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[Daniel Ch.9: The 70 Weeks Prophecy]

II. Daniel's Prayer and Gabriel's Arrival (9:3-23)  

DAN 9:3,21  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes...Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

     The prophet Daniel started praying and confessions his own sins and the sins of his people. This is a marvelous prayer, full of expectation, adoration, and contrition.  Another model prayer--aside from the Lord's prayer--of true confession, supplication, and intercession.  

     Interestingly, this occurred during the first year of Darius (v.1). It was about the time when Daniel, because of his prayer, was thrown into the den of lions (chapter 6). Could this prayer actually have caused that harrowing experience? Could this be the reason why Daniel had no fear for his life, as he earnestly prayed? If he had not prayed through, perhaps we would not have this important prophecy.  Satan certainly did his very best to hinder it!  

     Since the revelation of 70 weeks tells about the First Coming of the Messiah, the angel Gabriel was sent to deliver it. This same angel, some 500 years later, would appear to the Virgin Mary to announce the birth of the Messiah-Jesus (Luke 1:26).

     "The time of the evening oblation" was three o'clock in the afternoon. This precise hour was made sacred by several spiritual events--

• Abel offered his lamb

• the Passover Lamb was slain

• Samuel was to offer sacrifices

• Jehoshaphat overcomed his enemies

• Christ bowed His head and died

     Here, the angel Gabriel revealed that the 70-year period Babylonian captivity would surely end, but it served as a type of a longer dispersion lasting seven times as long ("70 weeks").

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