8.1- Discussion of Daniel 9, verses 20-24

>>> Verses 20-23: From the moment that Daniel began to plead with God, He already answered him. God wants to be prayed to. See Ephesians 6 verse 18: “Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people”.

In the beginning of verse 20 it says: “I (Daniel) went on praying”….  Our prayers are as “gold bowls filled with incense”, to His honor. See Rev. 5 verse 8: “As he did so, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God's people”. See also Rev. 8 verses 3 and 4: “Another angel, who had a gold incense container, came and stood at the altar. He was given a lot of incense to add to the prayers of all God's people and to offer it on the gold altar that stands before the throne. The smoke of the burning incense went up with the prayers of God's people from the hands of the angel standing before God”

Verse 21 says that it was the “time for the evening sacrifice to be offered”. God always acts at the time of - (and on the basis of) - the evening sacrifice. This of course speaks of Golgotha, where Jesus died towards the evening. See also 1 Kings 18 verse 29: “They kept on ranting and raving until the middle of the afternoon; but no answer came, not a sound was heard”. Only after that, in the evening, Elijah set about repairing the altar of the Lord.

>>> Verse 24: The 70 years, about which Daniel prayed in verse 2, and where it says that he “was studying the sacred books and thinking about the seventy years that Jerusalem would be in ruins “, are now being explained by Gabriel. It is important to understand the relation between verse 2 and verses 24 – 27: Because, as the 70 years of exile relate to the 490 years of iniquity (not celebrated Sabbath rests), these 70 years also speak about the coming 490 years- (70 “sevens” of yearweeks)- , in which all the iniquities are being reconciled. These iniquities include those of the whole nation of Israel, and not only the Jews. In this verse it says: “Sin will be forgiven and eternal justice established”. This is prophecy of the time when all sin will be ended and the eternal kingdom of the Messiah is being installed.