniel’s prayer The prophecy which was given to Daniel is known as the “Seventy Weeks” (Daniel 9:24-27) The prophecy concerned a definite time-period of seventy weeks SEVENTY WEEKS Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Daniel learned from the Angel Gabriel that “Seventy Weeks” had been decreed by God The “Seventy Weeks” are revealed to be a 490-year time-period set aside by God A time-period which concerned God’s chosen people Israel, and the city of Jerusalem The prophecy concerns a specified people, Daniel’s people, the nation of Israel The prophecy concerns Daniel’s Holy City, Jerusalem The vision was God’s divine plan for Daniel’s people and the holy city The Hebrew word translated “weeks” literally means seven, or made of seven parts Thus, the time-period is actually-70 sevens, but 7 what? The verse does not designate a definite period-of time such as days, weeks, months, or years So, what is the meaning of “seventy weeks,” or seventy sevens? The Jewish calendar contained a period of 7 days, which equals one week (Exodus 23:12) Six days to do thy work, and then on the 7th day, the Sabbath Day, thou shalt rest The Jewish calendar also contained a period of 7 years (Leviticus 25:3-4) Six years to do the work and then the 7th year, a Sabbath Year, was to be a Sabbath of rest God promised enough harvest in the 6th year to provide for the 7th year Israel had violated the Sabbath year, a year of rest for the land, which is an important point The Jewish calendar also contained a period of 7 sevens of years (Leviticus 25:8-9) They were to number 7 Sabbath years, 7 x 7 years, Seven Sabbatic years would be 49 years Then the following year, the 50th year would be the Year of Jubilee Two years of rest would then come together, and all debts were to be cancelled Slaves were to be set free and land that had been lost reverted back to its original owners Daniel knew of the instructions that had been given to Israel concerning the Sabbath year Israel had not kept the Sabbaths, God said that the land shall enjoy her Sabbaths (Lev. 25:1-7) Daniel knew the instructions given to Israel concerning the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8-13) Daniel knew of Israel’s punishment for disobeying God (Lev. 26:33-35) Seventy Sabbaths had not been kept, which was a time-period of 70 x 7, or 490 years So, seventy sevens of years equals 490 years The time-period of Daniel’s prophecy has-to mean 70 sevens of years, which equals 490 years A period of 490 days is ruled out by the literal fulfillment of the first 69 weeks 69 x 7 days equal 483 days, which is too short a time-period for what happened Israel’s captivity was for 70 years because they owed God 70 Sabbaths It took 490 years to accumulate a time-period of 70 Sabbaths Israel owed God 70 Sabbath years which equaled 490 years Their judgment was because of a time-period of 490 years, their judgment had come-to a close God had determined another 490-year time-period, a time-period determined by divine decision In a period-of time covering 490 years, God will accomplish His plan for Israel God’s ultimate plan for Israel and the city of Jerusalem is yet to be fulfilled God cut off 490 years of time to accomplish His future-plan for Israel The 490-year period identifies the future of Daniel’s people and their city, Jerusalem The people and the city that Daniel was praying for 490 years, which will have to be completed before the Kingdom would be established In Daniel 9:24 God reveals six distinct purposes of the 490-year period known as the “70 Weeks” They are revealed to Daniel through the angel Gabriel The first three are negative, and the last three are positive None of which could be fulfilled apart from the first coming of Jesus All of which cannot be ultimately fulfilled until the return of Christ So, let’s look at each of the six things identified as the purpose of God in the 70 weeks-time period TO FINISH THE TRANSGRESSION “To finish” means to bring something to an end, to complete or terminate That which is finally brought-to an end is “the transgression” “The transgression,” refers to the national transgression of Israel The very thing that led them into captivity, her rebellion against the Lord A definite rebellion against divine authority, against God and His Word The rebellion of Israel will not end until the end of the prophesied 490 years The final putting away of “the transgression” is still future for the Jews Israel’s sin of disobedience will be brought-to an end when Christ returns At which time Israel will repent and turn to Jesus Christ as the Messiah Israel will then be saved and restored to her land TO MAKE AN END OF SINS Without Jesus being born of a virgin and taking upon himself flesh this was impossible For sins to be taken away, for sins to be brought-to an end, and finally judged, Jesus must die “To make an end” means “to seal up sins” by removing them out of God’s sight Only through the cross could Jesus put away sin, Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. The offering of Jesus Christ was sufficient for making an end to sins If not, then He would have to suffer over-and over again He would have to die again and again, but that is not the case Jesus came once to the earth to be the sacrifice for sin (John 1:29) Through His once and for all sacrificial offering, He put away sin once for all (1 Peter 3:18) So, God’s plans for Israel and the world required the first coming of Jesus to the earth God’s plans for Israel also requires the second coming of Jesus To “make an end of sins,” refers to the final judgment of the sins of Israel When Christ returns all Israel will be saved, Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: That will be the “sealing up” of the specific sin of Israel’s rebellion, Eze 37:23 Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned,and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. His return will likewise be the conclusion of God’s dealings with the sin of all humanity “To make an end of sins,” is the final judgment upon sin, the “sealing up” of all sin The cross made possible the finishing of sin, Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. When Christ returns, sin will be taken away, sin will be brought to its final judgment The sins of Israel will be removed out of God’s sight There will no longer be the sins of the world standing before God TO MAKE RECONCILIATION FOR INIQUITY “Reconciliation” is a most important theological word found in the OT and NT It has to do with the remission of sin, not just the thought of the covering of sin But the meaning is, the cancellation of sin, or the cancellation of “iniquity” Daniel knew that the problem with Israel was their “iniquity” (Daniel 9:13) If Israel would have turned to God, they would have turned from their iniquities The cross of Jesus Christ, Israel’s Messiah, was the atonement for the iniquity of Israel The cross of Jesus was the atonement for the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:19) The cross of Jesus will become real to the nation of Israel when Christ returns They will look on Him whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10) There will be a remnant of the nation of Israel who will be saved They will be saved through a vision of the crucified Messiah The pouring out of the Spirit upon them will result in their “looking upon Him” They will “look to Him” in faith and repentance (Hosea 3:5) It will be in the “latter days,” when Christ returns to fulfill His covenant promises Israel will “seek the LORD their God,” and their king will be the Lord Jesus When Jesus returns a fountain of forgiveness will be opened for Israel (Zechariah 13:1) Cleansing made possible through the death, burial, and resurrection of their Messiah Calvary opened the cleansing fountain for Israel and the whole world The Christ on Calvary was the Savior who saves from sin The Christ on Calvary is qualified to be King of Kings and to---TO BRING IN EVERLASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS “To bring in” has the thought of causing something to take place When Christ returns, He will “bring in” an age of righteousness, the millennial kingdom Which will become “everlasting righteousness,” forever, throughout eternity “Righteousness” is standing in a right relationship with God Which is only possible through faith in Christ (Romans 3:22) Our right standing before God is by faith in Jesus, by believing in and receiving Jesus And there is no distinction among sinners (Romans 10:12) All are sinners, all sinners need to be saved, all sinners are saved the same way What God purposed for Israel could not be accomplished without the Messiah coming The imputed righteousness of Christ was made possible by the Messiah on the cross Through the cross Jesus has been given authority over all His enemies Christ will return to reign as King of Kings (Revelation 19:16) When He returns, He will establish righteousness upon the earth (Jeremiah 23:5-6) The “righteous Branch” refers to the reign of Christ in the millennial Kingdom His redemptive work on the cross is the basis for His Kingly rule of righteousness At the time of His return Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely (all 12 tribes) And the Messiah shall be called, “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” God has promised Israel that they will dwell in their “own land” (Jeremiah 23:8) A remnant of Israel will be saved to enter-into “Everlasting Righteousness” All-of the saved, OT and NT saints, will enter-into “Everlasting Righteousness,” (2 Pet. 3:13) “We” who are saved, Christ will fulfill His promise unto us, which we can “look for” We look for a renewed cosmos, “new heavens and a new earth” The evil works of Satan and the demonic forces will have been defeated and cleansed There will be nothing left to remind us of the results of sin and evil “Righteousness” will dwell, righteousness will have a new permanent home All-of the promises of God will be fulfilled for all of God’s people TO SEAL UP THE VISION AND PROPHECY “Vision and prophecy” will be brought-to an end, all will be fulfilled, both OT and NT We have already been told that sin will be brought-to an end, sin will be sealed up With sin sealed up there will no longer be a need for “vision and prophecy” “Vision and prophecy” came after sin entered-into the world The first prophecy of the coming Messiah is found in Genesis 3:15 Which presents the conflict of the ages, Satan versus God, the results of the fall of man The first promise of the coming Messiah is found in “her seed,” the virgin birth of Jesus He was bruised in His heel refers to the cross of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5) But the day is coming when Jesus will bruise the “head” of Satan Which was accomplished when Jesus went to the cross It will literally be brought to completion when Christ returns in the Day of the Lord (Rev 20:10) Until that day we will be afflicted by the powers of Satan and evil But our victory today is in the crucified and living Christ Our victory in the future will be the return of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords All “vision and prophecy” stands upon the promise and prophecy of Genesis 3:15 Jesus would be born of a virgin, a body prepared to be the perfect sacrifice for sin Jesus died on the cross, was buried in the tomb, and resurrected to life Christ is now at the right hand of God awaiting His return to bruise the head of Satan Then, God will no longer need to communicate His message to man through a vision Nothing else will need to be revealed to Israel or the church There will no longer be the need of prophecy, literally, the need of a prophet God will need no spokesman, no one to speak-forth for God, all will have been said Everything promised, everything prophesied will be summed up and finalized Israel will have been forgiven, cleansed, and will enter-into all that God has promised The final purpose of God within the prophecy of the “Seventy Weeks” is debated---TO ANOINT THE MOST HOLY Among Bible scholars there are two different views concerning this last purpose One view is that it refers to the anointing of the most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies Referring to the millennial Temple, the establishment of the Kingdom over Israel In the original it literally reads, “holy of holy,” or “a holiness of holiness” Which is often used in the OT With reference to God, places, or things that God has set aside for His purpose The context of Daniel 9:24 is presenting to us the future eternal state And the emphasis is upon the Person and Work of Jesus Christ “The Most Holy,” is referring to the “Most Holy Person,” Jesus Christ The Lamb of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords In the eternal state there will be no temple and no altar (Rev.21:22) The One who is the “Holy One” who will make all things holy (Daniel 7:14) Throughout the ages, Satan has attempted in every way to prevent that day from happening But that which has happened in the past is the guarantee of the future It is the cross of Jesus that has made possible these 6 goals or purposes of God What God has purposed for Israel the church will also experience (Daniel 9:24) The complete fulfillment of each one will not be applied until Christ returns Study prophecy to learn of the promises of God, pray like Daniel for the promises to be fulfilled Live for Jesus today because He is coming some day Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.