Daniel: Far From HomeSample

In verses 20 to 21 Daniel is interrupted in his praying. The angel Gabriel, who Daniel had seen during the vision in chapter 8, once again appears to him. In verses 22 to 23 Gabriel explains that he has come to give him insight and understanding. Daniel’s prayer has been answered! The Lord has heard his prayer and has responded. He is now to give thought to the message and understand the vision, which is described in verses 24 to 27.

Verse 24 speaks of ‘seventy “sevens”’ decreed for God’s people. The numbers are likely to be symbolic. Seventy is the perfect long period of time. Seven is the number of completeness. It therefore refers to a ‘perfect or completed time’. It is the period required for the six things mentioned in verse 24 to be completed. The return from exile will signal the end of the judgement on Judah’s sin, and the positive establishment of a new temple. By listing six things here it is as if the exile ending is like a new creation. Daniel knows enough from chapters 7 and 8 to know that their return isn’t finally Eden restored. But it is a shadow of the end time. The seventy ‘sevens’ could, therefore, refer to the rest of time, from the return from exile to the return of Jesus.

In verse 25 there is more information of the seventy sevens. These will be broken into seven sevens and sixty-two sevens. At the start will be the restoration of Jerusalem, which is not going to be easy (v. 25). Then after sixty-two sevens, an ‘Anointed One’ will be cut off. There is much debate as to whether this is referring to Cyrus at the return from exile (who gave the order for the Temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt, and is called ‘anointed’ in Isa. 45:1), or to events in the second century BC. However, it is almost certainly also looking forward to the comings of Jesus.

It is certainly Jesus who confirms the covenant (v. 27). Jesus speaks also of an ‘abomination that causes desolation’ as still to happen (Mark 13:14). And so it could be that the final ‘seven’ refers to the period between the two comings of Jesus. The events of verse 27 could then refer to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. What is clear is that the world will get no better. Wars will continue to the end (as Jesus also said, Mark 13:8). But those set against God will be dealt with (v. 27b).

Reflection

We are living in the last ‘seven’ of human history. We are living in the last days (Acts 2:17). What impact does that have on you as you live in a world opposed to God and His people?