Daniel was probably a teenager when he was taken from Israel to Babylon at the start of the Babylonian Exile in 605 B.C.. He was a descendant of King David and was identified as intelligent, handsome and worthy of training for an administration position in King Nebuchadnezzar’s vast kingdom. He stood out from the crowd initially when he requested that he and his companions receive special meals which did not violate the dietary restrictions prescribed in the Law of Moses. The Lord rewarded this request by softening the heart of the leader who oversaw such matters and Daniel and his companions were blessed with greater health, intelligence and vitality than their peers. Daniel went on to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and was placed in a position of high honor. He remained faithful to the Lord and prayed from his room at regular intervals three times each day. Later in his long life, some men from the administration were jealous of Daniel and framed him for a “crime” and he was placed in the lion’s den as a brutal execution attempt. However, the Lord miraculously closed the mouths of the lions. Another time, Daniel prayed to the Lord and received a personal visit from an angel with a reply from the Almighty. The angel relayed the message that Daniel was highly esteemed and gave Daniel a detailed outline of Israel’s future. He lived a full life of many years and earned the respect of each of the kings he served during his career in Babylon.
King Belshazzar was Nebuchadnezzar’s “son” (actually grandson through his daughter Nitocris) and had been granted coregency by his father Nabonidus who was away from the throne for 10 of the 17 years while he traveled on various missions including conquests in Edom and Arabia. In his absence, Belshazzar reigned from the throne in Babylon. King Belshazzar failed to humble himself to the Lord so he was going to undergo a divine punishment. During a grand banquet hosted by King Belshazzar in Babylon, this proud and probably drunk King ordered that the sacred cups stolen from the Temple in Jerusalem be brought out for use by the nobles, wives and concubines attending the banquet. They proceeded to use these sacred items while simultaneously engaging in idol worship. This was an overt blasphemous act and marked the end of the once great kingdom. During the banquet, in full view of those in attendance who had used the sacred vessels, a hand appeared and wrote on the wall of the banquet room which terrified all the people. No-one could decipher the meaning of the words, probably a cryptogram. The queen, perhaps Nebuchadnezzar’s widow, advised Belshazzar to check with Daniel and he indeed interpreted the meaning with stark accuracy. The kingdom fell that very night.
“The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. ‘May the king live forever!’ she said. ‘Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.'”
Daniel 5:10-12
The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament has many incredible stories. For our purposes here we will focus on two major lines of prophecy revealed to this highly esteemed prophet. One concerning the outline of Gentile kingdoms from his time until the Second Coming of Christ, the other concerning the destiny of Israel from his time until the Second Coming of Christ. His words were authenticated not only by the unfolding of history but also by validation from Jesus himself (Matthew 24:15).
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.”
Matthew 24:15-21
The Prophecy Concerning Gentiles
King Nebuchadnezzar was the leader of the largest kingdom the world had known. One night he had a dream that disurbed him. He ordered his staff of magicians, sorcerers, and wise men to interpret the dream. However, in order to validate the interpretation as authentic, he stipulated that they must tell him the dream he had first, and then interpret it. Obviously, no-one was able to do that. So he ordered that they all be killed since they were apparently incapable frauds with no access to divine assistance. Daniel and his companions were included on the long list of those to be executed. Daniel requested a meeting with the King and bought some time for he and his companions to pray that God would help save them. God answered that prayer and the dream and its interpretation were revealed to Daniel who subsequently relayed it on to the King. As a result, Daniel and his companions were placed in positions of high authority and honor.
The King had seen a huge statue in his dream. It was made of various materials; the head of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs as bronze and the lower legs and feet of iron mixed with clay. Then, in his dream, a huge rock was hurled towards the statue and hit its feet. The force was so great that the entire statue was destroyed and was reduced to dust in the wind. The rock turned into a huge mountain that filled the entire earth.
Daniel must have had the King on the edge of his seat by telling him exactly what he had dreamt. So Daniel then proceeded to give the interpretation which was revealed to him by God, a point he made very clear. The head represented King Nebuchadnezzer, the king of the greatest kingdom the world had known. He was great and his kingdom was vast but it would not endure. It would be taken over by another king and the kingdom would be replaced by an inferior kingdom represented by the chest of silver. In time, that kingdom would be taken over by another inferior kingdom represented by the thighs of bronze and finally that kingdom would fall to another more inferior kingdom represented by the iron mixed with clay. In the end, the kingdoms of the world represented by the statue would be replaced by Christ’s kingdom, represented by the rock that destroyed the statue. Christ’s kingdom would be over the entire earth just as the rock turned into a mountain that filled the earth.
At a later date, Daniel personally had a vision which followed the same interpretation but the vision he had wasn’t of a statue but rather one of various beasts (Daniel 7-8). Daniel’s vision offered more details which were confirmed as history unfolded; more will unfold in the future. Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom dominated from 606 B.C. – 539 B.C. Medo-Persia took over the Babylonian reign and dominated from 539 B.C. – 331 B.C. The Grecian Empire dominated from 331 B.C. – 146 B.C.. Rome dominated from 146 B.C – A.D. 476. The Temple in Jerusalem and the city itself were destroyed by Titus, the Roman Emperor and his army in A.D. 70. However, the Roman Empire eventually became fragmented and their dominance crumbled little by little until they were not a world power any longer. This was represented by the iron mixed with clay. Those two materials don’t mix well and indicated a weakness that would not last. Though iron is strong and represents power and strength, the clay weakened it substantially. Those four kingdoms have come and gone and we can review history to see how Daniel’s prophecy was accurate and true. However, there is much more to come in the future. The last Roman empire will be miraculously revived and dominate the world under the leadership of the antichrist as predicted by other Biblical prophecy. Then Christ will return and conquer the world from the revived Roman empire. Christ, in his Second Coming, is the rock that struck the statue and fills the earth. The various prophecies from the Book of Daniel form a backbone for all Biblical prophecy related to the course of the world up until the Second Coming of Christ.
So the basic program for the history of world powers was laid out for Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted by Daniel. Daniel also had his own vision of beasts which followed the same interpretation. History has proven these prophecies to be accurate and true up to this point in time. With that being the case, it is logical and wise to expect that the future will continue to be accurate according to the rest of the prophecy. The various Biblical prophecies regarding the end times fit nicely with this outline. In addition to the Gentile world powers, Daniel was also given the prophetic program for Israel which we will cover in the following section.
The Prophecy Concerning Israel
One day when Daniel was an old man, he was reading a prophecy from Jeremiah. In those days they did not have the Bible readily available in a complete form like we do now. Scrolls were scarce and rarely shared. Copies were limited. In reviewing Daniel’s account of this event, it appears to be the first time he was reading this prophecy recorded by Jeremiah. The prediction was that Israel would be in exile for 70 years because of their blatant disobedience to the Law of Moses (Jeremiah 25:1-14). By the time Daniel was reading it, the 70 years were nearly complete. Daniel had been one of the many Israelites originally taken away from Jerusalem and spent the majority of his long life in a foreign land surrounded by pagan culture and practices during this exile. Once he determined that the 70 years of the prophecy was nearly complete, he began to pray earnestly and confessed the sinful ways of his rebellious nation (Daniel 9:1-17). He pleaded with God to stick to his word and allow them to return to their homeland as promised. However, to his dismay, he received an answer that he did not exactly want to hear. The answer was sent via the Angel Gabriel who stated:
“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Daniel 9:24-27
Let’s break this complicated prophecy down. First of all, remember that Israel had disobeyed the Lord greatly and as disciplinary measure, they were sent into Babylonian exile for what should have been 70 years. However, they continued to disobey even in exile and it was apparent that they hadn’t learned their lesson. Therefore, according to the prophecy, the time of discipline will be extended from 70 years to 70 times 7 years (490 years). Daniel was distraught at this news. He was expecting it to end soon, but now he learned that it will actually extend for a greater period of time than the original. There will be 490 years left for their punishment starting from the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. For Daniel, this was still a future event. In time it happened in 445 B.C. when King Artaxerxes gave such an order to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:4-8). At that time a limited number of Jews began to return to their homeland to rebuild Jerusalem. The Biblical account notes that they did so under heavy opposition.
More Detail on the Timing
The Hebrew (Jewish) calendar is a lunisolar calendar and different from the solar Gregorian calendar most nations of the world are accustomed to using in modern times (365 days or 366 days per year when needed, with several months having a 31st day). The Babylonians used a calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar in the sense that each month consisted of 30 days and most years had 12 months. However, when necessary, they would add in an extra month of 30 days to keep it correct over time. Calendar corrections and an accurate dating system in history is a complicated subject. The complication is compounded by the fact that not all nations/cultures use the same system. Failure to make corrections to the calendar would change the religious day celebrations and/or eventually cause summer to occur during winter months and vice versa. Then, over time, they would slowly switch back again. It is helpful for farmers and others to know what weather to expect in certain months. Strict religious observers must be sure they do the right thing on the right day. The Bible calculates years based on what we can call a Prophecy calendar which simply uses twelve 30-day months with no correction for weather patterns or religious day observances. This is proven in Revelation where 1,260 days is equal to 42 months and time, times and half a time where time equals one year, times equals two years and half a time equals half a year for a total of 3 1/2 years (c.f. Revelation 11:2-3, 13:5, 12:14, Daniel 7:25, 12:7). But let’s not get bogged down in the details. The takeaway is that the Bible calculates years as twelve 30-day months. Gabriel’s prophecy was not based on a Hebrew, Babylonian or Gregorian calendar calculation, it was using a straight Prophecy Calendar as seen in other parts of the Bible related to the end times. Also, Gabriel did not specify days, months or years in a typical way, he instead used the term “seven(s)”. We are the ones who convert it to years and we do so using a different calendar and a man-made dating system. It may well be impossible to make the dates work with precision because of our flawed measurements of time. However, there is enough contained in this prophecy to make sense of its overall meaning. Remember Gabriel’s message began with “know and understand this”. If you set aside the details and grasp the main message, then our faith will enable us to trust the Lord to fulfill it accurately even if we don’t fully understand how that is possible-just like so many other things such as creation, salvation, the virgin birth, the Trinity, eternity and more. Many Biblical subjects rise above human comprehension.
Seven “sevens” makes 49 years. The city would be ready to be built on at the end of 49 years from when that work was started. By that time the streets and moat for defensive purposes will be completed which would form the structure for the rest of the city to be filled in with homes and merchant shops. This work began in 445 B.C. when King Artaxerxes gave such an order to Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:4-8).
Sixty-two “sevens” makes 434 years. The city would be clearly re-established and continue to grow steadily. That would bring us up to the time of Christ’s crucifixion in A.D. 33. We know that the city was well established by then and Herod’s Temple was an impressive building project located within the great city of Jerusalem.
Next, according to the prophecy, the people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary (Temple). This happened in A.D. 70 when Titus, a Roman Emperor and his army destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. In order to recover the gold that was inlaid in the temple trim and walls, the rubble was meticulously handled to extract any gold, some of which had melted from the heat of the fire. This was a fulfillment of Christ’s words to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down (Matthew 24:1-2).
Note that Jesus was crucified in A.D. 33. The city was not destroyed until A.D. 70. That is a difference of 37 years. The prophecy given to Daniel specified 490 years total (70×7). At first glance, it appears to be inaccurate because 7 years after the crucifixion would have been A.D. 40 and the city wasn’t destroyed until 30 years later. This discrepancy is large enough that it would not fit any kind of known calendar that has ever been in use. The so-called discrepancy only exists if you assume the periods of years are consecutive.
During the first period of 49 years, the city would begin to be rebuilt in times of trouble. The second period occurred consecutively and lasted 434 years which ended in A.D. 33 when Christ was crucified. That leaves 7 years left to go in the prophecy. The prophecy mentions that the Anointed One would be put to death and have nothing. That is an obvious prediction of Christ’s crucifixion. Yet then the very next sentence says the people of the ruler to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. That didn’t happen until 37 years after the crucifixion. So if we trust the prophecy is accurate, and it came from God, through an angelic messenger to Daniel the prophet who is highly esteemed and validated by Christ, then we have to conclude that there is a gap between the sixty-two “sevens” and the last “seven”. In other words, the 490 years are divided into three periods. The first period is 49 years, the second period is 434 years and the third period is 7 years. Add them up and it covers the entire 490 years. However, though the first and second period are consecutive, there is a gap between the second period and the third. The final seven years will happen sometime in the future. By recognizing the existence of a gap, we now know that the rest of the prophecy is speaking of future events that will occur in the end times. The prophecy itself proves there is a gap since the two events were separated by 37 years and didn’t happen within the 7 years that were left. Once the gap is acknowledged, the next challenge is to determine how long the gap will last. The gap is an unrevealed number of years which extends from the Crucifixion up until the Rapture. Nobody knows when the Rapture will occur, therefore we don’t know how many years are included in the gap. But we will know when it ends because the Rapture will occur and the antichrist will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’, a seven year peace agreement for Israel and the world. Then the final seven years will countdown to the Second Coming of Christ. So the seventy sevens is not really 490 years after all. It is 483 followed by an unknown number of years in the gap, plus the last 7 years. We have to piece together various prophecies to see the whole picture. It’s more of a mosaic but when you see it, it’s comprehensible. God’s revelation that he will come again and make things right becomes very clear to students of the Bible.
The Church Age
The gap in the seventy sevens prophecy coincides with the Church Age. The Church Age was not revealed to any of the Old Testament prophets. It remained a mystery until New Testament times. During the Church Age, Jew and Gentile believers are equally joined together to form a new special company of believers known as the Church or the body and bride of Christ. The 490 years are focused on Israel’s destiny. During the Church Age, Israel is set on the back burner and the advancement of their prophetic clock is paused. At the end of the Church Age, the focus will again be on Israel and their prophetic clock will start back up again. Israel’s unbelief opened the door for the Gospel to reach the entire world and will continue until the “full number of Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25).” It was God’s original intention that Israel would have been a light to the world and an example for other Gentile nations to come to a saving relationship with God. Ancient Israel failed to meet God’s expectations and so God is using their unbelief to bring people to himself. Our God is amazing. He can take the worst of circumstances and make them work together for good. For the sake of the elect, God will keep his beloved nation on hold while the rest of us are saved. God is presently forming the Body and Bride of Christ from both Jew and Gentile individuals. Israel was privileged prior to the Church age and will again be privileged following it, but this is our time of great blessing. If you are reading this, you should be grateful for God’s grace which paused the prophetic clock concerning Israel.
When Christ returns, all the things mentioned in the prophecy regarding Israel will be accomplished. 1) to finish transgression, 2) to put an end to sin, 3) to atone for wickedness, 4) to bring in everlasting righteousness, 5) to seal up vision and prophecy and 6) to anoint the Most Holy Place. In other words, Israel as a nation will be restored to their Messiah. As a nation, they will repent and stop sinning, they will establish righteousness and the prophecies recorded about their restoration will be fulfilled. The New Temple will be constructed and anointed (Ezekiel 40-48). Since the last of the 490 years will have elapsed, the Millennial Kingdom which lasts for 1000 years will begin with Christ as King (Revelation 20).
More Details on the Prophecy
To help clearly explain my understanding of the prophecy, I’ll add my notes in brackets interwoven into the recorded prophecy from Daniel 9:24-27:
“Seventy ‘sevens’ [490 years] are decreed for your people and your holy city [the Nation Israel / Jerusalem] to [1] finish transgression, to [2] put an end to sin, to [3] atone for wickedness, to [4] bring in everlasting righteousness, to [5] seal up vision and prophecy and to [6] anoint the Most Holy Place [all six things summarize the establishment of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom on earth which includes Israel’s restoration to a right relationship with God and acceptance of Christ as Messiah].
“Know and understand this [though it may be complicated, you should be able to decipher and comprehend the contents]: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem [445 B.C. as recorded in Nehemiah 2:4-8] until the Anointed One [Christ], the ruler, comes [in his incarnation to be an atoning sacrifice for the race of mankind], there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ [the first period is 7×7=49 years; the second period is 62×7=434 years; the two periods added together is 49+434= 483 years]. It [Jerusalem] will be rebuilt with streets and a trench [a basic infrastructure which will be added to over time], but in times of trouble [opposition from enemies]. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ [after the first and second consecutive periods which total 483 years] the Anointed One [Christ] will be put to death and will have nothing [the crucifixion in A.D. 33] [The time gap begins here following the repulsive act of Israel when they demanded the crucifixion of their promised Messiah]. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary [Titus and his Roman army in A.D. 70]. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. [The Church Age when the Body and Bride is being formed from both believing Jews and Gentiles and many wars, turmoil and Christian persecutions will be common]. He [the antichrist] will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ [the peace treaty which marks the beginning of the tribulation period which coincides with the last period of 7 years referred to in the prophecy] In the middle of the ‘seven’ [3 ½ years into the 7 year tribulation period] he [the antichrist] will put an end to sacrifice and offering [stop the Orthodox Jews from their ritual worship in the Temple during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation Period]. And at the Temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation [an animated image of the antichrist himself, or the antichrist personally present will be worshipped by all who have taken the mark of the beast], until the end that is decreed is poured out on him [the antichrist will be consigned to the lake of fire for eternity].”
The consistent message of Biblical prophecy is that Israel will be forgiven, restored and exalted above all other nations of the world. They are God’s chosen nation and it was from Israel that Christ was conceived and given to be Savior of the World. In our age it is confusing how they can be chosen for this honor since they presently reject Christ as their Messiah. This prophecy helps clear that up because we know there will be an end to that rebellion. They will repent and believe after the Second Coming of Christ. It is at that time when they will be restored. Individual Jews may decide to believe in Christ as their Savior during this age and be saved by grace just like Gentiles. However, Israel as a nation will continue in unbelief until the Second Coming. We must endure patiently until the full duration of prophesied time elapses – “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression…(Daniel 9:24).”
God has promised things to Israel and he can and will fulfill his promises based on the grace available through the death and resurrection of Christ. We gain salvation apart from works or payment through faith in the Gospel, but remember that a huge payment was made by Christ to obtain that redemption. He is free to redeem Israel no matter how badly they failed as a nation just as he is free to redeem any of us no matter how badly we have failed as individuals. The grace of God is infinite because the value of the blood of Christ is infinite. The doctrine of Election will be proven true by the actions of Christ our Judge! Consider the words of the Apostle Paul carefully:
“I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me’? And what was God’s answer to him? ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
“What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that could not see
and ears that could not hear,
to this very day.”
And David says:
“May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.”
“Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
“I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
“If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.’ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
“Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
And this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
“As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:1-36
Summary of Daniel’s Major Prophecies
Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of four great kingdoms. These have come and gone and the Roman empire will be resurrected in the future and will be a prominent player in the end times events. Daniel was also given the future prophetic program for Israel. They will continue to be in rebellion to God and his ways until the Second Coming of Christ at which time they will repent as a nation. God will restore Israel to an exalted position above all other nations of the world. It is noteworthy that though Daniel received two major prophecies, he was left in the dark regarding the Church Age. No Old Testament prophet foresaw what God had in store for us. We live a time of great privilege. We have been given the complete canon of Scripture to read and comprehend. We have been given the Holy Spirit to indwell our bodies and provide protection and enlightenment for our journey through life. We have complete understanding of our salvation and the means by which our sins were atoned for by the sacrifice of Christ. We also have hope for the future and a glimpse of how God will end things for the world and establish eternity. If Daniel was highly esteemed, we are even more treasured. We were given the same prophecies that Daniel received and much more! That should give us motivation to be more devoted to serving the Lord than even Daniel, arguably one of the most devoted believers on record.
“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its people and their animals, even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign Lord.
“Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate.
“Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, ‘Let the sword pass throughout the land,’ and I kill its people and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved.
“Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath on it through bloodshed, killing its people and their animals, as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness.
“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How much worse will it be when I send against Jerusalem my four dreadful judgments—sword and famine and wild beasts and plague—to kill its men and their animals! Yet there will be some survivors—sons and daughters who will be brought out of it. They will come to you, and when you see their conduct and their actions, you will be consoled regarding the disaster I have brought on Jerusalem—every disaster I have brought on it. You will be consoled when you see their conduct and their actions, for you will know that I have done nothing in it without cause, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Ezekiel 14:12-23
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New International Version (NIV)
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