I. The Summary of the Plan (24)

a. 7 weeks (vs. 25) 7 weeks = seven 7’s → 49 years

b. 62 weeks (vs. 26) 62 weeks = sixty-two 7’s → 434 years

c. 1 Week (vs. 27) 1 week = one 7 → 7 years

II. The Restoration of the City (25a)

= seven 7’s → 49 years

III. The Arrival of the Messiah (25b)

= after sixty-two 7’s → 434 years

1. Do you have the conviction that every word of God matters? If we profess that all Scripture is inspired (2 Timothy 3:16) why would we neglect the prophetic Scriptures?

Does the quotation from Martin Luther describe your approach to Scripture?

“I study my Bible as I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest might fall. Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb, I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf.”

2. Why was the city of Jerusalem tied to the name and glory of God? (See Daniel 9:19). What similar promises do we have? (1 John 3:1; 1 Peter 2:10)

3. Why wasn’t the physical return to Jerusalem enough for Israel? (See Ezra 9:1-10) How is the same true for the church today? (Hebrews 3:12)

4. It is God’s unique glory to control the future. How should we be both encouraged and warned by the God who alone knows the future? (Galatians 4:4; James 4:13-15)

5. God specifically worked through the nation Israel until Messiah the Prince. They were to be a kingdom of priests and a light to the nations? Who does God work through today? (1 Peter 2:9-10; Matthew 5:14) How does this change the way that you view the church and your role in it? (1 Peter 2:5; 2 Corinthians 6:16)

6. How does this passage reaffirm the commitment that God has to His lovingkindness? (also see Zechariah 12:10; Jeremiah 31:36)