Daniel 12:1

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

In the closing verses of chapter 11 we witnessed a coming world ruler, a coming world religion, and a coming world war. Now we told of the forthcoming Great Tribulation as spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)[this will be half way through Daniel’s 70^th week] Then let them which be in Judaea [this must therefore apply specifically to the Jews] flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop [again, this applies to the Jews who have their patios on their rooftops] not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter [because the travelling conditions in Israel are very difficult in the winter], neither on the sabbath day [this is only applicable to the Jews, who still keep the Sabbath to this day]: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be [Jeremiah called this ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ (Jer 30:7)] And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake [this has to refer to the Jews because the Church will be with the Lord in heaven by now] those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” [Jesus concludes by warning of coming false Christs and coming false prophets, cf. Rev 13] (Matt 24:15-24)

As Gabriel is always seen bringing a Messianic announcement, so Michael is always seen in conflict regarding Israel.

Daniel 12:2

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Daniel is now told of the coming resurrections; Jesus spoke of the resurrection of the just (Luke 14:14), and the resurrection of damnation: Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (John 5:28-29)

According to the Apostle Paul, the resurrection of the just is not a single event, but rather a category comprised of various separate events: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end…(1 Cor 15:20-24)

In Revelation 19, we find that the resurrection of the just is complete: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them [this is the Church – see Rev ch 4], and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; [notice that these martyrs don’t yet have resurrection bodies – thus they cannot be the Church because the Church receive their new resurrection bodies at the time of the Rapture cf. 1 Cor 15]  and they [i.e. both the church and the martyrs] lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”

“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Rev 20:4-6). Thus the completion of the first resurrection and the ‘resurrection unto damnation’ are separated by a period of 1000 years during which time Christ will reign on the earth on the throne of David (Luke 1:32).

Daniel 12:3

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Phil 2:14-15)

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt 5:16)

“…Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt 13:43)

Daniel 12:4

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Many have understood this to mean, that in the last time, general knowledge and understanding will be increased – and certainly we have seen a technological explosion in the last 100 years unlike anything the world has previously seen. However, in the context of this verse, it is the book that Daniel is to seal, until the time of the end, at which time, knowledge of the book will be increased.

Never before in the history of the Church has the Church had access to such a wide range of Bible study aids as we do today; from computer programmes to commentaries; from teaching videos to Bible conferences. And what is the result? God has raised up people who have dedicated their lives to the ministry of the word, and in so doing have ‘stumbled’ upon prophecies being fulfilled in our time, scriptures that have confused generations past, now being understood. Knowledge of the Word is indeed increasing in these days. And the most incredible part of it is that the Holy Spirit may choose to show you something that no one else has yet seen. It is however important to remember that anything we may ‘discover’, as we read through God’s Word, will never contradict the rest of scripture.

Daniel 12:5-6

5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.

6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

The angel has now finished talking to Daniel, and as Daniel looks up he now sees two angels, one on each side of the river. Yet in the midst of the river, ‘walking on the water’ Daniel sees the ‘man clothed in linen’ whom he had previously seen in a vision at the beginning of chapter 10. We have already put forward the case that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus (see notes on Dan 10:5-9); and here we not only see Him walking on the water, but also being asked a question – by an angel – that only God could possibly know- the future.

It is interesting, that the angel started, back in chapter 11, by telling Daniel that what he was about to reveal was all recorded in the scripture of truth. Now the angel himself wants to find out more, thus showing that the angel knew only what had been revealed to him up to this point.

What I find provocative is that, even though this angel had access to the scripture of truth, he had to go to, what I believe is Jesus, to really understand. It is the same for us; we have the scripture of truth, yet only by going to Jesus and through His Spirit can we understand – for the things of God are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14).

Daniel 12:7

And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

This man clothed in linen tells the angel, and Daniel overhears, that this period of time will last for three and a half years, i.e. the Great Tribulation as we have already noted. The angel is also told that Antichrist will be allowed to continue in order to break the power of the Jews. This is one of the main purposes of the ‘time of Jacob’s trouble’, to bring God’s judgment on the Jews until the seek Him and repent. “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” (Hosea 5:15)

Daniel 12:8

And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

It is not clear whether Daniel is addressing the man clothed in linen, or the angel who had been speaking to him; I suspect that it is the man clothed in linen, for the answer in the following verses would seem to have been more that the angel would have known (based on verse 6).

Daniel 12:9-10

9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Once again Daniel is told that these words are ‘closed up’ until the time of the end. That clearly implies that at the time of the end they will be understood. We however are now living in the time spoken of, and as we read God’s Word, those of us who have been purified by the blood of the Lamb and our sins made as white as snow, are seeing the pieces of the jigsaw falling into place at an incredible pace.

There really is no excuse for any who call themselves Christians to not have at least a basic grasp of these things as we head toward the finishing line.

Daniel 12:11-12

11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

We are now introduced to a seventy-five-day period that separates the end of the Great Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium. During this interval various events are to occur:

• The removal of the Abomination of Desolation
• Antichrist is resurrected (firstfruits of the second resurrection)
• Antichrist & False Prophet cast alive into the Lake of Fire
• Satan bound for the Millennium
• The resurrection of the tribulation saints
• The setting in place of the thrones for the saints (to rule with Christ)
• The judgement of the living Gentiles (pro-Semitic sheep & anti-Semitic goats)

The Seventy-Five-Day Interval

The removal of the Abomination of Desolation:

As we have already seen, the event that marks the start of the second half of Daniel’s 70^th week (i.e. the Great Tribulation) is Antichrist’s breaking of the covenant with Israel and his placing of the Abomination of Desolation in the holy of holies. From this point, we are told that the Great Tribulation will last exactly 1260 days (Rev 13:5 / Rev 12:6 / Dan 7:25 / Dan 12:7). However in verse 11 we are told that, after Antichrist has been destroyed at the end of the 1260 days, there will be an additional 30 days (taking us to the 1290^th day) where the Abomination of Desolation will be allowed to remain in the Temple. Quite why this is we are not told, however, it will serve to underline the incredible contrast between the now lifeless image that people have worshipped for three and a half years, and the King of kings, the Creator of all things, who is without beginning or end, whom the people dwelling on the earth had willing rejected in favour of their useless idol.

This again shows the utter foolishness of mankind and the futility of worshipping and serving the creature rather than the Creator – who is blessed forever –Amen! (See Rom 1:25).

Antichrist is resurrected (firstfruits of the second resurrection):

During the Great Tribulation, Satan will have succeeded in establishing a counterfeit trinity, with Satan as the father, Antichrist as a psudo-son, and the False Prophet as a type of the Holy Spirit. God will allow this charade to play out to its conclusion where Antichrist will be resurrected, as the firstfruits of the second resurrection (the resurrection of damnation), only then to be thrown alive into the Lake of Fire along with the False Prophet. We have already see in Daniel 7:11 (cf 2 Thes 2:8), Antichrist will be killed by Christ at the battle of Armageddon; however, just as Christ descended into Hell (Sheol) for a short time (Eph 4:8-10 / Psalm 16:10), so will Antichrist be killed and his soul go down into Hell for a brief time. This is prophesied in Isaiah 14:1-11: “For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased! The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us. Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.” 

Thus those in Hell will marvel that this mighty world ruler, who deceived the world with his miracles, has become like they are, helpless and weak.

Antichrist & False Prophet cast alive into the Lake of Fire:

As the above passage in Isaiah continues we read in verse 19-20 “But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.” (Isaiah 14:19-20). Whilst Antichrist’s soul will go down into Hell, his body will not be buried but, presumably, will lay dead for the world to wonder, only then to be raised again and cast alive into the Lake of Fire (Rev 19:20).

Satan bound for the Millennium:

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” (Rev 20:1-4)

The resurrection of the tribulation saints / The setting in place of the thrones for the saints:

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years…this [completes] the first resurrection.” (Rev 20:5)

“I beheld till the thrones were [set in place]” – see notes on Dan 7:9

The judgement of the living Gentiles (pro-Semitic sheep & anti-Semitic goats):

There are two clear passages that detail the judgment of the living nations who survive the Great Tribulation; the first is in the book of Joel: “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.” (Joel 3:1-3)

The second passage is well know, although it is often overlooked that the basis of the following is how the nations have treated Israel – Jesus brethren, according to the flesh.

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” (Matt 25:31-46)

All of the above events will therefore occur after the 1260 days of the Great Tribulation, but before the commencement of the Millennium, which itself will begin after the 1335^th day; hence blessed indeed will be those who come to the 1335^th day as they will then enter into Jesus’ Millennial kingdom. We should be mindful of these things the next time we pray ‘Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven’!

Daniel 12:13

But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

In other words: ‘keep on going in the way you have known; don’t give up and you will receive your reward in the end’.

What was Daniel’s way?

From the time as a young teenager, when he was carried away from all he had known to the awe and splendour and sensual pleasures of Babylon, Daniel had just one way of living: “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Dan 1:8). This incredible man serves as a challenge and an inspiration to all of us; a man who “went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (Dan 6:10)

Daniel did not just ‘talk the talk’, he really ‘walked the walk’, even though it could have cost him his job, and more importantly, his life. Yet where now are those who tried to take his life in chapter six? We don’t even have a record of their names; yet of Daniel we are told he was a man ‘greatly beloved of God’ – and that is recorded in the Word of God for eternity!

Jesus said:“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you”. (John 15:18-19) “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt 10:32)

Therefore, may we ‘walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God’; and may we live lives walking ‘worthy of the calling wherein we are called’. For we were bought at such a high price: ‘therefore let us glorify God in our bodies, and in our spirit, which are God’s’. Let us purpose in our hearts to be like Daniel, who, as we have seen, knew the scriptures and lived his life according to them, rejecting the fleeting pleasures of sin so as to not be entangled in them, that we may please the One who has enlisted us as a soldier in His army. And ‘let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’ (Col 1:10 / Eph 4:1 /1 Cor 6:20 / Heb 11:25 / 2 Tim 2:4 / Gal 6:9).

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” (Heb 12:1-2)

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Daniel Ch12 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel 11:1

Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.

The first thing we need to realise as we begin this chapter is that chapter breaks are man’s invention, they we’re not in the original. Some of the chapter breaks in the Bible are in unfortunate places because they actually serve to confuse rather than help us.

At first glance it is easy to make the assumption that as we move in to chapter 11, we are starting something fresh and it is Daniel speaking; however verse 1 of chapter 11 is just a continuation of chapter 10 verses 20-21. Thus we find, it is the angel who had been sent to Daniel that is speaking to him here.

That being the case, we are still in the 3^rd year of Cyrus (as we were at the beginning of chapter 10). The angel starts by explaining to Daniel that in the first year of Darius (two years ago), he  (i.e. the angel) was involved in spiritual warfare regarding Darius. Two years back from this point would have been about the time the Jews were being allowed to leave Babylon and return to their own land, as had been decreed by Cyrus. Could it have been in regard to Darius’ releasing of the Jewish captives that this angel had come to confirm and strengthen the king?

135 Fulfilled Prophecies in just 34 verses!

Before we move into the following verses, it is incredible to realise that, between verse two and thirty-five, there are a staggering 135 fulfilled prophecies. Bible critics hate this chapter because it offers irrefutable proof that the Bible is the Word of God; for no man could accurately predict, with such detailed precision, the rise and fall of world empires, the political manipulating and deception of successive kingdoms, and the battles that would be fought. And once again, we need to remind ourselves, that all of this was recorded hundreds of years before the prophesied events actually took place.

The Apostle Peter talks about the ‘more sure word of prophecy’ that we can depend upon, far more so than any emotion or feeling. Throughout scripture, prophecy confirms the Word and shows it to be true. Sceptics will continue to doubt these things, yet with each archaeological discovery they are forced to withdraw their theories and accusations as the evidence continues to mount in support of the Word of God.  “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:9-10)

Daniel 11:2

And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia

As Daniel is writing this, Cyrus is the king of Persia (it is presumed that Darius has by now died). Daniel is told that from this point there will stand up another three kings, followed by a forth who will be far richer than his predecessors, and that this forth king will  ‘awaken’ the Greek empire. From history we know that after Cyrus, Cambyses (Cyrus’ son) became king, reigning until 521 B.C. Cambyses discovered that an impostor (by the name of Guamata), pretending to be his own younger brother Smerdis (also called Artaxerxes), was claiming the kingdom for himself.

‘Smerdis’ announced a three-year exemption from taxes and won the hearts of the people, at which point Cambyses, realising that he was defeated, committed suicide. This psudo-Smerdis then reigned for a short period before Darius the Great eventually took control of the Persian Empire. It was in the 2^nd year of Darius the Great (518 B.C.) that Darius signed a decree to allow the rebuilding of the Temple and thus ending the ‘Desolations of Jerusalem’. (See Ezra 4:24 / Ezra 6:8-12 / Haggai 1:1, 15 & 2:18).  These then were the three kings that followed Cyrus. However, after Darius the Great came Xerxes, also know as Ahasuerus. In the book of Esther we are told that his kingdom spread from India to Ethiopia, covering 127 provinces (Esther 1:1). According to historians, Xerxes fielded two and a half million men, the logistics of which is staggering even by today’s standards. Not being content with the vast empire already in his hands, he led his army against Greece. The Greek historian Herodotus records that in around 482 B.C., Xerxes had two bridges built across the width of the Hellespont in order that his huge army could cross from Persia into Greece. These bridges were then destroyed by a storm that so enraged Xerxes, that he beat the sea 300 times with a belt! Eventually he did cross and subdued much of Greece starting a bitter rivalry that would later become the source of Alexander the Great’s obsession with conquering the Persian Empire.

(Map showing the Hellespont that was eventually crossed by Xerxes on his way to invade Greece.)

Thus, just as Daniel was told by the angel, Cyrus was succeed by three other kings (Cambyses, psudo-Smerdis and Darius the Great), and then came a forth, Xerxes, who was indeed far richer than his predecessors and through his military strength he started a war with Greece that would ultimately lead to the downfall of the Persian Empire.

NB: Following Xerxes, there were another eight Persian rulers, ending up with Darius III who was defeated by Alexander the Great.

• Cyrus II, the Great, son of Cambyses I, ruled from c.550–530 BC (ruler of Anshan c. 559 BC – conquered Media 550 BC)
• Cambyses II, son of Cyrus the Great, ruled 529–522 BC
• Smerdis (Bardiya), alleged son of Cyrus the Great, ruled 522-521 BC (possibly a usurper)
• Darius I, the Great, brother-in-law of Smerdis and grandson of Arsames, ruled 520–486 BC
• Xerxes I, son of Darius I, ruled 485–465 BC
• Artaxerxes I Longimanus, son of Xerxes I, ruled 465–424 BC
• Xerxes II, son of Artaxerxes I, ruled 424 BC
• Sogdianus, half-brother and rival of Xerxes II, ruled 424–423 BC
• Darius II Nothus, half-brother and rival of Xerxes II, ruled 423–405 BC
• Artaxerxes II Mnemon, son of Darius II, ruled 404–359 BC (see also Xenophon)
• Artaxerxes III Ochus, son of Artaxerxes II, ruled 358–338 BC
• Artaxerxes IV Arses, son of Artaxerxes III, ruled 338–336 BC
• Darius III Codomannus, great-grandson of Darius II, ruled 336–330 BC defeated by Alexander

(Source – Wikipedia.org)

Daniel 11:3-4

3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.

Here we are again introduced to Alexander the Great, who, as we have already noted in chapter 7 & 8, was ‘broken’ (died) at a young age and his kingdom divided between his four generals. Note once again the precision of scripture, the kingdom was not given to Alexander’s posterity (children), nor did it have the stature that it had done under him. Of the four divisions of the empire, our primary focus in the following verses will be on Seleucus  (who took what we know today as Syria), and Ptolemy (who took Egypt). What we find, when we look at a map of this area, is that Israel falls smack bang in the middle of these two competing factions of Alexander’s empire.

Back in Daniel 10:14 the angel said to Daniel: “Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.” Thus the vision is concerning Israel, and hence the nations that directly effect her.

Many commentators call the period between the close of the Old Testament (Malachi), and the beginning of the New Testament (Matthew), the ‘Silent Years’. Indeed, between these two books there was a period of about 400 years. However, far from the Bible being silent about this time, we find it detailed with incredible precision in this chapter.

Daniel 11:5

And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.

From history we know that after Alexander died, Ptolemy 1^st Soter (323-285 B.C.) took the area associated with Egypt, which also included Israel. Geographically, Ptolemy’s kingdom was south of Israel, hence the title ‘king of the south’. Some historians think that Ptolemy may have been Alexander’s half brother; certainly he was one of his most trusted friends and generals in his army. It was the custom of Macedonian kings to assert their right to the throne by burying their predecessor. Ptolemy tried to do just this and took the body of Alexander, temporarily taking it to Memphis in Egypt. After a short struggle with his rivals, Ptolemy was offered the throne of the whole kingdom; however he declined, preferring to hold what he had and be strong in Egypt rather than risking all to be the sole successor of Alexander. During this time Seleucus I Nicator, who had been another of Alexander’s generals, served Ptolemy as one of his princes, yet Ptolemy was ‘strong above him’. Ptolemy invaded what we know today as Syria on numerous occasions, and eventually, in 316 B.C., Seleucus was given the ‘Babylonian satrapy’ – an area that stretched from Syria to India. This then paved the way for 150 years of conflict that would follow between the ‘kings of the south’ – known as the Ptolemaic dynasty, and the ‘kings of the north’ – known as the Seleucid dynasty.

Daniel 11:6

And in the end of years they [Antiochus II Theos (north) & Ptolemy II Philadelphus (south)] shall join themselves together; for the king’s daughter [Bernice] of the south shall come to the king of the north [Antiochus II Theos] to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she [Bernice] shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.

‘After the lapse of several years’ (which is how the Hebrew is to be understood) in c.250 B.C., a political marriage was arranged between the king of the north, Antiochus II Theos (262-246 B.C.), and Bernice, the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (the king of the south). In order for this to take place, Antiochus II had to divorce his own wife, Laodacia. Understandably, Laodacia was non-too impressed with this and ended up poisoning her ex-husband, murdering Bernice, and placing her own son, Seleucus II Callinicus on the throne.

Daniel 11:7

But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:

The ‘her’ referred to is Bernice. The one who came from the same roots, was Ptolemy III Euergates, her brother. Euergates invaded Syria, taking the port of Antioch and overrunning Seleucus’ empire as far as Babylon.

Daniel 11:8

And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.

The spoils that Euergates took back to Egypt included 2500 idols (gods), 4000 talents of gold and 40,000 talents of sliver. He reigned for 24 years, surpassing that of his rival (Seleucus II Callinicus) who reigned for 20 years.

NB: If someone can steal your god, you have the wrong one in the first place!

Daniel 11:9

So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.

With Euergates back in Egypt, Seleucus II (king of the north) led an ill-fated attempt to attack Euergates (king of the south) but got soundly defeated, returning to Antioch with only a remnant of his army.

Daniel 11:10-12

10 But his [i.e. Seleucus II Callinicus (north)] sons [i.e. Seleucus III Soter & Antiochus III] shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one [of his sons, Antiochus III] shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through [Judea]: then shall he return [to Syria], and be stirred up, even to his fortress.

11 And the king of the south [Ptolemy IV Philopator] shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north [Antiochus III the Great]: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his [i.e Ptolemy IV Philopator’s]  hand.

12 And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.

Seleucus II’s sons were Seleucus III Soter, who was murdered during a campaign in Aisa Minor (Turkey), and Antiochus III, also known as Antiochus the Great (who reigned until approx. 187 B.C.). He recovered much of the territory that had been conquered by Euergates and resumed war against Egypt. Antiochus also ‘passed through’ Judea attacking much of what had been held by Egypt. Because of this, in about 221 B.C. a multitude (large army) was assembled by Ptolemy IV, (Euergates’ son). His army marched through Judea and was met in Lebanon by Antiochus. This led, in the spring of 219 B.C., to the battle of Raffia (about 20 miles south of modern day Gaza)

Ptolemy IV Philopator led about 70,000 men against Antiochus’s 60,000. Antiochus was defeated, sustaining great losses. Antiochus was forced to sign a peace treaty with Ptolemy who then embarked on a victory tour of the area, stopping off at Jerusalem. However as he was about to enter the holy of holies in the Temple, ignoring the warning of the high priest, he was suddenly struck with paralysis and therefore unable to enter. It would seem that God was protecting the holy place until a specific time that was yet to come (has had been prophesied to Daniel in chapter 8). After Defeating Antiochus’ multitude, and the Jerusalem Temple incident, he returned home to convalesce; and being ‘lifted up in his heart’ against the God of the Jews, he comforted himself by launching a wave of persecution against the Egyptian Jews – but surprisingly, this did not make him feel better! Nor did the fact that Antiochus, rather than being discouraged by the defeat, then set about rebuilding his army for a rematch….

Daniel 11:13-16

13For the king of the north [Antiochus III the Great] shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.

14 And in those times there shall many [including early Rome] stand up against the king of the south [i.e. Ptolemy V Epiphanes]: also the [children of] robbers of thy people [i.e. Egyptians under Ptolemy V] shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.

15 So the king of the north  [i.e. Antiochus III the Great] shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.

16 But he [Antiochus III the Great] that cometh against him [Ptolemy IV Philopator] shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land [Israel], which by his hand shall be consumed [due to the ravages of war].

12 years after the battle of Raffia, Antiochus the Great set out with an even larger army than before to go against Egypt. By now Ptolemy IV Philopator had died and his young son, Ptolemy V Epiphanes was ruling with the help of his advisors. Among Antiochus’ army were some Jewish mercenaries; at this point we also see the first sight of Rome who also wanted a piece of the Egyptian spoils. The ‘robbers of Daniel’s people’ (technically the Hebrew infers the children of the robbers…) were the Egyptian forces under Ptolemy V, who having seen what Ptolemy IV Philopator had accomplished were confident they could stop Antiochus again. As a result of this confidence, one of Ptolemy’s allies, named Scopas, re-took Judea for Ptolemy, but only for a very short time; for in c.198 B.C. Scopas was driven back and defeated by 100,000 of Antiochus’ troops at Sidon. Thus none were able to withstand the strength of Antiochus. As a result of all of this changing of hands, Judea was reduced to poverty as the ravages of war took effect.

Daniel 11:17

He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.

Rather than just destroying Egypt, and wanting to be seen to be doing the right thing, Antiochus III the Great made an agreement with the now new king of Egypt, Ptolemy V Epiphanes, by giving him his own beautiful daughter as wife – only problem was that Ptolemy V Epiphanes was just 10 years old. The giving of daughters to rival kings was an attempt at ensuring peace between kingdoms; and it also gave the father a spy in the enemy’s camp! However this backfired for Antiochus III as his daughter fell in love with Ptolemy V Epiphanes and sided with him instead of remaining loyal to her father.

Daniel 11:18

After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.

After his success in Egypt, Antiochus III the Great turned his attention elsewhere in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Initially he was successful, however in Asia Minor (today’s Turkey) he encountered ‘the new kid on the block’ – ROME! Rome under Manius Acilius Glabrio then forced Antiochus back toward Syria, thus causing the ‘reproach offered by him to cease’. However, rather just settle for this, Rome then pursued Antiochus and turned the tables on him putting him under tribute to them, forcing him to pay taxes to them.

Daniel 11:19

Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

Desperately in need of some quick cash, Antiochus died whilst attempting to rob a temple ‘in his own land’ at Elymais, in Persia in 187 B.C.

Daniel 11:20

 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.

Antiochus was succeeded by his son, Seleucus IV Philopator. Seleucus inherited his father’s great debt and as a result brought in heavy tax increases, which surprisingly did not go down well with the people! In fact, so unpopular was this move that Seleucus was assassinated by his minister, Heliodorus. So as the angel foretold to Daniel, Seleucus died ‘neither in anger nor battle’, but as a result of a political issue.

As an interesting aside, 2 Maccabees records that he entered the Temple in Jerusalem in order to take its treasure (no doubt under the orders of Seleucus) but was turned back by ‘three forms of God’.

Daniel 11:21

 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

We now come to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who we first met back in chapter 8; and as we noted there, he is a type (or model) of the Antichrist who is yet to come. It is interesting to note that the Greek name for Antiochus Epiphanes is translated as ‘the shining one’; which is the same as the Hebrew word ‘nachash’, first used in Genesis 3:1 referring to the Serpent.

When Seleucus IV Philopator was assassinated, his eldest son, Demetrius, should have succeeded him; however Demetrius was being held hostage in Rome. Antiochus Epiphanes had himself been a hostage in Rome but had recently been exchanged for his elder brother. According to Dake’s Bible commentary: “Antiochus Epiphanes was on his way back from Rome when his father, Seleucus IV died. Heliodorus who poisoned the king had already declared himself king, as had several others, but Antiochus came home peaceably (not in war) and using flattery obtained the kingdom. He flattered Eumenes, king of Pergamos, and Attalus his brother, and got their assistance. He flattered the Romans, and sent ambassadors to court their favour, paying them tribute which was in arrears. He flattered the Syrians, gained their favour, and took the throne with their backing.”

Thus, Antiochus Epiphanes, although not the rightful heir, took the kingdom anyway.

Daniel 11:22

And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

The ‘they’ referred to in this verse are the ones who were ‘overthrown’ by Antiochus with the help of his supporters. However, not only were Antiochus’ rivals overthrown, but so also was the Jewish High Priest, Onias, who, according to 2 Maccabees, had been conspiring with the Spartans. In his place, Antiochus agreed to let Onias’ brother, Jason, assume the role of High Priest, after Jason had agreed to pay Antiochus a large sum of money. (Just like today!).

Daniel 11:23

And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

Jason did not hold the office of High Priest for very long, for a Benjaminite called Menelaus, who was on his way to pay Antiochus money from Jason, used Jason’s money to bribe Antiochus to give him the title instead.

And thus with just a small group of supporters, Antiochus IV Epiphanies returned from Rome and became king in the place of his father.

Daniel 11:24

He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.

Antiochus proceeded to move to subdue Lebanon, Phoenicia and Judea, and he appointed rulers over these areas whom he supplied with the spoils of war that he had gained, thus effectively bribing them to ensure their loyalty to him.

Knowing that a war with Ptolemy VI’s Egypt was likely, he tried to plan against an Egyptian attack or invasion by strengthening his borders, whilst at the same time preparing to attack Egypt.

Daniel 11:25-26

25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.

26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain

Eventually, Antiochus marched against Egypt with a large army capturing Ptolemy VI Philometor; whom he then let stay on the throne as a vassal king, firstly, so as not to alarm Rome who had a watchful eye on proceedings, but also because Philometor was actually Antiochus’ cousin (i.e. the son of his father’s sister’s who had been given to Ptolemy V by Antiochus III the Great).

One of the reasons the Ptolemy VI ‘did not stand’ was because Antiochus had bribed some of Ptolemy’s key men to turn against him and support Antiochus’ cause instead. Thus those who had eaten meat with Ptolemy were the ones responsible for ‘destroying him’ and defeating his army.

Daniel 11:27

And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.

Although Antiochus had allowed Ptolemy VI Philometor to continue as king in Egypt, those in Alexandria chose Philometor’s younger brother to be king. Knowing that Philometor’s own people had rejected him, Antiochus seized this as an opportunity to befriend his cousin for his own ends. Philometor was quite happy to play along with this psudo-friendship whilst at the same time plotting how he could throw off the yoke of Antiochus.

Daniel 11:28

Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.

Antiochus then returned to Syria far richer than when he had left. However, on the way he went via Israel, for a false report of Antiochus’ death had been met with celebrations in Israel; something that was worthy of punishment in Antiochus’ eyes.

Daniel 11:29-30

29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.

30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.

A short time later, Antiochus once again invaded Egypt, but it was not nearly so successful a campaign as his first attempt at Pelusium (former), or his second invasion that led to his conquering all of Egypt (except Alexandra), when he made Ptolemy VI Philometor his vassal (latter).

Whilst this was taking place, Antiochus’ fleet had captured Cyprus, but this had awakened the concerns or Rome. Shortly after, Antiochus was met near Alexandra, in Egypt, by the Roman Consul, Gaius Popillius Laenas, who told him that he must immediately withdraw from both Cyprus and Egypt. Antiochus replied that he would like time to think. Gaius consented to his wish by drawing a circle around him and telling him that he could take as long as he wanted to reach a decision, but that he must have decided by the time he left the circle! In other words, Antiochus either had to withdraw, or he would be at war with Rome.

Having been publicly humiliated, Antiochus wanted to vent his anger and frustration, and what better place to do it than upon the people he already despised – the Jews.

On top of this he had been sent word that Jason, the ex-High Priest whom he had deceived, had gathered an army and marched against Jerusalem to depose Menelaus the Benjaminite. The fact that Menelaus, the then High Priest, was a Benjaminite was a direct violation of the holy covenant that God had given to Moses, wherein the Levites were the only tribe permitted to be priests in Israel.

Daniel 11:31

And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

In his rage, Antiochus took Jerusalem by storm killing 40,000 Jews and selling many others into slavery. In addition to this he “boiled swine’s flesh and sprinkled the broth in the Temple and on the alter; broke into the holy of holies; took away the golden vessels and other sacred treasures; restored Menelaus to office; and made Philip, a Phrygian, governor of Judea. (1 Macc. 1:24; 2 Macc 5:21). He also prohibited Jewish worship and consecrated the Jewish Temple to Jupiter Olympius [placing a statue of Jupiter in the holy of holies]. After taking away the Jewish sacrifices in the Jewish Temple, Antiochus offered a swine upon the alter and make the Temple desolate of divine worship” – Finis Jennings Dake

Daniel 11:32-34

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

Many Hellenistic Jews were seduced by Antiochus and even went as far as worshipping the image he has set up. This atrocity led to the Maccabean revolt, which lasted for almost three and a half years. See notes on Daniel 8:14.

Daniel 11:35

And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

Up until this verse we have been reviewing fulfilled prophecy – and let us not lose sight of the fact that Daniel recorded this hundreds of years before it happened – however, in this verse we get our first hint at a double fulfilment.

The Law of Double Reference:

“This law observes the fact that often a passage or a block of Scripture is speaking of two different persons or two different events that are separated by a long period of time.”

In the following verses we will now begin to see the one of whom Antiochus IV Epiphanes is a type; a.k.a. Antichrist. Whilst some of the following details are applicable to Antiochus, the scope of the following prophecies goes far beyond anything that has happened thus far in history, and therefore the following verses are awaiting fulfilment during Daniel’s 70th week.

J Vernon McGee says the following: “At this point history ends and prophecy begins. The text passes from a vile person to a vicious character, moving over a bridge of unmeasured time. Antiochus Epiphanes was certainly a contemptible person, but he could not measure up to the king described in verses 36–39”.

Daniel 11:36

And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

cf Rev 13  / Daniel 7:8, 24-25

It is from this verse that Antichrist gets the title ‘The Wilful King’. As we noted in our study of Revelation 13, Antichrist has a mouth full of blasphemes, and he will exalt himself above all god. This includes the God of the Christians and Jews, as well as Allah, Buddha, ‘mother-earth’ etc. In order for Antichrist to get away with this all the world’s religions will need to be moulded into one prior to this time. Right before out eyes we are witnessing the beginning of this process as the Roman Catholic Church is joining hands with the Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists etc. and amazingly, protestants and evangelical churches are joining in too! The desire for unity is far outweighing the concern for Biblical truth.

Antichrist will prosper – but only for as long as God allows.

Daniel 11:37

Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

Some have mistakenly thought that this implies that Antichrist will not be interested in women. However we are told that he will not regard the desire of women, i.e. he will not regard that which women desire. The question is then asked, what was it that, in Daniel’s day, women desired? Answer: to be the one who gave birth to the Messiah. Right from Genesis 3 it had been prophesied that the Saviour would be the Seed of the Women; thus for Jewish women, the highest honour, their greatest desire (and hence the reason that barrenness was so despised) was to bring forth the One who would save the people from their sins.

So not only will Antichrist not regard God, he will not acknowledge Jesus either. In John’s first letter he tells us:

“Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22).

Daniel 11:38

But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

The ‘god of forces’ can also be translated ‘god of fortresses’, with the implication being ‘the one who is holding the fort’ or ‘kingdom’. Paul tells is in 2 Corinthians 4:4, that the ‘god’ who is holding the fort of this earth, for now at least, is Satan.

Daniel 11:39

Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

Satan will establish his man as the ruler over the nations of this world; and in return Antichrist will cause all people to acknowledge and worship ‘the dragon who gave power to the beast’ (Rev 13:4). Antichrist’s kingdom will be divided into ten regions, over which ten kings will reign; however this many also refer to the dividing up of the land of Israel for financial reward: “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” (Joel 3:1-2)

Daniel 11:40-44

40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.

On this side of the prophetic divide we can only speculate at these references to the king of the south and king of the north (verse 40). What is clear from this verse is that we are not talking about the Seleucid and Ptolemaic dynasties, for earlier in this chapter the Seleucid empire was referred to as the king of the north; and yet now, Antichrist, who has picked up the mantle of Antiochus Epiphanes is being attacked from a king from presumably further north of Israel than Syria is. Scholars propose that the king of the south may be a united Africa with the king of the north being the Russians. Whoever they prove to be, they will march against Antichrist, passing through and trampling over the land of Israel (much like the earlier conflicts had done). We also find the tidings from the east will trouble Antichrist (verse 44); east of Israel is Asia, including China.

So in this scenario we have the north (Russia?), the south (Egyptian led Africa?) and the east (China etc.?), and yet we find that Antichrist will subdue all of them. What makes this particularly interesting is that, in Daniel 7:24, we were told that Antichrist will subdue three of the ten kings. Could these be the three that will be subdued, and their marching against Antichrist be the reason he needs to subdue them in the first place?

It is also interesting to note that modern day Jordan (Edom, Moab & Ammon) will escape out of Antichrist’s hands. In Revelation 12 we find that it will be during this time that Israel will flee to the wilderness – which many commentators believe will be Petra, in Jordan.

Verse 43 alludes to the fact that Antichrist will have control over the worlds monetary systems – cf. Rev 13:17

Daniel 11:45

And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

Antichrist will set up camp in Israel, between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, yet he will be defeated at the appointed time, and no one will even be able to help him. cf. 2 Thes 2:8 / Dan 7:26 / Dan 8:25 /

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study!

The post Daniel Ch11 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel 10:1

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.

We are now two years on from events of the previous chapter (about 536 B.C.). As we have already noted, Cyrus and Darius both started their reigns simultaneously, so this would have also been the third years of Darius. The fact that Daniel doesn’t mention Darius here is probably due to the fact that Darius has now died. From what we know from secular history, Gubaru the Mead (whom we are certain changed his name upon receiving the throne to Darius the Mead) only lived for a short time after he was appointed as king of Babylon by Cyrus.

One of the most common attacks on the book of Daniel by the critics, is to state that there is no record of a person called ‘Daniel’ in the ancient Babylonian records that have been found, and therefore he must be a fictional character, and the book must have been written much later by psudo-Daniel. As Proverbs tells us, the first to state his case seems right until his neighbour comes and examines him! And so it is here. The critics arguments can sometimes seem plausible until one looks at the facts! For why would anyone expect to find Daniel’s name on any of the official documents of the day? Daniel was his Jewish name, and the Jews were mere captives in the land of the Chaldeans. As Daniel reminds us here, even as late as the third year of the reign of Cyrus – two years after Daniel had retired from public office (see Dan 1:21) – he was know as Belteshazzar. As Professor Robert D Wilson points out, there is ample evidence to confirm that a man by this name did indeed hold a high public office during this period in Babylon. As David said: “Your Word is true from the beginning!” (Ps 119:160)

Daniel here explains that something was revealed to him, and it was true. He also tells us that the fulfilment for that which was revealed to him was to be in the distant future; and as we will see, the last three chapters of the book of Daniel span human history from the time of Daniel to the time when Jesus will return to establish his kingdom and reign on the throne of David.

The good news is that Daniel says he understood what he was told – so with 2,500 years of history on our side, we  should be able to understand too!

Daniel 10:2-3

2 In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.

3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

Daniel doesn’t tell us why he was mourning, but it was no doubt to do with his people and their future – certainly that which was revealed to him and is explained in the following chapters specifically relates to Israel and their future.

NB: Fasting is about spiritual preparation, not a ‘knee jerk’ reaction to a problem that occurs. Jesus fasted as a matter of course, and was therefore ready to face whatever confronted Him (cf  Matt 17:21)

Daniel 10:4

And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;

Hiddekel is another name for the Tigris – the river approx 20 miles east of Babylon. Remember, that by now Daniel has officially retired so had no need to be in the city.

Daniel 10:5

Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:

Now we are told of Daniel’s vision.

Linen in scripture is associated with righteousness/man (cf. Rev 19:8); and gold is associated with kings – so we have a righteous man who is a king! (That somewhat limits our options!)

Daniel 10:6

His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

We are not told why Daniel saw this vision, but it is the last vision he sees, and without doubt the greatest of them all.

Who is this ‘certain man’? Scholars are divided, some say a super angel, but I am with those who see this as a ‘Christophany’ – an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ. If we compare this vision to the vision that John saw on Patmos, it would appear to be the same person. Certainly, judging by Daniel’s reaction, bearing in mind he has already met angels, this would seem to be someone far greater than an angel.

“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,…..And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:” (Rev 1:10-17)

Daniel 10:7

And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.

Just as Paul on the Damascus road, those accompanying him were terrified.

“And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man”. (Acts 9:7)“And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me” (Acts 22:9). Note, there is not a contradiction here. The men with Paul clearly ‘heard a voice’, but they could not hear what the voice was saying.

Daniel 10:8

Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

As it was for Paul, John, and Isaiah, coming face to face with God exposes our own weakness and spiritual poverty like never before. All the ‘good’ that we possess is turned to filthy rags in the presence of a holy God, and like Isaiah, all we can say is ‘Woe is me! For I am undone’ (Isaiah 6:5).

It is interesting that Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15 that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Cor 15:50-53) Thus, we will be given new bodies at the time of the Rapture that will be fit for eternity, that won’t decay, and will last for eternity in the presence of God!

Daniel 10:9

Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.

Notice what Daniel says here: I heard the voice of His words – any who have read scripture have heard His words; what must it be like to hear the voice of His words?! When we do, we will be face down too! We’re not actually told what was said, maybe it was just for Daniel’s ears. Maybe it was ‘well done good and faithful servant’. Will we hear those words? Are we living lives worthy of our vocation? (see Ephesians 4:1).

In the KJV, the phrase ‘deep sleep’ occurs twice in Daniel and 8 other times in scripture: On all but 2 occasions (Prov 19:15 & Acts 20:9) God is personally involved, as it seems He is here.

(Deep Sleep from the Lord: Gen 2:21 / Gen 15:12 / 1 Sam 26:12 /  Job 4:13 / Job 33:15  / Isaiah 29:10 / Daniel 8:18)

The Hebrew word is רָדַם râdam, which occurs 7x (Judges 4:21 / Psalm 76:6 / Prov 10:5 / Dan 8:18 / Dan 10:9 / Jonah 1:5 /Jonah 1:6) and again seems to always be of the Lord.

Daniel 10:10

And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

‘an hand’ not ‘His hand’. This is not the same person as in the vision. The vision has now ended and Daniel is back in the real world, by the side of the river, and now an angel touches him and gets him up – well, half way up!

Daniel 10:11

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

After what Daniel has been through it must have been very comforting to hear these words ‘o man greatly beloved’. The angel now tells Daniel to stand up properly! (it’s as if the angel, seeing Daniel on all fours, says ‘Get up! You’re embarrassing me!’). Daniel duly obliges, albeit trembling.

This angel, as with Gabriel in chapter 9, had been specifically sent to Daniel.

Daniel 10:12

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

It is almost amusing that whenever angels appear in scripture they say ‘fear not’! Maybe they don’t understand us humans, ‘cos most of us would freak out if we saw an angel! Still, it’s a nice gesture to try and calm us before the message is delivered!

As we saw in the last chapter, Gabriel flew swiftly to answer Daniel’s prayer; here we see that God had heard Daniel’s prayer from the first day he started to fast and pray – 21 days ago. Does this then mean that Daniel only needed to ask once? Not at all. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Cor 10:4). The spiritual warfare we are engaged in is not just resolved by a single prayer, but requires persistent faithful petition, a sustained attack on the enemy’s position. In James 5:16-18 we read: “….The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

The reason for the necessary persistence in prayer will become clear in the next verse.

Daniel 10:13

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

This is a glimpse into the unseen spiritual realm that is continually taking place even though we are not often aware of it. The prince of the kingdom of Persia is not Cyrus, or any other Persian ruler, but the satanic spiritual power behind the kingdom. We see this alluded to in Isaiah 14 where the passage starts by addressing the king of Babylon, but then goes far beyond the human king of Babylon to the spiritual power behind him – in that particular case, to Satan himself. The same is true in Ezekiel 28 when the king of Tyre is the initial focus, but soon the passage shifts to address the one pulling the strings in the spiritual realm.

Very often we overlook the influence in our lives of the spiritual realm, but we shouldn’t, because Paul warned us: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [i.e. heavenly] places.” (Eph 6:12) This is not an occasional wrestling, but an every day event. The battle is ultimately for the souls of men, the battle ground is the mind, that is where Satan’s most unassailable strongholds are erected. Paul says that we should be “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5)

Spiritual warfare is about mind control; if Satan can manipulate our thoughts, causing doubt, fear, discouragement, envy, lust, hatred and the like, he gains a foothold that becomes a foundation for him to build his stronghold upon. If on the other hand we are not conformed to this world, but are transformed by the [continual] renewing of our mind, we will not be subject to Satan but will know what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (cf Rom 12:2).

This is why Paul says we should set our affections on the things above, not on things of the earth (Col 3:2). Peter said: “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” (1 Peter 1:13). In other words, be careful what you think about and dwell on, be in control of your thought life and don’t allow it to be overrun by emotions and passions; and hang in there until the Day of Christ, when by His grace, the struggle will finally be over.

For now, we are to “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil….Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph 6:11, 14-18)

As Chuck Missler points out, you need the armour in place before the battle commences. It is no use trying to put the armour on when you realise you are under attack. Roman soldiers would repair their armour between the battles too, a good lesson for us to take on board. Fellowship, reading the Word, prayer, communion. All of these do wonders for our spiritual armour.

NB: Typically Roman soldiers had no armour for the back – Historians have speculated that this was to discourage retreat and to remind the soldier to never turn their back on the enemy. As believers enlisted in God’s army (2 Tim 2:4) we shouldn’t retreat (backslide/turn our backs on the enemy) either. It is worth noting that we are often at our most vulnerable when we are on our way home after ‘a battle’, when the pressure is off and no one is watching any more. We may have just had a great victory, preached a good sermon, led a great Bible study, witnessed to a friend or colleague, been at a powerful prayer meeting or worship time; but the enemy will be lurking and ready to pounce on the way home. One of his favourite tools is discouragement – ‘no one cares’, ‘what’s the use’, ‘they don’t appreciate me’, ‘after all that effort I’ve made no difference’….etc

Although Daniel may not have understood what was going on in the spiritual realm, he was faithful in prayer. As a result Michael the Archangel (there is only one Archangel), is able to come and assist the other angel in getting through to Daniel. What would have happened if Daniel had given up praying after, say, the 20th day, rather than persisting in prayer?

‘Prayer is God’s way of enlisting us in what He is doing’ – Chuck Missler

Before we move on, and while on the subject of spiritual warfare, it would be helpful to say a few words about one of greatest weapons in the spiritual war – praise. Paul E Billheimer, in his excellent book ‘Destined for the Throne’, underlines just how important praise is: ‘If the highest function of angelic hosts is praise, it follows logically that the highest function of the human spirit must also be praise…[praising God] decentralises self. The worship and praise of God demands a shift of centre from self to God. One cannot praise without relinquishing occupation with self….Praise produces forgetfulness of self – and forgetfulness of self is health…” (p117-118)“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” (Luke 9:24). “There are other reasons why praise is of such supreme importance and why so much larger a portion of the Word is given to praise than to prayer. For some reason, Satan fears praise even more than prayer” (page 119) (cf 2 Chron 20). “God gave to king David such a revelation of the importance and power of praise upon earth that, following the heavenly pattern, he set aside and dedicated an army of four thousand Levites whose sole occupation was to praise the Lord” (1 Chron 23:5) (page 121)….. “In Psalm 22:3 we are told that God “inhabits the praises” of His people. This means that wherever there is adoration, reverence, and acceptable worship and praise, there He identifies and openly manifests His presence. And His presence always expels Satan. Satan cannot operate in the divine presence”(page 120).

Daniel 10:14

Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

The angel now gives Daniel the outline of the message he is about to deliver (which we will see in chapters 11 and 12) – and once again, it is regarding ‘thy people’ i.e. the Jews… and praise God that He sends His angels to ‘make us understand’! God want’s us to know His Word and what He has revealed about our times and what it to come!

Daniel 10:15

And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.

Daniel hasn’t been back up very long, and now he’s down again with his face toward the ground. It is amazing how much Daniel saw, observed and recorded that we are now the beneficiaries of; and bear in mind that he is about 85 years old by now.

Daniel 10:16

And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.

Is seems the vision Daniel refers to, given the context, is the vision of Jesus he had just had. The Hebrew word for vision is ‘Marah’ and means mirror/looking glass/vision. The word for sorrows is ‘tsiyr’ which means pressed or crushed as in a hinge. Thus I believe that Daniel is saying, ‘I have seen myself as I am, and I am crushed’. When we come face to face with Jesus we see ourselves as we really are in contrast to His perfection. The same is true when we look into His Word, it reveals to us who we really are in the light of who God is. It is no coincidence that with the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, the Laver (big bronze bath for the priests to wash in) was made out of the mirrors the Children of Israel had taken out of Egypt. The Laver is analogous to the Word of God. It cleanses by the washing of water but also reflects our true selves back to us. That is why so many are opposed to the Bible. It tells the truth about the human condition; it shows we are not evolving and getting better, we are actually fallen from grace and in need of a Saviour.

It is interesting that, as with Isaiah, this angelic being touches Daniel on the lips, Isaiah said: “Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” (Isaiah 6:6-7)

Daniel 10:17

For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.

Daniel, of whom no sin is recorded, is under no illusion. How can one who is unholy talk freely with one who is holy? Praise God that through Jesus “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. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 4:15-16 / Heb 7:25 / Heb 10:19-22).

So often in scripture God empties individuals of all they have before filling them to overflowing.

Daniel 10:18

Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,

It is interesting that Daniel is powerless in this spiritual experience until he is strengthened by one like the ‘son of man’. We too are powerless in any spiritual conflict unless we draw our strength form the Son of Man. As Paul urged Timothy, we must “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:1). “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph 6:10-11)

Jesus has all we need and can do ‘exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think’, we can have it if we simply go to Him to get it. (cf Eph 3:20).

Daniel 10:19

And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

There is a sense of compassion in the angel’s reply: ‘Don’t look at yourself the way you see things, but know how God sees you – a man who is greatly beloved’.

The word ‘peace’ is ‘shalom’ in Hebrew, which comes from the root ‘la shalem’ meaning ‘to pay / to fill / to fulfil. Real peace can only come because Jesus died to pay for our sin, fulfil the law of Moses and fill us with His Holt Spirit. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27). Such words of comfort cannot fail to strengthen us, regardless of the circumstances.

Daniel 10:20

Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.

It is almost as if the angel wants to underline to Daniel just how difficult it has been getting to him, and how hard it is going to be to get back. Clearly from this verse we see that there are spiritual / angelic powers over nations / empires. This has led some to assume that these are the ‘strongholds’ that are spoken about in 2 Corinthians 10:4; and if we pray hard enough against these ‘strongholds’, we can bring them crashing down. This idea is then taken one step further and it is proposed that that the principalities and powers mentioned in Ephesians 6 are different orders of these fallen angelic beings that reign over nations, cities, towns etc. and exert spiritual control over those areas. Thus you will find in many Christian bookstores, books about ‘territorial spirits’ and how we can ‘do battle‘ with them. It was the acceptance of this kind of teaching that led to the numerous prayer-walks and marches that we witnessed during the late 80’s and early 90’s. It was said that if a big enough assault were launched against these territorial spirits, we could ‘bring them down’ i.e. defeat them and destroy their influence. This teaching went hand in hand with the view still being promoted today (under the guise of Purpose Driven, Emerging, Mission Shaped, Alpha, etc.) that the church will destroy all the evil in the world and bring about the kingdom of God on earth. ‘Kingdom Now’, ‘Dominion Theology’ ‘Restorationism’ are some of the more popular names give to this idea that the Church will rule world for Jesus Christ – who according to some, has already returned and is now reigning in the hearts of His people (thus they deny the Rapture, bodily Second Coming of Christ and His Millennial reign on the earth).

Sadly, because some of these ideas have been drawn from a Bible verse or passage – albeit taken out of context –  many Christians have been unwittingly caught up in deception and delusion that has actually brought them into bondage by the message that purported to offer them victory.  It is very easy to walk into a Christian bookshop and buy books by prominent authors who promote these ideas. What is much harder to find however, are books that deal with what the Bible really says about spiritual warfare. (For a really good, balanced and Biblical study, I recommend “Making War in the Heavenlies” by Pastor Bill Randles (2nd hand copies on Amazon are available for less than £5).

Whilst Ephesians 6 does list differing ranks of spiritual beings, and whilst they may have authority over nations, cities, towns, etc. NOWHERE in the Bible is the Church told to attack and ‘bring down’ these fallen angels. The only occasion in scripture where one of these ‘principalities’ is seen to be removed, is in this verse (Daniel 10:20). And far from improving the spiritual climate, we find that an even stronger principality comes in his place, namely the ‘Prince of Greece’. Yet many who engage in this ‘spiritual warfare’ go as far as openly taunting these angelic beings. It is interesting to note what Jude said: “Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.” (Jude v8-10). If the Archangel Michael didn’t hurl insults at Satan, then it would probably be wise for us not to do so either! (I’m guessing that Michael knows more about spiritual warfare than you or I!)

Daniel 10:21

But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

Has the angel already read what is going to happen? Did he get a sneak preview before the ‘film’ was released? Why else would this angel say that what he is about to tell Daniel is noted in the ‘established and faithful writing’.

David said: “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Ps 119:89)

In Revelation we read: “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world” (Rev 17:8) For the names to be in the book from the foundation of the world, the book itself must have existed from that time.

Therefore, could it be that the angel is actually reading the written Word of God and relaying it to Daniel in advance?!

Michael is always seen to be fighting on behalf of Israel. Thus it would seem that Israel, i.e. God’s land that He has entrusted to the Jews, is the only place in the world that has a godly angel protecting it. This is stark contrast to the rest of the world, which is under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19).

As we move into the next chapter we will find out what the angel was actually sent to tell Daniel…

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

For more information, contact: info@calvaryportsmouth.co.uk

The post Daniel Ch10 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

As we noted in the last session, Daniel chapter 9 is, without doubt, one of the most important chapters in the Bible. Now, that is an audacious statement, but this chapter contains one of the most remarkable prophecies in the Bible that provides irrefutable evidence that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. On its own that sets it apart, but it also lays out God’s plan for the nation of Israel from the time of the Babylonian captivity unto the Second Coming of Jesus. It give us important prophetic details of the events on our near horizon, when a world leader, who will  emerge from within the nations that made up the old Roman Empire, will step onto the world scene and become famous for doing what presidents and kings have unsuccessfully tried to accomplish, bringing peace in the middle east! It is also a chapter the confirms, once again, what we have already seen in the book of Daniel a number of times, that it is God who rules in the kingdoms of man, and He will ultimately give control of the whole earth to His Son, Jesus Christ!

The 70 Weeks Prophecy

As we now look at the prophecy that Gabriel gives to Daniel, we find that it is broken down into four sections:

Firstly, verse 24 gives us the whole scope of the prophecy; it tells us to whom the prophecy referrers and what is to be accomplished during the time of the prophecy.

Verse 25 gives us the first section of the prophecy, namely the 69 weeks.

We then find an interval between the 69 weeks and the 70^th week that is dealt with in verse 26.

Finally, verse 27 explains the starting point for, and some specific details of the 70^th week.

Daniel 9:24  – The Scope of the Prophecy

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.

Seventy weeks

The first thing we need to understand is the term, translated in our Bible’s as, ‘seventy weeks’. In the Hebrew, the word for ‘weeks’ used here is ‘shabuwa’ (shaw-boo’-ah), which means ‘a week of years’. So what we have is ‘seventy weeks of years’. Whilst this may seem strange to us it was not unusual to the Jews, who not only had a week of days, but also a week of weeks, a week of months and, as is the case here, a week of years. Various examples of these ‘weeks’ can be found in the Bible: We are all familiar with a week of days, as outlined in Genesis 2:2 / Exodus 20:11. We find reference to a week of weeks (i.e. seven weeks) in Leviticus 23. From the Feast of Firstfruits, the Jews were told to count forward seven weeks (7 x 7 = 49 days), after which, the next day was to be the Feast of Weeks (also known as Pentecost – ‘pent’ meaning 50 as it was 50 days from the Feast of Firstfruits). The same idea applied to the Mosaic feasts which were all to occur in a week of months (i.e. a 7 month period). Finally we have the week of years (seven years = one ‘shabuwa’). This can be seen in various places in the Old Testament such as Leviticus 25 where God told the Jews that they were to work the land for six years, but in the seventh year they were to let the land rest. This was to be a Sabbath for the land. It was precisely because Israel failed to observe this law that God then told them in effect ‘you owe me 70 years’, and thus we have the 70 years in Babylon so that, as 2 Chron 36:19-21 explains, the land could enjoy her Sabbaths. In Genesis 29:27 we read that Jacob served for a ‘week’ for Rachel, which we are told was seven years. So returning to our text, the duration of this prophecy was to last for seventy seven-year periods, which is 490 years.

Another important thing to understand is that, when dealing with prophetic years in the Bible, they are always reckoned to be 360 days in length. There is compelling evidence to suggest that the earth used to be on a 360-day orbit of the Sun (we are currently on a 365¹/₄ day orbit). All the ancient calendars seem to have been based on a 360-day year that, for some reason, changed in 701 B.C. What caused this change is a matter of scholastic debate, however one of the most credible theories revolves (if you pardon the pun) around the planet Mars.

Mars has long been associated with war (we still use the term ‘marital arts’). For some unknown reason the ancient cultures seemed to be terrified of Mars, yet today very few of us could pick it out at night if we look up in the sky. There are also records of ‘freak’ natural disasters that seemed to occur at regular 104-year intervals. It has been observed that many of the unusual Biblical events recorded in the Old Testament coincided with these dates, including the flood of Noah, the long day of Joshua, Hezekiah’s sundial etc. It has been conjectured that Earth and Mars used to be on resonant orbits, Earth being 360 days and Mars being twice that at 720 days. If this is correct, then at two points in the year, March 20/21 and October 25^th, Mars and the Earth would pass by far closer than they do today causing massive tidal waves and earthquakes etc. Such an event would strike fear into those living at that time and would easily explain the paranoia. For those wanting to explore this in more detail, see Chuck Missler’s ‘Signs in the Heavens’ or commentary on Joshua – available from K-House: www.khouse.org

In regard to the 360-day year, Sir Isaac Newton said the following:

“…all nations, before the just length of the solar year was known, reckoned months by the course of the moon, and years by the return of winter and summer, spring and autumn; and in making calendars for their festivals, they reckoned thirty days to a lunar month, and twelve lunar months to a year, taking the nearest round numbers, whence came the division of the ecliptic into 360 degrees.”

In other words, the reason that we have 360 degrees in a circle, is because of this 360-day year that the ancient cultures worked to.

Seventy weeks…. are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city

Now we are told to whom the prophecy refers: the Jews and Jerusalem. As we have seen throughout this chapter, Daniel has been praying for his people and Jerusalem, therefore it comes as no surprise that Gabriel now gives him a prophecy concerning the same.

….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.

Here we are told what will be accomplished by the end of the 490 prophetic years. Whilst it could be said that ‘reconciliation for iniquity’ was accomplished by Jesus on the cross, the other criteria have certainly not been met yet; for we have not witnessed and end of sins, or the ushering in of everlasting righteousness; nor have we seen all prophecies fulfilled or the anointing of the most Holy [place] – which in this context’s referrers to the Sanctuary in the Jewish Temple.

Therefore we have just two options: either this prophecy did not come true (unlikely!), or, the seventy weeks are not continuous and part of the prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.

As we will see clearly in a moment, it is the latter.

Daniel 9:25 – The 69 Weeks unto Messiah

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.

Know therefore and understand…

Once again Gabriel tells Daniel ‘listen up ‘cos this is important!’ – see notes on v22.

…from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem…

Now we are given the starting point for the 490 years – the ‘commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem’. There were actually four commands given pertaining to the Jews (see slide), however only one of these – the decree by Artaxerxes Longimanus in 445 B.C. – was regarding the rebuilding of the city. All the other decrees were specifically in regard to the Temple only.

Thanks to the work of Sir Robert Anderson, who published his book ‘ The Coming Prince’ back in 1885, and who confirmed his findings with the Royal Greenwich Observatory, we know that the decree was signed on the 14^th March 445 B.C.  This is recorded in Nehemiah chapter 2 when Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer, went before the king and was granted his request to return and rebuild the city of Jerusalem.

…unto the Messiah the Prince

Having been given the beginning, Daniel is now told what will bring this first period to an end, namely the arrival of the Messiah! NB: The word translated ‘Prince’ is the Hebrew word ‘nagiyd’ which means ‘chief ruler’, i.e. king.

..shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks…

Therefore, from the command of Artaxerxes unto the Messiah there is to be seven weeks of years (49 years), followed by sixty-two weeks of years (434 years), making a total of 483 years. As we have mentioned, these years are each 360 days in length, thus it is possible for us to calculate the exact number of days that Gabriel says will expire between the command being given and Messiah the King. (See calculation below)

….the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Gabriel states that during this time Jerusalem will be rebuilt, although it will be during troubled times; this is itself confirmed in the book of Nehemiah.

The question we should now ask is: Did anything of significance occur after 173,880 days had been completed?

In order to answer that question we need to turn our attention to a strange phenomenon that occurred throughout Jesus’ ministry, one that it is easy to miss by casually reading the gospels; however once it is noticed it is perplexing indeed. It stars at the wedding in Cana as recorded in John’s gospel: “And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.” (John 2:1-4) Surely this would have been a great way to announce that He was the Messiah, at such a public gathering? Yet it was only His disciples who were aware of what had happened. And what did Jesus mean by ‘mine hour is not yet come’?

As we read on in John’s gospel we come to the feeding of the five thousand (chapter 6). Surely this would be the time, in front of so many, to declare Himself the Messiah? However we read: “Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” (John 6:14-15)

A short while after this, at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles when all Jewish males were required by the Law of Moses to go up to Jerusalem, His disciples asked Him if He was going up with them; He replied: “ My time is not yet come: but your time is aIways ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my time is not yet full come.” (John 7:6-8)

After a while Jesus did go up, but amazingly we read “But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.” (John 7:10) This is the Son of God, sneaking around so as not to be noticed!

Eventually the Jews found Him but an even more bizarre thing happens: “Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.” (John 7:30)

Just stop and consider this: the Jews want to take Him, but inexplicably they can’t touch Him, and He just walks away.

In John 8:20 we read: “These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.”

We find exactly the same perplexing situation recorded by the other gospel writers. Luke records: “And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way,” (Luke 4:28-30)

In Matthew we read: “And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.” (Matt 8:2-4)

So Jesus heals him and says in effect ‘keep it quiet’!???

And again: “And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.” (Matt 9:27-30)

Now it’s ‘keep it quiet – or else!’

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.….Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.” (Matt 16:13-21)

“And he charged them that they should tell no man” – Mark 7:36

“And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.” – Mark 8:26

And so it continued throughout Jesus’ ministry. Continually Jesus played down who He was and the miracles He had done. He refused to be taken as the people’s king or even allow His own disciples to tell people that He was the Christ – the Messiah.

Except that is, until one particular day.

In John 12 we read: “And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. …..Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.” (John 12:23-28)

What hour, what day was it? If we back up in John’s gospel we find that Jesus said this on what we know as Palm Sunday. Earlier that day Jesus had staged the most incredible spectacle imaginable. He had deliberately sent His disciples to go and get a colt and bring it back to Him so that He could ride it into Jerusalem, intentionally fulfilling the prophesy of Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” We pick it up in Luke’s account:  “And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” (Luke 19:37-38)

So not only did Jesus set this whole event up in the first place, He is now, for the first time in His ministry, allowing people to worship Him as their king. In addition to this the ‘song’ that the people were singing was Psalm 118 – the very Psalm that was to be sung when the Messiah came!!

The Pharisees were livid! “And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.” To them this was blasphemy; but what was Jesus’ response?…..“And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” Not what the Pharisees wanted to hear!

Luke continues:

“And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.” (Luke 19:41-42)

So what was this day? Why did Jesus suddenly allow the people to worship Him? Why on this day of all days did Jesus publicly and intentionally present Himself to Jerusalem as their Messiah?

Because this was exactly 173,880 days after the command was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus to restore and build Jerusalem; This was the day – the only day – that the Messiah of Israel would come. And He did!!

This is undoubtedly one of the most amazing prophecies in the entire Bible, and absolute proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel, and that the Bible is the infallible Word of a God who is outside time and therefore able to declare the end from the beginning.

What however is sobering, is to realise that Jesus held the Jews accountable to know Daniel’s prophecy; and because they ‘missed it’, Jesus pronounced national blindness on them and then prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem – which occurred in 70AD – all because they ‘knewest not the time of thy visitation’

“And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” (Luke 19:42-43)

After a siege lasting almost a year, the Roman forces under Titus Vespasian took and destroyed Jerusalem. Titus had wanted to preserve the Temple but in the fighting, a burning torch was thrown through a window of the Temple starting a fire that was so intense that it melted all the gold on the walls inside. Consequently, Titus ordered the Temple to be taken apart stone by stone to recover all the gold. It was reported that over a million Jews died in the siege.

As a result of this, Jews were scattered around the world; their lives literally ‘hung in doubt’ (See Deut 28). This led some to conclude that God had finished with Israel, and that the promises given to Israel would now be fulfilled by the church. However as Paul made clear in Romans 9,10 & 11, God is not through with Israel: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (Rom 11:25)

The same message was given by the church at Jerusalem in Acts 15. It had become clear that gentiles were to be included in God’s plan of salvation, but the question was then asked: ‘what about Israel?’ We read: “And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up” (Acts 15:13-16)

Throughout the Old Testament there are countless prophecies regarding Israel’s ultimate restoration; indeed as we will see, the 70^th week of Daniel’s prophecy has yet to be fulfilled, and as the whole of the prophecy was concerning ‘thy people and thy holy city’, Israel and Jerusalem still have a major part to play in God’s overall plan.

Daniel 9:26  – The Interval

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.

With the 69 weeks now dealt with, we find two specific events in this verse that will occur after the 69 weeks, but before the 70^th. Firstly the ‘cutting off’ of the Messiah, but not for Himself; and then the destruction of Jerusalem by a people from whom another price is said to come.

As we know, less than a week after Jesus rode into Jerusalem completing the 69 weeks, He was crucified – but not for Himself: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2) And then, just as Jesus had foretold, 38 years later, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans.

What this should immediately make us realise is that there is an interval between the 69^th and 70^th week of this prophecy.

Some ‘scholars’ have objected to placing a gap between the 69^th and 70^th week, but as is clear from the text, the 70^th week could not begin until after the Messiah had been cut of and Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans. Therefore, from what we know of history, this interval had to have lasted at least 38 years; however we find that it has now lasted almost two thousand years.

It is clear from the next verse that the event that will trigger the 70^th week is the confirming of a covenant with Israel for the last ‘week’ (seven years) of this prophecy. One simple way of knowing that this ‘week’ has not yet (nor could have) occurred is that for any covenant to be signed with Israel, Israel have to exist as a nation, and yet from AD70 right up until May 14^th 1948, Israel were not a nation, nor in their land. Thus if one stops and thinks about what this implies, we will see that this prophecy demands that all the prophecies about a future restoration and regathering of the Nation of Israel, after God has scattered them among all the nations of the earth, have to be taken literally. There is no way that this can be made to apply to the church. Two clear and unambiguous prophecies that underline this are found in Deuteronomy as follows:

Scattering 

“If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book….

…the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life” (Deut 28:58, 63-66)

Regathering

“And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.” (Deut 30:1-5)

Some critics would try and say that the prophecies regarding the regathering refer to the regathering of the Jews to the land of Israel after the Babylonian captivity; however Deuteronomy 28:36-58 clearly deals with the Assyrian and Babylonian captivity, whereas verses 63-66 warn of a far greater scattering ‘from the one end of the earth even unto the other’ and consistent with this, the regathering prophesied above is from ‘all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee’.

Another prophecy that confirms this is found in Isaiah 11:11-12 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

From the context, this 2^nd regathering of the Jews from around the world will occur at the time of the Second Coming when “He [Jesus] shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matt 24:31) In this verse from Matthew, Jesus was actually quoting from Isaiah 27: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” (Isa 27:13)

If this is the second regathering from around the world, when did the first regathering take place? Answer: In 1948, when, just as Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 66:8) a nation was born in a day, and countless Jews returned home for the first time since AD70.

Thus (getting back on track!), the 70^th week could not have occurred until 1948 when Israel were back in the land that God had given them.

It is worth noting that this is not the only time this ‘gap’ appears in scripture. There are in fact 24 occasions where we jump from the time of Christ to the Tribulation, omitting what has become know as the ‘church-age’. One of the obvious reasons for this is that the church was a mystery hidden in the Old Testament (cf Matt 13 / Eph 3:1-12). One of the other examples of this ‘gap’ is found in Luke 4:17-21

“And there was delivered unto him [Jesus} the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

Why were all eyes fastened upon Him? Because Jesus stopped mid-way through a sentence. The Jews would have been familiar with this prophecy from Isaiah, but when Jesus reads it to them, rather than complete the verse, He simply stops. When we compare this to Isaiah’s prophecy, found in Isaiah 61, we discover the following: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn” (Isa 61:1-2)

Why did Jesus stop at the comer? Because, just as Jesus said, the first part of the prophecy was indeed being fulfilled in their ears; Jesus had come to preach good tidings, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance etc. but between this time and  the day of vengeance of our God there has been a period of almost two thousand years. Thus, just as with our prophecy in Daniel, the last part will not be fulfilled until after the church-age.

Daniel 9:27 – The 70^th Week

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.

In the last verse we were introduced to ‘the prince that shall come’ (a.k.a. Antichrist). There we were told that he will be of the people that destroyed the city (of Jerusalem). From history we know that these ‘people’ were the Romans; therefore this prince who is to come must also be ‘of the Romans’, or from the Roman Empire. It is important to realise that the Roman Empire was divided into two legs (remember the stature in Daniel 2); the western leg is what we are most familiar with from our history lessons, but the eastern leg that covered Turkey, Assyria, Iraq etc survived the western leg by about a thousand years. The reason this is of importance is that one of the other titles of the ‘prince who shall come’ is the ‘Assyrian’. (Is 10:24 / Is 14:24 / Mic 5:5-6), suggesting a strong link with the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Many Bible commentators have made the assumption that the final world empire that will be ruled by Antichrist, will come from the European Union / EEC etc. Whilst this may be the case, we should not ignore the possibility that it could be much broader than this, and there are those who see the 10 horns/ 10 toes / 10 kings, who will make up Antichrist’s government, as ten regions of the world, not just Europe.

As we noted in the last verse, the ‘prince that shall come’ will confirm a covenant for one ‘shabuwa’ – a week of years. This will be the 70^th and final week of the prophecy that Gabriel gave Daniel. We have already seen that all seventy weeks were concerning the Jews and Jerusalem, so it is no surprise that this covenant is centred on the Jews. This is confirmed by the fact that in the middle of the week (i.e. after three and a half years) the ‘prince who shall come’ will cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. It is of course the Jews that will be doing the sacrificing as commanded in the Law of Moses. Who the ‘many’ are is a matter of scholastic debate; some feel it is the ‘many’ Jews who will by now be living in Israel; others feel that it will be the surrounding Arab nations, and thus this will be some sort of peace treaty. Whatever the situation, the result will be that Israel will be granted permission to start sacrificing once again. However in order for this to happen, the Jewish Temple will have to be rebuilt again. It is no secret that that the Temple Institute in Jerusalem are already planning for such a time. They have for some years now been making the tools required for the ceremonies as well as the priest’s clothing as required in the Law of Moses. It is apparently possible for the Temple to be rebuild on the Temple Mount alongside the Dome of The Rock . Whether this will be the case, or whether the Done of the Rock will be destroyed by an earthquake or act of war remains to be seen; but the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt one way or another.

A menorah, already made and ready for use in the rebuilt temple.

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem

In an act modelling that which was done by Antiochus Epiphanies (cf Daniel 8), this ‘prince who shall come’ (a.k.a. Antichrist) will stop the Jewish Sacrifices and, according to Revelation 13, erect an idol (image of himself) in the holy of holies. This will be an abomination to God, and will thus mark the beginning of the Great Tribulation (last three and a half years of the seven) as spoken of by Jesus: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matt 24:15-22)

In these few verses, Jesus points to Daniel chapter 9 as the key to understand these things (all of this chapter in Matthew was in response to the disciples asking Jesus ‘when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming?’). Jesus also makes it clear that this abomination will stand in the holy place. Furthermore, it is clear that Jesus’ warning is not to the church or Christians, but to Jews living in Judea, who will still be under the law and therefore will not be able to travel far if this event occurs on a Sabbath day; not will it be easy for them to escape if it occurs in the winter because many of the roads become impassable.

From Revelation 12 we find out that, at this point, Israel will flee into the wilderness (Bozrah or Petra) for the last three and a half years of the ‘week’. This will be a terrible time for the Jews as prophesied by many of the Old Testament Prophets:

“Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jer 30:6-7)

“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” (Zech 13:7-9)

In the Nazi Holocaust, one in every three Jews were killed. In the Great Tribulation two out of every three Jews will be killed. Why does God allow this? Firstly to punish Israel for their iniquity; and secondly to cause them to repent and seek their Messiah. In Hosea we read: “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” (Hos 5:15) This is an incredible prophecy! God is speaking and says ‘I will go and return to my place’. In order to return to His place, He must of left it! Q. So when did God leave His place?

1. When He came to earth as a baby and lived and died to pay for the sins of the whole world.

Thus it will be during this time of immense persecution that Israel will repent and realise that Jesus is their Messiah: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zech 12:10)

At the end of this period Jesus will return to fight for His people against the armies of ‘the prince who shall come’ (read Zechariah 14), and will consume him with the brightness of His coming (2 Thes 2:8), thus bringing to an end the 70 weeks and bringing in everlasting righteousness.

Finally, not only will God reign in the kingdoms of man, Jesus Christ will rule over them!

Daniel 9:24-27 Overview

24 “Seventy weeks [490 years] 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.

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.

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.

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.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Daniel Ch9 vs24-27 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel chapter 9 is, without doubt, one of the most important chapters in the Bible. Now, that is an audacious statement, but this chapter contains one of the most remarkable prophecies in the Bible that provides irrefutable evidence that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. On its own that sets it apart, but it also lays out God’s plan for the nation of Israel from the time of the Babylonian captivity unto the Second Coming of Jesus. It give us important prophetic details of the events on our near horizon, when a world leader, who will  emerge from within the nations that made up the old Roman Empire, will step onto the world scene and become famous for doing what presidents and kings have unsuccessfully tried to accomplish, bringing peace in the middle east! It is also a chapter the confirms, once again, what we have already seen in the book of Daniel a number of times, that it is God who rules in the kingdoms of man, and He will ultimately give control of the whole earth to His Son, Jesus Christ!

Daniel 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;

As we move into chapter 9, we find that 12 years have past since Daniel’s last vision; and the mighty Babylonian Empire has fallen into the hands of the Persians, just as Daniel had seen in his vision of the ram (chapter 8: 3-4 & 20). Daniel identifies Darius as ‘the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes’, lending strong support to the view we have expressed, that Darius is indeed the same person as Gubaru, the general of Cyrus who took Babylon on the night of Belshazzar’s feast. Furthermore we are told that Darius was ‘made king over the realm of the Chaldeans’ i.e. he was appointed to this position – something that we know from secular history was true of Gubaru.

The first time we met Darius was at the end of chapter 5, but we saw in chapter 6 that Daniel was favoured by king Darius. It is interesting to note that this chapter seems to occur about a year after the ‘lion’s den’ incident of chapter 6.

Daniel 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.

As we will see in a moment, the first part of this chapter records a prayer that Daniel prayed on behalf of his people, the Jews, and their city, Jerusalem. Most commentators seem to place this event somewhere toward the close of the 70-year period known as the ‘Servitude of the Nation’; and thus it is concluded, that because Daniel knew this period was about to draw to a close, he set his face to seek God regarding the future of his people.

However, the close of the ‘Servitude of the Nation’ (end of the 70 years), that had been prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer 29:10), was marked by the decree signed by Cyrus allowing the captives to return home. This decree was signed, according to Ezra 1:1, in the first year of Cyrus, (which would have been 537 B.C.

Now, Cyrus and Darius started their reigns simultaneously, Cyrus being the ruler of the whole empire, Darius being appointed under Cyrus as king over the realm of the Chaldeans (Babylon area). Therefore, the first year of Cyrus would be the same as the first year of Darius.  If, as we know from Ezra, Cyrus signed the decree for the Jews to return home in his first year, and Daniel tells us that the events of this chapter occurred in Darius’ first year, both events must have occurred at or around the same time.  It is my belief therefore, that it was the signing of the decree by Cyrus (which did not include the re-building of Jerusalem) that caused Daniel to turn to Jeremiah’s writings in order to understand exactly what had been prophesied regarding his people and Jerusalem.

Daniel specifically tells us when these things took place; the first year of Darius. He could of just as easily said: ‘in the year that Cyrus signed the decree allowing the Jews to return home’ – for it was the same year. Daniel then continues: I Daniel understood…. What did he understand? He understood that whilst the Servitude was now over and the Jews could return home, there was a second period of 70 years that still had 19 years to run that dealt, not with the people, but specifically with the city of Jerusalem. Thus Daniel says: 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.

Jeremiah’s prophecy that Daniel referrers to is found in Jeremiah 25:11: “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”

It is against this backdrop that Daniel prays, firstly confessing the sins of his people – who had now served their 70 year sentence –  (verses 3-15), and then for the city of Jerusalem – which still had 19 years of judgment decreed against it  – pleading that God would have mercy and turn away His wrath, and if possible, cut short this time (verses 16-19).

Before we move on, one other point that is worth mentioning is that Daniel understands that Jeremiah’s prophecies were to be taken literally; he doesn’t look for a symbolic or allegorical interpretation. This is an important lesson for us when looking at prophetic scriptures. Numerous so-called scholars have looked at prophecies and, believing that they cannot possibly be fulfilled literally, have devised a ‘spiritual’ meaning.

Prior to 1948 countless theologians (not to mention the Catholic and Reformation churches) reasoned that Israel couldn’t possibly ever become a nation again, therefore the promises that were given to national Israel obviously have to be understood as applying to the church – this belief led to a wave of anti-Semitism that culminated in the Holocaust. However, amid this sea of liberal theologians there were still some God-fearing men and women who, despite the apparent absurdity of the belief, clung to the promises that God had given to national Israel and looked for their literal fulfilment. Men such as Sir Robert Anderson (whom we will refer to later in this study) were prepared to take God at His word, and whilst he died before he saw the Nation of Israel being ‘born in a day’ (Isaiah 66:8), he believed and taught that, because God had said it, it would happen.

Prophecy confirms God’s Word to be true (2 Chron 34:21-24 / Acts 10:43 / 2 Peter 1:19), and we can rest assured that God says what He means and means what He says. Our own lack of understanding of any particular prophetic scripture, or our belief that it can’t happen, is not sufficient grounds to second-guess God and then try to teach others that ‘what God really meant was….’

Daniel 9:3

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

How serious are we? Do we leave it up to someone else to pray and fast and humble themselves before God? How concerned are we about our nation, the church, our church, our family, our lives?

Daniel 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;

Daniel starts his prayer by appealing to God’s own nature, and as David had done so many times, reminding God of His covenant and faithfulness. We have no other ground on which to appeal.

Jesus taught us that when we pray we should start by acknowledging God and His greatness; “Our Father, which art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name”!

Daniel 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:

Daniel one of only a few people in scripture of whom no sin is recorded. Yet here he aligns himself with his nation and confesses the nations sin as his own.

Notice the scale and intensity increase:

• we have sinned – this is general, for we have all sinned and fallen short (Rom 3:23)
• we have committed iniquity – this implies ‘with knowledge’ not involuntary
• we have done wickedly – it is bad enough that we have a sin nature, but to sin with knowledge, knowing what we are doing is wrong, will lead to wickedness in life and character.
• we have rebelled – the wilful act of one now in defiance of God
• even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments – we know God’s word to be true, we know God’s verdict on sin, yet we leave the greatest Counsel the world has known, and embrace lies that can never satisfy.

Daniel 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.

Israel and Judah had been sent so many prophets that spoke God’s word to all the people. Men like Isaiah, Jeremiah and Hosea all warned of the coming judgment, yet the nation of Israel chose to ignore them and instead, after their own lusts, they heaped up to themselves teachers, because they had itching ears, and they turned away from the truth and turned aside fables. Paul tells Timothy (2 Tim 4:3-4) that it will also be this way in the last days. Just like Israel, the modern church has been sent men like Chuck Smith, Chuck Missler, Roger Oakland and Dave Hunt, who have taught the truth and warned of the lies and deception that masquerades as Christianity. But just like the nation of Israel, many have rejected the truth and turned aside to purpose-driven emerging fables. Just as in Jeremiah’s day we hear ‘peace, peace’ when there is no peace. God’s prophets are being silenced and the Word ignored in favour of ‘new moves of the spirit’,  ‘new revelations’, etc. etc.

Jeremiah had said: “To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.” (Jer 6:10)

Daniel 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.

Daniel contrasts God’s righteousness with a people to whom God had said: “Be holy for I am holy” (Lev 11:44 / 19:2 etc). Instead of being holy their faces were the exact opposite and were full of shame. As Moses had warned (Deut 28), they had been driven out of their own land because they had not obeyed the Lord their God.

Daniel 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.

This was not just a few, but the whole nation. The broad way is always vastly populated; it is the narrow way however, that leads to life. (Matt 7:13-14).

Daniel 9:9

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

Yet even after all of this God is merciful and forgiving – but only because of what Jesus did; for that is the only basis for God to forgive a guilty sinner.

Daniel 9:10-11

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.

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.

Read Deuteronomy 28 to see the choice that God laid before the children of Israel.

Note: Daniel attributes the Law to Moses – so it wasn’t ‘Hebrew poetry penned in Babylon’ as I was once told by a charismatic church leader! Daniel lived almost all of his life in Babylon and he says Moses wrote it. So that’s good enough for me!

Daniel 9:12-13

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.

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.

Daniel testifies that what the prophets had spoken had happened – exactly as they said it would. So please note once again, it wasn’t allegorical or picture language; God said He would judge them and He did.

Oh, and just in case you missed it last time, the Holy Spirit who inspired all scripture wants you to know that Moses wrote the Law. That includes Exodus 20:11 where God says He created everything in six literal days. Sadly, there are many in the ‘church’ who will not turn from their iniquities and understand God’s truth.

Daniel 9:14-15

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.

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.

In verse 14 Daniel acknowledges that the evil that had befallen his people was what they deserved for not obeying God’s voice. Then Daniel concludes the first part of his prayer in the same way he’d started it, by underlining the root of the problem:  ‘we have sinned, we have done wickedly’. We have sinned because we are sinners, but we have also sinned through choice.

As has been mentioned, the Servitude of the nation has now ended, and Daniel’s prayer to this point has been confessing the sin that brought the Servitude about in the first place. Now we see a shift in emphasis from the people of Israel, to the city of Jerusalem, which Daniel has now understood from Jeremiah’s prophecy, is to lay desolate for a further 19 years. Here we will see Daniel pleading before God in what is possibly the most passionate passage in the entire Bible.

Daniel 9:16-19

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.

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.

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.

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.

Clearly then, this portion of Daniel’s prayer is now in regard to the city of Jerusalem that still lay in ruins despite the fact that Cyrus had granted permission for the rebuilding of the Temple. Amazingly we discover that it was not until the 2^nd year of Darius the Great (not to be confused with Darius the Mead), 19 years later, that the foundations of the Temple were laid  – on 24^th Chisleu/Kislev (Nov/Dec in our calendar). Haggai records:

“In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying,…..” (Haggai 2:10)

“Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid, consider it.” (Haggai 2:18)

It is incredible to realise that the objections of a few ‘locals’ (that we read about in Ezra 4) were enough to thwart the decree of a Persian king for 19 years and prevent the rebuilding of the Temple – even more incredible when we remember that the ‘law of the Meads and Persians’ cannot be altered! Yet until God’s time was right and the decreed desolations were ended, the Jews were seemingly powerless. But mark the contrast when God  “stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the LORD of hosts, their God” (Hag 1:14  – see also Ezra 3:8) From this point the Temple was rebuilt in just a little over 4 years, two months!

Thus we see that Daniel’s prayer was answered, whether in his lifetime we don’t know, for he would have been about 102 when the Temple foundations were laid and 106 when it was completed. However you just wonder whether, like Simeon and Anna, God allowed Daniel to live to see his prayer answered.(?)

It is also interesting to note that Daniel’s real concern is for God’s reputation – for the Lord’s sake (v17), ..city which is called by thy name (v18)….for thine own sake…. for thy city and thy people are called by thy name (v19). God had called this people His own, and had made an everlasting covenant with their fathers. He had brought them out of Egypt with and outstretched hand and defeated their foes before them. He had brought them into the Promised Land and promised to put His name in the Temple that Solomon had built (2 Chron 6:20).

That Temple had now been destroyed and the city lay in ruins; in addition, the people had been taken away captives into foreign lands. None of this presented a good impression of the ‘God of Israel’ to Israel’s neighbours. So, just as Moses had done in Exodus 32:10-12, when God had threatened to wipe out Israel and start a new nation with Moses, Daniel asks God to have mercy on his people and city simply for God’s own glory, not because they deserve it.

Daniel’s motivation to pray this prayer was almost certainly due to Solomon’s words in 1 Chronicles 6:36-39 which bear a distinct resemblance to what Daniel prayed: “If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near; Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly; If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee.” (1 Chronicles 6:36-39)

Daniel 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;

Now we move into the next section of this chapter as we find that Daniel is interrupted by an important visitor! However we should note Daniel’s own division of his prayer: firstly he was confessing the sin of his people Israel, then he changes to present his requests regarding Jerusalem. This is further confirmation that the Servitude had ended but the Desolations were still ongoing; for he doesn’t present his supplications for his people, which surely he would have done had they still been captive. In other words, he acknowledges and confesses the sins of his people, but his request is concerning Jerusalem.

Daniel 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.

Daniel immediately recognises Gabriel, which is in itself interesting, as it shows that angels have identifiable characteristics. We are told in scripture that angels are spirits  (Heb 1:7, 14), yet clearly they also dwell in bodies (Jude v6) and can appear in bodily form, being able to touch and move physical objects when they choose (or rather as God commands) (cf Matt 28:2). Humans also are spirit beings that are temporarily residing in our physical bodies, but looking forward to our new eternal bodies that we will receive at the time of the Rapture! We will explore more on this subject in chapter 10.

Here c

It is also interesting to note that whenever Gabriel appears in scripture, he is on an errand to do with announcing the Messiah.

This verse yields yet another fascinating insight into the mind of Daniel, for he notes that Gabriel touched him ‘about the time of the evening sacrifice’. The sacrifice that Daniel referrers to was not some Babylonian ritual, but rather the sacrifice that would have taken place in Jerusalem, in the Temple – only problem was, that Jerusalem and the Temple were in ruins and Daniel hadn’t been there for 70 years anyway.

Now, it is very likely that whilst he was praying, Daniel would have been thinking about those who were returning home to Jerusalem, no doubt by now on their way back, whose sins he had been confessing, , and wondering what they would find, how bad a state the Temple was really in? When would they be able to start sacrificing again as the Law of Moses required? We can only guess what he was thinking; but one thing is clear: despite being in Babylon for 70 years, Daniel’s mind was fixed on the things of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the covenants that God had made with His people.

Daniel 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.

Once again this verse underlines that fact that God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33), but wants His people to know. God delights in telling the future before it happens and revealing it to His servants (Isaiah 46:10-11 / Amos 3:7). It the same with the book of Revelation; yet so often, like a broken record, we hear people say ‘oh Revelation is too hard to understand’. Well I guess if you don’t get the first verse, there’s not a lot of hope, because the first verse makes it abundantly clear that it is ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass’. God wants us to know; that’s the whole purpose of the book!!!. Sadly too many Christians play the ‘it’s too confusing for me’ card and choose to remain in ignorance.

However, Paul repeatedly urged believers to know and find out; he wanted them to have understanding.

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery” (Rom 11:25)

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant,” (1 Cor 10:1)

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” (1 Cor 12:1)

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep” (1 Thess 4:13)

We live in an age of great spiritual deception; Jesus repeatedly warned us not to be deceived. However the only safeguard against deception is to know the truth. Jesus Himself said: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Jesus also told us that one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit would be to ‘guide us into all truth’ (John 16:13) and ‘teach us things’ (John 14:26).

As we will see in a moment, the Holy Spirit actually gives us a mandate to understand this prophecy!

Daniel 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.

Here we have it confirmed that Gabriel was dispatched as soon as Daniel started praying, and the reason he had come was to show Daniel, i.e. make him understand. Both Daniel and John are called the beloved, and it is interesting to note that they were the ones who received the visions / prophecies about the end times. It is as if God saves His greatest secrets for those who are closest to Him. Only one other individual in scripture is called the beloved – the church; for the church is one body, knit together with Christ as our Head (Eph 4:15-16); and indeed mysteries have been revealed to the church that were kept hidden in ages past, things that we are told the prophets desired to look into but were unable. (See 1 Peter 1:10-12 / Luke 10:22-24 / Matt 13:11).

To be continued…

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Daniel Ch9 v1-23 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

DANIEL CHAPTER 8

Daniel 8:1

In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.

It has been about two years since Daniel’s first vision that we looked at in the previous chapter. The year is around 550 B.C. and Daniel is about 69 years old.

Daniel 8:2

And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

Shushan (also called Susa) was at this time a province of Babylon in the area we would call Iran today. It was about 230 miles east of Babylon, 150 miles north of the top of the Persian Gulf. It had been the capital city of the Elamites, and would later become the capital and main residence of the Persian kings. It is where the action of the book of Esther takes place, and also where Nehemiah was serving as a cupbearer to king Artaxerxes. Because it was not a place of great importance at this time, some commentators have felt that Daniel was actually in Babylon and merely ‘transported’ to Shushan in his vision. However, I believe that Daniel was actually there for the following reasons: Firstly the grammar would seem to imply that Daniel was at Shushan when he saw the vision, not that in the vision he saw Shushan. The simple fact that Daniel identifies the place as Shushan strongly suggests that he was familiar with it, and therefore must at some time have visited not only the city, but also the palace. If he did visit it at some point then why not here and now?

Secondly, as we saw in chapter 5, Belshazzar doesn’t immediately think of Daniel when he sees the writing on the wall; yet at the end of this chapter we find that Daniel was still working for the king. An obvious solution to this ‘problem’ is that whilst Daniel was still in the service of the king, he was conducting his duties elsewhere, and hence ‘out of sight, out of mind’ as the old adage goes.

Elam was one of the sons of Shem (Gen 10:22) who had settled in this area after the flood.

Daniel 8:3

Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.

In verse 20 we will be told that this ram with two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. The fact that one horn is higher than the other speaks of the fact that Persia was stronger than Media, and Persia started its rise to power after Media. We saw a similar idiom in the previous chapter with the bear being raised up on one side (Dan 7:5). Interestingly enough, the ram had long been associated with the Persian kingdom, both in mythology and practice. The Persian kings would take off their royal crown and wear a ram’s head when they went into battle. In ancient cultures, Persia was associated with  Aries in the Zodiac, the Ram. 

Daniel 8:4

I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.

As Daniel looks on, he sees this ram pushing in three directions, west, north and south. History confirms that these were the directions the Medo-Persian army went in. East of Persia was India, which remained untouched by the Persian kings. At the height of the Persian empire, Xerxes fielded two and a half million men in his army and ‘none could deliver out of his hand’.

Daniel 8:5

And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

As Daniel was watching and thinking this through (remember the Meads and Persians were subservient to the king of Babylon at this time, and had been all of Daniel’s life; it must have been hard to grasp that Babylon would loose its dominance) suddenly, a male goat comes flying from the west and has an impressive horn between its eyes.

Daniel 8:6-7

6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had there seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.

7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

Verse 21 will tell us that this male goat is representative of the kingdom of Greece and verse 22 confirms that the ‘notable horn’ is the first king, who from history we know was Alexander the Great. This corresponds with the ‘belly and thighs of brass’ of the dream in chapter two and the leopard of the vision in chapter 7.

There had long been rivalry between Medo-Persia and Macedonia (the area just to the north of Greece). Philip of Macedon, Alexander’s father, was murdered by a conspiracy, said to have been masterminded by Darius of Persia. Thus when Alexander came to the throne as a young 19/20 year old, he needed little encouragement in going after Darius and the Persians; whom he duly defeated after a few decisive battles. Alexander’s kingdom surpassed anything that had existed up to this time, and in just 6 years it stretched all the way from Greece to India. If Persia was associated with a ram, then Greece was certainly associated with a goat. Various stories in their folklore were centred around a goat, and Alexander’s son was named `Alexander Aegus’, the `son of the goat’. In addition, some of Alexander’s successors are represented on their coins with goat horns. For us this is history; but we should keep in mind how incredible this was for Daniel 200 years before any of this happened. It would be like someone telling us Iceland will rule the world!

Daniel 8:8

Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

Greece got stronger and stronger under Alexander and he even succeeded in uniting the Macedonians and the Persians, enlisting many foreigners into his army. However, at just 32 years old, Alexander died. It is famously reported that on his deathbed he was asked: ‘to whom shall the empire be given’, he answered: ‘give it to the strong’.  As we mentioned in the notes on Daniel 7:6, within a year of Alexander’s death, the empire was divided up between his four generals, Antigonus took Babylon (later to be conquered by Seleucus), Ptolemy took Egypt, Cassandra took Macedonia and Lysimachus took Asia Minor. (see map below).

Daniel 8:9

And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.

We are now introduced to a little horn, but it should not be confused with the little horn of the previous chapter. In chapter 7 the little horn was seen to come from among the 10 horns, which were identified as being the 10 kings of the revived Roman Empire that are yet to come. Here the little horn comes out of one of the 4 horns that arose after the death of Alexander the Great. So this horn is to come out of the remains of the Greek Empire; and we are told that he ‘waxed exceeding great’ toward the south, east and the pleasant land – Israel.

Daniel 8:10

And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.

As we continue in the remainder of this chapter, we will have described (prophesied) for us an event that occurred in 167 B.C.  Yet some of the language seems to go beyond what we know happened historically and points to a future fulfilling, of which this then becomes a model. This is not uncommon in prophetic scripture and is given the label ‘The Law of Double Reference’:  This law observes the fact that often a passage or a block of Scripture is speaking of two different persons or two different events that are separated by a long period of time. Thus we have in clear view the little horn, who we will discover was Antiochus Epiphanies, yet a shadow is cast into the distant future as Antiochus Epiphanies becomes a model or type of Antichrist.

Those familiar with the book of Revelation may have already recognised this verse as being remarkably similar to Revelation 12:3-4:“And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth”  (Rev 12:3-4). In our study on Revelation we noted that at the mid-point of the Tribulation (just prior to the commencement of the Great Tribulation) Satan will be thrown out of Heaven once and for all, but in so doing, he will ‘drag’ one third of the ‘stars’ (angels in this context) with him. Thus prophetically, this verse (Daniel 8:10) can be seen to be looking forward to that yet-future event; but that leaves the question of how it is to be understood in regard to Antiochus Epiphanies.

Finis Jennings Dake, in his reference Bible comments that the word ‘host’ is translated from the Hebrew word ‘tsaba’ which means ‘a mass of persons or things, especially organised for war’. Dake adds: “The words host and hosts are used 475 times of various armies of earth and heaven, as well as the mass of stars.” “The term host of heaven is used of the sun, moon, and stars; and here [i.e. in this verse] of the high priest, the priests and Levites. It is a technical term for the ministers of the temple. The host may also include the worshippers. They are pictured under the figure of stars of heaven. The fact that the host will be trodden under the foot of men proves it refers to the Jewish people on earth, and not literal stars of heaven”.

Therefore, if this is the case, this verse is prophesying that this little horn will stand up against the priests of the temple and attack the Levites and worshippers – something that we know from history (i.e. Josephus / 1 Maccabees), actually happened.

Daniel 8:11-12

11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.

Antiochus was a part of the Seleucid Empire that had come to power following the death of Alexander the Great. According to the book of 1 Maccabees in the Apocrypha, and other historical records, Antiochus IV was the 8^th king of the Syrian dynasty, reigning from 175 – 164 B.C. He ascended to the throne after the death of his father and imprisonment (by Rome) of his elder brother, Seleucus Philopator. Yet Antiochus was not the rightful heir, for Seleucus had a son. However, by flattery and bribery Antiochus succeeded in becoming king. He invaded Egypt and defeated Ptolemy VI, but on his way back he stopped of at Jerusalem. Jerusalem was situated right in between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires, and acted as a ‘buffer zone’ in between the two rival kingdoms. As you can imagine, the Jews were not very enamoured by this and tried to resist. (For more, see notes on ch.11).

In response, Antiochus plundered and desecrated the temple and even went as far as sacrificing a pig on the alter. He tried to do everything he possibly could to offend the Jews as can be seen from the following record from 1 Maccabees:

“And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah: he directed them:             

                      –     to follow customs strange to the land,

• to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary,
• to profane Sabbaths and feasts,
• to defile the sanctuary and the priests,
• to build alters in sacred precincts and shrines for idols,
• to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, and
• to leave their sons uncircumcised,

They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they [the Jews] should forget the law and change the ordinances. And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die”

Antiochus put an idol in the temple and stopped the daily sacrifices. Once again we see here a model of what Antichrist will do. Jesus himself referred to this event as the ‘abomination of desolation’ and foretold it happening again (see Matthew 24). The fact that the ‘model’ happened just as Daniel had prophesied, and with such incredible detail, we can be absolutely certain that the ‘fulfilment of the model’ will happen just as Jesus said.

Daniel 8:13

Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

The question that Daniel overhears being asked is ‘how long will this be allowed to go on for’?

Daniel 8:14

And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

In the previous verse Daniel overheard a question being asked. It is reasonable to assume that the answer given in this verse would be the response to that question. It is amazing therefore, as one browses the various commentaries on this verse, that not only do we have various ‘interpretations’ of what the ‘two thousand and three hundred days’ actually mean, but also what they are referring to! Probably the most incredible of these interpretations was by a man named William Miller. Miller, an American Baptist preacher and active Freemason, proposed that the days actually meant years, and that the sanctuary actually referred to the earth. Therefore, he concluded, after 2300 years the earth would be cleansed and Jesus would return. Miller became convinced that the 2,300 day/year period started in 457 B.C. with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem by Artaxerxes I of Persia; his first mistake was that the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was not given until the 20^th year of Artaxerxes (445 B.C.) as we will see in the next chapter. However, according to his calculations, the period would end, and hence Christ would return, in 1843. Miller records, “I was thus brought… to the solemn conclusion, that in about twenty-five years from that time (1818) all the affairs of our present state would be wound up.” (Apology and Defence, William Miller, 11-12). As most people are aware, this did not happen. Yet from this ‘foundation’ came the Seventh Day Adventist movement. It is also worth noting that the JW’s also leaned on Miller’s ‘understanding’ of Bible prophecy. If Millar had checked his theory against the ‘whole council of God’, rather than take one verse out of context, it is unlikely he would have made this error in the first place.

So how are we to understand this verse? Clearly the reference is to how long the sanctuary in the Temple in Jerusalem was to lay desolate until it would finally be cleansed. So our period of time is up when the temple was cleansed, which we know was in the winter of 164 B.C.

The Maccabean Revolt

In 167 B.C. a Jewish priest, by the name of Mattathias, was so incensed by the desecration of the temple and the erecting of an idol in the holy place that, not only did he refuse to worship this idol, but also started killing the Hellenistic Jews* who did. (*Jews that had adopted the Greek culture and lifestyle). As a result of this, he and his five sons were forced to flee into the wilderness. After Mattathias’ death about one year later, his son Judas Maccabeus (whose name meant ‘hammer’) formed an army and led a revolt against Antiochus IV, which in 164 B.C. was eventually successful in overthrowing the Seleucid control of Israel. When the Jews finally entered the temple they found only one days supply of the consecrated olive oil that was needed to maintain the light on the great seven-branched lampstand called the ‘Menorah’. According to the Law of Moses this was to be kept continually burning. The Jewish Talmud records that the priests poured the oil into the seven lamps and lit them to bring forth light. Miraculously, to one days supply of oil burned for eight days – which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate new oil.

To commemorate this event the Jews added the Feast of Hanukkah, also called ‘Festival of Lights’ or ‘Festival of Rededication’ to their annual feasts.  Whilst not specifically given by God, the validity of this feast is confirmed in John 10:22: “And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.” (John 10:22-23). After this event, the Maccabees then founded the Hasmonean royal dynasty and established Jewish independence in the Land of Israel for about one hundred years, from 165 B.C. to 63 B.C.

So, with the historical background covered, we return to the question of what is meant by the 2300 days?

If we take them as literal 24-hour days, then we have a period just short of 7 years, which could correspond to the time between Antiochus’ first incursion into Jerusalem in 170 B.C. until the cleansing of the Temple by Judas Maccabeus in 164 B.C. However, we are told in verse 13 that the period of time in question is concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, which didn’t occur until 167 B.C. The literal 24-hour day interpretation does not therefore satisfy the requirements. At first glance we now seem to be presented with a problem, that is until we realise that we are reading a translation. As good as the translators were (King James translators that is, – some of the modern ‘versions’ are shocking and completely change the meaning of things – beware!) on some occasions they have translated words into English to the best of their understanding but inadvertently confuse the issue. Such is the case here.

The Hebrew in this verse doesn’t use the word ‘day’ (Hebrew ‘Yom’), but rather ‘erev boker’, which would be literally translated as ‘evening-mornings’. It is easy to see why the translators thought evening-morning = day, however for the Jews who would think in terms of their sacrifices, 2300 evening-morning sacrifices would only equal 1150 days. Thus, this verse would seem to be saying that from the time the sacrifices were to be taken away (by Antiochus), there would be 1150 days, which is 110 days short of three and a half years. This fits with what we know from history and is consistent with what the text actually says.

Daniel 8:15-16

15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.

16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.

Daniel sought to understand, God wanted him to understand so Gabriel is instructed to make him understand. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matt 7:7-8)

Daniel 8:17-19

17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

18 Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.

19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.

Here Daniel is told that the vision refers to the time of the end, yet as we have noted, all of these things have been fulfilled in history. Thus here we find confirmation that the events of this vision, whist having an historical fulfilment have a yet future fulfilment when another ‘little horn’ will desecrate the temple and place his image inside; the Jews (just like Judas Maccabeus and his family) will initially be forced to flee to the wilderness (cf Matt 24:15-21); and just as we were 110 days short of the three and a half years, Jesus said to the Jews: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake[i.e. the Jews] those days shall be shortened.” (Matt 24:22)

As we now continue with the interpretation, we will see even clearer allusions to the yet-future fulfilment of which Antiochus Epiphanies was just a model or type.

Daniel 8:20-22

20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

As we have already noted, Medo-Persia was conquered by Alexander’s Greece, which itself then broke into four lesser kingdoms.

Daniel 8:23

And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

Historically this was true of Antiochus, prophetically it is true of Antichrist.

Daniel 8:24

And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

What Antiochus was, so will Antichrist be, yet ten fold more. Historically, Antiochus destroyed ‘impressively’ and fought against the holy people – the Jews. Prophetically Antichrist will be unlike anyone before him and will be allowed to prosper, i.e. do what he likes and launch such an attack on the Jews that the Nazi Holocaust will seem tame in comparison (cf Zech 13:8-9 / Jer 30:6-7). It is interesting to note that both for Antiochus and Antichrist they do not function by their own power, but will be supernaturally empowered by the ‘god of this world’ (2 Cor 4:4). Of Antichrist (the beast) we read: “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Rev 13:4) (cf Eph 6:12).

Daniel 8:25

And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

Gradually the emphasis over the last few verses has shifted from Antiochus being the main focus with Antichrist in the background, to now in this verse, Antichrist being the focus. Antichrist will indeed magnify himself in his heart and bring about a false peace (cf. the white horse in Rev 6 with a bow – the sign of a covenant). Antichrist will stand up against the Prince of princes, the Lord Jesus Christ, but will be broken without hand: “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:” (2 Thess 2:8).

Daniel 8:26

And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.

If the historical portion of this vision has been fulfilled literally and with such accuracy, we can be sure that the prophetic (yet to come) elements will be fulfilled just as literally and precisely.

Daniel 8:27

And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.

It is hard for us to imagine how much this affected Daniel, yet if we really understand the impact of these things in the days we are living in, we too should be shaken out of our comfort zones and do two things: Firstly, pray for Israel and the Jews who will have to face what’s coming (Ps 122:6 / 137:5); Secondly: Preach the Word when it is convenient, and when it isn’t! (2 Tim 4:2). There is a dying world that needs to hear the good news that we have, the good news that there is a way of escaping the things that are coming (Luke 21:36).

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Daniel Ch8 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel 7:1

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

With the historical section of the book now complete, this chapter sees us move back in time to the first year of Belshazzar, which was in about 552 B.C. Thus chronologically this chapter fits about 11 years after chapter 4 and about 12 years before chapter 5. On the surface it may seem that by now Daniel is no longer in a prominent position in Babylon; certainly, Belshazzar needs to be reminded about Daniel in chapter 5; however we will see at the end of chapter 8 that, after the vision recorded there, which we are told occurs in the third year of Belshazzar (two years after this  event), Daniel returns to do the kings business. So even as an old man, Daniel was actively involved in the government of Babylon. (NB. At the end of chapter 1 we were told that Daniel served until the 1^st year of Cyrus – about 14 years from now). Regardless of what we may have accomplished or what age we may be, God has much work to be done and sadly few who are willing to give Him their all and get on with it. Jesus said: “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matt 9:37-38).

Thankfully Daniel had not gone off the boil and as we saw in chapter 6, he prayed 3 times a day. When you are close to God you are far more likely to hear His voice. And so we have Daniel tucked up in bed one night and he starts to dream. As we will see, this is more akin to a nightmare than a dream; in fact, Daniel seems more troubled by this dream than he would be of the lion’s den. However, Daniel, recognising its importance, writes down the ‘sum of the matters’ i.e. the key points.

Daniel 7:2

Daniel spake and said….

Who did he speak to? In the last verse we read that he told the sum of the matters. Thus it may well be that he was relaying this to a scribe. It is certainly conceivable that a man who had been second in charge of Babylon would have had his own personal secretary.

….I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.

The four winds are mentioned nine times in scripture: Jer 49:36 / Exek 37:9 / Dan 8:8 / Dan 11:4 / Zech 2:6 / Matt 24:31 / Mark 13:27 / Rev 7:1 and here in Dan 7:2. (As an aside, ‘9’ is the number of Judgment).  They are seen either ushering in judgement (as would appear to be the case in this vision) or bringing restoration. In each case it implies a global situation, with the ‘four’ seemingly referring to the four cardinal points of a compass (North, South, East and West).  The great sea that Daniel refers to may well have been the Mediterranean, as this was known as the ‘great sea’ at that time; however the sea is also used in scripture as an idiom of the peoples and nations of the world (cf Rev 17:15). Thus, whatever is about to happen, it would appear to have a global impact that will affect the people and nations of the earth.

Daniel 7:3

And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

We will be told in verse 17 that these great beasts represent four kings (or kingdoms – the Aramaic could mean either). In chapter 2 we also had a dream and vision of a statue that was representing world kingdoms. On that occasion Daniel interpreted the golden head of the statue to represent Babylon; the chest and arms of sliver represented the Medo-Persian Empire that succeeded Babylon. Then we had the belly and thighs of brass representing the Greeks under Alexander the Great, and finally the two-stage Roman empire represented by the legs of iron (the old Roman Empire) and the feet of iron mingled with clay representing the ten kings who shall arise out of the revived / revised Roman Empire.

However, regarding the identity of the beasts/kingdoms in chapter 7, scholars are divided: we have essentially two options;

Firstly, the most popular view, often referred to as the classical view, proposes that these four beasts represent Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, mirroring the dream in chapter 2. Whereas in chapter 2 they are seen as an impressive metal image, they are here seen as wild beasts contrasting between man’s view (chapter 2) and God’s perspective of these kingdoms (chapter 7).

The second view suggests that all of these kingdoms are yet to arise at some point in the future, and when they do they will all rise simultaneously.

What is generally agreed upon is that the final phase of the last beast is the same as the ten toes in chapter two and the ten horns / ten kings mentioned in Revelation 17:12.

Because of the following reason, and the subtleties in the text that we will explore as we get there, I am of the opinion that these four beasts do indeed represent Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and then Rome in its two phases.

Quite simply, unless this vision is a re-telling of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter two, we have here presented to us four kingdoms of which history knows nothing and which are not mentioned anywhere else in scripture. If these kingdoms are yet to arise, then they would have to do so before the events of Revelation 6 commence, for from that point there would appear to be no room for them. This would mean that prior to the establishment of the revised Roman Empire as seen by Nebuchadnezzar as the ten toes, seen here as the ten horns, and as seen in Revelation (17:12) as ten kings, there will have to be another four world dominating Empires. Yet such a situation was not mentioned by Jesus in His great ‘end times’ talk in Matthew 24/25, nor is recorded by any other prophet. All of this, combined with the seemingly perfect fit of the description of these beasts to the corresponding Empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, leads I believe, to the inescapable conclusion that in this chapter we have a re-telling of the dream of chapter two but now from God’s perspective.

There are two verses in particular that are highlighted by those holding to the ‘future fulfilment’ opinion that, at first glance, appear to present a difficulty with our ‘classical view’. These are verses 7 & 17, which will be dealt with when we get there. Again it must be stressed that the onus is on each of us to ‘search the scriptures daily to see whether these things are so’ (Acts 17:11), yet at the same time understand that the Holy Spirit came to ‘teach us all things’ (John 14:26) and ‘guide us into all truth’ (John 16:13). Sometimes, ‘agreeing to disagree’ is simply choosing to avoid the issue or even a polite way of saying that ‘I’m right, you’re wrong!…But I’m not prepared to discuss it’ and hardly fulfils 1 Cor 1:10!

Daniel 7:4

The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.

As we have mentioned, the classical view sees this beast as being Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon, just like the head of gold was in chapter two. The lion was the chief of beasts as Babylon was the chief of kingdoms (cf Dan 2:38-39). Creatures resembling lions with wings were on the walls and gates of Babylon (although some scholars believe that these creatures were meant to depict dragons and not lions). The eagle’s wings suggest swiftness in its ability to conquer, and this is certainly true of Babylon under Nebopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar. When king Neb got proud, his ‘wings were plucked off’ as we saw in chapter 4, but he was ‘made to stand up’ when he had learnt his lesson, at which point he put his trust in the God of Daniel and a ‘new heart’, a mans heart, was given to a man who had been like a beast for seven years.

  <  Babylonian image of a winged lion with a man’s head. (British Museum, London)

Daniel 7:5

And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

The second beast represents the second kingdom in Daniel’s vision, and so, if our interpretation is correct, we would expect it to correspond to the empire that succeeded Babylon, namely Medo-Persia. A bear is not as swift as a lion nor as majestic, and so it was with Medo-Persia. We are told in Daniel 2:38-39 that Medo-Persia was to be inferior to Babylon and as we noted in chapter 6, the rulers of the Medo-Persian Empire did not wield the power that Nebuchadnezzar enjoyed. We also know from history that Medo-Persia was bear-like in its lumbering strength, conquering many enemies without even a battle; at one point, Xerxes fielded two and a half million men in his army. It is also an historical fact that Medo-Persia was a united empire of the Meads and Persians, yet Persia was the stronger and would seem to be implied by the bear-like-beast raising up on one side. Also from history we know there were three main conquests that really established the Medo-Persian Empire, namely Babylon, Egypt and Lydia. And thus it would seem that this is what the three ribs represent. Opponents of this view tell us that historically, Medo-Persia was never associated with a bear, and that the Medo-Persian Empire conquered more than just three competing kingdoms. In answer to this, all Daniel tells us is that this second beast was like a bear in its characteristics, something that cannot be denied of Medo-Persia. Secondly, Daniel clearly records what was said to this beast: ‘Arise, devour much flesh’, but by the time this instruction was given, it already had the three ribs in its mouth. Therefore it would appear that there is no difficulty in understanding Medo-Persia as the second beast in Daniel’s dream.

Daniel 7:6

After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

Once again, if our interpretation is correct, we would expect the third beast to correspond to the next historical empire, i.e. Greece. And once again we have a matching ‘photo fit’. The beast is like a leopard – one of the swiftest of all creatures – and in addition it has wings on its back implying even greater speed. This is one of the most compelling reasons to accept this interpretation because the empire of Greece under Alexander the Great conquered the known world in lightning speed, unparallel in history. At the age of 29 it is reported that the young Alexander fell on his bed and wept because there were no more lands to conquer. It is also recorded that, on his deathbed (aged almost 33), Alexander was asked: ‘to whom shall the empire be given’, his answer: ‘give it to the strong’.

Within a year his empire had been divided up between his four generals, Antigonus took Babylon, Ptolemy took Egypt, Cassandra took Macedonia and Lysimachus took Asia Minor.

NB: notice that dominion was given – once again we are reminded that it is God who ‘removeth kings, and setteth up kings’ (Dan 2:21), “to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (Dan 4:17)

Daniel 7:7

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

Now we come to the fourth beast which should correspond to the Roman Empire in its two phases as revealed in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s subsequent interpretation in chapter 2. Once again we find that the ‘shoe fits’, and in fact when we look at the interpretation in verses 23-24, it would appear to vindicate the view here expressed, that the four kingdoms are indeed the same is in chapter 2. What is interesting about this forth beast is that it is so unlike anything else, that Daniel doesn’t even try to compare it to an animal, he just simply tells us that it is ‘dreadful and terrible’.

In chapter two we were told that Rome was “strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.” (Dan 2:40) Here a similar picture is painted which indeed echoes the history of the Roman Empire, which took delight in crushing and destroying their foes. As we will see in verse 24, the ten horns are to arise out of this kingdom, giving us our ‘two phases’ of Rome and Revised Rome.

A point to note that is often overlooked, is that Rome had both the familiar western leg, and the less publicised eastern leg, which actually outlived the western leg by a thousand years (the two legs corresponding to the legs of the statue in chapter 2). Some, who have studied prophecy in the past, seem to have largely focused on the western ‘European’ element and ignored the eastern empire that actually includes Assyria, Babylon and North Africa. We will deal with this more fully later.

NB: the phrase ‘it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it’ at first glance, would seen to be in reference to time, implying that the other beasts had preceded it. However the Aramaic word literally means ‘in the presence of’, thus the other beasts in the vision are said to be in the presence of this forth beast. Those who hold to a ‘yet future’ fulfilment for all of these beasts / kingdoms use this verse to say that all of these beasts will come up at the same time, so this cannot of yet occurred. However, Daniel is seeing a vision, and clearly in the vision one beast comes up first, then another, then another, and finally a forth. Just because Daniel sees them all at the same time in his vision does not mean that the actual fulfilment of these things cannot happen over a period of time. Daniel is seeing a panoramic of world kingdoms, he is seeing things from God’s perspective and God is outside of time. Likewise, in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he saw the whole image at once yet clearly it was representing a succession of kingdoms. So once again there is no difficulty accepting the classical view.

Daniel 7:8

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

In verse 11 we find that this little horn is given a personal pronoun showing him to be an individual. So from this verse we can see that this little horn that is speaking ‘blasphemous’ things, will subdue three of the original ten horns.

In the vision that John sees in Revelation 17 we are told “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.” (Rev 17:12)

Thus, here we have introduced the one we commonly label as Antichrist, and he is seen to uproot three of the ten kings that will reign with him during the Great Tribulation.

(For a possible explanation of who these three kings might be, and why they are uprooted by Antichrist, see notes when we get to Daniel 11:40-44).

Daniel 7:9

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

As Daniel is watching he sees thrones ‘set in place’. These are not the thrones of the 10 horns, nor the thrones of the little horn. These are thrones that are placed alongside the Ancient of Days. In Revelation 19 we read:  “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (Rev 20:4) There are two distinct groups that we are told will reign with Christ during the Millennium, the bride of Christ (the Church) (2 Tim 2:12 / Rev 5:10), and those who were beheaded for their witness during the Tribulation time. Therefore, these thrones would seem to be the thrones that we (that is, Christians) will sit on! “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him” (2 Tim 2:11-12)

Who is the Ancient of Days? From John’s description of Jesus in Revelation chapter 1, it would appear to be Jesus: I John….. was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last…..And I turned to see the voice that spake with me….His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Rev 1:9-18)

The similarities between Daniel’s and John’s visions would lead us to conclude that this is none other than Jesus Christ. However in verse 13 we find that Jesus comes to the Ancient of Days, meaning that the Ancient of Days must be God the Father. Why do they look so similar? Remember Jesus’ words to Philip in John 14:9 “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” And in John 10:30 Jesus said: “I and my Father are one”

The reference to wheels is consistent with Ezekiel’s vision of God on His throne in Ezekiel chapter 1 and again suggests that this is God the Father.

Daniel 7:10

A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

A fiery stream coming out from before Him would create a left / right divide. Either you would be on one side or the other. This is reminiscent of Matt 25:31-34: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”

What is really interesting about this passage from Matthew is that the deciding factor of who has been good vs. who has been bad, is all down to how they have treated Jesus’ brethren i.e. the Jews!

The ancient systems for counting didn’t go beyond a thousand, so this may imply a countless number, or it may simply mean as it says, ten thousand times ten thousand = one hundred million. If so, it is provocative that this could mean that after the various judgments of the Tribulation period culminating in the battle of Armageddon, one hundred million is all that will be left on the earth! Certainly about one and a half billion people will die under the forth seal in Revelation 6:7-8; and this is only at the beginning of the Tribulation.

How terrifying it would be to be standing in this crowd and see Jesus start to open the books. What information do those books contain? If God has been keeping a list of everything you have ever thought, done and said, and it is all recorded in black and white, what kind of defense could you offer? Praise God that Jesus has nailed to His own cross the handwriting of ordinances that were written against us and paid them in full on our behalf!! (See Col 2:14).

Daniel 7:11

I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

Revelation 13 is full of this beast speaking blasphemous things (Rev 13:1,5,6,11); finally this beast – who we know better as Antichrist – will get what’s coming! 2 Thessalonians 2:8 says: And then shall that Wicked [one] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” And in Revelation 19 John records: “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Rev 19:20)

Daniel 7:12

As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

So the last beast of the four is destroyed; that’s easy enough to understand; but as regarding the other beasts…? What this really means we may not find out until we get there, but a plausible answer is that the spiritual powers behind these kingdoms are ‘removed from office’ yet not destroyed until after the Millennium. Certainly the legacy of these kingdoms (Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece) are prevalent in the world today. Babylon’s current influence was addressed in our study of chapter 4; Greece’s thirst for learning and ‘wisdom’ rejected the simplicity of the gospel and continues to this day in our education systems (see 1 Cor 1:22-23). Medo-Persia has spawned false religions such as Zoroastrianism and modern-day Persia (i.e. Iran) is an area today associated with a passionate hatred of Israel. Thus this verse may mean that this power and influence will be removed, which we would certainly expect as we enter a period of Theocracy (God’s reign) on planet earth.

Daniel 7:13-14

13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

It is amazing that the Preterists believe that all of this was fulfilled in AD70! Are we really expected to believe that lightning flashing across the sky, the moon being darkened and the stars falling from heaven, with the powers of the heavens shaken and the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, all occurred in AD70, and yet not a single account of this ‘world shaking’ event was recorded and persevered in history?  (See Matt 24:27-30). Would the Preterists also have us believe that all would empires and dominions have now ended? – someone forgot to inform our present governments if that’s the case! Preterism is heresy! Jesus said ‘do not be deceived’ (Matt 24:4-5)!

Then we have the Amillennialists. Amillennialism is possibly the most widely held belief in the church regarding the end times. It is believed by both Roman Catholic and Reformation/Denominational churches. They believe that there will not be a time when Christ rules on earth (hence A = not, Millennium = thousand years, i.e. ‘no thousand years’ (cf Rev 20:1-7)). It is proposed that after the church has ‘won the world for Christ’ (something that Jesus neglected to explain to the disciples) Christ will wrap it all up and we go straight to Judgment Day! (It’s more like Monopoly than theology.) This puts all the emphasis on the church, and more specifically, on those who elevate themselves as the leaders of this ‘world takeover bid’ by the church. (NB: The Roman Catholic Church as already tried this with disastrous consequences).

This is also the underlying position of the ‘Emerging Church’ and a subtle undertone of some of the recent popular ‘church growth’ manuals.

Proponents of these things say that the church will unite with our Catholic (and even Muslim) brothers and sisters, and we will become world conquering. A recent ‘emerging church’ author explained that apparently we have all misinterpreted the Bible and actually there is a ‘secret message of Jesus’, which the author reveals is that the kingdom of God will be established on earth by the church. The thought of Jesus coming back and taking us to a place He has prepared for us in Heaven (as He clearly said in John 14:3), and then coming back to establish His kingdom on earth, is scoffed at by this ‘new wave’ of all-embracing, post-modern, emerging-driven scholars.

Paul said to Timothy: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Tim 4:1-4)

I don’t want to attack any sincere brothers and sisters in Christ who hold different views, but let’s get serious; verses like this (Daniel 7:13-14) are not ambiguous! Jesus is coming back to establish his kingdom and reign on earth as abundant scriptures, such as this one, make absolutely clear! It is not the church that will usher in this new kingdom but Christ Himself. When He does, His kingdom will be everlasting; man’s government will be ended.

Daniel 7:15

I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

It is important to understand that Daniel, at this time, was looking for the reestablishment of Israel, as their 70 years in Babylon was drawing to a close. This must have been quite a shocker to see that all of these beasts would come first.

Daniel 7:16

I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

Who Daniel speaks to here we are not told, presumably an angel.

Please notice Daniel’s attitude here: he is grieved and troubled but he doesn’t ‘kick back’ and say ‘this is all too confusing for me’. No. He sets his heart on finding out the truth.

Daniel 7:17

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

As the ‘one who stood by him’ starts to interpret these things, it is easy to picture Daniel listening intently.

The first thing he is told is, as we mentioned earlier, that the four beasts represent four kings or kingdoms.

The ‘yet future’ view of these four beasts would draw our attention to the fact that we are told that these four beasts are four beasts that shall – future tense – arise. By the time Daniel is receiving this vision, king Nebuchadnezzar has been dead for almost 10 years. So, it is argued, this cannot be referring to Babylon of the past.”

However, as we have already mentioned, the vision is from God’s perspective and God is outside of time. The Aramaic word translated ‘which shall arise’ is ‘qum’ (pronounced ‘koom’) and means ‘to arise from’ ‘to come on the scene’ or even (and most fitting in this case) ‘to be made to stand’; which is indeed the case as we were reminded back in Daniel chapter 2: “he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding” (Dan 2:21)

So this verse literally reads: These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall be made to stand out of the earth.

Thus, this verse presents no problem to the view expressed thus far.

Daniel 7:18

But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Now Daniel is given some great news! But the question for us is: ‘who is meant by ‘the saints’?

Clue: Who would Daniel have understood it to be in 552 B.C.?

Often when we hear the title ‘saints’ we are prone to think of ‘super-Christians’; but according to the New Testament, all who follow Christ are referred to as saints (See 2 Cor 3:13 / Eph 1:1 / Phil 1:1 / 2 Thess 1:10). However, Christians are not the only group in the Bible to be referred to as ‘saints’. Indeed if we were to take this verse as referring to Christians, we have a real problem when we get to verse 21, for there the ‘horn’ prevails over the saints – something that Jesus said not even the gates of hell would do against the Church (Matt 16:18).

This therefore leaves us only one option: as Daniel would have understood, the ones referred to in this verse are Israel, who throughout the Old Testament (of which Daniel is obviously part), are called ‘saints’. (See Deut 33:2-3 / 2 Chron 6:41 / Psalm 132:16 / etc).

So, as is consistent with numerous Old Testament prophecies, and in fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:7, 13:14-17 & 15:18, Daniel is told that Israel will take the kingdom that God promised to Abraham’s seed as a possession for ever.

Daniel 7:19

Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

Now Daniel goes back to look more closely at the fourth beast, which we have already identified as Rome, which did indeed devour and break in pieces, stamping the residue of those whom it conquered.

Daniel 7:20

And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

In particular Daniel wants to know about the ten horns, (whom we know to be the ten kings of Rev 17) and about the ‘other horn’ (whom we know to be Antichrist).

Daniel 7:21

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

(See notes for verse 18).

Daniel watches and, no doubt to his surprise, sees Antichrist making war with the Jews and prevailing against them. So great will be this time of persecution for the Jews that Jeremiah labelled it ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ “For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jer 30:5-7)

Zechariah goes even further and explains that only one third of the Jews will survive this ‘holocaust’, but the result will be that they turn to the Lord and repent.

“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” (Zech 13:8-9)

Daniel 7:22

Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

To Daniel’s (and the Jews) relief there is an ‘until’. God will not let this persecution go on one moment longer than is necessary to accomplish His plans. And at that moment ‘judgment was given’ – God ruled in favour – of the Jews, and they will be given the kingdom. See: Gen 15:18 / Gen 17:1-8 / Psalm 89 / Psalm 105 / 2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16, 24-26, 29 / Luke 1:32-33 / Acts 15:14-16

Daniel 7:23

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

Now, after the brief summary we have just had, Daniel is taken back to the forth beast and given more information.

Daniel 7:24

And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

Once again we have it confirmed that the ten horns (ten kings) will come out of the forth beast (Rome), and Antichrist will himself come out after them and subdue three of them.

Daniel 7:25

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Both here and in Revelation 13 we find that Antichrist has a real speech problem! Again we are told he will ‘wear out’ the Jews as we have already noted, but here we are given the duration: time (singular) = 1 year, times (plural) = 2 years, and half a time = half a year. Therefore Antichrist’s oppression of the Jews will last for three and a half years (of 360 day prophetic years – see chapter 9 notes for more on this). This period of time is the same as the Great Tribulation that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24.

Daniel 7:26

But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

Who is doing this judging? Christ and His bride – the Church.

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” (1 Cor 6:2-3)

Daniel 7:27

And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

So far we have concluded that the Jews will posses the kingdom (verses 18 & 22) in fulfilment of the unconditional promise made to Abraham. To this point the vision has all been about these ungodly earthly kingdoms, all of whom ‘unlawfully’ possessed the land that was given to Abraham by God. Therefore it follows that it is now given to whom it rightly belongs, i.e. the Jews. However this verse now refers to the ‘kingdom under the whole heaven’ and says that the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness under the whole heaven shall be given, not to the saints, but to the people of the saints of the Most High. Could this be a subtle reference to the Church? Could it be said that the Church are the ‘people of the Jews’? Romans 11 tells us that we have been grafted in to olive tree of Israel, Israel being the ‘natural branches’.  It is also true in one sense that Israel birthed the Church; all the Apostles were Jews, to the Jews were ‘committed the oracles (words) of God’ (Rom 3:2), i.e. we get our Bible from the Jews. Given the fact that the Church is to reign over the ‘whole heaven’ with Christ:  “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.” (Rev 2:26-27) “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Rev 3:21) – Surely therefore the ‘people of the saints’ are indeed Christians and therefore the Church!?

What we do know without question is that the ‘him’ whom ‘all dominions shall serve and obey’ is our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

Daniel 7:28

Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

Praise God for the faithfulness of Daniel.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study!

The post Daniel Ch7 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel 6:1

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

Chapter 6 starts at the beginning of the ‘reign’ of Darius over Babylon following the collapse of the Babylonian Empire in 539 B.C. We know from History that Cyrus was the overall head of the Medo-Persian Empire. At the beginning of Ch 9 Daniel confirms that Darius “was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans”  – i.e. not over the whole Empire. Although there is some debate amongst scholars about the secular identity of Darius, we should note that ‘Darius‘ was a title meaning “holder of the scepter”. Certainly there are five later Persian rulers with the same title.

Some, including Donald J Wiseman of the British Museum, have postulated that ‘Darius’ was indeed a title and our character in question was in fact Cyrus himself. Scholars have noted that the closing verse of this chapter could also be translated in such a way as to imply that Darius is Cyrus. (NB: It is translated this way in the notes in the N.I.V.), however this does not fit with Daniel’s own comments, and why would Daniel not just call him Cyrus?

Another view is that Darius was Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, although his age as revealed at the end of chapter 5 would seem to discount this; as would the fact that this would then leave a gap of approximately four months with no king over Babylon from the death of Belshazzar until Cambyses was eventually appointed as king of Babylon in 538 B.C.

There is a much simpler explanation regarding the identity of Darius that fits both the Biblical narrative and history – we will come to that in a moment, but it is worth highlighting that Bible critics try to claim that Daniel’s assertion that ‘Darius the Mede was king of Babylon’ is ‘proof’ that the book of Daniel was not an eyewitness account, but rather the work of a much later author who was confused about the details of this period. Once again, critics are quick to make bold assertions that are based on biased opinions rather than objective facts. Professor Robert Dick Wilson who spent a lifetime studying these things states: “When one asserts that the author of Daniel has “confused” events or persons, it is not enough for him to affirm that the author was thus confused. This confusion is a matter of evidence. With all due deference to the opinion of other scholars, I am firmly convinced that no man to-day has sufficient evidence to prove that the author of Daniel was confused. There are no records to substantiate the assertions of confusion. Neither is it clear to the critics nor can they make it clear to others, that the author of Daniel either did not understand the facts with regard to Darius the Mede, nor clearly express himself about them.” (Studies in Daniel)

So who was Darius the Mede? The view that seems most consistent with what we know from the Bible and history, is that Darius the Mede was Gubaru, the general of Cyrus’ army who had taken Babylon on the night of Belshazzar’s feast, aged about 62, and according to Nabonidus. Cyrus rewarded Gubaru with a regional governorship for capturing the capital of the Babylonian Empire. What we do know from the ‘Nabonidus Chronicle’ and Josephus is that on October 12^th 539BC, Gubaru entered Babylon at night, killing Belshazzar and conquering the city without a fight. On October 29^th Cyrus entered the city, being met at the gates by Daniel with a scroll of Isaiah in his hand. Over 150 yeas before Isaiah had prophesied:  “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish; That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.” (Isaiah 44:24 – 45:6)

Only a few weeks before, Cyrus had instructed Gubaru to take the ‘impenetrable’ city of Babylon by diverting the river Euphrates into a canal upriver so that the water level dropped “to the height of the middle of a man’s thigh” (Herodotus). Thus the city’s flood defenses were rendered useless and the Persian army were able to march right into the city through the river bed. As Cyrus is now reading this portion of Isaiah he must have been ‘blown away’. Not only does this Jewish prophet, who had been dead for 150 years, mention him by name, but the passage describes how the city would be taken and the fact that  Belshazzar’s loins were loosened – something that was no doubt common knowledge by now.

No doubt as a result of this, Cyrus, approximately one and a half years later in 537 BC, went on to sign a decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple. This decree is recorded at the end of 2 Chronicles and at the beginning of Ezra: “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia [NB: 539 to 538 = Ascension year, therefore 538 to 537 = first year of reign], that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled [see Jer 29:10], the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.” (Ezra 1:1-4)

In addition to this decree recorded in the Bible there has been found a cylinder, now known as the ‘Stele of Cyrus’, which now resides in the British Museum. On the cylinder are the words:

“…without any battle, he entered the town, sparing any calamity:….I returned to sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris [river], the sanctuaries of which have been ruins for a long time… and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I also gathered all their former inhabitants and returned to them their habitations”

 
Returning to the ‘who is Darius?’ question: From archaeological discoveries we know that Cyrus was known as ‘king of lands’ (i.e. ruler of the empire), and because the empire was so vast, it was normal to appoint kings over districts or regions. Thus it is reasonable to assume that Cyrus would have appointed someone he trusted to be king of Babylon, and who better than his trusted general Gubaru who had just taken the city for his king? This starts out as a plausible theory but is soon confirmed by rereading the closing verse of chapter 5:“And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.” Initially we read ‘and Darius became king…’ but that is not what this verse states. What we are told is that ‘Darius the Median took the kingdom…’ The word translated ‘took’ is ‘qebal’ (Aramaic) meaning ‘to acquire’, also translated elsewhere as ‘receive’ or ‘take’. As we have already mentioned, it was Gubaru who acquired the kingdom on behalf of Cyrus, thus this verse would seem to identify Darius the Mede as Gubaru. This is also consistent with Daniel 9:1 where we are told that Darius was ‘made king over the realm of the Chaldeans’ (made = ‘malak’ (Aramaic) ‘to induct into royalty’).

(NB: Gubaru is also sometimes written as Ugbaru or Gobryas (Greek))

Daniel 6:2

And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.

Thus continuing from verse one, Darius had 120 governors with three presidents overseeing everything; and Daniel was the chief president, second to the king himself.

Daniel 6:3

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes….

Not only did Daniel outrank all the other government officials, we are told that he was preferred above them all. Now, human nature being what it is, you can almost hear the murmuring in the background already ‘who does he think he is…?’.

…because an excellent spirit was in him;

Daniel’s whole life seems to be an example of what God can do in a life that is yielded to Him. We are called to be salt and light in this world, that men may see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven (Matt 5:13-16). We are to be an example in word, conversation, charity (love), spirit, faith and purity (1 Tim 4:12). We are to work hard for our employers so that the name of our God and His doctrine are not blasphemed (1 Tim 6:1). We are to allow no corrupt communication to proceed from our mouths, but only that which is helpful and will build others up (Eph 4:29).

How do we measure up to these things?

Could it be said of us that we have an excellent spirit?

…..and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

This did not go down well with the other officials. No doubt Darius had enlisted some of the best men of Babylon and added them to his own Persian staff, probably people that had served with him in the army. Now this ageing Jewish exile is almost being made king!

Daniel 6:4

Jealousy is a powerful motivator

Proverbs 6:34-35 says: “For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.”

Once the ‘ball of jealousy’ is rolling, nothing will stop it.

But notice again, despite trying to find fault in Daniel there was nothing in his life that he had to hide, no secret sins, nothing to regret or hope won’t be discovered.

Cf 1 John 1:8-9 – the Christians bar of soap!

Daniel 6:5

Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

What a testimony this is. It was clear to all, that Daniel was unwavering in his relationship with his God. If this is the only chink in our armour we need not worry!

Daniel 6:6

Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.

As an aside, Chuck Missler points out that the idea of kings and rulers being immortal continues to this day but has its root in Genesis 6 with the Nephilim.

Daniel 6:7

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellers, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

As we saw in chapter three with the Chaldeans trying to entrap Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, so we see here. Do you notice the lie in their speech? ‘All the presidents…’ – no it wasn’t! Do not be put off by people who try to unsettle you with ‘everyone knows….’ Or ‘all scholars agree…’ type statements. Usually, the bolder the statement the shakier the foundation.

Their petition is calculated to appeal to the kings ego; yet as is so often the case, behind the things that puff us up is a cess pool of deceit.

These men started with jealousy, moved onto hatred, then onto scheming, then onto lying and deceit. As we have mentioned before, sin will always take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.

Regarding the lions den, see notes on verse 9 and 24.

Daniel 6:8

 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

As we mentioned earlier in our study, whatever king Nebuchadnezzar said went, He was the Law! And hence was represented as the head of gold in chapter two. But now in the Medo-Persian kingdom, the king is bound by the law, and so although the Medo-Persian was physically larger, its power was not as great so was represented by silver and not gold.

There is also a lesson here for those in leadership, that motives be tried before requests are granted. Paul warned Timothy in 1 Tim 3:1-6 “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless…….Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.”

Daniel 6:9

Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

“The decree of Darius the Mede with regard to the den of lions was easy of execution, inasmuch as at that time lions were common in all that part of the world. The Assyrian kings were wont to hunt lions as a pastime. Thus Tiglath–Pileser I says that he killed 920 lions in one hunting expedition; and Ashurnasirpal says that he killed at one time 120 lions and that at another time he captured 50 young lions and shut them up in Calah and in the palaces of his land in cages and let them produce their young. At another time he killed 370 strong lions. In his menagerie, he says, also, that he had herds of wild oxen, elephants, lions, birds, wild asses, gazelles, dogs, panthers, and all animals of the mountains and of the plains, to show to his people. Moreover, the Hebrew poets and prophets were familiar with lions; the people, also, made proverbs concerning them; and their heroes, such as Samson and David, are said to have slain them. So, also, the oldest story in the Aramaic language (that of Achikar from the fifth century B.C.) treats the lion as a well known animal. Herodotus says that lions interfered with the march of Xerxes army to Greece. Surely, if we can believe that the Romans imported lions from Africa and threw the Christians to them in the Coliseum, we can readily believe that a Median king of Babylon may have had a den of lions into which to throw those who had disobeyed his laws. Certainly, at least, there was no physical impossibility in the matter.”

(Robert D Wilson – Studies In Daniel)

Daniel 6:10

 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

This is another hugely significant verse. Jerusalem lay in ruins, Daniel had not seen it for almost 70 years, and yet he prays towards it in accordance to Solomon’s petition as recorded in 2 Chron 6:34-39: “If thy people go out to war against their enemies by the way that thou shalt send them, and they pray unto thee toward this city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name; Then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near; Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly; If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity, whither they have carried them captives, and pray toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, and toward the city which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for thy name: Then hear thou from the heavens, even from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee.”

It is from this passage that devout Jews even today pray toward Jerusalem and it is also the reason that Muslims pray toward Mecca, because after Mohamed was rejected by the Jews he established Mecca instead of Jerusalem as the place of worship for his new religion.

The fact that his windows were open, demonstrates readiness and preparation, but what is also interesting is that Daniel doesn’t panic when he finds out about the decree. He has never lived in the fear of man and he is not going to worry now. Daniel’s prayer life was habitual and it was the easiest thing in the world for him to pray when trouble arose. How often do we stumble at the first hurdle when trials come simply because we are not in the habit of taking everything to God in prayer?

he kneeled upon his knees… There are many ways to pray, and limitless places to pray, but shutting yourself away and praying on your knees seems to make our physical body more in tune with the spiritual. Jesus said: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” (Matt 6:6). Bowing our knees when we pray emphasises the fact that we are addressing the God of Heaven, whose presence we should never enter lightly – yes we have an advocate with the Father in the person of Jesus, but we should still fear (reverence/respect) God. In probably Jesus’ most intense prayer in the garden of Gethsemane we read “he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,”  (Luke 22:41)

In the book of Acts we read of Peter when he prayed for Tabitha (also called Dorcas) after she had become sick and died; we read: “But Peter put them all forth, [i.e. got the people out of the room] and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.” (Acts 9:40)

It is said that Peter was known as ‘old camel knees’ because of the calluses on his knees because of the hours he spent in prayer.

When Luke and Paul landed at Tyre, Luke records in Acts: “And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem. And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed” (Acts 21:4-5)

When we address the Creator God of the Universe we should do so with humility of heart, that will naturally overflow into the physical.

Now we get to the real meat of this verse:

…….he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Many of us, if we are honest, struggle to pray once a day ‘on our knees’ i.e. actually putting time aside specifically to pray. It is of course right and proper that we pray ‘on the go’, Paul said that we should “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes 5:17), “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Eph 6:18);  However, this is not to be a substitute for going into our room, shutting the door and spending some quality time with God. For Daniel on the other hand, this was a way of life, …as he did aforetime.  Faced with this situation Daniel just did what he had always done since coming to Babylon almost 70 years ago; he had purposed in his heart to be separated unto his God and no distraction would keep him from this task.

How often the attractions of our ‘Babylon’ become the subtle distractions that keep us from a life of prayer and an undefiled walk with God. Paul said: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Cor 6:12)

It is also important to notice how Daniel behaves in this situation, for the days are coming where those who would accuse us will be watching our every move, looking for an opportunity to entrap us. Already in Canada it is an offence to declare that Jesus is the only way under their ‘hate crimes’ laws. In various European countries pastors have been arrested for taking a Biblical stand against homosexuality. It is true that the church won’t go through the Great Tribulation, but we would be naive if we thought we would escape persecution altogether. Jesus said that in this world we would be persecuted, and that the world would hate us (John 16:1-3). This has been the case for the last 2000 years in most of the world. In the west we have largely escaped the persecution that many Christians face on a daily basis. It has been said that more Christians have been martyred in the last century than in all the previous centuries combined. So how did Daniel behave in this situation?

The first thing to notice is that he didn’t panic, nor did he do anything to intentionally draw attention to himself. He did not set out to provoke his accusers; he simply carried on serving God as he had always done. All that we do should be done in an attitude of love. Love does not provoke. As we noted in chapter three, we are to obey the laws and ordinances of men so long as they don’t contradict the commands of God; but if and when such occasions arise that mans laws become contrary to the word of God, we should have no hesitation in serving the Lord, regardless of the cost.

Daniel 6:11

Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

The whole thing was such an obvious set-up; we are not told how many men gathered outside Daniel’s house to ‘catch him in the act’, but if ‘these men’ refers to the same crowd mentioned in verses 4 & 5, it may have been all 120 princes and the other two presidents.

Daniel 6:12

Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

They had no need to ask if the king had signed such a decree because they had written it and taken it to him to sign in the first place!

Daniel 6:13

Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.

Now their plan comes to light, as does the fact that they had been watching him. Notice how they try to insult Daniel and put him down: ‘That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah’ – ‘this guy is only a slave anyway, and from Judah at that’.

Daniel 6:14

Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.

Notice that the king is not cross with Daniel, he is cross with himself for being so naive. How quick we are to try and undo what has been done when we realise the error of our ways. How was Darius going to explain this to Cyrus next time he was in town and asked to speak to that incredible old Jewish man?

Daniel 6:15-16

15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.

16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

With no way out the king does what he had to do. Did Darius have faith that God would deliver Daniel, or was he just hoping?

Daniel 6:17-18

17 And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

There are few mental traumas worse than remorse, for there is nothing that can be done to change the circumstances – unless of course you know the one true ‘Superman’ who, being outside of time, entered into His creation at a specific point in history and paid once and for all for every wrong thing we have ever done, said or thought thus wiping the slate clean.

“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1John 2:2)

Daniel 6:19-20

19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

I’m just curious how long a pause Daniel left before answering?!

Daniel 6:21-22

21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

How incredible it must have been for Daniel to have spent a night in safety knowing that God had sent His angel and that the lions couldn’t harm him.

How incredible also for us to know that our adversary, who roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, cannot harm us because we also are protected by the angel of the Lord (Heb 1:14 / Heb 13:5). Could it have been the same ‘angel’ who protected the three in the furnace? Throughout the Old Testament the Angel of the Lord is no mere angel but the commander of the armies of the Lord – i.e. Jesus Christ.

It is worth noting that when a lion is about to move in for the kill they are silent, not wanting to disturb their prey. However, generally speaking, the only times they roar is when they feel threatened; such as behind bars at a zoo. Jesus said in Luke 10:19 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”. John states: “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4). Our enemy is also behind bars, he can roar all he wants, and little children my still be frightened, but those who are mature in the faith know they need not fear because between us and him there is the impenetrable barrier of the blood of Jesus and we are safe in His hands (John 10:27-28).

Daniel 6:23

Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (2 Chron 16:9)

There is someone else who was faultless yet betrayed, handed over to death, went down into a pit, a stone was rolled into place and sealed to stop Him escaping, yet on the third day He was taken ‘up out of the den and no manner of hurt was found upon Him*, because He believed in His God’

* Except for the nail prints in His hands & feet, which will serve as an eternal reminder of His love and sacrifice for you and I.

Daniel 6:24

And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

We should not be envious of the workers of iniquity for their day is coming. David wrote: “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb…… fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken”. This is exactly what happened to the wicked ones who plotted against Daniel; their ‘sword’ did indeed enter their own heart.

Regarding this verse, Robert Wilson says the following:

“The possibility of the destruction of the one hundred and twenty satraps and their families by lions is shown from the fact that the monuments of the kings of Assyria say that they had menageries containing “all the animals of the mountains and of the plains,” including elephants, panthers, and lions. Further, it is shown that lions at that time were the pest of the Euphrates Valley, hundreds of them being killed in a single hunting expedition, and that in one case mentioned by Ashurnasirapal, king of Assyria, fifty young lions were captured alive and shut up by him in the city of Calach.” (Robert D Wilson – Studies In Daniel)

Once again, the Bible is not a collection of quaint stories, it really is His-story.

Daniel 6:25-27

25 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

 26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

So just as with Nebuchadnezzar, Darius now acknowledges and gives glory to the God of Daniel, who is steadfast forever and whose kingdom is without end!

Daniel 6:28

So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Just as Joseph had prospered because he trusted his God regardless of the circumstances, so Daniel did. Jesus said in Luke 16:11“If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” He also told us to be as wise as serpents but as harmless as doves (Matt 10:16). Paul tells us that Christians should work even harder for their employers than the world does because we should work as unto the Lord (see 1Tim 6:1 / 2 Tim 4:9-10 / Titus 2:7-10)

And so ends the first (historical) section of the book. Chapters 7-12 will see Daniel having breathtaking visions that foretell the future of the Medo-Persian, Greek, Roman and final world empires. We will be introduced to the ‘little horn’ speaking great things, and we will see some of the most incredible prophecies in the Bible that help to unravel the days that we are living in right now and prove beyond doubt that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel and He is destined to return and rule on the throne of David and establish an everlasting kingdom!

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Daniel Ch6 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel 5:1

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

As we move into chapter five we find that Belshazzar is now king (not to be confused with Belteshazzar  – the Babylonian name for Daniel). About 23 years have passed since Nebuchadnezzar died and the kingdom of Babylon has gone through a turbulent time. Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Evil-Merodach, succeeded his father and reigned for almost three years (cf 2 Kings 25:27 / Jer 52:31). His brother, Neriglissar, then reigned for about five years  being succeeded by his son, Labashi-Marduk, who, being very young reigned for just a few months before being murdered. Finally, Nabonidus who had married Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter became king. History records that Nabonidus did not get on well with the people of Babylon, nor even with the priests of Marduk (the Babylonian god). As a result of this, after three years, Nabonidus appointed his son Belshazzar as king of Babylon while he himself took an army to Arabia, presumably to build sandcastles and keep out of the limelight! All of this political turmoil was just the invitation that a brilliant young military leader by the name of Cyrus needed. The Meads and the Persians were two great adjacent empires that had been steadily growing in power; however when Cyrus came along with one of his parents Persian and the other a Mead, it was the smoothing oil that was required to unite two fairly strong empires into one all conquering one. Belshazzar would have been aware that the newly formed Medo-Persian Empire was in the ascendancy and was also no doubt aware that Cyrus’ army (under the command of his general – Gubaru (later to be crowned Darius)) was heading toward Babylon. So what do you do when you’re the king of Babylon and an invading army is approaching? Throw a party! Evidently Belshazzar was so sure that Babylon was impregnable that he simply shut the gates of the city and gave a great feast to a thousand of his lords to demonstrate his undeniable, if not foolhardy, confidence. After all, he was the king of the great Babylon, excellency of the Chaldeans and capital of the known world. If over-confidence was his first mistake, his second was soon to follow…

Daniel 5:2

Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

Cf. 2 Kings 20:14-18 / Dan 1:2

Openly defying the God of Israel has never been a good career move – United Nations / European Union / PLO / Hezbollah / Hamas etc. take note!

Daniel 5:3-4

3Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.

4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Proverbs 31:4 states that it is not for kings to drink wine or strong drink; how much more so when that drink is combined with idolatry. This is just asking for trouble.

Daniel 5:5-6

5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

6 Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

This would be enough to ruin anyone’s party! This writing didn’t just appear on the wall in any old place, it appeared by the candlestick – the brightest spot in the room so all would see. It is easy to understand why the king’s face was changed, and indeed why his thoughts troubled him. However, in case you are unclear as to the King James phrase ‘his loins were loosed’ – lets just say he needed the bathroom but didn’t make it in time!

There is an undeniably humorous side to this situation as we look on; imagine being the only man in scripture of whom it is recorded that they wet themselves (or worse)! And remember that “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever”!

(Isaiah 40:8)

What makes this even more incredible is that this event was even foretold by the prophet Isaiah 200 years beforehand! “Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut” (Isaiah 45:1)

Daniel 5:7-8

7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

8 Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

As we saw in chapter two with Nebuchadnezzar, people are quick to turn to ‘religion’ when problems arise and seek answers from the ‘professional’ religious leaders. However just as we see here, they can seldom give the answers. Much is made in our day of ‘ordained ministers’ and so often these are the ones the world will turn to in the event of a tragedy or problem, even if only to seek their opinion. But is it not also true that so often these are the ones we see undermining the word of God and compromising in order to be seen to be politically correct? This should come as no great surprise, for those ordained and appointed by men will forever be answerable to men. In God’s kingdom it is very different. We read nothing in scripture of being ordained by the Bishop, but rather we read: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” (John 15:16) Thus, for any believer in Christ, it is the Lord Himself who has ordained us, we are answerable to him. Paul tells us: “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are” And why is this so? “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” (1 Cor 1:26-29)

Early in the book of Acts we read of the boldness of Peter and John, yet these were unlearned and ignorant (see Acts 4:13). They did not have their theology degree from a ‘Bible’ college, accredited by a secular university that is rooted in humanism and evolutionary thinking. These were just two simple fishermen who would have struggled to get a job in many churches today, yet we read that they had been with Jesus – and that was all the qualification that was necessary!

A personal ordination from the King of kings rates immeasurably higher than anything that manmade institutions purport to offer. Daniel was one with just such an ordination from the God of Heaven.

Daniel 5:9

Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.

In verse 6 Belshazzar was troubled and his countenance changed. Now he is really worried (Aramaic = exceedingly terrified) and it is obvious. It would appear from the word ‘astonied’ =  shebash (Aramaic), that his lords were ‘perplexed’ because of the kings reactions. Wasn’t this the king who had thrown a party to demonstrate his invincibility? Now he has not only wet his pants in public, but has turned white as a sheet because no one can explain what this writing means.

We have seen the king make four major mistakes:

• Overconfidence/Pride (verse 1)
• Open defiance of the God of Heaven (verse 2)
• Drinking to excess (verse 3)
• Worshipping false gods (verse 4)

Seldom do people in such open rebellion not know why judgment has come upon them. The king’s conscience had already convicted him before a word had been spoken. People are wise after the event, but arrogant before. Just like Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3:15 “and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands” all of Belshazzar’s actions were an open taunt to God. We see that same incredible attitude with Antichrist in  Rev 13 where he blasphemes the God of Heaven (Rev 13:6).

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

Daniel 5:10

Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

The person referred to here as the queen is what we would understand as the queen mother, and from the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus, it would appear to be Nitocris, wife of Nabonidus and daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, whom Herodotus mentions as a woman of extraordinary prudence.

Daniel 5:11

There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

Having heard of the king’s problem she makes her way to the banqueting hall and suggests Daniel as the man to interpret the writing. As Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter she would have been well acquainted with Daniel and his exploits during her father’s reign, and seems to put in a public ‘dig’ saying that Nebuchadnezzar your grandfather (in law) was a real king.

Daniel 5:12

Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

Maybe because Daniel cared for her father for the seven years of chapter 4, she seems to be fond of Daniel and presents a brief resume´ that is bound to impress. She acknowledges (in verse 11) that the spirit of the ‘holy gods’ is in him and boldly declares that  he will shew the interpretation. This shows her faith not only in Daniel but in his ‘Gods’ – plural: Father, Son & Spirit.

Daniel 5:13

Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?

Daniel would have been around 81 years old by now, and it is clear from this verse that his reputation had preceded him.

Daniel 5:14

I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.

Notice the pride once more of Belshazzar “even I have heard of you, so you must be something!” The question could well be asked, why Daniel wasn’t called to start with, if he had got such a reputation? Possibly for the same reasons that were mentioned in the comments on Daniel 4:6 – see also Eph 5:13.

Daniel 5:15-16

15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:

16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

So the king explains the predicament that the other ‘wise’ men couldn’t solve and offers Daniel rewards including to be made third ruler in the kingdom. The reason that third ruler in the kingdom was offered is that, as we have noted, Nabonidus was king, Belshazzer was appointed king of Babylon while Nabonidus was away, thus the no#1 and no#2 spots were already filled. This is another evidence that this is an historically accurate record. Critics and ‘scholars’ scoffed for years claiming that Daniel was wrong and must have been written many years after this time because no record had been found of Belshazzar being king of Babylon. However, competent research and archaeological discoveries have now completely vindicated Daniel and in fact have demonstrated that Daniel had to be an eyewitness of these events.

Daniel 5:17

Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

Daniel, now much older and less concerned about political correctness, basically tells the king where to put his gifts! But he will explain the writing and give the interpretation anyway. All through the book Daniel demonstrates that he doesn’t work for man but for God.

Daniel 5:18-19

18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:

19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.

Now before Daniel starts to read the writing and interpret the message, he decides to give this jumped up little king a history lesson about a real king who had real authority!

Daniel 5:20-21

20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

Daniel explains to Belshazzar what happens to those who are proud before God – and underlines the ultimate lesson: that the most high God rules in the kingdom of men, and he appoints over it whomsoever he will.

Daniel 5:22

And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

Now Daniel moves in for the kill!

Daniel 5:23

But hast lifted up thyself against the LORD of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

Just picture this situation: In the middle of his big party, with a thousand of his lords present, a hand out of nowhere writes on the wall. The king has an ‘accident’ and turns as white as a sheet. The best men of the land are unable to help him. By now word has got out about what has happened (the whole city has probably heard about his ‘bathroom problem’) His mum hears about it, comes in and embarrasses him yet further; eventually an 81-year-old man is called who, in front of a thousand lords, gives him a right telling off – and we haven’t even got to the interpretation of the writing yet!

This is a classic case of God resisting the proud, and should serve as a graphic example that pride is an abomination to the Lord (see Proverbs 16:5)

Daniel 5:24

Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

After his little outburst, Daniel now interprets the writing.

Daniel 5:25

And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

Rabbinic tradition says that this writing was in the form of an encrypted Hebrew code called ‘Atbash’, if so it would have looked something like the following:

This is not the only time that encrypted words are found in the Bible. In Jeremiah 25:26 there is another example of Atbash (the word Sheshach is an encrypted form of ‘Babylon’), and in Isaiah 7:6 there is an example of another form of encryption called Albam (there the word Tabeel is an encryption of Remaliah). Both of these forms of encryption are fairly simple forms of transposition, where one letter is consistently used to replace another. (See diagrams/explanation on next page).

Hebrew / Aramaic reads right to left – all languages flow toward Jerusalem! If you look at a globe with Jerusalem in the centre, all countries west write right to left, all those east write left to right – this may be a coincidence, but then again.

Albam works by laying the second half of the alphabet alongside the first half; thus in the English alphabet it would be the equivalent to replacing every ‘a’ with an ‘n’ and vica-versa, ‘b’ with ‘o’ etc. The name ‘Albam’ derives from the first pair of letters in the Hebrew alphabet; Aleph (‘a))) replaces the Lamed (l)), and Bet (B) replaces the Mem (m), hence ALBaM.

Atbash works in a very similar way except the alphabet is wrapped around on itself so the Aleph (‘a))) becomes the Tav (t)), and the Bet (B) becomes the Shin (m), hence ATBaSh.

It would appear that Daniel was familiar with this form of encryption, as he has no difficulty in interpreting it before the king:

Note: Initially this may strike us as simply interesting, however when we stop to consider who the author of scripture actually is, the fact that God has placed hidden codes in the Bible is staggering. This is what the ancient Rabbis would call a ‘remez’ – a hint of something deeper.

Much has been written and said about the ‘Bible Code’, some of which is completely fictitious. However, with the help of modern computers, we have been able to clearly demonstrate that there are hidden codes in the Bible that point unquestionably to a supernatural author who knew the end from the beginning. The hidden codes in the Bible have also gone to demonstrate that every letter is there by deliberate supernatural design, and simply removing a single letter (from the original text) can corrupt a code that is hidden underneath. Thus we begin to see that Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:18 were not a colourful exaggeration, but literally every yod (the smallest Hebrew letter) and tittle (a decorative hook on letters like the dot we place above an ‘i’ or j’) will not pass until all has been fulfilled. The warning that John was given in Revelation 22 also ‘comes to life’ as see that adding and subtracting anything from the ‘book of this prophecy’ (i.e. the Bible being the book in which the prophecy of Revelation is found) or the ‘prophecy of this book’ (specifically Revelation itself) has serious consequences. Thus any who add or subtract anything from either the Bible or Revelation are warned that their part in the ‘Book of life’ will be taken away or the plagues described in Revelation will be added to them.

Could it be, that based on this warning, the Bible itself is the Lamb’s Book of Life, and all those who are saved actually have their names written within it?  If this is so, and our names are written in code form in the pages of the Bible, what a powerful deterrent to adding or subtracting to a portion of scripture because it is difficult or unpopular, when, by altering the surface text (as many liberal and politically correct ‘Christians’ are wont to do) they may in fact corrupt the code underneath that contains their name – thus by subtracting from the Bible they inadvertently remove their own name from the Book of Life!

Proverbs 30:5 states that “Every word of God is pure. Do not add to His words lest He rebuke you and you be found a liar”.

David echoes in Psalm 119:160 “Thy word is true from the beginning”

If it is pure and true then there is nothing that we can add or subtract to improve it. We should simply fall before our God who has given us His Word, which we are told in Psalm 138:2 He has exalted above all His name! If blasphemy – the misuse of His name – is to be judged, how much more the misuse of His Word!

Daniel 5:26-28

26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Thus king Belshazzar’s worst fears are realised, his time of playing games with the God of Israel is over, in the most dramatic fashion.

From this verse come two phrases that are still used today ‘you’re number’s up’ and ‘weighed and found wanting’. It is incredible the number of words and phrases that people use every day that originate from the Bible, yet most people have no idea, and worse still, no regard, for this most incredible book.

There is a play on words here as well with the word ‘PERES’. In both Hebrew and Aramaic there are no vowels so the word would have been written as ‘P_R_S’ with the vowels inferred. However without the vowels the sound and meaning can alter. Take for example the words CaT and CoT. Without the vowels all we would read is C_T. And so it is here with Peres; if the ‘e’ (which makes the word mean ‘divided’) is replaced with an ‘a’ we get the Aramaic word for ‘Persians’!

Daniel 5:29

29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Not that Daniel was bothered, the kingdom only had a few hours to go!

Daniel 5:30-31

30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.

31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

So Belshazzar, as all proud people will be, is cut down. David said in Psalm 7:9 “Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God tries the hearts and reins.”

Psalm  37:7-13 says:

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.” How true this was for Belshazzar who was made a public spectacle in front of his one thousand lords yet was humiliated by the God of heaven whom he had rejected.

Thus God sweeps aside the mighty Babylonian kingdom, the head of gold (cf Daniel 2); and in comes the Medo-Persian empire – the chest and arms of silver (cf Daniel 2).

There is some debate over the identity of Darius, but we will deal with that in chapter 6; what we do know is, that he was about sixty-two when he became ruler of Babylon in 539 B.C. It should be noted, that the first actual year for a Babylonian king was reckoned as their ascension year. What we would consider their 2^nd year would therefore be their first regal year. Thus 539-538 = Darius’ ascension year / 538-537 = Darius’ 1^st year etc.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Daniel Ch5 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel 4:1

Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

So here we have a chapter of the Bible written by a gentile king!  – and note, he does not just write this to his own subjects, this is written to all that on the earth! This king – one of the most powerful who ever lived – has something to say to the world…

Daniel 4:2

I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.

By the time king Nebuchadnezzar writes this the account you are about to read has all taken place. Nebuchadnezzar is writing ‘after the events’, and so dramatic were they, he has to tell the world!

Babylon was full of gods. Idolatry was practically invented in Babel (later to be known as Babylon), so don’t miss the significance of Nebuchadnezzar referring to Daniel’s God as ‘the high God’. In the Aramaic (which this chapter was written in) the word translated ‘high’ is the adjective ʻillay’ (il-lah’-ee), meaning highest, supreme, the one above every other god. In Isaiah we read:  “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6), and “Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:20-22)

As Nebuchadnezzar will explain, he once thought of himself as supreme. He had acquired great wealth and power, whatever Nebuchadnezzar said, people did. But he came to see that a man can gain the world but lose his soul, and where is the profit in that?  (See Matt 16:26). Now he knows that there is a Higher Power, beyond the realm of earthly kings and governments, with a greater sovereignty than man has over even his own life.

There are many in this world who think they are in control of their own lives and destiny. They might not have the wealth and position of Nebuchadnezzar, but they think they rule over their own lives. One day they will all bow before God and the Man He has appointed to judge the world – Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31). Then the real power and majesty will be unveiled!

Daniel 4:3

How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.

In chapter 3 Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue to symbolize his own ‘everlasting kingdom and dominion’. It took the faith of three Hebrew men to show Nebuchadnezzar, by signs and wonders, how inferior he was compared to their mighty God. Nebuchadnezzar was duly impressed but there had been no change of heart. But now, around 26 years later, after learning the hard way (and we will see in the following verses just how hard!) Nebuchadnezzar finally gets it. This would have been the last year of his life. How sad it is that so many people don’t get it until they have wasted a lifetime, yet even then, the mighty God whose dominion is from generation to generation is full of mercy and compassion.

How often had Daniel prayed for Nebuchadnezzar? We don’t know; but it is clear Daniel never gave up on him, and the seeds that were sown finally burst into life!

Daniel 4:4

I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:

On the surface he was flourishing – like so many in this world, thinking that they have it all, not aware that it can all disappear like that.

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

Daniel 4:5

I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.

God has a way of getting our attention. Even the hardest, most unreachable people in our eyes are never beyond the reach of God. I suspect that Daniel had been praying for his king and friend for some time, believing that God was able to get through to him.

Daniel 4:6

Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.

Daniel was well known to the king by now, so why not just call him? I think that Nebuchadnezzar realised this dream was not good, and may well have wanted to hear a sugar-coated interpretation rather than the truth. We see exactly the same with Ahab, king of Israel in 1 Kings 22:6-8 “Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehoshaphat [king of Judah] said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might inquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” So the reason that Ahab didn’t ask Micaiah is basically because he told the truth! – and sometimes the truth is hard to take! I think that is why king Nebuchadnezzar didn’t call Daniel to start with.

Often the world will not ask our opinion because they don’t want to hear it! For non-Christians, even being around Christians can make them uncomfortable, as if a spot-light were shined upon them.

“have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light” (Ephesians 5:11-13)

Daniel 4:7

Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.

This tells a story! In chapter two the Chaldeans were straight in there with their ‘dummies guide to interpreting dreams’. This is what they were famous for as we mentioned in chapter two.  This time the king even tells them the dream so it should be easy for them – but then again, they have had their fingers burnt by a certain Daniel too many times by now; even if they did interpret the dream, Daniel was bound to come along and tell them they’d got it wrong! They just were not going to take that chance. Notice they ‘did not make known’ not ‘were not able’, it appears that they didn’t even try!

Daniel 4:8

But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,

So finally king Nebuchadnezzar gives up and accepts the inevitable. But who does Nebuchadnezzar say came in? DANIEL – that is his Hebrew name, yet the king chooses to use this in telling us the story of these events, adding his Babylonian name just in case anyone didn’t know who Daniel was. How amazing that after all this time in Babylon (Daniel would have been about 50 by now), with so much pressure to blend into their culture (when in Rome…) that Daniel retains his Jewish identity and the name that glorifies his God.

Notice, that at that time, Nebuchadnezzar records that Daniel’s Babylonian name was after ‘my god’ – What a contrast in this chapter! The king started out following his god, and ends up following the ‘Most High God’!

Daniel 4:9

O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

This is an interesting verse because Nebuchadnezzar informs us that Daniel is ‘chief of the Magi’. Now the Magi were essentially a Persian religious sect specialising in the mystical; so what was Daniel doing in charge of them? We will find out in chapter 6 that it was not something that was happily accepted by some of his contemporaries; but it appears that Daniel had converted this group and told them about the prophecies regarding the coming Jewish Messiah. How do we know this? Because just over 500 years later, a group of these Magi travelled for miles across the middle eastern deserts to Israel to celebrate the birth of a baby that had been born King of the Jews! (NB: there were far more than three of these Magi and they didn’t go to the stable but to Joseph and Mary’s house back in Nazareth – we have been duped by tradition into thinking that there were 3 wise men, or 3 kings and they went to the stable. Wrong, Wrong, Wrong! Tradition makes the Word of no effect! (Mark 7:13).

Also in this verse we have confirmed that king Neb knew that Daniel could and would be able to interpret the dream – and it would probably have something to do with Daniel’s ‘holy gods’.

What a testimony Daniel has that even the king knew that: ‘no secret troubleth thee’.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)

The Dream – Daniel 4:10-17

10 Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.

11 The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:

12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.

13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;

14 He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off

his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:

15 Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:

16 Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.

17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

Daniel 4:18

This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.

So Nebuchadnezzar asks Daniel to interpret the dream to him, and reiterates that the best of Babylon were unable (unwilling?) to answer. It is interesting to note that even before Daniel has spoken on this occasion, Nebuchadnezzar concedes that ‘the spirit of the holy gods’ in is Daniel. Obviously he remembers the events of chapter two.

Daniel 4:19

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.

Once again, Nebuchadnezzar uses Daniel’s Jewish name, and then confirms Daniel’s Babylonian name so all would know to whom the king is referring.

Back in verse 9 the king confidently asserts that nothing troubles Daniel – that is, up until now! We will see in chapter nine that Daniel was familiar with Jeremiah’s prophecies; that being the case, Daniel may well be thinking of what Jeremiah said in chapter 27: “And now have I given all these lands unto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him” (Jer 27:6-7).

This is another remarkable prophecy that accurately foretells that after Nebuchadnezzar (whom God calls ‘My servant’), his son and then his grandson will rule Babylon until their time is up – we will deal with this in the next chapter. As for Daniel’s thoughts, if God had raised up Nebuchadnezzar for a purpose (that of bringing judgment on the house of Judah), what was to happen to him now? No wonder Daniel was ‘astonied’. Then there was the question of how exactly do you break this to the king?

NB: the word translated ‘astonied’ here is not the same as we saw back in chapter 3:24 where king Nebuchadnezzar was ‘astonied’ – lit ‘swept to ruin’. In 3:24 it is ‘tevahh’ which has a negative connotation; here the word is ‘Shemam’ which simply means ‘stunned’.

This hour must have been one of the longest of Nebuchadnezzar’s life; eventually he says to Daniel ‘Don’t let the dream trouble you (as well)’. If Daniel is troubled this is not good.

Finally Daniel says in effect ‘If only this dream were about your enemies; but alas……’

Daniel 4:20-22

20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;

21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:

22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

Thus what Nebuchadnezzar probably feared is confirmed, he is the tree, but it is the next bit that is of most concern…..

Daniel 4:23

And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;

The ‘watcher’ from the context is an angel who comes down from the Holy One in Heaven.  The important points in this verse are that the tree is to be cut down but the root is to remain. However the root is to be bound with iron and brass – the possible meaning of this is dealt with in the Pastors Blog https://www.calvaryportsmouth.co.uk/?p=4758&preview=true.

At the beginning of the verse the vocabulary refers to ‘it’ i.e. an impersonal pronoun, but by the end of the sentence the vocabulary changes to use the personal pronoun ‘his/him’. Thus this verse could be seen to have a double reference; firstly to king Nebuchadnezzar who is already identified as the tree in verse 22; and secondly the reference may be to Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion i.e. the kingdom of Babylon.

The reference to seven times is seen by most Bible commentators to represent seven years. In Daniel 7:25 and Rev 12:14 we read of time (singular) times (plural) and half a time. From the context we understand that this is referring to three and a half years (specifically the last three and a half years of the Tribulation), where time = 1 year, times = 2 years and half a time = 6 months. Thus Daniel is saying that Nebuchadnezzar is going to be cut down for seven years, during which time he will be covered with the dew and have his portion with the beasts of the field.

Daniel 4:24

This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:

King Nebuchadnezzar was all too familiar with issuing decrees; now one had been issued against him by the highest authority there is – the Most High God.

Daniel 4:25

That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

Thus Daniel explains to the king exactly what will happen to him, how he will be humbled until (whenever you see an ‘until’ in the Bible take note!), until he finally realises that it is the most High who rules in the kingdom of men, and He will give it to whomsoever He chooses. This is the third time this lesson had been taught to the king (two warnings and then this pronounced judgment – see Daniel 2:37-38 & Daniel 3:28-29), on the previous two occasions he has completely missed the point – this time he will finally get it.

Despite what world leaders may come and go, we also need to remember that God is in complete control of events on planet earth – yes He gives men and nations free choice, but because He knows the end from the beginning, all things are working to an expected end.

Daniel 4:26

And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

Throughout this period Nebuchadnezzar did not lose his throne – an incredible fact in itself; no doubt in part as a result of Daniel being the king’s right-hand man; and yes, he will learn his lesson this time.

Daniel 4:27

Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.

Here Daniel pleads with the king to repent of his pride and iniquities in the hope that these events will be postponed.

Daniel 4:28

All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

God’s decrees never fail. As Nebuchadnezzar himself records here, all this happened as Daniel had interpreted.

Daniel 4:29

At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.

We know from 2 Peter 3:9 that God is longsuffering toward us; here we find that God gave Nebuchadnezzar a year to repent, but as Jeremiah records in 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” So, one evening, the king is out for a stroll looking at his kingdom and feeling invincible…

Daniel 4:30

The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

Oops! Proverbs 6:16-19 says: “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Notice what is top of the list?

Again we read: “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” (Prov 16:5) “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov 16:18) “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit” (Prov 29:23)

In a nutshell, God hates pride. Pride was the sin of Satan (1 Tim 3:6 see also Isaiah 14:13-15 / Ezek 28:14-17). Both James and Peter tell us that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. It is not wise to put yourself in a position where God is resisting you ‘cos you ‘aint going to win! – as king Neb found out!

Daniel 4:31

While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

The terror of this is almost unimaginable. However God had warned twice and foretold this judgment a year before, so the king was without excuse. The same is true for the people in this world; God has given ample warning through His two witnesses – the law and the prophets (cf Luke 16:31) and has foretold the coming judgment ‘so they are without excuse’.

The speed with which this judgment fell should be a wake up call for anyone ‘dabbling’ in sin.

Daniel 4:32-33

32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

There is a condition known as Lycanthropy, coming from the Greek ‘lykos’ meaning ‘wolf’ and ‘anthropos’ meaning ‘man’ lit. ‘Wolf-Man’. Very few recorded cases exist yet extensive mythology has originated by the belief that a person could change into a wolf; this has led to world-wide legends of werewolf’s etc.

A variation of this disease is Boanthropy where, rather than believing oneself to be a wolf, one believes oneself to be an ox or cow. It is this illness that most likely fits this situation. Myth and legend aside, there was a fairly recent case recorded in England just after the Second World War. A man in his early twenties was admitted to a mental institution with all the symptoms consistent with Boanthropy. In his commentary on Daniel, Dr John Walvoord offers the following: “Raymond Harrison recites a personal experience with a modern case similar to that of Nebuchadnezzar which he observed in a British mental institution in 1946. Harrison writes: ‘A great many doctors spend an entire busy professional career without once encountering an incidence of this kind of boanthropy described in the book of Daniel. The present writer therefore considers himself particularly fortunate to have actually observed a clinical case of boanthropy in a British mental institution in 1946. The patient was in his early twenties, who had reportedly been hospitalised for about five years. His symptoms were well developed on admission and diagnosis was immediate and conclusive. He was of average height and weight, with a good physique and he was in excellent bodily health. His mental symptoms included pronounced anti-social tendencies, and because of this he spent the entire day from dawn to dusk outdoors in the grounds of the institution. His daily routine consisted of wandering around the magnificent lawns, with which the hospital was graced. And it was his custom to pluck up and eat handfuls of grass all day long as he went. On observation he was seen to discriminate carefully between grass and weeds. And on enquiry from the attendant, the writer was told that the diet of this patient consisted exclusively of grass from the hospital lawns. He never ate institutional food with other inmates, and his only drink was water. The writer was able to examine him curiously, and the only physical abnormality noted, consisted of a lengthening of the hair and a coarse thickened condition of the fingernails. Without institutional care the patient would have manifested precisely the same physical conditions as those mentioned in Daniel 4:33. From the foregoing it seems evident that author of the forth chapter of Daniel was describing an accurate and attestable, rather rare mental affliction.”

Of course the critics of the Bible say that this could never of happened, however Eusebius refers to a Greek historian called Abydenus who sites a case in 268BC of a man with almost identical symptoms to Nebuchadnezzar. Josephus also quotes Berosus, a Babylonian historian, who documented the case of a Chaldean priest at the time of Alexander the Great, who once again appears to have suffered from this disease. In the East India Company Museum in London there is a cuneiform tablet that has been discovered that is inscribed with details about Nebuchadnezzar’s illness.  Yet further evidence to support the Biblical account was the discovery of what has become known as the ‘Prayer of Nabonidus’ found in cave no#4 at Qumran (part of the Dead Sea Scrolls found between 1947-1956). Whilst the scroll is ascribed to Nabonidus (almost certainly due to confusion in the similar spelling of the names – only one letter is different in the two names) there is little doubt that the author is none other than Nebuchadnezzar himself. The scroll reads:

“The words of the prayer that (Nabonidus?), the king of A[ssyra and Ba]bylon, the [great] king, prayed [when he was smitten] with a malignant disease by the decree of the [Most High God] in [the city of] Tema. I was smitten for seven years and from [men] I was put away. But when I confessed my sins and my faults, He [God] allowed me (to have) a soothsayer. This was a Jewish [man of the exiles in Babylon. He] explained (it) and wrote (me) to render honour and g[reat glor]y to the name of the [Most High God]…”

Daniel 4:34

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

How often do we take ‘seven years’ to learn the most basic lesson, that God is in control? So often our pride exhibits itself as worry, which is a declaration that we, and not God, are in control. Oswald Chambers said: “If God is the God we know Him to be when we are closest to Him, what an impertinence worry is”. (see  Matt 6:25-34 & Phil 4:6-7) Worry is simply a lack of faith in the one whose dominion is an everlasting dominion.

Daniel 4:35

And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

“Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?” (Isaiah 45:9)

“Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?” (Rom 9:20)

Daniel 4:36-37

36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellers and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.

37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

Amen!

Nebuchadnezzar lived for about one year after this time.

The Jewish Talmud records that Daniel was the one who looked after Nebuchadnezzar throughout the seven years, and then saw him restored to his throne. However this time the king knew that ‘his’ throne was really only on loan.

If God can reach someone like Nebuchadnezzar who had the position, wealth and all the ‘trappings’ this world can afford, then God can reach anyone. What an onus on us to pray for all those near and dear to us who don’t know the love of the Saviour, whose works are truth, and His ways judgment.

Also we should remember the admonition by Paul:

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”

(1 Tim 2:1-5)

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study!

The post Daniel Ch4 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel 3:1

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

As we move into this chapter most scholars place these events about 15-23 years after the events of Chapter 2. This would make Daniel and his Hebrew friends around 33 years old, and the year would be around 587 B.C. Although it is only conjecture, the following is provocative:

587 B.C. was the year Nebuchadnezzar laid the final siege against Jerusalem and carried Israel’s last king – Zedekiah – away to Babylon in chains. But back at the end of chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar was shown that the God of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah, the God of Israel, was not only a God who answers dreams, He was the one who appoints kings and is Sovereign over all. But 17 years had past and king Neb’s fear of the Almighty God had no doubt waned. Time has a way of dulling the senses. Jerusalem had been a thorn in his side and despite that niggling voice that told him to leave God’s people alone, he boldly marches to Jerusalem in 587 B.C., lays siege to it, then overthrows and destroys both the city and the Temple of God within it. Bolstered by this success his mind may well have turned to consider the dream of the statue he had had 17 years earlier, where he was depicted as the head of gold. But if he had now defeated the Jews and destroyed the temple to their God, why couldn’t Nebuchadnezzar be the whole image, not just the head? What nation could defeat the might of his Babylon? Why couldn’t his kingdom be an everlasting one?

But how would you celebrate a success like he had just had in Jerusalem – the city that even the Assyrians had failed to conquer! Maybe the answer would be to build a huge 90ft tall statue overlooking Babylon, completely overlaid with gold to show the world that he was the king of kings, and there was no-one who could defeat him? Nebuchadnezzar had been greeted with ‘O king live forever’ (Dan 2:2:4 / 3:9). Maybe to immortalise his greatness in a golden statue would be a way of doing just that?

As we go through this chapter, whether it was his own idea or not,  it would appear that Nebuchadnezzar had been encouraged to do this by the wise men of Babylon who, even after 17 years, were still bitter that that they had been totally upstaged by these Hebrews men.  They were clearly looking for an opportunity to exact revenge on the Jews who had humbled them in chapter two. If this is the case it is very much like the events that we will study in chapter 6 where Daniel’s enemies conspired against him and duped king Darius into signing a decree that would entrap Daniel.

Whatever the reasons, this was an act of defiance against the God of Heaven.

It is amazing that people are so insecure and jealous of others achievements that they will seemingly stop at nothing to remove the competition, and this is compounded when the ‘competition’ is morally upright. Those who stand for truth are seen as an irritant to a society that wants to be free from moral constraints. Jesus Himself confirmed this: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.”  (John 15:18-25) Paul reiterated this in 2 Tim 3:12 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

A cubit is the measurement from the tip of your finger to your elbow. Although this measurement varies among ancient cultures, it is usually regarded to be about 18 inches. This would make the image approximately 90ft tall, 9ft wide (Nelsons Column in London is about 150ft in comparison). Notice the use of the number 6! 6×10 cubits high, 6 cubits wide. The number six in scripture is ‘the number of man’.

It maybe that the image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream was of similar proportions, but it is an unusual ratio (height to width) for a human. The usual ratio for man is 5:1 or 6:1 (some of us are a little wider than we should be!). The dimensions of this statue are more like the Obelisks of Egypt, and it may well have been that on one of his expeditions Nebuchadnezzar would have seen these erected to immortalise Egyptian Pharaohs and deities and thus became part of the inspiration for him wanting to build one himself. However, unlike an Obelisk, we can be fairly sure that this was still an image of a man.

Interestingly, archaeologists have unearthed a 45ft square & 20ft high ‘base’ in the plain of Dura which many now believe could have been the base for this image, and would have been clearly visible from the walls of Babylon.

If the image was made of solid gold it would be approximately 4320 cubic ft. of gold. With 1200Lbs of Gold per cubic ft. it would equate to 5,184,000 Lbs. of Gold = £30 Billion of Gold! It is not out of the question that this could be solid gold for archaeologists have also discovered a 40ft table in the ruins of ancient Babylon made from solid gold and 15ft high solid gold statues were found in the Temple of Mardoch.

Daniel 3:2

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellers, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

The king is obviously impressed with his creation so calls for all the leaders and chief people of the land to come. There were about 100 provinces in Babylon at this time meaning that anywhere from 200,000 to 300,000 people would have gathered for this ‘grand unveiling’.

From the end of chapter two we know that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were promoted to oversee the affairs of the province of Babylon, hence the reason they were invited. Daniel on the other hand we are told was “ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon”. Thus it would appear that Daniel was second only to the king. If this is so and Daniel has so much influence before the king, then why, we may ask, did Daniel not object to this gross act of idolatry? And why does Daniel not appear to attend this event?

Daniel 3:3

Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellers, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

The fact that we have the same phrase repeated here suggests that as Daniel is recording this event, he is copying the decree that had been written by the king (or maybe a decree that was written for the king!).

Daniel 3:4

Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

Notice that this is a command from the king and to people, nations and languages – this is a diverse and mixed crowd from the known world.

Daniel 3:5

That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

Six instruments mentioned – the number of man.

Music and idolatry have long been close companions. The root of this problem may well be that Satan appears to have been the worship leader in heaven (see Ezekiel 28:13-15). It would seem that he has a great understanding of how powerful and manipulative music can be. Music is a gift from God and is intended to accompany our praise to Him (as even a casual reading of the book of Psalms can confirm), yet in the wrong hands, it can be used for evil with devastating results. Consider the lust, violence and immorality that is communicated to young people through music. Satan always distorts what God has made good.

From what we know of history, the Babylonians had a love for music. This is prophetically seen in Psalm 137:1-4: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land?”

Daniel 3:6

And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

Two things are out on the plain of Dura. The Image and a fiery furnace – possibly used for melting / moulding the metal for the construction of the image.

Daniel 3:7

Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

…that is, all except three men who stood out like a sore thumb!

Daniel 3:8

Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

Notice that it’s the Chaldeans again who had been humbled in ch 2.

‘Accused the Jews’ is literally: ‘chewed them up’ by their words.

Daniel 3:9

They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

This is the greeting that the king wants to hear, especially today.

Daniel 3:10-11

10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

The fact they repeat to the king his decree leads some to conclude that they were the ones who had been responsible for getting the king to write this decree in the first place as a way of trapping these Jews. As we will mention later, Daniel is not present at this time, and it may well be that, knowing Daniel was away on business, they seized this opportunity to entrap his friends. Given the fact that this is some time after chapter two, they may well have been plotting and planning this event for years.

As an aside, ‘Furnace’ is mentioned 30 times in the Bible (KJV), and always in connection with tribulation and/or judgment. Certainly, there is a definite model here of the coming Tribulation, with a world ruler setting up an image to be worshipped, any who do not bow to that image and worship it will be put to death. We also find Jews who are persecuted yet supernaturally protected.

Daniel 3:12

12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

We have mentioned that the arguments of the critics regarding the accuracy and legitimacy of the people, names, places and events in the book of Daniel have been thoroughly refuted by competent research and archaeological discoveries. One such example is in regard to Daniel’s three friends. An archaeological dig in the area of ancient Babylon unearthed a five sided clay cylinder now in the Istanbul museum with the names: Hananunu – which is the Aramaic for Hananiah, Mishael-Mardach – obviously a reference to Mishael, and Abou-Nebo, the Aramaic for Abed-nego; these men are mentioned on the cylinder as having a prominent place in the government, thus clearly identifying these men as Daniel’s three friends as recorded in the Bible.

They are accused not just for refusing to bow today, but for not worshipping Nebuchadnezzar’s gods in the past – which the Chaldeans suggest is defying the king himself. This was not an impulse thing for these three men, but a predetermined purposing of heart that was made from the moment they got to Babylon – they will not be defiled!

Daniel 3:13

Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.

Now the king had already said that whoever would not bow to the image would be thrown into the furnace, yet he calls these men before him to ask them personally. This would suggest that the king was keen to give these men a second chance. We already know from the end of chapter two that these men were in prominent governmental positions in the province of Babylon (Dan 2:49), and no doubt the king wanted to avoid having high ranking officials commit a public act of defiance against him, particularly on this day when all the people were gathered together on the plain of Dura.

Daniel 3:14

Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

The fact that the king addresses them by name and the manner in which he does so again suggests that up until this time they had had a good relationship with the king. The idea in the Aramaic is ‘did you intend to do this, was it on purpose?’ The king is hoping that it was just a misunderstanding and was not going to be something that would spoil his special day. But as we will see, these men had purposed in their hearts….(cf Dan 1:8)

“Purpose is something that comes through meditation, you have to think about what you’re going to do if you face this circumstance or that circumstance. And when you are prepared and the circumstance happens, you react to that which you have meditated on. So if you meditate on that which will not be helpful, then when you are in that potentially compromising situation you will do that which you have meditated on”. (Ron Matsen)

This is precisely why we are told to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:1-2), and to ‘think on these things’ (see the list in Phil 4:8), setting our affection on the things above (Col 3:2).

Daniel 3:15

Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

So the king reiterates the decree and offers them a way out of this situation. How many of us would have had second thoughts at this time? After all, to be given a second chance may be God providing a way of escape. How easy it would have been to rationalise that Idols are not real gods; surely it would have been better to give in to king Neb’s command and ‘live to fight another day’? Would bowing be such a bad thing? As long as they didn’t mean it in their hearts?

What about us? Often we sing our songs in church on Sunday about being completely abandoned, surrendering all, serving God with a whole heart etc. etc. yet on Monday when we are asked questions by the world, how do we answer? Do our lives bring forth fruit ‘worthy of repentance’ (Luke 3:8)? We have all been there, backed into a corner with no apparent way out, and we start to reason to ourselves: “It’s not really lying, the truth would do more harm than good” …. “it’s not really theft, just ‘borrowing’” …. “.It’s not really wrong, it’s just…(fill in the blank)”… it’s not really worshipping an idol to bow down and pretend…is it?

“Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them. O Israel, trust thou in the LORD: he is their help and their shield” (Psalm 115:4-9)

Of course we know that bowing was not an option to these three men, nor could it be. The reputation of the God of Israel was on the line. The king’s statue was a public act of defiance against their God and the Chaldeans were just waiting for them to crumble. Yet these men knew the law which clearly stated: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”  (Exodus 20:3-6)

“Everyday God will find a way of asking you ‘Do you trust Me?” Chuck Missler

In scripture, those who have made great professions of faith have often had that profession tested to breaking point. It is the heating up and subsequent hammering of steel that gives it its strength.

The king asks: ‘and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?’ Great question O king! Remember “He who seeks finds”! (Luke 11:10)

Daniel 3:16

 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

The Aramaic word that the KJV translates as ‘careful’ is ‘chashach’  (khash-akh’) meaning to ‘have need of’. In other words they were saying to the king ‘we have no need to answer you, we are not accountable to you but to God’. It also implies that they were not anxious about this situation.

Daniel 3:17

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

This is an incredible statement of faith that comes from a life deeply rooted in God. “Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever. I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” (Psalm 118:4-9) Jesus said “fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt 10:28)

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen….(Hebrews 11:1)

Daniel 3:18

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Thus they make is clear, they will not bow down to this image or worship any other foreign god. There is only one God for these men and they will not compromise regardless of the cost. Remember that these men lived before the cross and without knowing all that Jesus suffered and endured to purchase our freedom.

It is amazing the lengths that some people will go to, to worship false gods and follow false religions. All the effort that was put into making this statue, all the hours spent in rituals and practices that have no eternal value.  How much more should we, who know the Truth,  refuse to worship false gods, whatever form they come in, and seek to serve our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

In World War II when the British and allied forces had been pushed back by the German army to the beaches of Dunkirk, France, being trapped by the English Channel on one side and the approaching German’s on the other, they sent a simple three word message back home: “But if not”. Immediately this was recognised as being a quote from the book of Daniel and was understood to mean that the trapped British troops would wait to be saved, but if not, they would die fighting and standing up for their cause. This then led to the famous Dunkirk evacuations where hundreds of military, merchant and private fishing boats set sail across the Channel and dramatically rescued in the region of 350,000 British and allied soldiers.

It has been said that if such a message were to be sent today, the soldiers would perish, as no one knows what the Bible says anymore.

In October 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was all over, 300 people were dead and 100,000 were homeless. Horatio Gates Spafford was one of those who tried to help the people of the city get back on their feet. Spafford was a lawyer who had invested much of his money into the downtown Chicago real estate and consequently had lost a great deal to the fire. Also about this time his only son had died leaving him with his wife and his four daughters. For two years Spafford, who was a friend of evangelist Dwight Moody, assisted the homeless, impoverished, and grief-stricken that had been ruined by the fire. Eventually Spafford decided to take his family away for a holiday to Europe with the intention of meeting up with his friends Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey who at that time were on one of their evangelistic crusades.

At the last minute Horatio Spafford was delayed by some business so decided to send his family on ahead; he would catch up with them on the other side of the Atlantic. Their ship, the Ville de Havre, never made it. Off Newfoundland, it collided with another ship, the Loch Earn, and sank in a matter of minutes. Though Horatio’s wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their four daughters, Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie, were killed. Horatio received a telegram from his wife in England informing him of this terrible tragedy; all it said were two words: “saved alone.” Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife. As his own ship passed by the area where his daughters had died he was moved to write a song – the now famous ‘It is well with my soul’. He met up with his wife and they went on to meet up with Dwight Moody. “It is well,” Spafford told him quietly. “The will of God be done.”

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,  Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, no pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord! Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul, It is well, with my soul,

Daniel 3:19

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

The fact that only now do we read that Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury and his face changes shows that prior to this point he wanted to see these men escape from this. But now he really is cross and any compassion gives way to rage.

We have already noted that Furnace speaks of tribulation, so it is interesting to note that use of  ‘7 times’! There is a Tribulation coming upon this world soon that will last for ‘7 times’ (7 years).

Daniel 3:20

And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

At this point we know the story and are expectantly awaiting for the victory. However Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael did not; they must have thought that this is it! Maybe God wasn’t going to deliver them, maybe their lives were to be ended at this point. Maybe their minds were drawn to the words of Solomon in Proverbs: “The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts” (Prov 17:3), if so they could be confident that their hearts were clean before God. They would also no doubt have been aware of the story of Job who said in faith: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:” (Job 13:15) Later in the book of Romans Paul was to say: “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?” (Rom 9:20-21)

What right do we have to question God’s judgment when God is infinite in knowledge and understanding and we so limited and finite? James hits the problem of our suffering head on James 1:2-4: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing”. This is beautiful to know, that God wants to make us perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

If He has to knock off some rough edges here and there He is doing it out of love and compassion. Yes these things can be painful at the time; consider Mary and Martha: Jesus let their brother (Lazarus) die, not just so He could do a miracle (John 11:40), but so that they would believe in Jesus and therefore they themselves would never die (John 11:25) – an infinitely greater gift than seeing their brother raised.

In Hebrews we read: “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby”. (Heb 12:5-11).

Even Jesus said: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) so we should expect ‘tribulation’ from the world and chastening from the hand of God. It is the former that is the case with these three men, but like Peter and the apostles in Acts 5 (where we read: “…and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” (Acts 5:40-41)), Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael counted it an honour to stand for the name of the Most High God, for He alone is the One who rules in the kingdoms of men.

“Beloved, think it not strange (lit; stop thinking it strange) concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

When a metal smith is refining gold in a refining pot, he keeps skimming off the dross (the impurities) that are brought to the surface by the heat. The way of knowing when it is pure is when he can look into the pot and see an unblemished refection. We are the pot, He is the Refiner.

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” (Psalm 17:15)

Daniel 3:21

Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Usually victims were stripped to humiliate them, yet here the king is so cross he just wants them thrown in. Hosen = undergarments, Hats = a turban of some description; other garments = robes of office; coats = usual outer garments.

Daniel 3:22

Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

This give us an idea just how hot this furnace may have been. From the furnaces that have been found in this region, it would probably be that the opening was at the top with a viewing area to the side, thus as the ‘lid’ is lifted, the intense heat was just too much for these mighty men who were overcome by the flames.

Daniel 3:23

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

This verse would lend support to the idea just stated that the opening was at the top.

Daniel 3:24

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

The word translated in the King James as ‘Astonied’ is ‘tevahh’ in Aramaic and conveys the idea of ‘sweeping to ruin’, to ‘take alarm’. We might say that the rug was pulled from under him, that he was well and truly knocked sideways! The answer from his counsellors would suggest that they were looking the other way and were not seeing what the king was. Imagine their surprise when the king then says……

Daniel 3:25

He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt…..

By going through this furnace the only thing that was burnt up was what was binding them! How precious that is to us, when in our own furnaces to realise that all that gets burnt is what was binding us before we went in.

…..and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God

The Aramaic actually says ‘the son of the gods’ – Plural. But we need to remember that the Holy Spirit is the real author of scripture. In Genesis 1:1 we read:  ‘In the beginning God’ – singular, and we are comfortable with that, except the word in Hebrew is ‘Eloheim’. Whenever a Hebrew word ends with an ‘im’ ending it is plural meaning more than one (eg. Cherub – singular, Cherubim – plural). Thus Genesis 1:1 should read “ In the beginning the Gods”, this is the same throughout the Old Testament whenever ‘Eloheim’ is used. Yet it is always taken as singular in the Hebrew and hence it is translated so. Thus we have in the first verse of the Bible a subtle hint of the Trinity – Father, Son and Spirit. The same is also true in this verse in Daniel; what we have is what scholars call a ‘theophany’  – an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ. (See also Joshua 5:13-15 and compare with Exodus 3:4-6).

Note: The Aramaic word used is equivalent of the Hebrew ‘Eloheim’ and is not the same as ‘Bar-Eloheim’ (sons of God) usually translated ‘angels’.

Daniel 3:26

Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

King Neb gets as close as he can and spake – not shouted ! ‘Hey guys, why don’t you come on out?’ All the people who had gathered on the plain of Dura are now watching something completely different than they were expecting to watch – yet this was what God had gathered them all there to see. Nebuchadnezzar thought they were gathered to worship him, but God had a different idea!

You just have to wonder if  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego just delayed coming out for a little while. After all, how many times do you find yourself standing around talking to the Son of God in the midst of a furnace. There is a reality here also, that other people may look in at us in the midst of our time of tribulation and see that we are ‘not harmed’ by the flames. They may observe the peace and comfort we have in our suffering and wonder how we are able to cope. But as surely as He did with these three young men, God will bring us out of the furnace to glorify His name.

In verse 15 Nebuchadnezzar boasted: ‘and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?’ yet now, somewhat swayed by recent events, says: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God. Slowly king Nebuchadnezzar is getting the picture, but as we will see in chapter 4, he still has some way to go!

But what a testimony to these young men, that because of their faith and trust in God, the most powerful ruler on the face of the earth declares that their God is the Most High God!

Only three come out of the furnace. Where’s the forth one? He stays in there waiting for you, so that you know that when you find yourself in the furnace, He will be with you.

‘I will never leave you or forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5)

Daniel 3:27

And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellers, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

God’s deliverance is complete – not even the smell of smoke!

We think so small yet our God is so big. Oswald Chambers, commenting on the occasion when Peter walked on the water to meet Jesus says: The wind was actually boisterous, the waves were actually high, but Peter did not see them at first. He did not reckon with them, he simply recognised his Lord, and stepped out in recognition of Him and walked on the water. Then he began to reckon with the actual things, and down he went instantly. Why could not our Lord have enabled him to walk at the bottom of the waves as well as on the top of them? Neither could be done saving by recognition of the Lord Jesus. We step right out on God over some things, then self-consideration enters in and down we go. If you are recognising your Lord, you have no business with where He engineers your circumstances. The actual things are, but immediately you look at them you are overwhelmed, you cannot recognise Jesus, and the rebuke comes: Wherefore didst thou doubt?” Let actual circumstances be what they may, keep recognising Jesus, maintain complete reliance on Him.

Daniel 3:28

Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

Peter & Paul both taught that we should obey the government, yet they were both put to death for civil disobedience. In Acts 5 Peter and the Apostles openly defy the Jewish leaders and kept publicly preaching in the name of Jesus despite being warned not to. In 1 Peter 2:13-14 Peter says: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.” So how are we to understand this? Quite simply, we should obey and submit ourselves to every law of man unless it contradicts the higher law of God. Peter himself confirmed this in Acts 5:29“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego did just that here, and what do we find? that the unbreakable and eternal law of God (Exodus 20:3-5)  has caused the  fallible word of the king to be changed!

Daniel 3:29

Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

He still hasn’t quite got it! He recognised that God can interpret dreams, now he recognises that God can deliver; but he still has not understood that God is in complete control – it is He alone that rules in the kingdoms of men. At this stage he is really impressed with the signs and wonders (like so many in the church today) but has not truly sought after the source of those things.

Daniel 3:30

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.

They had already proven themselves 10 times better than their contempories (Dan 1:20), now these three Hebrew men, led away as captive from Jerusalem, are promoted to some of the most powerful positions in the most powerful Empire on earth at that time!  “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

May the example and faith of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah encourage and bless you as you stand for Jesus Christ.

The post Daniel Ch3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel 2:1

And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.

The third year of Jehoiakim as we have already seen was 606 B.C. This was the year when Nebuchadnezzar came up against Jerusalem, besieged it and eventually took the choice captives back to Babylon including Daniel and his friends. Josephus records that it was while Nebuchadnezzar was in Palastine that he got word that his father, king Nebopolassar, had died. Thus to our way of reckoning, Nebuchadnezzar actually became king in the Autumn of 606 B.C. upon the death of his father. However the Babylonians (unlike the Jews) did not include the ascension year as part of the king’s reign. Thus for the Babylonians, the first year of a kings reign was counted from the first full year that he reigned. This makes 605B.C. king Nebuchadnezzar’s first year and 604 B.C. his second year. Daniel was taken to Babylon (as we have just noted) in 606 B.C. and we know from chapter one that he served a three-year apprenticeship before being presented to the king.

• 606 B.C.           –           Daniel’s 1^st year in training        –           Neb’s year of ascension
• 605 B.C.           –           Daniel’s 2^nd year in training       –           Neb’s 1^st year as king
• 604 B.C.           –           Daniel’s Final year in training   –           Neb’s 2^nd year as king

Thus it would appear that it was during Daniel’s final year as a trainee that Nebuchadnezzar had this dream. This explains why Daniel did not present himself before the king when the king called for the ‘wise men of Babylon’. In fact, none of the men that Ashpenaz was training for the king would have been ready at this time, so those that presented themselves before Nebuchadnezzar would no doubt have been the men who had served under Nebopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar’s father; and as becomes clear, Nebuchadnezzar did not trust them!

Nebuchadnezzar ruled his empire and had complete authority; what he said went. There was no government or cabinet that passed laws, it was all down to what king Neb said (this is alluded to in the king’s dream itself). No succeeding ruler had this power as will be seen in chapter 6 when king Darius signed a decree, he was bound by the ‘law of the Meads and Persians’ (Dan 6:16), although he was the king, he was himself bound by the law. Not so with king Nebuchadnezzar. Therefore we have here a man who need not worry about anything; he had all the wealth he could imagine, he had a powerful and mighty army, the kings harem, drink and food to satisfy his every desire, and he was in the prime of his life. Yet we read that this dream troubled him so much that he was unable to sleep. Nebuchadnezzar was a man that had the power to solve any problem, until now.

Daniel 2:2

Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

The king is so disturbed that he calls for his royal advisors, he is evidently not bothered about how this will make him look, he just needs to know what this dream meant. Some of us have dreams – in fact I have heard it said that we all have dreams, it’s just that not all of us remember them! Many dreams are an amalgamation of thoughts and images that we have seen that day, or in recent days. Some dreams are simply because we had too much pepperoni on the pizza before we went to bed last night. But without doubt God uses dreams to communicate. As well as in the book of Daniel, there are many dreams recorded in the Bible such as those connected to Joseph in the book of Genesis (Josephs own dreams, the butler and baker in prison, Pharaoh’s dream). In Job we read:

“For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;” (Job 33:14-15)

In the book of Acts, Peter quoted from the prophet Joel who said: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17)

The magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans were supposed to be experts in interpreting dreams. Archaeologists have unearthed books containing formula whereby they would take the key elements of a dream and come up with the interpretation. The magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and the Chaldeans were not just superstitious nut cases as we may think from our understanding of the terms; these were men of great learning and would have been highly respected. Babylon was famous for its science and discoveries. The division of the elliptic into 360^o came from Babylon and was probably done so because of the earth’s orbit, which at that time may well have been 360 days. Thus these characters were no daily newspaper horoscope columnists – yes they dabbled in the occult, but they tried to apply scientific method to their practices.

• The magicians: – sacred scribes, involved in mystic writings and secret writings
• The Astrologers – ‘Enchanters’, involved in séances (talking to the dead – so they thought)
• The Sorcerers  – principally involved in using drugs and hallucinogenics; incantations etc.
• The Chaldeans: – the Babylonian ‘star readers’ (astrologers), the Babylonian priests.

Daniel 2:3

And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.

So the king explains the predicament.

Daniel 2:4

Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

In the usual (and no doubt wise) way you address the most powerful man in the known world, the Chaldeans get straight in there and ask the king to tell them the dream and they would be only too pleased to give the interpretation – no doubt their formula books at the ready.

In the original manuscripts the writing in this verse changes from Hebrew (which the book has been in up to now), into Aramaic (Syriack). It is significant that Daniel then uses Aramaic all the while he is referring to the Gentiles. Later in the book when the focus comes back to the Jews he will switch back to Hebrew (chapter 7, verse 28). Normally in the Bible we see the world through the lens of Israel, however in Daniel we get a rare glimpse at the world from a purely gentile perspective.

Daniel 2:5

The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.

There is some debate as to what Nebuchadnezzar is saying here; he is either saying that he can’t remember the dream, or that the ‘thing’ that has gone [forth] from him is the command to interpret the dream; it would seem more likely that it is the latter. J Vernon McGee states: This would be a rather extreme judgment, but you can see what the king wants. Frankly, a faulty translation of this verse gives the impression that the king had forgotten his dream. He hadn’t forgotten his dream. He knows the dream, senses its importance, and refuses to divulge it to the wise men. Why? He wants to get a correct interpretation of it. In the margin, the American Standard Version of 1901 translates “The thing is gone from me” as, “The word is gone forth from me.” In other words, Nebuchadnezzar is saying to these men, “I will not change my mind about this judgment I am pronouncing. Don’t beg me to tell you the dream—I’m not going to do it. You are going to come up with the dream if I am to listen to your interpretation of it.” The Berkeley Version has a helpful translation at this point also: “The king answered the Chaldeans, ‘This word I speak, I mean! If you do not tell me the dream and what it means, you shall be torn limb from limb and your houses will be destroyed.’” That translation really tones it down, but nevertheless the penalty is still excessive and extreme. Nebuchadnezzar is putting fear in these men. They have to come up with the interpretation of the dream, but they first of all have to give what the dream is.

Either way, the wise men are in no doubt as to what is being asked of them.

Daniel 2:6

But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

Just in case being cut to pieces and having your house made into a dunghill was not a big enough incentive, the king offers a reward for whoever can tell him the dream and the interpretation.

Daniel 2:7

They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

This was a real problem for them. They could given an interpretation for dreams – if they had them! But without a dream to begin with, they were well and truly stuck. This reminds me of the humorous anecdote of the scientists who have become so clever they don’t need God. They explain to God that they can now create life. God asks them if they could do it like He did it – from the dust of the ground. They look at each other and confidently assert that they could even do this, after all, the essential ingredients that we are made of are found in the dust of the earth. God decides to take them up on this challenge, so says ‘Go ahead then. Create life from the dust of the ground’. So the scientists bend down and pick up a few handfuls of dust to head back to their laboratory. All of a sudden God interrupts them, “Oh no you don’t. Get your own dust!”

Men can seemingly do a lot without God; but when it all comes down to it, we are hopeless and helpless without Him.

Daniel 2:8

The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.

King Nebuchadnezzar sees their problem, and just as he thought, there is a limit to these guys usefulness. The problem he has is, how can he trust their interpretation? And he perceives that they are trying to stall for time.

Daniel 2:9

But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

The king underlines the decree – cut to pieces / dunghill etc – and then tells them that he doesn’t trust them, nor it would seem has he previously as he accuses them of [previously] preparing lying and corrupt words. The king is not going to be fooled this time.

Daniel 2:10-11

10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth

that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

It is interesting in scripture how often ‘evil’ men speak the truth. Here they are absolutely correct that only ‘the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh’ can do what the king is asking. Caiaphas, the high priest made the following true statement about Jesus that was also prophetic: “Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.” (John 11:49-50). Judas said: “I have betrayed the innocent blood.” (Matt 27:4).

Socrates said: ‘It maybe that God can forgive sin, but I don’t see how’. This shows great insight and understanding of the nature of God and the nature of man. God is righteous and holy and therefore cannot just forgive and forget sin. Sin – the inherent nature of man since the fall – has to be paid for, if justice is to be done. God would simply not be just if He ignored sin – this is what Socrates realised. The problem is, how can a finite man pay an infinite price? It cannot be done. But because “God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”. So God, whose dwelling is not with flesh, became flesh and dwelt amongst us (John 1:14) so that He, being infinite, could pay the infinite price for sin that we owed, thus once and for all satisfying the justice of a holy God.

Daniel 2:12-13

12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

Even though Daniel and his friends were still trainees, king Nebuchadnezzar was prepared to abandon his training programme as well as getting rid of the old guard. After all, what was the point of wasting the kings money on these ‘wise men’ if none of them could help when he needed it?

Daniel 2:14-15

14 Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

15 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

It would appear that Daniel was oblivious to the kings dream up until this point, thus supporting the fact that he was still in training and had not yet graduated – otherwise he also would have been called before the king. Arioch is only too pleased to explain the situation to Daniel, as killing all the wise men of Babylon was probably the last thing he wanted to do.

Daniel 2:16

Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.

This really is Jewish hutspa! Daniel, only 16 or 17 at this time, not yet ‘qualified’, goes into the king who has just signed a decree to have him executed! But then again, he had nothing to lose. This highlights a problem for so many Christians; we have so much to lose; so much in this world that is important to us, that we don’t want to stick our necks out for the sake of God’s glory. Daniel at this time had nothing, nothing but his relationship with God and that was clearly first in his mind as he went into the king. Daniel saw this as an opportunity to bring glory to his God.

Daniel 2:17

Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

This is just great! Daniel gets home and says to his friends: “Guess what guys, the king has had a dream. No one could figure it out so he was going to kill all of us…..But I told him that me and my buddies would be able to work it out! How cool is that? You can hear their reply: ‘You did what?!’

Something tells me that Daniel did not need to encourage them too hard to pray that evening!

Daniel 2:18

That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

It’s at times like these that we are so glad that our God is merciful. What did they pray that evening? We can only speculate but possibly Psalms like Psalm 28:1-2 “Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.” Or maybe Psalm 31:1-4: “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.”

What a comfort for God’s people that we have the promises in His word, and the testimony of men like David who was outmatched, outnumbered and frequently overwhelmed and yet knew that “….in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.” (Psalm 27:5-7)

Daniel 2:19

Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

All answered prayer is an occasion to bless God; but how much more here when, thanks to Daniel and his big mouth, God’s reputation is on the line! Daniel’s faith is remarkable; did he have any doubt that God would answer them? Not that you would notice.

Daniel 2:20-23

20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.

Oswald Chambers once said: “If God is the God we know Him to be when we are closest to Him, what an impertinence worry is”. The God that Daniel is thanking here is our God, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. That means that the next time you are in a difficult situation, the God of Daniel is ready to take your call!

Daniel 2:24

Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.

Daniel could have used this as an opportunity to get rid of all these other ‘wise men’, yet he says ‘destroy not’. Daniel no doubt saw this as an occasion to witness to them also, showing that, despite their fancy Babylonian names, there is just one God who reigns.

Daniel 2:25

Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.

Arioch is typical of your bureaucratic professional type. Notice how he claims all the credit for solving the king’s problems!

Daniel 2:26-27

26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;

After Arioch’s confident assertions, the king asks Daniel ‘Can you show me the dream and the interpretation?’, in effect Daniel says no way, nor can anyone else! – Arioch’s heart must have skipped a beat! Fortunately, Daniel continued……

Daniel 2:28

But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

Here Daniel gives the king a 7-word summary of the subject of the dream.

Daniel 2:29

As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.

Now this is impressive. Daniel actually tells the king what he was thinking about before he went to sleep – it was this that gave rise to the dream. And notice again the scope of the dream: what is going to happen hereafter.

Daniel 2:30

But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

Daniel again makes it clear that it is not because he is more intelligent or better than anyone else that God has revealed the dream to him; but for 1) ‘their sakes that shall make known the interpretation’  i.e. Daniel and his three friends and 2) for the king himself that he would understand.

Here as in verse 49, Daniel includes his three friends in the ‘who deserves credit’ list. Just because Daniel was the one that received the vision does not negate the part that his friends played through their prayers. This should serve to remind us that those who support a ministry are as important as those who head up and are the public face of that ministry – ‘every part doing its share’ (Eph 4:16).

The Dream – Daniel 2:31-35

31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.

32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,

33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.

35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:36

This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

Notice that Daniel says WE will tell……once again including his three friends.

The Interpretation – Daniel 2:37-38

37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,

power, and strength, and glory.

38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.

As we mentioned earlier, no subsequent king had the total power that Nebuchadnezzar had. Other empires may have exceeded Nebuchadnezzar’s in physical size, but not in absolute authority.

Daniel 2:39

And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.

The detail and accuracy of this prophecy is a thorn in the flesh to the critics; for after Babylon (that was full of gold), another kingdom did arise, but not with the absolute power of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar. In 539 B.C. Cyrus conquered Babylon (without a battle! – see Chapter 5). Cyrus was part Median and part Persian and so united the two factions into the great Medo-Persian Empire. Silver coinage became the currency of the empire. After the Medo-Persian Empire, history confirms that a third kingdom, wielding brass shields and swords, with stunning speed conquered the Persians and went on to take the known world. It is recorded that the leader of this new empire, at only 30 or so years of age, wept because there were no more lands to be conquered. That leader was Alexander the Great and the Empire was the famous Greek Empire. After Alexander’s death the Greek Empire was divided between his four generals, but it never had the same power as it did under Alexander. Eventually the Greek Empire fell to a fourth empire.

Daniel 2:40

And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

Now we move onto the ‘iron’ nation that breaks into pieces and subdues all things. Even those with a basic grasp of history will be familiar with the empire that succeeded the Greeks. Rome. Whereas the previous empires took the best of the cultures and nations they were conquering, leaving much intact, Rome did not. The Roman Empire seemed to thrive on what it could destroy. It really did break into pieces and subdue all things

Daniel 2:41

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

Unlike the previous empires, Rome was never defeated. It divided into the eastern and western ‘legs’ (with the eastern leg outlasting the western by almost a 1000 years). Since its demise, almost all of the parts that made up the old empire have had their day at ruling. The Ottoman Turks, the French of Napoleon, The Germans, the Dutch, the Spanish and of course, the British Empire. Even America (USA) was founded by people from the old Roman Empire. So as we come to this verse we are told of a phase of the Roman Empire of which history knows nothing; therefore it is reasonable to conclude that it is yet to come, something that is confirmed in subsequent verses and chapters of this book. We are told this final phase of the Roman Empire will consist of feet and toes, partly potters clay and partly iron – not a good mixture for these two will not stick together, and indeed we are told that this kingdom will be divided, yet there will be the strength of iron in it.

Daniel 2:42

And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

This verse hints at the strong part of this kingdom ruling over the ‘partly broken’.

Daniel 2:43

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

It is easy to just read over this verse and continue with the interpretation; however, if we read carefully there is a strange remark. We are told that, just as iron was mixed with miry clay in the vision, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men. Who are the ‘they’? From the context, and the fact that they mix themselves with the seed of men, would seem to exclude them from being the seed of men themselves. Chuck Missler (among others) see this as an allusion to the Nephilim (offspring of fallen angels). The first mention of these beings is in Genesis 6, the flood came to wipe them out, but we read that more came after the flood (Gen 6:4) only to be finished off by Joshua and then finally by David (remember Goliath & his brothers?). However Jesus said: “as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man” (Luke 17:26) Could it be that the Nephilim are set to make a return as part of a major end times delusion? (For more on this subject see ‘Alien Encounters’ by Dr Chuck Missler & Dr Mark Eastman).

Another thought is that this could be alluding to clones. Are clones human? Would they have souls? We are certainly living in interesting times!

Daniel 2:44

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

This verse confirms that the final phase of the Roman Empire is yet future, for ‘in the days of these kings….”. The simple fact that these kings have not yet reigned – and from the context it is clear that they must reign simultaneously – nor have they been destroyed, nor has the God of heaven set up a world government (which is the whole subject of the dream), shows without any doubt that this is yet to be fulfilled. But when it is fulfilled it will be the end of mans rule and the beginning of God’s eternal kingdom that will stand forever.

Daniel 2:45

Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

There are those who would try to suggest that all prophecy has been fulfilled, and that Christ’s kingdom was established at His first coming in and through the church. Furthermore it is proposed that the church is now to fill the earth and subdue it in the name of Christ. Although not so prevalent in the UK, names such as ‘Kingdom Now’ and ‘Dominion Theology’ are well known in America of groups that support this idea. However have seen The Emerging Church, Mission Shaped Church, Messy Church and many others that have taken hold in this country. One of the underlying themes of these initiatives is a non-literal interpretation of scripture, particularly in regard to prophecy. The emphasis is on getting people into the church (nothing wrong with that on the surface) but at the expense of watering down the word of God so as not to be ‘offensive’ (and there we have the real problem – to present a sinner with a gospel that says he is a sinner on his way to hell unless he repents and puts his trust in Jesus, is always going to be offensive until such a person is brought under conviction by the law – see Psalm 19:7 / Rom 7:7 / Gal 3:24). By watering down the gospel message and not presenting the law, the modern church becomes nothing more than a caring social club; but without the solid foundation of God’s word they will yield to popular opinion and political pressure every time.

All of this goes hand in hand with a belief known as ‘Preterism’ which, in its extreme form holds that all prophecies have been fulfilled (by 70AD) and that Jesus is not really coming back physically but is now reigning in the hearts of Christians.

As even a casual reading of this chapter (and these last few verses in particular) will show, this simply cannot be, because the church is not a political kingdom, whereas the kingdom that God establishes here is a political rule on the earth that puts an end to mans government once and for all. The fact that the church exists alongside political ‘kingdoms’ in the world today shows that the church is not the stone cut without hands, for once that stone smites the feet of the image, it all comes crumbling down and there will be no more opposition.  The fact that the church has opposition in this order of things shows that it cannot be the kingdom that Daniel sees in his vision. It is also clear that the stone that is cut from the mountain, is done so without hands, i.e. supernaturally. It is not mans effort that will accomplish this but God’s sovereign power through the One who throughout scripture is described as the Rock/Stone – Jesus Christ our Rock! (See 1 Cor 10:4 / Deut 32:4 / 2 Sam 22:2 / Ps 18:31 / Is 51:1 / Matt 16:18 / Acts 4:11 / Matt 21:42-44 / 1 Peter 2:8)

All of this is in agreement with the countless passages that talk of a time of political rule on the earth by the Lord himself. For example, Isaiah writes: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:1-4)

“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33)

See also Psalm 2  – Jesus will rule the nations with a rod of iron – this hasn’t happened yet!

Daniel 2:46

Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.

Nebuchadnezzar makes the classic mistake of worshiping the instrument and not the source. Daniel had already laboured the point that it was not because of any ability he possessed, but rather it was because of the God of heaven that he was able to interpret the king’s dream.

Daniel 2:47

The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

He didn’t get it! The dream wasn’t to show Nebuchadnezzar that God can reveal and interpret dreams, but to show him that it is God who rules in the kingdoms of men. It is He who puts one down and raises another up, “he removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Dan 2:21). As Jesus said to Pilate: “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above” (John 19:11).

Nebuchadnezzar will get another warning  that it is God and not him that is running the show, but as we will see in chapter 5, he once again misses the point and is humbled before God and man in dramatic fashion!

Daniel 2:48-49

48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.

49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

So Daniel is promoted and ensures that his friends are too. As a result of these four Jewish young men the wise men of Babylon were spared from being cut in pieces and their houses being made a dunghill, were they grateful? Sadly the answer is no. In fact as we move into chapter three we will find these wise men conspiring against Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah and trying to get them killed. Their principle motivation was no doubt jealousy, after all they represented the greatest minds in the kingdom but had been made to look foolish by four teenage Hebrew slaves. However, before we are too hard on the Chaldeans and their associates, we should remember that in like manor we rejected the one who had given up His home to come to a foreign land to save us. He crossed a gulf that no one among the sons of men could cross; only one whose dwelling is ‘with the gods’ would be able, and so He humbled Himself and became a man, and then purposed in his heart to do the will of His Father in Heaven, to the extent that He became obedient to the death of the cross, that you and I may go free. He is the Rock that was smitten the first time (Ex 17:6), but will come again to establish His kingdom, a kingdom that will fill the whole earth, a kingdom that will be an eternal kingdom. The kingdom, the power & the glory be His, now & forever, Amen.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Daniel Ch2 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel Chapter 1

The book of Daniel opens with an historical statement. Critics of the Bible (and of the book of Daniel in particular) try to deny that this really happened, yet it is a matter of historical record that Jews were deported to Babylon.  For the previous 150 years or so, Israel had been preparing for invasion. Initially the threat of Assyria loomed – the Northern kingdom of Israel had been carried away to Assyria in 722 B.C. – now the might of Babylon posed an imminent threat to remaining southern kingdom of Judah. It is inconceivable that Judah would have let its finest young people and wealth be taken to Babylon without putting up a struggle. The writings of Berosus and Josephus, along with the accounts in Kings, Chronicles and Daniel all support the fact that Nebuchadnezzar did come into Israel (Judah) early in the reign of king Jehiokim; Berosus and Josephus also unite with Chronicles and Daniel in affirming that captives – including Israel’s finest – were taken from Judea to Babylon at this time.

However, for the purposes of our study, it is not the 1st verse, which tells us that the siege happened, but the 2nd verse that tells us why it happened that should grab our attention! Daniel records  “And the LORD gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand...” Prophets like Jeremiah and Habakkuk repeatedly warned that God was going to use the king of Babylon to judge Israel. God told Habakkuk “I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you. For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs.” (Hab1:5-6). Jeremiah prophesied: “this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years”. (Jer 25:11) When Habakkuk and Jeremiah prophesied this, Babylon was nothing more than just a city state of the then great Assyrian Empire. This is partly why so many false prophets had risen up who didn’t want to bother with all this ‘doom and gloom’ prophecy stuff; who takes prophecies literally anyway? That’s just for the fundamentalists right? – Sound a bit like today?

Despite how it seemed on the surface, because he trusted God’s word through the mouths of the prophets, Daniel knew that God was very much in control and so he says: “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand”. This was no accident or haphazard event.

Another example of the literal fulfilment of prophecy in verse 2 where we read that Nebuchadnezzar carried away the vessels of the Temple. About 120 years before this, the son of the then king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and was given a guided tour by king Hezakiah. We read in 2nd Kings: “Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon. And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them. And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD. Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” (2 Kings 20:14-18).

Verse 3 alludes to the fact that Daniel was of the royal line, and that he was made a eunuch. This was a common practice because a conquering king would not want to have fertile chief advisers around the palace, for if they produced offspring they may conspire against the king and attempt to establish their own ‘royal’ line. It also meant that they were less likely to get distracted from their tasks by the king’s harem!

An inscription was found on a monument that is now in the Berlin museum confirming the person of Ashpenaz; the inscription reads: “Ashpenaz, master of the kings eunuchs” – so once again confirming the historical accuracy of Daniel.

The practice of carrying away the best and brightest of a conquered nation was a good strategic move. Firstly it meant that you rob that nation of its future leaders, and secondly it would help to keep the conquered nation in subjection, knowing that its favourite sons were ‘hostages’ under the ruling regime. The ancient cultures knew that the wealth of a nation is not its silver and gold but its youth; if the next generation were to be destroyed the empire would crumble. What a contrast to today where our youth are being systematically destroyed by the eroding of morals and a sense of accountability. Today we send our young people to the humanist training camps we call universities where morals and the fear of God are sucked out of them and then we commission research agencies to try to discover why suicide among young people is so high, why teenage pregnancy is out of control, why violent crime is on the increase etc. etc. Can we really be surprised when Evolution underpins almost all further education, teaching young people that we are here by chance, we are nothing more than animals and that there are no absolutes? Evolution is anti-God and anti-science. The Bible tells us that “the fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’” (Ps 14:1) and that “the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom 1:20) In other words, by the study of things that are made, i.e. science, we can clearly see that there is a God. This is what our young people need. This is what Daniel had! He trusted God and would not be defiled, even though he was now over 1500 miles away from home and accountability.

Ashpenaz was the man appointed by Nebuchadnezzar to oversee an intensive three-year training program, where, no doubt, Daniel and his Jewish friends would be ‘nourished’ and re-educated in the Babylonian ways and customs to go on to serve the king as his advisors.  As we will see, what the ‘world’ sees as ‘nourishing’ seldom is.

Part of this training programme was subtle indoctrination. By changing their names they would begin to sever the ties with their homeland and the remembrance of their God. With Babylonian names they would start to fit into Babylonian culture and eventually this would become ‘home’. This merging into the culture and forgetting your past was a successful tactic for the Babylonians as can be seen in the fact that after the exile, only 50,000 Jews returned home; the rest had taken root in Babylon.

• Daniel, whose name meant ‘my God is Judge’ became ‘may Bell protect you’.
• Hananiah meant ‘God is gracious’, he became ‘Alumin by Rah’.
• Mishael was ‘Who is like the Lord’, he became ‘Who is like Acou’.
• And Azariah’s name was changed from ‘The Lord helps’ to ‘The servent of Nebo’.

How much this change of names influenced Daniel’s thinking can be seen in the fact that only once does Daniel call himself by this new name, and it only appears ten times in total in the book – including this occurrence. Yet he uses His Hebrew name 75 times. Bill Cooper points out that Daniel intentionally miss-spells this new name so as not to give any honour to the false Babylonian god!

Verse 8 is one of the most incredible in the Bible. In the midst of all this compromise and idolatry, with the pain of separation from his homeland still raw, we read:

“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself”

What an incredible statement by a 14 year old boy. And even more remarkable when you try to picture the following:

A 14-16 year old Daniel and his friends leave Jerusalem and travel for weeks across desert terrain. Suddenly they see a city in the distance. As they get closer the scale becomes clear. This is a city that is 15 miles per side, walls that are 330ft high and 80ft thick – wide enough for the Babylonians to have chariot races around the walls – six a breast! 250 towers are around the walls; 80ft brass gates reflecting the sun and shining for miles around, and the infamous hanging gardens that were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world with the Euphrates river running through the city. Babylon had orchards and vineyards inside the city as well as grazing for the herds; pine trees and all kinds of foliage – in the middle of a desert! It was completely self-sustaining so that in the event of a siege they could simply shut the gates and carry on life as normal.

There were over 200 open alters throughout the city, 153 different temples including one that had an 8 mile perimeter. Another had a perimeter of 3 miles. One table from the temple of Merodach was 40ft long and 6ft wide made from pure gold. The city was about 225 square miles inside, which is about 4-5 times the size of London today.

Into all of this come these four young Hebrew boys. You can hear the taunts: ‘Don’t tell us about your God – He’s the one whose temple we have just ransacked in Jerusalem, and we’ve brought all of His golden cups and bowls and shields to put them in the temple of our gods – you better start worshipping our gods, they’re the ones with real power!’ ‘You don’t want to keep those Hebrew names either, people will make fun of you – being named after that God, you need new names that people here will respect. Daniel, what’s the use of being called ‘my God is Judge’ from now on you should be called ‘may Bell protect you’.  Hananiah, there’s no point being called ‘God is gracious’, if He was, you wouldn’t be here would you! ‘You can be ‘Illuminated by Rah’. Mishael, people will laugh if they hear you being called ‘Who is like the Lord’, so why not be ‘Who is like Acou’ one of our gods. And Azariah, you need to rethink your name ‘The Lord helps’, after all you are not in Jerusalem but Babylon. You should be called ‘The servant of Nebo’. Now what would be the problem with eating a bacon sandwich? Or maybe an Oyster? Or having a glass of the kings wine? After all Daniel was now a long way away from those who would disapprove, what harm would it do and who cared in Babylon anyway, everyone else would be doing it and no one would think less of him?

This was the temptation facing these young teenage boys, yet we read: “He purposed in his heart…” This was not a spur of the moment decision but a way of life that Daniel was not prepared to compromise for anyone or anything. As Joseph in Egypt had rejected the lust of the flesh for the sake of his God, so did Daniel. Purity was the key; but it is so easy to give in, you only have to do it once and there’s no going back. Once contaminated, even just a little bit, it is no longer pure. May we too purpose in our hearts not to give an inch to sin.

“How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Rom 6:2)

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Rom 6:11)

“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Rom 13:11-14)

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Of course, Ashpenaz was understandably concerned at Daniel’s request to have a kosher diet. If these boys didn’t turn out looking fit and healthy, he would lose more then just his job!

However, after the 10 day trial proposed by Daniel, Ashpenaz could see that these Hebrew boys were looking fitter and healthier than the others. So in a move that must have caused some murmurings in the camp, all the trainee royal advisors were put on the ‘Daniel Diet’ of ‘pulse and water’!  Can you imagine how this went down with all the other captives! In all seriousness, this may have been the start of Daniel’s unpopularity with his colleagues that we see fester and grow in the subsequent chapters.

Daniel purposed in his heart as a 14 year old, and as we will see, nothing has changed by the time he is in his 90’s. In the last verse of chapter 1 (v21) we read that ‘Daniel continued…’ What a testimony, what a challenge!

May you be blessed by this study and, like Daniel, purpose in your heart to not be defiled by anything of this world!

The post Daniel Ch1 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Introduction to this study:

The book of Daniel is one of the best-loved books of the Bible; it gives us the story of ‘Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego and the fiery furnace’ and ‘Daniel in the lions den’ – stories that many of us learned and loved at Sunday school. However the years have come and gone and we so often tend to just skip over those quaint little stories without them having any real impact on our lives; however, I believe that once we have completed a serious verse-by-verse study of this amazing book we will never be the same. This book gives us real perspective, it helps us to see things the way that God sees them – the way Daniel saw them.

Daniel, whose name means ‘God is my judge’, was just a teenager, probably about 14, when the Babylonian army, led by king Nebuchadnezzar, came and took him and his friends away from all they knew, and carried them away into a distant land. It’s hard for us to imagine the feelings and emotions of a 14-year-old being taken from the security of a family, not knowing if he would ever see them again. Although we are told that there was not a righteous man in Jerusalem at that time (Jer 5:1 / Jer 8:5-6), (hence the reason for God bringing His judgment), it would seem that there were still some God-fearing mums, for Daniel and his friends had been brought up to know and fear God and even their names were a continual reminder of the God of Israel. But would that be enough? After all, how many young people today, after seeing all that Daniel saw, and enduring all that he endured, would make a stand for God in the midst of a pagan culture? How many of our young people leave home and go to the University of ‘Babylon’, where secular humanism rules, and find their once vibrant faith destroyed as they become ‘free’ to do what they want, as the moral constraints and stability of a loving family (church and/or home) become just memories? And how many of us can truly say, as we are thrust out into the world every Monday morning, that we desire purity more than worldly pleasure?

Do we really fear God and shun evil as Job did? (Job 1:8). Do we run from temptation like Joseph? (Gen 39:12). Or do we find ourselves dropping the odd expletive (Col 3:8), telling a ‘funny’ course joke to our colleagues so that we will fit into the crowd (Eph 5:4), maybe telling the odd little ‘white’ lie (Col 3:9). “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?” (James 3:10-11). Were you in church praising God last Sunday, and then blending right back into the world on Monday? I heard of a man who went up to a Christian once and asked: ‘You’re a Christian aren’t you?’ The Christian replied ‘That’s for you to tell me’ – i.e. it should be obvious to all around us. Too many Christians act as secret agents, never wanting to blow their cover.

Daniel hadn’t been in Babylon for five minutes before they could tell what the most important thing in his life really was. It is my earnest prayer and desire that by the time we reach the end of this study, we too can say along with Daniel that we have ‘purposed in our hearts that we will not defile ourselves’ – no matter what the cost.

Overview of the book of Daniel

The book of Daniel records the collapse of the nation of Israel and the beginning of the ‘times of the gentiles’ – a period of time that will last until the Messiah returns to set up His kingdom (‘thy kingdom come…’) and sit on the Throne of David (see Luke 1:32) (i.e. the throne of Israel) ruling over all nations from Jerusalem:  “And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up” (Acts 15:13-16)

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Luke 13:34-35)

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:2-4) (We will deal more fully with this whole idea of  ‘Replacement Theology’ – the lie that God has finished with Israel – in part 2 (chapters 7-12) of our study).

As we will see, the book of Daniel is very much a book of prophecy, foretelling the history of the world in advance; from the time of the Babylonian empire of Nebuchadnezzar, to the final world empire of Antichrist, and then ultimately into the Millennial reign of Jesus.

Many of the prophecies in this book have now been fulfilled, however chapters 2, 7 and 9 contain prophecies of vital importance if we are to have a biblical understanding of the times we are living in. This book details what we can expect on the near horizon as world events play out to their ultimate conclusion as we approach the imminent return of Jesus.

We will deal with it in detail when we get there, but the prophecy in chapter 9, known as ‘Daniel’s 70 weeks’, is possibly the most remarkable prophecy in the entire Bible and provides undeniable proof that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah. In fact, so accurate are the prophecies in this book that it has led many critics to claim that it must have been written after the time of Christ – a claim that is easily refuted by the facts! Nevertheless, the book of Daniel has come under great attack from the (self-titled) ‘Higher Critics’ and sceptics and we will deal with some of their claims and objections as we go through our study.

The book can be divided into two main sections, the historical  (chapters 1-6), and the visions (chapters 7-12). Also of note is the fact that the section of the book that is dealing with the gentiles is written in Aramaic, as opposed to Hebrew (which makes up the rest of the book).

The Chronology of the Book of Daniel:

606 B.C.           Chapter 1 – Israel’s captivity in Babylon begins, Daniel deported

604 B.C.           Chapter 2 – King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream

c.588 B.C.        Chapter 3 – Nebuchadnezzar’s image & the fiery furnace

571-563 B.C.    Chapter 4 – Nebuchadnezzar’s pride and fall

c.552 B.C.        Chapter 7 – Daniel’s vision of the four beasts

c.550 B.C.        Chapter 8 – Daniel’s vision of the Ram & He-goat

539 B.C.           Chapter 5 – Babylon falls to the Persians – the writing on the wall

c.538 B.C.        Chapter 6 – Daniel in the lions den

537 B.C.           Chapter 9 – Daniel’s vision of the 70 weeks

c.535 B.C.        Chapters 10 – The Spiritual War

c.535 B.C.        Chapters 11-12 – Closing visions

As we have noted, Daniel was just a teenager when he was deported to Babylon in 606 B.C. Josephus records that he met Cyrus at the gates of Babylon in 539 B.C., and we know that he served under king Darius the Mede (who reigned in the province of Babylon under Cyrus). Therefore, we see that Daniel’s ministry stretched into his late 80’s, and saw him serve as ‘prime minister’ under two successive world empires – a feet unparalleled in history. But as Daniel records at the end of chapter 1, it was God alone who had lifted him up. His is the power, glory might and dominion, He alone rules in the kingdoms of men.

Pre-eminence, Purpose, Purity & Prophecy

The sub title of this study, ‘Pre-eminence, Purpose, Purity & Prophecy’ is an apt summary of the book.

Pre-eminence because the book shows time and again that it is God who rules in the kingdoms of men (Dan 4:17 / 4:25 / 4:32). It is He who orders the steps of a good man (Psalm 37:23), indeed, “Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” (Prov 20:24). This was the basis of Daniel’s life, a confident assurance that whatever happened on the outside, however desperate things seemed to be, God was still on the throne, the One who is the same, yesterday, today, forever (Heb 13:8).

Purpose for two reasons:

Firstly because this book underlines the fact that God has a purpose for all that happens in our lives, as Daniel and his friends show – who would have thought that these teenagers who were dragged away in shackles would be the ones to bring the most powerful nation to its knees? Paul reminds us: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28).

Secondly, purpose because “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” (Dan 1:8). In this context the ‘purpose’ referred to is a determined conscious decision that is made in the heart  “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt 6:21). Daniel’s treasure was to do the will of God regardless of what others thought or said, as we will see in chapter 6: “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed,[that everyone should worship king Darius alone or be thrown to the lions]  he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.” (Dan 6:10). Oh for men and women who purpose in their hearts to serve God. In the New Testament Paul purposed in his heart to preach the gospel: “But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.” (Acts 20:24 TLB) “…woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16), as a result of this purpose of heart we read: “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures” (Acts 17:2). For these people, serving God was a way of life, not just a ‘Sunday thing’. The challenge for us as we go through this book is: are we really living lives worthy of our calling? (Eph 4:1 / Col 1:10 / 1 Thess 2:12).

Purity. Because of Daniel’s purpose of heart, there was a beautiful purity about Daniel (as there was with Joseph). It is so easy for us to get tainted by the world and our surroundings, but when we do, it can so quickly escalate out of control. Chuck Smith sums it up clearly and concisely, “The flesh is never satisfied”. Chuck Missler comments that the more you feed a desire, the more you need to feed that desire; if you give into drink, you will need more drink to be satisfied, but then that will not be enough. If you take drugs, you will soon need more drugs to feed your habit; but that will not be enough. If you lust after the flesh, you will find yourself wanting more and more. If you gossip, one little story is never enough. Sin will always take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. If you have a tin of pure white paint, how many drops of black paint would it take to stop it being pure white? And so it is with our lives. Daniel never gave in; and twice in the book of Ezekiel God points to Daniel as an example of what a righteous man should be like. (Ezekiel 14:14 /20). May God put us through His crucible to remove the dross so that, like pure gold, we become reflections of His glory.

Prophecy. This needs no explanation other than to say that prophecy is one of the infallible and undeniable proofs that God has given us to show that His word is true (see 2 Peter 1:19). Jesus Himself in Matthew 24 pointed to a prophecy in the book of Daniel as the key to understanding the end-times, yet it is astonishing that so many Christians are ignorant regarding the prophecies in the Bible. Job said: “Why, seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?” (Job 24:1). Jesus held the Jews accountable for not understanding the prophetic scriptures, and rebuked the Pharisees because, although they could predict the weather, they didn’t understand the signs of the times.

Facts about the book

Author: Daniel – how do we know? Because seven times we read “I Daniel…” and secondly because Jesus said Daniel wrote it (Matt 24:15). “If you don’t believe what Jesus said you’ve got much bigger problems than the authorship of Daniel!” – Chuck Missler

• Daniel uses his own name 75 times.
• When was it written?: About 606-530 B.C.

Statistics:

• 27^th book of the Bible;
• 12 chapters,
• 357 verses;
• 11,606 words;
• 16 questions;
• 218 verses of history;
• 79 verses of fulfilled and 60 verses of unfulfilled prophecy;
• 7 commands;
• 4 promises; and
• 6 messages from God.

Scope: From king Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon in 606BC to the establishment of the Messianic kingdom in the Millennium.

Main characters:

• Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah.
• Gentile kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Cyrus, Darius

Daniel is one of only a few people in scripture of whom no sin is recorded, Joseph being another – this doesn’t mean they didn’t sin, Romans 3:23 makes that clear, but in this way they become a type of Christ.

Daniel is called ‘beloved’ (Dan 9:23 / 10:11 / 10:19), the same title is given to John in the NT. Both Daniel and John were given revelations of the climax of world events. It appears that God reserves His most intimate secrets for those who are His beloved. The church is also called His beloved (Rom 9:25) – i.e. these secrets are for us – what a privilege!

It is recorded by Josephus (a Jewish historian) that in 332 B.C. Jeduthan, a Jewish high priest, met Alexander the Great at the gates of Jerusalem and presented to him a copy of the book of Daniel. Upon showing Alexander the prophecies about himself in the book, Alexander was so impressed that he spared the city!

Historical Background:

The book of Daniel begins with an historical statement – something the critics try to obfuscate, yet there is no getting away from the fact that Daniel is a book of history as much as it is a book of prophecy.

Therefore, in preparation for our verse-by-verse study through Daniel is would be profitable to do a crash course in ancient history, to give us some of the background of the times that Daniel lived in and to set the scene.

Israel as a nation became divided during the reign of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. The northern part of the nation became known as ‘Israel’, the southern part as ‘Judah’. Israel went from bad to worse and God sent prophet after prophet to warn them to repent or face judgment. All of this is recorded in the books of Kings and Chronicles. There was not a good king among the kings of Israel and so eventually God allowed the Assyrians to conquer Israel in around 722 B.C.

Judah was not a great deal better, with many bad kings who did not seek God but indulged in idolatry. However there were a few good kings such as Jehoshaphat (2 Chron 17:1-6), Joash (2 Chron 24:1-4), Hezakiah (2 Chron 29:1-2), and Josiah (2 Chron 34:1-2).

Josiah reigned in Judah from about 641 to 609 B.C. However Josiah’s death was brought about by a strange event that is recorded in 2 Chron 35:19-27.

Assyria had been the dominating world empire, having already conquered the northern kingdom of Israel as mentioned above; but their days were numbered as God had prophesied through Nahum. In 612 B.C. Babylon and Media formed an alliance and conquered Assyria’s capital, Nineveh. Three years later Pharaoh Necho, the king of Egypt attacked Assyria and defeated it at a place called Charchemish.

In 2 Chronicles 35:19-21 we read: “After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.”

Now remember that Assyria had been Israel’s enemy for centuries – remember Jonah’s reluctance to go and preach to them? Consider also king Sennacherib’s taunts against Hezekiah (2 Chron 32). So the question has to be asked, why did king Josiah go out against Necho who was on his way to destroy Israel’s enemies? Surely Josiah should have been fighting with him if anything, not against him. The answer may be found in the opening line of verse 19: “After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple” – prepared it for what? Reading chapters 34 & 35 of 2 Chronicles we discover that Josiah had been presented with ‘the book of the law’ that had been discovered as they were starting to repair the temple. After reading it, Josiah realised how far away from God the nation had gone – the same is true today, reading God’s word will show how far from God our nation has gone.

Josiah set about restoring everything according to the law of Moses, however in verse 3 of chapter 35 he tells the priests to ‘put the holy ark in the house that Solomon had built’. Now if they were to put it in there, it was obviously not in there at that time. So where was it?

There are various theories about what happened to the Ark of the Covenant, but by far and away the most plausible is that it was taken by the Levites during the reign of king Manasseh who was desecrating everything that was holy, in order to keep it safe. It is believed that it was taken to Ethiopia, and certainly there are many legends of the ark being in Ethiopia. Recent discoveries by Bob Cornuke (Base Institute) have brought to light some compelling evidence to support this belief. What makes all of this interesting is to realise that Pharaoh Necho was not himself Egyptian, but Ethiopian! Could this therefore be the reason that Josiah went out to fight with Necho? Even Necho himself was surprised by Josiah’s actions and told Josiah that he was following God’s instructions and claimed that ‘God is with me’ – a strange comment from a gentile, unless of course he actually had the Ark!

Anyway, Josiah died in the battle and Necho went on to defeat the Assyrians as has been mentioned (and was prophesied by Isaiah in Isaiah 10:5-11). With Josiah now dead, his son, Jehoahaz became king in Jerusalem, that is until Necho, on his way back from the battle, stopped off at Jerusalem, put Judah under tribute, carried Jehoahaz away to Egypt and made Jehoahaz’s brother, Jehoiakim, king instead.

With the Assyrians conquered there was now a ‘power vacuum’ that needed to be filled. Necho was powerful, but there was a ‘new kid on the block’; a young general called Nebuchadnezzar. The king of Babylon at that time was Nabopolassar, but it was his son Nebuchadnezzar who was destined to become one of the most powerful rulers the world has known. Three years after Necho had won at Charchemish he found himself going back again, but this time to fight against Nabopolassar’s Babylon under the command of Nebuchadnezzar. Necho lost the battle and so began the mighty Babylonian Empire.

Eager to make his mark, the young Nebuchadnezzar stopped off at Jerusalem on his way home for some trophies, and here begins the book of Daniel: “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah…” (Dan 1:1) Jehoiakim was taken to Babylon but then allowed to return as a ‘vassal king’ and he reigned for another eight years. However the last five of these he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar despite the warnings from Jeremiah who faithfully continued to prophesy in Jerusalem. When Jehoiakim died (at age 36) his son Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah and sometimes simply Coniah) reigned, but only for three months and ten days (2 Chron 36:9). The Bible says he was evil in the sight of the Lord for which a blood curse was put upon him and his descendants (Jer 22:30).  (NB: as he was of the royal line from king David this poses a real problem from the coming Messiah who is to be a descendant of David, of the royal line! Spot the difference between Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogies!). So eight years after his first visit, Nebuchadnezzar came again, laid siege to Jerusalem and took Jehoiachin back to Babylon along with more captives including a certain young priest called Ezekiel. Ezekiel started prophesying from Babylon in what would have been the 5^th year of Jehoiachin; by this time Daniel would have been about 27 years old.

King Nebuchadnezzar then made Zedekiah (Jehoiachin’s uncle cf: 2 Kings 24:17) the final king over Judah. Zedekiah reigned for eleven years before he too was carried away to Babylon after once again ignoring the prophecies of Jeremiah. (see Jer 34:2-3, then Ezekiel 12:13 and finally Jer 52:8-11 for a dramatic fulfilment of prophecy – Zedekiah went to Babylon, but he never saw it!)

In Jeremiah we read: “Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.”  (Jer 52:12-14)

So Jerusalem was finally destroyed and the people of Judah were led away captive from the land to give the land the rest that it was owed. “…..To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.” (2 Chron 36:21) (See also Lev 25:2-4 & Lev 26:32-35)

Judah had seen themselves as unconquerable, after all they were God’s chosen people, Jerusalem was the city of David. This complacency had led them into idolatry. Idols had been put on the hills and even on the temple mount; sexual immorality was everywhere. All that God had despised about the Canaanites whom God had removed from the land, Israel was now doing and worse. All that God had said would destroy a nation they had embraced – if you sow the wind you will reap the whirlwind. “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Prov 14:34)

Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem three times in total; the final time in 587 B.C. he levelled the city and destroyed the temple. With the first siege began the ‘servitude of the nation’, which, as prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer 29:10), lasted exactly seventy years (based on a 360 day year – we will cover this in ch 9). The final siege began a period of time known as the ‘desolations of Jerusalem’(Jer 25:11 / Daniel 9:2), also seventy years to the day. The first period of seventy years (servitude of the nation) was ended by the decree of Cyrus in 537 B.C. Legend has it that Cyrus was met at the gate of Babylon by an aged Daniel who presented Cyrus with a scroll of Isaiah in which there was a detailed prophecy from some 200 years earlier which not only mentioned Cyrus by name, but also recorded how he would take the city, and that he would set the captive Jews free and allow them to return home to Jerusalem (see Isaiah 44:24-45:6). The second seventy-year period (desolations of Jerusalem) was ended by the decree of Darius as recorded in Ezra 6:1.

So that is our historical background for this most incredible of books! Stay with us over the coming weeks as we study verse-by-verse, chapter by chapter through the book of the prophet Daniel.

May you be richly blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Daniel – Introduction first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Palm Sunday.

It was, of course, the day we remember Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey – famously fulfilling the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 given sone 500 years earlier. We know from scripture that a ‘multitude’ of Jesus disciples spread their coats on the ground, waved palm branches and sang praises to God (actually singing from Psalm 118) as Jesus rode by. That much tradition has passed down to us. (Palm Sunday is one of the few things tradition actually gets right!).  We know too that this really angered the Pharisees! – but why?

But why was this day really so important? Why does Psalm 119 speak of this specific day saying “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalms 118:24).

Did you also know that not only Zechariah but Daniel also recorded details of this specific day 500 years before it happened?

David spoke of this day one thousand years before it came to pass! That is mind-boggling! Try to think of an event on a specific day that will take place 1000 years in the future!

But we discover that even Moses recorded details about this day almost one thousand five hundred years before!

In fact, we can go back two thousand years before this day, to the time of Abraham, and find it alluded to in Genesis 22!

So what is really so special about this day? Why does this day stand out from the crowd and demand our attention?

The answer lies in one of the greatest conundrums in the Bible!

Jesus came to reveal Himself to Israel and the world, right? So why, for almost His entire ministry, did He play-down who He really was? He constantly told people He healed to not make him known! “See you tell no man” was Jesus’ reply to those who wanted to shout abroad His greatness. He even silenced evil spirits from revealing His identity: “And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.  And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known“. (Mark 3:11-112). Incredibly, after feeding the 5000 the multitude wanted to crown Him and make Him their king there and then! But “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone” (John 6:15).

Whilst all this ‘downplaying’ his identity was going on, another strange phenomenon was taking place. On a number of occasions, Jesus’ enemies came to take Him by force to silence Him. Yet each time Jesus simply walked through their midst as if protected by a spiritual force-field! They just could not touch him!

But then, on Palm Sunday everything changed! Jesus not only allowed the crowds to worship Him as the Messiah (“Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD” ( Psalms 118:26 )), He actually arranged the whole event, telling the disciples to go and get the donkey, and riding into Jerusalem as a king (just as Solomon had ridden into Jerusalem as a king in 1 Kings 1:38). When the Pharisees tried to silence the disciples Jesus retorted that even the stones would sing out His praise, such was the significance of this day!

So why this day? Why reveal Himself now?

Because this was the one and only day, prophesied by the angel Gabriel (and recorded by Daniel) when the Messiah would reveal Himself to Israel!

The prophecy is found in Daniel chapter 9, and foretells the exact day that Israel’s Messiah would come – and He did! But although a group of His disciples acknowledged it, the nation slept on in their ignorance and unbelief. They missed the ‘time of their visitation‘ (Luke 19:44). As a result, Jesus pronounced national blindness upon them – which Paul tells us in Romans 11:25 will last until ‘the fulness of the Gentiles be come in‘.

The significance of this day to Jews and Gentiles alike cannot be overstated!

It stands as a testimony to a God who is outside of time and can tell the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:9-10) foretelling events thousands of years before they happen. It stands as a warning to not neglect the prophetic scriptures and the signs of the times, and it stands as a reminder that the Gentiles have been ‘grafted in’ to the family of Abraham by faith.

¹⁹ Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. ²⁰ Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: ²¹ For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. ²² Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

Romans 11:19-22

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Palm Sunday – one of the most important days in history! first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this study John takes us through the incredible account in Daniel chapter 3 and looks at the prophetic implications and the lessons for us today.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study!

The post Daniel Chapter 3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

The events that led to this Jewish celebration were recorded in advance in the book of Daniel,  hundreds of years before 167 B.C. when the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanies desecrated the Jewish Temple, leading to the Maccabean revolt, and the miracles commemorated by this feast.

It is worth pointing out that there are a staggering 135 fulfilled prophecies from Daniel 11:2-35. Bible critics hate Daniel chapter 11 because it offers irrefutable proof that the Bible is the Word of God; for no man could accurately predict, with such detailed precision, the rise and fall of world empires, the political manipulating and deception of successive kingdoms, and the battles that would be fought. We need to remind ourselves, that all of this was recorded hundreds of years before the prophesied events actually took place.

The Apostle Peter talks about the ‘more sure word of prophecy’ that we can depend upon, far more so than any emotion or feeling. Throughout scripture, prophecy confirms the Word and shows it to be true. Sceptics will continue to doubt these things, yet with each archaeological discovery, they are forced to withdraw their theories and accusations as the evidence continues to mount in support of the Word of God. “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

In this study, Adrain explains that Antiochus Epiphanies (whose name means ‘the shining one’) was a part of the Seleucid Empire that had come to power following the death of Alexander the Great. According to the book of 1 Maccabees, and other historical records, Antiochus IV was the 8th king of the Syrian dynasty, reigning from 175 – 164 B.C. He ascended to the throne after the death of his father and imprisonment (by Rome) of his elder brother, Seleucus Philopator. Yet Antiochus was not the rightful heir, for Seleucus had a son. However, by flattery and bribery Antiochus succeeded in becoming king. He invaded Egypt and defeated Ptolemy VI, but on his way back he stopped off at Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was situated right in between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires, and acted as a ‘buffer zone’ in between the two rival kingdoms. As you can imagine, the Jews were not very enamoured by this and tried to resist. In response, Antiochus plundered and desecrated the temple and even went as far as sacrificing a pig on the alter. He tried to do everything he possibly could to offend the Jews as can be seen from the following record from 1 Maccabees:
“And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah: he directed them:
– to follow customs strange to the land,
– to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary,
– to profane Sabbaths and feasts,
– to defile the sanctuary and the priests,
– to build alters in sacred precincts and shrines for idols,
– to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, and
– to leave their sons uncircumcised,
They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they [the Jews] should forget the law and change the ordinances. And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die”

Antiochus (in a dress rehearsal of what the coming Antichrist will do) put an idol in the temple and stopped the daily sacrifices.

A Jewish priest, by the name of Mattathias, was so incensed by the desecration of the temple and the erecting of an idol in the holy place that, not only did he refuse to worship this idol, but also started killing the Hellenistic Jews* who did. (*Jews that had adopted the
Greek culture and lifestyle). As a result of this, he and his five sons were forced to flee into the wilderness. After Mattathias’ death about one year later, his son Judas Maccabeus (whose name meant ‘hammer’) formed an army and led a revolt against Antiochus IV, which in 164 B.C. was eventually successful in overthrowing the Seleucid control of Israel. When the Jews finally entered the temple they found only one days supply of the consecrated olive oil that was needed to maintain the light on the great seven-branched lampstand called the ‘Menorah’. According to the Law of Moses, this was to be kept continually burning. The Jewish Talmud records that the priests poured the oil into the seven lamps and lit them to bring forth light. Miraculously, the one day supply of oil burned for eight days – which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate new oil!

To commemorate this event the Jews added the Feast of Chanukah, also called ‘Festival of Lights’ or ‘Festival of Rededication’ to their annual feasts. The scriptural endorsement of this feast is confirmed in John 10:22: “And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch.” (John 10:22-23).

You can listen to the audio on this web page, or save it for listening to later.  We have also made available the Powerpoint slides (in PDF format) that outline the key points of this study.

We hope and pray this teaching will bless you and encourage you to undertake your own personal study and adventure in God’s Word!

The post The Feast of Chanukah first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel served as a chief adviser to two successive world empires, a feet unrivaled in history. Yet he was a man that loved God more than wealth, fame or position. We read that he ‘purposed in his heart not to be defiled’. How we need Daniel’s today that will take their stand for God, even if that means being thrown into a lions den (ch 6), and then trust God with what happens. The first six chapters of Daniel are mainly historical. In this study we pick it up in  Chapter 5, where we have recorded the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C. to the Persian army under Cyrus the Great. From Chapter 7-12 we find a series of dramatic dreams and prophetic visions that are breathtaking and so detailed that many critics have tried to say Daniel must have been written after the events! For example, in chapter 11 we find 135 prophecies in just 34 verses – all of which have been fulfilled to the letter and are now a matter of history! Yet there are still a number of prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled in the days we are living in – including the fulfillment of the ‘Seventy Weeks’ prophecy recorded in chapter 9. Arguably this is the most incredible single prophecy in the Bible, and may well have been what Peter was thinking of when he spoke of the ‘more sure word of prophecy’ as being a more tangible and irrefutable proof of the authority of God’s word than even his own eye-witness experience.

Paul warned Christians not to be ignorant, and Daniel is a book that all Christians need to be acquainted with if we are to understand the signs of the times.

May this overview prompt you to undertake your own study of this divinely inspired book.

The PDF slides are from the PowerPoint presentation used during the teaching session.
You can listen to the audio on this web page, or save it for later listening.

The post Session 28 – Daniel 5-12 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Daniel, whose name means ‘God is my judge’, was just a teenager, probably about 14, when the Babylonian army, led by king Nebuchadnezzar, came and took him and his friends away from all they knew, and carried them away into Babylon. In the first four chapters we see Daniel’s introduction to ‘the bright lights of the city’ of Babylon, and his subsequent rejection of all the world had to offer in favour of his God. We see him rise to 2nd in the kingdom and being appointed chief of the Magi (based on a prophecy Daniel revealed to them, it would later be the descendants of these Magi who would travel from the east to visit a Baby born in Bethlehem). We also witness the revealing of a dream that would foretell world history for the next three thousand years, and have profound significance to you and I today! We see his three Jewish friends taking a stand against the ruler of the world, refusing to bow down to his image, and then a proud king humbled before Almighty God.

The scope of this book, as with the other major prophets, takes us from the collapse of the nation of Israel and the beginning of the ‘times of the gentiles’, to the return of Christ and His millennial kingdom.

May this overview prompt you to undertake your own study of this divinely inspired book.

The PDF slides are from the PowerPoint presentation used during the teaching session.
You can listen to the audio on this web page, or save it for later listening.

The post Session 27 – Daniel 1-4 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.