Go a little deeper
In this closing message in the Daniel series, Pastor Keith Kirkpatrick says the book does not end with "the end" because it points to things yet to come. Daniel reads Jeremiah's promise of restoration and responds with prayer and repentance, and God answers by reassuring him of his love for Daniel. From there the message works through Daniel 9's seventy weeks, a disputed passage. Pastor Keith asks listeners to test teaching against Scripture rather than simply accept a preacher's word, and frames the numbers as God's design within apocalyptic prophetic literature.
The message treats the seventy weeks as sevens, multiplying seventy by seven to reach 490 years, and appeals to Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34 for the prophetic day-for-a-year pattern. It traces the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, the rebuilding period, and an anointed one cut off after 483 years, then connects that anointed one to Jesus' words over the bread and cup at the Last Passover and to Mark 1:15, where Jesus announces the fulfillment of time. A final seven-year period remains, and Jesus in Matthew 24 points His followers back to Daniel with a call to understand.
Daniel 10 then shifts the focus to prayer. Daniel mourns and fasts three weeks, and God's messenger tells him his words were heard from the first day and that a spiritual battle delayed the answer. Pastor Keith uses this to urge perseverance in prayer, fasting, and trusting God's timeline, and contrasts Daniel's refusal to give up with the temptation to walk away when prayer seems unanswered. The final chapters give a time of trouble, a time of deliverance, and a time of the end, leading to a prayerful invitation to believe in Jesus.
Take this with you
Daniel's pattern: Word, prayer, and repentance
Pastor Keith urges the church to get into God's Word so it gets into them, and insists hearers not rely on a preacher's opinion but test teaching against the text. In Daniel 9, Daniel reads Jeremiah's promise, turns to God in prayer, credits God's steadfast love, and repents for himself and for God's people. That pattern of returning to Scripture, prayer, and repentance is held up as the model for the church.
A study of the anointed one in Daniel 9
The seventy weeks in Daniel 9 are presented as 490 years in prophetic literature, with a day standing for a year, drawing on Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34. The anointed one, identified as the Christ, is said to be cut off after 483 years, and the message reads Jesus' communion words and His announcement in Mark 1:15 that the appointed time had arrived as the fulfillment of that promised time.
Prayer meets a spiritual battle
In Daniel 10, Daniel fasts and prays three weeks after receiving the vision, and God's messenger tells him he was heard from the first day while a battle in the heavenly realm delayed the response. Pastor Keith applies this as encouragement to keep praying and fasting when answers are unseen rather than giving up on God.
Assurance of love and the command not to fear
In Daniel 10:18–19 the messenger again addresses Daniel as one who is greatly loved and tells him not to be afraid but to be strong. Pastor Keith notes how often Scripture tells people not to fear, says fear and faith cannot occupy the same place in the heart, and urges listeners to receive God's strengthening rather than let the enemy speak discouragement.
Readiness for the time of trouble
Daniel 12 is summarized under three headings from the text: trouble, deliverance, and the end, and Pastor Keith points to Jesus' own words in Matthew 24 about a tribulation cut short for the sake of the elect. Those whose names are written in the Book of Life are told they will be delivered. Pastor Keith frames the whole study not as information but as readiness of heart, ending with an invitation to confess and believe in Jesus.
The conversation,
in their words.
Transcript from the recording’s captions. Select any timestamp to hear the original audio.
get out your Bibles I want you to hold in the air like you care come on somebody if you didn't bring a Bible that's okay we got one for you as a gift if you don't have one we would love to give one to you but I want everyone on the count of three we're all going to shout word one two three word we're getting into God's word so that God's word will get into us as we wrap up the Book of Daniel we want to recognize this book is alive it's active it speaks to our hearts if we want to get to know God we've got to get into the Bible God speaks this way and normally when you come to the end of a book H you would come to these words the end that's not the way it is with Daniel because this book tells us about things that have yet to be things that have yet to happen so the reason we get into the Book of Daniel is to understand that God's not finished yet that he who has begun a
good work he will complete it so as we come to a conclusion today I want you to know you can keep coming back to the Book of Daniel you could read it on your own you could study this book you can get to know God greater through this book and more importantly you can live this out you know God doesn't want you just to have information God wants you to have transformation and the best way you do that is to take God at his word and apply it to your lives Jesus said when you abide in my word that's when you're going to have freedom it's when you take God at his word so as we take God at his word today we're going to see what God has for our lives we're going to pick up where we left off last week we were in Daniel chapter n Daniel is reading from the Prophet Jeremiah what we have in our
Bible as the book of Jeremiah and as he's reading this he he sees that God made a promise that his people will return to Jerusalem that they'll be returned and there'll be a restoration of the temple and that God will do exactly as he promised and his response to God's word was to pray and as he prayed he gave gave credit to God he acknowledged that he's steadfast in his love and then he turns to God in repentance repent means that you trust God completely and he doesn't just repent for his sins he repents for all of God's people that don't obey his word those that didn't trust God and as he's praying we we wonder do our petitions actually matter at the end of this chapter verse 24 we we left off with one last with with only one point to the sermon last week and it was found in
Daniel 9:23 when Daniel was told at the beginning of your please for Mercy a word went out although Daniel couldn't see it he may not have felt it but he was reminded the moment you started praying God heard you and here was the message God wanted to send to Daniel and I have come to tell it to you for you are greatly loved that was the one point to last week's sermon you are greatly loved does anybody remember that why don't you just remind your neighbor right now you are greatly loved come on somebody you are greatly loved hey you are greatly loved you are greatly loved this is an important reminder as we get into God's word and we pray Daniel was reminded at
the second half of that verse therefore consider the word and understand the vision now we pick up in the next verse verse 24 it could be one of the most divided verses in the Bible it's controversial not because of what's said in it but the interpretation of this verse so you can find many Scholars and different commentators that are going to have a diff different different opinions of uh what this actually means but today I'm going to give you the right opinion all right so I want I want to make sure that you have the right view in reality here's here's all I ask of you is that you don't ever listen to a sage on a stage it's not about a preacher that you invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you that God wants you to know who he is and in his word so we're going to go through this and I'm not going to give you all the different interpretations we're just going to look at the 30,000 foot View to
get an understanding what does God have for us and we're going to make it through Daniel chapter 9 10 11 and 12 today let's go Daniel 9:24 here we go why youall laugh at the preacher we're going to do this if you're visiting with us for the first time they know that sometimes it takes us a while but that's all right we're going to make our way we're going to work together can we work together come on let's do this together Daniel 9: 24 70 weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city who who's your people these are the chosen people of God the Israelites the Jewish people your holy city what's the holy city you guys shout it out as Jerusalem so this is what's going to happen in 70 weeks to finish the transgression to put an end to sin and to atone for iniquity to bring in an everlasting righteousness to seal both vision and profit and to
anoint a Most Holy place now I want to remind you that this section of Daniel is known as apocalyptic prophetic literature for those who are visiting with us for the first time or this might be new Daniel's chapter 1-6 they they they read like a story in chronological order it's easy to understand so as you read Daniel 1-6 it's it's great but then you get to chapter 7 through2 and all of a sudden there's this weird stuff like a lion a bear a leopard oh my and this terrifying Beast with all these horns and a little horn that talks and and it just continues with a a ram and a goat and all of these different Visions it's because it's called apocalyptic literature now the word apocalypse just means to reveal it's where we get the name of the last book of the Bible Revelation it just simply means apocalypsis in Greek it means to reveal
the Revelation it is the revelation of Jesus Christ that's what the Book of Revelation is about the revealing of Jesus Christ now Daniel has been called the little Revelation because much like the Book of Revelation which written in that same style of apocalyptic literature so chapters 7- 12 are written in a style that's really contrary to our Western ways so we've got to put in our mindset a different culture a different language a different style of writing there's a heavy use of imagery of numbers so we can't just read this through our modern Western lens we want to understand what was God saying through a unique style of literature therefore the first two words that we read in this text 70 weeks some of your
Bibles might translate this 77s and the reason it would translate weeks into sevens is this is actually a Jewish phrase Savi which simply means to have a a period of time that translates to seven so when we read this we don't just read the word weak we want to see the number seven seven is significant in the Bible it's the number of completion God created the world and he designed seven days that's not man's idea it was God's idea he completed all that he did he made it in six days and the completion was on the seventh day there would be a resting period now Daniel tells us in 70 weeks or 707s we could just multiply those together if we were to take 70 times 7 you get what Shout It Out 490 great job you were better at
math than I was so 70 time 7 we've got 490 but then what we want to read a little further is if this is apocalyptic prophetic literature we want to understand what is the meaning behind 490 it's not 490 days days for in prophetic writing a day equals a year we see different examples of this once in Ezekiel chapter 4 verse 6 if we look at the last portion of the verse it says 40 days 40 days I assigned you a day for each year so a day equals a year in this prophetic writing we see the same thing in the Book of Numbers when Moses commissioned 12 Spies to go into Canaan to spy out this land that God promised to give to them they went into this land for 40 days when they came back 10 of the 12 Spies said we're not going back
in there there are giants that are living in this land they they've got these great big cities with fortified walls there's no way we're going in so they were disobedient to trusting God in his ways but yet there were two spies that uh Joshua and Caleb that said yes we can trust God well God's response to their disobedience in numbers 14:34 it says according to the number of the days in which you SPI out the land 40 days a year for each day you shall bear your iniquity 40 years and you shall know my displeasure so we see 70 years time 7 years equals 490 years this is important that we don't just look at it through our lens but this can be confusing at first until we start to understand God has a design
in a way here for us to us to understand what's going to happen now we dissect that 400 90 years in the following verses are you still working with me here we go we're going to see what's going to happen next know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one a prince there shall be seven weeks now how much does a week what does a week mean again shout it out seven so there should be seven sevens again 7 time 7 is 49 is it 49 days no it's 49 years so let's just pause and better understand this in fact God wants you to understand this we see what the Lord told Daniel in verse 25 know and understand you know at first glance this might be confusing but
it's okay to take your time it's okay to study and to get to know something that you otherwise don't understand God wants you to understand what's happening so this 490 years that's commissioned in verse 24 will start we're told at the decree the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem that's when it's going to start when did that happen well we've got to go back to the history lesson we've been learning through the Book of Daniel remember around 605 BC King Nebuchadnezzar came into Judah and over the following years he conquered the southern Kingdom of Judah not only that he took over the city of Jerusalem he destroyed the wall that would protect the city he went into the temple and he took the treasures and destroyed the temple he took those those Treasures
King Nebuchadnezzar back to Babylon along with him he took some of the young men to to Really train them in the ways of Babylon he wanted to distinguish a new way and a new language with new names that's what the enemy does he wants to get into our young people and change all of these things but as we fast forward to Daniel chapter 9 we see that God said it would be 70 years in Babylon 70 years in Babylon well as we've been studying chapter 7 and 8 we see that there was a nation that took over Babylon that is the MEO Persians are you still sticking with me on this history lesson well during the MEO Persian Empire we can read this in several of the books of the Bible some of these Pagan Persian kings would send back the Israelites to Judah it's
absolutely amazing Not only would they send them back to Judah they would fund this adventure that's where you've got to ask God for big things you never know when your Pagan boss is going to give you a great big bonus you you never know and that which is totally unexpected will absolutely happen we see this with Cirus with Darius and eventually with arz Xerxes now as you read through the Bible and you learn in history some of you learned this in high school or even College about all these different Xerxes of the MEO Persian Empires how can you tell the difference of a good Xerxes and a bad Xerxes I'll tell you this anytime there's just Xerxes he's a Xerxes but but ARA Xerxes he was a nice guy Aris Xerxes was the son of Xerxes not the first Xerxes but the second one and and arz Xerxes actually funded the rebuilding of the temple how cool is
that God would actually use a pagan Persian king to fund the rebuilding and the restoration of the temple now if we were to stand back in history we' say this is impossible for any of these things to happen it is impossible except for with the help of God and now we're told in the Book of Daniel that you're going to start this countdown of 490 years as soon as this decree goes out to rebuild Jerusalem and we see that God did exactly what he said he would do now what's going to happen during this decree we read in verse 24 there's going to be end to sin there's going to be an end to transgression there's going to be an end to iniquity and instead we're going to see an everlasting righteousness how is this possible well let's keep reading here remember the seven time 7 that equals what again
Shout It Out 49 so it would take 49 years to rebuild this temple in Jerusalem and we see that it would not be quite the same as the first one but after 49 years they' be rebuild it look at verse 26 and after the 62 weeks a week is how long again seven so 62 years time seven years that equals what it's a little harder 434 come on somebody I use my calculator after 62 sevens after 62 weeks 434 years an anointed one I forgot to share this with you in verse 24 that phrase anointed one in Hebrews hamashiach hamashiach is where we get the Greek word we say in in English Christ it means anointed one this is
clearly the anointed one of God he is the one to end sin he is the one so after we see the seven sevens 49 after the 62 * 7 434 an anointed one the Christ the hamashiach shall be cut off and shall have nothing and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary his end shall come with the flood and to the end there shall be War desolations are decreed so you take the 49 plus 434 that's 483 years after the rebuilding of Jerusalem after all of this hard work it's going to get wiped out again now if we just take a time out here 483 years is a long
time in our understanding of History our nation is not even close to that old but when we look back it doesn't seem like it's that long in fact if we were to look at the Bible the way that we have it in our current context from The Book of Malachi which is the last book in the Old Testament it would be some 400 years before the Christ would come and now we're told in the Book of Daniel after 483 years we're going to see the anointed one will accomplish what he came to do now if I could just fast forward to Jesus for just one moment in Matthew chap 26 the very night Jesus was betrayed he was participating in his last Passover meal with his followers it's called the Seder and in the middle of this Passover meal the Bible tells us in chapter 26: 26 says now while they were eating Jesus Took the bread and after blessing it broke it and gave it
to the disciples and said take eat this is my body and he took a cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying drink of it all of you now at this point we're for famil with communion or the Lord's Supper the Eucharist call it what you will the bread and the cup Jesus said here's why I'm establishing this of all the elements of the meal for this is the blood of the Covenant which is poured out for many for the Forgiveness of sins we have something interesting here if Jesus is who he claimed to be he is the hamashiach he is the Christ he is the Fulfillment of those 483 years that we're reading about right here in Daniel chapter nine he is the New Covenant God did exactly what he said he would do he did it in the timeline exactly as he
said he would do it and as we read verse 27 it says and he shall make a strong Covenant with many for one week well who's the he is this the anointed one or could this be the little horn that we've been reading about in Daniel chapter 7 and 8 and he shall make a strong Covenant with many for one week how long is one week again in this prophetic language seven years this is the final seven years so one seven years was missing We have 483 years but if we were to take the 490 and subtract 43 we're missing seven years Here's the final seven years there seems to be this pause between verse 26 and verse 27 and we have this one week and for half of the week what's half of seven shout it out three and a half so for three and a half years he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering and on
the wing of abomination shall come out one who makes Des until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator what in the world did we just read everybody we have here a timeline that after 483 years God's going to do exactly what he said he would do he would send an anointed one who would take care of our sins the Bible teaches us that Jesus was without sin and he who was without sin took our sin on the cross God became a man holy God holy man he is the Christ the anointed one of God and when he went to the he paid the penalty once and for all for sin that by believing in him you're no longer counted a sinner you are now a saint which means you're set apart you're righteous not just now but forever and ever and ever and ever amen
but we're also told in God's plan things sometimes will go from bad to worse that this world will not exactly be an easy world to live in particularly if you believe in Jesus and you are now counted as righteous you're an enemy of the devil you're you're an enemy of of Satan Lucifer as we read his name in the Bible a fallen angel with a third of the Angels is coming against God's people and as we see in the last days in this last seven weeks or the excuse me one week this last seven years we see there's going to be a time unlike any other now I want to just pause real quick as we understand God's words and the faithfulness to God's word that if there's one thing you could stand upon and trust it's the Lord Almighty and what he says in his word when Jesus stepped onto the scene around 27 ad uh
preaching he was he was 30 years old he was baptized by John the Baptist and he said in Mark chap 1 verse1 15 let me read this Mark chapter 1 verse1 14-15 Jesus came proclaiming the gospel of God and saying verse 15 the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand repent and believe in the gospel Jesus points us to all that God says and says it is completed the time is fulfilled I would believe that this is the 483 years that Daniel is talking about now there's no time to waste this is the time to repent turn to God trust in God experience his kingdom and believe in God may I just say this message of Jesus is still being preached today I'm here to tell you now is the time the time's been fulfilled repent experience the kingdom believe in God if
there's anything for you to live in your life it's for Jesus believe in him believe in his word of all the things that are vying for your attention you can trust in God now but when Paul wrote to the Galatians he said this but when the fullness of time had come that's the 483 years God did what he said he would do it was the perfect time God sent forth his son born of a woman born of the law to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons that means by believing in Jesus You're Now a child of God Your Righteous for everlasting life that is in Jesus Christ you get a great inheritance your name's written in the Book of Life as we'll look at in just a moment Romans 56 says for while we were
still weak we didn't have anything to do with this it was all God at the right time Christ died for the ungodly everything happens exactly as God says so what about this last seven years as we read Daniel 9 we also look forward to what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24 Jesus points us back to the Book of Daniel and he warns us this time if you want to read some disturbing things read the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 24 and 25 you do not need to be ignorant in fact God wants you to understand not only what's happening but what will happen and in Daniel chapter 24 Jesus points to the Book of Daniel and says so when you see the abomination
of desolation spoken by the Prophet Daniel standing in the Holy place let the reader understand Jesus said understand these things then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains run things are going to go from bad to worse and Jesus would go on to explain these things now as we read the book of Daniel we see a cyclical cycle here we see that God repeats in history the things that were point us to the things that will be meaning in the Book of Joshua for example when Joshua leads the Israelites into the promised land the Hebrew name for Joshua is Yeshua that is the name of Jesus it's an image of Jesus leading us into our ultimate Promised Land do you
understand this so when we look at Daniel he he's this foreshadowing of things to come when he points us to this Antichrist throughout history this little horn that will lead people astray and oppress God's people of course that can be Antiochus uh the the Greek powerful evil emperor of course that can be Nero or Titus the Roman evil Emperors of course we can look forward but ultimately we look forward to an antichrist what would be like unlike any others and Jesus says look at the Book of Daniel look at me and then look forward to the things that will be this is why that Book of Daniel chapter n is so controversial so many people want to understand exactly what this means so that we can understand the timeline of what What God Says what we see here is
in 483 years God would do exactly what he promised give us an anointed one that would atone for our sins meaning alleviate our sins by one person but then there's coming a seven-year time period that is yet to be that things will go from bad to worse and right in the middle of that time period things are going to go from a tribulation to a Great Tribulation and we're going to see that here as we transition now to Daniel chapter 10 and by the way throughout history many scholars many theologians have studied this scripture the Jonathan Edwards that brought a Great Awakening just by preaching God's word we see that if we come back to God's word is true every time uh in Daniel chapter 10 let me start with verse two it says in those days I Daniel was mourning for three weeks let's just stop there for a moment
could you imagine give give being given an apocalypse revelation of things to come that it's absolutely going to be awful yes there's going to be atonement of sin but this world is going to be desolate it's going to be bad well Daniel he loves God so much he takes this word and he's grieving he cannot believe that God has given him the revelation of things to come so for three weeks were told in verse three IE no Delicacies no meat or wine entered my mouth nor did I anoint myself at all for for the full three weeks he fasted and prayed for three weeks and on the 24th day of the first month I was standing on the bank of the Great River that is the Tigers so imagine this if you will he's reading God's word God gives him a revelation he doesn't know what to do with this but to
grieve to fast and to pray there are going to be times in your life that you are so confused you you are so uh burdened that you don't know what else to do but to fast and pray there will come times when your your children are far from God where your marriage is Fallen apart where you have no finances you've been given a diagnosis that looks like you're facing death there will come a time where you'd have no other options in this world but to fast and pray that's where Daniel is he's in his 80s he's at the end of his life and he's fasting and he's praying and for three weeks he does this but there doesn't seem to be make a difference have you ever prayed and it just doesn't seem like it's making a difference for three weeks he's fasting
and he's praying and it seems like nothing is happening until one day he's by the banks of the river don't you know God can meet you anywhere at any time and it was after he fasted it was after he prayed verse 10 tells us and behold a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees that's the glory of God and he said to me oh Daniel man greatly loved come on somebody God wants you to know that even if you don't see it even if you don't feel it you are loved it's the consistent message of God don't you let any devil speak to your mind to say that you're not loved that you're overlooked that God's not answering your prayers that whatever you've been through which Daniel been through a lot he'd been taken as a slave he'd been castrated he'd been given a
new name he'd been told over and over he can't but he was resolved not to defile himself and God says I still love you I never stop loving you I never I never overlooked you I want you know Jesus tells you today I will never leave you I will never forsake you I Am With You Always to the End of the Age listen Daniel's God is our God we can't think he's a distant deity that he's he's far in the past he tells Daniel I greatly loved you understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright for now I've been sent to you and when he had spoken this word to me I stood up trembling and then he said to me fear not Daniel that is the most common commandment in the Bible fear not do not be afraid do you know why God has to
command us to that because naturally we're afraid and fear and faith cannot reside in the same place in your heart that if you're fearful of what's going to happen in the future you're uncertain of the enemy if you're not quite sure what God's doing in your life then you won't take God at his word God's telling you today do not be afraid you may not have it yet you may not feel it yet you may not see it yet but that's no need for you to fear or fret you've got almighty God on your side you can trust in his word it never fails you can trust that God's going to do what he said he's going to do the Lord wants to tell you today fear not oh he said it to Daniel he said it to the disciples after the resurrection do you know what they were doing after the resurrection they lock them themselves in a room some of us think that we'd be praising God for the
resurrection but they were full of fear and Jesus shows up and sayso not be afraid fear not my friends it's in this place that as Daniel's told fear not for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God your words have been heard and I've come because of your words I need you to hear and see this God's confirming to Daniel I know you prayed I know you didn't see an answer but I'm here to tell you we heard you God heard you now I need you to understand so many of us have a simple view of who God is and how prayer works and there's times that's a good thing when you have childlike faith and you just believe God and take him at his word then there's other times that this is not good when we've religiously put God in the box that we've built some of us think that when we pray
our prayers go up and God either says yes no or not yet and we just simplify it we throw it out as a meme and then we just let the world know listen I have God figured out this is how it works and we treat God as if it's like this formula that somehow if I do this then I'm going to move God to do this come on I know that you pray like that too God if I do this you're going to do this or God if you show up then I'll show up too we barter with God but that's not how God works he's the almighty he knows more than you could know in a million lifetimes he's not only Almighty he's all knowing he's all powerful he's omnipresent he can do whatever he Wills whenever he wants so when you pray you're aligning your life with his he's not aligning your life with your yours so God came to say the moment you humbled yourself the moment you prayed remember that in chapter nine remember in chapter 10 every time Daniel keeps
coming back to God he comes back to his word he comes back to prayer he comes back to repentance and now we're told this we heard your words God says I heard you verse 13 the prince of the kingdom of Persia who's this well Persia we know is Pagan so we we can assess that this is the devil this is the enemy the king of King of the prince of the kingdom of Persia with stod me 21 days but Michael the Archangel one of the chief princes came to help me for I was left there with the King of Persia and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days for the vision is for the days to come once again let's just propose this question what the heck is happening here while Daniel's praying in the natural world which When you pray you're just doing what you know how to do some
of us according to Romans chapter 8 we pray in a language we don't even know what we're praying we're just I'm just I'm I'm I'm just saying these words and and the Holy Spirit knows what's happening and groaning with me so I'm just going to speak this language Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians chapter 11:12 and 13 that that that we have to pray even if we don't know what to pray that's the natural world so when we're praying we only can know what we can see but God sends a messenger to Daniel to say even though you couldn't see it there was a war in the Heavenly realm so something happens in the spiritual world that you can't see in the physical world and this is where we get confused with God we think we our prayers just go up and we're waiting on God what are you doing God what are you doing God little do you know that the
angels and the fallen angels we can call them demons there is a war happening because the moment you align your life with the Lord You've created an enemy and he absolutely hates it when you take God at his word I I need you to track with me here when you trust God and you give him everything the enemy is not happy and according to Ephesians chapter 6 he's going to send some armies your way you can call these schemes you can call them plans you are at war with the Devil and the greater your faith the more the enemy is going to try to stop it so the Lord comes to Daniel and says listen there was a battle like a battle we had to send in the reinforcements uh Satan did not like it that God revealed so much to you and then your response was to take God at his word are you still tracking with me because some of you need to know today
that if you're going to ask God to restore your marriage what looks like it's impossible the enem is not happy so you're to keep keep praying you're to be faithful even if you can't see it you're to keep fasting you're to keep trusting God when you ask God to build his kingdom and for his kingdom to come here in Central Oregon the enemy is not happy so just because we don't see Revival yet doesn't mean we stop praying and fasting we wait upon the Lord oh when you pray for your family to be blessed and for favor to be poured out in your family generational curses to be broken strongholds to be released sin to be forgiven and your family the enem is not happy and for some of us when the enemy presses in a little bit we we give up on God we walk away God you're not
even doing what I'm asking you to do why should I even pray I'm not getting what I'm asking you to do God gives us a glimpse here in Daniel chapter 10 of what happens when you pray When you pray there's more than meets the eye in fact if you go to the Book of Revelation we see that our prayers are collected like incense in a bowl God hears every word of it and one day those prayers are going to be poured out one day you're going to see the impact of your prayers keep praying keep keep fasting keep pressing in keep believing and trusting God at his word Daniel he was waiting upon the Lord the Bible says in Psalm 37:7 be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him if you don't have it keep waiting don't give up on God fret
not yourself another way to say this is fear not do not be afraid prayed over the one who prospers in his way over the man who carries out evil devices how many you ever been mad when you're praying for blessing it seems like the wicked ones are getting all the blessings wait a second why are they getting blessed financially and I'm trusting you God waiting is easier read than done we can read this and we can preach amen but when you put it into practice it can be hard particularly in the world we're living in compare your life to Daniel Daniel didn't have Tik Tock just quick 10-second videos to scroll through uh Daniel didn't have the distractions of our day we live in a fast food world we we live in a world of microwave listen I can't even let the microwave get down I can't let it beep you know I just I'm like 10 seconds probably good enough let's go let's go
like we live in a world of hurry we don't just have green and red on our lights we got yellow to try to warn you you know you got to slow down all right that Red's coming you need you need to slow down but how many of us when that yellow gets going you just put a little harder you we have to have enforcement of of the laws that there speed limits because none of us follow him we live in a world of Rush and a world of hurry but God wants to give you a revelation today that he's doing more than meets your eye Daniel's in his 80s now this is where the Revelation often comes with maturity with experience it's at the end of your life and and God comes and lets Daniel know listen I'm doing more than you might even see and in verse 18 Again One
having the appearance of a man touched me Daniel said and strengthened me I believe over you today God's word he wants to touch you and strengthen you he's a personal God he wants to meet with you when you keep praying and you keep fasting you keep pressing in he's going to strengthen you when you're weak and he said oh man greatly loved are you hearing the message from God today three times you're greatly loved fear not peace be with you be strong and of good courage this is like the whole Bible some mized in one verse Jesus said peace be with you my peace be with you I have said these things to you that in me you would have peace yes in this world you'll have tribulation but take heart I've overcome the world and as this man spoke to Daniel he was strengthened and said let my let my Lord speak for you
have strengthened me my encouragement to you today in the world that we're living is as we're anticipating this final seven is to trust God take him at his word let him touch you let him Str strengthen you you've got to start seeing in a new realm that although you may not see the spiritual realm is happening and you've got to align your heart with his and believe God's best he is for you you are not fighting for victory you're fighting from Victory the Bible says in Romans chapter 8 you are more than a conquer through him who loved us you can know that he's going to do it even if you don't have it yet as you enter into Daniel chapter 11 we see this Great War once again we've had a mention of the Antichrist in chapter CH 7 and chapter 8 and chapter 9 then finally in chapter 11 we are reminded of this Antichrist he shall pay no
attention to the gods of his fathers or to the one beloved by women Jesus he shall not pay attention to any other God for he shall magnify himself above all I want to remind you that Antichrist is always anti- Jesus here's what this really comes down to and this is the god of our age as well it's worship yourself do what's good for you and at first glance it doesn't seem so bad do what's best for you take care of yourself uh make sure that you fulfill your need don't worry about what's in the Bible this is Antiquated and old but the enemy the Antichrist wants you to get your eyes off of the one that made you and loves you has a purpose and a plan for you the only one that can strengthen you that is the Lord Almighty finally we come to Daniel chapter 12 we've made our way through the Book of Daniel and the the last chapter gives us
a glimpse of this Final End Times we're told exactly what's to come so that we will be prepared and by the way as we do a review of Daniel it's really not a review of Daniel or even the end times it's a Readiness of our hearts it's getting yourself ready I do not want you to come to church and just get information I want you to receive the implanted word of God that you would leave transformed that you would take God at his word you would actually receive it and then put it into practice let me just read four verses and I want you to see three times about the end at that time shall arise Michael remember this is a war in the heavenlies the great prince who has charge of your people and there shall be a time of trouble if you have your own Bible I would just underline that a time of trouble such as never has been since
there was a nation till that time but at that time your people shall be delivered everyone whose name shall be found written in the Book of Life and many of those who sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt there's two ways everlasting life and everlasting contempt life with God or life apart from God verse three and those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever but you Daniel shut up the words and seal the book until that time of the end many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase H how do we know these things will be be fulfilled many shall run to
and fro and knowledge shall increase you know we are living in such interesting times you can get on a plane today and be on the other side of the planet in just one day 200 years ago people would have thought you were crazy what do you mean go to and fro you can get in a car and just tell the car where to take you and you don't even have to touch anything the car will take you there we are living in a day where you can go to and fro we are living in a day where knowledge shall increase we don't have to look into an encyclopedia anymore you just go to chat GPT it's it's amazing what that chat knows this AI knows knowledge shall increase and do you know that's how AI works it takes knowledge and builds off and knowledge and builds off knowledge and builds off
knowledge and God tells Daniel listen I I need you to seal this up but this is how you know these things are going to happen you start seeing people go to and fro and knowledge increasing come on somebody you just get ready for these three times let's look at verse one there's a let me look at the three times there's the time of trouble time of deliver and the time of the end time of trouble time of Deliverance and time of the end this is really important for you to understand because I I don't know where your heart is with the Lord but you either believe in the Lord Jesus as the anointed one or you do not there there's no middle ground there's no gray area here you believe or you do not if you do not believe this will be a time of trouble unlike any other time think about this more than any other hard time ever in history this will be worse than the Vietnam War it'll be worse than World War II it'll be worse than World War it'll be worse than anything any
nation has ever experienced before you read about this in the Book of Revelation start with chapter 8 and you'll you'll see this will be times of famines this will be times of of of of of of natural disasters unlike anything ever before financial disasters Wars Jesus says look for these things you'll hear of wars and rumors of wars this will be a time of trouble it will also be a time of Deliverance we're told that but as the as at that time at the same time it's the worst ever at that time your people shall be delivered verse one at that time there should be a time of Deliverance all I know is I want to be in that Deliverance time and those who are delivered were told have their name written in what's called The Book of Life that phrase book of life is said
eight times in the scriptures it's a reference to Eternity it's apocalyptic prophetic language you want your name written in the book of life if it's there no one can erase it the devil will try to accuse you he'll try to lie to you but if your name is in the book of life you have the gift of eternal life you can be assured that when your heart stops beating the Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord I can know that whatever I'm going through God's going to deliver me he's going to get me through this so I want my name written in the book of life so that I don't experience that time of trouble look at verse four finally it's the time of the end we're told until the time of the end this is the end time Jesus talks about this in Matthew 24: 21 and 22 for then there will be a Great Tribulation that week the seven years
such as not been from the beginning of the world until now no and never will be this will be the worst time ever in history and if those days had not been cut short no human being would be saved but for the sake of the elect that's those who believe in Jesus those days will be cut short this will be so intense now this isn't meant to scare anybody this isn't meant for us to take this and say we have a knowledge that other people don't have God has given us his word so that we would respond to it that we would be ready when Paul was talking to Timothy speaking of these end times he said but understand this that in the last days I believe we're living in these days but in the last days 2 Timothy 3:1 there will come times of difficulty can I just get an amen for someone going through something if if if
you've been through some difficult times we know these are the last days people verse two tells us there'll be lovers of self lovers of money proud arrogant abusive disobedient to their parents ungrateful Unholy heartless un appeasable slanderous without self-control brutal not loving good Tre treacherous Reckless swollen with conceit lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God some are going to even go to church having the appearance of godliness but denying is power we're told these are not the people that are going to make you better avoid such people these are the last days that we're living in the Antichrist says just go ahead and live for yourself don't live for the Lord don't follow his ways 2 Timothy 3:12 and 13 indeed all who desire to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus all every someone shout all all
who desire to live a Godly life in Jesus will be persecuted if you say this is the anointed one this is one I believe in people will misunderstand you do not be surprised when people say you're crazy you will be persecuted meanwhile people who do not believe in Jesus while while evil people verse 13 while evil people and imposters Will Go On from bad to worse deceiving and being deceived as we better understand this as an application for our lives I challenge you today what If Daniel what If Daniel did not put his trust in the Lord what If Daniel when he got to Babylon was like that's it I give up I'm a teenager I didn't deserve this
I was trying to follow you Lord I ended up in Babylon this dark place that's it I'm just going to do what everybody else is doing what If Daniel he gave up lost his faith and walked away from God we would never have this book to be reading it like we are this book is spectacular because Daniel did not give up on God he did not lose his faith and he was ready to do whatever God told him to do and because of that we're told of the last days the end times we're told of God's perfect timeline that God would send an anointed one to bring an end to sin come on somebody because Daniel did not give up on God when the times got tough even when he couldn't see it even when he couldn't feel it and I ask you today my friend what happens if you give up on God what happens if you lose your faith what happens if you quit trusting in God
and I I say that with all seriousness because one of the main reasons I hear from people walking away from the Lord is I prayed and God didn't answer my prayers have you ever heard that God didn't do what I wanted in my timeline so I'm giving up on God I'm walking away from my faith that's exactly what the enemy wants you to do this is no time to shrink back in your faith this is no time to give up on God if you don't see it that means there's a huge War waging right now because God has great plans for you my friend you're going to leave a legacy when you trust him even if you can't see it you're GNA leave a legacy when you believe God and take him at his word it doesn't matter if it doesn't happen the way you want it God's timeline is perfect he's never late he's never early he's right on time if you
don't have it yet don't give up on God press in pray harder keep fasting keep going to God trust in his word the devil wants you to give up the devil wants you to walk away from God the devil wants you to say it's too difficult the dark days are too dark this is the time to be the light in the world this is the time to take God of his word is it hard yes it's hard but my friends it's only going to get harder but we can look forward to the time of Deliverance that one day is going to be worth it for you and for your family and one day when you're welcomed into heaven and God says well done you did it you didn't make that land your home it was never meant to be your forever home you're heading towards a Heavenly home and today I just ask you seriously do you know that your name's written in the book of life because you
can know right now from this this day forward that when you say yes to Jesus nothing can separate you from the love of God no devil no Darkness nothing you go through no famine no war can separate you from the love of God I want to ask you in all seriousness because I want to see you in heaven it's going to be a great place oh we need to do a series on Heaven it's going to sound better taste better look better feel better than we could ever imagine we think too small of God we think too small of eternal life when you put your name in The Book of Life by believing in Jesus it changes everything too many people have an inaccurate view of hell some people say well if I go to hell I'm just going to party the rest of my days and I just want to say no you will not the Bible gives so many descriptions to try to talk you into heaven the Bible says that it will be a separation from God the Bible says that it will be like a lake
of fire Jesus acknowledged that hell will be like a dump that's burning trash it'll be a nashing of teeth that you just want to get out of there but nothing will be able to satisfy you my friend I'm not trying to scare you into heaven I'm trying to get you to accept the free gift of God's grace you cannot earn it you do not deserve it but God wants to give it to you today it's yours in Jesus just with every eye closed if you would just focus on the Lord right now I want to ask in the serious of your heart some of you have believed in Jesus but you're not living like it you're not taking God at his word you you you're you're not praying you you've kind of given up on him you've lost your faith this is the time to renew that Faith right now this is the time to take God of his word would you in your heart right now just confess and repent and turn to the Lord if that's you you've believed in the Lord but you want to turn close just right now in your heart
say Lord help me forgive me I want you I want your power your strength give me that peace Lord I'm here to tell you today God will do exactly what he promised he will strengthen you he will touch you he will deliver you some of you though you've never believed in this is your day going to church will not save you being a good person will not save you but Jesus does if you want to believe in the Lord Jesus today you can the Bible says you do it both in your heart and with your mouth which just means on the outside as well you don't have to have all the answers but you do have to have faith to trust Jesus if that's you for the first time today would you just raise up your hand nice and high and keep it up saying that's me I'm going to believe in the Lord today I want to say
yes to Jesus I want to be forgiven of my sins I want to say yes to the Lord just raise it nice and high I want to see who that is this is your day to say yes I believe I want to know that I'm going to heaven listen if there's any doubt in your heart right now that you're not going to heaven this is your moment you can be assured don't leave here with any doubt by faith just raise your hand right now say yes that's me I want to say yes to you Lord I want your forgiveness I want your grace your mercy praise God that boldness right there that's that's what it takes following Jesus is is going to be a decision in your hearts I'm so grateful for the one right now saying yes yes that's me praise be to God
anyone else today just in the seriousness of the moment eyes closed I want to say one of my greatest Joys at Journey Church is when grown strong man surrender humbly to the Lord Almighty the devil just lost that one thank you Jesus I want to just ask for the one with his hand raised and any others that want to make that decision and for all those who have said yes to Jesus can we just pray together this short prayer out loud prayer is talking to God is listening to God you could do anywhere any time you don't need a preacher to pray with you could pray all by yourself in the shower in your car out loud quietly but just out loud if you've believed in Jesus say these words with me Lord
Jesus I believe in you I Repent of my sins I choose to follow you no matter how hard it gets I receive the Holy Spirit I receive your power and your strength and all that you have to offer in Jesus mighty name amen just continue pray with me Lord I ask that your church would take you more seriously than any generation before God awaken our souls as we just sang earlier that God we would have have a reverence and an awe for you that we would take you at your word God would you solidify the word that went into Hearts today that Satan Would Have No Dominion no domain may he not snatch it today we rebuke the devil and all that he's trying to do through your church at
this time and we ask in Jesus name that you would do more than we could ask or imagine that God you would heal marriages and homes that you'd begin to heal the trauma of the minds and hearts that you would expedite healing in this house Lord that there is hope for everyone and God May that overflow into our region and may we both believe with conviction Central organs shall be saved you are the god of possible so we believe God that our best days are still ahead in the name of Jesus if you're in agreement shout amen amen amen God bless you
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Reading Apocalyptic Literature Well
Pastor Keith distinguishes Daniel's opening stories from chapters 7–12, which use a different kind of writing full of imagery and numbers. He warns against reading this literature only through a modern Western lens, notes that numbers like seven carry significance, and says God wants His people to understand what He is revealing, even while acknowledging that interpreters disagree over this passage.
Daniel 9:24
- Pastor Keith says the imagery and numbers must be read through their ancient setting rather than a modern Western lens. How does that change the way you approach Daniel 7–12?
- He notes that seven signals completion in the Bible. What does that observation contribute to how you read the seventy weeks?
- He tells listeners not to simply accept a preacher's word but to let the Holy Spirit speak through the text. How do you practice that?
Daniel's Prayer and the God Who Hears
Daniel reads Jeremiah's promise of return and answers it with prayer, crediting God's steadfast love and repenting for himself and for God's people. Pastor Keith notes that Daniel was told his prayer was heard from its beginning, and asks whether petitions actually matter.
Daniel 9:23
- Daniel repented for others, not only for himself. How does that reshape how you pray for your community?
- How does Daniel's response of prayer after reading Scripture differ from how you typically respond to what you read?
- What would it mean to pray from a settled confidence that you are heard?
The Anointed One in God's Timeline
The message works through the periods in Daniel 9, identifies the anointed one as the Christ who is cut off, and connects the fulfillment to Jesus' words at the Last Passover and to His announcement in Mark that the appointed time had arrived, with Galatians 4:4 describing God sending His Son in the fullness of time. Christ's work is described as ending sin and making believers righteous by faith.
Daniel 9:26 · Mark 1:15 · Galatians 4:4
- Pastor Keith connects the anointed one cut off in Daniel 9 to Jesus at the Last Passover. What stands out to you in that connection?
- How does the link between Daniel's timeline and Jesus' announcement that the appointed time had arrived shape how you read the Old Testament?
- Paul in Galatians 4:4 speaks of God sending His Son in the fullness of time. What does that contribute to your understanding of Daniel 9's timeline?
Prayer, Waiting, and the Unseen Realm
In Daniel 10, Daniel mourns, fasts, and prays three weeks after the vision and appears to see no answer, and then is told by God's messenger that his words were heard from the first day, while the prince of the kingdom of Persia resisted until Michael came to help. Pastor Keith applies this to prayer that seems to go unanswered and urges perseverance rather than giving up.
Daniel 10:12–13 · Psalm 37:7 · Ephesians 6
- Pastor Keith says Daniel's prayer was heard on the first day while the answer was delayed. How does that shape the way you wait on God?
- He warns against treating prayer as a formula or a bargain. Where do you notice that pattern in your own prayer life?
- He cites Psalm 37:7 on being still and waiting patiently for the Lord. What makes waiting hard for you, and what does Daniel's example offer?
Ready Hearts for the Time of Trouble
The study reaches Daniel 12, summarized as a time of trouble, a time of deliverance, and a time of the end, with Pastor Keith pointing to Jesus' words in Matthew 24 about a tribulation cut short for the sake of the elect. He stresses that the aim is not information or superiority but readiness, and closes by asking whether listeners' names are written in the Book of Life.
Daniel 12:1 · Matthew 24:21–22 · 2 Timothy 3:1
- Pastor Keith says the point of these chapters is readiness of heart, not information. What would that look like in your life?
- Daniel 12:1 names both a time of trouble and a time of deliverance. How does holding both together shape how you face difficulty?
- The message ends by asking whether your name is written in the Book of Life. What does that question stir in you?
Answers from this recording
Start a conversation.
What is the seventy weeks prophecy in Daniel 9 about?+
The message explains that "weeks" translates a Hebrew phrase meaning sevens, so seventy weeks means seventy sevens, or 490. Drawing on Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34, Pastor Keith applies a day-for-a-year pattern in prophetic writing. He divides the 490 years into a 49-year rebuilding period, a 434-year span, and a final seven years, with an anointed one cut off after 483 years. Pastor Keith acknowledges that scholars and commentators differ on this verse and presents his as a wide-angle view of one contested passage.
How is Jesus connected to Daniel's timeline in this message?+
Pastor Keith identifies the anointed one in Daniel 9 as hamashiach, the source of the word Christ, and says this figure is cut off after 483 years. He ties it to Jesus' words at the Last Passover, where Jesus spoke of the bread and cup as His body and the blood of the covenant, and to Mark 1:15, where Jesus announces that the appointed time had arrived. Pastor Keith also cites Galatians 4:4 as evidence that God acted at the fullness of time.
Why did prayer seem unanswered for Daniel, and what does that mean for us?+
After receiving the vision, Daniel mourned, fasted, and prayed for three weeks with no apparent response. The messenger then tells him his words were heard from the first day, while the prince of the kingdom of Persia resisted for twenty-one days until Michael came to help. Pastor Keith uses this to suggest that unseen spiritual conflict can explain delay, and urges listeners not to abandon prayer but to keep pressing in even without visible results.
What does the message say about fear and being loved by God?+
Pastor Keith returns repeatedly to the words spoken to Daniel in Daniel 10:18–19, where the messenger again calls him one greatly loved and encourages him not to live in fear. He notes that the command against fear is among the Bible's most common, and says fear and faith cannot occupy the same place in a person's heart. He recounts the hardships Daniel had endured and says God's love was not withdrawn through any of it, treating the passage as a word of strengthening offered to listeners today.
What are the three times in Daniel 12 and why does readiness matter?+
Pastor Keith summarizes Daniel 12 as a time of trouble, a time of deliverance, and a time of the end. He describes the trouble as worse than any war or famine in history, points listeners to Revelation and Matthew 24, and says those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be delivered. He insists the point is not knowledge others lack but a heart made ready, which is why the message ends in an invitation.
