In Every Confusing Situation God Has A Very Detailed Plan (Prophetic Dates Explained Here)

Daniel 9:1-3 (NIV) – 1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

This was a confusing situation. First the Israelites were slaves in Babylon. Slavery is painful. Forced labor without pay. National humiliation. Curtailed freedoms. This was a confusing situation, just to be a slave in Babylon. 

Secondly, it was a confusing situation because Babylon that had enslaved Israel had just been conquered by Medes and Persians. The Israelites who were slaves, were no longer slaves of Babylon. Israelites together with their former slave masters the Babylonians, were now slaves to Medes and Persians. This was a confusing situation confusing situation. One even wonders whether things are getting better or worse. A very confusing situation!

Thirdly, the confusion came from the fact that Jeremiah had predicted that the slavery in Babylon would take a whole seventy years. Seventy whole long years! What? Yet as the seventy years drew closer, the situation got worse. Their slave master Babylon was also now a slave to Meds and Persians. Is there hope out of this confusing situation?

In this confusing situation, Daniel resorted to prayer and fasting. In this situation where things seem to get worse, Daniel resorted to prayer and fasting. When freedom and happiness became elusive and further from Israelites, Daniel resorted to prayer and fasting. When Daniel wasn’t sure how God will keep the promise made through prophet Jeremiah, he prayed and fasted.

Prayer and fasting is a good response to confusing situations. Prayer and fasting is a good response to deteriorating situations. Prayer and fasting is a good response to dangerous situations. Prayer and fasting is a good response to situations where we think God has forgotten and abandoned us.

Are you sick? Pray and fast. Are you lonely? Pray and fast. Are you losing? Pray and fast. Are you failing? Pray and fast? Are you broke? Pray and fast. Are you having challenges in your relationship? Pray and fast. Are you tired and fed up with life? Pray and fast. Daniel resorted to prayer and fasting!

Daniel 9:23 (NIV) – As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:

As soon as Daniel started praying. He had just started praying. He was not yet deep in his prayer. Just when he started praying – God sent answers to the prayers he hadn’t finished praying. The prayer triggered God to response. Prayer is pulling the trigger. When you start praying, you have pulled the trigger and divine action follows even before you finish praying. Therefore we should pull the trigger by praying!

Angel Gabriel comes and tells Daniel that as soon as you started praying, God sent the following answer to your prayers. The following verses, Daniel 9:24-27, have so much detail and history, that it’s mind boggling. These verses that came as a response to prayer show that in what seems as a deteriorating confusing situation, God has a very detailed organized plan for us. Therefore do not be fooled by what seems confusing and deteriorating, God has a positive and good detailed plan for our lives.

Daniel 9:24 (NIV) – “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.

Gabriel tells Daniel that in this seeming confusion, God has a detailed plan for your people Israelites. God has a plan for the holy city Jerusalem. God has a plan to address the sin problem. The Angel Gabriel says, for these things to happen, God has decreed seventy sevens. 

Seventy sevens refers to seventy weeks. Sevens are weeks. A week is made of seven days. Seventy sevens is seventy weeks. That is a total of 490 days. 

In biblical prophecy days are symbolic to literal years. Therefore a symbolic one day is a prophetic one year. The seventy sevens which are 490 days are therefore literal 490 years.

Numbers 14:34 – For forty years —ONE YEAR FOR EACH OF THE FORTY DAYS you explored the land —you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’

Ezekiel 4:6 – “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, A DAY FOR EACH YEAR.

One prophetic day or one symbolic day is equal to one literal year. Therefore the seventy sevens or 490 days are symbolic. They literally refer to 490 years. 

(Daniel 9:24) Seventy sevens – 70 weeks = 490 days/ years – was the last chance God gave jews to evangelize the world – The 490 years are between 457BC to AD 34 when Stephen was stoned to death and it marked the end of the assignment given to the Jewish nation. At AD 34 the assignment for Jews to evangelize the world came to an end and spiritual Jews, referring to Christians, fully took over the assignment.

Daniel 9:24 tells us that seventy sevens are decreed for your people. It’s the last chance they have been given to fulfill their God given role. Immediately you notice that God had a detailed plan in this situation that seemed confusing.

Daniel 9:25 (NIV) – “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.

Angel Gabriel tells Daniel that, the prophetic period he is being given, will be counted from the time when a word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. At this time Jerusalem was in ruins. At this time the people of Jerusalem were slaves in Babylon. Gabriel tells Daniel that, the year you get permission to go and rebuild Jerusalem, you start counting the prophetic timeline I am giving you.

The time the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was 457BC by King Artaxerxes. From this date all the years are to be counted in order to understand this prophecy. This year becomes the beginning point of our counting the detailed prophetic years that Daniel was given by Gabriel.

Daniel 9:25 (NIV) – “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.

Seven sevens refers to 7 weeks which are equal to 49 days/years. These are the years it took to rebuild the temple after return from Babylonian captivity from 457BC to 408BC. Isn’t it amazing that God had a very detailed plan on even how long it will take to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. Never ever forget that in times of seeming confusion, God has a very detailed plan for each one of us and for all of us. Can you imagine that God knew it will take 49years, not 48 and not 50! God is detailed and precise when it comes to the plans He has for our lives.

Daniel 9:25 (NIV) – “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.

Daniel 9:26 (NIV) – 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.

Sixty two sevens are 62 weeks which are equivalent to 434 days/years. These 434 Years after construction of temple to when Messiah appears, which is 408BC to AD27 when Jesus was anointed as Messiah during baptism. Do you realize how detailed this plan is? Gabriel tells Daniel, that in this confusing situation, God has a very detailed plan. The temple will take 49 years to build. After the 49 years, it will take another 434 years and Jesus the Messiah will get baptized. This is precise and very accurate. In any and every human confusion and deteriorating situation, God has a very clear detailed plan!

Daniel 9:27 (NIV) – 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.”

One seven refers to 1 week which is equal to 7 days/years. These seven years are  AD27 to AD34. From the baptism of Jesus in AD 27 to the killing of Stephen, which ended the assignment given to Israelites in AD34. Seven years. Predicted and planned for by God.

Daniel 9:27 (NIV) – 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.”

In the middle of the seven or in the middle of the one week, that is half of one week = 3 and 1/2 days/years. Prophetically or symbolically these are three and a half years. From AD27 three and a half years end in AD31 when Jesus was crucified. By the death of Jesus, He put an end to sacrifice and offering. The temple curtain was torn into two. Isn’t this so precise? A plan revealed several hundred years before it occurred in precision.

When Daniel was confused as the situation seemed to get worse, God revealed that He had a detailed precise plan for Daniel, Israelites and the whole world. Our situation however confusing, shouldn’t cause us to think that we have been abandoned. God has a plan and if we remain faithful and patient, He will reveal the plan and roll it out to our favor!

For purposes of emphasis and clarity. Look at the following divine answer that came when Daniel responded to his crisis by praying and fasting. This is a summarized repetition of what we have explained in the preceding paragraphs.

Daniel 9:24-27 (NIV) – 24 “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. 25 “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. 26 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. 27 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.”

1. (Daniel 9:25) The time the word went out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was 457BC by King Artaxerxes. From this date all the years are to be counted in order to understand this prophecy.
2. (Daniel 9:24) Seventy sevens – 70 weeks = 490 days/ years – last chance for jews to evangelise – 457BC to AD 34 when Stephen was killed and assignment given to Jews came to an end.
3. (Daniel 9:25) Seven sevens – 7 weeks = 49 days/years – years it took to rebuild the temple after return from Babylonian captivity – 457BC to 408BC 
4. (Daniel 9:25-26) Sixty two sevens – 62 weeks = 434 days/years – Years after construction of temple to when Messiah appears – 408BC to AD27 when Jesus was anointed as Messiah during baptism
5. (Daniel 9:27) One seven – 1 week = 7 days/years – AD27 to AD34 from the baptism of Jesus to when Stephen is killed and Israelites God given assignment comes to an end.
6. (Daniel 9:27) In the middle of the seven – half of one week = 3 and 1/2 days/years – three and a half years from AD27 is AD31 when Jesus was crucified 

We are not living our lives randomly. Whatever happens, good or bad, God foresaw it and has a good plan for us eventually. In every confusing situation that causes us a lot of worry, God has a very detailed plan on how to save us and make our lives better. 

May God grant us faith in times of crisis. May we remain faithful even when we do not understand what lies ahead. May God’s plan of salvation and good life roll out today for me and you. In Jesus name, Amen!

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