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DECEMBER 2
Daniel 9-11:1
These
are two very interesting chapters in Daniel. Chapter 9 not only contains the
second greatest prayer (my opinion) in the Bible, but it has the prophecy of
the 70 weeks. Chapter 10 opens the curtain a little on the spiritual warfare
going on behind the nations of the world and, actually, all of life. Buckle up.
Daniel
9
V.
1 Notice that this prayer is in the first year of the change of government.
This was probably the year that Daniel was thrown into the lion's den. Very few
people see the association between chapters 6 and 9, but you do; and it should
make chapter 6 seem much more important and understandable. Just for trivia,
let me ask you—what is the last visible, obviously supernatural, miraculous
event God did in the OT? I think it is found in Daniel 6.
V.
2 What does this imply that Daniel had in his possession? Even Daniel read his
Bible every day. Not only would Daniel have had full copies of everything
written since Moses, he also had a copy of Jeremiah. Unknown to us, an entire
culture of biblical scholarship had grown up and become established in the
Jewish community in Babylon, complete with schools and a synagogue type of
worship. I wasn't there but I'll bet it was financed and directed by men like
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. I'd bet Ezekiel was part of it.
Vs.
3-19 Here is the prayer. As you read this, think of Daniel being a teen when
brought to Babylon, and now, 70 years later, saying this prayer. What a heart
he had for God and for his people. I would guess that this is what Daniel was
praying three times a day, and was praying on that day when he was thrown into
the lion's den.
I
only have a couple of observations here.
First,
notice that Daniel identifies with his people. He uses "we" and
"us" quite often. Notice too that he identifies with and confesses
the sins of the fathers. In Ezekiel we read that Daniel was probably the most
righteous lover of God on the planet at that time. Why would he identify with
the sordid sins of his idolatrous countrymen? Well, I'm sure it was because he
was a humble guy, but not only that, he was an obedient man and knew his Bible.
Read these two passages and you'll see that Daniel not only knew the Word, but
he also obeyed it:
·
1
Kings 8:46-53 - This is Solomon's dedication of the temple.
·
Leviticus
26:33-45 - This obscure passage will blow you away. I'm sure that Daniel knew
these portions of the Bible and that his knowledge of what God commanded in
these sections guided Daniel in his prayer.
Second,
notice what Daniel's real concern was in vs. 16-19. Notice the mention of
Jerusalem. This isn't just a patriotic desire on his part. God had promised to
dwell in that city. Notice, too, the desire that God's name should be honored
and glorified in the world. I wish I always had that concern guiding my heart
and actions. Interestingly enough, it is the same thought that's in the first
line of the Lord's Prayer.
Vs.
20-23 Now I don't know if this was before or after the lion's den that Daniel
was praying this and that Gabriel was sent to talk to him. I suspect it was
after the lion's den, and that Daniel had proven his desire to live and die for
God and his people. Notice that Gabriel came flying. I wonder what that looked
like. I don't know if you know this, but in the early Superman comics, Superman
often flew standing. Apparently wind resistance isn't a problem if you're
super. I wonder if that's what Gabriel looked like. Second, notice in v. 23 that
Daniel is greatly loved. God loves us all, but of how many people in the Bible
does God say this? For most people, Daniel seems like a very insignificant
character in the Bible. God didn't think so.
In
Chapter 10 we meet an unnamed angel, but because Daniel had already met Gabriel
twice and because of the reference to Daniel being greatly loved, some think
that that angel in chapter 10 is also Gabriel.
Vs.
24-27 Here is the interesting thing about the vision of the 70 weeks. It is an
answer to the question Daniel was not asking. Daniel wanted to know when the
Jews could return to Jerusalem, assuming that would end the desolations of
Jerusalem. The answer given tells when Jerusalem will finally be restored
forever in peace and when the Jews will enjoy the kingdom with their Messiah.
Notice that v. 24 will be all of human history until the beginning of the
Millennium. That means that some of this has not yet occurred.
In
short, the 70 weeks work out like this. Each week is seven years.
V.
25 The decree to rebuild Jerusalem, not the temple, begins the clock. This
decree was given to Nehemiah.
From
Nehemiah to Jesus' crucifixion was 69 weeks (7 + 62) or 483 years. There are
all sorts of calendars and such, but when you work it out, it is right on the
money. If you have the Bible Knowledge Commentary-OT, you
can read Dwight Pentecost's discussion of this time between Nehemiah and Jesus
on page 1363.
So,
even though the walls went up with Nehemiah, seven 7’s, or forty-nine years,
were needed to completely restore the houses and streets of Jerusalem. Then for
the next sixty-two 7’s (434 years) Jerusalem existed in very unsure times. The
seven weeks and the sixty-two weeks have no break between them. We know this
because of Jesus' death.
V.
26 Notice that the anointed one, Jesus, is cut off after the conclusion of the
sixty-two weeks (or sixty-nine weeks if you put them together). This is
significant in that it shows there is a gap between the 69th week and the 70th
week. The anointed one is cut off after the 69th week, yet before the 70th
week. The day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt of the donkey was the
final day of that 69th week. The 70th week will begin with the Tribulation.
Notice
also that the people of the prince who is
to come, not the prince himself, destroy Jerusalem. This is in the gap of
time between the 69th week and the 70th week. This happened in 70 A.D. when the
Romans destroyed Jerusalem. This prince, as we'll see in the next chapter, was
the "guardian" angel who will guide Rome. More on this in chapter 10.
V.
27 Now then, the 70th week is the seven years of the Tribulation. He is that prince of those people; that
is, the prince is the antichrist. Remember in chapter 7 we saw that the last
empire would have a "horn" or king who would rise and war against the
Jews. This is the antichrist who will make a seven-year peace treaty with
Israel, and in the middle of that "week" the antichrist will kill the
two witnesses, break the treaty, desecrate the temple and launch a worldwide
persecution against the Jews. As we'll see in the book of Revelation, God will
judge the earth and bring all nations to a place of ruin during the first 3.5
years of that week, and by doing so, the followers of Christ will have a chance
to hide and survive and reach out to any who are willing to hear during the
final 3.5 years.
So,
the 70 weeks are for Israel, specifically for the city of Jerusalem. After the
69th week there has been a pause in the action for the church to be busy in the
harvest. Look at Romans 11:25-26 to see Paul's summary of this. When that 70th
week begins, it will be all about Jerusalem and about Israel fulfilling its
role in this final chapter of their redemptive mission before the coming of
Christ. There really won't be a need for the church per se in this 70th week.
The focus of that last week will be the city of Jerusalem and the people of
Israel fulfilling their mission as witnesses to the world. Everything will have
to do with the Jews and the return of their Messiah. This is a reason why the
taking of the church at the beginning of the Tribulation makes good sense. It
is about the Jews reaching the world. We'd just be in the way, and it won't be
about us. It will be all about the city of God and the people of God. This
won't be hidden to people. Even the most rebellious and godless will be able to
see the handwriting on the wall.
I
want to add one additional thought. Acts 1 occurs after the crucifixion and resurrection.
According to v. 3, Jesus spent time with the disciples and taught about the
Kingdom of God. For many people the Kingdom of God is the entire plan of God
leading up to and including the eternal state with the new heaven and new earth.
In this line of reasoning, the Kingdom of Heaven is included within the Kingdom
of God and is defined within God’s plan during this time on earth to the end of
the Millennial Kingdom. If anyone should question whether the focus of the 70th
week or the Millennium is God fulfilling His promise to Abraham and Israel,
they would only need to look at v. 6. The disciples clearly understood from
Jesus’ teaching, post resurrection, that the Jews had not been rejected forever
and the kingdom of Israel would become a kingdom on the earth. Jesus assured
them the Father had already determined this. This kingdom is the Millennial
Kingdom ruled by the Son of Man. Yet Jesus tells them in vs. 7-8 that their
work now will not be to usher in that kingdom, but to be witnesses to Christ.
This is the age of the Church’s work in the harvest. When the appointed time
comes, a time already determined by the Father, the 70th week
appointed for the Jews will begin. The Jews, not the “Church,” will carry the
message and they will win the day during the darkness of the Tribulation (Rev. 12:10-11).
And then Israel will be a light for the world for 1000 years, led by their
Messiah, the Son of Man, the Ruler of all mankind.
Daniel
10
Daniel
10 will actually continue to the end of the book. The angel who comes as a
result of Daniel's prayer and fasting will give him the details of chapters 11
and 12. Note that Daniel 11:1 is a parenthetical note by the angel, saying that
he was led by God to stand up and support Darius during his first year as ruler
over this part of the Persian Empire, even though the "prince of Persia"
would not have appreciated that help. We know why the angel strengthened
Darius, right? Darius took a huge chance by making Daniel part of his
government and chapter 6 shows that the man had faith. As mentioned above,
although no name is given for this angel, some people think it is still
Gabriel.
V.
1 Daniel was given a word about a conflict involving his people and he
understood it and was deeply distressed by it.
Vs.
2-9 As a result of the disturbing content of that word from God, he went before
the Lord, fasting and praying for 21 days. Verse 7 reminds me of Acts 9:7 and
Paul's conversion. In case you are wondering if this could be Jesus, the angel
of the Lord, you'll see why this is impossible.
Vs.
10-14 This is interesting news. This angel was sent to Daniel the first day of
his praying, but was held off by the
prince of the kingdom of Persia for 21 days. Obviously, if this angel had
been Jesus, there would have been no battle. This prince of Persia was one of
Satan's angels. Satan has been given the authority over nations, as he told
Jesus. I think this was part of Satan's guardianship to help humans. Now that
humans are in rebellion and under God's judgment, Satan's authority defaulted
to a place of a ruling guardianship, controlling mankind as if we were inmates
in a prison.
How
do angels fight with each other? How was this angel neutralized for 21 days?
What difference did it make that Michael helped him? Did Michael have a trick
move or bigger biceps?
Vs.
15-19 It seems to me that the normal state of man in the presence of an angel
is debilitation. Notice how often the angel has mentioned that Daniel is greatly loved.
Vs. 20-21 More
interesting information. This angel had to go back and fight with the prince of
Persia and when that was done, the prince of Greece was coming. Apparently
every nation has a "prince" assigned over it. According to Deuteronomy
32:8-9, When the Most High gave to the
nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the
peoples according to the number of the sons of God. 9But the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob
his allotted heritage. Those sons of God are angels. God only kept one
nation for Himself to further His redemption of mankind and that nation was
Israel. Therefore, God assigned His own "prince" for Israel, the
archangel Michael. We don't know who this unnamed angel is, although it is
probably Gabriel, but only he and Michael fight for Israel.
Daniel
11:1
As
mentioned above, this seems like a parenthetical thought, that this angel began
giving spiritual support to Darius back in the first year of his reign. Since
this angel fights for Israel, he needed to strengthen Darius for the events
surrounding the lion's den, the making of that decree allowing the Jews to
worship only Yahweh, and for Cyrus to make the decree for the Jews to return to
Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.
It
seems to me, that for us to do our work in the harvest, there must be unseen
forces protecting and strengthening us too. Our battle begins in the Word and
on our knees. Thankfully, we have the Spirit of God within us.
1 John 2:18-3:6
1
John 2:18-29
Vs.
18-20 John is now directly addressing the issue of false teachers. It seems
that what John is saying is that now that we are in the last times, and that
the antichrist is coming, little antichrists will arise. Notice that these came
from within the church, but John says they were not believers, or they would
have stayed in the church.
The
anointing by the Holy One is the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit at rebirth.
Vs.
21-25 This is the key issue here. People were denying that Jesus was the
Messiah. I don't know if this was a Jewish influence, but obviously you can't
have the Father without the Son (John 5:23). The Jews would have been pressing
to have the Father, but not Jesus. Though a believer can still be a child of
God in disobedience and rebellion to his Father, a person who is religious, but
doesn't believe that Jesus is the Christ and Savior, was never in the family.
Vs.
26-29 Notice that everyone is being spoken to as little children. I think John is calling on them to live in simplicity
of faith and devotion. (See Luke 18:17.) We have read many encouragements to
Christians to hold fast to their confession. In both Galatians and Hebrews,
there was a call to people to remember that they began in Christ and received
salvation through faith in Him. Having begun that way, they needed to hold fast
to the teaching they were given at the beginning.
1
John 3:1-6
Vs.
1-3 This is the key to true salvation and following as disciples, knowing the
love of God. Of course, this love is seen in and defined by Jesus and the plan
of God. John has just called them little children and now he is talking about
how they became children, by the love
of God.
V.
3 This is the yearning as children to be with Christ. I was reading this
morning that Jesus told, even warned, His disciples to have their loins girded
and their lamps burning and to be like men waiting for their master to come
home from the wedding feast that they might open the door to him at once when
he comes and knocks. There should be that yearning and excitement born out of
love.
Vs.
4-6 This gets into the gray areas of who is and who isn't saved, but God knows.
Paul knew this was a problem in the church and told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:19, "The Lord knows those who are
his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.” Paul
and Timothy both struggled with this. The sure indicator of true faith is that
a believer loves Christ, and though they sin, they keep coming back and asking
for forgiveness, and they keep following.
In
all we are reading here, you understand the need for good, godly elders in a
church who are themselves following Christ in the harvest, and who are
shepherds and protectors of the flock. When Paul says elders need to be able to
teach, it is not just for making disciples, but for protecting the church.
Psalm 121
In
this song of ascents, as the pilgrims were traveling to Jerusalem, because of
Jerusalem's height, all roads led up to Jerusalem. In this sense, looking up to
the hills was looking toward Jerusalem, to the house and throne of God.
Vs.
1-2 This is easy to say, but trusting it in the storm proves our hearts.
Vs.
3-4 I was just reading about what Jesus said in Luke 12:6, concerning the
sparrows, and not one of them is
forgotten before God. And we are of more value to God than many sparrows.
Vs.
5-8 God is not only our "sunscreen" but also our shield and defender.
It's good to know this truth in our heads, but even better when it is in our
souls and hearts.
Remember,
as the people obeyed God and went to Jerusalem, they often had to leave their
homes and possessions unguarded. They needed a protector and God had promised
to be that for them.
Proverbs 28:27-28
V. 27 Jesus said that disciples were to give to everyone who begged of
them. A disciple shouldn't have an emotional hang-up here.
V. 28 Amen!
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing
deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the
growth of a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4
disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most
universal and important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here,
or what we are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us, as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His
harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be
willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their
growth as disciples, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own
observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition
or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any
point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as
I understand it. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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