Daniel 9:20

"And while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God; yea, while I was speaking in prayer, 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. And he instructed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision."

GABRIEL INTERRUPTS THE PRAYER

It is of interest that from the place where Gabriel was when God's commandment reached him, it evidently required some time, even at the velocity which the flight of an angel might attain, for Gabriel to reach Daniel. There are glimpses here of things mortals cannot know.

The instructions of Gabriel to "understand the vision" should evidently be applied to a vision previously written in Daniel; because, in the prophecy of the seventy weeks about to be imparted to Daniel by Gabriel, it does not appear to be by means of a vision at all. "This revelation was not communicated to Daniel in a vision, but while he was in the state of natural consciousness."[7]

Daniel mentioned the precise hour of Gabriel's touching him, "about the time of the evening oblation." That means about the time of the evening sacrifices; but of course, there were no "evening sacrifices" by God's people while they were captives in Babylon. Nevertheless, Daniel had observed the times of the prescribed sacrifices by engaging in prayer as seen here. Furthermore, we may in all likelihood suppose that this was a regular habit, marking Daniel's well-disciplined, godly life.