Daniel – Dan 9:1-27  O Daniel, I am now Come Forth to Give Thee Skill and Understanding

[Study Aired January 31, 2022]

Dan 9:1  In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; 
Dan 9:2  In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 
Dan 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 
Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 
Dan 9:5  We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 
Dan 9:6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 
Dan 9:7  O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 
Dan 9:8  O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. 
Dan 9:9  To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 
Dan 9:10  Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. 
Dan 9:11  Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. 
Dan 9:12  And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. 
Dan 9:13  As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 
Dan 9:14  Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. 
Dan 9:15  And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 
Dan 9:16  O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. 
Dan 9:17  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 
Dan 9:18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. 
Dan 9:19  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. 
Dan 9:20  And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; 
Dan 9:21  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. 
Dan 9:22  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 
Dan 9:23  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. 
Dan 9:24  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 
Dan 9:25  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 
Dan 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 
Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. 

Chapter 9 of Daniel is about the prayer of Daniel for his people for deliverance from their Babylonian captivity and the coming of Gabriel to explain to Daniel what has been determined by the Lord concerning Israel, who represents the elect in this case. The coming of Gabriel was in answer to Daniel’s prayer, and what He told Daniel concerning the details of the seventy weeks affirms to us that all things are ours including both good and evil!!

1Co 3:21  Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22  Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

Dan 9:1  In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

Darius means Lord, and it is the name of several kings of Media and Persia. Ahasuerus stands for mighty man and Chaldea means clod-breakers. The English Dictionary defines clod as a lump of earth. So, what we are being told is that Christ (Darius), the son of God (mighty), reigns in the lives of those who have victory over the flesh (clod-breakers).

1Ch 29:11  Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. 

Dan 9:2  In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

The number one signifies unity. Thus, the first year of Darius’ reign is to let us know that in union with Christ, we are made to understand through the word of the Lord that our captivity in Babylon lasts until our rebellion against God is made complete (70=7×10).

Jer 25:11  And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jer 25:12  And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. 

Dan 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 

Prayers which are recorded in the scriptures are all in line with the perfect will of the Lord. In other words, they are prayers of faith as mentioned by James in the scriptures and follow the pattern of our Lord’s Jesus’ guidelines for prayer.

Jas 5:15  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 
Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 

Prayer grants us access to the throne of grace where we receive mercy and grace to help us in our times of need. In the presence of the Lord, we are strengthened to overcome the pulls of the flesh through temptation.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

Mat 26:40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 
Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Here in verse 3 we are shown the ingredients that make our prayer effective. The first one is fasting. We are not talking about physical denial of ourselves of food as our brothers and sisters in Babylon call fasting. We are speaking about true spiritual fasting which entails breaking the bands of wickedness, that is to stop sinning in our lives, and denying ourselves from taking in false doctrines. This is what makes our prayer heard.

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 
Isa 58:8  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 
Isa 58:9  Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 

Another ingredient for effective fervent prayer mentioned in verse 3 is being in sackcloth and ashes. Being in sackcloth is understanding the mourning nature of our walk with Christ. We therefore come before Him understanding that we deserve His judgment because of our sins. Being in ashes speaks of our coming before Him knowing we are not worthy of His presence.

Gen 37:34  And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

Gen 18:27  And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

Job 30:19  He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.

Job 42:6  Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

The essence of the parable by Jesus about the Pharisee and the publican who went to the temple to pray is to remind us of our unworthiness as we come before the Lord. Being unworthy before the Lord is the same as being in ashes.

Luk 18:9  And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 
Luk 18:11  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 
Luk 18:12  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 
Luk 18:13  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 
Luk 18:14  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

Dan 9:4  And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; 

As indicated, Daniel’s prayer follows the guidelines given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ when the disciples asked Him to show them how to pray. Daniel started praying by praising and worshiping the Lord and acknowledging His greatness. Keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him is the same as saying ‘our Lord’s kingdom come and His will be done in earth’.

Mat 6:9  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

Dan 9:5  We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: 
Dan 9:6  Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. 

These verses show us how we had strayed by not adhering to His words. We therefore come before His presence asking for forgiveness. This confession of our sins is the same as what is said in the Lord’s prayer as follows:

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Dan 9:7  O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. 
Dan 9:8  O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
Dan 9:9  To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 
Dan 9:10  Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

According to Strong, the word confusion means shame. We experience shame when we come before His presence because we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord. The good news, however, is that when we come before His presence, we receive mercy to help us at our point of need.

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 
Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 
Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Dan 9:11  Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. 

In Deuteronomy chapter 28 verse 15, we are told that if we do not follow after the commandments and statutes of the Lord, then we are cursed. As a matter of fact, we experienced the curses of the Lord just like the Israelites during our walk with Christ when we were not made to obey the words of the Lord. It was after Christ came to us with the brightness of His coming that the Lord started the process of delivering us from the curses of the law.

Deu 28:15  But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 

Deu 28:20  The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.

Dan 9:12  And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. 

The fact that we are undergoing evil or judgment is to confirm the words of the Lord which He spoke against us. The statement in the latter end of verse 12 says that the whole heaven had not been done as had been done upon Jerusalem is to let us know that this evil or judgment must begin with the elect (Jerusalem) first in this life. Later, in another age, all humanity will also experience judgment.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 

Dan 9:13  As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. 
Dan 9:14  Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. 

Here in verse 13, we are given insight into the fact that evil (judgment) that comes upon us is for the purpose of turning us away from iniquity and coming to understand the truth. However, until Christ comes to us with the brightness of His coming to destroy the beast within, we do not turn from our iniquities, and we do not understand the truth of the word of the Lord which is able to set us free.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Dan 9:15  And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. 
Dan 9:16  O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us. 

Our coming out of the world (Egypt) was through the mighty hands of the Lord. However, since we were not given eyes to see or ears to hear, we continued to do the lust of our father, the devil, and therefore we incurred the anger and fury of our Lord. This continues until the Lord comes in with His brightness which is the word, to start the process of destroying the beast within us.

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Dan 9:17  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake. 
Dan 9:18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. 
Dan 9:19  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name. 

The sanctuary that is desolate refers to our inability to offer our bodies representing the temple of God as a place for the habitation of the Lord.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

As Romans 12:2 says, when our mindset and actions conform to that of this world, then basically, we are not being affected by the word of the Lord. This means that the beast within is the one who is exalting himself above all that is called God and sits in the temple of God.

2Th 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 
2Th 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

In the fullness of time, however, for the sake of bearing our Lord’s name or being called and chosen by the Lord, He will come to our aid to forgive us our sins and sanctify our temples through His judgment. It all starts when He brings us to a point when we humble ourselves or come to know that we are the greatest sinners, just like how Daniel recognized his sinfulness together with the people of Israel.

2Ch 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Dan 9:20  And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; 
Dan 9:21  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. 
Dan 9:22  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 
Dan 9:23  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

As indicated, it is while we come to understand our spiritual depravity that the Lord comes to our aid. In this case, Gabriel came to the scene to give Daniel the skills to understand the mysteries surrounding how the Lord deals with His people. As we revealed in the previous study of the second part of Daniel chapter 8, Gabriel means man of God. This man who appeared before Daniel in the vision is Christ, and since Christ is sending us, we are now playing the role of Gabriel. So, Gabriel also stands for the elect who are the messengers of the Lord.

Joh 20:21  Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

In verse 23, Christ is telling the elect, represented by Daniel, that our role is to give the body of Christ skills to understand the word of God. This word of the Lord is what every joint supplies.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

In verse 21, it is stated that while Daniel was still praying, Gabriel came to him in a swift flight. For our sake, our Lord will speedily come to our aid to cleanse our temple and make it habitable for Him to take residence within us.

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 

In verse 21, it is also stated that Gabriel came and touched Daniel at the time of the evening sacrifice. What this means is that it is when the day is over in our lives, that is, when sin has run its course in our lives as we count it pleasure to riot in the daytime, Christ comes in with the brightness of His coming to judge us to make us offer our bodies as living sacrifice for the Lord.

2Pe 2:13  And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; 

Mal 3:2  But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 
Mal 3:3  He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 
Mal 3:4  Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. 
Mal 3:5  “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

The next few verses of Daniel chapter 9 deal with how we become marred in the hand of the potter and how He makes it again into another vessel as seems good for the Lord.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Dan 9:24  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

We must remember that Gabriel coming to Daniel was in answer to Daniel’s prayer requesting the Lord to intervene in the circumstances of Israel regarding their captivity in Babylon. Thus, the answer given by Gabriel involves the Babylonian captivity of the Israelites. Before we go into the details of the seventy weeks, we need to understand that in the spiritual realm, or in the presence of the Lord, weeks, days, months and years are irrelevant as a day can be a year or even a thousand years and vice versa.

2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The seventy weeks, therefore, represents the complete period in our lives where we are overcome by sin, judged by the Lord to learn righteousness and to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord as we become His elect or anointed. Please note that the words “seal up” of the phrase “seal up the vision and prophecy” means to make an end.

Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Dan 9:25  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 

Here, we are made to understand that the seventy weeks are divided into three time periods. The first seven weeks, the second sixty-two weeks and the final one week, making a total of seventy weeks. The first seven weeks and the next sixty-two weeks is the period starting with the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem and ending with Christ coming into our lives. The time in our lives while in Babylon was when we began realizing our spiritual bankruptcy. That was when the commandment to restore and build us (Jerusalem) began. However, sin had not run its full course in our lives, and so the sixty-two weeks represents, while in our captivity in Babylon, we became worse off, or sin ran its full course. That is when we come to our wits’ end and realize we cannot help ourselves. Our spiritual degradation in Babylon is the result of what we hear from our “men of God” in Babylon. These speak great swelling words of man’s wisdom which makes us worse off.

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. 
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 

The streets shall be built again, and the wall, even in the troublesome times in verse 25 is to make us aware that if we are called and chosen, symbolized by Jerusalem, then in spite of all we go through, we shall be restored but through fire as symbolized by the “troublous times”. This troublesome time is when Christ comes into His temple (our bodies) to put things in order.

Mat 10:34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
Mat 10:35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 
Mat 10:36  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Dan 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 

This verse shows us our state at the end of the sixty-two weeks, which represents the period in our lives while in Babylonian captivity when we become worse off. The cutting off of the Messiah is to let us know that during this period, Christ is basically dead to us. In other words, we have replaced Christ with another Jesus. The people we were taught were of Christ were rather ravenous wolves who come to make our temple (bodies) desolate such that we cannot offer our bodies as living sacrifice to the Lord.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. 

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. 

Verse 27 focuses on the last week of the seventy weeks. This last week is when the Lord comes to do His quick work on us. It is in the last week, that is, the complete period of our walk with Christ when we come to see the abomination of desolation in our temple (bodies). Seeing this abomination of desolation signifies that the end of the old man or beast within is at hand as the Lord will pour out His judgment on the old man.

Rom 9:28  For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth. 

Through signs and wonders, the evil one deceives us into thinking that the Lord had confirmed the covenant with us only to see our temple desolate and therefore being unable to offer our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord. However, in our Lord’s mercy, it is at this point that He comes to us with the brightness of His coming to destroy the abomination of desolation in our temple (the old man within).

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 
2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: