Daniel 9
Daniel realized Jerusalem would be in ruins for 70 years
Darius (Ahasuerus’s son) was of Median descent and was made king over the Chaldean empire. In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was looking through the books and discovered that the Existing One told Prophet Jeremiah that Jerusalem’s time of desolation would be complete after 70 years. So I turned my attention to my Master, God. I looked to him by praying, pleading, fasting, wearing peasant’s clothes, and with ashes.
Daniel begs God to forgive Israel
I prayed to my God, the Existing One, and poured myself out to him, saying,
“Master, you are the great and fearsome God who keeps his alliances and shares his goodness with whoever loves him and keeps his orders. We’ve missed the mark, done wrong, behaved wickedly, and rebelled, even turning away from your orders and decrees. And on top of that, we didn’t listen to your servants the prophets who spoke on your behalf to our kings, rulers, forefathers, and citizens.
Righteousness belongs to you, Master, while open shame belongs to us: Judah’s men, Jerusalem’s inhabitants, and Israel’s citizens. Shame belongs to those of us who are nearby and those of us who are far away in all the countries you’ve driven us to after we committing those treacheries against you. We should be ashamed and so should our kings, rulers, and forefathers for opposing you. Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Master, our God because we rebelled against you. We disobeyed your voice and failed to implement the instructions you put in front of us through your servants the prophets. All of Israel has overlooked your law and ignored it, failing to obey your voice. So the curse has been poured out on us along that was promised in the law of God’s servant, Moses, since we’ve opposed Him. He followed through with his statement about bringing severe calamity against us and our rulers. What was done to Jerusalem has never been done under all of heaven before. All these calamities fell on us like Moses’s law said, yet we still haven’t appeased our God, the Existing One, by turning away from our corruption and looking to your truth. So the Existing One has awoken the calamity and brought it upon us. Everything that our God, the Existing One did was valid, and yet we still haven’t obeyed his voice.
And now, Oh God and Master, you mightily brought your people out of Egypt and made a name for yourself that still stands to this day. We’ve missed the mark. We’ve been wicked. Oh Master, stay aligned with your goodness and direct your anger away from Jerusalem, your sacred mountain. Your people have become a disgrace to everyone around us because of our corruption and our forefathers’ misdemeanors. So God, listen to your servant’s prayers and pleas, and shine your face on your desolate sanctuary for your own sake. God, please hear me! Open your eyes and witness the desolation of your people and the city named after you. We aren’t pleading with you on behalf of anything good that we’ve done, but on behalf of your great compassion. Master, please listen! Please forgive! Hear and take action! God, for your own sake don’t delay, because your city and your people are linked to your reputation.”
Gabriel appears while Daniel is praying
While I was praying, confessing my own corruption along with Israel’s corruption, and pleading with the Existing One on behalf of his holy mountain, the man named Gabriel who I had seen in the previous vision appeared to me in my weariness. He appeared around the time of the evening offering and taught me, saying,
“Oh Daniel, I came so you could have wisdom and understanding. The command was issued as soon as you started pleading, so I’ve come to inform you since you are highly esteemed. Please think about this message so you can understand the vision.
“70 weeks have been allotted for your people and your sacred city to complete their offense, end their corruption, cover their violations, enter perpetual righteousness, seal up visions and prophecy, and dedicate the most sacred place.
“After the decree is issued to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, there will be 7 weeks and 62 weeks until the Chosen Ruler. It will be built again with a plaza and a moat, even in times of distress. Then after 62 weeks, the Chosen One will be killed and have nothing. Then the people supporting the coming ruler will destroy the city and the sanctuary. It will end with a flood, and there will be war even to the end. Desolations have been determined. He’ll make an alliance with lots of people for one week, but in the middle of the week, he’ll stop sacrifices and offerings. A desolator will come on horror’s wings until a predetermined annihilation is poured out on the desolator.”