Introduction: When we studied Daniel 7 and 8 did you ask yourself,
“What relevance does the cleansing of the sanctuary have to me?”
Hopefully, you discovered the relevance in these lessons. But, if you
had these feelings, you can be sure that Daniel did not. The idea of
having a sanctuary again was the subject of greatest interest to
Daniel. It would tell him about when his people would be allowed to
return to their homeland and rebuilt the temple. Let’s dive into our
study of Daniel and learn more!
- The Prayer
- Read Daniel 9:1-3. When was Daniel praying? (The first
year of King Darius. The Bible Knowledge Commentary
identifies this as 539 B.C. – 66 years after Daniel had
been exiled.) - Was Darius a friend of the true God? (Yes! He loved
Daniel and after Daniel was protected from the lions,
Darius proclaimed the truth about the true God of
heaven. Daniel 6:25-27.) - Look again at Daniel 9:2. What is Daniel praying about?
(Daniel is praying about Jeremiah’s prophecy (Jeremiah
29:10)that the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity
of the Jews would last for only 70 years. Since Daniel is
66 years into his exile, we can understand why he is
praying about this topic.) - Read Daniel 9:4-19. On what basis does Daniel ask God to
consider and do something about His promise regarding
Jerusalem? ( Daniel 9:16: God is righteous. Daniel 9:19:
God’s name.) - Let’s focus on Daniel 9:18. What do our good works
have to do with God’s mercy? (Daniel suggests that
God is merciful to us even when we are unrighteous.) - There is a theological line of thought in the Bible
set out in Deuteronomy 28 (and other places) that
says God blesses us when we are obedient, and we are
harmed when we are not. How do you reconcile this
with Daniel 9:18? (Deuteronomy 28 reflects the basic
rule of life that God’s commands exist to make our
lives better. Violate them at your own peril. But,
God’s mercy is available to us even when we make bad
decisions.) - Gabriel and the Answer
- Read Daniel 9:20-21. Who shows up? (Gabriel – the angel
who came to see him before. We previously learned that
Gabriel stands in the presence of God and gave to Mary
God’s message about Jesus.) - How do you like the timing of God’s response?
(Gabriel left heaven when Daniel began his prayer and
arrived while he was still praying!) - What does that say about the travel time
between here and heaven? - What time of day did Gabriel show up? (The time of
the evening sacrifice.) - What “evening sacrifice” is Daniel talking
about? (Daniel was so focused on the sanctuary
service that he “tells time” based on when the
evening sacrifice would have taken place. Of
course, no sacrifice is taking place on earth
because the sanctuary was destroyed long ago.) - Read Daniel 9:22-23. Understanding about what? What is the
topic on which Daniel needs greater understanding?
(Clearly the topic of the sanctuary in the vision of
Daniel 8. Daniel is thinking and praying about the
sanctuary ( Daniel 9:17). The last time Gabriel spoke to
him ( Daniel 8:26) it was about the sanctuary service
( Daniel 8:14). But, Daniel did not understand then (Daniel
8:27). So, Gabriel picks up where he left off last and
continues his prior discussion.) - An interesting point is the Hebrew word used for the
vision in Daniel 8:26, 8:2 7 and 9:23 is the same root
word: “mareh.” Thus, Gabriel’s insight and understanding
about the “vision” in Daniel 9:23 is about the same vision
spoken of in Daniel 8:26 & 27. - Read Daniel 9:24. Is this good news? (It sounds like it is
because it mentions “the Most Holy Place” which is part of
the sanctuary.) - “Seventy ‘sevens'” is an odd term. What do you think
a “seven” means? (“Seven” would logically refer to a
week. A week has seven days. Thus, Gabriel is
speaking about 70 weeks.) - How long is seventy weeks? (Seventy weeks would be
about a year and a third.) - Read Daniel 9:25. Who do you think is the “Anointed One?”
(See Acts 10:37-38. This refers to the Messiah – Jesus.) - Considering that the general time frame is from the
time of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, to the time
of Jesus, could we be talking about a little over one
year? (No. Just as in Daniel 8, these 70 weeks are
symbolic(1 day = 1 year). Thus, 70 times 7 (490
days)likely means 490 years. This strengthens our
prior conclusion that the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14
symbolizes 2,300 years and not days.) - Look again at Daniel 9:24-25. What happens during this 490
years? (Time is given to the Jewish people and Jerusalem
to “finish transgression, put an end to sin, to atone for
wickedness and to bring in everlasting righteousness.”) - How could the Jewish people put an end to sin and
bring in everlasting righteousness? (They could not.
This provides further evidence that the “Anointed
One” is Jesus. Jesus guaranteed the end of sin and
eternal life for the righteous.) - Read Daniel 9:26. What does it mean for the Anointed One
to be “cut off” or “put to death?” (Sounds like the
Messiah is killed. Compare the Messianic prophecy of
Isaiah 53:7-8.) - Let’s look more closely at these numbers that we see in
Daniel 9:24-27. How many time periods do you see? (Three.
The total, 490 years (70×7) is found in verse 24. The
first division of this is 49 years (“seven sevens”) and is
found in verse 25. The second division of 434 years (62×7)
is found in verses 25-26. The last division is seven years
(“one ‘seven'”) and is found in verse 27. Together these
add up to 490 years or seventy “sevens”.) - What happens during the 49 years? (It appears this
refers to the rebuilding of Jerusalem.) - What happens at the end of the 483 years (49+434)?
(The Anointed One comes ( Daniel 9:25). While there
were three decrees to rebuild Jerusalem, the various
commentaries have relatively small differences in the
starting dates. The SDA Bible Commentary pegs the
decree to rebuild at 458/457 B.C. (Artaxerxes decree.
See Ezra 7:1-26.) Starting with 457 B.C., the 483
years brings us to 27 A.D. – the year of Jesus’
baptism and the beginning of His public ministry.) - What happens during the seven years? ( Daniel 9:26
tells us that after the 483 years the Anointed One
will be “cut off” and Daniel 9:27 tells us that the
Anointed One will put an end to sacrifice and
offering in the middle of the “seven.” Continuing
with our time-line from 457 B.C. to 27 A.D., an
additional 3-4 years (middle of the seven) brings us
to 31 A.D. – the year of Jesus’ crucifixion.
Gabriel’s description makes sense because Jesus’
crucifixion ended the need for the animal sacrifices
in the rebuilt sanctuary in Jerusalem.) - How do you understand ( Daniel 9:27)the
“confirm[ing]” of the covenant for the rest of
the “seven?” (In Matthew 21:43-45 Jesus
predicts that the kingdom of God will be taken
away from the Jewish officials who rejected Him
and given to others – which, as we see in Acts,
included Gentiles. The SDA Bible Commentary
notes that 34 A.D. (7 years after 27 A.D.)
marked the stoning of Stephen and the beginning
of sharing the gospel with Gentiles. See Acts
7&8.) - How do you understand the Daniel 9:26 reference
to destroying the “city and the sanctuary?”
(Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the rebuilt
sanctuary in 70 A.D. This fits the description
of the “ruler who will come.” Psalms 79:1
prophecies that the temple is “defiled” by
those who reduce Jerusalem to rubble – thus
fitting the “abomination that causes
desolation.) - How would you feel if you were Daniel hearing this message
from Gabriel? (Just as I hear good news, I then hear
terrible news. The sanctuary will be rebuilt and then
destroyed again!) - How do you feel, thousands of years later, to read
Gabriel’s interpretation of the vision? (It gives me
additional proof that: a) God is in charge of history; b)
Jesus was the predicted Messiah; and, since Jesus came the
first time just as prophesied, c) That God will keep His
word for Jesus’ Second Coming!) - Friend, Jesus is coming again! Are you ready? Have you
confessed your sins and relied upon God’s mercy for your
salvation? - Next week: From Battle to Victory.
