DANIEL
The Book of Daniel is listed among the prophets in the Christian Bible, whereas in the Hebrew Bible it is listed among “The Writings”. Oddly enough some Rabbis do not even consider him to be a prophet at all, despite his apocalyptic (and historically accurate) visions of the future.
Jehoiakim was the eldest son of slain king Josiah (640 - 609 B.C.) who was killed in battle at Megiddo when he opposed Pharaoh Necho II who had come north to try to assist Assyria against the rising threat of Babylon.
The Egyptians were defeated in 609 B.C. by Babylonian king Nabopolassar, future king Nebuchadnezzar’s father, and Necho II had returned to Egypt. Necho II, remembering Josiah’s opposition, had invaded Judah and Jerusalem and found that Josiah’s younger son Jehoahaz had been made king three months earlier.
Necho II captured king Jehoahaz and took him to Egypt where he died and installed Jehoiakim, Jehoahaz’ elder brother in his place. Necho II then made Judah a vassal state and laid heavy tribute on the land causing Jehoiakim to heavily tax the people of Judah.
The Egyptians marched north again in 605 B.C. and Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar soundly defeated them at the famed battle of Carchemish in northern Syria, putting a final end to Egypt’s attempts to expand their empire northward.
Nebuchadnezzar then came and besieged Jerusalem in 598 and the city fell in March of 597 B.C. which is when the events in Daniel take place.
DANIEL 1:1-7
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.
3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles,
4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.
In order to spare Jerusalem from destruction Jehoiakim gave as tribute to king Nebuchadnezzar silver and gold from the treasury and Temple, and Nebuchadnezzar had the master of his eunuchs take some of the royal family and nobles to Babylon as hostages against the good behavior of the nation of Judah, a common practice at the time.
Daniel - Hebrew: “God is my Judge” Belteshazzar - Chaldean: “Beltis protect the king”
Hananiah - Hebrew - “God helped me” Shadrach - Chaldean: “Aku commands”
Mishael - Hebrew - “Who is like God?” Meshach - Chaldean: “One that draws with force”
Azariah - Hebrew - “Yah (God) has helped” Abed-nego - Chaldean: “Servant of Nego”
The Chaldean (Babylonian) names given to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were taken from the pantheon of Babylonian gods, where as Meshach seems to be associated with a strong archer.
It is interesting that Nebuchadnezzar set the head of his eunuchs to train the four young men. In ancient times captured nobles and court officials who served the king were castrated, to ensure that they didn’t defile women of the court and to ensure that no children would rise to avenge their fathers or contest the throne. Here is no mention of any of the four men becoming married, so it could very well be that they were made eunuchs as well.
DANIEL 1:8-10
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
9 Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.
10 And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”
Daniel knew that foods given to the king to eat had been dedicated to one or more of the many gods of Babylon, and didn’t want to ritually defile himself by eating unclean foods. Ashpenaz was rightfully worried as he was in charge of the boys and the king would literally have his head if he thought Ashpenaz was mistreating those in his charge.
DANIEL 1:11-14
11 So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12 “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.”
14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.
While worried, Ashpenaz figured that 10 days was not unreasonable, as Nebuchadnezzar had given him 3 years to train the boys in Chaldean customs and ways.
DANIEL 1:15-17
15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies.
16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
While not specifically mentioned, it sounds like Daniel and his friends may have taken the Nazirite vow in which they were to eat nothing considered unclean according to the Law of Moses, and were to consume nothing from grapes (juice, vinegar, wine, etc.).
God had commanded;
NUMBERS 6:1-4
1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When either a man or woman consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,
3 he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins.
4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.
“Vinegar” was the term given to sour wines. They didn’t have sugar to add to their wines as we do today, so sweetness depended on the natural sugar content of the grapes..
As a result of their faith, God blessed the boys with wisdom and especially blessed Daniel with understanding of dreams which is how God sometimes communicates with men.
DANIEL 1:18-21
18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king.
20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
21 Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.
Persian ruler Cyrus the Great conquered mighty Babylon in 539 B.C. meaning that Daniel served Babylon for about 58 years.
DANIEL 2:1-9
1 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.
2 Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap.
6 However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
7 They answered again and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.”
8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm:
9 if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.”
This was a shrewd and brilliant move by Nebuchadnezzar to determine whether his astrologers and the like were indeed mouthpieces for the Babylonian gods as they claimed, or were hangers-on and parasites who played on the king’s superstitions.
The men kept asking the king to tell his dream so that they could “interpret” it for him and Nebuchadnezzar knew they were stalling and trying to mislead him. If they were truly in touch with his gods they would be able tell him both the dream and the interpretation of it. Otherwise, as per Babylonian custom, a post would be pulled from their house, sharpened and they would be impaled on it, their body weight eventually driving the point through them. Their house would then be destroyed as an example to others.
DANIEL 2:10-13
10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, “There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean.
11 It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
Nebuchadnezzar was a cruel but shrewd ruler, as shown by this interesting dialogue with his soothsayers (diviners), sorcerers, and Chaldeans (astrologers). He put them to the test with his dream puzzle thereby seeing if they were really servants of the gods that he worshiped, or mere deceivers playing and sponging off of his superstitions. He promises them great wealth and honor if they are able to answer his riddle, and immediate grisly death to them and permanent dishonor to their families if they fail.
Needless to say, that put the priests in a no-win situation to which Nebuchadnezzar responded with a tyrant's rage. His solution? Destroy all of the wise men of Babylon, including those imported from conquered nations.
DANIEL 2:14-16
14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon;
15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.
16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation.
The urgency of the king's command was apparently part of the Babylonian (Chaldean) culture and this was well-known by the nations that had dealings with them. As God Himself prophesied through the prophet Habakkuk:
HABAKKUK 1:6
6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
One has to really admire Daniel here for his courage. He has literally put his life and the life of his friends on the line, telling the king that he will be able to interpret the dream, making this statement on faith alone, not knowing whether God will grant him the knowledge he needed.
DANIEL 2:17-18
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Note: Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach) and Azariah (Abed-nego) prayed for their own lives, not the lives of the other wise men. That was a common mentality of the time, as the heathen sorcerers didn't serve God but served demons, a fact of which the four men were well aware.
DANIEL 2:19-25
19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.
23 “I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s demand.”
24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
An insight into the nature of the king's captain of the guard is given here, for he brought Daniel before the king "in haste". Apparently he didn't like the decree set forth by his lord, but was bound by his oath of loyalty to the king to carry it out. I also suspect that he liked Daniel and his friends very much, and was loathe to carry out the decree for that reason.
One can only imagine the tension in the court as Daniel stood before the king; Nebuchadnezzar grimly staring into Daniel's eyes, skepticism of Daniel's ability to fulfill his promise plain on his face; the court magicians, soothsayers and astrologers standing in the back of the throne room, shaking and sweating with fear; Arioch watching nervously, fearing that Daniel may fail, forcing him to carry out the king's edict and knowing the king's mercurial temper, perhaps forfeit his own life as well.
DANIEL 2:26-30
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:
29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.
30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
Note that here Daniel gives a subtle rebuke to the king, by telling him that what he had requested was not possible for any human agency to fulfill. But he also gives immediate credit to the One who is able to fulfill the request. And Daniel is careful not to take any credit for himself, even though he indeed could have, but gives God all of the glory and honor, to whom it truly belonged.
DANIEL 2:31-36
31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.
32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king.
I would have given much to be able to see the look on Nebuchadnezzar's face when Daniel told him this!!! There must have been a loud smack as the king's jaw hit the floor. Not only was Daniel able to tell the king his dream, but had also told him what his thoughts were before he went to sleep, which I am certain that Nebuchadnezzar did remember, even though he had forgotten the dream that followed. I can also imagine Arioch, seeing the expression on the king's face, and hiding a delighted and relieved grin in his beard.
DANIEL 2:37-48
37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory;
38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold.
39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.
41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him.
47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”
48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.
This must have been quite a sight to see! The greatest king of the mightiest empire of his time, falling on his face in worship before an imported slave from a conquered country! I can imagine the court priests and astrologers collapsing in relief, Arioch openly grinning in delight, the confusion of the queen at her husband's state, the court officials standing in open-mouthed awe. Quite a picture!
Those familiar with the Bible will note an interesting parallel here between Daniel, and Joseph, the son of Jacob who was sold as a slave into Egypt, and who rose to be second only to Pharaoh in power in the kingdom, just as Daniel became the top court official to Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. In both cases, it was the interpretation of a ruler's dream that catapulted the young men to power, and that only by their absolute and unswerving faith in their God. Would our faith be that strong in the same situations?
DANIEL 2:49
49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
In ancient times, court officials sat in the main gate of the city not only to observe all who came and went, but to hear cases and settle disputes between citizens. This way, citizens could see justice performed and court officials could report daily activities to the king.
DANIEL 3:1-7
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
3 So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
5 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up;
6 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”
7 So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
This golden idol stood roughly 90 feet (30 meters) tall and was 9 feet (3 meters) wide. It was more than likely made of wood with hammered gold plating covering it. Scripture doesn’t say who the statue represented, but it was probably one of the Babylonian gods (Bel, Marduk or Ashur) and was meant to awe the populace with it’s height and gold color.
It fit Nebuchadnezzar’s known personality that he would create such a statue and issue such a decree as he was a cruel, vain ruler who was so enamored with his own self-exalted greatness that as we will see later, God drove him insane for 7 years to humble him.
The statue was a power display showing his power over his subjects in having them fall down and worship his statue at his command.
DANIEL 3:8-12
8 Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews.
9 They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever!
10 You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image;
11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.”
Chaldean court officials, affronted that foreigners were elevated to positions of high authority and perhaps coveting these positions for themselves saw an opportunity to get rid of Daniel’s friends, playing on the king’s towering pride, tattling on the three men to the king. They couldn’t touch Daniel as he was highly regarded by the king for interpreting dreams but perhaps figured on undermining Daniel with “guilt by association”.
DANIEL 3:13-18
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up?
15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.
18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
This shows Nebuchadnezzar’s monumental pride in that he was essentially saying, “They DARE to defy ME?” Note that Nebuchadnezzar even exalts himself above his own gods, saying that not even they cannot rescue Daniel’s friends from their fate.
The faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego is indeed inspiring!! They were willing to face a horrible death by fire rather than defile themselves by betraying their God.
DANIEL 3:19-23
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.
20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Commanding such a grisly punishment was apparently not uncommon for Nebuchadnezzar. When the king was besieging Jerusalem God told the prophet Jeremiah;
JEREMIAH 29:21-23
21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes.
22 And because of them a curse shall be taken up by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire”;
23 because they have done disgraceful things in Israel, have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in My name, which I have not commanded them. Indeed I know, and am a witness, says the Lord.
The fire consuming the men who threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego into the furnace is a phenomenon called “blow-back” or “backdraft” something well-known to firefighters and people operating high-temperature furnaces. Fires consume tremendous amounts of oxygen, and in low-oxygen cases will smolder until oxygen is introduced at which time it will immediately erupt into a fireball. The sudden increase in temperature will cause explosive expansion of gases from the fire which will shoot out of any available opening incinerating anything in its path. Thus high-temperature furnaces at full burn are opened slowly to prevent explosive blow-back.
DANIEL 3:24-27
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.”
25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.
27 And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
This would have been a sight to see, Nebuchadnezzar suddenly jumping up in open-mouthed shock at seeing four men inside the furnace, one of which appeared to be a celestial figure. This could have been a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus, or it could have been an angel with power over fire as seen by the apostle John in the Book of Revelation;
REVELATION 14:18
18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”
DANIEL 3:28-30
28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!
29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar knew now that there indeed was a God who could rescue the boys from his hands!!!
DANIEL 4:1-3
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.
2 I thought it good to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me.
3 How great are His signs, and how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.
Ths shows a remarkable change in attitude for Nebuchadnezzar, for first the mighty warrior king wishes peace on all peoples, and secondly the former idol-worshiper openly praises God before the world, acknowledging His power and majesty!!!!
DANIEL 4:4-9
4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace.
5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
6 Therefore I issued a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.
7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation.
8 But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying:
9 “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.
No time frame is given between the last time Daniel interpreted the king’s dream and this time, but seems to have been long enough that he may have forgotten Daniel’s ability, only calling him when his other priests, sorcerers and astrologers failed.
DANIEL 4:10-18
10 “These were the visions of my head while on my bed: I was looking, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.
11 The tree grew and became strong; its height reached to the heavens, and it could be seen to the ends of all the earth.
12 Its leaves were lovely, its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, the birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.
13 “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
14 He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, and the birds from its branches.
15 Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
16 Let his heart be changed from that of a man, let him be given the heart of a beast, and let seven times pass over him.
17 ‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.’
18 “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you.”
I suspect what frightened Nebuchadnezzar was the intensity and clarity of the dream. There was a definite message in it, but he couldn’t understand what it was. The Watchers he spoke of were angels, messengers of God, delivering His decrees and commands.
DANIEL 4:19-27
19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.”
Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!
20 “The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth,
21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home—
22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.
23 “And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’;
24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king:
25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.
26 “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules.
27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”
The entirety of Nebuchadnezzar’s court must have been stunned to hear Daniel’s interpretation, and the king surprisingly (for him) gently reassured Daniel that no harm would come to him from honestly speaking of what the dream meant.
But God had determined to very publicly humble the pride and arrogance of the king for His glory and to make an example of him, so the king soon forgot the dream......
DANIEL 4:28-33
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar.
29 At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon.
30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”
31 While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!
32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”
33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
God gave Nebuchadnezzar a full year to turn from his sins before passing judgment on him. This is interesting as first, no one tried to take Nebuchadnezzar’s throne during the seven years of his insanity, very unusual during that time. Secondly is the fact that the king was able to feed on grass like an ox, whereas human metabolisms cannot process grasses easily. And finally his insanity lasted for exactly seven years, as prophesied.
DANIEL 4:34-37
34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation.
35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, “What have You done?”
36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
The humbleness of Nebuchadnezzar is truly on display, as here the mightiest king of his time is not only publicly relating his downfall and humiliation, but he is publicly exalting and praising God, not any of the Babylonian gods who were worshiped during that time.
And seeing the change in his heart, God not only rewarded and restored the king’s former glory and power, in His grace He also added to it, making him even greater than before.
DANIEL 5:1-9
1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand.
2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.
3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.
5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6 Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.
7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
8 Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation.
9 Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.
Belshazzar (Akkadian: “Bel protect the king”) was not of the lineage of king Nebuchadnezzar. His father, Nabonidus, also not of the royal line and may have come to power through a coup. Nabonidus for some reason then retired to a desert oasis in present day northern Saudi Arabia, leaving his son to rule Babylon in his place. Thus Belshazzar promised that whoever interpreted the writing would be the third ruler, after Nabonidus and Belshazzar.
Belshazzar greatly insulted God by eating and drinking from the gold utensils that had been used in Solomon’s Temple service as if they were common items, while praising the demon gods attached to their idols.
The palace walls had been plastered over more than likely to cover the mud-brick construction with a smooth surface. The fingers of the hand then wrote in the plaster, something that everyone saw, but couldn’t understand. It frightened the king enough that his knees literally knocked together.
Purple in ancient times was a very costly and labor-intensive dye made from the mucous glands of the Murex (Venus Comb) snail and was extensively manufactured by the ancient Phoenicians. It required crushing and boiling of thousands of snails to make an ounce of pure dye, therefore only the rich and royalty could afford it.
DANIEL 5:10-12
10 The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change.
11 There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers.
12 Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”
The term “father” was used somewhat loosely in ancient times. Nabonidus was not of the royal line and neither was his son Belshazzar. But by calling Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar’s “father”, the queen was making a connection to the royal line. She either had heard of Daniel or had been a child in the royal court when Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
DANIEL 5:13-16
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
14 I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.
15 Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing.
16 And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”
This was explained above, concerning the term”third ruler”, and Nebuchadnezzar being called Belshazzar’s “father”.
DANIEL 5:17-21
17 Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor.
19 And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down.
20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.
21 Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.
Daniel was more than likely appalled by Belshazzar’s blasphemous use of Temple implements as common utensils and wanted no part of the king’s gifts.
During that time, he had seen Nebuchadnezzar’s actions, good and bad, and vividly remembered what had befallen the king because of his arrogance. Yet Belshazzar undoubtedly knew or had heard what had happened but had not taken it to heart.
DANIEL 5:22-24
22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this.
23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.
24 Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.
Daniel fearlessly delivers a stunning rebuke to the king before all of his guests, which could have easily cost him his life. But his faith in God was greater than the potential wrath of the king.
DANIEL 5:25-31
25 “And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it;
27 TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;
28 PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.
31 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
The concept of the words means:
MENE - This is a Aramaic term of monetary value, a variation of mina, which was roughly 60 shekels of weight, or about 1.25 pounds (.53 kilograms)
TEKEL - (Aramaic - teqel) refers to something being weighed. In anient times, unscrupulous people “trimmed” the edges of gold and silver coins so it became common to weigh coins to determine their values as for example, a silver shekel coin could vary in weight depending on how much had been “trimmed” from the edges. “Trimming” is many times what made ancient coins irregular in shape.
In 1792 Congress made a law that American gold and silver coins have tiny horizontal cuts or engraving on the edges to prevent “trimming”, making it immediately obvious that a coin had been tampered with.
UPHARSIN - (variation of Aramaic - peres, to divide or break through).
Essentially it means that God had weighed the value of Belshazzar’s Babylonian kingdom and had found it lacking in mercy, justice and righteousness, and determined that it was time for it to end.
Daniel is given divine knowledge in that he knows the Medes and Persians will destroy Babylon which happened in 539 B.C.
In a remarkable feat of engineering, as the walls of Babylon were considered too massive to breach, the Persians diverted the waters of the Euphrates river which ran under the walls so that it was only waist deep. They then marched under the walls and assaulted the city from inside.
There has been much controversy over Darius the Mede as history seems to have no record of his ruling Babylon. Then again many scholars believe the Book of Daniel to be fictional, which to me poses some serious problems.
Darius I (586 - 450 B.C.) is indeed a historical figure, and while a careful reading of Scripture shows that he received the kingdom of Babylon, it does not say that he was the supreme ruler of the Persian Empire which conquered Babylon under Cyrus the Great who was the ruling king of the Persian Empire.
Therefore it can be assumed that “king” Darius I was a vassal ruler of Babylon under the authority of Cyrus, a common practice at that time. And again, history verifies the uncanny accuracy of Scripture!
Scholars generally agree that the book of Daniel was probably written in about 530 B.C., nine years after Cyrus conquered Babylon. Yet Daniel’s incredibly accurate prophecies of history range all the way to about 26 A.D. when the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ was crucified.
Yet some scholars and Rabbis discount the book as fictional as they deem that long-range prophecies are impossible to predict, therefore they believe that the book has been edited by a later author to include later history. Really? Have they forgotten that God said;
ISAIAH 46:9-10
9 Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’
These scholars and “experts” are like those the Apostle Paul spoke of, when he said of them as;
2 TIMOTHY 3:5
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
And if it is fiction, this violates the Apostle Paul’s proclamation of;
2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
And Peter’s reassurance;
2 PETER 1:21
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Daniel prophesied of events that would happen long after his death, events which history shows were incredibly accurate, ranging from the future conquering of the Persian Empire by the Greeks in 331 B.C. to the death of Jesus Christ in 26 A.D. We’ll see more of this in coming chapters.
Unfortunately some scholars are of the belief that if something in the Bible can’t be verified historically or archaeologically, it immediately comes under suspicion as being fictional or non-existent.
The story of the pool of Bethesda spoken of in John chapter 5 was thought to be fictional as no evidence for such a pool could be found. The pool was described as having 5 “porches” (porticoes) and in the late 1800's during an archaeological dig a pool matching the description in John was discovered in Jerusalem.
Just because we can’t prove something in the Bible doesn’t mean that it’s not true, it means that we just haven’t discovered proof yet. For a long time the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were considered to be fables, but in 1973 excavations at the sites of Bab-edh-Dhra (Sodom) and Numeira (Gomorrah) northeast of the Dead Sea produced ruins of heavily-fortified cities that had been destroyed by a massive firestorm and were never rebuilt. The sites fit the location description of Sodom and Gomorrah.
DANIEL 6:1-5
1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom;
2 and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss.
3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.
4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.
5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”
Satraps were much like mayors who ruled over cities and reported to a governor, who reported to the king. Daniel was one of three governors of the Persian provinces of Shushan, Ecbatana and Persepolis.
As usual, court functionaries were envious of Daniel’s wisdom and position, especially since he was also a foreigner. Royal courts are always hotbeds of plots and intrigues, with officials always jockeying for power and favor with the king. And the fact that Darius was considering elevating Daniel to be the top court official must have galled them no end.
DANIEL 6:6-9
6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever!
7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.
8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.”
9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
Darius must have thought such a decree to be harmless, as it was only for 30 days. It also played to the king’s ego, making him equal with the gods worshiped at the time. And according to Persian law, a king’s decree could not be changed as long as the king was alive. A subtle trap for Daniel indeed!!
DANIEL 6:10-17
10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
11 Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12 And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?”
The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.”
13 So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
14 And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
15 Then these men approached the king, and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians that no decree or statute which the king establishes may be changed.”
16 So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.”
17 Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
Darius immediately understood that he had been set up, but was helpless to change the outcome as he was bound by his own decree. If he ignored the decree, his courtiers could stir up trouble and possibly overthrow him, so he apparently tried to find a legal loophole in order to rescue Daniel but found none.
In ancient times, documents and items to be sealed had a blob of hot wax placed on it and an officials’ signet ring was impressed into the soft wax and allowed to harden. This was one way to prevent tampering with the sealed item.
Darius apparently liked Daniel very much and was probably aware of Daniel’s worship practices and had more than likely heard of Daniel’s ability to interpret dreams and heard about the “writing on the wall” incident with Belshazzar. Daniel had probably talked to the king about God and Darius, sorrowful concerning what he had been tricked into doing to Daniel, hoped that God would save Daniel.
DANIEL 6:18-23
18 Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him.
19 Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions.
20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”
21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever!
22 My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
23 Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.
Poor Darius, filled with bitterness, mortified concerning Daniel and exceedingly angry with himself and his courtiers, stayed awake all night, anguishing over Daniel. He came to the den, fearing the worst and was overjoyed to find Daniel unharmed.
DANIEL 6:24
24 And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.
This may seem harsh, punishing the wives and children of the perpetrators of the plot against Daniel, but such happened before. The first time was during the time of Moses, when a man named Korah rebelled against Moses’ leadership;
NUMBERS 16:1-3
1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men;
2 and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown.
3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”
God then spoke to Moses;
NUMBERS 16:23-27
23 So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
24 “Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.’ ”
25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him.
26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.”
27 So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children.
God’s judgment in the matter was then shown;
NUMBERS 16:28- 34
28 And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will.
29 If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me.
30 But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the Pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.”
31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them,
32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the Pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.
34 Then all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up also!”
The Pit was where the spirits of the dead who died before Jesus’ resurrection were sent. It was in the same location as Hell but was separated by a huge gulf, so that sinners were sent to Hell and those who died while obedient to the Law of Moses or whose faith was counted by God as righteousness were sent to a place of rest to await their redemption as told in the New Testament book of Luke chapter 16. While they died as righteous people, their sins had only been covered by the animal sacrifices, they had not been removed. With Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, their sins were removed before God and they were now sinless and were taken to Heaven with him at His ascension back to Heaven.
Note that the families of Korah and his men perished as well. This would keep the rebellion of the fathers from returning in their children and was a warning that the sins of the parents could affect their children as well.
DANIEL 6:25-28
25 Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: peace be multiplied to you.
26 I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end.
27 He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
There has been much confusion concerning the chronology of Daniel, as Cyrus appears to have historically ascended the throne (539 B.C.) before Darius who came to the throne in 522 B.C. Yet a careful reading of verse 28 shows that Daniel prospered under both rulers.
So while the events may not be in chronological order, it doesn’t mean that they are not true accounts.
Darius, like Nebuchadnezzar before him exalts God, publicly proclaiming His mighty works.
DANIEL 7:1
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.
King Nebuchadnezzar was dead, and Nabonidus, a usurper to the throne, while being king, didn't live in Babylon but chose to live in a distant Arabian oasis. As such Nabonidus' son Belshazzar ruled Babylon in his place as the crown prince. Thus when Daniel had interpreted the famous writing on the wall, (Daniel chapter 5) Belshazzar commanded that Daniel be made the "third ruler of the kingdom." If Belshazzar had truly been king, he would have made Daniel the second ruler of the kingdom as Nebuchadnezzar had done. But since Nabonidus was the legal king, forcing Belshazzar to rule in his father's absence as regent, thus Daniel became the third in line in the chain of command. Truly Scripture pays attention to detail!
And in this chapter we see a convergence of the dreams of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. We will now take a closer look at the identical meanings of both dreams, and several important differences.
DANIEL 7:2
2 Daniel spoke, saying, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.
When bodies of water like the sea are mentioned in prophecy, it is usually speaking of multitudes of people. In this case, Daniel is seeing the winds of conflicting political change causing tumult among masses of people, very much like what is happening today.
DANIEL 7:3-4
3And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
Here we see the first parallel between the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar's statue and Daniel's beasts.
The lion and the head of gold of the statue are the same, representing Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. As gold is a rich, royal metal, and the lion is a powerful, kingly beast, so is Nebuchadnezzar portrayed here. The wings are representative of the speed in which he conquered the known earth of his time. The plucked wings represented a time when the king would cease his ruthless conquests.
Nebuchadnezzar had been a brutal, fearsome tyrant before this and had conquered much of the known world with incredible speed, represented by the wings. Thus Daniel saw the winged lion in it's strength, but it had a beast's heart. However, after God drove Nebuchadnezzar insane for seven years because of his vanity and pride (Daniel chapter 4), he then humbled himself before God, acknowledging Him as supreme and proclaiming before his people that his kingship came from God alone, not from his own works as he'd previously boasted. His cruel and bestial heart was changed afterward, as shown by the man's heart being given to him.
After the king's repentance God then added to his glory, and there is no further mention of Nebuchadnezzar ever conquering any more territory. Thus the lion was lifted upright (glorified) a man's heart was given to it (Nebuchadnezzar's repentance and change of heart), and the wings plucked (no further conquering expeditions).
(It is interesting to note that excavations of Babylon have uncovered large statues of winged lions with a king's head (probably Nebuchadnezzar's) throughout the city.)
DANIEL 7:5
5 "And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: 'Arise, devour much flesh!'
This equates to the chest and arms of silver that Nebuchadnezzar saw on his statue. This kingdom would succeed his, and while glorious, would not attain to the splendor of Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, just as a bear, while powerful, is not as regal as a lion. And history shows that Babylon fell to a coalition of Medes, Elamites and Persians (the three ribs) in 539 B.C., under the command of Cyrus the Great.
Babylon had been considered impregnable, surrounded by massive walls, straddling the Euphrates river, and it's rulers Nabonidus and Belshazzar (son of Nabonidus) had become lax. The night that crown prince Belshazzar saw the writing on the wall (Daniel chapter 5), in a remarkable feat of engineering the Persians diverted the Euphrates river and came up under the walls of Babylon from the riverbed and captured the city from within.
The bear raising itself up on one side represents the fact that the Persians became stronger than the Medes (and Elamites, although not specifically mentioned in Daniel), and conquered (or absorbed) them, creating a unified empire (shown in chapter 8, which we'll discuss later).
DANIEL 7:6
6 "After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
This parallels the stomach and thighs of bronze of Nebuchadnezzar's statue, but with an interesting twist that Nebuchadnezzar's statue didn't show. The Persian empire came to an end in 331 B.C., when Alexander the Great and the Greek army under his command defeated the last Persian king, Darius III, prophesied by an angel in Daniel 11:1-2 below
DANIEL 11:1-2
1 "Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.
2 And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.
With the future defeat of the Persian empire by the Greeks, Alexander the Great would become the first king of the coming Greek empire. (He is also spoken of again in Daniel chapter 8, which will be dealt with shortly). He is the leopard that Daniel saw in the vision, and again the wings represent the speed in which Alexander and his four generals conquered his empire.
However, Alexander died of pneumonia in 323 B.C. at the age of 33. When asked who would inherit the kingdom, to protect the lives of his wife and infant son he said, "let it be given to the strongest", at which time his four generals each tore a piece of the kingdom for himself (4 heads and 4 wings of the leopard), and causing wars between their descendants that would last for hundreds of years. (A more detailed vision of this is given in chapter 8).
DANIEL 7:7
7 "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
This fourth kingdom, represented by the legs and feet of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's dream and the dreadful beast seen by Daniel was the Roman Empire which conquered Greece in 146 B.C. A brutal, ruthless, seemingly unstoppable military machine, the Roman juggernaut crushed everything in it's way to establish an empire that lasted from approximately 150 B.C. to 395 A.D., a span of over 500 years, much as iron crushes silver, gold and bronze. (Rome had become a regional superpower after destroying its rival Carthage in 146 B.C. and Rome invaded Greece that same year. At that time it was still a Republic. It wasn't until 27 B.C. that it declared itself as Imperial Rome under Caesar Augustus)
All four empires (Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman) ruled over the tiny nation of Israel (tiny by the standards of the empires that ruled over it), yet it outlasted all of them. Granted, Israel was destroyed as a nation by the Romans in 70 A.D., but Israel again exists today as a nation, whereas the old empires are nothing but ruins and notes in history.
...and it had ten horns. Here we have a major change in the visions. While the 10 toes of iron mixed with clay were mentioned on the statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, they were not mentioned as a separate entity. Here Daniel sees ten horns which correspond to the 10 toes of the statue.
There were 10 nations in the European sphere of influence that Rome controlled at the height of its power. This future ten-nation confederacy will form the last world-dominating empire of the Antichrist, and will be the empire that Jesus (the Rock Nebuchadnezzar saw which smashed the statue) will destroy upon His return as we shall see in a bit.
DANIEL 7:8
8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
Now the prophecy jumps to the far future, or in our case, the near future. In this part of the vision, the toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue and the horns of Daniel's beast come into play. In each case, they are future (present-day to us) remnants of the previous empire (Rome) that had ruled over Israel. Remember this beast incorporated and ruled over all of the territories of the previous empires (Babylonian, Persian, and Greek).
This also indicates that the 10 toes of the statue being comprised of iron and clay will be 7 toes of iron and 3 of clay. The 3 toes of clay will be 3 nations that will be overthrown by the Antichrist when he rises (the little horn). The other 7 nations represented by the 7 toes of iron will strongly support him.
The reason why I know that this is still a future event, is that the empires mentioned in Daniel were only mentioned in Scripture for as long as they affected Israel as a nation (or affected Judah after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel). That is why nations like Germany, Russia and England are not mentioned, for while the Nazis did indeed slaughter the Jews wholesale in the Holocaust, and the British fought vigorously to keep the Jews out of Palestine during and after WW II and the Russians instigated massive persecution (pogroms) and slaughter of the Jews , they did not affect Israel as an established nation as Israel hadn’t yet become a nation again! Germany was defeated three years before Israel established itself, and the British pulled out of Palestine right after Israel declared itself to be a sovereign nation in 1948 and the large-scale Russian pogroms died out in 1917 when the Bolsheviks overthrew Czar Nicholas II.
The ten horns and the ten toes in this vision correspond to nations in Europe that were under Roman domination. Currently numerous other nations are part of the European Union, but were not under Roman domination. Scripture states that there will be ten nations which will fall under his domination when the Antichrist takes power. And when three of the European nations resist his control (see the study on WW III, End Times Part I), they will be taken by force, shown by the three horns being plucked up by the roots, and the toes being partially of iron, and partially of clay. Seven toes of iron, and three of clay. Seven strong rulers, three puppet rulers.
DANIEL 7:9-10
9 "I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
The vision now turns to the Great Judgement of the non-believers that will occur at the end of Jesus' Earthly rule. God the Father (the Ancient of Days) has given authority to Jesus to be the Judge of mankind;
JOHN 5:22-23
22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
So here it seems that the Father will be a silent witness as Jesus judges those before Him. The 'thousand thousands' are the redeemed believers, the "ten thousand times ten thousand" standing before Him are those who died in their sins, waiting to be judged. The books will be the book of the lives of those being judged, and the Book of Life in which the names of believers are recorded.
DANIEL 7:11-12
11 "I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
This refers to the destruction of the Antichrist (the little horn) and his kingdom. He will be thrown into the Lake of Fire while still alive, as we will see in the study of the End Times Part IV. Here at last is the explanation of the rock that Nebuchadnezzar saw, a rock which struck the toes of the statue, and crumbled it to dust. Jesus is the Rock that will put an end to the last empire, that of the Antichrist upon His return.
The nations that formed his kingdom will have their power taken away, but will be allowed to continue to exist for a time afterward, under the control of Jesus and the resurrected saints (us).
DANIEL 7:13-14
13 "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
This shows Jesus receiving His kingdom from the hand of His Father after He destroys the Antichrist and prepares to rule the Earth. When He returns He will rule over the Earth for 1,000 years, along with the resurrected believers;
REVELATION 20:6
6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
DANIEL 7:15-18
15 "I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:
17 'Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'
Here Daniel is told the meaning of the beasts. But he is also quickly told that the saints (those who will be resurrected when Jesus returns) will possess the kingdom forever.
DANIEL 7:19-22
19 "Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet;
20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
21 "I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,
22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
THIS IS THE FIRST MENTION OF THE GREAT PERSECUTION THAT JESUS WARNED US ABOUT IN;
MATTHEW 24:21-22
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
Note also, this persecution and destruction will be allowed to continue until Jesus returns to put an end to the reign of terror, and that only after the Ancient of Days (God the Father) takes His seat and gives Jesus permission to destroy the Antichrist and rule His Earthly kingdom. This means that Christians will go through the tribulation, and these events will occur before the Rapture. Keep this in mind, we'll deal more with the Rapture issue later in these studies.
(And before you who believe in the pre or mid-tribulation Rapture get incensed at me, please go through the entire five-part study series on the End Times first. I will be explaining the timing of the Rapture" throughout the series, and I think you might be surprised at what you find out).
The Antichrist will be allowed to destroy the Christians and Jews who do not bow to him, or receive his Mark.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Many believe that the "Mark" will be a microchip which will be placed under the skin, but if you read carefully, Scripture says it will be a mark, his name, or the number of his name. It will more than likely be a tattoo, something easily visible to law enforcement. (Remember, the Jews of WWII were tattooed for identification. More on this issue in the study of the book of Revelation - End Times Part IV)
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces.
24 The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.
25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.
The brutal, ruthless Roman Empire finally empire fell in A.D. 395, and has not risen to power again since that time. And the events described in verse 24 have yet to happen. Some have tried to refer it to the Caesars, but there is no Caesar who overcame three other ruling Caesars anywhere in history. So this refers to a future event.
And here also is the crux of the entire vision. The Antichrist will arise out of the remnants of the old Roman empire, namely 10 nations joined together in a tight Federation. He will overcome three of the nations by force, will rule the entire world and will wage war against the Christians and Jews for three and a half years (time, times, and half a time). At the end of this period, Jesus will return to destroy the kingdom of the Antichrist, and will set up his 1,000 year reign over the Earth.
DANIEL 7:26-28
26 'But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever.
27 Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.'
Again, the promise is given to Christians that the Antichrist and his Satanic kingdom will be destroyed, and the saints of God will be given the kingdom. But ONLY when the Father sets the time for Jesus to return. Like Jesus Himself said,
MATTHEW 24:36
36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
MARK 13:32
32 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
DANIEL 8:1-4
1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me--to me, Daniel--after the one that appeared to me the first time.
2 I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai.
3 Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.
4 I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.
In 556 B.C. Nabonidus, a court official, murdered king Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson Labashi-Marduk who was still a child and seized the throne of Babylon for himself. He then lived in an oasis in present-day Saudi Arabia leaving his son, Belshazzar to rule the kingdom. And as we have seen previously, a coalition of Medes and Persians conquered Babylon and killed Belshazzar.
The ram referred to here represents the Persian empire, consisting of the Medes and Persians, with the Medes rising first, but with the Persians later becoming dominant over the Medes under Cyrus the Great in 550 B.C. (the second horn becoming higher than the first, and coming up last)
This coalition was seen in Daniel's previous vision; a bear rising up on one side with the three ribs in it's mouth - the ribs being a coalition of Persians, Medes, and Elamites; and the chest and arms of silver in Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the statue.
DANIEL 8:5-7
5 And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
6 Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.
7 And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.
The Persian empire had become old, and decadent. They had been in power for over 200 years, and had become lax, thinking that they had no enemies foolish enough to attack them.
History records that Macedonian general Alexander III (Alexander the Great - the he-goat) fielded an army of forty thousand men, and defeated a Persian force of over two million men which had been set against him, spelling the end of the Persian empire. Note also that Daniel describes the goat as not touching the ground as he traveled. This again indicates the speed in which Alexander conquered his enemies.
DANIEL 8:8
8 Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.
Remember Daniel's vision of the leopard with the four heads and the four wings. Alexander was the great horn, showing himself to be the leader of what would become the mighty Greek Empire (the stomach and thighs of brass in Nebuchadnezzar's statue). And immediately after his death, not having named a successor, four of his generals ripped the empire into four pieces, and each took a piece for themselves.
Two ruling dynasties came out of this split that would effect Judah for several hundred years, namely the Seleucids (descendants of Greek general Seleucus Nicator I, who grabbed Syria, Persia, Babylon and most of Palestine) and the Ptolemies (descendants of Greek general Ptolemy Soter, who grabbed Egypt).
Constant wars between these two antagonistic dynasties caused Judah to change hands between them several times, and caused much suffering to the Jews and surrounding peoples.
DANIEL 8:9-14
9 And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.
10 And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.
11 He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.
12 Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, "How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?"
14 And he said to me, "For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed."
This 'little horn' was the despicable Seleucid conqueror Antiochus IV Ephiphanes, who conquered Judah in 167 B.C. He was extremely enamored with himself and believed himself to be a son of Zeus. He even went so far as to mint coins with a picture of his head on the front side, having goat horns sprouting from his head, signifying himself as the son of the Greek god. The coins were inscribed "Antiochou Theou Epiphanou", meaning roughly "Antiochus, God made manifest", hence the name "Epiphanes". His men however, labeled him "Epimanes" (madman) behind his back.
His casting down some of the stars to the ground means he would be backed by Satan, who in the book of Revelation is depicted as a dragon whose tail swept 1/3 of the stars to the ground, showing Satan having taken 1/3 of the rebellious angels of Heaven who supported him in his attempt to overthrow God, with him when he was thrown out of Heaven after his rebellion.
Antiochus tried to force Greek culture on the Jews, a process called "Hellenization". When many resisted, he became enraged and slaughtered thousands of them, captured the Temple and, dedicated it to Zeus, sacrificed swine to Zeus on the altar, (an abomination to God and the Jews), and set up an idol of Zeus on the altar, demanding that the Jews worship it. When they refused, he slaughtered them wholesale for approximately 6.3 years (2300 days).
However many Jews liked Greek customs and culture and joined Antiochus, fulfilling verse 12 above. Greek culture still existed in Jesus' day and generated the aristocratic religious sect of the Sadducees in the New Testament.
However, exiled Jewish priest Judas Maccabeus and his sons staged a revolt in the desert, and after a series of attacks drove Antiochus' armies from Palestine around 161 B.C. The Temple was then cleansed and rededicated, giving us the yearly winter celebration of Chanukah (Hanukkah), the Feast Of Lights in December.
Channukah was also celebrated during Jesus' time nearly 200 years later;
JOHN 10:22-24
22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.
23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.
24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."
DANIEL 8:15-22
15 Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.
16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision."
17 So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, "Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end."
18 Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright.
19 And he said, "Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.
20 The ram which you saw, having the two horns--they are the kings of Media and Persia.
21 And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.
22 As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.
The meaning of the verses above is self-explanatory. Note that even though Daniel sees the angel Gabriel, there is no mention of wings on the angel. In fact Daniel states that he had the appearance of a man. Angels do NOT have wings.
The next set of verses below become somewhat confusing, as they seemingly refer to both the Antichrist and Antiochus IV Epiphanies, showing that Antiochus is a prototype of the Antichrist.
DANIEL 8:23
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.
This refers to the rise of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He would be powerful, and would understand dark intrigues. It is interesting to note that the word for "dark sentences" is the Greek word "hierosune", meaning "priestly office", or "priesthood". This may refer to his claiming to be Zeus' son and showing himself as a priest to Zeus by sacrificing swine on the altar of the Temple.
Some might equate the "king of fierce countenance" as referring to both Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and the Antichrist. Both will destroy greatly, will be empowered by Satan, will exalt themselves to be equal to the 'Prince of the Host' (Jesus), and both will be destroyed by non-human means. (Antiochus died of disease, the Antichrist will be destroyed by Jesus personally).
The 'Prince of the Host' mentioned in verse 11 above refers to Jesus, who, while made equal with the Father, had not yet been crowned as King, as shown in Daniel 7:9-14;
DANIEL 7:9-14
9 I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
11 "I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
13 "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
A prince is the son of a king, and is usually in charge of the kingdom's armies. In the Old Testament Joshua encountered the pre-incarnate Jesus who called himself the Commander of the Army of the Lord.
JOSHUA 5:13-15
13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?"
14 So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?"
15 Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
The fact that Joshua worshiped the being as God (angels are created beings, and are not to be worshiped) shows that the "Commander of the Lord's Army" is indeed Jesus, God's Son who, while being equal with God the Father is still under His Father's authority.)
DANIEL 8:24
24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
This states that Antiochus' power would not be his own but would be the power of Satan, (shown by his casting down of some of the host of Heaven) which would be given to him to perform his master’s desire, namely to destroy God's people, set up Satan's kingdom here on Earth and secure the worship of all of mankind.
.
DANIEL 8:25
25"Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means.
Antiochus would exalt himself to be a son of Zeus, second only to the pagan god, just as Jesus is the Prince of Princes, the Son of the true God. (Remember, at this time Jesus had not yet been crowned King of Kings)
DANIEL 8:26-27
26 And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future."
27 And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king's business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.
No reason is given for Daniel's illness. It could be that there was a toll taken on his physical body by being in the spirit for so long, especially seeing as how he fainted when the vision was finished.
The reason why he didn't understand the vision was because it was not meant for him or people of his time but was for the future. That is why the Angel in verse 26 told Daniel to "seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future" (nearly 400 years, in 168 B.C.) Therefore Daniels's purpose was only to see and record, for the interpretation of the vision would be given to those for whom it was meant.
The same with the visions that John saw in the book of Revelation. The visions seen by Daniel and John were shrouded in mystery until the generation came for whom they were meant. Both Daniel and Revelation are now becoming clear, as we are the generation for which they were meant. And we can see the truth of Daniel's visions in their fulfillment in history and can see that he was indeed a true prophet.
DANIEL 9:1-2
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—
2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Darius I is described by Daniel as “the son of Ahasuerus”. (Xerxes I?, possibly the same Ahasuerus as spoken of as queen Esther’s husband in the book of Esther).
As old as he was, it is possible that his reign was too short to be notable in ancient records. Then again, any records of him could have been destroyed in the 2500 years between then and now, or the proof could still be buried in the ruins of Babylon.
DANIEL 9:3-19
3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
4 And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,
5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.
6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.
7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.
8 “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.
10 We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.
11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.
12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.
13 “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.
14 Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly!
16 “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us.
17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate.
18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.
19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
Daniel, being given understanding of Jeremiah’s 70 year captivity prophecy, and understanding that the 70 years are at an end, petitions God to remember His word that He would restore Judah, and he confesses the sins of the people that caused the captivity in the first place.
DANIEL 9:20-24
20 Now while I was speaking, 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
21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.
22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.
23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
24 "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
Whenever "weeks" are spoken of in prophecy, it is referring to periods of 7 years. Therefore "70 weeks" refers to a period of 490 years.
DANIEL 9:25-26
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.
This particular section of Scripture gets complicated, as these 70 weeks are divided into periods, one of 7 weeks followed by one of 62 weeks, which together comprise 483 years. The separation seems to refer to the events recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, where troublemakers from the surrounding nations hindered the rebuilding of Jerusalem (referred to as troublesome times) and stopped the rebuilding of its Temple for 49 years when the Jews returned from their 70 year exile to Babylon.
Daniel was told by the angel Gabriel that 70 "weeks" (periods of seven years) were determined during which point the Messiah would come as promised. 70 "weeks" would equal 490 years. And from the time that the commandment came to rebuild Jerusalem until the death of the Messiah would be 483 years (69 "weeks"). Note that there is one "week" unaccounted for. The 70th week, meaning the last "week" would occur some time after the Messiah was 'cut off' (killed). Hold that thought.
Daniel is told that 483 years after the command to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, Messiah would be "cut off, but not for Himself" (die for our sins).
The command to rebuild Jerusalem came from Artaxerxes I in 457 B.C. And "seven weeks and threescore and two weeks" (7+60+2 x 7 years) equals 483 years.
Therefore, 457 B.C. minus 483 years, equals 27 A.D. (remember, there is no "0" year).
And Jesus Christ, born in September of 7 B.C. was crucified (cut off) when He was 33 years old, on the eve of Passover in March of 27 A.D., exactly 483 years after Artaxerxes' decree to rebuild Jerusalem.
(According to Scripture, Judean king Herod the Great had all of the babies of two years and under killed when Jesus was born in his attempt to kill the King that the 'wise men' had come to worship.)
Herod the Great died in 4 B.C. which means that if Herod wanted the babies two years and under killed, Jesus was at least 2 years old when the 'wise men' arrived. This would also explain why He and His parents were living in a house when they arrived. So that gives us a birth date of sometime in 6 B.C. or earlier.
The 'wise men' were actually astrologers, and their calculations determined that a great King would be born in Judea. And in both March and September of 7 B.C. there was a conjunction of Mars and Jupiter which would have definitely caught their attention. That was the 'star in the East' that they saw which triggered their journey to find Jesus.
John the Baptist, Jesus' Earthly cousin was born 6 months before He was. Therefore it appears that Jesus was born in September of 7 B.C., which fits the 70 'weeks' prophecy perfectly. And September is when the nation of Israel celebrates the great Day of Atonement, wherein the Jews seek God’s forgiveness for the sins of the nation during the year. It would be like God to have Jesus, the Savior of the world, be born on the Day of Atonement.
The 70th "week"? That will be fulfilled when the one known as the Antichrist, the one that Yeshua called "the prince that shall come" makes a 7 year peace treaty with modern Israel, an event yet to take place.
It was also prophesied that after the 69th "week", the Messiah would be killed (cut off) for the sins of others (not for himself). And as prophesied, the legions of Roman general Titus (son of Roman Emperor Vespasian) destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
DANIEL 9:27
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 desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Some relate this to the fact that Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria captured the Temple, dedicated it to Zeus and sacrificed pigs on the altar which is indeed an abomination to the Jews, and before God. However several things differ here. First of all, Antiochus did not make any kind of covenant with the Jews. Secondly, Jesus was born 160 years later, and yet He Himself referred to the " abomination of desolation" spoken of by Daniel as a future event.
MARK 13:14-20
14 “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
15 Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.
16 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.
17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
18 And pray that your flight may not be in winter.
19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.
20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
Roman generals Vespasian and Titus never made any such covenant with the Jews either, so this 70th week event still has yet to be fulfilled.
In fact, according to Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, Titus was an honorable man who didn't want the Temple to be destroyed, and even begged the Jewish Zealots who had barricaded themselves within the Temple to come out so he wouldn't have to attack it. They refused, and Titus was forced to assault the Temple. Titus ordered that the Temple be spared, but a furious Roman soldier threw a torch into the sanctuary. The wood and furnishings were over 400 years old and caught fire immediately, resulting in the destruction of the Temple.
And the fact that three and a half years are given for the Antichrist to destroy the Jews and Christians points to the fact that this "prince who is to come" will make a seven-year covenant of peace, and three and a half years later will break it, and will begin the great persecution prophesied by Daniel, Jesus, and the apostle John.
The Apostle John said concerning the coming Antichrist;
REVELATION 13:5-7
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
So in this case, the Antichrist will make a seven year covenant with the Jews (one week prophetic time - the 70th "week" of Daniel), and three and a half years later will break it, and set up the abomination of desolation, which will be covered in the Revelation study (End Times Part V).
It is interesting to note also that the 69 weeks are distinctly separate from the 70th week (see Daniel 9:25 above). Why? Because the prophetic clock stopped at Jesus' death, at the end the 69 week period. And as history shows, the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, putting an end to the Jewish nation for 1,878 years.
And as it was the Roman army that destroyed the city, again, the identity of the last empire is confirmed, namely the resurrected Roman empire, now known as the European Union. (The ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue and the ten horns of the fourth beast that Daniel saw). There are more than 10 nations in the European Union right now, but Europe is presently in upheaval because of Muslim immigration, and it might be the trigger that causes it to shrink down to ten.
DANIEL 10:1-13
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.
2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks.
3 I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
4 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris,
5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz.
6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.
7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength.
9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands.
11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
12 Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
This mighty angel had been sent immediately in answer to Daniel, but one of Satan's demon princes ruling the Persian empire had stopped him for three full weeks.
Note that in verse 13 the angel makes a difference between the prince of Persia and the kings of Persia. In this verse the kings are the physical kings of Persia, whereas the prince of Persia is referring to the demon ruler over that part of the Earth. They will always be referred to as princes, as Satan will allow no other kings besides himself in his kingdom.
The fact that Satan has demon princes over nations, empires and kingdoms was well known to the apostle Paul, for he wrote;
EPHESIANS 6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Principalities are geographical locations ruled by princes. And it wasn't until Michael, one of the chief princes of the angelic host came to help, that the angelic messenger was freed to come to Daniel. This points to the fact that there is much spiritual warfare in global matters that we do not see with human eyes.
And apparently this demon prince was powerful enough that it took an angelic prince to take the messenger's place. And considering the awesome description of the angel that Daniel saw, it gives an idea of the power of the demonic forces we face. Remember, respect their power, but do not fear them.
As the apostle John reminded us;
I JOHN 4:4
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
DANIEL 10:14
14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come."
This was spoken to tell Daniel that the vision would be for the future (the latter days), and would cover a long period of history, (the vision is for many days to come).
DANIEL 10:15-21
15 When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless.
16 And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, "My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength.
17 For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me."
18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me.
19 And he said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!" So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."
20 Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come.
21 But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince).
Satan seldom sits still. The angel spoke to Daniel that as soon as the demon prince of Persia was defeated, Satan would immediately move in with another demon prince, this one backing Alexander the Great who would destroy the Persian army in 330 B.C. Satan doesn't care a whit about human empires, or who is in power. He wants to rule everything, and men are merely expendable pawns to be used for that purpose.
And note once again, none of the angels that Daniel saw had wings.
In his arrogance during his temptation of Jesus, Satan showed Him all of the kingdoms of the world of that era in a moment of time. In fact, the book of Luke records;
LUKE 4:5-7
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."
Note that Jesus never disputed Satan's claim to own these kingdoms. Jesus knew it was true, for stewardship of the Earth and everything in it had been given to Satan by Adam in the Garden of Eden. (See the study on the Fall of Man for more information.)
DANIEL 11:1-2
1 "Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.
2 And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.
Here the angel who appeared to Daniel (chapter 10) tells him that he (the angel) had strengthened Darius, one of the earlier rulers of Persia, and warns Daniel that the Persian empire will soon end. He then reiterates that the Persian empire will be followed by the Greek empire as prophesied earlier in Daniel's ministry.
Four more kings would rule Persia before the Greeks would conquer them. There is much variation among sources when listing dates and names of Persian rulers, so I will list just the last one, Xerxes, who was defeated by Alexander the Great in 333 B.C. at the battle of Issus in retaliation to Persian assaults against Greece.
DANIEL 11:3-4
3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.
Even on his deathbed, Alexander the Great was shrewd. He knew that when he died, civil war would erupt among his generals and that they would seek to slaughter his family and seize the Empire for themselves. So to protect his wife and infant son, when asked who would inherit the Empire, he said, "let it be given to the strongest."
Alexander died in 323 B.C. in the palace of Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and with that, four of his generals immediately ripped a piece of the empire for himself, starting dynasties that would last for hundreds of years. Ptolemy I Soter took Egypt and Judah, Seleucus I Nicator took Babylon, Persia and Syria, Cassander took Macedonia, and Lysimachus took the Hellespont region. But the Seleucids and the Ptolemies would be the ones that Judah would have to deal with over the next several hundred years.
DANIEL 11:5
5 "Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion.
This verse documents the rise of the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, started by Ptolemy Soter (Ptolemy I), one of Alexander's generals. He took Egypt, Judah, Phoenicia, and carried many Jews into Egypt. He also swept northward all the way into present-day Turkey.
His son, Ptolemy II (Ptolemy Philadelphus) formally conquered Judah by entering Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, when the Jews refused to fight him because of their observation of the Sabbath.
DANIEL 11:6
6 And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.
In order to try to cement the two dynasties together (Seleucid and Ptolemaic) and stop the wars, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (king of the South) in 249 B.C. sent his daughter Berenice Syra to Antiochus II Theos (king of the North) for purposes of marriage.
Antiochus II Theos of Syria was already married but he divorced his wife Laodice in order to marry Berenice, thus ending the war and sparking hope that Ptolemy II would relinquish captured Syrian territory . However when Ptolemy II died in 246 B.C., Antiochus II took back Laodice. Wanting revenge, Laodice poisoned her husband, his now ex-wife Berenice and the child he'd had by Berenice. So as the prophecy stated, Berenice, Antiochus II, Ptolemy II, and Berenice' son were all lost.
DANIEL 11:7-9
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:
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.
9 Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land.
Ptolemy III Eurgetes declared war against Syria after the murder of his sister Berenice and her son by Laodice and invaded Syria. He plundered the northern kingdom and took back the Egyptian gods that had been captured in an earlier war, and swept northward up to and possibly including Babylon. He then killed Laodice, avenging his sister's death. The Egyptian Ptolmaic kingdom had reached the height of its power.
Ptolemy III was also able to recover gold and silver idols captured 300 years before by Persian ruler Cambyses, and received a large tribute of silver annually from the Seleucid empire under Seleucus II. Seleucus II of Syria died by falling off a horse in about 226 B.C. and Ptolemy III of Egypt died about 5 years later, in fulfillment of the prophecy.
In 240 B.C. Antiochus II had previously tried invading Egypt to avenge his humiliation at the hands of Ptolemy III. However his warships were lost in a storm and he was forced to retreat.
DANIEL 11:10
10 But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
Angered by the Egyptian invasion by Ptolemy III, Seleucus III of Syria, son of Antiochus II Theos set out to conquer Egyptian territories in Asia Minor, but was unsuccessful and was assassinated by his own troops. Seleucus' brother Antiochus III ascended the throne after the death of his brother and conquered Judah, nearly reaching the Egyptian border (passing through).
DANIEL 11:11
11 "And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy.
Enraged, Egyptian forces under Ptolemy IV met Antiochus III in battle and Antiochus was defeated and forced to return in humiliation to Lebanon.
DANIEL 11:12
12 When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail.
Ptolemy IV then re-conquered Judah and returned to Egypt, after leaving a garrison in Jerusalem. But Egyptian troops trained in Greek warfare tactics began guerilla warfare against him in southern Egypt and in a few years had attained independence from northern Egypt, splitting Egypt in two.
DANIEL 11:13
13 For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment.
After Ptolemy IV died in 204 B.C. Antiochus III of Syria attacked Egypt. But first he swept into Judah, but as winter was setting in, withdrew back into Syria for the winter. Taking advantage of this, an Egyptian general re-conquered southern Judah and left a garrison in Jerusalem.
DANIEL 11:14
14 "Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall.
Antiochus III of Syria made a deal with Philip V of Macedonia (Greece) to split Egypt's Asia Minor territories between them, further weakening the Egyptian Ptolmaic empire. Antiochus III swept into Judah, where the Jews decided to side with him and provided him with provisions and helped him destroy Egypt's forces including the garrison stationed there.
DANIEL 11:15
15 So the king of the North shall come and build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist.
Antiochus III of Syria attacked the Egyptian-controlled city of Sidon in Lebanon because the Egyptian general who had conquered Jerusalem had fled there after his garrison in Jerusalem had been destroyed. Antiochus besieged Sidon and when the city surrendered, he allowed the general and his men to leave and go back to Egypt naked and unarmed.
DANIEL 11:16
16 But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power.
Antiochus III (now called 'The Great') mopped up the Egyptians in Lebanon and took full control of Judah from Egypt for good and stood unopposed in the Middle East.
DANIEL 11:17
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 to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him.
Ptolemy V of Egypt declared war against Antiochus III of Syria and his coalition of foreign troops including the Jews (upright ones) , but was soundly defeated. To stop the ruinous wars, Antiochus III offered his daughter Cleopatra I in marriage to Ptolemy V in order to cement relations and have a spy in the Egyptian court. However she had no interest in her fathers' mission but instead fell in love with Ptolemy V and refused to spy for her father.
DANIEL 11:18-19
18 After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him.
19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
Antiochus III of Syria then turned his attention northward and invaded Greece. While doing so, he asked the rising Roman Republic for a friendship treaty, but was flatly told that if he stayed out of Europe and Asia Minor, they would befriend him.
Antiochus III refused and invaded Asia Minor with 10,000 men and captured some Greek fortresses, angering his former friend and ally, Philip V of Macedon. Rome responded and soundly defeated Antiochus III, forced him to reduce his navy to 12 ships, make payment to Rome for war costs and send 20 hostages to Rome, including his own son, Antiochus IV.
With Antiochus III defeated, some of the outlying provinces revolted and became independent. With his territories greatly reduced, he was desperate to raise cash to pay Rome. In 187 B.C. when plundering a pagan temple in Babylon, he was murdered.
DANIEL 11:20
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 III's son Seleucus IV took the throne after his father's murder and began a heavy taxation program on all of his provinces to pay Rome for the cost of his father's war. He even sent a tax collector to the Temple in Jerusalem and plundered the Temple Treasury.
Rome, after Antiochus III's death ordered his son Seleucus IV to send his own son Demetrius to Rome as a hostage, and released Antiochus IV, Seleucus' younger brother. Antiochus IV then fled to Athens, Greece.
Shortly afterward, Seleucus IV was poisoned by one of his courtiers, and as Demetrius, the heir to the throne was a hostage in Rome and Antiochus IV was in Greece, the next one in line, Antiochus V, aged 5, took the throne.
DANIEL 11:21
21 And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue.
Antiochus IV, in Athens, upon hearing of his brother Seleucid IV's murder swiftly sailed for Pergamum in present day Turkey and by flattering king Eumenes II there gained his support in order to 'safeguard' the young Antiochus V.
Shortly afterward, the young Antiochus V was murdered when Antiochus IV was “conveniently” elsewhere, and it is suspected that Antiochus IV was behind the murder of the child. The fact that Antiochus IV is described as 'vile' points to him as the murderer of the child so he could take the throne.
DANIEL 11:22-23
22 With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant.
23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people.
Antiochus IV soon began calling himself 'Epiphanes' (God made manifest) and believed himself to be a son of Zeus. However his men called him 'Epimanes' (madman) behind his back.
Apparently he was able to eliminate any threats to his throne, and took advantage of infighting between Jewish priests to place the highest bidder as High Priest. This started a ongoing trend of offering the High Priesthood to the highest bidder (forming the sect of the Sadducees who followed Greek customs and religious beliefs) which finally ended when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D.
DANIEL 11:24
24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.
Antiochus IV of Syria was a clever ruler in that he spent his spoils of war on the populace, buying their loyalty. At the same time he had his eyes set on the riches of Egypt, and visited his sister Cleopatra I and his nephew Ptolemy VI in Egypt, while spying out the land.
DANIEL 11:25-26
25 "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 devise plans against him.
26 Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain.
Antiochus IV attacked the Egyptians, but the Egyptians weren't strong enough to stop him. This was mainly because Antiochus IV had corrupted the chief Egyptian officials who knew Ptolemy VI's weaknesses and State secrets and they passed this information on to Antiochus.
DANIEL 11:27
27 Both these kings' hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time.
Antiochus IV of Syria and Ptolemy VI of Egypt spoke frequently during the war. After conquering the Egyptian fortresses at Memphis and Pelusium, Antiochus IV set his sights on the major city of Alexandria. The Alexandrites, due to Antiochus IV treachery, ditched Ptolemy VI and put Ptolemy's younger brother Ptolemy VII on the throne.
This suited Antiochus who wanted to set the brothers against each other. Ptolemy VI knew very well what Antiochus planned but expressed his gratitude to his uncle for "safeguarding" him, and blaming the war on one of his ministers. In reality Ptolemy VI was trying to join forces with his brother Ptolemy VII against Antiochus.
DANIEL 11:28
28 While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land.
While campaigning in Egypt, rumors reached Jerusalem that Antiochus IV Epiphanes had been killed. Jason, a former High Priest who had been outbid for the priestly office, gathered men and drove the Antiochus IV - installed High Priest into the fortress in Jerusalem.
Antiochus IV heard of the infighting and believed that all of Judah was in revolt against him. He left Egypt and marched on Jerusalem, ordering his troops to mercilessly kill everyone in sight. It is estimated that 40,000 Jews were killed and another 40,000 were sold into slavery within 3 days.
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.
The Ptolemy brothers in Egypt had meanwhile reconciled, causing Antiochus IV to lose Egypt. Knowing that they couldn't defeat Antiochus, the Ptolemy brothers appealed to Rome for help. Rome, worried about Greek expansion agreed and sent three Senators to confront Antiochus IV.
The Senators told Antiochus to withdraw from Egypt or face war with Rome. Antiochus stalled for time, saying he needed to consult with his generals. The senior Senator drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus and calmly said, "I will have your answer before you cross that line." Antiochus agreed to pull back, and left Egypt. The reference to ships from Chittim (Cyprus) refers to the origin of the ships that brought the Romans.
DANIEL 11:31
31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.
Antiochus IV returned to Judah in a rage and then plundered the Temple, stripping all the gold and silver from its facades, plundered the Temple treasury, removing all of the holy artifacts and the altar. He set up a new altar, dedicated it to Zeus, sacrificed swine on the altar (an abomination to both God and the Jews) and put an image of Zeus on the altar (the abomination of desolation) and ordered the Jews to worship it. Afterward he returned to Syria.
He then decreed that all peoples in his lands become united as one, and worship his gods. Many Jews admired Greek customs and became "Hellenized" (Greek citizens). They adopted Greek customs and Antiochus had forbidden circumcision. Holy feasts were forbidden, and the Jews were forbidden to practice the Law on pain of death. Inspectors were sent into all of the cities as watchers and cities were ordered to perform pagan sacrifices.
DANIEL 11:32
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.
Many Jews abandoned Judaism, some willingly, some out of fear. A Jewish priest named Matthias fled to the town of Modin when Antiochus IV's army under general Appolonius took Jerusalem. At Modin, Matthias killed a Jew who was sacrificing to Zeus and the Seleucid officer overseeing him, starting a rebellion against Antiochus.
DANIEL 11:33
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.
When found, copies of the Torah were torn up and burned, and anyone caught with one was immediately executed. Women who had their children circumcised were executed along with their families.
DANIEL 11:34
34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
As small victories turned into greater ones, Matthias' armies grew, but not all joined out of faith or dedication. Some joined for plunder and other ulterior reasons.
DANIEL 11:35
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.
Some Jews refused to follow Antiochus' blasphemous policies and were put to death, preferring to die in faith to their God rather than submit to Antiochus. Here is the true reason why God will allow many of His servants to be killed. It will be a final test of their faith, and will prove before God, Satan, angels and mankind that they were faithful to their Lord even to the end.
Satan obviously petitioned to test these faithful Jews to death, and his petition was granted. This may seem cruel of God, but each person who chose death showed that they would rather be with God rather than deny their faith, condemning themselves and shaming Him. And each one preferring death was a slap in Satan's face before God's throne and they glorified God. Their rewards will be great when they stand before Him at their Judgement, and having been faithful to the end, will have earned eternal life in Heaven.
There were no strong threats to Judah after Antiochus IV, although several Seleucid rulers followed him. From 165 B.C. until about 40 B.C. Judah was ruled by the priestly Hasmoneans, descendants of Matthias' son Judas Maccabeus (Judas 'the Hammer') who finally drove Antiochus IV's forces out of Judah until the powerful Parthians (north-eastern Iran) overran Judah in 40 B.C. And without warning the prophecy changes from the Ptolemies and Seleucids to focus on Judean kings.
By this time, Rome's influence was being extended across the Middle East, with Roman general Pompey subduing Jerusalem and entering the Temple in 62 B.C. To stop the infighting between rival High Priests Pompey then made Judah (called Judea by the Romans) a Roman province.
The intrigues surrounding Julius Caesar, his nephew Octavian (later to be called Augustus) and Mark Antony were about to erupt. By 45 B.C. Julius Caesar was dead and the Roman civil war between Octavian and Mark Antony had begun.
As the time approaches the end of the 69 'weeks' prophecy and the coming of the promised Messiah, the focus abruptly switches from the Seleucids and Ptolemies to a single individual, Herod the Great (Herod I) because he would be the ruling king of Judea when Jesus would be born in 7 B.C.
In the mean time, a Hasmonean ruler named Antipater II was made procurator (Governor) of Judah (Judea) by Rome. Antipater then made his second son Herod the governor of Galilee. Herod ingratiated himself to Rome and paid a large bribe to Mark Antony to become tetrarch (ruler over a quarter) of Judah in 41 B.C.
In 40 B.C. the Parthians (from present-day Iran, fierce enemies of Rome) conquered Judea and the Parthians made another Hasmonean, named Antigonus, king over all of Judea. Herod fled to Rome where he begged, bribed and flattered Octavian (Augustus) and Mark Antony to restore him and was appointed client king of Judea, subject to Rome. He was granted an army and in 37 B.C. drove the Parthians out. He immediately overthrew King Antigonus in Judea and had him murdered by Antony so Antigonus wouldn't contest the Herod family’s claim to the throne.
Herod, soon called “Herod the Great” proved himself to be a paranoid, suspicious, merciless ruler, executing his wife on trumped up adultery charges, murdering three of his sons whom he thought were plotting to take his throne, as well as most of his family line. His murderous bent and suspicious paranoia was so great that later Caesar Augustus commented that it was safer to be Herod's pig, than his son. (Remember that Herod ordered all the babies of Bethlehem murdered who were two years old and under when Jesus was born, in an attempt to remove this threat to his throne.)
DANIEL 11:36
36 Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.
Herod was nothing if not egotistic. He built lavish cities and palaces, naming many of them after himself and his Roman benefactors, and spent 40 years rebuilding and expanding the Temple. He was a tyrannical ruler, and many of his enemies real and imagined were executed or murdered.
He was an Idumean (Edomite, descendant of Jacob's brother Esau) and while they were technically Jews, the Edomites had been hostile to the Jews since the Jews became slaves in Egypt. The kings were supposed to come through the line of Judah and God had told the Jews that no foreigner was to sit on the throne:
DEUTERONOMY 17:14-15
14 "When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, 'I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,'
15 you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
While Herod technically was a Jew, he was not a direct descendant of Jacob or of Judah whom God prophesied would produce the line of the kings, neither was he selected by God through a prophet as were Saul (who was actually a Benjamite) , David, and Solomon. Therefore Herod was a foreigner and not qualified to occupy the throne.
The last true king of Judah was Zedekiah who was hauled off to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C., and there was to be no king afterward until Jesus the Messiah, the eternal King chosen by God, descendant of king David as prophesied, arrives to take His throne at the Second Coming.
Now, back to Herod.
DANIEL 11:37
37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.
This verse isn't surprising, actually. The Idumeans (Edomites) were descendants of Jacob's brother Esau, so while ethnically they were Jews, they were bitter enemies of Judah and fought many battles with their brethren. While they were Jews, God was not worshiped in Edom, and while little is known about their worship practices, their culture was heavily influenced by Egypt and Arabia. Inscriptions have been found beseeching blessings from someone named 'Kos', and artifacts showing Egyptian gods have been found in ancient Edomite territory..
And with Herod's narcissism, the only thing he respected was power greater than his own, and those who wielded it. He also spent lavishly on building projects to increase his image and sent expensive gifts to Roman rulers to elevate himself in their eyes. He rebuilt the Great Temple in Jerusalem, not out of respect to God, but to mollify his subjects, and be a monument to his own glory in an attempt to build a city in keeping with his self-perceived glory and grandeur.
While there doesn't seem to be any records of Herod blaspheming other gods and exalting himself above other gods, I believe in the accuracy of Scripture. And noting Herod's narcissism it could be easily assumed that he did. And as for the desire of women, power is a major emotional drug right up there with greed, where the sole driving force in a person's life is the acquisition of more money and power. He probably figured any woman who might have desired him was after his throne anyway. Besides, Herod suffered from a progressive painful disease (some scholars think it was syphilus) and Jewish historian Josephus said that just before Herod died, his stomach was swollen, his breath stank, his entire skin itched, he had tumors on his feet, his intestines hurt constantly, he had asthma, uncontrollable limb convulsions, and even more telling had gangrene in his private parts. It was so bad that he once tried to commit suicide with scissors, but was stopped by one of his nephews.
This is in agreement with exalting himself above any god, as the true God was showing him to be just a man like anyone else.
DANIEL 11:38-39
38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things.
39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.
There is no mention of Herod worshiping a specific god, but it is known that he built elaborate temples to foreign (mostly Roman) gods. He built Caesarea in honor of Caesar Augustus and built a massive temple in the city to 'divine Augustus' within the city; built temples to Augustus in Sebaste (Samaria) and Panias (a city formerly dedicated to the pagan deity Pan), helped restore the temple of Apollo on the island of Rhodes, helped build a temple to Ba'al Shamim at Si's (location unknown) and temples in Tyre and Sidon. Did he worship the gods of these temples? Probably not. He built or contributed to these for political advantage and favors, showing callous disregard for the deities for whom the temples were built.
The god of 'fortresses' (some versions say 'forces') although nameless, may refer to Herod's virtual worship of Caesar Augustus, who greatly extended the territory of the Roman Empire by brute force. The fact that Herod built numerous cities, temples and fortresses and named them after ‘divine Augustus’ and sent many expensive gifts to the Emperor shows a dedication bordering on worship.
Herod also gave land to supporters for political advantage and support, as indicated in verse 39, and was always scheming for ways to gain more glory and political power.
DANIEL 11:40
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.
The focus now changes from Herod back to Syria and Egypt.
Mark Antony in Egypt had a falling out with Roman leader Octavian (later known as Caesar Augustus, king of the North) in 36 B.C. and war was inevitable. By then, Antony had fallen in love with Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII, and had divorced his wife, Octavian's sister, and had given Cleopatra numerous Roman holdings in the East which irritated Octavian (Augustus) and the Roman Senate greatly, and in 31 B.C. the Senate declared war against Antony and Cleopatra.
In an odd twist, the 'king of the South' who was prophesied to attack Herod was not Mark Antony. Herod supported Antony and wanted to join him against Octavian, but Antony sent him to fight king Malichus I of the Nabateans, who ruled southern Judea and parts of western Arabia and the Sinai peninsula. They are mostly known for carving the beautiful buildings of Petra. Antony didn't want the fierce Nabateans to join Octavian against him.
Antony's generals advised him to fight using his superiority in infantry, but he gave in to Cleopatra's insistence on a naval battle. The battle involved approximately 630 ships and Octavian won the sea battle at Actium, Greece. Antony's infantry deserted and the chariots and infantry Octavian brought never saw battle.
Boot-licking Herod, seeing which way the wind was blowing, switched sides and helped the Roman governor of Syria prevent a contingent of Antony's gladiators from coming to Antony's aid in Egypt. Herod then sailed to Rhodes in Greece where he groveled before Octavian, promising his loyalty as fully as he had promised to support Antony. Octavian accepted his promise, and allowed him to retain his kingship of Judea.
DANIEL 11:41-43
41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.
42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.
Octavian pursued Antony and Cleopatra southward, passing through Syria and Judea on his way to Egypt, bypassing the lands of Edom, Moab and the ancient Ammonites in his haste. Antony, believing a rumor that Cleopatra had killed herself and not wanting to be humiliated and possibly executed by Octavian, committed suicide by falling on his own sword. The wily Cleopatra tried to negotiate with Octavian who would have none of it. She in turn committed suicide by allowing a poisonous asp (viper) to bite her.
Octavian captured the incredible riches of Egypt, accumulated for hundreds of years by the Ptolemies, and returned to Rome in 29 B.C. The plunder of Egypt was so great that interest rates actually dropped throughout the Roman empire, and the victory catapulted Octavian to the office of Augustus, or Emperor.
With threats to Judea finished, the prophecy returns to Herod.
DANIEL 11:44-45
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.
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.
The news from the East refers to the arrival of the 'wise men' from the East who proclaimed the birth of the "King of the Jews";
MATTHEW 2:1-3
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And the fact that one of Herod's sons in Rome, Antigonus, had reported to his father that his other two sons whom he had groomed to succeed him had slandered Herod to Caesar (tidings from the North). Enraged, Herod had both of his sons executed.
Some of the outlying provinces, knowing that Herod was near death because of disease began to revolt. Herod, furious that someone would dare defy him, prepared to forcibly bring them back under control, but worsening health required him to try to recuperate in his winter place in Jericho. Herod died in 4 B.C., and with the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem 26 A.D, the 69 'weeks' of Daniel were completed.
DANIEL 12:1
1 At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.
Now we go to the final 'week' of Daniel's prophecy a time period distinctly separated from the 69 'weeks' before it. This will speak of the last seven years of human history, during which time Satan will be thrown down to Earth to make his final stand, the Antichrist will rise to conquer the Earth and everything in the book of Revelation will be fulfilled. Daniel saw Revelation through a telescope, the apostle John saw it through a microscope.
During the last seven years of human history, Michael the angelic prince will stand in defense for the Jewish nation and the Christians, and war will break out in Heaven as Satan and his demons again try to overthrow God. Satan will be banished from Heaven for good and will make his final stand on Earth. He will empower the Antichrist and the Great Persecution spoken of by Jesus will begin.
The persecution will be so intense, that Jesus said,
MARK 13:19-20
19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.
20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
The word for "flesh" in verse 20 is the Greek word "sarx" meaning literal flesh. In other words, Jesus said that unless He had cut short Satan's reign of destruction here on earth, He would return to a dead planet. Mankind would have become extinct. But for the sake of the Christians and Jews, He has determined to cut the days short by returning before Satan can accomplish his goal.
DANIEL 12:2
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.
This refers to the coming two resurrections, the first resurrection of the righteous at Jesus' return, and the second resurrection of the damned at the great White Throne Judgement 1,000 years later. We'll see more of this issue in Part III and Part IV of the End Times study.
DANIEL 12:3-4
3 Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
4 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
An interesting turn of phraseology is used in verse 4 that can be interpreted several ways. Knowledge indeed HAS increased in these last days. Just take a look at the strides technology has taken during this past century alone! But knowledge of the End Times prophecies has increased also.
Many of God's prophecies are timed so that the generation for whom they were meant would be granted understanding of what they have to say. Daniel is told that the meaning of his prophecies concerning the future are "sealed", (shrouded, their meaning hidden) until the time of the end.
And those for whom the prophecies are meant will understand them as God pulls the veils away, just as we are seeing now.
DANIEL 12:5-7
5 Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank.
6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?"
7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
"Time, times and a half?" Sound familiar? Three and a half years! Three and a half years are given for the Antichrist to perform his reign of destruction against the Jews and Christians. And just when it seems that there is no hope left, Jesus will return.
MATTHEW 24:44
44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
DANIEL 12:8-10
8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?"
9 And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
I really have to feel sorry for Daniel! I know how frustrated I have been over the years seeking understanding of these prophecies, and the Lord in His mercy and grace has revealed much to me. But there is still much that He has not chosen to show me for reasons known only to Him.
Daniel was told that he was merely to record all of this, but it was not for him to know the meaning of the prophecies. If it had been me, I would have been frustrated no end, jumping up and down, yelling "But God.....!!!!!!"
Note also verse 10. Daniel is told that none of the wicked would understand but the wise WOULD understand. I am not proclaiming myself to be wise, for all I have come to understand of these prophecies has been given to me by God, and is none of my own doing. Therefore I will not claim any credit for any of this, but will give all of the credit and honor to God alone who has granted such knowledge to me and now to you.
But those who are wise will see the truth in the Scriptures, and will understand the times that we live in. They will also be able to discern that the time is getting short, and prepare accordingly.
And for those of you believing in a pre-tribulation rapture, if we aren't going to be here why are we being given all of these warnings of persecution to come? Are we greater than Jesus, that we should escape persecution? Did He ever tell us that we would NOT go through the tribulation? Are we any better than the early Christians who were put to death by the Roman Empire, or the during the 400 years of the Roman Catholic Inquisition?
NOWHERE have I found in Scripture that these warnings are for "those who are left behind". Keep this in mind. And the clincher for the timing of the rapture will be found in the study of Revelation ( End Times Part IV).
DANIEL 12:11
11 "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
It doesn't say what will happen after this time, but it equates to 3 ½ years. From the time that the Antichrist sets up an image of himself in the rebuilt Temple and forbids daily sacrifices, (remember Antiochus Epiphanes?) will be 3 ½ years, and I suspect that after that time war will be declared against the Antichrist as God gathers the armies of Earth to Armageddon.
DANIEL 12:12
12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
Again, nothing is given concerning the extra 45 days after the original 1,290 days.
I suspect it will take this long for Armageddon to get into full swing, at which time Jesus will return to destroy the Armageddon armies. But this is only speculation.
DANIEL 12:13
13 "But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days."
This is pretty much self-explanatory.
In summary, we have seen Daniel's telescopic look at history, ranging from the time of the empire of Babylon through to the return of Jesus in our near future. Time is becoming extremely short, and many Christians are woefully without understanding of just what is ahead of us, and as such are not prepared.
Remember Jesus' words!
LUKE 21:28-36
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
29 Then He spoke to them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.
31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
34 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."
And;
MARK 13:33-37
33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
34 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.
35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning--
36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
When we are given knowledge by God, we are responsible before Him for that knowledge and what we do with it! During the time of the prophet Jeremiah, the Jews were warned for 40 years through Jeremiah that king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would destroy the city because of its wickedness if they didn't repent.
They didn't listen and 40 years later Nebuchadnezzar besieged and destroyed Jerusalem as God had promised. Thousands perished of famine (cannibalism was rampant) and disease during the siege, and many thousands more were killed when the Babylonians broke into the city. In the end the survivors were deported to Babylon for 70 years in chains as promised by God.
The prophet Ezekiel also warned of the Babylonian assault, and God told him;
EZEKIEL 33:1-6
1 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 "Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: 'When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman,
3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people,
4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.
6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.'
We have an obligation to tell others God's words and pass on any warnings He gives us. What you do with the information in these End Times studies is now your responsibility. What will you do with it?
And may the Lord open your eyes and hearts to understand what is written here, grant you discernment of the times and prepare you for what’s coming!!!
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