Here we go…

What is the 70th week about? Here’s the text:

And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one 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. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator. (Daniel 9.26, 27, ESV)

Most believe that “after 62 weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off…” refers to the crucifixion. Then we have “the people of the prince who is to come…” So future to the crucifixion.

Let’s pause… I was raised in what is called “dispensationalism.” Some of my readers fall into that camp. If you’ve read Late, Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey (1970), you’re familiar with it. More recently, the Left Behind Series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins novelizes dispensationalist “eschatology,” the study of last things.

To oversimplify and relate Daniel’s 70th week to dispensationalism, we have to believe in a “2-body” approach to the people of God. Specifically, Old Testament Israel and the New Testament Church, which began with Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2, are two separate entities. The Church is considered, essentially, a parenthesis, in God’s dealings with Israel. Therefore, between the end of the 69th week and the beginning of the 70th week, we have the church age, which will end with the Rapture as described in 1 Thessalonians 4.13 – 18. Then the 70th week kicks in.

The full detail of how dispensationalist eschatology relates to the 70 weeks of Daniel is contained in a classic book, The Coming Prince by Sir Robert Anderson, first published in 1881. I used to have this book in my library, and I’ve read it. Moreover, I started my ChatGPT discussions on the 70 weeks with this book. Here’s the conclusion of Anderson’s timeline according to ChatGPT (points labeled 1, 2 and 3 are really labeled 7, 8, and 9):

1. The prophecy then jumps forward to a future ruler. This is one of Anderson’s most important ideas. Daniel says that the people of the prince that shall come will destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. Anderson argues that this “prince that shall come” is not Christ, but a future ruler associated with the Roman world.
2. The final, seventieth week is still future. Anderson therefore sees a gap between the 69th and 70th weeks. The church age occupies this interval. The final seven years concern Israel’s future and culminate in the events associated with Antichrist and the Second Coming.
3. The Coming Prince is Antichrist.The final ruler makes a covenant with “the many” for one week—seven years—but breaks it after three and a half years. He stops sacrifice and worship and commits the “abomination of desolation.” Anderson connects this with the New Testament’s teaching concerning the Antichrist and the final tribulation.

So there it is. Clear (to Anderson), tied up neatly. The problem is that dispensationalism is a relatively new teaching, starting in the early to mid 1800s. What was the church teaching before that? And what do non-dispensationalist theologians believe now? I asked ChatGPT.

Tradition	General understanding of the 70 weeks
Early Church Fathers	Primarily fulfilled in Christ, with considerable variation concerning the final week
Roman Catholic	Traditionally Christological/Messianic; generally sees the prophecy culminating in Christ and/or Jerusalem’s destruction
Eastern Orthodox	Essentially Christological, but often with an additional eschatological dimension
Reformation/Reformed	Generally Christ-centered, with Calvin seeing the prophecy as reaching Christ’s first advent rather than a future seven-year tribulation
Historicist Protestants	490 years, usually extending from the Persian period to Christ, sometimes using the day-for-a-year principle
Dispensationalism	69 weeks → Christ; gap; future 70th week → Antichrist/Israel/tribulation
Anderson	A particularly precise dispensational calculation: 483 prophetic years = 173,880 days, ending at Christ’s presentation as Messiah

I asked specifically about what John Piper teaches:

Piper does not take the classic dispensational view that Daniel’s 70th week is a still-future, seven-year period separated from the first 69 weeks.

In a 1987 position paper, he says that the idea of a seven-year tribulation comes from interpreting Daniel 9:24–27 as having the 70th week separated from the first 69. But he explicitly says, “That the tribulation will last seven years is not a New Testament teaching.” (Desiring God)

So, briefly: Piper is cautious about making Daniel 9:27 the basis for a future seven-year tribulation. He does believe in a future great tribulation and Christ’s return, but he does not build the dispensational end-times timetable around a postponed 70th week.

I also asked about Tim Keller who didn’t write specifically about the 70 weeks. What ChatGPT concluded is:

Where his broader eschatology is clear, he treats Christ’s first coming, death, resurrection, and the destruction of Jerusalem as central fulfillments of Old Testament prophecy—not as events that require a postponed Danielic timetable.

I should clarify that non-dispensationalists are generally “1-body” people. That is, Israel is the Old Testament people of God, and the Church is the New Testament people of God. A discussion of this distinction is way beyond the scope of today’s blog and the Ewellogy in general.

I concluded my ChatGPT conversation this way:

Thank you. Very helpful since the only interpretation I “know” is Anderson’s and Dispensationalism. As I read the other alternatives, I think we’re left with the one conclusion that makes sense with respect to eschatology:

We don’t know.

ChatGPT’s response to my conclusion is worth another blog as we close out our study of the 70 weeks. Stay tuned.

Yesterday we looked at the lead-up to the fairly well-known prophecy of the 70 Weeks in Daniel 9. I hope you noticed that yesterday I promised that we “would take a look at the prophecy of the 70 weeks.” I did NOT promise that I would explain it! Why? Because, unlike Daniel 8 where all the traditions agree, there is NO agreement on Daniel 9, especially concerning a possibly future 70th week.

I will tell you up front that I had several “conversations” with ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence (AI) product of OpenAI. I may write a separate blog about that experience. The bottom line is that ChatGPT has access to a wealth of information which it provides quickly in an organized way. I didn’t go to seminary, but I suspect that 50 years ago, a seminary student in a seminary library would have required days, if not weeks, to write a paper similar to what ChatGPT gave me in seconds. That’s the upside. There is a downside, but I’ll save that for a later day.

Let’s review the 70 weeks:

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.
• And for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.
• And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one 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. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
• And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” (Daniel 9.25 – 27, ESV)

Where to start? Most assume each “week” equals seven years, so we have 7 + 62 = 69 weeks, 483 years, from a particular decree until Jerusalem is rebuilt “with squares and moat but in a troubled time.” Then, “after 62 weeks,” that is 69 weeks total, “an anointed one shall be cut off…” Writers from the early church fathers, through the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, through Calvin and the Reformers calculate the dates with varying degrees of specificity. But there is general agreement that we have a remarkable prediction of the triumphal entry and crucifixion in Daniel 9.

All the disagreement comes with the 70th week. Stay tuned.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15.1 – 3, ESV, emphasis mine)

Yesterday we looked at the 2300 days of Daniel 8, something about which there is little controversy. Today, we come to Daniel 9 which culminates in the “70 weeks:”

Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city,

• to finish the transgression,
• to put an end to sin, and
• to atone for iniquity,
• to bring in everlasting righteousness,
• to seal both vision and prophet, and
• to anoint a most holy place. (Daniel 9.24, ESV)

And here are the 70 weeks. Books have been written…

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.
• And for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.
• And after the sixty-two weeks,
  • an anointed one 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. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
  • And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week,
    • and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering.
    • And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” (Daniel 9.25 – 27, ESV)

No further information is given. Daniel’s reaction is not recorded. Chapter 10 goes into a new vision in the third year of Cyrus.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the 70 weeks, but the first part of the chapter is clear and instructive. Let’s walk through it:

The vision is in the first year of Darius. (previous visions were the 1st and 3rd year of Belshazzar)

Daniel starts with prayer, based on the promise of the 70 years of captivity:

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9.2, 3, ESV)

Daniel is praying the promises. God promised that the captivity would last 70 years. It’s been 70 years. But the prayer begins with confession:

…we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. (Daniel 9.5, 6, ESV)

He refers to Moses, as I have in some of my blogs:

He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth. (Daniel 9.12, 13, ESV)

He ends with a specific request:

Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.” (Daniel 9.17 – 19, ESV)

So it’s a prayer for deliverance based on God’s mercy and the honor of God’s name.

And there is an answer, brought by Gabriel as with the previous vision:

While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision. Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city… (Daniel 9.20 – 24, ESV)

Stay tuned.

Shall we take a run at Daniel’s second vision? I almost hate to do it because I don’t think I have a useful application, but let’s see.

In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. (Daniel 8.1, ESV)

The chapter 7 vision was in the first year of Belshazzar. Now the third year.

The vision:

• A ram:

I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. (Daniel 8.3, 4, ESV)

• A goat

As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven. (Daniel 8.5 – 8, ESV)

The vision continues with “a little horn”

Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land…It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown…Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” (Daniel 8.9, 11, 13, 14, ESV)

There it is. I can see the prophecy teachers tripping over themselves to interpret. What does the text say?

And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.” (Daniel 8.16, 17, ESV)

• Ram: kings of Media and Persia (verse 20)
• Goat: Greece (verse 21)
• A ruler arises…

And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. (Daniel 8.23 – 25, ESV)

This could be any ruler: “…in his own mind he shall become great.”

The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.” (Daniel 8.26, ESV)

So all we know about the 2300 days is that it’s true, and it’s future to Daniel. Literally, a bit over 6 years.

Daniel’s conclusion?

And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. (Daniel 8.27, ESV)

Daniel didn’t understand, but he didn’t have our history or our tools. A quick Google search with AI (“please give sources”) confirms that most conservative theologians of all stripes (except the Seventh Day Adventists whose take is a cornerstone of their teaching and almost certainly wrong) hold the view that this prophecy was fulfilled exactly in the inter-testamental period by Antiochus Epiphanes.

The vast majority of evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox theologians interpret the 2,300 evenings and mornings as literal days that were completely fulfilled during the Intertestamental period (the 2nd century BCE).

• The Core Argument: This view identifies the “little horn” of Daniel 8 as Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king who brutally persecuted the Jews and defiled the Temple in Jerusalem. The 2,300 evenings and mornings represent the period of his oppression and the suspension of the daily sacrifices.
  • The Time Calculation: Theologians split on exactly how to count the 2,300:
    • 2,300 Literal Days: Some calculate this as a literal period of roughly 6 years and 4 months. This aligns with the time between Antiochus’s initial defilement of Jerusalem (c. 171/168 BCE) and the victory of the Maccabean Revolt, culminating in the cleansing and rededication of the Temple (the first Hanukkah) in December 165 BCE.
    • 1,150 Literal Days: Because the Hebrew text explicitly says “2,300 evenings and mornings”, many scholars argue this refers to the daily ritual sacrifices (one in the evening, one in the morning). Therefore, 2,300 sacrifices equal 1,150 literal days (roughly 3 years), which closely matches the exact duration of Antiochus’s total ban on Temple sacrifices (167–164 BCE).
• Theological Sources: E.J. Young, a renowned conservative Presbyterian theologian, defended this view in his comprehensive Commentary on Daniel. Stuart Olyott, a Reformed theologian, mirrors this in his work Dare to Stand Alone, detailing how the prophecy provided hope to Jews facing Antiochus’s tyranny. Mainstream apologetics ministries like Got Questions Ministries also teach this as a historically completed prophecy.

Takeaways?

• We’re not guaranteed to understand all prophecies. Daniel didn’t understand even after an explanation from Gabriel. He went back to work.
• We can always find “an” answer quickly. In all cases, we have to decide if we trust the sources and discern whether or not it’s a “good” answer. When I asked the question, I asked explicitly for sources. In this case, “vast majority” across nearly all traditions is good enough for me.
• Not all prophecy is future to us. In this case, the prophecy was future to Daniel, past to us. So the prophecy of Daniel 8 doesn’t really change my behavior today except to add another brick to the argument for the trustworthiness of God’s word.
• In Daniel’s day or in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes the prophecy “provided hope for the Jews,” reminding us that even when times are bad, bad times are not permanent.

Yesterday, we finished the last of the “fun” stories in Daniel, and today we move into the visions with Daniel, chapter 7. But the theme remains the same. Darius said it in Daniel 6:

I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. (Daniel 6.26, ESV)

We’re going to see the same message in Daniel 7, Daniel’s first vision:

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.

• The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.
• And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’
• After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
• After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. (Daniel 7.1 – 7, ESV)

The vision/dream ends with the beast’s death and the everlasting kingdom:

I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7.11 – 14, ESV)

What does it mean? Bottom line:

These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever. (Daniel 7.17, 18, ESV)

But there’s more detail on the last king, the 10 horns with another horn appearing, killing off three horns:

As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. (Daniel 7.21, 22, ESV)

So the saints will possess the kingdom, but there will be war first. Then:

But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’ (Daniel 7.26, 27, ESV)

I’m sure there’s been much speculation about the exact identity and timing of all the kingdoms, including the last one, but the bottom line is:

WE WIN! JESUS WINS!

No matter what is going on, no matter how much evil seems to be in control, the end has already been written, as long ago as the exile, when Daniel served in the court of Babylon. Written as long ago as when John wrote Revelation:

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11.15, ESV)

We come to Daniel 6, the last of the narrative chapters of Daniel, containing the story of Daniel and the lion’s den. Of course, again, every Sunday School kid has heard the story, usually picturing Daniel as a young man.

He was not. Most estimates have him in his late 70s or early 80s.

While popular art and children’s books often depict Daniel as a young man or teenager during this event, historical and chronological tracking through the reigns of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires place him as an elderly man.

And how did he get there? By ignoring a command of the king.

All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction. When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. (Daniel 6.7 – 10, ESV)

Daniel accepted the captivity, he embraced his education, he resisted a change in diet, and he ignored this command of the king. Different responses to different challenges.

And, just like in chapter 3, God does deliver, in this case, it’s what the king wanted!

Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” (Daniel 6.16, ESV)

And the king comes back the next morning and, in an act of faith, calls out to Daniel:

Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” (Daniel 6.19 – 22, ESV)

Super cool! We don’t always experience miraculous deliverance, but sometimes. And the deliverance underscores the theme of Daniel we’ve seen from the beginning:

Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth:

“Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.” (Daniel 6.25 – 27, ESV)

Nebuchadnezzar said the same thing:

At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. (Daniel 4.34, ESV)

And Daniel said it early in his tenure in Babylon:

And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2.44, ESV)

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4.17, ESV)

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11.15, ESV)

Time flies. I remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. I had arrived on church staff in Montgomery, Alabama, in March 2001, as Minister of Discipleship. On the morning of September 11, we had our first Tuesday morning men’s Bible study. 200 men at 6:00 a.m.! We met until 7:30, and I went to my office, turned on my computer, and soon received a news update via email.

One of those unforgettable days, a day when everyone remembers where they were: I was a senior in high school on November 22, 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated. I was working in the Air Force’s Space Command Headquarters on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. And now this.

I turn 80 this year, and these are the only such days in my lifetime, I think. Days characterized by:

• Unexpected
• Tragic (it’s bad news)
• Universal (it affects everyone, at least in the US)

The previous such day was probably Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941.

I should give thanks that I’ve experienced only three such days. I’m sure folks in other countries have a longer list.

And maybe we should think about the resurrection:

• Unexpected
• NOT tragic!
• Universal (except few knew about it!)

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4.33, ESV)

Maybe we look to another day…

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24.29 – 31, ESV)

We come to Daniel 5. God has spoken by dreams, once in chapter 2 and again in chapter 4, and in a vision. In chapter 5, he writes on the wall!

Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. (Daniel 5.3 – 5, ESV, emphasis mine)

Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar, is the “king” in chapter 5. What to do with this writing? The “…king’s wise men…could not read the writing…” The Queen Mother knew about Daniel:

The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” (Daniel 5.10 – 12, ESV)

Daniel is a man after my own heart: he explains riddles and solves problems! He’s also not afraid to confront authority. He reminds Belshazzar of the events of chapter 4 involving his father, Nebuchadnezzar, and concludes:

He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. (Daniel 5.21 – 23, ESV, emphasis mine)

Therefore:

“…from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter:

• MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end;
• TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting;
• PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Daniel 5.24 – 28, ESV)

Note the word change: PARSIN in verse 24, PERES in verse 28. I was told decades ago that the first one was future, but by the time Daniel read it again, it had happened.

In the narrative of Daniel 5, the city of Babylon was already surrounded by the Medo-Persian army while King Belshazzar was feasting. According to ancient historians like Herodotus, the Persians literally diverted the Euphrates River that very night to march under the city gates.

And the conclusion is inevitable:

That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. (Daniel 5.30, ESV)

The message of Daniel remains clear:

…His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation…and those who walk in pride He is able to put down. (Daniel 4.34, 37, NKJV)

We moved into our neighborhood just over a year ago. A 20-unit complex, and as of a neighborhood picnic on August 29, I’ve met everyone. (There was one lady who NEVER comes out of her house, but she was at the picnic. She was the last one.) The number and length of conversations with neighbors has increased dramatically since we got Paddy the Dog Memorial Day weekend.

I’ve been asking God why we’re here, and a few days ago, Marvin Campbell, US President of The Navigators, shared the game plan. I reproduce it here. It’s a play anyone can run. Marvin writes:

Over the last several years, I’ve had short conversations with one of my neighbors — often standing in the driveway. These conversations were cordial and friendly, but rarely very deep. From time to time, he would share something going on in his life. I would offer to pray, and the next time we crossed paths, I would try to remember to ask how things were going.

Nothing dramatic. No obvious breakthroughs. Just brief encounters over time and an effort to be present and engaged.

Then, a few weeks ago, everything changed.

He experienced what could easily have been a fatal head-on collision while driving on a narrow road. Miraculously, the collision was avoided; he can’t recall doing anything that prevented it. Not long after, he was sitting alone in a hotel room and had an overwhelming sense that Jesus was there with him — and that Jesus was his friend.

Since he knows I follow Jesus, he reached out and asked if we could get coffee.

As we sat together in our local Starbucks, he recounted these events and shared that he sensed Jesus reaching out to him. He wanted to understand what it might mean.

So, on a Starbucks drink label, I drew out The Bridge illustration and had the privilege of sharing the gospel with him. In a few weeks, we plan to meet again to talk through several passages of Scripture he agreed to read.

As I reflect on this interaction, I’m struck by the simplicity of it.

I did not orchestrate my neighbor’s circumstances. I certainly cannot explain everything he experienced, nor do I need to. God is the One who draws people to Himself. My part over these years was much smaller: 

• Be a neighbor.
• Listen.
• Care.
• Pray.
• Remember.
• Follow up.
• Be available when God opens the door. – Marvin Campbell, The Navigators

Marvin closes with two questions:

• Where is God inviting you to notice, care, pray, follow up, and be available more intentionally?
• Who has He already placed in the ordinary spaces of your life for a divine appointment?

Any of us can run this play…and we should. One of my neighbors asked me a couple of weeks ago to pray that she can find a new job that’s less intense than the one she has now. Time to follow up!

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22.36 – 39, ESV)

Permit me one more family- related post…

We are thrilled beyond words that our grandson, Taylor Ewell, son of our oldest, Mark, is a newly minted PhD in Exercise Science from Colorado State University! As this comes out, he and his wife, Marissa, have just moved to Rochester, Minnesota, where he has been awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at Mayo Clinic.

Taylor defends his dissertation, August 25, 2026, title as shown. I don’t understand it either!

Mark summarized Taylor’s journey in a Facebook post:

Is there a doctor in the house?

From his first day at CSU in August 2013, to finishing his doctorate this August 2026, Taylor has spent the last 13 years of his life at CSU. The same amount of time as he spent kindergarten through 12th, and all at one school instead of bouncing around multiple schools and multiple states.

He went from having challenges early on, to finding a path (and mentor) he really liked, to not accepting “no” when he decided to pursue a masters degree, to staying on and earning his PhD.

As a scientist, he has already published a dozen papers, and as the newly minted Dr. Ewell, he is headed to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester to continue his research under one of the top sports scientists in the world (Dr. Michael Joyner). I’m always proud of Taylor’s work, and he has pursued this dream with a focus and determination that inspires me and everyone in the family.

In the Facebook post, Mark didn’t mention that when Taylor’s college experience didn’t start out so well, he joined the Marines, serving in the reserves for five years.

Discipline, persistence, success. Well done, Taylor! We’re proud of you.

A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul. (Proverbs 13.19, NKJV)

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. – Calvin Coolidge