foreign so we are continuing our time in<\/p>\n
Daniel and we'll be looking at Daniel<\/p>\n
chapter 9 today<\/p>\n
and what is the context leading up to<\/p>\n
chapter nine Israel is scattered<\/p>\n
throughout Babylon uh Jerusalem and the<\/p>\n
temple have been destroyed God promised<\/p>\n
in chapter 7 that the saints of God will<\/p>\n
receive a kingdom<\/p>\n
he promised in chapter 8 that the<\/p>\n
sanctuary will be restored<\/p>\n
but before this happens Kings and<\/p>\n
kingdoms will rise and fall which means<\/p>\n
that most likely there will be long<\/p>\n
periods of time before these promises<\/p>\n
are fulfilled<\/p>\n
the promises of the sanctuary being<\/p>\n
restored and the New Kingdom they seem<\/p>\n
so far off<\/p>\n
there's a narrow 66 mile land strip that<\/p>\n
connects South and Central America<\/p>\n
that's called the dairy and GAP and it's<\/p>\n
a mountainous rainforest with no roads<\/p>\n
and for those who cross it there are<\/p>\n
many dangers along the way<\/p>\n
the migrants risk hunger they risk<\/p>\n
exhaustion drowning robbery<\/p>\n
broken ankles and snake bites<\/p>\n
and in 2022 250<\/p>\n
000 migrants crossed this roadless<\/p>\n
stretch of land heading towards Mexico<\/p>\n
and the U.S<\/p>\n
what would make so many people take this<\/p>\n
journey this five-day journey across 66<\/p>\n
miles of this treacherous Terrain<\/p>\n
they heard from family members or people<\/p>\n
who are living in the country that they<\/p>\n
are migrating to that the land that they<\/p>\n
are living in is good<\/p>\n
what do they need to motivate them<\/p>\n
to do this they need hope<\/p>\n
hope in a new and a better home<\/p>\n
and so that's what we will see today<\/p>\n
that God gives us in Daniel chapter nine<\/p>\n
he gives us hope this is the same thing<\/p>\n
that the Israelites needed at the end of<\/p>\n
chapter eight<\/p>\n
they needed hope and God has given that<\/p>\n
to them in chapter seven and eight but<\/p>\n
we'll see in chapter 9 today that he has<\/p>\n
specifically given this to the<\/p>\n
Israelites and to us to see that through<\/p>\n
the life of Daniel why hope looks like<\/p>\n
an exile and he assures Israel and he<\/p>\n
assures us of his new kingdom to come<\/p>\n
Daniel 9 is meant to be a message of<\/p>\n
hope for us just like it was a hope for<\/p>\n
the Israelites live in thousands of<\/p>\n
years ago in Exile<\/p>\n
God has promised to bring us out of<\/p>\n
Exile and into our new home in his<\/p>\n
kingdom<\/p>\n
so with this in mind let's look at our<\/p>\n
text Daniel chapter 9.<\/p>\n
in the first year of Darius the son of a<\/p>\n
hisseris by descent amid who was made<\/p>\n
King over the realm of the Chaldeans in<\/p>\n
the first year of his Reign I Daniel<\/p>\n
perceived in the books of the books the<\/p>\n
numbers of years that according to the<\/p>\n
word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet<\/p>\n
must pass before the end of the<\/p>\n
desolations of Jerusalem namely 70 years<\/p>\n
then I turn my face to the Lord God<\/p>\n
seeking him by prayer and pleased for<\/p>\n
Mercy with fasting and sackcloth and<\/p>\n
Ashes I pray to the Lord my God and made<\/p>\n
confession saying O Lord the great and<\/p>\n
awesome God who keeps Covenant and<\/p>\n
steadfast love with those who love him<\/p>\n
and keep his Commandments<\/p>\n
we have sinned and done wrong and acted<\/p>\n
wickedly and rebelled turning aside<\/p>\n
from your Commandments and rules we have<\/p>\n
not listened to your servants the<\/p>\n
prophets who spoke in your name to our<\/p>\n
Kings our princes and our fathers and to<\/p>\n
all the people of the land<\/p>\n
To You O Lord belongs righteousness but<\/p>\n
to US Open shame is at this day to the<\/p>\n
men of Judah to the inhabitants of<\/p>\n
Jerusalem and to all Israel those who<\/p>\n
are near and those who are far away and<\/p>\n
all the lands to which you have driven<\/p>\n
them because of the treachery that they<\/p>\n
have committed against you<\/p>\n
to us O Lord belongs open shame to our<\/p>\n
Kings to our princes and to our fathers<\/p>\n
because we have sinned against you to<\/p>\n
the Lord Our God belong mercy and<\/p>\n
forgiveness<\/p>\n
for we have rebelled against him<\/p>\n
and have not obeyed the voice of the<\/p>\n
Lord<\/p>\n
Our God by walking in his laws which he<\/p>\n
set before us by his servants the<\/p>\n
prophets<\/p>\n
all Israel has transgressed your law and<\/p>\n
turned aside refusing to obey your voice<\/p>\n
and the curse and oath that are written<\/p>\n
in the law of Moses the servant of God<\/p>\n
has been poured out upon us because we<\/p>\n
have sinned against him<\/p>\n
he has confirmed his words which he<\/p>\n
spoke against us and against our rulers<\/p>\n
who ruled us by bringing upon us a great<\/p>\n
calamity<\/p>\n
for under the whole Heaven there has not<\/p>\n
been done anything like what has been<\/p>\n
done against Jerusalem<\/p>\n
as it is written in the law of Moses All<\/p>\n
This calamity has come upon us yet we<\/p>\n
have not and treated the favor of the<\/p>\n
Lord Our God turning from our iniquities<\/p>\n
and gaining Insight by your truth<\/p>\n
therefore the Lord has kept ready the<\/p>\n
Calamity and has brought it upon us<\/p>\n
for the Lord our God is righteous in all<\/p>\n
the works that he has done and we have<\/p>\n
not obeyed his voice<\/p>\n
and now O Lord Our God who brought your<\/p>\n
people out of the land of Egypt with the<\/p>\n
mighty hand and have made a name for<\/p>\n
yourself<\/p>\n
as at this day we have sinned we have<\/p>\n
done wickedly<\/p>\n
O Lord according to all your righteous<\/p>\n
acts let your anger and your wrath turn<\/p>\n
away from your City Jerusalem your Holy<\/p>\n
Hill because for our sins and for the<\/p>\n
iniquities of our fathers Jerusalem and<\/p>\n
your people have become a byword among<\/p>\n
all who are around us<\/p>\n
now therefore O Lord listen to the<\/p>\n
prayer of your servant and to his pleas<\/p>\n
for mercy and for your own Sake O Lord<\/p>\n
make your face still shine upon your<\/p>\n
Sanctuary which is desolate<\/p>\n
oh my God incline your ear in here open<\/p>\n
your eyes and see your desolations and<\/p>\n
the city that is called by your name for<\/p>\n
we do not present our pleas before you<\/p>\n
because of our righteousness<\/p>\n
but because of your great Mercy<\/p>\n
oh Lord hear O Lord forgive oh Lord pay<\/p>\n
attention and act delay not for your own<\/p>\n
sake oh my God because your city and<\/p>\n
your people are called by your name<\/p>\n
while I was speaking and praying<\/p>\n
confessing my sin and the sin of My<\/p>\n
People Israel and presenting my plea<\/p>\n
before the Lord my God for the Holy Hill<\/p>\n
of my God while I was speaking in prayer<\/p>\n
the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the<\/p>\n
vision at the first came to me in Swift<\/p>\n
flight at the time of the evening<\/p>\n
sacrifice he made me understand speaking<\/p>\n
with me and saying oh Daniel I have now<\/p>\n
come out to give you insight and<\/p>\n
understanding at the beginning of your<\/p>\n
pleas for Mercy a word went out and I<\/p>\n
have come to tell it to you for you are<\/p>\n
greatly loved therefore consider the<\/p>\n
word and understand the vision<\/p>\n
70 weeks are decreed about your people<\/p>\n
in your Holy City to finish the<\/p>\n
transgression to put an end to sin and<\/p>\n
to atone for iniquity to bring in<\/p>\n
Everlasting righteousness to sell both<\/p>\n
vision and profit and to annoy a Most<\/p>\n
Holy place<\/p>\n
now therefore and understand that from<\/p>\n
the going out of the word to restore and<\/p>\n
build Jerusalem to the coming of an<\/p>\n
anointed one a prince there shall be<\/p>\n
seven weeks then for 62 weeks it shall<\/p>\n
be built again with squares and moat but<\/p>\n
in a troubled time and after the 62<\/p>\n
weeks an anointed one shall be cut off<\/p>\n
and shall have nothing<\/p>\n
and the people of the prince who is to<\/p>\n
come shall destroy the city in the<\/p>\n
sanctuary its end shall come with a<\/p>\n
flood and to the end there shall be War<\/p>\n
desolations are a Creed and he shall<\/p>\n
make a strong Covenant with many for one<\/p>\n
week and for half of the week he shall<\/p>\n
put an end to sacrifice an offering<\/p>\n
and on the wing of Abominations shall<\/p>\n
come one who makes desolate<\/p>\n
until the decreed end is poured out on<\/p>\n
the desolator<\/p>\n
does Israel's situation of being in<\/p>\n
Exile as a result of disobedience<\/p>\n
feel like a repeat of a scene from<\/p>\n
another place in Scripture<\/p>\n
think back to the beginning of creation<\/p>\n
God had placed Adam and Eve in a<\/p>\n
beautiful garden he had told them you<\/p>\n
may surely eat of every tree in the<\/p>\n
garden except for the tree of the<\/p>\n
knowledge of Good and Evil and in the<\/p>\n
day that you eat of it you shall surely<\/p>\n
die<\/p>\n
and when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by<\/p>\n
eating the forbidden fruit God was<\/p>\n
faithful to his word Adam and Eve did<\/p>\n
physical death would be imminent but it<\/p>\n
wouldn't be immediate<\/p>\n
God said<\/p>\n
behold the man has become like one of us<\/p>\n
knowing Good and Evil<\/p>\n
now at least he reached out his hand and<\/p>\n
take also of the tree of life and eat<\/p>\n
and live forever therefore the Lord sent<\/p>\n
him out of the Garden of Eden to work<\/p>\n
the ground from which he was taken he<\/p>\n
drove out the man and at the east of the<\/p>\n
Garden of Eden he placed the cherubim in<\/p>\n
a flaming sword that turned every way to<\/p>\n
guard the way to the Tree of Life<\/p>\n
and so all of humanity along with Adam<\/p>\n
and Eve have been in Exile since that<\/p>\n
dark day<\/p>\n
life is not the way it once was in the<\/p>\n
garden<\/p>\n
sin has corrupted all of humanity in all<\/p>\n
of the world that we live in<\/p>\n
we like Israel in Daniel's day are now<\/p>\n
Exiles living in a foreign land that is<\/p>\n
not our home country<\/p>\n
and I want to look at three points in<\/p>\n
our text today that were meant to<\/p>\n
encourage us to persevere through Exile<\/p>\n
and to strengthen our hope of making it<\/p>\n
home to God's Everlasting Kingdom<\/p>\n
the first point I want to look at is to<\/p>\n
base your hope of receiving a new home<\/p>\n
in God's Kingdom on your Covenant God in<\/p>\n
his word alone not yourself<\/p>\n
and what does Daniel chapter 9 reveal to<\/p>\n
us about what should and shouldn't be<\/p>\n
the foundation of her hope<\/p>\n
let's look first at what the foundation<\/p>\n
should be and then we'll look at what it<\/p>\n
shouldn't be<\/p>\n
in Daniel chapter 9 Daniel acts sends us<\/p>\n
an example to follow for God's people<\/p>\n
who are living in Exile<\/p>\n
he shows us that the base of our<\/p>\n
foundation of our hope is our faithful<\/p>\n
Covenant God and his word<\/p>\n
in verse 2<\/p>\n
we read in the first year of his Reign I<\/p>\n
Daniel proceed in the books the number<\/p>\n
of years that according to the word of<\/p>\n
the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet must<\/p>\n
pass before the end of the desolations<\/p>\n
of Jerusalem namely 70 years<\/p>\n
and so the book of Jeremiah mentions in<\/p>\n
a couple of places about this 70-year<\/p>\n
period of Jerusalem's desolation and how<\/p>\n
God would return Israel back whenever it<\/p>\n
was completed<\/p>\n
Daniel is most likely referring to<\/p>\n
Chapters 25 and 29 of Jeremiah when he<\/p>\n
says he perceived in the books according<\/p>\n
to Jeremiah<\/p>\n
so in Jeremiah 29 10-14 we read for thus<\/p>\n
says the Lord when 70 years are<\/p>\n
completed for Babylon I will visit you<\/p>\n
and I will fulfill to you my promise and<\/p>\n
bring you back to this place<\/p>\n
for I know the plans I have for you<\/p>\n
declares the Lord plans for your welfare<\/p>\n
and not for evil to give you a future<\/p>\n
and a hope<\/p>\n
and then you will call upon me and come<\/p>\n
and pray to me and I will hear you you<\/p>\n
will seek and find me when you seek me<\/p>\n
with all your heart<\/p>\n
I will be found by you declares the Lord<\/p>\n
and I will restore your fortunes and<\/p>\n
gather you from all the nations and all<\/p>\n
the places where I've driven you<\/p>\n
declares the Lord and I will bring you<\/p>\n
back to the place from which I sent you<\/p>\n
into exile<\/p>\n
and so the Lord has great plans for<\/p>\n
Israel and he reveals those plans to<\/p>\n
them<\/p>\n
why<\/p>\n
we find the answer in verse 11 to give<\/p>\n
you a future and a hope<\/p>\n
God reveals to us in his word his plans<\/p>\n
for our future in order to give us hope<\/p>\n
and Daniel was an example of this he has<\/p>\n
found great hope of Israel's return from<\/p>\n
Exile in the book of Jeremiah<\/p>\n
so what does he do he turns to the Lord<\/p>\n
in prayer and repentance<\/p>\n
and what is God's response to Daniel's<\/p>\n
prayer<\/p>\n
another a word goes out from the Lord<\/p>\n
and the angel Gabriel delivers God's<\/p>\n
message to Daniel<\/p>\n
and what does he say in verses 22<\/p>\n
through 23. he says oh Daniel I have now<\/p>\n
so again we see how how God works here<\/p>\n
God sends a word a message of Hope about<\/p>\n
his plan for Israel's future to his<\/p>\n
people who are most likely feeling<\/p>\n
hopeless after 66 years of being in<\/p>\n
Exile<\/p>\n
and God produces hope in the hearts of<\/p>\n
his people through his word<\/p>\n
God produces hope in the hearts of his<\/p>\n
people through his word<\/p>\n
and we have a great and awesome God who<\/p>\n
cares about his people and wants us to<\/p>\n
have great hope<\/p>\n
Daniel's example here in chapter 9 it<\/p>\n
teaches us to base Our Hope from Exile<\/p>\n
on God's word<\/p>\n
God has given us his word and designed<\/p>\n
it to guide us through exile<\/p>\n
it gives us great hope so that by his<\/p>\n
grace we keep going and we make it home<\/p>\n
he's given us his completed words so<\/p>\n
that we understand the Exile like no<\/p>\n
other generation of God's people have<\/p>\n
ever understood it before<\/p>\n
God's word is meant to nourish our souls<\/p>\n
on the long stretch home<\/p>\n
it strengthens Our Hope in what is to<\/p>\n
come so that we continue in the faith<\/p>\n
until we reach our final destination<\/p>\n
which is our new home with God<\/p>\n
and Daniel also bases his Hope on God's<\/p>\n
character<\/p>\n
one of if not the most dominant theme in<\/p>\n
the Book of Daniel is God's sovereignty<\/p>\n
God is in control of all things even<\/p>\n
mighty Nations like Babylon that ruled<\/p>\n
over Israel for a Time<\/p>\n
God is the one who used Babylon to drive<\/p>\n
Israel into Exile and so he must be the<\/p>\n
one who brings them back from it<\/p>\n
God is able but is God willing<\/p>\n
Daniel mentioned several times in his<\/p>\n
prayer that God has shown himself<\/p>\n
righteous and dealing with Israel Israel<\/p>\n
has broken the Covenant that God made<\/p>\n
with them and so in order for God to be<\/p>\n
righteous he must deal with Israel's<\/p>\n
disobedience<\/p>\n
in the opening of Daniel's prayer it<\/p>\n
focuses heavily on God's righteousness<\/p>\n
in Israel's sin<\/p>\n
if you were to just listen to the the<\/p>\n
beginning of Daniel's prayer then you<\/p>\n
might think that there isn't much hope<\/p>\n
for God bringing Israel back<\/p>\n
but it's in verse 9 that Daniel's prayer<\/p>\n
begins to to give those in Exile hope of<\/p>\n
God returning them back to the land<\/p>\n
and verse 90 Daniel says to the Lord Our<\/p>\n
God belong mercy and forgiveness<\/p>\n
and in the Hebrew here the words mercy<\/p>\n
and forgiveness are in the plural form a<\/p>\n
Cindy gradanus in his book preaching<\/p>\n
Christ from Daniel says the plural means<\/p>\n
either the intensity of God's mercy and<\/p>\n
forgiveness or that God showed these<\/p>\n
qualities many times<\/p>\n
and so Daniel is indicating that God is<\/p>\n
full of mercy and forgiveness<\/p>\n
Israel can have hope of coming back from<\/p>\n
Exile because God is merciful and<\/p>\n
forgiving<\/p>\n
he has the ability to show Mercy by<\/p>\n
withholding the Covenant curses that<\/p>\n
Israel deserves<\/p>\n
and he has the ability to forgive and<\/p>\n
not hold Israel's sins against them<\/p>\n
forever<\/p>\n
he must possess these qualities if<\/p>\n
Israel is to have any hope of return<\/p>\n
because as Daniel prayer clearly points<\/p>\n
out<\/p>\n
Israel's sins are many<\/p>\n
and Daniel also points out in his prayer<\/p>\n
several times and in several different<\/p>\n
ways two more characteristics of God<\/p>\n
which are his Covenant faithfulness and<\/p>\n
his Covenant Love<\/p>\n
Daniel chapter 9 is the only place in<\/p>\n
the Book of Daniel where the word Yahweh<\/p>\n
God's covenant name is used and it's<\/p>\n
used eight times in this chapter of<\/p>\n
Daniel<\/p>\n
and Verses 4 and 7 we read of God's<\/p>\n
covenant faithfulness and love<\/p>\n
and verse 4 it says I pray to the Lord<\/p>\n
my God and made confession saying O Lord<\/p>\n
the great and awesome God who keeps<\/p>\n
Covenant in steadfast love with those<\/p>\n
who love him and keep his Commandments<\/p>\n
in verse 7 he says To You O Lord belongs<\/p>\n
to righteousness but to US Open shame<\/p>\n
and so Daniel says that God is a<\/p>\n
character or characterized by<\/p>\n
righteousness because he has been<\/p>\n
faithful to the Covenant he has done<\/p>\n
what he said that he would do in the<\/p>\n
Covenant<\/p>\n
Israel is characterized by shame because<\/p>\n
they have not been faithful to the<\/p>\n
God's covenant word is a solid rock<\/p>\n
Israel can count on God to be faithful<\/p>\n
to his Covenant because of God's<\/p>\n
covenant faithfulness<\/p>\n
God brought Israel into the land that he<\/p>\n
had promised them he gave them<\/p>\n
protection from their enemies he made<\/p>\n
his presence known to them in a special<\/p>\n
way<\/p>\n
he provided Vineyards and houses for<\/p>\n
them that they didn't have to work for<\/p>\n
Daniel knows the reason Israel is<\/p>\n
experiencing Exile and Jerusalem is<\/p>\n
desolated is because God is Not only<\/p>\n
faithful to his Covenant promises a<\/p>\n
blessing but he is also faithful to his<\/p>\n
Covenant Promises of the curses found in<\/p>\n
the Covenant<\/p>\n
and while God's covenant faithful to the<\/p>\n
Covenant curses wouldn't have brought<\/p>\n
Israel hope<\/p>\n
in a way it would have in another way in<\/p>\n
that they would have known that God<\/p>\n
would be faithful to every part of his<\/p>\n
Covenant word<\/p>\n
that Daniel mentions in the law of Moses<\/p>\n
alongside the Covenant blesses and<\/p>\n
blessings and curses is found a<\/p>\n
provision God made for Israel whenever<\/p>\n
they broke the Covenant<\/p>\n
and Leviticus 26<\/p>\n
40-45 we read but if they confess their<\/p>\n
iniquity and iniquity of their fathers<\/p>\n
in their treachery that they committed<\/p>\n
against me and also in Walking contrary<\/p>\n
to me so that I won't contrary to them<\/p>\n
and brought them into the land of their<\/p>\n
enemies if then their uncircumcised<\/p>\n
heart is humbled and they make amends<\/p>\n
for their iniquity then I will remember<\/p>\n
my Covenant with Jacob and I will<\/p>\n
remember my Covenant with Isaac and my<\/p>\n
Covenant with Abraham and I will<\/p>\n
remember the land but the land shall be<\/p>\n
abandoned by them and enjoy its sabbaths<\/p>\n
while it lies desolate without them<\/p>\n
and they shall make amends for their<\/p>\n
iniquity because they spurn my rules and<\/p>\n
their soul abhorred my statues<\/p>\n
yet for all that when they are in the<\/p>\n
land of their enemies I will not spurn<\/p>\n
them for I am their lord and the Lord<\/p>\n
their God<\/p>\n
but I will for their sake remember the<\/p>\n
Covenant with their forefathers whom I<\/p>\n
brought out of the land of Egypt in the<\/p>\n
sight of the Nations that I might be<\/p>\n
their God I am the Lord<\/p>\n
and do you see in these verses God's<\/p>\n
steadfast love that Daniel mentions in<\/p>\n
his prayer<\/p>\n
my youngest daughter she loves to use<\/p>\n
the the word the Thai word ting to to<\/p>\n
throw away something every time she goes<\/p>\n
to the the trash can and she throws away<\/p>\n
something she'll say team and it's a<\/p>\n
very fun word to hear pronounced and<\/p>\n
it's a fun word to use it just has a a<\/p>\n
good ring to it as long as you are the<\/p>\n
subject doing the tinging and not the<\/p>\n
object being teamed<\/p>\n
one of my Thai language teachers one day<\/p>\n
she explained to our class what the word<\/p>\n
means and then she Illustrated it and<\/p>\n
she said the reason that there are so<\/p>\n
many Street dogs in Thailand is because<\/p>\n
a boyfriend will buy his girlfriend a<\/p>\n
cute little puppy a small puppy and<\/p>\n
he'll give that to her as a gift and<\/p>\n
then whenever the puppy gets older and<\/p>\n
it's not as cute and it's rambunctious<\/p>\n
or whenever the relationship ends the<\/p>\n
girl will will take and she'll leave the<\/p>\n
puppy on the side of the road or at the<\/p>\n
the 7-Eleven with no desire to ever<\/p>\n
return to get it<\/p>\n
God does not like the person who Tings a<\/p>\n
dog on the side of the road with no<\/p>\n
desire to ever return<\/p>\n
God says to Israel in these verses I<\/p>\n
don't care how ugly you are or<\/p>\n
rebellious you are I'm not going to team<\/p>\n
you I am your God and you are my people<\/p>\n
I'm not going to give up on you repent<\/p>\n
and turn to me and receive the wonderful<\/p>\n
blessings I have for you<\/p>\n
Daniel had great hope for Israel's<\/p>\n
future because he had based his Hope on<\/p>\n
God's covenant word<\/p>\n
that re-expressed God's covenant love<\/p>\n
for his Covenant people that was backed<\/p>\n
by his Covenant faithfulness<\/p>\n
future because his Hope was based on<\/p>\n
God's covenant word that expressed God's<\/p>\n
covenant love for his Covenant people<\/p>\n
and was backed by his Covenant<\/p>\n
faithfulness<\/p>\n
when God made a covenant with Abraham he<\/p>\n
did something to demonstrate this to his<\/p>\n
people that they could trust in his<\/p>\n
promises<\/p>\n
he had Abram kill animals and split them<\/p>\n
apart and so this created a bloody mass<\/p>\n
a horrible sight to see<\/p>\n
the sun goes down and it's dark a<\/p>\n
smoking fire put pot and a flaming torch<\/p>\n
passed between the hands of these<\/p>\n
animals<\/p>\n
and so what is happening<\/p>\n
this was a ritual that happened in<\/p>\n
Abram's day that was made whenever<\/p>\n
someone made an agreement with someone<\/p>\n
the members would walk through it<\/p>\n
together and it signified that a person<\/p>\n
is saying let what has happened to these<\/p>\n
animals happen to me if I break the<\/p>\n
Covenant the agreement that we've made<\/p>\n
and so the in the uncovenant that God<\/p>\n
made with Abraham the smoking pot pot<\/p>\n
and the flaming torch they symbolize God<\/p>\n
and so God was saying to Abraham let<\/p>\n
what has happened to these animals<\/p>\n
happen to me if I don't fulfill my<\/p>\n
Covenant promises to you<\/p>\n
God has always communicated and wanted<\/p>\n
his people to know that we can trust his<\/p>\n
word<\/p>\n
and it is through Covenant making that<\/p>\n
God has demonstrated this to us<\/p>\n
when the Israelites and Exile read<\/p>\n
Daniel's prayer they would have been<\/p>\n
encouraged to have great hope of God<\/p>\n
returning them from Exile and restoring<\/p>\n
the city because of God's covenant<\/p>\n
God would reveal more of his Covenant<\/p>\n
Love and faithfulness to his people<\/p>\n
around 500 years later<\/p>\n
this time God wouldn't use the the<\/p>\n
bloody carcasses of animals to prove his<\/p>\n
Covenant faithfulness<\/p>\n
he would use the beaten and bloody body<\/p>\n
of his own precious son that was hung on<\/p>\n
the cross<\/p>\n
I think one of the most hopeful passages<\/p>\n
in God's word is found in Romans 8 31-30<\/p>\n
32.<\/p>\n
Paul says What then shall we say to<\/p>\n
these things if God is for us who can be<\/p>\n
against us he who did not spare his own<\/p>\n
son but gave him up for us all how will<\/p>\n
he not also with him graciously give us<\/p>\n
all things<\/p>\n
and Paul is reasoning hereby comparing<\/p>\n
the value of two things he's reasoning<\/p>\n
from the greater to the Lesser if God<\/p>\n
has given us something so great as his<\/p>\n
son<\/p>\n
to prove and demonstrate to us<\/p>\n
um he's going to give us all his<\/p>\n
blessings how will he not give that to<\/p>\n
us<\/p>\n
he has given Jesus for us in order to<\/p>\n
give us a new home with him<\/p>\n
we can be assured that he will make good<\/p>\n
on his promise to give us a new home in<\/p>\n
his coming Kingdom because it is of way<\/p>\n
lesser value than Jesus his son<\/p>\n
and how does the foundation of your hope<\/p>\n
look<\/p>\n
is it based upon the strong Foundation<\/p>\n
of God's character in Word<\/p>\n
last year a section of a bridge<\/p>\n
collapsed along udon Suk Road<\/p>\n
investigators went out and found that a<\/p>\n
sinkhole had developed underneath the<\/p>\n
bridge which was most likely a result of<\/p>\n
rainwater washing away the foundation<\/p>\n
the bridge had lost its foundation and<\/p>\n
so it collapsed<\/p>\n
and as we'll look at in a few minutes<\/p>\n
the road home will not be easy<\/p>\n
there will be Wars and desolations to<\/p>\n
come right up until the end<\/p>\n
and the weight of these will come<\/p>\n
bearing down on us like a weight of a<\/p>\n
bridge on its foundation<\/p>\n
we want to have a strong foundation for<\/p>\n
our hope to rest upon so that the weight<\/p>\n
and the pressures that we experience in<\/p>\n
life don't crumble Our Hope of return<\/p>\n
from Exile and a new home in God's<\/p>\n
Kingdom<\/p>\n
we've seen what the foundation of Our<\/p>\n
Hope for return from Exile and our new<\/p>\n
home should be let's look now at what it<\/p>\n
shouldn't be based upon<\/p>\n
in verse 4 Daniel says then I turn my<\/p>\n
face to the Lord God seeking him by<\/p>\n
prayer and pleased for Mercy with<\/p>\n
fasting and sackcloth and Ashes<\/p>\n
a sackcloth and Ashes were used to<\/p>\n
assembleize what was going on in the<\/p>\n
israelite's heart or it was supposed to<\/p>\n
when an Israelite put on sackcloth and<\/p>\n
Ashes it was a sign of mourning for<\/p>\n
something that they had lost like<\/p>\n
another person<\/p>\n
or it symbolized repentance and humility<\/p>\n
and in the case of Daniel is probably<\/p>\n
represents both he is mourning over the<\/p>\n
condition of his people in the city and<\/p>\n
also showing a sign of repentance and<\/p>\n
humility before the Lord<\/p>\n
and much of Daniel's prayer focuses on<\/p>\n
Humanity humility and repentance in his<\/p>\n
prayer he shows heartfelt sorrow over<\/p>\n
his sin and Israel's sin<\/p>\n
and this leads Daniel to humility<\/p>\n
prayer the shame that belongs to Israel<\/p>\n
and verses<\/p>\n
18 through 19. we see Daniel look to God<\/p>\n
for deliverance<\/p>\n
he says oh my God incline your ear and<\/p>\n
hear open your eyes and see your<\/p>\n
desolations in the city that is called<\/p>\n
by your name for we do not present our<\/p>\n
pleased before you because of our<\/p>\n
righteousness<\/p>\n
but because of your great Mercy O Lord<\/p>\n
hear O Lord forgive O Lord pay attention<\/p>\n
and act<\/p>\n
and so a contrite heart like Daniel had<\/p>\n
it puts you in a position where you<\/p>\n
clean to God's promises<\/p>\n
you realize that you have nothing else<\/p>\n
to base your Hope on<\/p>\n
what would this part of Daniel's prayer<\/p>\n
head motivated the Israelites to do<\/p>\n
to turn away from basing their Hope on<\/p>\n
themselves and instead base it solely on<\/p>\n
God in his word<\/p>\n
if we base Our Hope on ourselves then we<\/p>\n
will be hopeless our only hope is is to<\/p>\n
do as Daniel and turn away from trying<\/p>\n
to earn or present Merit before God and<\/p>\n
look to our covenant God alone for his<\/p>\n
mercy and forgiveness<\/p>\n
we must come to God as Beggars and<\/p>\n
sackcloth and Ashes with empty hands<\/p>\n
whenever we base Our Hope on God and His<\/p>\n
word it leads us to Jesus<\/p>\n
let's look now at our second point<\/p>\n
rest assured that God now favors you<\/p>\n
because of Christ's faithfulness and<\/p>\n
obedience to the Covenant<\/p>\n
in Daniel's prayer he represents both<\/p>\n
himself and the people of Israel to the<\/p>\n
in verse 20 he says while I was speaking<\/p>\n
and praying confessing my sin and the<\/p>\n
sin of My People Israel<\/p>\n
Daniel confessed his sin and the sin of<\/p>\n
Israel to the Lord in the hope that God<\/p>\n
would fulfill his Covenant Promises of<\/p>\n
return that we saw in Leviticus 26 and<\/p>\n
that Jeremiah mentions in Jeremiah 29.<\/p>\n
how does God respond to Daniel's prayer<\/p>\n
confession<\/p>\n
he sends his Angel Gabriel to deliver a<\/p>\n
message of Hope<\/p>\n
he tells Daniel that he is greatly loved<\/p>\n
and this would have been assigned to<\/p>\n
Israel that they could rest assured that<\/p>\n
Daniel's intercession for them had<\/p>\n
worked and God would answer Daniel's<\/p>\n
prayers<\/p>\n
Daniel was not only an example for God's<\/p>\n
people to follow<\/p>\n
he was a foreshadow of a greater one to<\/p>\n
come<\/p>\n
in verses 26 through 27 the angel<\/p>\n
Gabriel called this greater one to come<\/p>\n
the anointed one<\/p>\n
the anointed one would be like Daniel in<\/p>\n
that he that God would look upon him<\/p>\n
and look at him as if he were his people<\/p>\n
this anointed one would represent God's<\/p>\n
people<\/p>\n
like Daniel because of his faith and<\/p>\n
obedience to God's covenant word God<\/p>\n
would show favor and bless his people<\/p>\n
this anointed one unlike Daniel though<\/p>\n
would not have to confess his own sin<\/p>\n
because he would be sinless<\/p>\n
instead of confessing the the sins of<\/p>\n
God's people he would bear God's<\/p>\n
people's sins<\/p>\n
and is because of Jesus God's anointed<\/p>\n
one that all of God's promises to his<\/p>\n
people like the ones that we find in<\/p>\n
verses 24 through 27 are fulfilled<\/p>\n
so we can rest assured that God favors<\/p>\n
us because of Christ's faith and<\/p>\n
Christ has represented us before God<\/p>\n
with his spotless life and death and God<\/p>\n
is pleased with us because of his<\/p>\n
intercession for us<\/p>\n
let's look lastly at the messes of Hope<\/p>\n
of a home in God's kingdom that God<\/p>\n
calls us to fix our eyes upon<\/p>\n
and Daniel<\/p>\n
24-27 it's written in a way that leaves<\/p>\n
a lot of room for different<\/p>\n
interpretations as you look at the<\/p>\n
message that<\/p>\n
is presented here you have to decide how<\/p>\n
to interpret the seven weeks 70 weeks is<\/p>\n
it literal or is it symbolic who are the<\/p>\n
anointing ones who is the prince who is<\/p>\n
the desolator and since you have so many<\/p>\n
questions to answer you have a lot of<\/p>\n
different interpretations of this<\/p>\n
passage<\/p>\n
and the good news is that the overall<\/p>\n
message is clear<\/p>\n
we want to understand the details<\/p>\n
because it's God's word and all of God's<\/p>\n
word even the details are given with a<\/p>\n
purpose<\/p>\n
but we take comfort in knowing that if<\/p>\n
we get the details wrong we can still<\/p>\n
have a good understanding of the overall<\/p>\n
message of hope that is found here<\/p>\n
God has heard Daniel's request for him<\/p>\n
to show mercy and forgiveness to his<\/p>\n
people and to restore the city of<\/p>\n
Jerusalem<\/p>\n
what exactly does that look like<\/p>\n
what should we realistically be hoping<\/p>\n
for<\/p>\n
one thing that we see is that full<\/p>\n
restoration of God's people and City are<\/p>\n
coming<\/p>\n
in verse 24 it says 70 weeks are decreed<\/p>\n
about your people and your Holy City to<\/p>\n
finish the transgression to put an end<\/p>\n
to sin and to atone for iniquity to<\/p>\n
bring in Everlasting righteousness to<\/p>\n
sell both vision and profit and to<\/p>\n
anoint a Most Holy<\/p>\n
have you ever seen a fold-out figurine<\/p>\n
model uh they're they're pretty cool<\/p>\n
they usually start out as a flat piece<\/p>\n
of paper and as you open it up it kind<\/p>\n
of turns into a 3D model<\/p>\n
last year around Christmas time someone<\/p>\n
sent our family fold out of a Christmas<\/p>\n
tree and so as you fold it out the<\/p>\n
branches begin to spread out and then<\/p>\n
the ornaments that are tucked under the<\/p>\n
branches kind of fold out too and so by<\/p>\n
the time that you have folded it out<\/p>\n
completely there is a Christmas tree<\/p>\n
there with the ornaments hanging and<\/p>\n
there's a star on top and it's really<\/p>\n
cool cool to see<\/p>\n
by the time Christmas was over our girls<\/p>\n
had worn out this fold out from opening<\/p>\n
it and closing it so many times<\/p>\n
and so we we put it in the storage but<\/p>\n
it wasn't in great condition<\/p>\n
God's sending this message of Hope to<\/p>\n
his people is like him giving us a fold<\/p>\n
the 70-week period is like a fold out<\/p>\n
that produces a 3D image of our new home<\/p>\n
in God's kingdom to come<\/p>\n
God will unfold this 70-week period And<\/p>\n
as he does things will take place so<\/p>\n
that at the end everything that is<\/p>\n
mentioned in verse 24 will have happened<\/p>\n
it will be spectacular and it will be<\/p>\n
ours<\/p>\n
what is this through the image of our<\/p>\n
new home in in God's Kingdom look like<\/p>\n
it will be wonderful<\/p>\n
God tells us six things he's going to do<\/p>\n
over this 60-week period<\/p>\n
the first four they deal with the<\/p>\n
world's biggest problem that mentioned<\/p>\n
last week which is sin<\/p>\n
sin resulted in all of humanity ending<\/p>\n
up in Exile from the garden<\/p>\n
and it ended up in Israel being exiled<\/p>\n
from Jerusalem<\/p>\n
the rulers of the Nations that rule over<\/p>\n
Israel have sinful desires and so they<\/p>\n
oppress the Israelites<\/p>\n
God must take care of the guilty status<\/p>\n
the effects and the presence of sin in<\/p>\n
his Fallen Creation in order to bring us<\/p>\n
into our new home<\/p>\n
and God will do this over this 70-week<\/p>\n
period<\/p>\n
he will put an end to sin so that we no<\/p>\n
longer commit transgressions against him<\/p>\n
he will atone for our sins so that we no<\/p>\n
longer remain guilty before a righteous<\/p>\n
judge<\/p>\n
we will no longer have to live under<\/p>\n
conditions of Oppression because God<\/p>\n
will bring in Everlasting righteousness<\/p>\n
he will rule and Reign Over us as a Good<\/p>\n
Shepherd cares for his flock<\/p>\n
he will give us new hearts that are free<\/p>\n
from sin that gladly heed his Direction<\/p>\n
instead of rebel and run our own way<\/p>\n
and what a great future we have waiting<\/p>\n
for us<\/p>\n
interpreting to still both vision and<\/p>\n
profit is a little tricky you can<\/p>\n
interpret this in different ways most<\/p>\n
commentators interpret sill in two ways<\/p>\n
still can mean to authenticate something<\/p>\n
like a document if you drive to to Grace<\/p>\n
City you know that whenever you enter<\/p>\n
the parking deck you receive a slip of<\/p>\n
paper<\/p>\n
and whenever you see that slip of paper<\/p>\n
you know that you have to get two Grace<\/p>\n
City stamps on it before exiting the<\/p>\n
parking deck and if you don't you're<\/p>\n
going to have to pay the parking<\/p>\n
attendant 50 by it so if you have one<\/p>\n
one stamp it's 50 Baht you need two<\/p>\n
stamps and what are these steps for is<\/p>\n
to authenticate or prove that you were<\/p>\n
at Grace City<\/p>\n
and still can also mean to dispose of<\/p>\n
something by storing it away<\/p>\n
if an ancient document was no longer<\/p>\n
needed it would be rolled up and sealed<\/p>\n
to be stored to be put away<\/p>\n
and it could be that the word Sill<\/p>\n
is intended to carry both of these<\/p>\n
meanings here<\/p>\n
I tend to lean toward interpreting Sil<\/p>\n
as disposing of something that's no<\/p>\n
longer needed<\/p>\n
visions and prophets were God's way of<\/p>\n
communicating to his people about the<\/p>\n
future and what would come<\/p>\n
and when we get to our new home there<\/p>\n
will be no longer be a need for God to<\/p>\n
use them to guide us home because we<\/p>\n
will be home<\/p>\n
it's like using a map once you get to<\/p>\n
your destination you no longer need it<\/p>\n
at the end of 70 weeks<\/p>\n
God's vision and profits will have<\/p>\n
served their purpose<\/p>\n
we have reached our new home with God so<\/p>\n
God will sell them as something that is<\/p>\n
no longer needed<\/p>\n
and we come now to the the last thing<\/p>\n
God will do he will anoint a most holy<\/p>\n
or a Most Holy place<\/p>\n
the Hebrew text here doesn't have the<\/p>\n
word place in it just has and to anoint<\/p>\n
almost holy and so most translations<\/p>\n
they translate it as most holy place<\/p>\n
and we'll have in the footnote in<\/p>\n
parentheses thing or one to let you know<\/p>\n
that there's a possibility that it could<\/p>\n
be translated this way<\/p>\n
so we have to decide how to translate it<\/p>\n
and I think from the context of this<\/p>\n
passage and the context of scripture the<\/p>\n
best way to translate it is the Most<\/p>\n
Holy One<\/p>\n
and this Most Holy One is referring to<\/p>\n
Jesus and so even if I'm wrong about<\/p>\n
this translation even if it's supposed<\/p>\n
to be holy place or holy thing I think I<\/p>\n
still think it is ultimately pointing us<\/p>\n
to Jesus<\/p>\n
and so the scriptures refer to Jesus as<\/p>\n
the anointed one the one who was<\/p>\n
anointed in order to be lifted up on a<\/p>\n
cross in shame to take away his people's<\/p>\n
shame<\/p>\n
so that he would be lifted up high in<\/p>\n
glory<\/p>\n
there will be a lot of great things<\/p>\n
about living in God's Kingdom no pain no<\/p>\n
sickness no death no sin having a good<\/p>\n
and kind King which means that we will<\/p>\n
be free from our oppression<\/p>\n
I won't have to fix all the broken<\/p>\n
things around the house because<\/p>\n
Brokenness and toil of word is a result<\/p>\n
of sin and God has done away with sin<\/p>\n
what will be the greatest thing we will<\/p>\n
experience<\/p>\n
it will be being in the presence of<\/p>\n
Jesus<\/p>\n
to observe his glory to so can Jesus and<\/p>\n
all his Splendor and his radiant<\/p>\n
radiance<\/p>\n
can you almost smell the aroma and taste<\/p>\n
the goodness of our new home<\/p>\n
last week mentioned that Daniel's heart<\/p>\n
was Heavy after he saw the vision of the<\/p>\n
RAM and the Goat these animals were<\/p>\n
symbolic of powerful Nations which meant<\/p>\n
Israel would continue to live under<\/p>\n
these powerful Nations and be oppressed<\/p>\n
for a while<\/p>\n
there was hope in chapter 8 but the<\/p>\n
darkness of some of these powerful<\/p>\n
Nations they created crowded out that<\/p>\n
hope so that it was hard for Daniel to<\/p>\n
see it<\/p>\n
and at the end of chapter after Daniel<\/p>\n
has seen the vision of the powerful<\/p>\n
Nations that will rule over Israel he<\/p>\n
said I was overcome and lay sick for<\/p>\n
some days<\/p>\n
Daniel's heart was Heavy thinking about<\/p>\n
Israel's future<\/p>\n
have you ever been there<\/p>\n
you look at your current circumstances<\/p>\n
and you see darkness and in your mind in<\/p>\n
your heart you look ahead to the Future<\/p>\n
and all you can see is Darkness<\/p>\n
maybe you're in a place like that right<\/p>\n
now where you you see the Brokenness of<\/p>\n
yourself in the the Brokenness of the<\/p>\n
city that we live in and it's a dark<\/p>\n
place<\/p>\n
you see the oppression and the<\/p>\n
persecution of God's people around the<\/p>\n
world and it's hard to see a bright<\/p>\n
future for God's people<\/p>\n
it can be overwhelming at times<\/p>\n
God knows the darkness his people are<\/p>\n
living in during exile<\/p>\n
he knows the darkness can overwhelm his<\/p>\n
people and it can be hard for his people<\/p>\n
to remain hopeful in the midst of that<\/p>\n
Darkness<\/p>\n
and that is why he has sent us this<\/p>\n
message in Daniel chapter nine he sent<\/p>\n
it to bolster Our Hope in a new home<\/p>\n
it's like Gabriel is saying to us take<\/p>\n
this fold out of God's kingdom and let<\/p>\n
it be a reminder that God will fully<\/p>\n
restore his people and bring in his new<\/p>\n
kingdom which will be your new home<\/p>\n
take it and open it and close it and<\/p>\n
open it and close it so that you are a<\/p>\n
minded of what you have to look forward<\/p>\n
to as you're on the way home<\/p>\n
God is saying I give it to you to<\/p>\n
produce hope in you as you remain in<\/p>\n
exile for a Time<\/p>\n
right now there is still a lot of<\/p>\n
darkness in us and also in the land<\/p>\n
but rest assured that at the end of 70<\/p>\n
weeks things are going to be wonderful<\/p>\n
they are going to be spectacular<\/p>\n
one day God is going to give us<\/p>\n
everything our hearts long for in the<\/p>\n
restoration of our hearts and also of<\/p>\n
the city that we live in<\/p>\n
cling to his promises that give us hope<\/p>\n
and is our light in darkness<\/p>\n
it is certain<\/p>\n
graduation speaking speeches are often<\/p>\n
motivating for the graduates who are<\/p>\n
graduating gives them a hope of a bright<\/p>\n
future<\/p>\n
the speech is usually given by some<\/p>\n
famous actor or some famous politician<\/p>\n
someone who started out in poverty with<\/p>\n
humble beginnings but made it big in<\/p>\n
life<\/p>\n
the students are given hope that upon<\/p>\n
graduating they can achieve success in a<\/p>\n
good life like this speaker<\/p>\n
and the truth is is that it's possible<\/p>\n
but it's not guaranteed<\/p>\n
there will be some who go on to achieve<\/p>\n
a great career make a lot of money and<\/p>\n
have a beautiful home and family<\/p>\n
there will also be some who won't<\/p>\n
every so often I'll read in the news<\/p>\n
that a few graduates went out the night<\/p>\n
the night of graduation to celebrate<\/p>\n
they had a few drinks I decided to drive<\/p>\n
home and ended up in a car wreck on the<\/p>\n
way home<\/p>\n
they survived the the wreck but they<\/p>\n
were paralyzed or had severe brain<\/p>\n
damage<\/p>\n
the hope of a bright future they heard<\/p>\n
earlier that day at graduation was<\/p>\n
crushed only a few hours later that<\/p>\n
night<\/p>\n
the bright future that graduation<\/p>\n
speakers often speak of is not certain<\/p>\n
Gabriel says 70 weeks are decreed about<\/p>\n
your people and your holy city which<\/p>\n
means that the time frame and what is<\/p>\n
Promised is guaranteed by our covenant<\/p>\n
God<\/p>\n
it is money that has already been<\/p>\n
deposited into our account that will<\/p>\n
receive and have access to at the end of<\/p>\n
70 weeks<\/p>\n
you can count on this don't lose Heart<\/p>\n
during this time<\/p>\n
your Sovereign faithful merciful<\/p>\n
forgiving and steadfast loving God is<\/p>\n
orchestrating everything to bring about<\/p>\n
something wonderful for you look to<\/p>\n
these promises and cling to them for<\/p>\n
they are certain<\/p>\n
what follows in the rest of the chapter<\/p>\n
communicates to us that we should be<\/p>\n
prepared for the Long Haul as we make<\/p>\n
the difficult journey home<\/p>\n
why does Gabriel give God's people the<\/p>\n
the fold out at the beginning of the<\/p>\n
message<\/p>\n
I think it's so that we are able to<\/p>\n
stare at it as we receive the additional<\/p>\n
information that he gives to us<\/p>\n
Gabriel splits these 70 weeks into three<\/p>\n
periods of time and talks about what's<\/p>\n
going to happen during each period of<\/p>\n
time<\/p>\n
and again there are a lot of different<\/p>\n
interpretations for the rest of chapter<\/p>\n
nine some people interpret the 70 weeks<\/p>\n
as communicating a literal figure some<\/p>\n
see it as being symbolic and so there's<\/p>\n
a wide range of suggestions for the end<\/p>\n
of this chapter there isn't enough time<\/p>\n
for us to look at the main<\/p>\n
interpretations and so what I'm going to<\/p>\n
do is just just give you my<\/p>\n
interpretation of this ending section<\/p>\n
and as I mentioned before even though<\/p>\n
the specifics of this passage are<\/p>\n
debated the overall message is clear<\/p>\n
we should be prepared for the Long Haul<\/p>\n
as we make the difficult journey home<\/p>\n
so what are we to make of this 70-week<\/p>\n
time span that is given<\/p>\n
I think 70 is a symbolic figure<\/p>\n
scripture often uses numbers<\/p>\n
symbolically the the number seven is<\/p>\n
often used to show completion or<\/p>\n
Perfection tin is often used to show<\/p>\n
fullness of time<\/p>\n
and we see Jesus use the exact same<\/p>\n
numbers symbolically in Matthew 18<\/p>\n
verses 21 through 22.<\/p>\n
Peter goes to Jesus and asks him Lord<\/p>\n
how often will my brother sin against me<\/p>\n
and I forgive him<\/p>\n
as many as seven times Jesus said to him<\/p>\n
I do not say to you seven times but 70<\/p>\n
times 7. so whenever Jesus says<\/p>\n
that you are to forgive your brother 70<\/p>\n
times 7 he doesn't mean literally 490<\/p>\n
times and then after after that you<\/p>\n
don't have to forgive him anymore<\/p>\n
he means that you need to completely and<\/p>\n
fully forgive your brother no matter how<\/p>\n
many times he sins against you<\/p>\n
and so 70 weeks is 7 times 10 times 7 in<\/p>\n
the 70 weeks symbolize symbolize a<\/p>\n
perfect complete and full period of time<\/p>\n
that God will take to restore his people<\/p>\n
and bring us home<\/p>\n
God will not take a second longer than<\/p>\n
the amount of time that he is allotted<\/p>\n
to accomplish his plans for us<\/p>\n
in these 70 weeks are broken down into<\/p>\n
three periods of time and reveal that<\/p>\n
God's promise of restoration of God's<\/p>\n
people in the city will come in three<\/p>\n
stages<\/p>\n
a seven week period a 62-week period and<\/p>\n
a one-week period<\/p>\n
and in each period significant events<\/p>\n
take place<\/p>\n
I think it's helpful to look at the<\/p>\n
first 69 weeks as looking at what will<\/p>\n
happen before the coming of Christ<\/p>\n
and look at the last week as a time from<\/p>\n
Christ's first coming into a second<\/p>\n
so what takes place in the first 69<\/p>\n
weeks during the first and second<\/p>\n
periods<\/p>\n
these two periods of time are about the<\/p>\n
return of God's people back to Earthly<\/p>\n
Jerusalem and the restoration of the<\/p>\n
Earthly City<\/p>\n
what takes place in the first seven<\/p>\n
weeks<\/p>\n
in verse 25 we read now therefore<\/p>\n
no one understands that are from the<\/p>\n
going out of the word to restore and<\/p>\n
anointed one of Prince there shall be<\/p>\n
seven weeks<\/p>\n
and I think this seven week period is<\/p>\n
symbolic for a short period of time<\/p>\n
during this time a word will go out to<\/p>\n
start building Earthly Jerusalem<\/p>\n
in the word of Hope of rebuilding<\/p>\n
Earthly Jerusalem would eventually<\/p>\n
become a reality<\/p>\n
in the next extended period of time of<\/p>\n
62 weeks the city would be rebuilt<\/p>\n
and then later prophetic books like Ezra<\/p>\n
and Nehemiah we read that this prophecy<\/p>\n
was fulfilled and Jerusalem was<\/p>\n
eventually rebuilt<\/p>\n
in the last week that is described in<\/p>\n
verses 26 through 27 is the period<\/p>\n
between Jesus first coming and his<\/p>\n
second coming<\/p>\n
verse 26 is referring to Jesus when it<\/p>\n
says that an anointed one shall be cut<\/p>\n
off and shall have nothing<\/p>\n
at the cross Jesus had nothing his<\/p>\n
clothes were taken from him God the<\/p>\n
Father looked upon him as Sin his own<\/p>\n
fellow Jews hated him<\/p>\n
his disciples had abandoned him the<\/p>\n
night before his death<\/p>\n
now the cross Jesus was cut off meaning<\/p>\n
put to death<\/p>\n
and so it's through the death of Jesus<\/p>\n
that God can deal with our sins so that<\/p>\n
we can be his people<\/p>\n
and it's through the shedding of Jesus<\/p>\n
blood that in 27 we are told that he is<\/p>\n
able to make a strong Covenant with many<\/p>\n
to put an end to sacrifice and offering<\/p>\n
when Jesus had the Passover supper with<\/p>\n
his disciples before the crucifixion he<\/p>\n
took the cup and he said drink of it all<\/p>\n
of you for this is my blood of the<\/p>\n
Covenant which is poured out for many<\/p>\n
for the Forgiveness of sins<\/p>\n
and so all of the Old Testament<\/p>\n
sacrifices they Point into the coming of<\/p>\n
a greater sacrifice<\/p>\n
once Christ was sacrificed on the cross<\/p>\n
there was no longer a need for<\/p>\n
sacrifices he had accomplished what the<\/p>\n
Old Testament sacrificial system could<\/p>\n
only point to which was atonement for<\/p>\n
sin<\/p>\n
and there's an event in the last week<\/p>\n
that was probably confusing and<\/p>\n
horrifying to Daniel when he first heard<\/p>\n
it<\/p>\n
it is of the destruction of the city and<\/p>\n
the sanctuary<\/p>\n
he had pleaded for God to restore the<\/p>\n
city and God heard his request and would<\/p>\n
Grant it<\/p>\n
why would these two places that were<\/p>\n
Central to the life of God's people be<\/p>\n
torn down again<\/p>\n
is because God meant them to to be for a<\/p>\n
short period of time a foreshadow of<\/p>\n
what was to come<\/p>\n
Israel must understand and look to the<\/p>\n
coming of the anointed one spoken of in<\/p>\n
verse 27 and see that he would change<\/p>\n
everything<\/p>\n
they would no longer need the<\/p>\n
sacrificial system because the anointed<\/p>\n
one would take care of that for them he<\/p>\n
would become their sacrifice<\/p>\n
they no longer needed an Earthly<\/p>\n
Jerusalem because Jesus was repairing a<\/p>\n
Heavenly home for them<\/p>\n
they didn't need the sanctuary or the<\/p>\n
temple because we are to worship at the<\/p>\n
feet of Jesus<\/p>\n
they must look beyond the Earthly and<\/p>\n
understand and see that these things<\/p>\n
were meant to represent and point them<\/p>\n
to Heavenly realities that are so much<\/p>\n
better<\/p>\n
the Earthly City and Sanctuary would<\/p>\n
only be a stumbling block in that it<\/p>\n
would keep them from looking to the<\/p>\n
anointed one and keep them from hoping<\/p>\n
in God's promises of his new kingdom<\/p>\n
that would come later in the future<\/p>\n
in Daniel chapter 7 and 8 the waters<\/p>\n
were muddy for Daniel<\/p>\n
it was hard for Daniel to find Hope for<\/p>\n
what he so much wanted was what which<\/p>\n
was the restoration of God's people<\/p>\n
God's City and God's sanctuary<\/p>\n
and I think there is great hope in<\/p>\n
chapter 7 and 8 but I don't think that<\/p>\n
Daniel could see it<\/p>\n
and he was in despair<\/p>\n
at the end of each chapter Daniel sees<\/p>\n
the vision and then he begins to despair<\/p>\n
you can see it in his physical body<\/p>\n
in chapter 7 28 he says as for me Daniel<\/p>\n
my thoughts greatly alarmed me and my<\/p>\n
color change but I kept the matter in my<\/p>\n
heart in chapter 8 verse 27 I Daniel was<\/p>\n
overcome in Lay sick for some days then<\/p>\n
I Rose went about the king's business<\/p>\n
but I was appalled by the vision and I<\/p>\n
did not understand it<\/p>\n
and so in this Vision that Daniel<\/p>\n
receives in chapter 9 the city and the<\/p>\n
sanctuary they're going to be destroyed<\/p>\n
why does chapter 9 not end with Daniel<\/p>\n
getting sick or needing to lay down<\/p>\n
after his vision like he does in chapter<\/p>\n
7 and 8.<\/p>\n
I think maybe in chapters seven and<\/p>\n
eight Daniel was nearsighted he could<\/p>\n
only see the Earthly things and he<\/p>\n
couldn't really make out the Heavenly so<\/p>\n
in chapter 9 God gives him a pair of<\/p>\n
glasses so that Things become clear at<\/p>\n
long distances<\/p>\n
I think maybe he finally got the message<\/p>\n
of hope that God had given to him in<\/p>\n
chapter 7 and 8 that he couldn't<\/p>\n
understand at that time<\/p>\n
maybe in this Vision he sees and<\/p>\n
understands that the hope God gave in<\/p>\n
chapter 7 and 8 was not ultimately found<\/p>\n
in an Earthly City but in a Heavenly one<\/p>\n
maybe he realized that no matter how bad<\/p>\n
things got for God's people on Earth<\/p>\n
God's people could still have great hope<\/p>\n
because no matter what happened they had<\/p>\n
a great future ahead of them<\/p>\n
so let us fix her eyes on our new home<\/p>\n
with God in his Heavenly Kingdom that<\/p>\n
awaits us<\/p>\n
how does the 70 weeks in It Ends by God<\/p>\n
putting an end to the desolator<\/p>\n
and who is the desolator<\/p>\n
he is the deceiver who tempted Adam and<\/p>\n
Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree of<\/p>\n
the knowledge of Good and Evil<\/p>\n
he is our enemy and at the end of 70<\/p>\n
weeks God will lock him away forever so<\/p>\n
that he can never deceive us again<\/p>\n
last year after Christmas our<\/p>\n
we put up the uh the Christmas tree fold<\/p>\n
out it wasn't in great condition but we<\/p>\n
put it in storage and we plan to bring<\/p>\n
it out this year whenever Christmas<\/p>\n
rolls around again<\/p>\n
we don't want to do this with God's word<\/p>\n
we don't want to seal up God's Prophecy<\/p>\n
in the sense that we store it away<\/p>\n
God's word has a purpose and that<\/p>\n
purpose will not be fulfilled until the<\/p>\n
end of 70 weeks at which time God will<\/p>\n
seal it<\/p>\n
God sent this message to us to bolster<\/p>\n
Our Hope for the long and difficult Road<\/p>\n
home<\/p>\n
people of God we need to take the fault<\/p>\n
out God has given to us and leave it out<\/p>\n
all year<\/p>\n
we need to be like my girls and keep<\/p>\n
opening and closing it open and close it<\/p>\n
so that our hope is strengthened on the<\/p>\n
journey home<\/p>\n
when we are persecuted by the enemy and<\/p>\n
the days become dark we can be reminded<\/p>\n
of the great home in God's kingdom that<\/p>\n
we have awaiting us at the end of 60<\/p>\n
let's pray<\/p>\n
dear Lord we thank you for being our<\/p>\n
faithful our loving and merciful<\/p>\n
Covenant God<\/p>\n
this journey home is long and it's<\/p>\n
difficult but you give us your word to<\/p>\n
strengthen our hope in you and your<\/p>\n
promises along the way<\/p>\n
thank you for caring for us in this way<\/p>\n
life in your kingdom is going to be<\/p>\n
wonderful no sin<\/p>\n
you will be our kind Shepherd and we<\/p>\n
will be your loving sheep<\/p>\n
the best part will be to gaze Upon Jesus<\/p>\n
that will help us to fix our eyes and<\/p>\n
hearts upon you and your promises<\/p>\n
as we make this long journey home and I<\/p>\n
pray all this in Jesus name amen<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20230919","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=epmY1tz7dkk","video_id":"epmY1tz7dkk","video_duration":"53:14","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=556"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":557,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556\/revisions\/557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}