Tag: Daniel

Daniel 9 and Holy Week

On By TimIn Daniel 09, Last Days, Prophecy1 Comment

I will endeavor to look at Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 weeks in a new way to me, as it intersects Holy Week. The center crux of the prophecy is the presentation and then cutting off of the Messiah. That single event is precisely foretold.

It comes as Daniel is praying for his people. He knows the end of exile is near, as he pondered the writings of Jeremiah. His intercessions for the nation called for Hod to be merciful and restore the people. Before he could finish praying, Gabriel swiftly arrived and gave an interpretive answer to Daniel’s prayer.

It is my opinion that since Daniel was interceding for his people, that the answer involved Israel. I also think that the interpretation is solely for Israel, which means the 70 weeks would accomplish the restoration of Israel. In the entire prophecy, the odd thing is that Israel is not completely retired until the end. A second temple would be rebuilt and the city destroyed. Then it is foretold that the restored city and sanctuary would be destroyed yet again. I think it will be clear that the final week of years for Israel to come at the end, sometimes yet future.

Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and upon your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Daniel 9:24

At the start, Israel’s weeks are established and the summary of accomplishments for those are given. At the close of the 70 weeks, there are six things determined to be completed.

  • Finish the transgression
  • Make an end of sins
  • Make atonement for iniquity
  • Bring in everlasting righteousness
  • Seal up the vision and prophecy
  • Anoint the Most Holy Place

I will note that these things are to be accomplished in Israel and not some task or extended program for Gentiles, or that the universal church is the completeness or replacement of Israel. It is clear from some New Testament writings l that the first three of these things were accomplished by Jesus’ death in Jerusalem. The last three have not yet happened. Yet it follows that they will, and they will most likely happen in Jerusalem.

The list also provides the first hint of a division here. (There are more divisions or gaps in the prophecy.) It’s something that must be kept in mind, as three of the above list have not yet seen fulfillment. It points to something yet to come. As it does point to the future, the fact that the Most Holy Place being anointed one can assume there is a need for a physical temple. It is a real suggestion that a temple must then exist. One in need of cleansing, perhaps say from an abomination of the Most Holy Place.

Previous chapters in Daniel have outlined the abomination by Antiochus. Daniel was written far before that event occurred in 164 BC. The precision of that prophecy leads to the precision timing Gabriel gives of a seminal event in history, the first advent of Messiah. If this list is ordered, then the anointing of the Most Holy Place in the Temple happens last.

Sunday 10 Nisan

The seven-day week was established by God at creation; six days of work, followed by the seventh day of rest. As that week of days was established, it then follows that a week of years in the same pattern can be established. And it is.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord. For six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruit, but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. That which grows by itself from your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your unpruned vines, for it is a year of complete rest for the land.

Leviticus 25:1–5

The natural extension of the pattern of a week also seems to extend and apply to millennia (a thousand years.) Some hold that the amount of time given to Earth before makeover is 7,000 years. (A week of millennia.) 6,000 years of work, and 1,000 years of rest, the Millennium. As Biblical types go, the Promised Land is an analog to the Millennium. Well, the Millennium is the fulfillment of the Promised Land of rest.

I think those things are an important concept to keep in mind. The patterns have real significance. And if the significance is real, could there be a similar starting reference?

What I mean is, that this pattern of a week of days has a starting reference. It is Sunday. In the same way, so does a week of years, it is Nisan.

Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: This month shall be the beginning of months to you. It shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying: On the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a household.

Exodus 12:1–3

As the month of Nisan becomes the first month of the year, attention is drawn to the significance of the tenth day of that month. It is the day that the Passover lamb was chosen and brought into the household. It is also the day that the Israelis entered the Promised Land. When Joshua led the camp into and out of the Jordan River, the priests and the Ark remained. When all had crossed, Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan!” This is another significant pointer to Nisan and specifically the tenth day.

Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped at Gilgal, on the eastern border of Jericho.

Joshua 9:19

The Israelis were instructed to begin counting their weeks of years “When you come into the land that I give you.” That happened on 10 Nisan. It follows that the starting reference for a week of years will be 10 Nisan. This date is foundational in discussing these weeks of years. Just as Sunday is the first day of the week, 10 Nisan becomes the first day of the year.

The Triumphal Entry of Messiah

“Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the Prince Messiah shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of trouble.

Daniel 9:25

Gabriel gives a starting reference. He also provides a breakdown that involves the first 69 weeks of years. It is broken into two segments… 7 weeks and 62 weeks. These are weeks of years. Generally, the first is one group of 49 years and encompasses the time it took to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. There is another period of 434 years following when exiled Israelis returned to Israel.

From the reference and the year count, there is a precise day foretold. It is the advent of the Prince Messiah. Using the 360-day lunar year of the ancients, 483 years total 173,880 days until the Messiah comes. We know Jesus entered Jerusalem. We commemorate that day as Palm Sunday. Some scholars think the day of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was on 6 April AD 32.

Gabriel clearly says to Daniel that the interval between the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem until the presentation of the Messiah as King would be 173,880 days. The commandment to restore Jerusalem was given in the month of Nisan by Artaxerxes Longimanus. No exact date is given, which is taken to mean the first day of the month of Nisan. That date is 14 March 445 BC on the solar calendar. Note that the command is the one to rebuild Jerusalem, not just the temple.

Now, do some mathematical calculations from 14 March 445 BC. From that date to 14 March AD 32 is 476 years. 476 x 365 days in a year = 173,740 days. Correcting for leap years adds another 116 days. From 14 March to 6 April is another 24 additional days. The math works out precisely, 173,740 + 116 + 24 = 173,880 days!

That precision is remarkable. Remember the discussion of weeks?

The Holy Spirit offers us another degree of precision. In the Gospel of John, we are provided a reckoning of the date Jesus came into Jerusalem. He says that six days before passover, Jesus went to Bethany. Passover is 15 Nisan, six days before is 9 Nisan. The next day, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, making the date 10 Nisan. We can also count the days backward from the resurrection of Jesus, which was Sunday, 17 Nisan. 10 Nisan, the first day of the week and the first day of the week of years all coincide. By the reckoning of Daniel’s prophecy, this was to be the beginning of the 70th week of years.

So many things coalesce on this day. It is precisely the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, really the unwieldy colt of a donkey. The signs were unmistakably precise to the astute person.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! And cry aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king is coming to you; he is righteous and able to deliver, he is humble and riding on a donkey, a colt, the offspring of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow for battle will be cut off. He will speak peace to the nations; and his dominion will be from one sea to another, and from the Great River to the ends of the earth. And as for you, because of the blood of your covenant, I will send your prisoners from the empty, waterless pits. Return to your stronghold, prisoners who now have hope. Today I declare that I will return to you a double portion.

Zechariah 9:9–12

Jesus did ride into Jerusalem in exactly that way. And He came on the colt. It is with a double portion just as Matthew records it.

When they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go over into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them.’ And he will send them immediately.”
All this was done to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“Tell the daughter of Zion,
‘Look, your King is coming to you,
humble, and sitting on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their garments on them, and He sat on them. A very large crowd spread their garments on the road. Others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went before Him and that followed Him cried out:
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Hosanna in the highest!”

Mathew 21:1–9

The First Pronouncement of Delay

As Jesus prepared to ride into Jerusalem, we are given an aside, He wept over Jerusalem. Because of their unbelief and rejection of Him, the truth was hidden from their eyes. They didn’t know the day. He foretells destruction over the city and by extension the Temple, the same that Daniel’s prophecy will foretell.

When He came near, He beheld the city and wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had known even today what things would bring you peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you and surround you, and press you in on every side. They will dash you, and your children within you, to the ground. They will not leave one stone upon another within you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Luke 19:41–44

The Israelis were expected to know the signs indicating the importance of this day. Yet they did not. Jesus then proceeded to the Temple. The daylight was then quickly fading away.

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. When He had looked around at everything, as the hour was now late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Mark 11:11

Monday 11 Nisan

Now that blindness had come over the city and the people for their rejection of Jesus, the next day as Jesus returned to Jerusalem, He encountered a fig tree. Here the fig tree is a Biblical type representative of the nation of Israel.

On the next day when they had returned from Bethany, He was hungry. Seeing from afar a fig tree with leaves, He went to see if perhaps He might find anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing except leaves, for it was not the season for figs. Jesus said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And His disciples heard it.

Mark 11:12–14

It can seem trivial to the disciples who heard it as recorded here. Mark will later add more information to show the significance of this. Jesus is showing yet again, that the kingdom would be delayed because of the fruitlessness of Israel. Other Gospels record the tree withering.

As the day progresses, Jesus again goes to the Temple. He cleanses the place of money changers. Then He and His disciples leave the city.

Tuesday 12 Nisan

Returning to Mark for his recording of the events of the next day.

In the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter, calling to remembrance, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”

Mark 11:20–21

The fig tree is dried up, unable to produce fruit. The message being conveyed is that Israel is dried up. That the ministry and privileges it now enjoys are gone.

To compound the problem, the people don’t recognize the One they’ve been waiting to see. The days interlaced with the underlying intrigue of the leaders of Israel. It is overtly revealed that they are looking for an opportunity to kill Jesus.

As the day progresses, Jesus is questioned as to the origin of His authority. His interlocutors are hoping to trip Him up. Jesus answers that question with another to them.

Jesus answered them, “I will also ask of you one question. Answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”
They debated among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’ ”—they feared the people, for everyone held John to be a real prophet.
So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.”
Jesus answered them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Mark 11:29–33

They could not answer, so Jesus did not answer their question of the origin of His authority. They remain in the dark

Jesus teaches through many questions designed to trip Him up. Amongst the answers are parables. Each has significance as it pertains to the Holy Week and what Daniel wrote. I leave that for the astute reader to explore. But I draw attention to one of these that is necessary to understand.

The Delay of the Kingdom

“Listen to another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and built a wall around it. He dug a winepress in it and built a tower. Then he rented it to vinedressers and went into a distant country. When the season of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers to receive his fruit.
“The vinedressers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did likewise to them. Last of all, he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
“But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So they caught him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”

Matthew 21:33–40

I know most understand this parable. The season of fruit drew near. The Messiah was presented as King. The parable reveals that Jesus is also prophesying of Himself and His impending death. It is the answer to the question that becomes fascinating.

They said, “He will severely destroy those wicked men and rent his vineyard to other vinedressers who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

Matthew 21:41

Jesus has their answer that they knew the vineyard will be given to another. So He continues to show them from their Scriptures exactly what is happening right before them.

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing its fruits. Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces. But on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

Matthew 21:42–44

They didn’t know their visitation. They didn’t know the Messiah on the day they were to expect Him. They didn’t know He would be killed at their hands. They didn’t know the Kingdom would be delayed. Yet they knew Jesus was talking about the nation of Israel in the parable.

When the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But as they tried to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because they held Him as a prophet. In the midst of the Holy Week, Jesus is meticulously showing that the double-portion kingdom coming to Israel will be delayed.

Matthew 21:45–46

The Destruction of the Temple

As the day wound down and Jesus and His disciples exited the temple. Even His disciples had not really caught many of the things Jesus was saying.

As some spoke of how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts, He said, “As for these things which you see, the days will come when not one stone shall be left on another that will not be thrown down.”

Luke 21:5–6

Jesus then teaches those disciples present about what will happen in the coming end of days. This private briefing is known as the Olivet Discourse. It is recorded in the three synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke.) It is Luke’s version where a short synopsis is given, followed by an interruption.

“But before all these things, they will seize you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for My name’s sake. It will turn out as a testimony for you. Therefore resolve in your hearts beforehand not to practice your defense. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your opponents will be able to neither refute nor resist. You will be betrayed by parents and brothers and relatives and friends. And they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all men for My name’s sake, but not a hair of your head shall perish. In your endurance you will gain your souls.

Luke 21:12–19

While this is yet future for the disciples hearing it, the fulfillment of that is recorded for us in history and the Bible. These friends of Jesus endured some severe persecution. Along with the foretelling of that persecution is the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple of God. This is also part of the prophecy of Daniel.

“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know that its desolation has drawn near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter it. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who nurse in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and will be led away captive to all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Luke 21:20–24

For the astute reader, it is clear that there is an extended period of time that comes with the last phrase, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. This also tracks with everything Jesus taught in that Holy Week, that the program for Israel will be delayed and given to another.

Following as if this were narrative, is what happens next:

“There will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men fainting from fear and expectation of what is coming on the inhabited earth. For the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near.”

Luke 21:25–28

The ideas conveyed here are often confused. But make note of the distinctions. First is between the groups of people… They and your. What they witness is going to be perplexing. The second is the before and after these things begin to happen. Jesus says clearly that when these things begin to happen, redemption comes for believers.

Why aren’t the fearful and perplexing happenings the hallmarks of the nearness of redemption?

Jesus clearly states that it is before these things happen. So as redemption comes for believers, concerning and foreboding disasters will follow for the world. Everything will be shaken, and then Jesus comes in judgment. In another place, the people mourn His return.

The Delay of the Kingdom Will Be Revoked

Coupled with the idea of before the bad stuff happens, is that the withered fig tree Jesus cursed. It is going to produce leaves.

He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are sprouting leaves already, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So in like manner, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

Luke 21:29–31

This is the precursor to the restoration of the kingdom. The culmination of which will be the fulfillment of the last three items from the list above.

“Truly, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things are fulfilled. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Luke 21:32–33

Those in the generation that witness the new budding of the tree will not pass away before these things are done.

Wednesday 13 Nisan

Now the feasts of the Passover and of Unleavened Bread were two days away. And the chief priests and the scribes looked for a way to seize Him secretly and kill Him. But they said “Not on the feast day, lest there will be an uproar among the people.”

Mark 14:1–2

The narrative now enters the days of Passover and the Feast. The days before, people are to prepare. They are to remove leaven from their homes.

The Betrayal

As with the underlying tension in all of the accounts of Holy Week, there is the intrigue of those in power. They are looking for an opportunity to seize Jesus and kill Him. Enter the one to betray Him. This will be by one of those He chose to be His friend.

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them. When they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him silver. So he looked for how he might conveniently betray Him.

Mark 14:10–11

Now the plot is afoot. I will not give a comprehensive account, but the crucifixion of Jesus is central to this discussion, as are some of the events that immediately precede it.

The Preparation for Passover and the Feast

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

Mark 14:12

Here is where we encounter some blurriness. Each of the Gospels relates details that are not always chronological nor identical. I also think that some other details that are lost in translating from Aramaic to Hebrew and then to English. What is known is that the day Passover Lambs are slaughtered is 14 Nisan. The first day of Unleavened Bread is 15 Nisan. This means that given the word for word translation above, it may be a loose account of an idea. Maybe even a type of synechdoche. The underlying Greek can mean something like, “Now at the beginning of the time of Unleavened Bread.” In my mind, this makes a bit more sense.

When looking to the other Gospels, they do not alleviate the seeming confusion, either. The word day is inserted but can be left out.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will You have us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

Matthew 26:17

There are other contextual problems. Passover, as originally instituted, is on 14 Nisan with the celebrations being kept in homes. Later provisions added to Passover required it be kept in Jerusalem. This presents a logistical problem. According to Josephus, he records that over 250,000 lambs were sacrificed for Passover in 4 BC.

So He sent two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you there. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it as He had told them. And they prepared the Passover.

Mark 14:13–16

In my mind, it would seem that there may have been a Passover season. One in which people prepared for Passover and then the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These texts may indicate that. Nevertheless, it is my speculation. If some seders were kept in homes, as the one Jesus held, it could be the day before with a private slaughter of the lamb. Though noticeably absent are the other traditional items at a Passover meal like lamb and bitter herbs. So I like to think on Wednesday, they prepared for the meal, which would occur that evening. Others speculate that because of the sheer number of lambs needed, it could not all happen on that one day, 14 Nisan.

Thursday 14 Nisan

Remember the days for Israel begin at evening. Jesus would sit with His disciples for a seder meal, the Passover meal in the evening. That means the Last Supper would come on Wednesday, 14 Nisan after sunset.

The Passover With the Disciples

In the evening He came with the twelve. As they sat and ate, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, one of you who is eating with Me will betray Me.”

Mark 14:17–18

There are other accounts of the events that happened at that meal. I will leave that for another time.

Judas did betray Jesus. He was led away, and questioned by many. The people of Jerusalem were adamant on having Jesus executed even though the governor did not find anything He could assign guilt to Jesus. At least no guilt worthy of capital punishment.

Messiah Shall be Cut Off

After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the troops of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall come with a flood. And until the end of the war desolations are determined.

Daniel 9:26

As it has come to that point in the week where the Messiah is betrayed, and then cut off at Golgotha. Many times Jesus told the Jewish people present with Him that the kingdom for them is delayed. It will be given to another. They understood this, and in their blindness did not see the prophetic patterns in play. Jesus did indeed die with nothing.

When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Listen, He is calling Elijah!”
One man ran and filled a sponge with vinegar, put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”
But Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the spirit.

Mark 15:33–37

Beyond Holy Week

After the death of the Messiah, the city and the Temple would be destroyed. History informs us of this as happening in AD 70. What I hope is clear, is that the patterns in Daniel 9 have not yet all been completed. There are still three things that remain from the list:

  • Bring in everlasting righteousness
  • Seal up the vision and prophecy
  • Anoint the Most Holy Place

The New Modern Temple

And the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Mark 15:38

After Jesus died, the veil in the sanctuary that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn. This signifies that the presence of God is no longer veiled. It foreshadows that God’s dwelling place and temple will now be in men’s hearts.

What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God, and that you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:19

Though the temple of God exists today in every believer, there will be a future building in Jerusalem called the Temple of God. That is overwhelmingly attested to in prophetic writings. Things are going to happen in that temple, namely sacrifice and offering, which will cease. This will be clear from what Gabriel spoke to Daniel.

The Prince Who Shall Come

And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 9:27

After this other prince arrives, he will make an agreement with many. Many is often a rhetorical device used to mean the nation of Israel. The unspoken idea is that Israel accepts this impostor as Messiah. He makes an agreement. One which allows Israel to make sacrifices and offerings. Presumably, it is the reinstitution of the Mosaic system. With those things comes the necessity of a sanctuary. The Temple is necessary to the Mosaic system.

A sudden change in situations occurs as this prince reveals his true self. He stops the offerings and sacrifices. Gabriel offers a reference to abominations that make desolation. The Tanakh tends to describe the idols of other nations as abominations. It follows that this abomination is an object for worship. It is not unlike before where Antiochus stops the sacrifices. The appalling event becomes another pattern. One that is dastardly reenacted in history and culminates at some future point. Paul foretells the same event to the church in Thessalonica.

Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and concerning our gathering together unto Him, we ask you not to let your mind be quickly shaken or be troubled, neither in spirit nor by word, nor by letter coming as though from us, as if the day of Christ is already here. Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For that Day will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself as God.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–4

I believe that the resumption of the Mosaic law is part of the covenant established with the impostor prince. I hold that the falling away described here is not an apostasy of believers from the universal church. The gist of that is Paul’s use of the Greek word apostasia. It is used only twice in the Scriptures. The only other occurrence is in the New Testament is here. It is used in the context of forsaking (or abandoning) the law of Moses. So it follows that when the man of lawlessness is revealed, it will come with a breaking of the covenant, and the compulsory forsaking of the Mosaic Law. He won’t allow sacrifices, but to himself as he sees himself to be God to worship. These multiple abominations reveal the desolator. And with this event is the defilement of the sanctuary. Precision timing markers indicate this happens in the middle of a week of years.

He was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. And he was given authority to wage war for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to speak blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to wage war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe and tongue and nation.

Revelation 13:5–7

For One Week

The covenant made is for one week. It is the final missing week of years from Daniel’s prophecy. It doesn’t go with the first 69 weeks. It is not Holy Week. It comes after Messiah is cut off. It comes after the city and the sanctuary are destroyed. It comes after the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles.

One week of years is 84 months. The prince who shall come breaks his word in the 42 months into the final week. He was given authority to wage war with the saints for 42 months after. The timing markers are precise, to help identify the time, place, and person. Yes, there will be saints in the last week of years. But because this is Israel, these will primarily be Jewish in nature. This is deduced from this text, and in that last week of Daniel 144,000 evangelists are revealed from the twelve tribes of Israel.

Don’t be tricked into thinking God gave or granted the authority this false prince. He comes with the work of Satan and that power, signs, and false wonders. It is the dragon who grants his authority.

One Week Yet Future

After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the troops of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall come with a flood. And until the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 9:26–27

The decreed destruction poured out on the desolator is the end when Jesus returns and destroys this appalling abomination. It is the end of the war. Jesus consumes those who oppose Him with the breath of His mouth. This is the underlying answer to Daniel’s prayer. His prayer included petitions to God to restore Israel. Israel’s restoration comes after the war is ended and the desolator is gone.

The restoration of Israel is the Millennium. In Gabriel’s answer to Daniel’s prayer, there is no real revelation of the restoration for which Daniel interceded. The foretelling of the deliverance of the people seems to come a bit later in the book, though in the same time-frame as the first year of Darius. Daniel 9 is written to have occurred in the first year of Darius. The deliverance of the people comes after a time of great trouble.

“And at that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who shall be found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who turn the many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Daniel 12:1–4

The premillennial nature of this is difficult to ignore. Yet, as we’ve witnessed Jesus attest to the delay of the Kingdom. Just as it was foretold to Daniel. The Kingdom is restored to Israel, which is also foretold to Daniel. One of the best witnesses of the premillennialism comes as a dispute arose among the early church holy ones.

The controversy being addressed was whether Gentiles needed to be circumcised. Paul and Barnabas were dispatched to Jerusalem. Leave it to the Pharisees’ legalism to point us in the right understanding. And it is not about circumcision.

Then some believers of the sect of the Pharisees rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.”

Acts 15:5

There was much discussion on the matter. There was no lack of dissension.

After much disputing, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago God decided among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, approved of them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us, and made no distinction between them and us, and purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why test God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”

Acts 15:7–11

After Peter spoke, Paul and Barnabas relayed what God had done with the Gentiles. The matter was heavy and amidst some silence, James spoke up.

After they had become silent, James answered, “Brothers, listen to me. Simon has declared how God first visited the Gentiles to take from among them a people for His name.

Acts 15:13–14

James is retelling a specific encounter Peter had. Most know of the account in Acts 10. When Peter returned from Caesarea, it was not without controversy. As many had heard that the Gentiles also received the word of God. As Peter expounded on what occurred in Caesarea, this is the conclusion:

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as He fell on us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?”
When they heard these things, they were silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then God has granted to the Gentiles also repentance unto life.”

Acts 11:15–18

I thank God that He has chosen to take a people for Himself from the Gentiles. When the Jewish elders of the church heard that these were baptized with the same Holy Spirit that came upon them, there was silence. They did glorify God, but why was there silence?

Perhaps they had suddenly recalled Jesus’ words from Holy Week, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing its fruits.” Yet it was James who made the connection of this to what the prophets say, and he cites Amos:

With this the words of the prophets agree. As it is written:
‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the tabernacle of
David, which has fallen;
I will rebuild its ruins,
and I will set it up;
that the rest of men may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
says the Lord who does all these things.’
Known to God are all His works since the beginning of the world.

Acts 15:15–18

After This

God says, “After this I will return.” After what?

All of what is ascribed in the answered prayer, then interpreted as prophecy, and given to Daniel by Gabriel.

Prince Messiah came first, precisely at the end of the 69 weeks of years. After Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Holy Week, He spoke many times of how the kingdom was going to be delayed, and even given to another people. Then Messiah was cut off with nothing.

The city and sanctuary would then be destroyed. And until the end of the war, the desolation of Israel will remain. The many will then fall for a charismatic leader who will give them a covenant for one week of 7 years. He will allow them to build a new temple and reinstate the Mosaic sacrifices. In the middle of that covenant week, this leader will make an appalling move that desolates the temple. These things culminate in the determined complete destruction of the desolator. At which time, the people would be delivered.

After this… I will return, says Jesus. The throne of David will be restored with the rightful promised King. He will bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up the vision and prophecy, and anoint the Most Holy Place.

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah

On By TimIn Daniel 01, RedemptionLeave a comment

Many years ago, I was challenged to remember the Hebrew names of the three young boys that are mentioned with Daniel. I did, and it is something salted away. Sometimes I count this stuff as information that has no real purpose other than maybe pride. Boy, did I get a shock recently!

Let’s lay this out. When Nebuchadnezzar defeated King Jehoiakim of Judah, he carried away the treasures of the land to Babylon. Among the things also brought to Babylon were the nobles and royals. Also taken were the handsome and skilled youth. These would be trained for three years in the ways of Babylon and to eventually serve in Nebuchadnezzar’s court.

Now among them were of the sons of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, to whom the commander of the officials gave names. And he gave to Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

Daniel 1:6–7

We are introduced to four of the young ones; Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. In order to inculcate them in the ways of Babylon, their names were changed to honor Babylon’s gods. They became known as Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. As the account continues, Daniel is usually referred to by his Hebrew name. The other three youths eventually are not.

Perhaps there is something obscured in the details here. Maybe there is something else to find. Rarely might anyone think, what’s in a name?

God has Favored

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams, and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. Then the king gave the command to call the magicians and the astrologers and the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. The king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream.”
Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and we will tell the interpretation.”

Daniel 2:1–4

After the introduction of the characters and setting, we come to an account of life with Nebuchadnezzar. As it goes, he is bothered by a dream. He calls for the magi to interpret the dream. They ask for him to recount the dream. But there is a less than gracious response.

The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The command from me is firm: If you will not make known to me the dream with its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”

Daniel 2:5–6

What stands out there is the king refuses to tell and wants the magi to both retell the dream and give the interpretation. It is an impossible task, or so it seems. The stark reality shows a lack of graciousness.

The magi plead with the king to tell the dream. The king will not relent in his indifference toward his servants.

The king answered and said, “I know of certainty that you are bargaining for time, because you see that the command from me is firm: If you will not make known to me the dream, there is but one decree for you. For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the circumstance is changed. Therefore tell me the dream so that I know that you can tell me its interpretation.”

Daniel 2:8–9

Things become dark quickly. The magi were despairing at the insurmountable ask from the king. And Nebuchadnezzar became angry and furious which made him rather more impatient. He commanded all the wise men to be killed jot quite grasping that his rash decision would be very costly to him personally.

But alas… Enter Daniel. With wisdom and discretion he asked the captain of the king’s guard about the urgency of the decree. When the guard replied, Daniel sought time from the king to provide an interpretation of the dream.

Daniel returned to his three companions, and asked them to pray for favor from the Lord. Daniel and his friends would be of the ones that would succumb under the king’s selfish decree. At night, the secret dream of the king was revealed to Daniel in a vision.

Daniel blessed God for revealing the dream and giving the interpretation of it. Urgently, he then sought the captain of the guard and an audience with the king. Daniel explained the dream and the interpretation of the dream.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and did homage to Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and sweet incense to him. The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”

Daniel 2:46–47

I think that Nebuchadnezzar learned of the graciousness of God toward him through his servant Daniel.

Who is What God Is?

The next account in the life of the king is probably the most familiar. It is the telling of the three companions of Daniel and the fiery furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 3:1

The king had built a 90 foot statue of gold to represent himself. His kingdom would not be just the head as in his previous dream, but the whole thing would be his. It’s rather pretentious.

He called all of the government officials out. This signifies the power he holds over the kingdom. But then musicians are mentioned. And when the music started, all were to bow down and worship the statue. Nebuchadnezzar was exalting himself as king of the world and god of the world.

Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you should fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. And whoever does not fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”

Daniel 3:4–6

The punishment for not obeying the decree is an immediate and fiery death. The people dutifully worshipped when they heard the music. As it was, there is some intrigue as the three companions of Daniel refuse.

Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near and accused the Jews. They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever. You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music should fall down and worship the golden image. And whoever does not fall down and worship should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, have not regarded you. They do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.”

Daniel 3:8–12

Of course this infuriates the king. (I see the pattern.) But the rage is palpable. He calls for the three young ones to be brought before him.

Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is that god who can deliver you out of my hands?”

Daniel 3:14–15

Who is that God indeed?

They don’t bow and Nebuchadnezzar becomes even more visibly infuriated. He calls for the furnace to be made seven times hotter. (Is it because his rage was likewise seven-times greater?)

Well, the three companions are thrown into the dangerously hot furnace. It was so hot that the men of valor who tossed them in died instantly. As before, the king’s rage wasn’t potentially costly, he now lost some of his best men.

Our heroes fell down in the furnace.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spoke, and said to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”
They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
He answered and said, “But I see four men loose and walking in the midst of the fire, and they are unharmed. And the form of the fourth is like the Son of God!”

Daniel 3:24–25

It was pointed out recently that the Septuagint says these men were singing and praising God, and Nebuchadnezzar heard that. It is a blessing that I have access to a the Lexham English translation of the Septuagint. It was difficult to find a resource online, but I did. You can read the Septuagint version of Daniel 3 here. (I am only using that website as a reference for the work itself. It is not an endorsement of the site or teachings therein.)

Yet I digress…

The singing is fascinating, and very apropos as worship music is part of the vignette. Except now the praise and worship isn’t for the people to bow to the king. It is praise pouring all to God. The God who stood with these men in the fire.

As it is, the astonished king see the Son of God in the fire with the three young men. I can imagine the thought in his mind, “Who is that God?” If he heard the singing, he would have to know the answer.

He then calls to the three to come out. They came out alive. There was no evidence surrounding them that would lead one to think they had been in the midst of an exceedingly hot fire. There was not even the smell of smoke on their garments.

Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They have defied the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other God who can deliver in this way.”

Daniel 3:28–29

It seems as the more Nebuchadnezzar has personal experiences with God that his heart toward the Most High changes. We’ve encountered the changes in him and now see he acknowledges Who God is. He has yet to come to terms with his pride in himself.

God has Healed

Nebuchadnezzar the king,
to all peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth:
Peace be multiplied to you.
I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
How great are His signs,
and how mighty are His wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and His dominion is from generation to generation.

Daniel 4:1–3

The first thing I notice is the stark change in the attitude of the king toward the Most High God. He now has a personal testimony of what God has done for him. But as it is in this third account of the life of Nebuchadnezzar, he has an another dream.

I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.

Daniel 4:4–6

This seems to be a very similar situation to the previous dream. The vision besets him and he calls for the magi to help him with understand the dream.

Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known to me its interpretation.

Daniel 4:7

Unlike the first account, Nebuchadnezzar relates the dream to his wise men. He doesn’t threaten them. He’s not impatient. He seems to have learned a lesson of graciousness. Then Daniel comes before the king, who relates the dream. And the king asks Daniel to interpret the dream knowing there is none like Daniel’s God.

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spoke and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream, or its interpretation, trouble you.”
Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, if only the dream was for those who hate you, and its interpretation for your enemies!

Daniel 4:19

There is palpable trepidation for Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar picks up on that. He encourages Daniel to speak anyway and to not be afraid. Daniel’s answer reveals that the dream is about the king and some unsettling things that will happen to him. Daniel’s gives the interpretation, which included a decree from God.

“This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: You shall be driven away from men, and your dwelling shall be with the wild animals. You shall be given grass to eat like oxen, and wet with the dew of heaven. And seven times shall pass over you, until you have learned that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He chooses. Inasmuch as they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, your kingdom shall be assured to you after you acknowledge that Heaven rules.

Daniel 4:24–26

For seven years, Nebuchadnezzar would be like an ox and eat grass. He would be like one of the lowliest of the animals. It is a lesson in humility that the king must learn. But there is hope of the horizon. He will be restored to his kingdom.

All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he walked on the roof of the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spoke, saying, “Is this not Babylon the Great that I myself have built as a royal residence by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

Daniel 4:28–30

Life for Nebuchadnezzar continues. A year later, when he exalted himself in pride… The decree came.

While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven: “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you! And you shall be driven away from men, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You shall be given grass to eat as oxen, and seven periods of time shall pass over you until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He wills.”

Daniel 4:31–32

After seven years of a lowly existence eating grass, Nebuchadnezzar comes to his senses. He blesses the Most High and praises Him. In the same instant, the king was healed and restored.

At the same time my reason returned to me. And for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. And my counselors and my lords sought me out. Then I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and those who walk in pride He is able to abase.

Daniel 4:36–37

The account of Nebuchadnezzar is fascinating. Here is the prideful king of the greatest nation to rule the world setting aside his pride to worship God. It wasn’t that God changed his heart. But brought him dreams and others around him to tell him about God. And God revealed Himself to Nebuchadnezzar in the midst of a few object lessons.

What is in a Name?

Everything in your Bible is there by design. There are no coincidences in it. The message it has is integrated within the text in various ways. The details that are in the first chapter of Daniel provide an introduction to who Daniel is. In the midst of that, we are introduced to some other companions of him. And we are told their names were changed. Daniel and his three companions are given new names.

Is there a corelating significance that we are also given three vignettes of the life of Nebuchadnezzar as king?

The Babylonian training of these young men lasted three years. I think the fact that there are three companions and three radical vignettes told in three chapters is there by design. And I think it has to do with the names given to those young men. No, not the new Babylonian names, but the Hebrew names they were given.

Daniel means God is my judge. In a sense, Daniel becomes the one who pronounces the judgment of God in the two dreams. And it is through Daniel that we learn of the judgment of God on Nebuchadnezzar.

In the first account of the first dream. Nebuchadnezzar is characterized as far less than gracious. But by the favor of God, he is provided an interpretation of a dream that frightened him. The name Hananiah means Yah has acted graciously. That is exactly what we see, God acting graciously toward Nebuchadnezzar. There is a stark change in the king to acknowledge that grace.

The first dream led Nebuchadnezzar to exalt himself as not only king of the world but God of the world. He demanded worship by decree and immediate death to those who don’t comply. In his tantrum he asks, “And who is that god who can deliver you out of my hands?” Mishael means who is what God is. The king had an answer to his question. He learned that there is no god like the Most High God.

The third vignette is set with another dream. The king’s fits of anger and fury have seemed to go away. He is grace to others is real. And he acknowledges God. But there is that kingly pride in himself that must go. A decree comes from God to make the king to suffer the lowliest of existences for seven years until he comes to his senses. Eventually he does and he is restored to himself and his kingdom. Azariah means Yah has helped. And the king knows God has restored him.

Four Truths

Nebuchadnezzar learned some things about God. As he did, the changes in himself become apparent. By his own personal testimony, the king could say about God:

He is Judge.

He acts graciously.

There is no other like Him.

He heals and restores.

Read your Bible. And be surprised at those things that are obscured just beyond your perception. They are there for a reason. Don’t be afraid to dig them out.