1) Daniel prays to God and confesses Israel's sins. Gabriel appears and informs Daniel that Jerusalem will be restored and that there will be 70 weeks of years until an anointed one is cut off. 2) Daniel has a vision of future events involving conflicts between kings of the north and south. An especially evil king will persecute God's people but will ultimately come to his end. 3) God reassures Daniel that he is sovereign over history and will deliver his people from extreme persecution, even raising the righteous to everlasting life in his kingdom. The themes are God's faithfulness and the ultimate victory of good over evil.

1. DANIEL
Day 5: chapters 9–12

2. Daniel 9

3. ?
What are the scenes?
What is the plot line?
What characters are involved,
and how are they portrayed?
What words, phrases or ideas
are repeated?

4. Scene 1 Daniel prays to the Lord
(9:1–19)
Scene 2 Gabriel appears with a
message (9:20–27)

5. climax
setting
9:1
‘occasioning
incident’
9:2
Gabriel: 20–23
covenant
abomination
destruction
9:27
Daniel fasts
& prays: 3–4
Daniel confesses
sin: 5–10
D acknowledges
God: 11–16
Listen! Act! 17–19
70 weeks:
24–26

6. What do all the
images mean?

7. 70 weeks = 490 days
70 sevens of years = 490 years

8. 7 sevens
from the word
to restore
Jerusalem to
the anointed
one
62 sevens
times of trouble –
rebuilding of
Jerusalem
1 seven
from anointed
cut off &
covenant to
destruction

9. ‘‘One wonders why so many
commentators use such literalistic
interpretations and are at such
pains to make the dates exactly fit
the known history. That’s not the
nature of prophecy, let alone the
nature of apocalyptic
literature. . . .

10. ‘‘. . . One of the characteristics of
apocalyptic literature is that it
frequently uses numbers as
symbols.
Sidney Greidanus

11. • 7 = perfection/completion/sacredness
• 10 = fullness/round number
• 70 sevens = 7 x 10 x 7 = perfect and full
period

12. a. 7 sevens: relatively short; complete
period of time from word going out to
destroy Jerusalem until an anointed
one (9:25a)
b. 62 sevens: quite long; troubled time
(9:25b)
c. 1 seven: short; complete period in
which the anointed one is put to
death, city and temple destroyed

13. ‘an anointed one, a prince/
ruler’ (9:25)
62 sevens – more building;
‘a troubled time’ (9:25)
‘Anointed One’ put to
death; city & temple
destroyed (9:26)
‘until the end that is
decreed is poured out on
the destroyer’
Ezra (cf Ezra 7:1–5)
Occupation by
Greece, Ptolemies,
Seleucids, Rome
Jesus’s death;
destruction of
Jerusalem in AD 70
Jesus’s second
coming; final victory
over the Antichrist

14. ‘‘We believe that the people
mentioned are the Romans and
the prince is Titus Vespasianus,
who came to Palestine and in the
year 70 A.D. destroyed the city
and the sanctuary. . . . This
interpretation, and this alone, fills
the requirements of the text. . . .

15. ‘‘. . . The Messiah has been cut off
by death, and thereupon the city
and the sanctuary will be
destroyed. Historically, this
prophecy was fulfilled in a most
remarkable manner.
E.J. Young

16. One who confirms a covenant with many
My righteous servant will justify many, and he
will bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11)
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but
to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many. (Mark 10:45)
This is my blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
(Matthew 26:28)

17. ‘‘And he shall make a strong
covenant with many for one week,
and for half of the week he shall
put an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on the wing of
abominations shall come one who
makes desolate, until the decreed
end is poured out on the desolator.
(Daniel 9:27, ESV)

18. ‘‘He will confirm a covenant with
many for one week. But in the
middle of that week he will bring
sacrifices and offerings to a halt.
On the wing of abominations will
come one who destroys, until the
decreed end is poured out on the
one who destroys.
(Daniel 9:27, NET Bible)

19. ‘‘The passage is Messianic through
and through. Well will it be for us,
if we too, in our study of this
supremely important prophecy,
place our emphasis, not upon
dates and mathematical
calculations, but upon that central
Figure who . . .

20. ‘‘. . . by being cut off has made
reconciliation for iniquity and
brought in the only righteousness
that is acceptable with God, even
his own eternal righteousness.
E.J. Young

21. ?
What is the theme?
What is the goal?

22. ‘‘Theme: ‘In response to Daniel’s
prayer for forgiveness and the
restoration of Jerusalem, Israel’s
faithful covenant God promises in
seventy weeks not only to restore
Jerusalem but also to bring in his
everlasting kingdom.’
Sidney Greidanus

23. ‘‘Aim: ‘to give Israel in exile hope
by reassuring them that their time
of exile is almost over because
their faithful covenant God has
decreed seventy weeks in which
not only to restore Jerusalem but
also to bring in his everlasting
kingdom.’
Sidney Greidanus

24. Daniel 10–12

25. ‘‘Authoritative preaching of the
message of apocalyptic literature
demands that we major on the
major themes, and be less
concerned about the meaning and
significance of fine details.
Daniel Block

26. ?
What are the scenes?
What characters are involved?
Try to identify the plot line.

27. Scene 1 Daniel sees a vision and
mourns; trance (10:1–9)
Scene 2a Angel speaks with Daniel
(10:10 – 11:1)
Scene 2b Angel announces truth about
the future (11:2 – 12:4)
Scene 3 Final vision; dialogue about the
end (12:5–13)

28. climax
setting
10:1
‘occasioning
incident’
10:4–9
‘Yet he will
come to his end’
11:45b
book sealed
12:4
Angel touches
Daniel:
10:10–19
Angel announces
truth: 11:2–45a
Michael: 12:1a
preliminary
incident’s
10:2–3
Deliverance:
12:1b–3

29. climax
vision of 2
angels
12:5
words sealed
12:9
Daniel will rise
12:13
How long?
12:6
What will be the
outcome? 12:8
wise understand
12:10
persevering are
blessed: 12:11

30. ?
What is the theme?
What is the goal?

31. Theme: God, who is absolutely
sovereign over even the details of
human history, will deliver his people
from the extreme persecution of the
last days, even raising them to
everlasting life in his eternal kingdom.

32. Goal: to encourage and comfort
God’s persecuted people by helping
them understand God’s intention to
rescue his people, even from death.

33. How do we get to Jesus?
1. Redemptive-historical progression
2. Promise-fulfilment
3. Anticipations (typology)
4. Analogy
5. Longitudinal themes
6. New Testament references
7. Contrast

34. ‘‘Authoritative preaching of the
message of apocalyptic literature
demands that we major on the
major themes, and be less
concerned about the meaning and
significance of fine details.
Daniel Block

35. ‘‘We also have the prophetic
message as something completely
reliable, and you will do well to
pay attention to it, as to a light
shining in a dark place, until the
day dawns and the morning star
rises in your hearts. . . .

36. ‘‘Above all, you must understand
that no prophecy of Scripture
came about by the prophet’s own
interpretation of things. For
prophecy never had its origin in
the human will, but prophets,
though human, spoke from God
as they were carried along by the
Holy Spirit.

37. ‘‘Whether he is discussing the past,
present or future, the prophet is
seeking to make God the most
genuine reality that men can know
and experience.
A.B. Mickelson
‘Interpreting the Bible’, p. 287

38. ‘‘Even though there is a dramatic
contrast in genre between the two
halves of the book, . . . the overall
message of the book is uniform:
In spite of present appearances,
God is in control.
Tremper Longman III

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