“I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain. As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision. “A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times. “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.””
Daniel 9:20-27 NLT
As Gabriel responds to Daniel with a further clarity, it should be noted that he does so with haste. He notes that an order was given to him at the moment Daniel began to pray. This was not a moment where God decided to muse with Daniel or meet his mind. It was a command and given to Gabriel to carry it out swiftly. The mission was to provide insight and understanding. This was a seemingly benign action, on the part of the angel, but it’s significant for us. It affirms that insight and understanding, if asked for properly, are valid things to ask for. It affirms that God cares and is listening. It affirms that he listens with care and attention. As to the subject of the dream, it includes more details of the coming years beyond Daniel’s scope of life. There is more about the Little Horn and The Son of Man. The intent of the message to Daniel, is to once again ensure that he knows God’s sovereignty, and to operate without fear. Nevertheless, he is to also know that there is worse to come. God wished for Daniel’s last days to be filled with insight alongside vision. We should take solace that he viewed this as a worthy mission in commanding his angels. Because of this, we should pray with bold fervor about the things unfolding.
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