Quiet Time Year - 4 (Leap year)

Daniel 9:20-27

What truth does this passage teach me today?

[24] “Seventy weeks(1) are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.(2)

How can I live this truth today?

“b. The program in the 70 “sevens” (9: 24)

9: 24

Daniel was first informed that God’s program would be consummated in 70 “sevens.” Since Daniel had been thinking of God’s program in terms of years (v. 1; cf. Jer. 25: 11-12; 2 Chron. 36: 21), it would be most natural for him to understand these “sevens” as years. Whereas people today think in units of tens (e.g., decades), Daniel’s people thought in terms of sevens (heptads). Seven days are in one week. Every seventh year was a sabbath rest year (Lev. 25: 1-7). Seven “sevens” brought them to the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25: 8-12). Seventy “sevens,” then, is a span of 490 years. The 490 could not designate days (about 11/ 3 years) for that would not be enough time for the events prophesied in Daniel 9: 24-27 to occur. The same is true of 490 weeks of seven days each (i.e., 3,430 days, about 9 ½ years). Also if days were intended one would expect Daniel to have added “of days” after “70 sevens” for in 10: 2-3 he wrote literally, “three sevens of days” (NIV, “three weeks”). Also since Israel and Judah had failed to keep the sabbatical years (every seventh year the land was to lie fallow, Lev. 25: 1-7) throughout her history, the Lord enforced on the land 70 “sabbaths” (cf. Lev. 26: 34-35). Thus 490 years would be required to complete 70 sabbatical years with one occurring every seventh year. This span of time was decreed for Daniel’s people (cf. “your people” in Dan. 10: 14; 11: 14) and the Holy City (cf. 9: 16, 24). This prophecy, then, is concerned not with world history or church history, but with the history of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. By the time these 490 years run their course, God will have completed six things for Israel. The first three have to do with sin, and the second three with the kingdom. The basis for the first three was provided in the work of Christ on the cross, but all six will be realized by Israel at the Second Advent of Christ. 1. At the end of the 490 years God will finish the transgression of Israel. The verb “to finish” (kālā’) means “to bring something to an end.” Israel’s sin of disobedience will be brought to an end at Christ’s second coming when she repents and turns to Him as her Messiah and Savior. Then she will be restored to the land and blessed, in answer to Daniel’s prayer. In Old Testament days the highpoint in Israel’s festival calendar was the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). On that day the nation assembled before God, acknowledged her sin, and offered blood sacrifices to cover that sin. Though that sacrifice covered Israel’s sin for 12 months, it did not permanently remove that sin (Heb. 10: 1-3). It was necessary that a sacrifice be offered God that would permanently remove all the accumulated sins. This sacrifice was offered by Jesus Christ who by His death made payment for all sins that had not been removed in the past (cf. Rom. 3: 25). So His atoning work on the cross has made possible His future “finishing” of Israel’s transgression. 2. God will put an end to sin. The verb ḥāṯam has the idea of sealing up. Here the thought is sealing something up with a view to punishment (cf. Deut. 32: 34; Job 14: 17). This emphasized that Israel’s sin which had gone unpunished would be punished-in or through Jesus Christ, her Substitute, who would bear the sins of the world on the cross. Then at Christ’s second coming He will remove Israel’s sin (Ezek. 37: 23; Rom. 11: 20-27). 3. God will atone for wickedness. The verb “to atone” (kāpar) means “to cover or expiate.” This too relates to God’s final atonement of Israel when she repents at Christ’s second coming, as the provision for that atonement has already been made at the Cross. Israel’s Day of Atonement should be kept in view here too, as in the first of these six accomplishments . On that day God provided a just basis on which He would deal with a guilty people. The blood applied to the mercy seat (“ the atonement cover,” Lev. 16: 14) over the ark of the covenant enabled Him to dwell among His sinful people. Similarly Daniel’s prophecy promised that because of Christ’s blood shed on the cross God would deal with sinners, and here in particular, with sinners in Israel. Being propitiated (i.e., satisfied) by Christ’s blood, God can atone for or expiate sin. The Greek words for “atonement cover” (hilasmos; KJV, “mercy seat”) and “propitiate” (hilaskomai) are related. 4. The second three accomplishments deal with positive aspects of God’s program. Being satisfied by the death of Christ, God will bring in everlasting righteousness. The form of the verb “bring in” here means “to cause to come in.” The word “everlasting” (here pl. in Heb.) means ages. Thus this phrase (lit., “to bring in righteousness of ages”) is a prophecy that God will establish an age characterized by righteousness . This is a reference to the millennial kingdom (lsa . 60: 21; Jer . 23: 5-6). 5. God will seal up vision and prophecy. All that God through the prophets said He would do in fulfilling His covenant with Israel will be fully realized in the millennial kingdom. Until they are fulfilled, prophecies are “unsealed.” (“ Seal” translates the same verb, ḥāṯam, used in the second of these six accomplishments .) 6. God will anoint the Most Holy. This may refer to the dedication of the most holy place in the millennial temple, described in Ezekiel 41-46. Or it may refer not to a holy place, but to the Holy One, Christ. If so, this speaks of the enthronement of Christ, “the Anointed One” (Dan . 7: 25-27) as King of kings and Lord of lords in the Millennium. These six accomplishments, then, anticipate the establishment of lsrael’s covenanted millennial kingdom under the authority of her promised King. The six summarize God’s whole program to bring the nation Israel the blessings He promised through His covenants (Gen . 15: 18-21; 2 Sam. 7: 16; Jer. 31: 31-34).” — The Bible Knowledge Commentary Major Prophets (BK Commentary) by John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck https://a.co/0MusHry