No Ordinary God (Daniel 9:20-27)
One of the best Super Bowl ads in recent years was a Volkswagen commercial in 2011 that featured a child dressed in a Darth Vader costume, attempting to use "the force" around the house. Take a look at it (show Vader Volkswagen Video).
With the familiar Star Wars music associated with Darth Vader playing in the background, the boy marches down the hallway and then raises his hands dramatically toward a dryer in the utility room—nothing happens.
Next the young Darth points his hands at the family dog lying on the floor. The dog looks up quizzically—but again nothing happens.
Darth does not give up. Now in the bedroom, he raises his hands forcefully toward a doll seated on the bed. The doll stares back blankly without budging an inch. Darth's arms drop to his sides in frustration, and he slumps in discouragement.
In the kitchen, still in costume, he now stands dejectedly at the counter with his black-helmeted head on his hand. Then his father pulls into the driveway, and Darth runs out to the car as his father walks into the house. He hasn't given up! One more time he raises his hands and points them dramatically at the auto. He waits, hands upraised. Suddenly the car's yellow turn signals light up and the engine starts!
The startled child stumbles backward. We see that the playful father had started the car from the kitchen using a push-button ignition. The amazed child whirls to look toward the house, then back again toward the car. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= R55e-uHQna0; www.PreachingToday.com)
Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), but “With God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). Just like that little boy, there is not much that we can do on our own, except get discouraged and look silly; but as we depend on our Heavenly Father, there is no limit to what He can do through us.
In fact, He delights in doing “abundantly beyond all that we could ask or even think” (Ephesians 3:20). So if you’re discouraged this morning, because it looks like your efforts are failing, I invite you to turn with me to Daniel 9, Daniel 9, where we see what God wants to do for those who depend on Him. Daniel has just called on God in prayer. He is desperate for God to act on behalf of his nation, and this is how God answers. Daniel 9, starting at verse 20. Daniel says…
Daniel 9:20-21 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill— while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. (NIV)
This is the same Gabriel that comes to Mary 500 years later to announce the birth of Messiah. He is an archangel, and it seems that whenever Gabriel shows up, he’s got life-changing, earth-altering news to share.
Daniel 9:22-24 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision: “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. (NIV)
Now, when Daniel was praying for his nation, the nation of Judah, he was thinking about its immediate future. They were 67 years into a 70 year Babylonian captivity, and Daniel is desperate for God to keep His Word and rescue them from that captivity in three short years. Daniel is looking for a short-term solution to their immediate problems, but God is looking more than 490 years into the future! “Seventy sevens” is 490; and in the context, God is talking about 490 years!
More than that, Daniel is praying for Judah’s rescue from Babylonian captivity, while God wants to “put an end to [all] sin and “bring in everlasting righteousness”! God wants to do for Daniel much more than what he’s asking for.
God wants to go “abundantly beyond” Daniel’s prayer request, and that’s what God wants to do for His people today. When we’re focused on short-term solutions to immediate problems, God wants to provide the long-term solution to all our problems. So if you’re discouraged today…
TRUST GOD TO ANSWER YOUR PRAYERS BEYOND ANYTHING YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE.
Depend on the Lord to go way above your immediate concerns to addressing the ultimate issues of your life. Rely on your Heavenly Father to care for you in ways far more than what you think you need right now.
You see, when we’re concerned about trivial matters, God is concerned about our ultimate triumph over evil! As verse 24 says, He wants “to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, [and] to atone for wickedness.”
That word “atone” literally means “to cover,” and it describes what Jesus did for us on the cross. His shed blood covers our sin and shields us from God’s wrath against that sin.
In the 19th Century, one of the great preachers of all time, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, described an American citizen who was sentenced to death in a Spanish court. He was also of English birth, so the ambassadors of both countries decided to intervene. The United States and Great Brittan declared that the authorities of Spain had no right to take his life, but the Spanish authorities turned a deaf ear to U.S. and British claims.
The man was placed before a firing squad. Then in a last ditch effort, theAmerican and British ambassadors wrapped the prisoner in their flags – the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack.
Defying the executioner, they issued this warning: “Fire if you dare! But if you do, you will bring the powers of two great nations upon you!”
The riflemen would not shoot. The man stood there condemned; but covered by those flags, he was untouchable. (Bible Illustrator #3/1986.6)
Now, that’s the way it is with those of us who have trusted Christ. We stood condemned because of our sin. But the moment we put our trust in Christ, He covered us with His blood; and now, we are untouchable. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus atoned for wickedness at his first coming; and at his second coming, he will put an end to sin and bring in everlasting righteousness. Jesus took care of the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, and one day he will take care of the presence of sin forever! Satan will be bound and righteousness will reign. But until then, Jesus is taking care of the power of sin in our daily lives as we live in dependence upon Him.
As I said before: when we’re concerned about trivial matters, God is concerned about our ultimate triumph over evil! So look to Him to answer your prayers in ways far beyond what you are asking or even thinking right now.
Steve DeNeff, in his book Soul Shift, talks about the time his dad wanted to congratulate him on something he had accomplished in the sixth grade. Steve’s dad took him to K-Mart and made a wide sweeping gesture with his hand toward the whole store from the entrance. He said, “To congratulate you, I'll buy you anything in this whole store tonight.” Steve’s eyes widened as he thought of the possibilities.
At the time, Steve didn't have a full grasp on how money worked or how much money his dad had, so he put limits on things in his mind. Steve didn't even look at the huge stereo systems, the expensive bikes, or anything else that cost more than a hundred dollars. Instead, Steve chose a cassette tape case that was less than fifty dollars. He was content with just that case. It was more than he could afford himself, for sure, so he chose that one. It was nice.
It wasn’t until years later that his dad told him he had 1,000 dollars in his pocket that night. What’s more, Steve’s dad had brought his checkbook just in cast that wasn’t enough. When his dad wanted to give him the store, Steve asked only for a case to hold his cassette tapes. (Steve DeNeff and David Drury, Soul Shift, Wesleyan Publishing House, 2011, p. 55; www.PreachingToday.com)
I’m afraid that’s how many of us approach God. Limitless power to overcome evil is available to us in God’s pocket, but all we ask for are trivial things like a few dollars or relief from some pain.
My dear friends, it’s not wrong to ask God to meet some of our immediate needs, but don’t stop there. Instead, trust God to answer prayer beyond anything you can imagine. For example, trust him not just to give you relief from pain, but to use that pain to “put an end to sin” in your life.
Author Peter Kreeft asks us to imagine the day when sin, death, and evil are finally defeated by Christ: “Suppose God took you on a crystal ball trip into your future and you saw with indubitable certainty that despite everything –your sin, your smallness, your stupidity – you could have free for the asking your whole crazy heart's deepest desire: heaven, eternal joy. Would you not return fearless and singing? What can earth do to you, if you are guaranteed heaven? To fear the worst earthly loss would be like a millionaire fearing the loss of a penny – less, a scratch on a penny. (Quoted in Tullian Tchividjian, Glorious Ruin, David C. Cook, 2012, page 175; www.PreachingToday.com)
That, my friends, is the way to beat any discouragement we might have in this world. 1st, Trust God to answer your prayers beyond anything you could ever imagine. Then 2nd…
TRUST GOD TO ACCOMPLISH HIS PLAN WHICH IS ALSO BEYOND ANYTHING YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE.
Rely on the Lord to do His will, which is far greater than any desire you or I could ever have. Depend on your Heavenly Father to carry out His designs for us, which are more wonderful than our own designs.
That’s what Daniel discovered. Daniel was thinking about his nation’s immediate future, just three years ahead. What God had in mind was Judah’s ultimate future, spanning more than five centuries. Just look at this amazing prophecy, God’s plan, as the angel Gabriel revealed it to Daniel.
Daniel 9:25 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’
I.e., 69 sevens or a total of 483 years. In other words, when the decree is issued to rebuild Jerusalem, 483 years will pass until Israel’s Messiah comes into the city as Israel’s King.
“It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.”
Jerusalem was in ruins at the time Daniel receives this prophecy, but God assures him that it will be rebuilt again, which of course it was. King Artaxerxes issued a decree to restore and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem on March 5, 444 B.C. It was a time of trouble, but in 52 days the walls were rebuilt. Then it took another 49 years to restore the rest of the city. That’s the seven sevens (or 49 years) described in verse 25.
After that, there are another 62 sevens (or 434 years) until “the Anointed One” (i.e., until the Messiah) comes. Over 500 years before it happened, Daniel was told when Israel’s Messiah would come and not just to the year.
Upon closer examination, this prophecy actually tells us the very day Messiah would come! Let me explain. The Jewish year, in Daniel’s day, was 360 days (not our current 365 and 1/3 days). So when you multiply the 49 years + 434 years, for a total of 483 years, by 360, you come up with exactly 173,880 days. Now, as I said, the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was made on March 5, 444 B.C. When you add 173,880 days to March 5, 444 B.C., you come up to March 30, A.D. 33. Since Luke was very precise in dating the various events of Jesus’ life, we know the precise day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, presenting Himself as Israel’s King. That day was March 30, A.D. 33! More than 500 years before it happened, Daniel knew the exact day of Messiah’s arrival!
Let me tell you: this is no mere human book. Only God can predict the future with such amazing accuracy, so this is indeed God’s Word!
In answer to prayer, God is laying out his ultimate plan for Daniel’s people, the Jews; and it is far beyond anything Daniel ever expected to receive from God. But that’s not the end of the prophecy. Look at verse 26.
Daniel 9:26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off 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. (NIV)
Gabriel is talking about some things that will happen “AFTER” the 62 sevens of years, which follows the 7 sevens of years. So “AFTER” 69 sevens of years, or 483 years, or 173,880 days, “AFTER” that time, the Messiah will be cut off, the city of Jerusalem will be destroyed, along with its temple, and war will continue.
Well, that’s exactly what happened! A week AFTER Jesus presented Himself as Israel’s King, he was crucified. 37 years later, in A.D. 70, the Roman army came in and burned the city of Jerusalem to the ground, along with its temple, and there has been war in the Middle East ever since.
All this happened AFTER Daniel’s 69 sevens of years exactly as predicted, but the prophecy talked about 70 sevens of years in verse 24. There are seven years yet unaccounted for. What about those seven? Well, those seven years are yet future. You see, Daniel saw a gap between the 69th and 70th set of seven years.
It’s like a football game. 60 minutes are decreed for the completion of a football game, but when did a football game ever last just 60 minutes? Never! On the contrary, a football game usually lasts about 2½ hours. Why? It’s because of all the time-outs.
Well, we have a “time-out” here between Daniel’s 69th and 70th seven, during which Jesus died on a cross, Jerusalem was destroyed, and wars have continued. Now, nobody thought that this “time-out” would last nearly 2,000 years so far, but it has.
Even so, I’m convinced that the Referee of Heaven is about to blow His whistle, and the 70th and final 7-year period of God’s game-plan for Israel will resume. The final 7-year period before Jesus comes again to bring in “everlasting righteousness” is about to begin. Just look at the description of that final 7-year period in verse 27, and you’ll see what I mean.
Daniel 9:27 “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’” (NIV)
I.e., the “ruler who will come” talked about in verse 26. This is not the Christ, but the anti-Christ. His people, the Romans, destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Well, a ruler out of that same region (which is basically Europe today), will sign a 7-year peace treaty with Israel. That’s when the final 7-year period begins.
Daniel 9:27 [But] in the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. (NIV)
The head of a revived Roman Empire will sign a 7-year peace treaty with Israel. Then in the middle of those 7 years, he’ll break that treaty, desecrate the temple in Jerusalem, and wreak havoc until he himself is destroyed.
Now, this prophecy presupposes four events, which were unthinkable just a few decades ago.
1st, Israel must become a nation again, and that happened in 1948 when the United Nations officially recognized Israel as a nation in the community of nations.
2nd, Israel must control Jerusalem again, which happened in 1967 during the 6-days war, after over 2,500 years of foreign domination! &
3rd, The Roman Empire must come together again, not exactly as it was, but in a loose confederation of nations that once made it up, as Daniel described it earlier in this book (chapters 2 & 7). Well, that’s exactly what we see in Europe now that all 28 member states of the European Union have recently ratified the Treaty for European Union and elected their president.
4th, Israel must rebuild her temple again. If the head of a revived Roman Empire is going to “set up an abomination that causes desolation on a wing of the temple,” then that presupposes the existence of a temple in Jerusalem.
Right now, there is no temple in Jerusalem. The Romans destroyed it in A.D. 70, and it has not yet been rebuilt. But just this last week (October 23, 2013), Rabbi Yehuda Glick, a leading rabbi in Jerusalem, called for all Jews to stop praying at the Western Wall of the ancient temple. Instead, he urged them to ascend the temple mount itself and become focused on the rebuilding of the next temple in Jerusalem. About 25 years ago, a small group of Jews began ascending the temple mount, but now hundreds of Jews are doing it on a regular basis to offer their prayers.
For a number of years, Rabbi Glick has directed the efforts of the Temple Institute to prepare for the building of the next Jewish temple. As a result, the Temple Institute has all the implements needed to operate the temple including the knowledge of the location of the Ark of the Covenant. All 28,000 priests, to be used in the next temple, have been trained and even their priestly garments are either made or being made right now. (Jimmy DeYoung’s News Update, October 23, 2013, www.news.prophecytoday.com)
The only piece of the puzzle that yet remains for Daniel 9:27 to be fulfilled is the rebuilding of Israel’s ancient temple, but that is about to happen. The stage is set for Daniel’s 70th seven, the final seven years before Jesus comes again to bring in “everlasting righteousness.”
Now, I believe that Christ will take His church out of this world before Daniel’s 70th seven (1 Thessalonians 1:10 & 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8; Revelation 3:10), so that could happen any day! The temple doesn’t have to be rebuilt before Jesus takes us out of here, but the fact that it is about to be rebuilt means that the time is very near!
So don’t be discouraged! Instead, trust God to accomplish His plan beyond anything you or I could ever imagine.
Some time ago, in an article for Christianity Today, Philip Yancey talked about his pastor in Denver, who decided to pull a vacation surprise on his four children. “We're going to Junction City, Kansas,” Peter told them. “It's where my dad used to pastor a church, and we can have lots of fun there.” Meanwhile he made secret plans to spend one afternoon in Junction City, then drive on to enjoy the glories of Disney World.
Ever trusting, his children bragged to skeptical friends, “We're going to Kansas for vacation. It's great!” All during the long drive from Denver to Junction City, Peter kept up morale by describing the wonders awaiting them: playgrounds, a swimming pool, an ice cream stand, maybe even a bowling alley.
After touring Granddad's old church, the kids were ready to check into a motel and go swimming when their dad dropped the bombshell. “You know something – it's kind of boring here in Kansas. Why don't we just drive to Disney World!” Mom reached in a bag and pulled out four custom-made Mickey Mouse hats.
Peter expected his kids to jump up and down in delight. Instead, they complained: “Ah, who wants to get back in the van?” “What about the swimming pool? You promised!” “I thought we were going to go bowling!”
The great surprise had backfired. For the next few hours Peter sat behind the steering wheel and smoldered as his children expanded on all the advantages of Junction City over Disney World. (Philip Yancey, “What's a Heaven For?” Christianity Today, October 1998; www.PreachingToday.com)
How often do we do the same thing, simply because we cannot imagine the wonderful future that God has planned for everyone who trusts in His Son? We stamp our feet and insist on a merry-go-round in Junction City when Disney World’s Space Mountain lies just down the road.
It’s like C. S. Lewis once said: “Our desires are too small. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”
My dear friends, don’t be satisfied with the things of this world. They are nothing compared to what God has in store for those of us who trust in His Son. Instead, trust God to answer your prayers and to accomplish His plan in a way far beyond anything you or I could ever imagine.
Several years ago in Britain, researchers went door-to-door asking persons about their belief in God. One of their questions: “Do you believe in a God who intervenes in human history, who changes the course of affairs, who performs miracles, etc.?” When published, their study took its title from the response of one man who was seen as rather typical of those who responded. He answered, “No, I don't believe in that God; I believe in the ordinary God.” (Al Mohler, Words from the Fire, Moody Publishers, 2009, p. 38; www.PreachingToday.com)
My dear friends, our God is no ordinary God. So trust Him to do the extra-ordinary in your life.
