christian warrior: Daniel Extremty 9 part 2

Daniel's Prayer Answered for All of Us

Dan 9:20-21 KJV

(20) And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;

(21) Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

Dan 9:22-23 KJV

(22) And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

(23) At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

Psa 145:17-21 KJV

(17) The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.

(18) The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

(19) He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

(20) The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.

(21) My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Psa 103:20-22 KJV

(20) Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

(21) Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

(22) Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

Psa 104:1-4 KJV

(1) Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

(2) Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

(3) Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

(4) Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

Dan 9:24-27 KJV

(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.

(25) Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

(26) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

(27) And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Dan 9:24 KJV

(24) Seventy(H7657)weeks(H7620) 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.

In the course of the interpretation we discover that the weeks described here are what is known as a sabbath week of years. It is a period of 7 days with each day = a year. The time frame explained in total here is 490 years. The first mention of this period of time is found in the book of Leviticus. We can present the word studies that bring this forth.

H7657

שׁבעים shib‛ı̂ym

shib-eem'

Multiple of H7651; seventy: - seventy, threescore and ten (+ -teen).

H7620

שׁבעה שׁבע שׁבוּע shâbûa‛ shâbûa‛ shebû‛âh

shaw-boo'-ah, shaw-boo'-ah, sheb-oo-aw'

Properly passive participle of H7650 as a denominative of H7651; literally sevened, that is, a week (specifically of years): - seven, week.

Lev 25:1-7 KJV

(1) And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,

(2) Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.

(3) Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;

(4) But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

(5) That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.

(6) And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,

(7) And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.

Just as the people of Israel were to sanctify themselves and honor the Sabbath day God also required this of the land. In the 7^th year the people were not to reap or cultivate the harvest.

Lev 25:8-11 KJV

(8) And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.

(9) Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.

(10) And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

(11) A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.

The official command to number every 49 years and in the 50^th year the 10^th day of the 7^th month the sound of the jubilee was to be heard. This was also the same time the day of atonement was honored among the people. Some people teach that the 49^th year was the year of jubilee but we can plainly see that the scripture tells us the 50^th. Just as the Sabbath was a day of rest for the people to honor God's magnificent works the jubilee was a year in which the land was designated for the same as one of God's creations.

Lev 25:12-19 KJV

(12) For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.

(13) In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.

(14) And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another:

(15) According to the number of years after the jubile thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee:

(16) According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.

(17) Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.

(18) Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.

(19) And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.

In this passage we learn that all were welcome to eat of the increase but at the same time not allowed to take a stockpile to themselves. This was also a time God declared for a reset button of sorts in order that all properties are returned to the original families. The people who in order to escape the circumstances of poverty enslaved themselves to work were to be released back into freedom. It could be summed in the following ways. These are personal freedom or liberty, restitution of property and also the simplicity of enjoying the abundance that God provides for the land.

Lev 25:20-22 KJV

(20) And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:

(21) Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years.

(22) And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.

The world we live in today could use this kind of yield in its food situation. This is just another way in which both Israel in the OT and the rest of the world in the NT violated God's commands. In a perfect world with the Lord every 6 years the world's food harvest would be tripled supernaturally. Every 7 periods of these weeks of years or at the completion of every 49 years a jubile was to be celebrated or honored if you please in the 50^th year.

Lev 25:23-28 KJV

(23) The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

(24) And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.

(25) If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.

(26) And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it;

(27) Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession.

(28) But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.

In verse 23 God makes it clear that any transactions concerning the land between individuals is to be made following God's rules as He is the rightful owner of the land. A period of redemption goes along with the transaction in which any kindred might be able to redeem the parcel that is sold. This is a picture of redemption made for us by Jesus. In the event the seller should become able to redeem the sale the amount of price is set by the amount of time until the next jubilee year. Otherwise this purchase stands until the jubilee year.

Lev 25:29-31 KJV

(29) And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it.

(30) And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubile.

(31) But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubile.

God makes us aware of what we might consider urban and agricultural societies and distinguishing a difference between the 2 much as we do in today's world. The transactions taking place apart from farming fields differ in the fact that in 1 years time and no redemption has taken place then there are no jubilee restorations are involved.

Lev 25:32-33 KJV

(32) Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time.

(33) And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of jubile: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.

The only exception to these laws concerning the land went to the Levites. The Levites of course charged with tending to the priestly functions of the people. They were awarded 2000 cubits on each side of their cities to raise cattle and livestock. This property was not for sale or transfer.

Jos 18:7 KJV

(7) But the Levites have no part among you; for the priesthood of the LORD is their inheritance: and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh, have received their inheritance beyond Jordan on the east, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave them.

Jos 21:41 KJV

(41) All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs.

If a Levite purchased from a Levite there was no transfer of property regarding the Jubilee. However if any of the other tribes people were involved in a transaction with a Levite then the transfer took place as would any other in the jubilee year.

Lev 25:34 KJV

(34) But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.

Num 35:4-8 KJV

(4) And the suburbs of the cities, which ye shall give unto the Levites, shall reach from the wall of the city and outward a thousand cubits round about.

(5) And ye shall measure from without the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits; and the city shall be in the midst: this shall be to them the suburbs of the cities.

(6) And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities.

(7) So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs.

(8) And the cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many; but from them that have few ye shall give few: every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth.

Lev 25:35-43 KJV

(35) And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.

(36) Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.

(37) Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.

(38) I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

(39) And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:

(40) But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:

(41) And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.

(42) For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.

(43) Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

As with every subject the Bible provides an answer or explanation. Above we have an example of how to respond to an individual and family needing help due to circumstances beyond their control such as a disability or injury to the body. However the family or individual being helped cannot be charged any type of usury of any amount of any item borrowed paid back with any excess.

This type of individual is not to be sold into any type of servitude but can however be matched up for some type of servitude and work for his adopted family until the year of jubilee.

Lev 25:44-46 KJV

(44) Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.

(45) Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.

(46) And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.

This was not that unusual of a custom. One of the best early examples would be in the household of Abraham. Hagar was an Egyptian maid servant. There were a few different ways these strangers could end up as a household servant. Either by captivity during warfare, assigned to slavery for committing a crime and also traded by foreign slave traders. In this case the jubilee did not apply to redemption.

Lev 25:47-52 KJV

(47) And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family:

(48) After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:

(49) Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.

(50) And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him.

(51) If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.

(52) And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubile, then he shall count with him, and according unto his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption.

If we have a reversal of fortune a well to do stranger can obtain a Hebrew servant. However there could be redemption by a family member or jubilee custom. Again the fee would be based upon the number of years remaining until the jubilee.

Lev 25:53-55 KJV

(53) And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight.

(54) And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubile, both he, and his children with him.

(55) For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

The yearly servant if not redeemed in the preceding years would be free in the jubilee year. The big question some may have in looking at this is what does all this have to do with Daniel? Well in several of our previous studies we have explored Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 with regard to God's punishments for disobedience. The following passage will demonstrate the association.

Lev 26:32-35 KJV

(32) And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

(33) And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

(34) Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.

(35) As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.

Since we are not exploring this chapter in detail we will not detail all the ways in which God describes the people would violate His laws. God clearly notes that the land when desolated would enjoy the Sabbaths which were not honored by the people beginning with every 7^th year. This seems to clearly indicate the behavior God spoke of in denying the sabbath year for the land to rest more than likely indicates everything else we just covered in Leviticus was disobeyed. In other words if the appropriate sabbath year for the land was not honored then the jubilee year was not accurately being celebrated. This in addition to all the requirements that came with it.

Dan 9:24-25 KJV

The total period of 490 years is explained which is most interesting to the history of the temple of Solomon. It is also very prophetic in pattern given in verse 25 to re-establish the city of Jerusalem. The act that the jubilee could not be counted or celebrated as the land was not inhabited.

1Ki 6:1 KJV

(1) And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

1Ki 6:38 KJV

(38) And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

As we see the total period of time from the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land until the start of the temple construction was 480 years. According to what we know about history it was approximately 437 years further until the destruction of the temple. This would be a period of 430 years from the year of the temple's completion.

Dan 9:25 KJV

The amount of time foretold here in verse 25 is also a period of 69 sabbath weeks.

The Babylonian captivity changed the history of Jerusalem and Israel. The nation never quite recovered its full status. Gabriel notes that the 490 years will contain the additional amount of time that the nation of Israel would have to cover 7 different events. All these events are directly associated to the coming of the Lord Jesus. With a little bit of help from the Adam Clarke commentary we will take a look at each of these and how Jesus fulfilled all of them.

Dan 9:24 KJV

To finish (לכלא lechalle, to restrain), the transgression which was effected by the preaching of the Gospel, and pouring out of the Holy Ghost among men.

To make an end of sins; rather ולהתם חטאות ulehathem chataoth, “to make an end of sin-offerings,” which our Lord did when he offered his spotless soul and body on the cross once for all.

To make reconciliation (ולכפר ulechapper, “to make atonement or expiation”) for iniquity; which he did by the once offering up of himself.

To bring in everlasting righteousness, צדק עלמים tsedek olamim, that is, “the righteousness, or righteous One, of ages;” that person who had been the object of the faith of mankind, and the subject of the predictions of the prophets through all the ages of the world.

To seal up (ולחתם velachtom, “to finish or complete”) the vision and prophecy; that is, to put an end to the necessity of any farther revelations, by completing the canon of Scripture, and fulfilling the prophecies which related to his person, sacrifice, and the glory that should follow.

And to anoint the Most Holy, קדש קדשים kodesh kodashim, “the Holy of holies.” משיח mashach, to anoint, (from which comes משיח mashiach, the Messiah, the anointed one), signifies in general, to consecrate or appoint to some special office. Here it means the consecration or appointment of our blessed Lord, the Holy One of Israel, to be the Prophet, Priest, and King of mankind.

We should note a very important part of this prophecy involves a decree to rebuild the city not the temple. These are 2 different subjects. These were both answers to Daniel's prayer that both the temple and the holy city being Jerusalem both be rebuilt.

Ezr 1:1-7 KJV

(1) Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

(2) Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

(3) Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.

(4) And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

(5) Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

(6) And all they that were about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.

(7) Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods;

The time frame we are dealing with here is 536bc. According to some of our historical books we discover that a man named Sheshbazzar whom some biblical scholars feel is the same as the man named Zerubbabel. He is the man who travels to Jerusalem and laid the foundations for the new temple. He also is the person entrusted with the temple vessels and artifacts.

Just as the enemies of Israel today try and use political means to halt the expansion of Israel the people in the time of Ezra and Zerubbabel encounter the same type of diplomacy.

(1) Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;

(2) Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

(3) But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.

(4) Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,

(5) And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.

The adversaries were the people that were placed in the promised land after the Assyrians conquered the northern 10 tribes. The Jews were exported and the king of the Assyrians placed others in the land to inhabit there. They use the threat of disobedience and upheaval to turn the political tide against the Hebrews until the 2^nd year of Darius in Persia.

Ezr 4:11-13 KJV
(11) This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.
(12) Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls thereof, and joined the foundations.
(13) Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up again, then will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and so thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings.

Ezr 4:24 KJV
(24) Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.

This was an approximate 19 year delay in the finishing of the temple. The decree which the prophecy is centered around concerning he 70 weeks or 490 years concerns the decree for the holy city to be rebuilt found in Nehemiah chapter 2.

Neh 2:1-10 KJV
(1) And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
(2) Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
(3) And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
(4) Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
(5) And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
(6) And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
(7) Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
(8) And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
(9) Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen with me.
(10) When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.

Most scholars of history agree that the year of this decree would have dated to 444bc. Without getting into a long drawn out explanation at this point please allow this simple explanation for the time frames.

The bible in the book of Revelation indicates that God's prophetic calendar also known as a perfect calendar operates on a 360 day / year process. This is found in Revelation 11.

Rev 11:1-3 KJV

(1) And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

(2) But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

(3) And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

To put things simply a perfect calendar would symbolize 360 days/ year or 12 months of 30 days each. By all accounts 42 months in verse 2 equals 3 ½ years. Then if we multiply 42 months x 30 days = 1260 days. Of course in our society we use a 365 day per year calendar.

Dan 9:25 KJV

As we observed in the passages of Ezra and Nehemiah the ancient enemies of Israel tried and succeeded using political means in the delay of the temple's building approximately 19 years. In Nehemiah we read that the enemies tried to petition the Persian rulers to stop the building of the holy city. If you follow the headlines pertaining to the nation of Israel today does any of this sound familiar? Hold that thought and the words “troublous times” until a little later please. Now let's break down the math involved here. The year 444bc is the commandment to restore the city of Jerusalem. A period of 7 sabbath weeks is added to this year.

-444 + 49 = -395 or 395bc

The next part of the prophecy adds 62 sabbath weeks to that year. 62 x 7 = 434 years

-395 + 434 = 39ad

As we can see the math we use today translates into an approximate 6 year period beyond what we know and recognize as the year of Jesus' death being 33ad. Please tighten up your seat belt a little more. If we take 434 years and multiply by 5 we get a total of 2170 days. This would be deducted from the year 39 ad. So now we can take the perfect 360 day per year calendar divided into 2170 days.

2170 / by 360 = 6.02 years which we deduct from the Gregorian year 39 and we arrive at the year 33ad.

Dan 9:26 KJV

How about that? The calendar and the prophecy match up perfectly as all the other promises God makes. God also makes another promise in the verse that is not so nice as the gift He gave us with Jesus. This was somewhat fulfilled in 70ad when the Romans destroyed the holy city. However this is not the people God was describing as we read the last verse.

Dan 9:27 KJV

If you are a regular student / minister biblical of prophecy you are probably familiar with this final week of years and its associations to Revelation. For the many who may not be familiar there is a peace treaty coming to the world and it will be determined and signed if you will for a 7 year period. The main focus of this treaty will revolve around some of the following subjects but possibly not all. According to the scripture some of which we have touched upon briefly this treaty will be violated in the midst or after a 3 ½ year period.

The main subject that will be addressed is the situation in Israel and Jerusalem. The temple mount area which always has been but not known to many the hottest piece of real estate on earth. The expectations of most followers of prophecy are for a new temple to be built that can reside adjacent to the Dome of the Rock considered as the 3^rd holiest site in Islam and a division of the land most likely involving Jerusalem in the establishment of a new Palestinian state. There is also a definite possibility that threats of or the actual use of WMD's or weapons of mass destruction will have a hand in all this. One thing is for certain though there will be major warfare concerning the middle east in general which will draw the attention of many western nations into the fray as well. It's very possible that the world's energy situation especially involving oil will come into the mix of all the ingredients that will eventually bring this treaty about.

As we have explored in our roles of the nations reversed studies there will be much attention focused upon the situation involving Israel and Jerusalem. In the realm of prophecy a couple of things set in stone are the fact that Israel will eventually fall into a self defense mode against all nations of the world as scripture informs us that God will be their ultimate weapon of mass destruction. The other fact is in this last verse of Daniel 9. There will definitely come a treaty involving what appears to be 10 nations and a 7 year period. These last 2 subjects are not possible realities they are definite realities.

We as believers will be around to see some of this take place no doubt. However we as believers have an anchor of salvation that will take us out of harms way. Jesus is the only way for the world to escape what is coming. As we have mentioned so many times thus far in studies the unrest that is coming is coming for the entire world. The salvation we have mentioned so many times is also coming for the world that has and will receive Him. The times we are living in are visible to all even those who are unbelievers. The prophetic word has been and always will be God's promises to the world. He has not missed one yet and He will not. Sometimes we can ask the question peacefully to the unbeliever what is the harm in placing your faith in Jesus? It's a simple act and certainly not one that will hold you back from anything except destroying yourself or harming others in spiritual matters.

Stay tuned for part 3

As always Thank You and God Bless