Smoodock's Blog

We are considering the six works of God found in Daniel 9:24, which interpret what the fulfillment of the Seventy Weeks Prophecy would look like, and thus far, we have found that the works of God were completed in Christ during the first century AD. Therefore, we have no authority from the Bible to look for the fulfillment of these works at a later date. In fact, to do so, would, in effect, deny the work of Christ has been, is now and forever will be complete! Thus, we must logically conclude that the Seventy Weeks Prophecy was fulfilled in the first century AD. We need to examine our understanding of these things to assure ourselves that what we believe is sound and taught by the original Apostles (cp. 2Corinthians 13:5).

At this point in our study, we’ve come to the fifth work of God, as prophesied by the angel in the nineth chapter of the Book of Daniel. The text reads, “Seventy weeks are determined upon your people… to seal up the vision and prophecy” (Daniel 9:24). What vision would that be? He couldn’t be referring to Jeremiah’s Seventy Years Prophecy, because that prophecy was fulfilled , which is what Daniel’s prayer was all about. The 490 years of the Seventy Weeks Prophecy would be much too long a period to be referring to Jeremiah’s vision, but no other prophecy is specifically mentioned. Therefore, the angel must be referring to one of Daniel’s visions, but which one? He had several; did he not?

However, before we consider which vision or prophecy is meant, let’s look at the meaning of the three main words that concern the angel’s phrase, namely: seal, vision, and prophecy (Daniel 9:24).

• Seal is H2856 – chatham. The Hebrew means “to seal, seal up or affix a seal; make an end, mark, stop.

• Vision is H2377 – chazown. The word in the Hebrew comes from H2372 (chazah – meaning to gaze at or mentally to perceive or contemplate); chazown (H2377) refers to a vision one has while in a trance or a dream in the night.

• Prophecy is H5030 – nabiy’. The Hebrew refers to a spokesman, speaker or a prophet. This word appears 316 times in the Old Testament and is translated prophet 312 times and only once is it translated prophecy, and this is found in Daniel 9:24. Therefore, this word should probably be translated prophet and refers to Daniel. “Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions” never defines this word as prophecy.

It seems obvious to me, therefore, that the only vision the angel could mean would be the dream that was revealed to Daniel in chapter two, and which he interpreted for Nebuchadnezzar. All other visions in the Book of Daniel: the four beasts (chapter 7), the ram and the goat (chapter 8), the Seventy Weeks Prophecy (chapter 9 and elaborated on in chapters 11 and 12) – all these visions were magnifications of the dream, which Nebuchadnezzar was given, and which Daniel interpreted in chapter two of the book.

In effect, then, Daniel had only one vision, but he was somewhat troubled over the vision and looked to God for clarity. The LORD sent angels and gave Daniel other visions to answer his questions about the vision he had “at the beginning” (Daniel 9:21). The sense of this particular statement by Gabriel is that Daniel’s vision will be fulfilled, and he will be vindicated as a prophet of God. The vision (H2856) will be closed, sealed (up), ended. In other words, just as Jeremiah vindicated as a prophet, when his vision was fulfilled in the seventy years of the Jews’ servitude to Babylon, so would Daniel be vindicated as a prophet of God, beginning with the overthrow of Babylon by the Medes and the Persians (the second kingdom, the one of silver in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream), and Daniel will see this in his own time, and the two other kingdoms will rise up to replace the earlier kingdoms in due time.

Daniel understood that there should be four kingdoms to rule his people, Israel. He was satisfied that the first was Babylon, (Daniel 2:38-45) the second was revealed to him as Persia (Daniel 5:28; 8:20) and the third he believed would be Greece (Daniel 8:21), but the fourth kingdom was very troublesome, and he desired very much to identify it and warn his people, the Jews. Nevertheless, the Roman kingdom came into power and ruled, until both Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed. Daniel predicted four kingdoms would come to power and rule over the Jewish people. This occurred, and it took the entire 490 years to show that a fifth kingdom, the Kingdom of God, which is destined to destroy the political power the world has over God’s people didn’t come into its own before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. Daniel and his vision, therefore, stands vindicated, just as the Seventy Weeks Prophecy foretold, and this, the fifth work of God, which was prophesied by the angel in Daniel 9:24 stands fulfilled and complete. It was fulfilled during and shortly after the days of Christ’s public ministry.