Will the feasts of Israel find a symbolic or a literal fulfillment in the end times? Ken Boa looks at the prophecy of the 70 weeks in Daniel 9 and relates it to the future of Israel.
Daniel prophesied in the time of Israel’s exile. The deportations and captivity of Israel led him to consider this question: Has God completely forsaken the Israelites? The vision of Daniel 9 answers this. Even though Israel has been wayward, God still sends His people consolation. He will be faithful to His covenant despite their infidelity. He will discipline His children, but He will not completely cast them off.
Daniel 9 begins with prayer. Daniel knows that the people of Israel have sinned against God, and so he repents, approaching God in humility. Reflecting on the promised curse for Israel’s faithlessness in Deuteronomy, Daniel seeks the favor of the Lord. He trusts in the compassion of God.
God responds to Daniel by sending Gabriel to bring a message to Daniel about the “seventy weeks” for the Israelites and for Jerusalem. Our idea of the timeline of these seventy weeks depends on our interpretation of the six purposes of these seventy weeks:
- finishing the transgression
- making an end of sin
- making atonement for iniquity
- bringing in everlasting righteousness
- sealing up vision and prophecy
- anointing the most holy place
Click here for more information about Ken Boa’s Sunday Morning Study.
