Daniel's Messiah Newsletter #10 with links to, and comments of, Tree of Life added...

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Skickat: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 12:29 PM

Till: 'Toby Joreteg'

Ämne: SV: Daniel's Messiah: Newsletter #10

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5930± 03 08 2026

Written with a beginning on the First Day of the week,

the 8^th day of month #3, Sivan 8

in the 5930^th year, more or less, following the beginning recorded in Genesis 1

and in the 2026^th year following the beginning recorded in Luke 1:26-33

[Sunday, the 7^th day of the week, May 23 in the 2010^th year of Caesar Tiberius

(per current Gregorian reckoning.)]

Dear Toby, my Brother in Daniel’s Messiah and my old time Friend,

Sometimes God answers our prayers more directly that we are willing or prepared to accept…

Are you willing to be willing to do the will of God? Am I? Are you prepared to accept His answer as He gives it to you straight? Am I? Or will He be forced to extend the literal fulfillment to a year for a day fulfillment as He did the 40 days to 40 years… and, for many, the 49 literal days to the 4900 literal days to the 490 years…

Are you ready for whatever God may be willing to teach you by means of my – no doubt far from perfect - comments below? Or not…

Your Brother in Daniel’s Messiah,

Gunnar ©

PS I. Late last night after finishing my comments to this Newsletter #10 of yours, and after writing the above email, I opened up my Bible as I usually do for worship, that is, where ever the first Bible I happen to see first opens up and which ever passage my eyes first fall upon I read – usually at least the remainder of the chapter. Well, this time my eyes first fell upon Luke 2:39 so I read through the remainder of chapter 2. In so doing I came across one of those specific dates of the New Testament, i.e. as outlined in verses 41 through 46, especially verse 46. At first I didn’t remember whether or not I’d studied this passage before, so I decided first to do a quick calculation as to what date that would be, that is, noticing the exactness of Luke’s record, I figured Yeshua’s parents left Jerusalem on Aviv 22, the 1^st day after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, then the next day, Aviv 23, they traveled back. Arriving in Jerusalem at the end of Aviv 23, they then, that evening, found their son in the Temple at the beginning of Aviv 24, that is, “after three days [following the beginning of that week,]” or, more correctly translated, “after Day Three.” Using the NASA Phases of the Moon tables and the Julian Day calculator I could rapidly discover that for that year, 3 BCE, Yeshua’s 12^th year [cf. the linked Excel table cf. row #1514, columns ##M & C,] that evening of Aviv 24 fell on Tuesday night April 9. Double checking my own published notes I found that I had indeed made this study before. Yet… there was a discrepancy somewhere… [now corrected] but why? Hmmmm… Had I made an error somewhere? Where exactly??? After a little digging and upon jogging my memory a bit, I recalled that at the time, quite long ago, when I made that calculation, I wasn’t sure as to how to find BCE correlations between days of the week and the lunar days of the months as I do now. As a consequence the calendar I’d come up with was a day off, thus causing me to err… And giving me a not very striking date plus some question marks in my notes.

What a blessing! And so very typical of how God has been leading me step by step forwards in the chronology work over the years. Showing me one passage after another that I need to look at that I had no idea I needed to look at myself… Correcting my own erroneous ways little by little, while adding to my blessings while ever strengthening the greater picture of the securely anchored chronology that He has heretofore shown me – while erasing, making ‘desolate,’ any and all errors of my own.

You’ll notice that the above described finding re Luke 2:46 certainly wouldn’t fit just any year, and is, as such, a confirmation of my prior over all New Testament chronology. It’s one of those pieces of the puzzle that suddenly is seen to fit exactly into a certain spot of the big puzzle… whereas before it didn’t seem to fit just as perfectly as it does now!

Well, Toby, this is the kind of confirmations that I am looking for, but do not see…, when applying some of those pet ideas of yours and Cottrell’s re timing upon real time. Those numbers that you are using aren’t fitting the puzzle! – At least not in the specific places where you are trying to put them!

Remember, there is a tremendous blessing inherent in being willing to correct one’s own errors! Don’t overlook those blessing by being unwilling to accept the still small voice of God re those particulars in your study… and where ever else they may be in your life! Well, I am sure you are doing just that, so this is just intended as an encouragement towards doing what you are doing even more… As you know, God has so many, many treasures He wishes to share with each of us that way! Just as He did to Daniel as Daniel was discovering and confessing his own prior errors, the points he had theretofore been missing, his own sins… even those sins that were being committed on an ongoing basis by “all” others among “God’s own people.”

PS II. You know, Toby… About providing a link to these my comments on your own website: No one would feel pushed or forced into looking at it! Only as driven by their own interest as generated within each by the prodding of the Holy Spirit would anyone go there… Isn’t that the way it ought to be???

PS III. I’ve come to realize that perhaps the very most important value that God provides each and any among us, i.e. me, for the apparent purpose of sharing it with others whom we may perceive as needing it, i.e. you and others, is the lesson that is it for me alone. Even if, and when, no one else whatsoever seems to be interested, or to find value, in the work I am doing, there are tremendous blessings in it for me. Indeed, I am convinced that, even when such is forever the true picture, for instance re the errors we, I, belatedly find and correct in each our own life, God cares enough for each of us that He is willing and able to lead each of us individually accordingly as we are each willing and able to follow Him. To Him none of that is a wasted effort… even while it may be taking Him many, many man years of personal effort!!!!!!

Thus, no need ever to give up or to feel disconcerted or to succumb to a sense of hopelessness! Praise the Lord for showing each of us our errors! I believe some of that lesson is inherent also in the account of Cain and Abel. Selah! Consider it!

PS IV. Suppose I was a watch maker. Suppose someone brought me an old non working watch for repairs. Suppose I discovered that for the watch to begin to function again all of ten parts needed replacement. Suppose I were to agree to a compromise - perhaps due to the perceived high cost of such parts - such that only nine or less of those ten parts were being replaced. Would the watch begin to work? What would be the point of doing an incomplete repair that had none effect whatsoever?

Well, I am thinking of your argument re bringing in only one new truth at a time because your followers may not be prepared to follow…

But think of it: If the repairs you do are of none effect, won’t the overall long term effect be that neither you nor your followers arrive at the point of your desire? Besides: Why should I assume that each and all of my eventual followers must follow me back and forth in my meanderings of thought over the years? Once my path towards an ultimate and certain destination is outlined and charted on a map, aren’t my followers most likely to find many more direct routes to those same destinations than I was able to while first fumbling around in the dark? Indeed, as I myself am getting places, aren’t I myself able to point out, in retrospect, many of those exceedingly abbreviated shortcuts?!!!!!!!

PS V. I hope I am not perceived as coming across as bringing a message that is too overwhelming? That I am not coming across too strongly or too forcefully, as in producing fear, or a fear of rejection, as in hopelessness? Yes, I know by personal experience, as I am sure you do also, that this Way of God may be long and filled with obstacles… But oh, how wonderful it is! As you know, it makes life ever so meaningful – even under the very worst of circumstances. I am reminded of Ellen’s words: "Alleluia! heaven is cheap enough!" {CET 61.1}

PS VI. Here’s another thought that I hope you’ll find valuable: Suppose all of us would take the time to carefully go through and make comments to each and every communication that arrives at each our door, for instance, such as I am doing with these Newsletters of yours. Suppose we’d all be willingly listen for that small voice of God speaking to us through each of those communications, be such ever so simpleton in nature, wouldn’t we each be growing into God’s true graces much more quickly than we now do? That is, wouldn’t we each be mending our ways much more quickly and willingly, rather than, as so often now, doing the apparently simple or “expedient” thing, that is, keeping on wallowing in the old familiar ‘pig sty’ and keeping on, on, forever trampling that old treadmill that leads nowhere but around and around, that is, forever repeating the same old type of mistakes, the same old traditions, which keep eating up our time for more important things? And yes, wouldn’t so doing bring into each and all our reality the Kingdom of God much more quickly than is now the case in this world and in each our own lives?

Why is it that we do not seemingly have the time for doing these important things as we might even wish to do? Why is it that we do not take time to look more deeply into the things of God? Isn’t it simply because we are not willing to be made willing to do the will of God? Cf. {AA 482.3} and {MB 142.1}

Från: tobyjoreteg@gmail.com [mailto:tobyjoreteg@gmail.com] För Toby Joreteg
Skickat: Thursday, May 20, 2010 6:08 PM
Ämne: Daniel's Messiah: Newsletter #10

Dear Friends,

This is newsletter #10 in a series called Daniel's Messiah. For the newcomers I suggest that you read the previous newsletters on my website. You can get there by clicking on: www.TobyJoreteg.com, go to "Articles" and then you can read, download and print the previous ones.

I pray God's special blessing on you when you study this.

Toby Joreteg MD, PhD.
www.TobyJoreteg.com

Dear newsletter readers,

I am very excited about these letters. The messages lift Christ up; His ministry on earth and His unfathomable and indescribable sacrifice on the cross.

With this particular one I am awed by God's grace to His people. They had turned their backs on Him and He responded by giving them more and more grace. Thank you Lord for being the same yesterday, today and forever!

May the Lord bless you as you study His Word.

Anita Joreteg

Newsletter #10

The 490-Year Prophecy

Background

We have studied Daniel 8 in the previous newsletters. Now it is time for Daniel 9. Our church sees Daniel 9 as referring to Christ’s first coming. That will not be disputed in these newsletters - rather confirmed. I love to speak about “Daniel’s Messiah.”

[ - Re “Our church sees…:” I believe God is talking to each of us face to face – if only we are willing to listen, that is, to be ever more attentive to God’s voice such that we may become ever more aware of His speaking to us and to distinguish His voice among all the others within each our minds. I don’t believe “our church” per se is created with a brain such that it can either “see,” “think,” or “believe” anything. Accordingly, I believe that it is of utmost importance that we cease identifying ourselves with any formal fictitious creation of men, while recognizing that each One among us is indeed an individual Son or Daughter among the living church body, which church body per se cannot, however, see, think, or breath, as such.

[ - Indeed, I find it of paramount importance that each Son and each Daughter takes personal responsibility for His or Her convictions re each and every particular. The very real living church body consists of the sum total of its living, breathing, seeing, hearing, thinking members. To the extent that those members identify too much with any formal or official presentations of this body, such members are in reality little more than de facto dead masks, that is seeking to represent a being that in and of itself cannot possibly see or think. Isn’t that obvious?

[ - Thus, I believe it is essential for all of us to refrain from using phrases such as “our church sees…” Or, do you find fault with such thinking of mine? May I suggest, in the alternative, something of the order of “I agree with the officially accepted creed (or stand) of the SDA Church re this or that particular…” Indeed, as for me, I don’t believe in having, claiming, or supporting any creed beyond such as Ellen White has shared with us re that particular, that is, re the word ‘creed.’ Cf. {1SM 416.2}, {3SM 21.1}, {GC 596.3}, {LHU 296.4}, {GC 388.3}, {FW 77.1}, {CC 42.4}, {Ev 290.2}, {Ev 568.4}, {OHC 207.3}, {PP 124.1}!

[ - There is a need for each of us to be more alive, to be more responsible for each our convictions, to really stand up upon the two feet God is giving us, to use each our brain, that is in verity, to allow the Holy Spirit to be the breath of life that invigorates each one among us…]

There are some details in Daniel 9 that need our attention. One is whether or not the Day-Year Principle should be used. During our study of Daniel 8 I have shown that all prophetic numbers there should be taken literally. SDA theologians have used Daniel 9 to find the starting point for the prophecies in both Daniel 8 and 9. However, if you have read the previous newsletters, you have noticed that a paradigm shift is necessary. We have understood that the 2,300 evenings and mornings pointed to the time of Jesus’ ministry. It began when Jesus’ declared what He had come to do (Luke 4:18-21) and ended at the cross.

[ - Dear Toby, my friend, I am sorry to say so, but I do not see any evidence in support for this claim of yours re “the 2,300 evenings and mornings” and as expressed within this last paragraph of yours. As you know I’ve been thoroughly considering the details of each of your Newsletters and I have indeed found much of lasting value in them. On the other hand, I am seeing you holding on to certain points of belief, mostly such as pertain to time and dates, that are not viable when scrutinized under the light of the facts of reality as demonstrably available to us at this time. I’ve been doing my best in providing, for the benefit of you and others, the best evidence I am aware of, yes even proof, in support of a more valid understanding of these passages – and I believe that I have good reasons for understanding you as perceiving my stand as very likely being viable – yet, you insist upon building upon dates that I’ve shown you do not hold up to the scrutiny of reality as it is and was.

[ - Why?]

[ - Indeed, I’ve even demonstrated one exact literal day fulfillment and two distinct and separate year for a day fulfillments of Daniel 9:24-27, significantly tied together and separated by a sixty (60) year difference…]

So, what can we learn from Daniel 9?

Seventy Years of Captivity

Daniel, a servant and a prophet of God, was taken captive to Babylon when he was a young man, probably a teenager. His career was truly amazing. He ended up as a prime minister of Babylon and later when the Medes took over he continued in a very high political position. We know that Daniel remained faithful to God in prayer but also that he diligently studied the Word of God, Daniel 9:2:

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. (NIV)

From this we know that the writings of Jeremiah were accessible to Daniel.

[ - Or, at the very least, the letter of Jeremiah introduced to us in Jeremiah 29:1, and which letter is reproduced to us as the main body of Jeremiah Chapter 29, was “accessible to Daniel.”]

Jeremiah’s writings caught Daniel’s attention. It is clear that he found information there that stirred him up. He knew that his people, the Jews, had been unfaithful to the Lord and that was the reason for their captivity in Babylon. By reading Jeremiah Daniel furthermore realized that the captivity would last for “seventy years,” Jeremiah 25:11:

This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. (NIV)

He found a similar statement in Jeremiah 29:10:

For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. (NKJV)

This must have been awesome news for Daniel. I am sure it helped him to endure the captivity better. The end of it was in sight. There may also have been a bitter-sweet component here. As a prophet of God he probably knew the conditionality of prophecy. He knew what had happened to the northern ten Tribes of Israel. They had been deported to Assyria more than 100 years before Judah was taken into captivity and had not returned to Israel yet. Why? I am sure Daniel was concerned about what God said in Jeremiah 3:8:

I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.

(NIV)

This is probably what Daniel dreaded the most. The ten northern tribes had been given a “certificate of divorce.” They had not ended their rebellion against God and therefore they were still separated from Him.

What about Judah? Had they repented of their rebellion during these 70 years of captivity that now had almost come to an end? Could Daniel be sure that his people had changed their relationship with God? He trusted God, but did he trust his people? As a matter of fact - he did not! That becomes very clear when we read his prayer in Daniel 9:4-19. When he realized that the 70 years were almost over, he began interceding for his people.

[ - Yes, indeed, Daniel took even more of a stand than he may have done theretofore. Being One among a people is not the same as merely being one of a people. Do you see the very real difference between a real living, thinking, seeing, being and a thing that is merely a mechanical piece of the machinery? I believe that is what we may perceive in Daniel throughout his life, and to an ever increasing degree. Each of us need to learn do think and do similarly, don’t we?!

[Notice this, if and when any one among us does stand up wholeheartedly, that is, 100%, for some particular, then that particular is indeed being stood up for and realized by at least a portion of the whole group! To the extent and power of truth value inherent in that particular it will gradually affect the remainder of the body also.

[Notice this also, so long as no one stands up wholeheartedly for such a particular, the group as a whole will remain, is, dead indeed so far as that particular is concerned. A dead body is not very powerful. Likewise a particular teaching that is dead – one that is not wholeheartedly applied by anyone in a given group - is not at all powerful. How could it be?!!!

[Today I opened up my Bible to Judges Chapter 1. I noticed a thing re “Judah…” that I don’t recall having noticed before, that is, in Judges 1:1-2. Towards the end of the chapter I notice how that a number of the tribes of Israel were not wholeheartedly following the instructions they had been given, that is, while making instead the Caananites tributaries, that is, tax payers(!)

[Well, there you go, when, and to the extent that, any one among us identify ourselves as a tax payer, we are indeed perceived by the authorities, and by the powers that be, as beings such as we claim we are by means of the proof we show when asked… It is only natural then that we are being treated accordingly. Is it not? If at the same time we are making a contrary claim by our words, aren’t we then double tongued, that is, “bearing false witness…” and thus trespassing upon the 9^th Commandment?

[Now, suppose all of a sudden the tribe of God’s people would make a decision to finally act upon the command of God originally given them re the Caananites… How would we fare then? What hope for life would there be for us?...

[The good news about this, and this may well be new to you, that each one among us who have heretofore claimed to be, in affect, Caananites, is given the opportunity to make a contrary claim, that is, that we are in verity Sons or Daughters of God and not Caananites, not tributaries, yes indeed, we are not tax payers!

[This may be a new thought to you too: Who is “Uncle Sam?” Let me correct that question: “Whose uncle is Sam?” Or, to make the same last question even more clear: “Whose uncle is my Father Shem, the Son of Noah?” Now, if you consider this question in the light of Genesis 9:26-27, do you perceive the power inherent in the claims we are making re who we are, that is, by means of the proof of ID that we choose to show when asked?

[Consider in this setting also Yeshua’s words per John 8:35, 36 and Matthew 17:27! Did you ever notice this before?

[So you see, what it boils down to at last is this question: “Who am I in the eyes of God?” Or, if I may clarify that last question: “Who do I - by my own choice and action - prove that I am?” In other words: “Who do I claim to be when asked by a representative of the People of God? Do I claim to be a tributary or servant of theirs, or do I claim to be one of them?”

[Another example pertinent to certain nations, e.g. the Nordic States: How are we taught to greet the authorities (as well as one another?) Are we taught to bow, or else bend our knees, as is done before a superior and as is common practice in the Nordic countries, or else, do we greet one another with a kiss, as is common practice in Arabic and Hebrew speaking countries?

[So you see, these things, these ways of thinking and acting, are deeply rooted in our ways of thinking and acting. No wonder the gospel message is being described as “the Way,” that is, as in a step by little step process towards a destination some distance away, that is towards the Kingdom of God, is it?

[When did God first give any of us that particular power to choose? Consider Genesis 2:16-17! In the light of that: Next, consider Revelation 14:1-6 while considering who the one is that is, in each case, given the authority for making the crucial choice re whatever consequences that naturally trails such a choice!]

Literal Seventy Years

Before we talk about Daniel’s prayer we should consider the following: Daniel read the passages in Jeremiah and thought about the “seventy years” as seventy literal years. He did not consider using what we call “the Day-Year Principle.” We should trust his judgment since he was a prophet of God filled with the Holy Spirit.

Daniel’s Prayer

Then follows one of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible! Daniel is so humble before God. Even if he had been faithful to God, he included himself with the unfaithful.

[ - No, that would be a lie and a trespass against the 9^th Commandment! I can only conclude that Daniel at that point in his life realized something about his own life and habits that he had not realized before… some sin of his own that until that point in time he had been blind to. Now that he was realizing his error, while seeing also how that most or even all of his people were committing the very same sin, he honestly and sincerely pleaded with God for the appropriate remedy, that is, his was an honest desire for correcting his own ways such that that particular trespass upon God’s law would cease to be an ongoing trespass.

[Indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if his was a realization pertaining to the difference between giving God a clear title to his, Daniel’s, name, and all collateral thereto attached, on the one hand, and on the other hand, between compromising that clear title of God by delegating it into the trusteeship of a State or any government of men… That is, a trespass upon each and all of at least the first three of the Ten Commandments! Just the same as I had been doing until God showed me step by little step how to get out of those many faceted bonds…

[Consider Isaiah 28:9-14!]

He did not pray for his people in “they” form but used the word “we.” He counted himself just as sinful as anyone else among his people. He did not consider himself spiritually superior. He pleaded with God “in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes,” Daniel 9:3.

At the very end of his humble prayer we find a wonderful statement. The human way would be to think that you have “paid” for your “sin” after enduring the punishment. This would make you feel righteous and that you deserve to be set free. But not Daniel! He pleads for God’s mercy, Daniel 9:18-19:

We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! (NIV)

In God’s perspective we cannot “pay off” our sins and set ourselves free. This is God’s act and possible only because of what Jesus did on the cross.

[ - Are you saying that Jesus did “pay off” all our sins, but that no one else can? But, if that is true then the Bible is not in harmony with itself, is it? Or, doesn’t this bible passage mean what it says?;

[Hebrews 2:17 KJV Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren…

[So where is our error – for surely the error is not in the Scriptures, is it?!

[May I suggest that in no way did Jesus “pay off” anyone’s sins? May I further suggest that what Jesus did was the very same thing that each and every one is supposed to do, that is, to live his life in constant communion with Him who is all our Father in heaven, not our “uncle Shem,” and that in so doing Jesus proved to each and all that that can indeed be done by anyone… How is that? Well, isn’t the answer obvious from Paul’s words per Hebrew 2:17, above quoted?!!!]

Daniel pleaded for God’s mercy and received it. God’s grace was given not only to Daniel but also to his people. Without fully understanding it, Daniel actually pleaded for the consequences of the cross.

The Jews experienced God’s wrath. It lasted for seventy literal years - just as predicted. They were allowed to return to Judah not because of their repentance but because of God’s mercy.

[ - May I suggest that God’s mercy consists in showing each one among us how repentance is to be done. Every particular aspect of it! Tailor made for each one among us and in re to each specific sin! That is, the basic principles are always consistently the same, but the how of applying it is almost always uniquely different and depending upon just where we are in each our lives. That’s where we need even more of God’s mercy, that is, we need that constant companionship with him that Jesus had… we surely need His guidance!, we surely need to heed His calling (Rev 18:4) and which grace of God each and every one of us likewise has access to!!! But, if we disregard the basic principles, that most important first step re each and every particular, how can we ever expect God to show us how to apply it to each our unique situation?]

Daniel was not only concerned about his people but also about God’s name and reputation.

[ - The key here is not about God’s reputation. God has no need of being concerned about superficial appearances. Such are what they are – as in the name “I am that I am.” – No, it is about giving God’s name, in this particular instance that name of God’s was Daniel, full credit for being God’s name and none other’s!

[There is a subtle error in KJV within the Third Commandment that, once realized, makes the above shared, re God’s name, come true. The error is the addition of an extra ‘the’ that has no correspondence in the original Hebrew. That ‘the’ should be exchanged of either ‘a’ or ‘any,’ or at the very least it should have been italicized. Like this:

[Exodus 20:7 KJV Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain…]

That was the reason he prayed to the Lord for the desolate sanctuary in Jerusalem.

[ - But, you see, the sanctuary is a representation first of all of each family of God, thus also of the extended family of God. Thus, when the members of that family, one by one, does with their own name, that is, God’s name, the very same thing that Judas did with Jesus’ name, then isn’t that a ‘transgression,’ a ‘rebellion,’ an ‘abomination,’ that in a most serious and fundamental manner makes God’s title to it ‘desolate?’ Thus also that which symbolizes the same is being likewise ‘desolated,’ that is, the Temple. How could it be otherwise???!!!!!!!]

He wanted of all his heart to worship God and honor His name. Therefore, it was logical for Daniel to think and pray from God’s perspective. This type of prayer is unusual and can only happen, if the praying individual is led by the Holy Spirit and used by God in a special way.

Gabriel Interrupts

God needs people who are willing to “stand in the gap.” I believe Daniel’s intercession for his people was the reason for God’s answer. At this moment something funny happens. While Daniel is praying God’s messenger interrupts him, Daniel 9:20-22:

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. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.” (NIV)

When we truly pray from our hearts, it is actually possible that our prayers may be too long? That seems to be the case here with Daniel. He is still praying when Gabriel taps him on the shoulder to give him God’s answer.

Insight and Understanding

Gabriel said he had come to give Daniel “insight and understanding.” Insight about what? The 2,300 evenings and mornings? I don’t believe so. Not a word is mentioned about that in Daniel 9. The whole chapter concerns their sin, Daniel’s intercession for his people, the fact that the 70 years are almost over and whether God would forgive them and let them return?

We can summarize Daniel’s prayer in two petitions. First Daniel pleaded for his people through God’s mercy would remain in His grace and not be separated from the Holy One. He wanted to be sure that a divorce would not take place.

The second issue concerned God’s reputation. If His Holy Temple, which had been destroyed, would remain in ruins, the surrounding nations would continue to scorn the God of Israel.

This raises an important issue. Do we have a God who meets us where we are, or does He ignore our questions to pursue His own agenda? The good news is that the rest of Daniel 9 definitely shows that God met Daniel where he was. He answered his questions. When that was done, God introduced some new issues.

God’s Answer

God sent the answer with His most frequently used messenger Gabriel. Daniel had met him 12 to 13 years earlier when he needed to understand the vision concerning the 2,300 evenings and mornings.

[ - Let me see now, Daniel 8:14 re the 2,300 evenings and mornings was given…:

[Daniel 8:1 KJV In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar…]

[ - That 3^rd year of Belshazzar began with Tishri 22, 547 BCE, per Scriptural reckoning which is also Daniel’s reckoning. If you were to use Babylonian reckoning, then that 3^rd year of Belshazzar began Nissan 1, 546 BCE.

[ - The corresponding setting in time pertaining to Daniel 9 is…:

[Daniel 9:1 KJV In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

[ - That 1^st year of Darius ended with Tishri 21, 534 BCE, and I believe that the setting of Daniel 9:3 indicates that this event took place on the Day of At-One-Meant, that is, on Tishri 10, 534 BCE.

[ - It follows that, exactly as you say, there were “12 to 13 years” between these two events. Confirmed! I just wanted the details and to double check…]

To believe that Gabriel came to give Daniel details of that prophecy 12-13 years later is not God’s pattern in the rest of the Book of Daniel. Now Daniel needed insight and understanding in regard to his prayer in Daniel 9. What was God’s plan? With this background it is easy to understand that Gabriel begins the prophetic message with the following words, Daniel 9:23:

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:” (NIV)

God is so good. He meets us where we are. Do you see that the answer concerns what Daniel prayed about in his prayer? Daniel eagerly awaited God’s response. Since Daniel was “highly esteemed” by God, the angel said: “Consider the message” that I have come to tell you. I.e. consider how I am about to answer your questions now. Daniel 9:24:

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. (NIV)

Let’s see how God is at work. Daniel believed that the Jews needed to repent before they would be allowed to return to Jerusalem - but that was not the case. God let them return after the seventy years were completed and on top of that He gave them 490 more years to stop their rebellion. In His grace He multiplied the “seventy years” by seven. It seems like God followed the “prescription” He gave in Matthew 18:22.

[ - Remember Naaman? 2 Kings 5:10… How many time was he to wash himself?

[ - When you wash your cloths, you likewise change the water many times if you wish to get your cloths really clean, do you not?

[ - The Sabbath is all about being ‘sevened,’ that is ‘sanctified,’ ‘cleansed,’ is it not?

[ - The counting of the Omer towards the 7^th of 7 Sabbaths, is likewise all about cleansing, step by step, week by week, and as in changing the water seven times, or as with Naaman, washing seven times.

[ - Thus also the importance of an annual Day of Sabbaths, as I’ve recently shared with you more about…]

[ - But, the detergent and the water being used in this process of sevening is very much God’s very own Sabbaths – all of them! If we do not follow the instructions, all of them, as Naaman did, then how can we expect to be truly sevened? Can we wash our cloths without water or without effective detergent? If God provides water and detergent when we pray for clean cloths, will our cloths be clean if we refuse to use that water and that detergent? Likewise, if God provides all the special Sabbaths needed for each of us to be properly sevened, cleansed, then, if we refuse to follow the instructions fully, how can we ever expect the result to be truly what we wish for? After seeing how essential the lessons inherent in keeping each and all of the three annual Feasts of God, I’ve come to realize how impossible it is to truly comprehend God’s own calendar without each and all of those Feasts.

[ - But how can we ever expect to enter in to the time of the Second Coming, that is, into the reality of the Kingdom of God in the here and now, so long as we refuse to learn the ropes of the time there kept. How can we ever expect to meet up to an appointment on time if we don’t even know what calendar and what clock to use?

[ - But, you see, per Daniel 7:25, we have excellent reasons for seeing that we are severely entangled into a spider web of disorientation as to time. It’ll take time to become fully untangled!!!!!!! It’ll take patience and persistence! It’ll take the firm trust, faith, and obedience that Yeshua, Jesus, had in his relationship with his Father! Remember Revelation 14:12! It takes time to be transformed from being a ‘rat,’ a ‘pig,’ or a ‘hue-man’ into a true and blue Adam, a Son or a Daughter of God truly willing to be made willing to do the will of God! Cf. 1 Cor 15:51-52; Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor 11:3-15.

[ - This is no joke! This is serious business!

[ - Cf. also item #15, that is my PowerPoint presentation under this link of mine! It’s very much about the meaning of those Hebrew words found in Daniel 9:24!

[ - But don’t ever forget this: The point of the whole thing of becoming a free man after confinement - as in 70 years of Babylonian captivity - is being free. It is not a matter of moving from one place to another within the same jurisdiction, or under the same king or government! When one is being released, truly released, then one is out – free and on one’s own! Outside of the system!!!!!!! No longer inside the same system of bondage! No longer subject to the same foreign king or occupying power! – So also when the people were being Exiled from the 70 years of bondage in Babylon. It was not a matter of being thereafter the subjects of the kings of Media or Persia, of Greece, or of Rome. Yet, for those of too little faith to accept God’s own words to that effect, God is bearing long with all of us, sifting forever the wheat from the tares. Calling His people always, hoping forever that some One will care to be attentive to His still small voice… Without excusing him or her self for one apparently good reason or another…

[And yet, it is important always to remember - so as not to take the baits of the Master Deceiver – that dragon of Revelation 12:4, that is always ready and prepared to swallow any and all Sons and Daugthers of God from the very first instant of any particular!!!]

Literal Time

Our church uses the Day-Year Principle for this prophecy and claims that one day equals one year. The translators of the text quoted above used the words “Seventy sevens.” This would imply seventy weeks. That is why we often call it the “70-week Prophecy.”

But please notice the following! The Hebrew text does NOT say “Seventy sevens.” It literally says “Seven seventies!”

[ - Toby, I don’t know who is fooling who, but in the Hebrew text the two words are identically the same. Both are written as the plural form of ‘seven.’ Whenever the plural form of ‘seven’ is being used it typically means ‘seventy!’ Thus, if you wish to express the literal meaning, you’d say “seventy seventies” or “sevens sevens.” And, as I’ve shown you before there is indeed a literal and exact fulfillment of this prophecy in terms of 4900 literal days! (Cf. item #6 under this link.)

[ - Once again, please cf. item #15, that is my PowerPoint presentation under this link of mine! It’s very much about the meaning of those Hebrew words found in Daniel 9:24!

Thus, God spoke so Daniel would understand. Let me state it again: Daniel was concerned that his people had not repented during the seventy years of captivity. God answered by extending the time of grace. He gave them additional seven “seventy-year-periods.” A literal translation of Daniel 9:24 would be:

Seven seventies are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression...

Consider again Daniel’s study of the Book of Jeremiah, his thinking and prayer.

[ - What basis do you have for saying “the Book of Jeremiah,” and not merely the letter of Jeremiah that was sent to the captives in Babylon and which is being referenced and quoted in Jeremiah Chapter 29?]

He had read about the seventy years of captivity in Babylon, seventy literal years. He started to seriously intercede for his people. He wanted to make sure that the seventy years would not be prolonged. He wanted to see this time of captivity come to an end so his people would be set free.

Daniel prayed about the seventy years and God’s answer simply refers to this time period. The Hebrew word for “seventy” is the same in Daniel 9:2 and 9:24!

The only thing that has changed as we compare these two verses is that God is very generous. He gracefully multiplies the “seventy years” with “seven.” That is why in Hebrew it is written “seven seventies” and not “seventy sevens.” Doing the math seven times 70 years equals 490 years.

Thus the time prophecy of 490 years is literal and not prophetic!

[ - Your words “the time prophecy of 490 years is literal and not prophetic!” is not true, that prophecy is both literal and prophetic! So far as I’ve found until now, there is one (1) exact literal fulfillment, AND there are two (2) exact year for a day fulfillments!

[ - Cf. item #6 under this same link of mine!]

The passage in chapter 9:24-27 has the answer to both his questions. We have now seen how Daniel’s first question is answered in this prophecy. The message was that the Jews would be allowed to return to Judah when the 70 years ended and that God extended the time of grace. In the next newsletter we will study Daniel’s second issue concerning the desolate sanctuary in Jerusalem.

Summary

· When Daniel studied the book of Jeremiah he understood that the time of captivity in Babylon would be 70 literal years and not prophetic years.

· He realized that his people had not repented as they should and according to Jeremiah 3:8 they consequently were at risk of receiving a certificate of divorce.

[ - Did you ever seriously consider what might be the down to earth nature of that “certificate of divorce?”

[ - Did you ever seriously consider that such a certificate might indeed be any ‘certificate’ issued for one man or one woman under the jurisdiction of another king or government than God alone? That is, any of those ‘certificates’ that we are use used to apply for and then to carry in each our wallets? Or isn’t it true that each of those ‘certificates’ are considered proof that the ‘holder’ thereof is a subject of whatever authority that issued each particular ‘certificate?’]

· Daniel was also concerned about God’s reputation. As long as the Temple in Jerusalem was in ruins, the surrounding nations would scorn the Name of God.

[ - Likewise, when we are making desolate the time when God Himself has arranged a date with each of us, while honoring instead the dates provided for us by the kings or governments that we ourselves have voted into existence, as in making our very own idols, how can we ever expect the authorities of “the surrounding nations” not to “scorn the Name of God” that we claim we believe in, while we, you or I, are yet insisting in showing them their own documents of proof that we belong to them…]

· Therefore, Daniel pleads for God’s mercy.

[ - May I suggest that each of us have ever so much reason for doing as Daniel did? And most likely for the very same reason?!!!]

· In this newsletter we have seen how God answered Daniel’s first question.

Toby Joreteg MD, PhD