Thanks for your prayers, things are going well. Over the last month I’ve been able to work on the first of two videos on Daniel chapter 9. When talking about that chapter, it’s really hard to do the subject justice. Here are a few thoughts.

Daniel, reading the prophecies of Jeremiah. Daniel 9:2

There are perhaps two chapters which are the most significant and important prophetic chapters in the Old Testament: Isaiah 53 and Daniel chapter 9. Or so it’s always seemed to me. The chapters in Daniel that I’ve done videos on till now, chapters 2, 7 and 8, all lay the groundwork for and lead up to the truth revealed in Daniel chapter 9. The remaining chapters in Daniel 9, chapters 10, 11 and 12, all build upon the foundation of revelation made plain in Daniel  9.

But then, is it really right to say that things are “made plain” in Daniel chapter 9? What if you tried to get the main points of history for the next two or three thousand years compacted into three or four verses? That’s how Daniel 9 is. Actually, there are only four verses in the chapter that are prophetic. In the video I’m working on now, I’m focusing on the first three of those, verses 24 to 26.

The beasts of Daniel 8. No beasts in Daniel 9.

This chapter is somewhat advanced. And it is concentrated. There’s a tremendous amount of information conveyed in very few words. In Daniel 7 and 8 there were visualizations of beasts, representing nations or kingdoms. There aren’t any beasts in this chapter. The angel Gabriel is just giving the prophet Daniel the straight Word of God.

Many believers, of whatever denomination or even faith, know next to nothing about the truths revealed in this chapter. Personally, I believe that God has a foreknowledge of events in our world. God has a destiny foreordained for mankind and it’s going to be fulfilled. We individually have free choice and we’re responsible for our choices. But God has an overall design for mankind. Daniel chapter 9 is one of the clearest examples in the Bible of God’s foreknowledge and involvement in the ultimate destiny of mankind.

For those of you who don’t know anything about the chapter, here’s a brief synopsis. Around 539 BC, Daniel is reading the prophet Jeremiah and he comes to realize that Jeremiah’s prophecy of a 70 year captivity of the Jews is just about to be finished. Daniel then prays a long and desperate prayer for God to forgive His people and to act on their behalf.

At the end of this prayer, the angel Gabriel again appears to Daniel, as he had at other times. But Gabriel’s message was not about the 70 years prophecy of Jeremiah. God had something far greater and more important in mind, the salvation of all peoples and the bringing in of God’s Kingdom on earth.

Gabriel proceeded to tell Daniel of an exceedingly specific length of time between a future decree to rebuild Jerusalem and “Messiah the Prince” (Daniel 9:25), a period of 483 years. Gabriel went on to say that after “Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself” (Daniel 9:26), that the future temple and the rebuilt city of Jerusalem would again be destroyed. As is brought out in the video, Jesus of Nazareth was crucified around 33 AD.

Fall of Jerusalem, 70 AD

In 70 AD, the Roman legions of Titus surrounded Jerusalem and destroyed the city and the sanctuary. Israel was effectively ended and the Jews were scattered among all nations for nearly 1900 years.

I hardly know of another prophecy in the Bible that’s so all encompassing, so historically based and so profound in its evidence of God’s hand in the history of mankind. And yet, as I said above, it’s virtually unknown, even to most sincere and devout Christians. Perhaps it’s because this chapter is rather dense and compacted. There are numbers, dates and historical facts involved which can get to be a bit hard to chew and digest. That’s what I’m really working on right now, to try to make this as easy to understand as possible. I’m also including a good deal of visual aids in this video, as I have in others.

If things continue to go well, I’m hoping to have this video available to view by the end of May. Of course I can’t be absolutely sure about this but that’s my goal. It’s primarily focusing on verses 24 to 26; the ones that cover what’s called “the 69 weeks”, for those of you who already know a little about the chapter.

Then the next video after this will zoom in on just one verse, the last one in Daniel 9, verse 27. That verse is pretty much the crux and the keystone around which all future prophecy, still yet to be fulfilled, is based. I’m very focused and inspired to be working on these things right now. So, the end of May; that’s the date I’m shooting for to make this first Daniel 9 video available. Thanks for your prayers for this project, God bless you, Mark