Pastor Barry stressed several times the “God protects His own”. Comparisons with the Book of Revelation were again highlighted. The significance of the 144,000 Jews in the end-times is outlined.

There is a section dealing with the events and behaviour in Gaza in the present day. On top of this, the fact that God is good, loving & just was stressed.

More details of Ezekiel’s vision follow, in the context of the nature of the “Mercy Seat”

The concept of “God’s presence leaving” a person or group is dealt with at some length, refering to several people and instances in ancient and modern times. The nature (and behaviour) of The Holy Spirit is expounded here (ref Saul, David, Samson, Ichabod, …).

To conclude, there is the clear assertion and substantiation that the salvation of believers “is assured”.

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PS1: ::: NEW FORMAT of the transcript.
To ease the processing and preparation of the transcript, and we hope improve the readability of the text, a new format was adopted in mid October. This breaks the text into sentences instead of arbitrarily-sized “paragraphs”. When the reader opens the file in a program such as Notepad (in MS Windows), then the appearance can be just like a newspaper column. The format is such that the user has many options available, depending on preferences and what software they like to use.
Any feedback on usefulness, improvement suggestions, or whatever, would be most welcome.

PS2 ::::: TRANSCRIPT OF THE SERMON
There is a “button” labelled “Save Video” (or “Download Video” sometimes). This actually links to a text-file to download. It is a transcript of the sermon. At present it is at an experimental stage: it is an aid to getting the most out of the sermon audio. There is no substitute for listening to the verbal delivery of a sermon. However, searching through an audio file lasting the best part of an hour can be somewhat difficult. When you approach the search knowing that you’re sure there is something about “redemption”, for example, then a transcript text-search can take you right there and show you the time in the recording where you will find it! The file is simple “text” rather than a more sophisticated form so that you can edit or reformat as you prefer. This transcript is in 2 forms (in the one file). One half consists of normal text arrangement. These ‘blocks’ were at purely arbitrary boundaries (boundaries were inserted at about 800 character intervals, purely to avoid having one huge unbroken deluge of text, i.e. no attempt at grammatical accuracy). The format has now been changed as described above in PS1. The other section is short bunches of words (8 to 12 nomally) beneath the TIMES at which they occur (for the whole sermon).
This facility is in development (“experimental” as mentioned above) so any feedback on usefulness, improvement suggestions, or whatever, would be most welcome.

The post Ezekiel Chapters 9 & 10 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Ezekiel doesn’t just talk, he acts, he demonstrates, he graphically portrays. With great persistence!

Three major events were prophesied: Seige of Jerusalem; acting out many small details; about Israel being scattered among the nations (The Gentiles).

Pastor Barry made the following points as he went along:
– Israel was to be scattered (across the world)
– Lots of laws about eating
– Cooking with dung as heat source (Ezekiel given the choice between two types!) – designed to provoke horror in the people who saw it!
– Activities were designed to attract attention and provoke strong reactions
– Rationing of food & water made obvious
-The various conditional rulings are also given (“if this then that, otherwise …!.!)

A large section is devoted to the arithmetic of the lengths of sections of the history of Israel and the detailed prophecies defining them. Pastor Barry even describes a computer program that is provided by astronomers for examining planetary and stellar movements and which he used for examining times between specified dates, or dates that arise after a specified number of days.
Several examples are presented and the correspondence between prophecies and the dates of recent events is “staggering”.
Ezekiel’s hair plays a prominent part in the next section. The prophetic significance of cutting it (the shock-value) is detailed. Other defilements and their consequences are outlined. The modern-day situation of the Jews around the world is mentioned.
By the end of chapter 5 the pile of many punishments has grown!

In chapter 6 the land itself is being prophesied against!
The comparison with today – the idols that people set up for themselves – is touched on next.
A working out of prophecies which began in 1867 is described in some detail next (right up to the 1948 climax).
The Lord’s lament over the behaviour of the Israelites is highlighted and then God’s motives in the events that He is going to bring about are noted (“God wants to bring Israel back to him”). The progress along the way to that goal is noted (i.e. “Still in progress”)
Pastor Barry finished with the current trend of history and the likely worsening of Israel’s problems (as foretold by Jeremiah “The time of Jacob’s trouble”) but with the hope of a good outcome.

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PS1 ::::: TRANSCRIPT OF THE SERMON
There is a “button” labelled “Save Video” (or “Download Video” sometimes). This is actually a text-file. It is a transcript of the sermon. At present it is at an experimental stage: it is an aid to getting the most out of the sermon audio. There is no substitute for listening to the verbal delivery of a sermon. However, searching through an audio file lasting the best part of an hour can be somewhat difficult. When you approach the search knowing that you’re sure you heard something about “redemption”, for example, then a transcript text-search can take you right there and show you the time in the recording where you will find it! The file is simple “text” rather than a more sophisticated form so that you can edit or reformat as you prefer. This transcript is in 2 forms (in the one file). One half consists of normal text arrangement of paragraph-blocks. These blocks have purely arbitrary boundaries (i.e. no attempt at grammatical accuracy). The boundaries are inserted at about 800 character intervals, purely to avoid having one huge unbroken deluge of text. The other section is short bunches of words (8 to 12 normally) beneath the TIMES at which they occur (for the whole sermon).
This facility is in development (“experimental” as mentioned above) so any feedback on usefulness, improvement suggestions, or whatever, would be most welcome.

The post Ezekiel Chapters 4-6 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Chapter 36 comes in for particular focus: “in the entire Bible, this is a wonderful chapter. It speaks of the regathering.” Strong recommendation for books by Dave Hunt appears, concerning reasons for the current state of affairs. The relation of Chapters 38 & 39 to what might soon come about is mentioned. Activities of Russia and Middle East countries are related to all these things too. Names of countries and their derivations from the names of people way back in the time of Noah provides a very interesting section.

The next section deals with the developments concerning the building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem, other events in progress around the world and sequences and timetables related to these events. In conclusion Pastor Barry briefly summarizes the general picture of the return of The Lord Jesus Christ.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

PS2 ::::: There is a “button” labelled “Save Video” (or “Download Video” sometimes). This is actually a text-file. It is a transcript of the sermon. At present it is at an experimental stage: it is an aid to getting the most out of the sermon audio. There is no substitute for listening to the verbal delivery of a sermon. However, searching through an audio file lasting the best part of an hour can be somewhat difficult. When you approach the search knowing that you’re sure you heard something about “redemption”, for example, then a transcript text-search can take you right there and show you the time in the recording where you will find it! This transcript is in 2 forms (in the one file). One half consists of normal text arrangement of paragraph-blocks. The other is short bunches of words beneath the TIMES at which they occur (for the whole sermon).
This facility is in development (“experimental” as mentioned above) so any feedback on usefulness, improvement suggestions, or whatever, would be most welcome.

The post Ezekiel – Part 2 (Overview & Introduction) first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

NB: The presentation included videos embedded in the PowerPoint file. Rather than subject the visitor to a complex PPTX file (121 MB) the material has been provided as a PDF file as usual (4.5MB). The locations of the videos are clear because an insert-picture is visible in the frame. The sound component of the video can be heard in the audio file which is part of this sermon-package and that also appears in the transcript text.

PS1 — Transcript to follow very soon :-)

PS2 ::::: There is a “button” labelled “Save Video” (or “Download Video” sometimes). This is actually a text-file. It is a transcript of the sermon. At present it is at an experimental stage: it is an aid to getting the most out of the sermon audio. There is no substitute for listening to the verbal delivery of a sermon. However, searching through an audio file lasting the best part of an hour can be somewhat difficult. When you approach the search knowing that you’re sure you heard something about “redemption”, for example, then a transcript text-search can take you right there and show you the time in the recording where you will find it! This transcript is in 2 forms (in the one file). One half consists of bunches of 6 or 7 words beneath the TIMES at which they occur (for the whole sermon). The other is the normal text arrangement of paragraph-blocks.
This facility is in development (“experimental” as mentioned above) so any feedback on usefulness, improvement suggestions, or whatever, would be most welcome.

The post What Time Is It ?!? first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

It’s curious that after this sermon we should hear on the news of the record-breaking earthquake in eastern Russia!

The church is going to be very prominent in the symptoms of the decline of …

The parable of the wheat and the tares is examined in some detail.

The Seven Churches in Revelation are again examined and parallels drawn with modern-day groups and behaviours.

What will happen to the believers while that wrath of God is being poured out? They will be taken to a place of protection and not be exposed to it.
The Earth will be inherited by the meek (The Church == Jews & Gentiles)

There is clarification of the meaning of “Rapture”: It’s being physically taken from the earth to heaven without dying.
The existence of seven examples in scripture is noted (not all examined here).

Aan extensive section deals with the questions “Why?” and “When?”
Four reasons for the church needing to be raptured are examined in some detail.
The “When” question is answered in contextual terms, i.e. NOT in the form of “24 of September 2027”, but in the form of “when ‘A’ happens, ‘B’ will follow and then The Rapture will soon follow”

The post Countdown to Judgement Part 3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

The link to “Download Video” is again for downloading the TRANSCRIPT and time-index for the text (first draft whilst in the experimental stage)

The post Countdown to Judgment: Pt2 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

This sermon by Pastor Barry begins a description of the progress we are making towards Judgement Day. The first section today covers the broad picture of what is involved and a few definitions of terms. The later part gives several examples of how the predicted behaviours of people match what has been foretold in scripture in these days shortly before the “end times” (with particular emphasis on CHURCHES going astray and preaching doctrine contrary to scripture).

PS 1 ::::: The audio file has some moments when the recording was unclear. Efforts have been made to resolve this and the recording has been improved. There are, however, some words that are not unambiguously discernable. These points are greatly aided by (a) following the slides as you listen (one particular word in 1_Corinthians 10v11 is a very good illustration – it is no longer is present in our vocabulary) and (b) consulting the transcript.

PS 2 ::::: There is a “button” labelled “Save Video” (or “Download Video” sometimes). This is actually a text-file. It is a transcript of the sermon. At present it is at an experimental stage: it is an aid to getting the most out of the sermon audio. There is no substitute for listening to the verbal delivery of a sermon. However, searching through an audio file lasting the best part of an hour can be somewhat difficult. When you approach the search knowing that you’re sure you heard something about “redemption”, for example, then a transcript text-search can take you right there and show you the time in the recording where you will find it! This transcript is in 2 forms (in the one file). One half consists of bunches of 6 or 7 words beneath the TIMES at which they occur (for the whole sermon). The other is the normal text arrangement of paragraph-blocks.
This facility is in development (“experimental” as mentioned above) so any feedback on usefulness, improvement suggestions, or whatever, would be most welcome.

The post Countdown To Judgement: Part-1 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Paul’s assertion that Israel’s current spiritual blindness is temporary, and a future restoration assured, is not merely his opinion, but is firmly rooted in Old Testament prophecies. The sheer volume of scripture dedicated to Israel’s disobedience, dispersion, regathering, and restoration underscores its centrality to God’s redemptive plan.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Romans 11 28-36 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Not only does the Apostle Paul state that Israel’s national spiritual blindness will be removed, but he tells us when it will happen, and the circumstances that will lead to it.

This topic is key to understanding scripture and the times we are living in.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Romans 11:26-27 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In these verses Paul begins to lay out the fact that Israel had every opportunity to respond in obedience to the Word of God, but instead they ‘would not’, and so their ‘house was left unto them desolate’. (see Matt 23:37-39)

Paul drives home the simple fact, using Abraham and Moses as his witnesses, that righteousness does not come through our works – however well intentioned – but by God grace alone. The Law was given to reveal to us God’s perfect standard, and to show that we can never attain to that standard. But Christ came and fulfilled the Law, offering to exchange our sin for His righteousness, so that we can be declared ‘not guilty’ before a Holy God.

As has been said; He paid a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a price we couldn’t pay.

We conclude by considering just how important the Word of God is to our faith.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Romans 10:1-17 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In Matthew 23:37-39 Jesus outlines Israel’s past, present & future.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings…

This tells us the purpose of all history: that God might gather His children together. (Jerusalem is a synecdoche for all of Israel).  The image of the mother bird gathering and covering her brood is a familiar one. Moses used it in his farewell sermon (Deut. 32:11). It is a picture of love, tender care, and a willingness to die to protect others. Jesus did die for the sins of the world, including the nation of Israel: but “His own received Him not” (John 1:11).

Israel’s past is the underlying theme of Romans chapter 9.

and ye would not!  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

As Chuck Missler says: The purpose of all history was that God might gather His children together. The tragedy of all history is that through disobedience and rejecting their Messiah, Israel ‘would not’, and consequently ‘her house has been left desolate’, with the Jews scattered around the world.

This sums up Israel’s present condition and is the underlying theme of Romans chapter 10.

For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Jesus left the nation with a promise: He would one day return, the nation would see Him and say, “Blessed be He that cometh in the name of the Lord!” This is a quotation from Psalm 118:26, that great messianic psalm that was quoted so many times in His last week of ministry. The crowds had used those very words (Matt. 21:9). This is a statement of the hope Israel has, and that Paul alludes to, that the Nation of Israel will be regathered and restored, albeit a remnant.

This future hope is the theme of Romans chapter 11.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The PowerPoint slides used in the study are available for free download.

The post Romans 10 – Introduction first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In his clasic work, ‘Church History in Plain Language’ Bruce Shelley stated: ““1 Corinthians fixes belief in the historical resurrection of Jesus as the indispensable basis of salvation”

In this study on 1 Corinthains chapter 15, we consider Paul’s words which do indeed place the resurrection as the indispensible basis of salvation and the Christian faith. Without the fact of the resurrection we (as Christians) have no hope and no assurance that our sins are forgiven. The resurection of Jesus gives us both!

As Theoosus Harnack said: “To me Christianity stands of falls with the Resurrection!”

May you be blessed by this teaching.

This study was given by Pastor Barry Forder on 31st March 2024.

The post 1 Corinthians Ch15 12-58 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this study, we continue Paul’s admonition to the Corinthian believers to consider others before ouselves. Our lives should show forth the love and compassion we have recieved from God. Our freedom and liberty should never become a stumbling block for another believer.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post 1 Corinthians Ch10:13-33 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

You know the traditional Christmas story right? You might know ‘the truth’ about Christmas… But do you know the other Christmas story?

By the time December comes around, the other Christmas has been been sung about for weeks. Supermarkets and Shopping malls have been declaring it; yet 90% of churches in this country deny it! Bible colleges will not teach it and world governments actively seek to undermine it.

It is not politically correct, but scripture gives 8x more print to the other Christmas story than to the traditional one!

Listen to pastor Barry as he takes you through this study that gives all Christians a reason to celebrate Christmas!

May you be blessed and encouraged by this teaching.

(The PowerPoint slides used in this teaching are available for free download – in PDF format)

The post The Other Christmas Story first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this study of 1 Corinthains chapter 6, pastor Barry takes us through this chapter vers-by-verse and highlights how Christians should stand out in today’s world in our morality, attitudes and actions. The world is so focussed on its ‘rights’! Everyone is now quick to demand ‘their rights’ even at the expense of another, and sadly this mindset is as prevalent in the church today as it was in the church of Corinth in the 1st century. 

However, Paul askes the question,  “Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” (1 Cor 6:7). In other words, rather than demanding justice, demanding our rights when someone wrongs us, should we not just leave the matter with the LORD? In the book of Romans, Pauls says: “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”  (Romans 12:19).

We are quick to demand what we think we rightfully deserve; but remember that we rightfully deserve the wrath of God, not His grace! It is His grace that has forgiven us a debt we could not pay because Christ paid a debt He did not owe! 

The next time someone wrongs you – and they will! – don’t seek retribution or justice, respond by showing grace, the grace imparted to you by His Holy Spirit.

The late Oswald Chambers went to Bible College in Dunoon, Scotland, where the principle was Duncan MacGregor. Oswald Chambers once commented of MacGregor: “I never knew him in a controversy in my life. He always let the other man have it all his way. I have known him to be defrauded over and over again; but I never knew him to be defrauded without knowing it.”

Let that be our witness, showing Grace to those around us because we have received the greatest Grace!

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

This teaching was recorded on 19th Novemeber 2023.

The post 1 Corinthians Ch6 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this concluding session of our 3-part mini-seies on ‘The Inheritance of the Saints’ was given by pastor Barry on 17th September 2023. 

In this final part we look at the day that is coming, referred to by the Apostle Paul as ‘The Judgment Seat of Christ‘ and what is means (or should mean!) for us now.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post The Judgment Seat of Christ first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

This topical study – given on 10th September 2023 – is a continuation of our theme from last week, looking at ‘The Inheritacne of the Saints’ amd what awaits us in Heaven. 

In this study pastor Barry reminds us of the faithfulness of God who is not unjust to forget our labour and the love we have shown to others in His Name, but rather has promised us eternal rewards for our obedience and faithfulness. 

It is easy to get weary in doing good, to sometimes feel that it’s not worth all the effort when we seem to see so little fruit at times; but that is precisely when we need to take hold of the shield of faith and let scripture remind us that we will reap in due season if we don’t lose heart, and as the Apostle Paul affirms, our labour is not in vain. 

We need to keep on keeping on as we see the day of rejoicing drawing near!

May you be refreshed and encouraged by this teaching.

The post The hope laid up for us in Heaven first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

This first part of a three-part topical study on ‘The Inheritance of the Saints’ was given by pastor Barry on 3rd September 2023.

The Bible says much about what we can expect in our eternal home, yet so often it is not thought about or considered.

In this study we ask what Heaven will be like? Why does the Bible speak of our eternal home as a tangible hope we should have? Why should our understanding of Heaven shape the way we live our lives here and now?

The PowerPoint slides used in this study are available for free download.

May you be encouraged and strengthened by this study.

The post Looking Forward To Our Heavenly Home first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

The PowerPoint slides and notes used in this study are available for free download.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Luke Ch21 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

The PowerPoint slides used in this study are available for free download.

For more teaching by Pastor Matt, go to https://calvarychapelmaidstone.uk

The post The Kingdom Parables first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this study we look at the incredible events of Palm Sunday. Why was this day so important? Why did Jesus hold Israel accountable for not knowing the significance of this day, and why did Jesus pronounce national blindness on Israel for ‘missing the day of their visitation’?

The answer is found in a prophecy recorded over 500 years beforehand in the book of Daniel chapter 9 – one of the most astonishing prophicies in the Bible!

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The PowerPoint slides used in this study are available for free download.

The post Luke Ch19:45-48 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

As we continue our study in the Gospel of Luke we see Jesus drawing closer to Jerusalem. In this study we consider the events of Palm Sunday and see how Jesus orchestrated the events to intentionally fulfil the prophesies of Zechariah and Psalm 118.

These are some of the most amazing prophecies in the Bible.

May you be blessed an encouraged by this study.

The post Luke Ch19:1-44 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Unfortunately, there is no audio recording for this study, but the PowerPoint slides used in this study are available for free download.

The post Luke Ch18:1-14 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this study we see 10 lepers healed by Jesus, as yet a further demonstration that He was indeed the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. The lepers were then sent to the High Priest, according to the Law of Moses to confirm their healing and to offer the sacrifices prescribed by the law. Throughout Israel’s history there had never been a case where leprosy ad been healed, the priests had never had to turn to Leviticus 13 and follow the instructions. Now, a single leaper had been healed back in Luke 5:12 – that had been remarkable enough! But now ten more lepers turn up at Caiaphas’ door for him to inspect and pronounce clean! You have to wonder at the hardness of Caiaphas’ heart to still reject Jesus as the Messiah in the face of such amazing evidence! 

Then, on the back of these healings, Jesus answers a question put to him by the pharisees regarding the coming Messianic kingdom. Maybe these healings had prompted the question as to whether Jesus really could be the Messiah? If so, what did HE have to say about their current predicament under Rome, and the Old Testament promises of a restoration of David’s throne?

The Jews were expecting the Messiah to establish His throne, overthrow the oppression of Rome and rule the nation from Jerusalem. Thier expectation was not wrong! Even the disciples were expecting Jesus to do the same – remember Peter’s boldness in the garden of Gethsemane, as he reaches for his sword? Was this to be the moment the insurrection against Rome would begin? Peter clearly jumped the gun! But it was exactly what the Messiah was to do, as confirmed by the Spirit-inspired words of Zechariah:  

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,
which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies
might serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him,
all the days of our life”.   Luke 1:68-75  (emphasis added)

Even the Angel Gabriel declared to Mary that her Son “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 1:32-33 (emphasis added)

[Even after the Resurrection – in Acts 1:6-7 – the disciples asked if finally now was the time for the kingdom to be restored to Israel? Jesus doesn’t say ‘Guy’s you’ve got it all wrong’! He confirms it will happen, but just not yet!]

So it is, here in Luke 17, Jesus explains that the kingdom was already there and among them. He was ‘with them’, although they did not recognise Him, but it was also to come – a real physical kingdom on Earth, centered in Jerusalem, with the Messiah ruling and reigning over the whole earth (Daniel 2:35 / 2:44-45), and Jesus also reveals that, whist they were curious about the coming kingdom now, the days would come when they would long to see the days of the Messiah’s deliverance and rule – but they would not see it, because two things must first happen:

1. The Messiah must suffer and be rejected by that generation (according to God’s plan that the Messiah must first give His life as a ransom for many),
2. Deception must also come, to the would world (2 Thes 2:11) but particularly to the Jews (John 5:43).

Jesus then makes it clear that when the kingdom does finally come, it will obvious to the whole world, just as lightning flashing across the sky. However, that time will also be accompanied with great trial. The world will carry on pursuing their ungodly lives and lifestyles but then, just as suddenly as destruction came on the world in Noah’s day, and as it was in Lot’s day, ‘sudden destruction will come upon them as labour pains upon a pregnant woman’ (1 Thess 5:2-3).

“Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,
cruel both with wrath and fierce anger,
to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light:
the sun shall be darkened in his going forth,
and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
And I will punish the world for their evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease,
and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible”. (Isaiah 13:9-11)

For the Jews living in Israel in those days it will be unimaginable! Zechariah records:

“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)

Jeremiah records: “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.” (Jeremiah 30:7)

The amassed armies of Antichrist will gather together at Armageddon ready to march against and destroy Israel (Rev 16:16). But then, in their greatest hour of need, Israel will cry out to Yeshua (Jesus), their Messiah whom they will, by then, acknowledge – with repentant tears – to be their Messiah (Zech 12:9-14), and He will return from Heaven and take vengeance on His (and Israel’s enemies). (see Isaiah 63:1-6).

Whlie all of this is unfolding on earth, the Church will be safely with the LORD in heaven: (John 14:1-3 / 1 Thes 4:16-18)

“Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers,
and shut thy doors about thee:
hide thyself as it were for a little moment,
until the indignation be overpast.
For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:
the earth also shall disclose her blood,
and shall no more cover her slain.” (Isaiah 26:20-21)

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 5:9)

However, rather than simply enjoying the wonder and joy of Heaven, it seems from the book of Joel that we (the Church) will be called upon to interceed for Israel during this time of Tribulation. We read:

“Blow the trumpet in Zion [Heaven?],
sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders [cf Rev ch4:4  / 5:8],
gather the children, and those that suck the breasts:
let the bridegroom [Jesus] go forth of his chamber, and the bride [Church] out of her closet.
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar,
and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord,
and give not thine heritage to reproach,
that the heathen should rule over them:
wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”  (Joel 2:15-17)

The Jews will be preserved, Jesus the Messiah will return to establish and rule in the throne of David forever, and the Church will rule and reign with Him!

To be continued…

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

Please consider joining us each Sunday as we continue to study God’s word, as we see the day drawing closer!

If you would like to support this ministry, you can donate here: https://www.calvaryportsmouth.co.uk/product/make-a-donation/

The post Luke Ch17:11-37 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

This also brings us to the end of our study in the Minor Prophets.

Throughout the Minor Prophets we have seen God’s faithfulness to the Nation of Israel, keeping His covenant with the nation that had been given to Abraham; yet God is a just God and Israel, before being restored, must be judged for her sins as a nation.

Malachi draws all of this to a close and calls for a people who will offer sincere offerings from the heart out of a love for the God that has called and chosen them.

Malachi also introduces us to two great voices who will ‘prepare the way of the LORD’. Firstly, John the Baptist, who prepared the way at Christ’s first advent, and then Elijah who will return and prepare the way for Christ’s 2nd Advent!

May you be blessed and  encouraged by this study.

(The PowerPoint slides used in this study are available for free download)

The post Malachi Ch3-4 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this concluding study in our verse-by-verse journey though Zechariah we see Zechariah reiterate the LORD’s promises to His people, Israel.

They will be blessed and one day dwell in peace and safety in their land, but first there must come a time of testing – the time of Jacob’s troubles (Jer 30:7), but though two-thirds of the Jews remaining in Jerusalem will be killed by the armies of Antichrist, Israel will emerge from this fire victorious because the LORD will fight for them.

These chapters allude to some huge geographical and meteorological changes to come and we get a glimpse of just how unlike anything the world has yet seen the ‘Day of the LORD’ will be.

This incredible prophetic book leaves us in no doubt that the kingdom Jesus told us to pray for really is coming! He will soon rule and reign over the whole earth from Jerusalem; the nations of this world will become subject to Him, and the unconditional promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be fulfilled.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this book and this study.

The post Zechariah Ch13-14 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In these incredible chapters the answer is given as to why God has not yet poured out on Israel the blessings that were foretold and promised back in chapter 10.

• “This Chapter explains why the blessings and promises of the previous chapter are in abeyance for Israel. By rejecting their true Shepherd-Messiah at his first advent, they will experience rejection themselves, climaxing in their accepting of the false shepherd in the time of their greatest woe”. – Dr Chuck Missler

Zechariah reveals that, following the Babylonian captivity, rather than repenting and turning to God, Israel’s ‘shepherd’s (their national leaders) had continued the same unjust and corrupt behavior that brought judgment on the nation before. So, in the same manner, there will be a time of woe and desolation for the Nation before the time of blessing (already foretold in this book) will begin.

God had made a covenant with Israel to keep the gentile nations restrained so long as Israel  walked with God. But if they forsook that covenant God would forsake them and scatrter them among the nations of this world – but even then His grace and mercy would hear their cry, when in their anguish they repented and called out to Him.  See Lev 18:24-30 / Deut 4:26-31 / Deut 28

Chapter 11 opens with the declaration that judgment was coming from the north (vs 1-3), not this time from the Babylonians, but rather from Rome.

In verse 4 however, prior to the judgment coming, God calls for the Messiah, Israel’s Shepherd, to feed the flock, even though they would reject His words.

• The Shepherd depicted by Zechariah can only be the Messiah. The reason they were called “the flock of slaughter” sprang from the fact that slaughter was their irrevocable destiny, just so long as the Jews preferred their own evil shepherds to the True One. Zechariah’s instruction here to “Feed the flock” refers to Christ himself coming into the ranks of the Chosen People to instruct and lead them in the paths of righteousness. “Last of All“* God sent his Son in the hope of averting their self-motivated dash to destruction”   – James Coffman#

Verses 6-11 then proceed to lay out the coming judgment where Israel will be handed over to the gentiles.

In verse 12-13 we see the prophecy of Israel’s rejection of their Messiah at the hands of Judas, for 30 pieces of silver – the price of a slave. The tragic irony of this is that, not only did Israel reject their true Shepherd, they will embrace a false shepherd – Antichrist.

Jesus Himself said: “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive”. (John 5:43)

Verse 15-17 introduce us (again) to this false-shepherd who will come in his own name, and seek to devour the sheep!  – so much so that Israel will face the greatest affliction in their history  at the hands of Antichrist during the coming time of Tribulation (referred to by Jeremiah as the ‘time of Jacob’s trouble’ – Jeremiah 30:7).

Antichrist will bring together the nations of the world in an unprecedented wave of antisemitism, and Jerusalem – a city mentioned over 800 times in the Bible – will become the touch-paper that will lead to the climactic battle of Armageddon.

However, in the midst of this affliction, God will pour upon Israel the ‘the spirit of grace and of supplications’ (Ch 11 v10), and they will suddenly realise that Yeshua (Jesus) is, and always has been, their Messiah! Then it will dawn on them that they have been wrong about Jesus, horribly wrong! It will produce such an intense sorrow and national mourning from the leaders of the nation to the ordinary Jew.

We see in this a Biblical principle that should fill us with great comfort; for it doesn’t matter how far away our children, family members or friends go away from the LORD, it doesn’t matter if they reject Him altogether (as Israel did Jesus), IF they repent and turn to Him, even in the lowest and hardest of times, God is merciful and, like with the prodigal son, there is a tender welcome awaiting from the Father for all who (re)turn to Him!

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Zechariah Ch11-12 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this study we see the LORD, declaring through Zechariah, that the pride of this world will be broken, and that he will restore his people.

A king is coming to rule and reign on this earth who will right every wrong, rule with justice and righteousness. This is our hope in the midst of the storms of this life.

Some find themselves prisoners to fear; some are prisoners to anxiety; some are prisoners to loneliness or emptiness; some are prisoners to the expectations of others… and the list goes on.

Those who trust in God are prisoners to hope! It is hope that constrains us, it is hope that stops us sinking beneath the waves, it is hope that will not let us give up the belief that there is a brighter tomorrow; it is hope that will not let us forget that, though weeping may endure for a night, HIS joy comes in the morning!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Prov 13:12), but our hope is sure, it is steadfast, it is an impenetrable stronghold, for it is in God Himself.  “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8).

May you be blessed and encouraged by this teaching.

The post Zechariah Ch9-10 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In the book of Romans the Apostle Paul speaks of the ‘Mystery of Israel’.

David Torrance said:

“Despite wars, persecutions and repeated attempts to obliterate them, they have kept their peculiar identity. They have remained a people apart from the other nations of the world, a testimony to the preserving hand of God. “For I the Lord do not change therefore , you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed” (Mal 3:6). “The very existence of the Jews in history, together with all that has happened to them in their long turbulent history, is proof that there is a God present and active, through His Holy Spirit, in history. By all normal laws of geography, history and ethnography, they ought as a distinct race to have disappeared long ago!”.

Most books on ‘systematic theology’ cover every major area of doctrine except one: the calling, purpose and future of the Nation of Israel. Yet 5/6ths of the Bible are devoted to the family of Abraham, and God’s unconditional promises to them.

Sadly, the erroneous doctrine that God has somehow finished with Israel has swept through the Christian church, leaving many unaware of just how important Israel are in God’s plan of redemption, salvation and restoration.

In this study we look at the Biblical origins of the nation of Israel, God’s unconditional covenants with them regarding the Nation, the Land, the Monarchy and the city of Jerusalem.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post The Mystery of Israel first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Chapters 7 & 8 are an historical interlude in the book of Zechariah, between the prophetic visions of the first six chapters and the prophetic climax to the book, from chapter 9-14.

In chapter 7 we see two individuals sent down from Jerusalem to Bethel (The House of God), to ask whether they should continue to keep the fasts they had been observing in the fifth month.

It was on the 5th month (from the 5th to the 10th day) that the Babylonian army of Nebuchadnezzar has destroyed and burned the temple and city of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. During their time in Babylon, the Jews had commemorated this time by fasting and mourning for the city and temple. But now they were back in the land the question is asked, do they need to continue this practice, after all, it wasn’t like the Feast of Moses that they were instructed to keep.

God’s response through Zechariah was to question why they had kept the fasts in the fist place. Was it for God they had done it? Or was is it for themselves? What was their motive?

God them reminds them of the Nation’s history that had led up to the captivity in the first place. It had been characterised by injustice, cruelty, and the leaders of the nation, in particular, had hardened their hearts toward God, not wanting to hear His Law or Prophets.

God now asks in effect, are your hearts still hard? Are you concerned about your ways or my ways? When you ‘celebrate’ your fasts, in the 5th month (when the city and temple were destroyed), or in the 7th month (when Gedaliah, the governor of Judah was assassinated), or in the 10th month (the anniversary of when the siege of Jerusalem had begun), are you celebrating with your thoughts on God? Or are you merely following a ritualistic practice, thinking that in some way, this makes God pleased?

God is not looking for sacrifice (or fasting), but for hearts that are His. If sacrifice and fasting follow, that is fine, but it has to be out of the overflow of a heart seeking God, and not just a religious practice.

In Chapter 8 God goes on to say how much He loves Israel, and thought He had to chasten them, He will restore them. The land will once again be filled with the young anf old living in security and prosperity, and the whole world will know that the Lord is with Israel.

This will not be fully realised until the Messiah returns and sits on the Throne of David, ruling over the whole earth from Jerusalem.. but God Has promised and is able to perform it! (Rom 4:21)

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Zechariah Ch7-8 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this study we look at the last of a series of eight visions that the prophet Zechariah had in one night. Each vision unveiled a little more of God’s plan to restore and rebuild the nation of Israel following the Babylonian captivity. The scope of these visions takes us from 518 B.C. when Zechariah had these visions, to the time ahead of us when Jesus will return to establish His kingdom on Earth.

In this eighth vision Zechariah sees two ‘mountains’ in juxtaposition, as if squaring up for battle. These may well represent the kingdom of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of this world, for we see that in the midst of them come riding four horsemen and chariots that bear a striking resemblance to the four horsemen we see in Revelation chapter 6. These are angelic beings that are ushering in a time of judgment, after which Israel’s enemies will be silenced and our King & high priest  will be crowned.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this teaching.

The post Zechariah Ch6 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Zechariah had a series of visions, all apparently in one night. These visions not only gave comfort to Zechariah and the remnant that had returned from captivity in Babylon at that time, but also prophetically outline significant events that will take place as God restores His people Israel and readies the earth for the Millennial reign of Christ.

In the 4th vision Zechariah sees a menorah – the 7-branched lampstand that God gave Moses the instructions to build for the Tabernacle in Exodus 37.

In Revelation chapter 1, Jesus tells us that this lampstand, that was made from one solid piece of pure gold and hammered into shape, is an idiom of the Church. The Church also is one body in Christ, hammered into shape by our Master craftsman’s tender love and moulding. We are purified through the testing of our faith (see James 1: 2-3). As with the menorah we are to be filled with the oil of His Holy Spirit and bear His light to all around us.

Either side of this (that is, either side of the Church), Zechariah sees two olive trees, representative of the Nation of Israel. It is no coincidence that following the return from Babylon, God dealt with Israel up until the time they rejected their Messiah (see Luke 19:41-44). Whilst the early Church was indeed entirely Jewish, it soon became clear that the Gospel was to now go to the gentiles (see Acts ch10). Though many Jews believed, as a Nation, Israel’s eyes will remain blinded ‘until the fulness of the gentiles has come in’ (See Romans 11: 25-26).

God gives Zechariah comfort, declaring that the Temple will be rebuilt, that all the problems then facing the Nation of Israel, that seemed like a mountain to overcome, would be levelled. God’s promises to Israel would be fulfilled, not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit. It would be God’s Spirit that would be breathed upon and indwell the Church. The Church would be a work of Divine grace for Jew and gentile alike.

From what we read in scripture, following the Church-age, God’s attention will be once again wholly turned to Israel. Zechariah’s attention in then focused upon the two olive branches (seemingly as distinct yet part of one of the olive trees).  Zechariah is told that these are two anointed individuals that will (one day) stand before God, to serve Him.

We see these two individuals appear again in Revelation ch 11, as two witnesses whom God will raise up to preach to the world after the Church has been removed at the time of the Rapture.

They will perform miraculous signs and wonders as a witness and demonstration of God’s omnipotence and sovereignty during the first three-and-a-half-years of the coming time of Tribulation.

Zechariah Chapter 5 also seems to foretell an event that will occur during this time.

All false religion began in Babylon at the time of Nimrod and the Tower of Babel, shortly after the time of the Flood (see Genesis 10). Throughout the ages, false religion has taken many forms and faces, but Revelation 17 & 18 reveal that a One World religion is on our horizon, that will come under the umbrella of the Roman Catholic Church. This religious system has and will exert incredible pressure and influence over the kings of the earth, and Zechariah sees that it will eventually return to the plain of Shinar (modern Day Iraq) where Babel was located. There God will use the kings of the earth to pour out His wrath and judgment on this ‘abomination’ that has kept so many from the truth. Isaiah 13/14, Jeremiah 50/51 and Revelation 17/18 all foretell this coming judgment that was birthed and will be consumed in Babylon.

May you be blessed and encouraged to study God’s Word more as we see these day’s approaching!

The post Zechariah Ch 4-5 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Zechariah was part of the new generation of Jews born back in the land following the Babylonian captivity.

On night, God gave Zechariah a series of visions to encourage and strengthen the hearts of the people, and to reveal to them what their future would be; and even though the Devil himself would stand against them, God was on their side. God had chosen Jerusalem and see that His chosen people would eventually prosper and be at peace when their Messiah would one day establish His kingdom, not only over Israel, but over the whole earth.

In this 4th vision, Zechariah sees his friend and co-worker, Joshua, the High Priest, standing before the throne of God. Satan is there accusing him, tying to discourage him and pointing out his unworthiness – and in type, Israel’s unworthiness to stand before God. But God intervenes and silences Satan. God has chosen Jerusalem; Joshua’s sin is taken away and Joshua’s filthy robes are replaced by clean and perfect garments. As Joshua stands before God on behalf of his people, he is crowned with a mitre. The word mitre derives from the Greek mitra, which signifies a headband or diadem (royal crown).

For Joshua’s faithfulness and obedience God promises him that he will “judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by” (Zech 3:7), in other words, be given the rule over the people and over the whole land.

This is the vision, and no doubt, it was a great encouragement to Zechariah, Joshua and the returned exiles; but this was more than just a vision of the present. It was a vision of what will be for the Nation of Israel, and for the whole world.

The Hebrew name ‘Joshua’ (Yeshua) means ‘The Lord Saves’; and when translated into Greek, is the name Jesus! Thus, this whole vision depicts Jesus standing before the throne of the Father on behalf of His people – both Jews and Gentiles. Satan, ‘the accuser of the brethren’ (Rev 12:10), constantly brings accusations and tries to make us think we are unworthy, that we are clothed in ‘filthy rages’ (our best efforts and our sin) none of which is befitting a child of God! But God declares that we have been ‘plucked from the fire’, pulled out before we were consumed by His wrath, because He has pronounced us clean!

We have been clothed in His righteousness because our Joshua (Jesus) took our sin and filthiness’ upon Himself…  “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21).

The problem of sin, which is the root of all suffering, sickness and death, which began in a garden some 6000 years ago, was dealt with once and for all, on a cross in Judea. It was all paid for in one day.

In the same way that all who have put their faith and trust in Jesus now are cleansed in a day, so one day, Israel will realise that Yeshua is their Messiah and will repent and put their trust in Him.

Our Messiah will return, receive the throne His Father will give Him, and then rule over the whole earth. The Gentiles will be at peace and Israel will dwell safely in their land.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Zechariah Ch3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

The book of Zephaniah was written to the Jews who had returned from captivity in Babylon. The principle message was one of hope for the future of the nation of Israel, but Zechariah also writes to stir up their love for God who had delivered and preserved them, and who would deliver and preserve them.

Zechariah himself was part of the new generation of those born back in the land, but he opens this book by giving the warning that Israel’s forefathers had not heeded the warnings of the prophets, and as a result had brought judgment upon themselves – specifically the 70 years of captivity in Babylon. To whom much had been given much was required! Israel should have been a witness and a blessing to the world, instead they had become an object of ridicule among the nations – nations whom God had then used to judge His people. But those nations had gone too far; they had overstepped their remit and dealt cruelly with Israel. God was not ignorant of this and through Zechariah a solemn  warning is given that God will not sit idly by while the gentiles afflict His people Israel.

God gives the young (17 yrs old?) Zechariah a series of 8 visions in one night that prophetically span the time from the return from Babylon to the 1st coming of the Messiah, to the 2nd coming of the Messiah. In these visions God unveils his love for His people Israel, His view of the gentile nations who had scattered and afflicted His people, and His plan to restore and bless national Israel, in fulfilment of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The eight visions are:

• 1. Man Riding on a Red Horse 1:7–17
• 2. Four Horns and Four Craftsmen 1:18–21
• 3. Man with a Measuring Line Chap. 2
• 4. Joshua the High Priest Chap. 3
• 5. The Golden Lampstand & 2 Olive Trees Chap. 4
• 6. The Flying Scroll 5:1–4
• 7. The Woman in a Basket 5:5–11
• 8. The Four Chariots   6:1–8

As we go through each of these visions, we will see that they are all connected and each successive vision builds on the one before, painting a picture of the past, present and future of Israel.

May you be blessed and encouraged as we study this book.

The post Zechariah Ch1 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Israel had returned from Babylon in 537 B.C. following the decree of Cyrus to allow them to return home. 19 years later the prophet Haggai stepped onto the scene and declared “Consider your ways”! In just a few months the heart of the people had changed from one of fear to one of boldness and the foundation of the Temple, that by then had lain in ruins for 89 years, was started.

Two months after Haggai started to preach, another young jewish man, in his mid to late teens, part of the new generation of  Jews born in the land, stood up to reveal a series of 8 visions God had given him in one night. These visions were so profound they challenge world governments and the religious establishment even to this day.

As we begin a journey though this incredible book, we will have unveiled, the history and future of the nation of Israel from their return from Babylon, to the first coming of Messiah, and then to the second coming of Messiah. We will see God’s verdict pronounced on the gentile nations of this world for their mistreatment of Israel, and God’s ultimate plan to bless the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when the LORD God Himself will rule over the whole earth from Jerusalem.

In the opening verse of chapter 1 we are given a brief genealogy of Zechariah: “the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet”. 

There are no meaningless details in the Bible, and this opening statement is an example of that fact, for in this list of names are a statement that sets the tone for the whole of this book.

• Zechariah = “Whom Yahweh Remembers.”
• Son of Berechiah = “Yahweh Blesses.”
• Son of Iddo = “The Appointed Time.”

This book of Zechariah is the account of a God who remembers, and who blesses His people at the appointed time!

May you be blessed and encouraged as we journey through this book.

The post Zechariah – Intro & Ch1 1-2 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In Chapter 2, Zephaniah lays out the coming judgment upon the gentile nations surrounding Israel, for two key reasons: 1) they had not been content with the land allotted to them by the Lord and had wanted more – at Israel’s expense, 2) they had treated Israel cruelly and provoked God’s wrath.

In chapter 3, the attention turns once more to Israel’s leaders, who were given ample opportunity to change their ways, yet continued in immorality and injustice. God reminds them He had been in their midst all along and seen everything they had done, now it was time to give account!

Then Zephaniah zooms out to show that what took place in 606 B.C. and the following years, was a dress rehearsal for the ‘main event’ that is due to be played out on the world’s stage any moment now!

Just as God had judged the gentile nations in Zephaniah’s day, so He will gather all the nations of the world together as sheep and goats. Those who have treated Israel well, will be granted the joy of entering the millennial kingdom of Jesus. Those who have treated Israel with contempt will be destroyed, just as Philistia, Edom, Assyria and Babylon were long ago.

Zephaniah ends with a wonderful song of praise to the God who faithfully kept His word to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give their descendants the land of Israel as a possession forever. The dispersed of Judah will return to their land from all the nations they had been driven to. There will be peace, healing, justice and joy. God will rule over the house of Israel and they, through their affliction, will come to the place of loving and serving their God and Messiah.

May you be blessed and encouraged by the faithfulness of our covenant-keeping God!

The post Zephaniah Ch2 – 3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

This first part of our two-part study in the book of Zephaniah was given by pastor Barry Forder at Calvary Chapel Portsmouth on 13th March 2022.

Zephaniah was the great grandson of king Hezekiah. In the opening verse He traces his genealogy back through four generations, possibly to demonstrate his right to speak and his understanding of the corruptness of Judah’s kings. Following Hezekiah there had been over half a century of evil rule by Manasseh and Amon, but then, 8 year old Josiah came to the throne, surrounded by Godly influences – including his cousin, Zephaniah.

Zephaniah’s thunderous message of the coming wrath of God on account of Israel’s idolatry clearly had an impact on this young king, for in 2 Chronicles 34 we read:  “in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about. And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.” (2 Chron 34:3-7).

The threefold theme of this book is

–1) The sin of Israel

–2) Judgment on Israel’s neighbours (Gentile nations)

• 6 specific nations are mentioned by name

–Philistines / Cherethites / Moabites / Ammonites / Ethiopians / Assyrians

–3) The restoration under Messiah

The key phrase is ‘the day of the Lord’, occurring twice (vs 1 & 14 of Ch1), but alluded to 12 times.

• Chapter 1:7 – the day of Jehovah
• Chapter 1:8 – the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice
• Chapter 1:9- the same day
• Chapter 1:10 – that day
• Chapter 1:14- the great day of Jehovah
• Chapter 1:15-16- a day of wrath, of trouble and distress
• Chapter 1:18- the day of Jehovah’s wrath
• Chapter 2:2 – the day of Jehovah’s anger
• Chapter 2:3 – the day of Jehovah’s anger
• Chapter 3:8 – the day that I rise up to the prey, says Jehovah
• Chapter 3:11- that day
• Chapter 3:16- that day

The prophecies in this book span history, speaking to the days in which Zephaniah lived of the coming judgment on Judah at the hand of the Babylonians; but it also speaks with uncomfortable clarity into our own times of the “day of the LORD” which is on our imminent horizon.

Arend Remmers said: “The whole book makes it clear that Zephaniah looks far ahead of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem on to that dreadful day of Jehovah, the day of His anger and judgment, upon which however will follow the blessing of the millennial reign of peace”.   

Zephaniah’s name means “The Lord hides [His precious ones]”, and one of the greatest truths revealed in this book is that God not only gives people and nations time to repent before bringing judgment, but that when the judgment finally comes, He will provide for, protect and even remove His own prior to pouring out His wrath.

This should come as no surprise as we see ‘the Judge of all the earth’ doing right (Gen 18:25)  and removing Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah before His judgment fell. David echoed this principle in Psalm 27 when he declared: “For 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”. (Psalm 27:5).

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul reminded the Thessalonian believers of the coming ‘day of the LORD’, but stated that 1) we are not in darkness that this day would overtake us, and 2) that God has promised us a way of escaping the coming time of judgment, for we are not appointed to wrath, but rather are to ‘hidden in the day of the LORD’s great judgment’. (See 1 Thess 5:19). Jesus Himself confirmed that there would be a “way of escaping these things” in Luke 21:36.

200 years before Zephaniah, Isaiah records “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.”

It is clear from this verse that the ‘indignation’ Isaiah refers to is the coming ‘day of the LORD’. In agreement with Zephaniah 2:3, the promise is made that the meek of the earth will be hid during this time.

Many Christians are ignorant of the Rapture of the church, the very thing Paul said we should NOT be ignorant about!

The Rapture is the fulfilment of a number of specific prophecies. Firstly, it fulfils the promise of Jesus to come back and take us to a place He has prepared for us (See John 14:1-3). Second, it fulfils the need for the Holy Spirit indwelt Church to be removed in order that the “mystery of iniquity can be revealed” (2 Thess  2:6-8). Thirdly, it is the time when the Heavenly Bridegroom will come and claim His bride, with the blowing of the Shofar (Ram’s horn), taking her back to Heaven for the marriage supper where Jesus will drink from the fruit of the vine once more as He promised His disciples at the Last Supper. (See 1 Thess 4:15-18 / Matt 22:2 / Matt 26:29). Finally, it is the fulfilment of this promise (Zephaniah 2:3) that the humble (meek) among the repentant Gentile nations, who seek righteousness, will be hid BEFORE His wrath is poured out on this idolatrous and unbelieving world.

When God used the Babylonians in Zephaniah’s day to bring judgment on Judah, there was no one who could say they had not been warned. Both Israel and her gentile neighbours had been given ample warning by God’s prophets.

Just so today. God has given ample warning. We have seen pestilences, earthquakes, famines, wars and rumours of wars. These are just the beginning. It is going to get much worse. Today is the day of salvation.

24 times in this short book we find ‘I will…’ statements of God. God is not going to sit passively by while morality is abandoned in the pursuit of so-called pleasure, injustice is promoted as ‘freedom of choice’, and from the classroom’s to the media, God’s Word is ridiculed and silenced in the name of inclusivity and tolerance.

Just as Zephaniah saw coming on near horizon in his day, we are entering a time of darkness, famine, war and turmoil.

There is only one place of safety, it is in the LORD God Almighty, Jehovah, Yeshua.

May you be stirred by this prophet who wrote what he did to stir all who have ears to hear!

The post Zephaniah Ch1 – Ch2v3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

On Sunday we began a new verse-by-verse study in the book of Amos.

The book of Amos is like an alarm clock going off, sharply bringing our attention to the time. It was that way when he spoke is message to Israel in around 765 B.C., and it will ring true for the days we are living in. God will not sit passively by and ignore sin. There comes a tipping point where enough is enough. God is not mocked, and His goodness demands Him to be just and bring judgment.

In chapter 1, Amos will begin pronouncing judgment on 6 of the nations that bordered Israel. These judgments would be fulfilled, probably, in Amos’ own lifetime – yet we see overtones of these judgments being ‘replayed’ today on the very same nations (or the people who now occupy the same territory).

In our introduction we noted the follow regarding this book:

•       Key Verses:

• 5:24 – “But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”
• 8:2 – “Then said Jehovah unto me, the end is come upon my people Israel; I will not again pass by them any more,”

•       Key Word:

• Punishment.

•       Key Phrase

• “Thus saith Jehovah.”

•       Key Thought:

• God’s justice demands punishment upon Israel for their injustice.

•       Key Characters:

• Amos, the shepherd, commissioned by God to be a prophet to Northern Israel.
• Amaziah, the corrupt priest of the shrine of Bethel.

•       The Author:

• It is “the words of Amos” the herdsman of Tekoa (1:1).

•       Amos’ Home

• He was a native of Tekoa, a small mountain village 12 miles south of Jerusalem, 22 miles from Bethel
• It was a lonely, sparsely populated district overlooking the wilderness of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, some 18 miles away.

•       Amos’ Name

• Amos means “burden-bearer.”
• We must not confuse him with Amoz, the father of Isaiah.
• The fact that his father’s name is not mentioned suggests that he was probably from a poor, obscure family.

•       His occupation:

• He was a humble shepherd of an ugly type of sheep with fine wool, called “noked” (7:14).
• He was also a dresser of sycamore trees, a poor quality of figs called mulberry figs.
• `”Dresser” means pincher. The unripe fruit had to be punctured to promote ripening. The fruit was infested with insects and inedible until the top was punctured so the insects could escape.

•       His Character:

“Amos, a son of the wilderness, a man of granite make, stern, fearless, self-contained, of powerful, well-knit mind, vivid imagination, and lofty bearing.”       G. G. Findlay.

He was deeply devoted to God and his law and had a special fondness for Deuteronomy. He alludes to it repeatedly

•   See 2:10 (Deut. 29:5); 4:10 (Deut, 4:30; 30:2); 4:11 (Deut. 29:23); 5:11 (Deut, 28:30-39).

His preaching was blunt, courageous, and powerful, preaching repentance. He has been called “the plumb line preacher” (7:7). He is the John the Baptist of the Old Testament.

“He was educated and a first-rate orator, using the Hebrew without blemish” – John Waddey

Reason for Writing:

• 1. To announce coming judgment upon Israel because of their idolatry and sin.
• 2. To make plain to the people of Israel what the demands of God’s service truly are.
• 3. To remind Israel that God cares for all nations and exercises sovereignty over them.
• 4. To show that all nations are expected to respect such basic rules of human conduct as integrity, honesty, purity, and fairness.
• 5. To show that cruel, inhumane treatment of one’s neighbor will negate all worship, no matter how elaborate.
• 6. To remind Israel of Jehovah’s faithfulness to his covenant and law and their accountability to a practical observance thereof.

In his first two chapters, Amos pronounces judgment against eight nations.

•       Amos prophesies God’s judgment on:

• Damascus                             1:3
• Gaza                                       1:6
• Tyre (Phoenicia)                  1:9
• Edom                                     1:11
• Ammon                                  1:13
• Moab                                      2:1

•       And then Amos speaks of judgment on..

• Judah!                                   2:4
•  Israel                                      2:6

“Each pronouncement of judgment is introduced by the words, “For three transgressions … and for four.” Baxter explains this Hebrew idiom for us: The phrase is not to be taken arithmetically, to mean a literal three and then four, but idiomatically, as meaning that the measure was full, and more than full; the sin of these people had overreached itself; or, to put it in an allowable bit of modern slang, they had “gone one too many,” they had “tipped the scale.”   (W McDonald: Believer’s Bible Commentary)

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Amos Ch1 – Ch2 vs3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

This incredible 3-chapter book of Joel lays out the history of Israel and it’s climatic future at the end of this age, during a period of time to come which the Bible calls ‘the Day of the Lord’.

Joel tells us that God will gather all the nations of this world together in the Jezreel Valley in Israel, also known as the valley of Megiddo. The coming world leader (whom we typically refer to as Antichrist), will launch an attack on Israel, who by that time will be in hiding in the Jordanian desert (the area previously known as Edom).

Just it looks as if there is no hope for Israel against this massive combined military threat, they will petition their Messiah – Jesus Christ – who will return to destroy their enemies, and then proceed to claim Jerusalem as His own, fulfilling countless prophecies and sitting on the Throne of David, from where He will rule the whole Earth!

In this study we look at John’s vision of these events recorded in the book of Revelation, as well as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah and others whom the Lord used to expound on the framework given to us in Joel.

Joel’s almost 3000 year-old prophecies are now approaching their climactic fulfilment in our lifetime. The schemes and plans of this world will soon give way to the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS!

The countdown is almost over; it is time to decide ‘who is on the LORD’s side! There will only be one Victor!

May you be stirred and encouraged to walk with Jesus in these days!

The post Joel 3 vs3-21 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In our previous studies we have seen how the book of Joel seems to prophetically outline the history of the Nation of Israel, up to and including the climactic conclusion as depicted in the last three feasts of Israel.

From the forthcoming ‘time of Jacob’s trouble’ that will commence with the Feast of Trumpets / Trumpet judgments of Revelation 8-9, the subsequent flight of Israel into the wilderness, her repentance and acknowledgement of Jesus as her Messiah, fulfilling the Feast of Atonement; concluding with the return of Jesus to deliver Israel, subdue the nations and establish His throne on Earth, marking the Feast of Atonement.

It is incredible to consider that Joel, arguably the 1st of all the writing prophets, gives us, in this 3 chapter book, such an incredible framework of the key prophetic events surrounding Israel, from the Birth of the nation to the ‘completion’ when she will walk in harmony with her Messiah.

The Framework of Israel’s past, present and future, Genesis 12 to Revelation 20, is prophetically outlined in the incredible 3-chapter book of Joel! 

In this session we focused on the first two incredible verses of Chapter 3:

V1. “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem”,

Joel gives the outline, Ezekiel gives the detail:

“Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.” (Ezekiel 37:21-28)

As an aside, these 7 verses should put an end forever to the nonsense of ‘Replacement Theology’ – the idea that God has finished with Israel, and that (somehow) all the blessings promised to Israel are now to fall upon the church. This heretical teaching was promoted by the likes of Augustine, embraced by the Roman Catholic church (for political reasons) and subsequently never addressed by the churches that came out of Rome at the time of the Reformation in Europe, such as the Church of England, Baptists, Lutherans and subsequently the Methodists, United Reformed, etc. Sadly tradition has made the Word of no effect for many!

However, Joel was not the first to declare that God would one-day bring Israel back into their own land. Way back in the Torah, Moses listed the blessings God would pour upon Israel for their obedience (Deut 28:1-14), but this was followed by the consequences of disobedience (Deut 28:15-68), including these chilling words: “And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so 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” (Deut 28:63-64).

However, as we read on in Deuteronomy, we come to a pivotal declaration:

“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).

Not only does this tell us that God, who is outside of time, knew Israel would be unfaithful and therefore scattered among the nations, but that whilst there, at some far distant point in time, they would turn to Him, and that would be enough for their compassionate God start the reversal, to undo all that had been done, to bring into effect the principle of the Jubilee, where everyone would return to their own Land, their own possession. “In the year of this Jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession.” (Lev 25:13). The law of the Jubilee also states that the land must be transferred back to its original owner, those inhabiting the Land must relinquish it and the original connection between the owner and the land must be renewed!

In the first century, in the days of the Book of Acts, a gathering took place of Messianic Jewish believers, disciples, apostles, and leaders in Jerusalem. Peter specifically links this gathering to the words of Joel 2:31-32. It was from that gathering that the door of faith would be opened to the nations, the gospel would go forth beyond the land of Israel to the nations, and the Gentiles would now come in.

But as the first century neared its end and the days of the Book of Acts drew to a close, such gatherings of Jewish believers disappeared from the world. But in-line with the ‘Jubilee principle’, in the ‘days of return’ that which had disappeared must reappear! In essence there would be a reversal. Just as that first gathering had changed the course of the world, so would another gathering, the first such gathering in two thousand years, the first such council of Messianic Jewish believers since the days of the disciples!

They came from the nations, teachers, leaders, and emissaries, to the city of London. There they worshipped, prayed, shared, declared their identity, agreed on their purpose and mission, and arrived at a resolution that the Jews needed a homeland.

1867: The Year It All Began to Change

The timing of the gathering was significant. It took place in the year 1867, in fact, to be precise, on the 14th May!

Within 2 days, the Ottoman Land Code became law, allowing ‘foreigners’ to buy Ottoman land to try to recover the debts amassed as a result of the Crimean War. Without realising what they had done, the Ottoman Empire had opened the door for Jews to buy land in Israel!

30 days after the gathering a ship set sail from New York heading for the Promised Land. On board was sceptic and author, Mark Twain (real name Samuel Clemens – Samuel meaning ‘God hears’ and Clemens meaning ‘Merciful’.  Mark Twain proved that God does hear and is indeed merciful! – for Twain unwittingly fulfilled the prophecy of ‘the stranger’ in Deuteronomy 29:22-23:

“So that the generation to come of your children that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it; And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath”:

In what he would write, Twain almost quoted these words verbatim, then published them for the world to see.

Whilst Twain was in disbelief at what had become of the Land of Israel, another visitor arrived in Jerusalem, and ‘coincidentally’ ended up saying at the same place. It was Charles Warren who, in the coming months, would literally rediscover the old city of Jerusalem!

Jonathan Cahn, in his book ‘The Oracle’ states: “In the Jubilee the connection between the land and its original owner is restored. And so the consequences of Warren’s work were to restore and strengthen the long-lost connection of the Jewish people to the land. And with every restored connection, the idea that the Jewish people, after almost two thousand years, might somehow return to their homeland began to move one more step out of the realm of fantasy.”

After nearly two thousand years of exile, the man with the measuring line reappeared in Jerusalem as a sign that God was about to bring about a restoration. A measuring line is used when one is about to build something. So then the reappearance of the man with the measuring line in the person of Charles Warren was a sign that God was about to act, to move again, to build something . . . to rebuild that which once was and had fallen . . . the nation of Israel!”

“And when else do you use a measuring line?” When there’s about to be a transference of land. So when the man with the measuring line appeared in Jerusalem, it was a sign that the land was going to be transferred … back to the original owner. The land was being prepared for the return. So it was in ancient times when the prophet Zechariah revealed the meaning of the measuring line: “A measuring line will be stretched over Jerusalem . . . And the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem”

This incredible sequence of events actually began in the year 1517, when the last ‘transference’ of ownership of the Land of Israel took place. Selim I the Ottoman prince took control of the Land, defeating the Mamluks at the Battle of Raydaniyah. The Land stayed under Ottoman rule for the next 350 years, that is  7 x 50  –  7 signifying complete, 50 being the number of Jubilee! God’s time to return the Land to His people was at hand!

1867 was the year of the gathering in London. It was immediately followed (2 days later ) by the Ottoman Land Code. That was subsequently followed by Mark Twain’s visit to Jerusalem (fulfilling Deuteronomy 29), which ‘coincided’ with Charles Warren’s visit where he rediscovered the historic Jerusalem – all this took place in 1867!

In December 1916 the government of the then British prime minister H. H. Asquith unexpectedly collapsed. The man who succeeded him was David Lloyd George. As foreign secretary, Lloyd George appointed Arthur Balfour.  Both George and Balfour were Bible believing Christians and in favor of a Jewish homeland and were suddenly lifted to the heights of world power at that critical moment. Cahn comments: “If Asquith’s government had not collapsed just when it did, what was about to happen would never have taken place. You see, Asquith was against the idea of a Jewish homeland. And it was only in that small window of time that these things could have come about. So his government had to crumble, and had to crumble just at that moment. Because it was the very end of 1916. 1917 was coming. And 1917 was the year of Jubilee. And it just happened to be the same year that the British Empire would be placed in the position of determining the future of the land of Israel. And as the Jubilee concerns the return of one’s ancestral land, so world history would now turn to the Middle East and to the land of the ancient inheritance”

As the year of Jubilee began, members of the British government held a conference concerning the future of the Land of Israel. By the middle of the year Balfour called for a draft to be made for a public declaration concerning the land. By autumn the British Cabinet was in discussion over the form the declaration would take, but it was determined that the plan wouldn’t proceed unless it had the support of the American president. On October 16, 1917, the British government was informed that the president, Woodrow Wilson, was in favor of the declaration. On October 31 the declaration was approved by the British War Cabinet. Two days later, on November 2, it went forth in the form of a letter penned by the foreign secretary.

Thus, after almost 2000 years in exile, the way was finally open for Israel to return to the Promised Land. As we know from history, that finally occurred on 14th May 1948! The city of Jerusalem was restored to Israel in the next Jubilee year in 1967!

What Joel prophesied is now unfolding before our eyes!

V2. “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”.

God’s controversy with the nations is that they have acted with complete disregard to the fact ‘the Land of Israel’ belongs to God! In fact, it is the only piece of real estate on planet Earth that God actually lays claim to, and the Bible unequivocally states that God has entrusted this piece of land to the physical descendants of Abraham ‘for an everlasting possession’! (Genesis 13:15 / Genesis 17:8 / Genesis 48:4).

Throughout the centuries nations and empires have tried to lay claim to this land, the Canaanites, the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medo-Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire, the British & French, and more recently, the United Nations. The Vatican has tried to claim Jerusalem as its  own; Islam too, claim’s Jerusalem as it’s third most holy site! (despite Jerusalem never being mentioned by name in the Quran!).  All have had denied the Biblical mandate, all have taken, divided, partitioned and otherwise done to this land whatever they will. Yet is it a land with no significant natural resource. It is not rich in oil, it’s capital is not an international sea port, in fact, for the best part of 2000 years it has been a barren wasteland. There is no intrinsic value, no gold mines like Africa or Cedar’s like Lebanon. Yet this land and the city of Jerusalem have been the most fought over land and city in the word!

Significantly, of all places on the Earth, it will be the place the coming world leader will choose to place a statue of himself!

The Valley of Megiddo (a.k.a. the Jezreel Valley / Valley of Jehoshaphat) will also serve as the staging ground for the coming world-leaders’ ill fated attempt to annihilate Israel and claim this land as his own.

The Jezreel Valley – a.k.a. Armageddon 

But God calls Israel ‘my heritage‘ and the land ‘my land‘.

At the time of the Second Coming Jesus will return to fight for Israel against the combined armies of the World under the control of Antichrist. Jesus will win!

We will conclude our study of Joel next week!

May you be blessed and encouraged to study God’s word more!

The post Joel Ch3 vs1-2 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Last week we saw how God used the real plague of locusts in Joel’s time to warn the nation of Israel, and ‘all who have ears to hear’, that another devastating judgment is coming on Israel, and indeed upon the whole earth.

Hosea tells us that God uses similitudes (models or types) to speak to us. We know that the Feasts of Israel, as well as being literal, historical events, were also given as anticipatory models of things that would come later. Last week we noted that the first four feasts of Israel find their prophetic fulfilment in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and the birth (and possibly the subsequent rapture) of the Church.

This leaves us with the last three feasts, the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles for which no prophetic fulfilment has yet taken place. It would seem from scripture that these last three feasts are specifically linked to events that will befall the nation of Israel; moreover it appears that the book of Joel becomes a model of the prophetic fulfilment of these feasts.

Remember that Joel seems to have been the first of the ‘writing’ prophets; before Isaiah, Hosea or any of the prophets who would come later and add more ‘colour’ to the outline Joel gives us.

Montague S. Mills said: “Joel, … was probably the first of the so called writing prophets; so this book provides a valuable insight into the history of prophecy, particularly as it furnishes a framework for the end times which is faithfully followed by all subsequent Scripture. God started a new work with the writing of Joel, that of preparing the human race for the end of this temporal era, and thus gave an outline of His total plan. Later prophets, including even our Lord, would only flesh out this outline, but in keeping with the divine nature of true Scripture, never found it necessary to deviate from this, the initial revelation.” 

The first chapter of Joel, as we studied last week, seems to give the prophetic summery of the nations history from the time of the Exodus (the Birth of the Nation of Israel), to the time of the Tribulation (still yet future).

Prophetically, chapter 1 seems to unveil:

• Verse 1: Introduction: God speaks! – who will listen?
• Verse 2-3: Riches to rags! – How Israel went from being betrothed & blessed by God to being cast out of their land and made to wander throughout the world.
• Verse 4: Utter destruction – the literal Locust plague the Joel witnessed as a forerunner of a far more deadly and destructive plague that is yet to come.
• Verse 5: Israel’s wake-up call! – Israel we given countless chances to return and walk with God and avoid judgment….
• Verse 6-7: Rome! – but alas, because of the Israel’s disobedience, God allowed nations to conquer and subdue them, most notably Rome! 
• Verse 8: Israel’s rejection of Messiah – rather than Israel’s betrothal leading to bliss, Israel rejected and killed their Messiah.
• Verse 9: AD 70 – Sacrifice stopped – consequently, what Jesus warned in Like 19 came upon them.
• Verse 10: AD 132 – Jerusalem ploughed – by Emperor Hadrian who wanted the Jews expelled from the Land of Israel. 
• Verse 11-12:    Worldwide diaspora & shame – history is our record.
• Verse 13: Abomination of Desolation! Sacrifice ‘withholden’   Time to flee! Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 24 etc. and warned this time would come
• Verse 14: The ‘Elders’ gathered into the house of the LORD & called to pray!  ‒A picture of the Rapture of the Church and our subsequent obligation?
• Verse 15: The Day of The LORD The Great Tribulation begins!
• Verse 16-18: Israel forced to flee
• Verse 19-20: Desperate Israel seeks refuge in the wilderness of Edom  – these last 3 points will now be expounded in chapter 2

In chapter 2 we start to see the prophetic fulfilment of the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Atonement:

The Feast of Trumpets (Joel 1:1 – 2:11)

Having already laboured the point that every detail is in the Bible for a reason, it is very likely that the Feast of Trumpets will have its fulfilment during the trumpet judgments of Revelation 8-9. According to Joel 1:1-2:11 these judgments will have a specific impact on the nation of Israel and must occur during the first half of the 7 year Tribulation period while Israel are still in their land and before they flee into the wilderness to escape Antichrist at the 3 ¹/₂   year point. The two key elements of the Feast of Trumpets as detailed in Leviticus 23 are a blowing of trumpets and an ‘offering made by fire’. In Revelation 8-9 and Joel 1:1 – 2:11 we have trumpets blown, and we know that fire is emblematic of judgment, exactly what is happening to Israel during the Tribulation.

The Feast of Atonement (Joel 2:12 – 32)

In verse 12 of Joel chapter 2 the mood changes and Israel are called to repentance. In verses 15-17 a trumpet is blown in Zion. Could this be heaven with the elders (the Bride) and the great multitude serving before the alter (see Rev 6: 9 / Rev 7:15) being called to intercede for Israel so that she be not overwhelmed by her enemies? In verses 18-19 God answers and promises to provide ‘oil and wine’ for them. Clearly this is dealing with the time that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24:15-22 when Antichrist will erect his statue (the Abomination of Desolation) in the temple in Jerusalem and Israel will flee for her life into the wilderness to ‘a place prepared for her by God’ (Rev 12:6) for the last 3 ¹/₂ years of Daniel’s 70^th week. During this time, she will be supernaturally provided for by God (Rev 12:14).

The Feast of Atonement as recorded in Leviticus 23 is a time of reconciliation to God and Joel 2:20-32 again details this time when Israel will return to the Lord their God. This is also prophesied in Hosea 5:15-6:2.

It is interesting that, as we saw in Luke 19, blindness was pronounced upon Israel because they did not know the ‘time of their visitation’. Paul explains in Romans 11:25 that this blindness will last ‘until the fullness of the Gentiles are gathered in’. Many scholars have wondered when this will occur, but surely it will be at this point during the Tribulation when significantly, the last of the martyrs (Gentiles) from the tribulation are killed for not receiving the mark of the beast. Thus ‘the fullness of the Gentiles will be gathered in’ and Israel’s blindness will be removed.

One final observation that suggests a link with this period of time and the Feast of Atonement is found in Leviticus 16, which gives the specific instructions for the Day of Atonement. What is significant is that there are two goats that are to be presented, one is sacrificed: “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat” (Lev 16:15) – this is symbolic of Christ’s death when the veil separating man from God was torn in two (Matt 27:51 / Heb10:20). The other goat is the scapegoat which three times (v10, v21 & v22) we are told is to escape into the wilderness and specifically  “unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness”. (Lev 16:22).

Finally, commenting on the verse in Leviticus 23:27, bible scholar C.I. Scofield says: “…here the stress is laid upon the sorrow and repentance of Israel. That is, the prophetic feature is made prominent, looking forward to the repentance of Israel after their regathering under the Palestinian covenant (Deut 30:1-10) preparatory to the second advent of Messiah and the establishment of the kingdom. See the connection between the trumpet in Joel 2:1 and the mourning which follows in verse 11-15.”

Next week we will conclude this study and consider Joel ch3: Armageddon, the Return of Jesus Christ and  The Feast of Tabernacles

May you be encouraged to study and walk in the Word of God!

The post Joel Ch2 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Introduction

The book of Joel. Little is known about this man, whose name means ‘Jehovah is God’, but conservative scholars place the book around 835 B.C., making it the oldest of the prophetic books and as such the subject matter is even more provocative!

The theme is ‘The Day of the LORD’; Joel uses this phrase 5 times in these 3 chapters.

The immediate context seems to have been a devastating locust plague that had come upon the land, as a judgment from God. However, Joel speak beyond his own day to the final climactic 7 years of this age; the time Jesus Himself called the Great Tribulation. Just as the locust plague of Joel’s time had destroyed the land, so will the coming time of judgment be upon this world. Isaiah would later prophesy of this coming judgment saying:

Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand;
it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
Therefore shall all hands be faint,
and every man’s heart shall melt:
And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them;
they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth:
they shall be amazed one at another;
their faces shall be as flames.
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh,
cruel both with wrath and fierce anger,
to lay the land desolate:
and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light:
the sun shall be darkened in his going forth,
and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
And I will punish the world for their evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity;
and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease,
and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
I will make a man more precious than fine gold;
even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
Therefore I will shake the heavens,
and the earth shall remove out of her place,
in the wrath of the Lord of hosts,
and in the day of his fierce anger.

(Isaiah 13:6-13)

Against the backdrop of the National calamity Joel had just witnessed, he speaks of the end of this age, the Church and the World and the ultimate deliverance for his people, Israel.

Montague Mills commented:

“Joel, … was probably the first of the so called writing prophets; so this book provides a valuable insight into the history of prophecy, particularly as it furnishes a framework for the end times which is faithfully followed by all subsequent Scripture. God started a new work with the writing of Joel, that of preparing the human race for the end of this temporal era, and thus gave an outline of His total plan. Later prophets, including even our Lord, would only flesh out this outline, but in keeping with the divine nature of true Scripture, never found it necessary to deviate from this, the initial revelation.”     

As we saw in our study of Hosea, God uses types and ‘similitudes’ to communicate to his people through His Word. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul and Dr Luke specifically tell us that the Feasts of Israel, as well as being real events to commemorate the deliverance from Egypt and the wilderness wanderings, were models in advance of Christ’s death (Feast of Passover), burial (Feast of Unleavened Bread), resurrection (Feast of Firstfruits), and the birth of the Church (Pentecost).

(See  Colossians 2:16-17 / 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 / 1 Corinthians 5:7 / 1 Corinthians 15:20 / Acts 2:1)

Joel seems to prophetically model the last three feasts in Israel’s calendar, the Feast of Trumpets (Joel 1:1-2:11), the Feast of Atonement (Joel 2:12-2:32), and the Feast of Tabernacles (Joel 3:1-21).

Outline

The outline of the book is as follows:

• Description of the locust plague

–Chapter 1  (Historical & Prophetic)

• Description of the enemy invasion

–Chapter 2: 1-11

• Divine appeal to Judah to repent

–Chapter 2:12–14

• Declaration of a fast

–Chapter 2:15–17

• Divine deliverance promised

–Chapter 2:18 – 3:21

Chapter 1

The book opens by telling us that God’s Word came to Joel. What we do know is that Joel had ‘ears to hear’, not all do. God’s Word has gone out to the whole world, but as our next prophet to study – Amos – will say, there is a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. People cannot blame God when judgment comes if they refuse to listen to what He has said through His servants like Joel.

God had warned though Moses and Solomon that He would being plagues, including locusts, on the land of Israel if they refused to walk in His ways – see Deuteronomy 28:38-39 and 1 Kings 8:37

In vs. 2&3 Joel pleads with the old men, heads of the families, the nations leaders, to look around at the devastation. Could any of them remember anything quite like this? They have the evidence before their eyes in the form of hungry people, ruined crops and starving animals. Surely, they must see that this is God’s judgment upon them?

What about our world today? Covid has ravaged the country. Countless numbers have lost their jobs, the NHS is overrun, there are shortages and supply problems from everything like electrical components to food & milk. Are we just going to say ‘oh well, it’s just one of those things…’ Is this not a judgment from God; birthpangs of what is coming?

“One of the reasons, therefore, why God gave his word to Joel upon the occasion of a great natural disaster is that men of all subsequent centuries should know how to interpret such things.” – Coffman

The world today says judgment will not come – so we can live as we please, make our own rules, without fear of Divine wrath!

The Bible says: you are running out of time! Judgment is coming, you might not have seen it before, even your fathers might not have seen it in their lifetimes, but don’t mistake God’s longsuffering with indifference!

As we journey through this book we will see a prophetic outline of Israel’s history, and the time of coming Tribulation.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study

The post Joel Ch1 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

What are the lessons we can learn from this incredible book of love and grace?

1. Nothing is able to quench God’s love for us
2. God suffers intense sorrow when men desert him:
3. The sacredness and sanctity of marriage typify our relationship with Jehovah.
4. The consequences of following unworthy teachers are tragic.
5. There can be no “double standard” of morals in God’s kingdom.
6. A nation declines rapidly when its leaders become corrupt:
7. Internal corruption in a nation is more dangerous to its existence than foreign enemies.
8. The greatest sin is that against true love.
9. There is a real danger of becoming like those we associate with (I Cor. 15:33).
10. The root from which all sins spring is unfaithfulness to God.
11. Genuine repentance will bring forgiveness and full restoration to God’s favor.
12. There is beauty in forgiving those who sin against us (Matt. 6:12-14).
13. The crushing blows of life can drive us to the arms of God.
14. “Who is he that he may understand these things? prudent that he may know them? for the ways of Jehovah are right, and the just shall walk in them; but the transgressors shall fall therein:” (Hosea 14:9).
15. Our goodness must be more permanent than the morning cloud — fog and early dew (6:4).
16. May we not be half-baked Christians — burned on one side, mushy on top — and therefore useless (7:8).
17. All “these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (I Cor. 10:11).
18. God still prefers goodness to heartless sacrifice (6:6):
19. May we, like Hosea, be a living demonstration of our message:
20. Corruption in politics is bad, but in religion it is inexcusable.
21. God is not willing that any should perish, especially his children (II Pet. 3:9).
22. “It appears to be a universal law of this sin-stricken world that God makes perfect through suffering, that redemption is wrought through sacrifice.”

In chapter 13, the reality dawns that God’s judgment on Israel, at the hands of the Assyrians, is coming.

No longer is it distant prophecies of some future Divine rebuke; the moment has come and will be accomplished as quickly as the morning dew disappears (13:3). Even in this God reminds His covenant people that He was the One who had delivered them from Egypt, sustained them in the wilderness and brought them into the Promised Land. It had been the Nation that had rejected God, demanded a king so as to be like the nations around them, and then taken all the blessings God had given and used them to indulge in immorality and idolatry (13:5-11)

God then reminds Israel that His patience, up to this point, should not be mistaken for indifference to their sin. God had collated all of their sin (‘bound up’) (13:12) and was ready to mete out the appropriate judgment. Sadly, many today think they can ‘get away’ with sin because God doesn’t judge them instantly. Yet God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life! (John 3:16). God also is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Ecclesiastes 3:15 also reminds us that God requires and account of things past. On that day how will you plead? Sin must be paid for, the wages of sin is death. Either you face God as judge and suffer the eternal consequences, or you face Him as LORD, in which case, your sin still has to be paid for. Only Jesus Christ offers a remedy; only Jesus Christ died in your place, taking the full force of God’s wrath for sin upon Himself  whosoever would accept His offer of Salvation.

Chapter 13 ends with the lamentable warning of what Israel would imminently experience:

• Yahweh would hold Samaria, a metonymy for Israel, guilty for rebelling against Him, her covenant lord and God (cf. Hosea 7:13; Hosea 8:1).
• Israel’s soldiers would die in battle (cf. Leviticus 26:25), her children would suffer unmerciful executions (cf. Deuteronomy 28:52-57; Deuteronomy 32:25), and the Assyrians would even cut open her pregnant women with their swords (cf. 2 Kings 15:16; Amos 1:13).
• This gruesome form of execution killed both the mother and the unborn child making it impossible for the coming generation eventually to rise up and rebel against the conqueror.
• These were curses that the Lord warned would follow rebellion against the terms of His covenant (cf. Leviticus 26:25; Deuteronomy 28:21; Deuteronomy 32:24-25; Amos 4:10). – Dr. Thomas Constable

However, this is not the end of the story. Chapter 14 closes the book of Hosea with the certain hope that Israel will finally return* – albeit after 2700 years, the Assyrian captivity, the Babylonian captivity, the Roman occupation and subsequent destruction of the land in A.D. 70, the diaspora from 132 A.D. when all Jews were forced to leave the Land, the subsequent wanderings of the last two millennia, the Holocaust and the coming Tribulation (time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7))  – But after all this, like a prodigal son, Israel will come to their senses and say: “Asshur (Assyria) shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy. (v3)… What have I to do any more with idols? (v8)“

*Return (Shoob in the Hebrew) is used 21x in Hosea.

“In beauty of expression these final words of Hosea rank with the memorable chapters of the OT. Like the rainbow after a storm, they promise Israel’s final restoration. Here is the full flowering of God’s unfailing love for his faithless people, the triumph of his grace, the assurance of his healing-all described in imagery that reveals the loving heart of God”.  – Leon Wood

The book closes with an admonition from Hosea to pay heed to these things.

He who is well instructed will make a proper application of what he has here read; will tremble at the threatenings, and embrace the promises, of his God.

How instructive, how convincing, how awakening, and yet how consolatory, are the words of this prophecy!

Reader, lay them to heart. A godly mind cannot consider them in vain; such shall know them, and know that the ways of the Lord are right”. – Adam Clarke

May you blessed and encouraged to walk closer and deeper with the LORD our God through this study!

The post Hosea Ch13-14 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

We are going through a series of studies looking at the minor prophets – not minor in importance, but given the title of  ‘minor’ due to the books being generally smaller than the likes of Isaiah, Jeremiah etc. (the ‘major’ prophets). The minor prophets brought messages of hope, reconciliation, but also of judgment to Israel and her neighbours.

Hosea is writing toward the end of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, around 730 B.C. and at a time when the nation had been given over to idolatry and immorality. It is bad enough to have a corrupt government, even worse when the people have lost their moral compass; yet when the priests, those who should take care and take charge of the nations spiritual well-being, give themselves over to deceit, hypocrisy, immorality, injustice and forsake God, judgment cannot be averted! Such is the state of the UK! Just as it was in Israel in Hosea’s day, this nation has embraced things that are an abomination to God – from the politician to the person in the street to the priest. What was once considered sin, is not only permitted, it is embraced as part of a culture that scoffs at the God of the Bible.

God warned Israel that time was up. Hosea was sent as a mouthpiece of God to sound the trumpet of alarm to the nation. The UK should get ready, for the trumpet that warns of impending judgment is but moments away from being sounded!

In chapter 5 we see Hosea highlight the evil behaviour of the Priests, the People, and the Royal Family (5:1-7), but the chapter ends in hope. God will wait, however long it takes, for Israel to come repentantly back to Him (5:8-15). Sadly, it will take the affliction of the coming Tribulation to shake Israel from her complacency and apostacy, but in her affliction, Israel will call out to her Messiah, whom she will finally realise is Jesus Christ, the One whom was pierced for her sorrows and bruised for her iniquities.

Chapter 6 opens with verse of profound prophetic significance, for it tells us that the Lord’s return is close, very close! The prophetic prayer of Israel in 6:1-3 (that is yet to actually be prayed) sees Israel acknowledge that, as a nation, they will live in the Lord’s sight for the Millennium, the literal period of 1000 years to come where Christ will rule on the Throne of David (fulfilling the promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David). The ‘two days’ prior to this seem to be representative of the last two thousand years, where Israel as a nation have been blinded on account of their rejection of Jesus the Messiah. In the remainder of chapter 6 Hosea further removed the veil on the sinfulness of both Israel and Judah (6:4-11).

Chapter 7 then exposes that the depravity in the Nation had run deeper than even the surface iniquity had shown. Israel had kept up the religious pretence, but there was no love for God in her actions. Furthermore, even the false gods Israel had turned to, had now been show to be worthless.  Ironside comments:

“It is their unconsciousness of their true condition which this section emphasizes. Like a cake placed upon the coals and forgotten by the house-wife, till, left unturned, it is all burned on one side; so they were quite indifferent to their actual state before God. The mass taking no heed to the prophet’s warnings, went carelessly on in their own way, taking it for granted that all was as it should be, when, in reality, everything was all wrong”. 

Regarding chapter 8, G Campbell Morgan states:

From this statement of the case the prophet turned to the pronouncement of judgment. This he did by adopting the figure of the trumpet lifted to the mouth, on which five blasts were sounded, in each of which some aspect of the sin of the people was set forth as revealing the reason for judgment.

• The first blast declared the coming judgment under the figure of a [swift] eagle, the reason being the transgressions and trespass of the people.
• The second blast emphasized Israel’s sin of rebellion in that they had set up kings and princes without the authority of Jehovah, and had made idols.
• The third blast dealt with Israel’s idolatry. She had set up the calf of Samaria, which Jehovah had cast off and broken in pieces. She had been guilty of sowing the wind, that is, emptiness; and therefore she must reap the whirlwind, that is, the force of emptiness.
• The fourth blast anounced Israel’s alliances. She had gone to Assyria like a wild ass, alone, and her judgment was that her hire among the nations had resulted in diminishing her.
• The fifth blast drew attention to the altars of sin which had been raised contrary to light, and by which sacrifice had been violated, and therefore judgment was announced.”  

Albert Barns, in his commentary, brings this closer to home and highlights that, as a nation, we are are little different – and as such, also deserving of divine judgment:

The prophets, as watchmen, were set by God to give notice of His coming judgments Ezekiel 33:3; Amos 3:6. As the sound of a war-trumpet would startle a sleeping people, so would God have the prophet’s warning burst upon their sleep of sin. The ministers of the Church are called to be “watchmen” . “They too are forbidden to keep a cowardly silence, when “the house of the Lord” is imperilled by the breach of the covenant or violation of the law. If fear of the wicked or false respect for the great silences the voice of those whose office it is to “cry aloud,” how shall such cowardice be excused?”.  

Hosea 8:8 is a verse to note, for it prophetically sums up the last two-thousand years for the Nations of Israel. They have been scattered around the world, and hated by all nations.

Finally Hosea points out that, rather than trusting in God, they had forges alliances with foreign nations – the very nations that would soon turn on them. This is how it is with sin!

Sin takes you further than you wanted to go, keeps you longer than you wanted to stay, and costs you mote then you wanted to pay!

We will continue our study in this timely book next week….

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Hosea Ch5-8 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

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.

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.

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.

Jude has been detailing the characteristics of the apostates who have crept into the church.

In the previous study he has explained they have no regard for authority, and then how they are like Cain, thinking they can come to God in way they choose, and in so doing they reject His Word.

They have run greedily in the way of Balaam, seeing ‘ministry’ as an opportunity to gain whatever material pleasures they desire; and they have sought position and recognition from man in the same way as Korah.

Now Jude builds on this and tells us they are also like hidden rocks under the surface of the water, who by their conduct damage others morally, making shipwreck of their faith.

They also care nothing for others, but rather seek to cherish and serve themselves; their fleshly appetites governing their actions.

They are as clouds without water, drawing people to them, but never able to satisfy.

They are carried about of winds, blown to and fro with every wind of doctrine – Eph 4:14

They are as autumn trees whose fruit is withered, always taking in but never producing fruit.

They are dead to the things of God, having been plucked up leaving no root to go down into the soil of God’s Word.

They are loud and brash like a roaring wave, but accomplish nothing of value. Instead, they ‘foam out’ shameful deeds.

Like a meteorite that shines brightly for a moment they are here then gone, not able to remain in a fixed orbit and held by the gravity of the Sun.

Jude then brings our attention to the fact that these apostates are not new. They existed in the days of Enoch before the Flood, when men began to turn away from God. In response, God raised up a prophet, Enoch, a teacher of righteousness, to prophesy of their end. Enoch’s prophecy is one of the oldest in Scripture and prophesies of the second coming of Jesus, when He will return with a heavenly multitude to bring judgment on this unbelieving and Christ rejecting world.

These apostates are murmurers, complainers who walk after their own lusts. They speak ‘great swelling words’ to impress men, but they do not have the Spirit of God within them – so in the words of Jeremiah, ‘what wisdom do they have?’ (Jeremiah 8:9).

So, what to we do with this comprehensive list?

We use it to look in the mirror to see if any of these things can be seen in us, and if so, come repentantly before the LORD and seek his mercy (to forgive us) and grace (to impart in us the Fruit of His Spirit).

…and of course, with this list we will be much better equipped to spot the truth from the error and the wheat from the tares!

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Jude vs 12-19 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this chapter Peter underlines his reason for writing – namely to stir up your pure minds and to get you to remember:

• What you have been saved from – (we were in darkness and given over to the lusts and desires of the flesh)
• What you have been saved for – (you are to be a Royal Priesthood & Holy nation to show forth His praise!),
• The certainty of our faith – (it is based on real events recorded by eyewitnesses and furthermore we have the undeniable proof of fulfilled prophecy)
• Jesus is coming back – soon!
• The material world around us is temporary and will all be burnt up
• What you have awaiting you – the new heavens and new earth

However, Peter warns that in the last days people would scoff at the idea of Jesus returning, would deny that God is Creator, and would reject that there was once a worldwide flood to judge the earth.

In effect their argument will be that, because their perception is that apocalyptic events don’t happen (in their experience), they could not have happened in the past and the idea of divine judgment will not occur in the future.

To this Peter says they are ‘willingly ignorant’. Chuck Missler points out that this shows they have made a decision to not believe – not because there is insufficient evidence, but because they don’t want to accept it.

They would rather carry on in their own lusts – lusts for power and position, lusts for recognition and accolades, lusts to been seen as being intellectually superior. The notion of a God who will bring Judgment is unacceptable to them.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that we live in a universe that screams of many cataclysmic events, James Hutton, around the turn of the 19th century, proposed the now commonly accepted and taught view of uniformitarianism – ‘the past is the key to the present’ / ‘nothing changes, everything carries on as it always has’. He countered the then popular view Neptunism theory espoused by Abraham Werner et al which claimed that rocks had originated from a great flood and were basically sedimentary in origin – much as the Bible taught.

Within a few years Hutton’s ideas were picked up and championed by James Lyell, who wrote the infamous ‘Principle of Geology’ which in a stroke eradicated the writings of Moses in the minds of the worlds academia. There was now an alternative explanation of the history of the world that didn’t have to include the God of the Bible (and the personal moral challenge that entailed).

It just so happened that a young Charles Darwin was given a copy of Lyell’s book as he set out on his voyage on the Beagle. This changed his thinking and gave him a ‘millions of years’ framework from which would come his theory of evolution.

Thus Peter – and the Word of God – were proven right! Scoffers have come and they now do deny that  Jesus will return, that He is Creator, and that there was once a worldwide flood.

In this study we look at some of the clear evidence that shows the geologic column – the backbone to ‘millions of years’ – is pure fabrication. Without it the theories of Hutton, Lyell and Darwin come crashing down.

Peter concludes by asking; “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be?” 

The answer is simple, we must be holy and Godly as we expectantly wait for Christ’s return which will usher in the end of this age and bring in ‘everlasting righteousness’!

May you be blessed and encouraged by this teaching.

The post 2 Peter Ch3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In this chapter, the writer to the Hebrews continues to show Jesus’ superiority over the Law in that He came to complete what the Law had aspired to, but was unable to fulfill’.

The writer then gives a timely admonition – to carry on meeting together! Regardless of what obstacles may seem to be in the way – be it Coronavirus (Covid 19) or persecution or natural disaster or whatever may come… we can see that the Day of the LORD is approaching fast! So we, now more than ever, need to keep fellowshipping and encouraging each other as the time is short and there are many who will respond to the Good News of the Gospel if they only get to hear!

The chapter closes with the 4th warning in the book of Hebrews, that being to not ‘fall’ into wilfull sin.

The Five Warnings of Hebrews: 

1.Drifting    2:1-4

2.Disobedience   3:7-4:13

3.Failing to Mature   5:11-6:20

4.Willful Sin   10:26-39

5.Indifference   12:25-29

• Great loss awaits those who fail to persevere: loss of reward and honor in Christ’s coming Millennial Kingdom

How can you avoid willful sin?

By continuing to fellowship, remain accountable, keep your eyes on Jesus, walk in the Grace He gives through His Spirit, and don’t allow your heart to become hardened through not trusting in Him (regardless of the external circumstances) and by remembering that a great reward awaits those who endure to the end.

Salvation is not the question here, it is inheritance that is at stake. Just as under the Law there was an offering for unintentional sins (through ignorance or weakness), but judgment awaits those who profess Jesus with their lips but deny Him by their lifestyles.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

The post Hebrews – Chapter 10 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

The Bible reveals that in the last days of this age, all religions will blend together into a single world church, which itself will eventually give way to the worship of Antichrist.

What began in ancient Babylon as a Satanic attempt to deceive mankind into following a false ‘seed’ will culminate in where it began, uniting all religions into a single faith.

From what we are told in Revelation 17 & 18, it appears that the Roman Catholic Church will be a major influence in this deception and just as Israel are revealed in Revelation 12 as the ‘clothing’ that protected the real Seed, ensuring the safe arrival of the Messiah, so the Vatican will prove to be the ‘clothing’ that has protected this false seed to make way for the false Messiah.

The Bible reveals that many (even within the Christian Church) will fall for this deception, which will be no doubt be presented to the world as the ultimate in acceptance and tolerance, embracing all and sundry regardless of morals or lifestyle, regardless of what god you worship.

Jesus said that the days before His return would be like it was in the days of Noah and Lot. Maybe only a few have dared to believe just how literally these words would be fulfilled! Yet, looking at the world today, and particularly seeing how quickly mainstream churches are giving in to compromise in the name of tolerance, we can now see these things being fulfilled before our eyes.

May you be blessed, challenged and encouraged by this study.

The post The Coming Judgment of the Church – Part 4 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good” 2 Tim 3:1-3

It is amazing how this list, written by Paul almost 2000 years ago, reads like a newspaper headline today!.

Yet if we dare to speak out against society’s accepted norm, we are immediately shot down and told we are not being tolerant and branded as a fundamentalist! Since 9:11 a fundamentalist is seen as an extremist, completely intolerant of other people’s views.

However, the dictionary defines Fundamentalism as:

1a) a belief in the literal truth of the Bible

1b) a movement in 20^th century Protestantism emphasising such belief

1c) adherence to such a belief

2a) a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles

Therefore, by definition 2a, almost all people are, to some degree, fundamentalists. The football referee who strictly adheres to the rules and basic principles of the game is a fundamentalist. The businessman who strictly adheres to legal and ethical codes of practice is also a fundamentalist. The school maths teacher who teaches the rules of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division stresses a literal adherence to the basic principles that are non-negotiable. If the people in these examples did not strictly adhere to the basic principles on the grounds that they did not want to be dogmatic or offensive, they would soon be looking for alternative employment!

The fundamentals that Christians stick to are to ‘Love the LORD our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves! But love cannot be detached from truth and justice! We are to speak the truth in love!

Society at large has rejected God and does not want to hear the truth if it offends their blinkered sensibilities. We are now reaping the consequences. The only remedy is that men and women turn to Jesus Christ while there is still time.

May you be blessed, challenged and encouraged by this study!

The post 2 Timothy 3:1-3 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

In our verse-by-verse journey through the Gospel of Mark we are reviewing the Olivet Discourse – the private briefing that Jesus gave to Peter, James, Andrew, and John on the Mt of Olives on the Tuesday before His crucifixion.

In this study, we look at what Jesus meant when he warned of the coming ‘abomination of desolation‘ – spoken of by Daniel the prophet!

Obviously, the place to go to discover what this means is the book of Daniel!

In chapter 8, Daniel received a vision from the LORD that showed him the coming world empires, with the Medo-Persian Empire eventually falling to the strength and lightning speed of Alexander’s Greece. But after Alexander’s untimely death, Greece was divided amongst his four generals. Daniel prophetically recorded:
“Therefore the he goat (Alexander) waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken (Alexander died at the age of just 32); and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven”. Daniel 8:8
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.

But then Daniel records the rise of ‘another’:

“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’ that 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.

As Daniel chapter 8 continues we have described (prophesied) for us an event that occurred in 167 B.C.  at the hand of one of the Seleucid kings, Antiochus Epiphanies. Antiochus was a part of the Seleucid Empire and 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 enamored by this, and upon hearing a false report of his death, started to celebrate. This met with swift and decisive action and Antiochus appointed a new high priest in an attempt to assert his authority.

However, following a further (and this time ill-fated) battle with Egypt, Antiochus wanted to vent his anger and frustration so again turned on the Jews. This time he plundered and desecrated the temple and even went as far as sacrificing a pig on the altar. 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 altars 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 ‘abomination’) and stopped the daily sacrifices.

Here we see a model of what Antichrist will do, and this is what Jesus refers to as the ‘abomination of desolation’. That which Daniel recorded prophetically was just the dress rehearsal! The real event will soon be enacted on the world stage as a cunning political leader will come to the fore, agree a ‘covenant’ with Israel to allow them to resume their Temple sacrifices, only to turn on Israel after 3 1/2 years. 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.

We are living now in the countdown to the Tribulation. Israel will have to endure the Tribulation, although God will protect them and bring them through. The Church, however, are promised a way of escape before the Tribulation begins.

If you are not yet part of the Church, please come along one Sunday morning soon, or visit another Calvary Chapel or Bible-believing (and teaching!) Church.

Brexit, Syria, Iran, Russia, an economic collapse etc. are just the rumbles in the distance that warn of something much greater to come!

to be continued…

As usual, the Audio recording and Powerpoint slides used for this teaching are available for free download.

Every blessing,

Pastor Barry.

The post The Gospel of Mark 13 14-20 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.

Two days before His crucifixion Jesus warned of deception that would come. Peter, Paul, John and Jude would all later go on to warn of powerful deception in the ‘last days’.

One of the greatest deceptions is to believe that you cannot be deceived, that somehow, you and I are beyond deception!  Peter said:

“Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness“. 2 Peter 3:17

In this study, we consider Jesus’ words to his disciples on the Mt of Olives where he foretold the details and events of the ‘end times’ and warned the disciples to ‘take heed!’ We also look at the incredible parallels with the prophet Jeremiah who lived at a time much like our own.

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study. As usual, the Audio recording and Powerpoint slides used for this teaching are available for free download.

Pastor Barry.

The post The Gospel of Mark 13 1-5 first appeared on Calvary Chapel Portsmouth.