Daniel 9:20-27

9:21 | In the Jewish religion, the evening offering took place at 3pm. Daniel was in prayer at that time, even though he had been away from Jerusalem and the temple for 70 years. That is devotion!

9:22-23 | In all of the Bible, only Daniel is referred to as a man greatly beloved (10:11,19). He was the champion of his people in exile, and he embodied the power of an ncompromised life… in his day and in ours.

9:24-27 | Most scholars believe this passage is the skeletal outline into which all prophetic events fit. Verse 24 is the entire scope of the prophecy, like a summary statement; verse 25 offers information about the first 69 weeks; verse 26 explains the current parenthesis; verse 27 offers information on the seventieth week.

9:24 | The word for week in the OT actually means “seven.” In the original text, the verse begins: “Seventy sevens are determined.” In those times, the word seven often described not a week of days but a week of years, as here (9:2; Lev. 25:3-4). The seventy sevens would be “cut out” of the calendar and belong to the Jews, not the Gentile rulers of the rest Daniel.

9:27 | There are two reasons for the Tribulation period. First, it is to purge the Jewish rebels. Second, it is to punish the Gentile rejecters. The Bible teaches that during the seven-year period of time, the wrath of God is going to come primarily upon the Jews, but even the Gentiles who have rejected Christ during that time will be objects of His wrath.