June 17, 2025

FROM TRIBULATION TO A GLORIOUS END

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times. 

“After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”

Daniel 9:24-27 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

The angel Gabriel brings Daniel a powerful prophetic message. It’s a divine timeline that lays out God’s redemptive plan for Israel. The “seventy sevens” (or “seventy weeks”) refers to seventy sets of seven years, totaling 490 years.

This period is split into two major sections:

• 483 years (69 “sevens”): This began with the decree by Artaxerxes in 444 BC, allowing the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem. It ends with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, just before His crucifixion.

• 7 years (the final “seven”): This refers to a future period that begins after a gap—what we now recognize as the Church Age.

Gabriel tells Daniel that “the Anointed One will be killed” after the 483 years. This is a clear reference to Jesus Christ, who was “cut off” (crucified), seemingly accomplishing nothing—but in truth, fulfilling God’s ultimate plan of redemption.

The Gap: A Hidden Mystery

Daniel did not see the Church Age, a time when God’s grace would be extended to the Gentiles. But the prophetic clock for Israel pauses after the 483 years. It will resume with a final 7-year period, still to come.

This final seven years is known as the Tribulation.

• It begins with a peace treaty between Israel and a ruler (the Antichrist).

• Halfway through, the Antichrist will break the treaty, stop sacrifices, and set up what Jesus calls the “abomination of desolation.”

• This will trigger the Great Tribulation, a time of intense suffering.

The Glorious End

But the story doesn’t end in suffering. Jesus Christ will return—the Second Coming—defeat the Antichrist and establish His millennial reign on the earth. God’s justice and righteousness will prevail.

Key Takeaways

1. God Reveals the Future

God doesn’t leave His people in the dark. The prophecy in Daniel reminds us that God reveals truth to those who seek Him. Daniel received this revelation because he was praying, fasting, and seeking God’s face.

Today, God may not always speak in visions, but the Holy Spirit still leads us—often through quiet nudges, convictions, and timely wisdom. When we walk in step with the Spirit, we are positioned to be in the right place at the right time.

2. God’s Plan Is Always Redemptive

Even when God allows judgment, His ultimate desire is repentance and restoration. He doesn’t punish out of anger but corrects out of love.

God’s discipline leads us to freedom. His heart is not to destroy, but to deliver us from the power of sin and bring us into the fullness of His purpose.

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, please show me anything in my life that needs to be removed. Give me spiritual ears to hear Your voice and the courage to follow You daily. Help me to walk humbly, live repentantly, and trust fully in Your redemptive plan. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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