Everyone loves getting into Daniel’s 70 Weeks - in fact the back-bone of prophecy! But... we must wait. Why?? Daniel is praying and we dare not rush him. In fact, we’d better pay attention to what old Daniel is saying and why now...
70 years have passed since he was captured in 606BC and he learns that Jeremiah prophesied (25:11) the Captivity must last 70 years. It’s getting close!
Notice he feels utterly shame-faced over their failures as God’s chosen people but it is not about him so much but about...
“thy city Jerusalem,
thy holy mountain.... thy sanctuary that is desolate.....for thy city and thy
people are called by thy name”.
Notice also he has not forgotten ‘ALL ISRAEL’ – near and far. (The northern nation of Israel has been off the map for nearly 200 years!)
Now then... Why were the Jews
taken captive and their city and temple destroyed?
Yes there was idolatry, yes there was child sacrifice, yes there was much injustice, yes there was disobedience and mistreatment of God’s prophets, however... the prime reason for this Captivity of 70 years is their abuse of the Promised Land. It is God’s Land (Lev 25:23 ; Deut 11:12) and it was to be fallowed every 7 years and enjoy jubilee every 50 years . See Lev 25 & 26:34.
It is all about reproach of God’s name and His Land. The kingdom was 70x7=490 years old by 606BC!
Is there any overlap of the 70 year captivity and the 70 Week prophecy coming? No. The overlap is that holy city Jerusalem and especially the sanctuary. It has been destroyed once – the final siege in 586BC – and Daniel has been given a clue in 8:11 that it will be soon built again.
What is fascinating is that the 70 years of Captivity are about the Land; the 70 Week prophecy is about Messiah; in the middle of it all – the sanctuary.
What will
happen to that 2nd temple? Daniel is about to find out!
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