The Book of Daniel Introduction & Chapter 1
The Book of Daniel In Chronological Order:
Historical Prophecies
1 Introduction2 The King’s Dream
3 Bow or Burn
4 The King’s Ego Trip
7 Times of the Gentiles
8 The Ram and Goat
5 The Fall of Babylon
6 The Plot of the Magi
9 The 70 Weeks
10 The Dark Side
11 & 12 The Conclusion
Why Study the Book of Daniel?
• When you get into Session 6: The Mystery of Babylon Addendum to Chapter 5
• You will begin to see just how up to date the Book of Daniel really is.
• Arabia is building a new city they named "NEOM" it will be 33 times the size of New York City.
• Israel has a "Smart Weapon" called "arrow", you will see the significance when you read Session 6.
• Personal Impact: One of my favorite books of the Bible.
• Reveals Gentile history in advance. It is as timely as tomorrow’s newspaper.
• Discovery of its validation.
• Contains the most amazing passage in the Bible: the 70 weeks of Daniel.
Two Critical Discoveries
1) We have in our possession an Integrated Message System: 66 separate books penned by 40 different individuals over thousands of years... tightly engineered in theme, structure, and details.
2) Which provably has its origin from outside our time domain due to its integrity of design.
Old Testament (Tenach) Texts
• Original Hebrew (“Vorlage”) text written in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah.
• Septuagint Translation (LXX) compiled from 285-270 B.C. by 72 scholars at Alexandria. It is the primary quoted text in the New Testament.
• Masoretic Text (MT), derived from the Council of Jamnia.
The Bereans were skeptical, but they kept an open mind and searched the scriptures to see if what they heard was true.
Acts 17:11
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all openness of mind, yet searched the scriptures daily, to prove whether those things were so.
Basic Caveat: Don’t believe anything Chuck Missler tells you, but check it out for yourself!
Daniel in the Critic’s Den:
• No other book in history has been as validated as the Book of Daniel.
It is too specific to yield in attempts to discredit it.
• In 332 B.C.: When Alexander The Great was on his conquest and he gets to Jerusalem, the High Priest Jaddua showed him references to himself in the book of Daniel and the city was spared
(Recorded by Josephus).
• The German archaeologist R. Kodewey, 1899-1917: before the first World War, excavated Nebuchadnezzar’s palace.
• The Banquet hall that we see prominent in Daniel chapter 5 the Handwriting on the Wall, had been identified as, 173' x 56'.
• Nebuchadnezzar’s palace was rebuilt by Saddam Hussein
• Daniel had to be an eyewitness. See Chapter 5.
Ultimate Authentication:
• Jesus quotes Daniel 3 times: Jesus referred to him as “Daniel the Prophet”
• Daniel is quoted 3 times in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3).
He was classed with Noah, Job, etc.
– Daniel was set up by Ezekiel as the standard against which to measure wisdom (Ezekiel 28:3).
only two of which no evil is spoken of (neither was Meshach, Shadrach, or Abednego.
• Only two: Joseph and Daniel: both were professional executives.
• Foreign words: 15 Persian words; 3 Greek, Daniel was Prime Minister of two empires.
This would be expected from Daniel’s position.
As a teenager he was deported
He served at court in Babylon and even survived into the subsequent Persian Empire.
Organization:
• Historical Chapters 1 - 6:
• The first 6 chapters are historical, narrative.
Chapters 2-7 are written in Aramaic
(Chaldean: Gentile focus—Chapter 4 was written by a Gentile King (Nebuchadnezzar)!)
Chapters 8-12 focus on Israel.
– 1 Deported as a teenager
• Chapters 2 through 7, the focus is on the Gentile World.
– 2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
– 3 Bow or Burn: the Furnace
– 4 Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride
– 5 The Fall of Babylon
– 6 The Lion’s Den
– 7 Daniel’s Vision
• Visions Chapters 7-12:
– 7 The Four Beasts (Are a profile of Gentile History)
– 8 The Ram and the He-Goat (Alexander the Great)
– 9 The Seventy Weeks (Jesus focused His four disciples on this chapter concerning His Second Coming).
– 10 A Glimpse of the Dark Side (A Spiritual War behind the scenes)
– 11 The “Silent Years” (400 years the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament.) Daniel 11:5-25 deals with the Silent Years.
– 12 The Consummation of All Things Daniel was raised under King Josiah’s revival; good environment; an example.
[The Ark of the Covenant was no longer under Israel’s control:
It was under Necho’s protection (2 Chronicles 35) until the “Times of the Gentiles”
completed after the Antichrist, etc.]
Chronological Order of the Book of Daniel:
The Book of Daniel is not in chronological order; the first 6 are narrative.
The Correct Order:
1 Babylonian Captivity 606 B.C.
2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream 602 B.C.
3 Nebuchadnezzar’s Image
4 Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride
7 The vision of the 4 beasts 556 B.C.
8 Ram and He-goat vision 554 B.C.
5 Babylon falls to Persians 539 B.C.
9 Vision of seventy weeks 538 B.C.
6 The Lions’ Den
10 -12 Closing visions
Key Dates:
• 612 B.C.: Nineveh falls to an alliance of Babylon and Media.
• Three years later, in 609 B.C.: Pharaoh Necho leads his army against Assyria.
• Josiah fights Pharaoh Necho (was Ethiopian) and gets killed (Josiah may have been trying to get the Ark of the Covenant back) (2 Chronicles 35:20-24).
• 606 B.C.: Battle of Carchemesh: Nebuchadnezzar vs. Pharaoh Necho on the W bank of Euphrates (Jeremiah 46:1-6).
• Jehoiakim fettered (2 Chronicles 36:5-8).
"The Babylonian Captivity:"
• There are two different periods that are candidates:
• The Servitude of the Nation 70 years 606 B.C.- 537 B.C. (69 years?)
• Desolation's of Jerusalem 70 years 587 B.C. - 518 B.C. (69 years?)
– Let’s count the years Servitude of the Nation
547, 557, 567, 577, 587, 597, 606 = 69 years
– Let’s count the years of the Desolation of Jerusalem
From 547 B.C. until 606 B.C.
547, 557, 567, 577, 587, 597, 606 = 69 years
– Just like 69 of the 70 Weeks there is an interval in there.
• If July 23, 537 B.C. was the time of their release:
Note from here to Siege #1 is my calculating using Sir Robert Anderson’s months, years, and dates.
-537y 7m 23d
+1 (no year "0")
2483y 9m 21d
• 537723
–2483921
1946198
+ 1 year
1948 5 14
– 360 Days from Jewish Calendar
1946198
+ 1 year
=1946558
(558 - 360 or 1year = 198days taking us to 1947 + 198 days but what month?= )
=1946558 (558- 360 or 1year = 198days taking us to 1947 + 198 days = )
or 1945, 05, 5.8?
May 05 (5 + 8=13 +? 1=14)
May 14, 1948
– 365 Days from Julian Calendar
=1946198 – 365 = 1945833 or 1945, 08, 03.3?
August 03, 1945
-537y 7m 23d
+1 (no year "0")
2483y 9m 21d
23d + 21d or 30d + 14d = 44days
7m + 9m = 16m or 1y 4m + 30d + 14d = 1y 5m 14d
1y 5m 14d + 360d or 1year
= 2years 5months 14days + 2483y - 537y = 1946y
1946y + 2years 5months 14days = 1948th year 5th month 14th day.
May 14th 1948
1948 5 14
On May 14, 1948, (5 Iyar 5708) by David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, the nation Israel was reestablished on the world scene. A remarkable coincidence. Isaiah appears to have highlighted this very restoration:
Isaiah 11:11, 12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Let’s count the years Servitude of the Nation
547, 557, 567, 577, 587, 597, 606 = 69 years +1 (no year "0")
– Just like 69 of the 70 Weeks there is an interval in there.
• If August 16, 518 B.C. was the completion of the walls of Jerusalem, then:
-518y 8m 16d
+1 (no year "0")
2483y 9m 21d
1967 6 7
On June 7, 1967, as a result of the Six Day War, the Biblical city of Old Jerusalem was restored to the nation. Another remarkable coincidence!
1967 war: Six days that changed the Middle East:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39960461
It came to a head with a full-scale air and artillery battle between Israel and Syria on 7 April, 1967. Israel routed the Syrians.
Each of these was prophesied to be seventy years in duration and many assume they are synonymous of each other; however, they are not.
-518y 8m 16d
+1 (no year "0")
2483y 9m 21d
16d + 21d=37 or 30d +7
9m + 8m =17m or 1y 5m + 30 d = 1y 6m 7d
1y 6m 7d +360d or 1y
= 2years 6m 7d + 2483 - 518 = 1,965 + 2 years 6 months 7days
= 1,967 years 6 months 7 days
June 7, 1967
Let’s count the years Desolation's of Jerusalem
547, 557, 567, 577, 587, 597, 606 = 69 years +1 (no year "0")
– Just like 69 of the 70 Weeks there is an interval in there.
Siege #1
• Nebuchadnezzar lays 1st Siege of Jerusalem in 606 B.C. which lasted until the summer of 537 B.C.
– Jehoiakim released was as a vassal;
– The Temple was plundered (for his own museum);
– Hostages (Daniel was of the “Royal Line”) taken.
– This begins 70-year period “Servitude of the Nation” to the day, because they failed to give the land rest on the Sabbath Years.
Siege #2
• Jehoiakim ignores Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s counsel and rebels against Nebuchadnezzar.
• A 5-year battle ensues;
Jehoiakim dies (Jeremiah 22:17-19).
His son, Jehiachin also called “Jeconiah”, reigns until the siege is over (Jeremiah 22:24-30).
• [Blood curse now on royal line? Jeremiah 22:30.]
• Luke goes through Nathan and not Solomon and takes it down through Heli the father of Mary.
• Jeconiah is captured along with 10,000 captives, including Ezekiel and 1000 skilled artisans;(Ezekiel 1:1-3; 2 Kings 24:8-20; 2 Chronicles 36:6-10), etc.
(2 Kings 24:1-4). Zedekiah, his uncle, installed as vassal at Jerusalem.
• Jeremiah and Ezekiel warn against rebellion but false prophets again prevail…
Siege #3
Ezekiel's 430 Days Timely Speculation? by Chuck Missler - August 1, 2000
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/276/
• The third siege of Nebuchadnezzar, in 587 B.C., began the "Desolation's of Jerusalem," which lasted until 518 B.C. If August 16, 518 B.C. was the completion of the walls of Jerusalem, then:
-518y 8m 16d
+1 (no year "0")
2483y 9m 21d
1967 6 7
• On June 7, 1967, as a result of the Six Day War, the Biblical city of Old Jerusalem was restored to the nation. Another remarkable coincidence!
It should be borne in mind that the "starting" dates are not known precisely to the day.
• More research needs to be done. But this certainly seems provocative enough to ponder.
• Zedekiah ignores Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s warnings and yields to false prophets and rebels (Jeremiah 32:5, 39:6,7; Ezekiel 12:13 ; 2 Kings 25:1-7).
• 3rd Siege results in the destruction of the Temple and the city:
• In 587 B.C., began the 70-year “Desolation's of Jerusalem” (2 Kings 24:17-20; 25:1-21).
Though also 70 years it is not coterminous with “Servitude.”
• God does not deal in approximations.
[Jeremiah’s purchase of the field is evidence of their eventual return ( Jeremiah 32:6).
Also this models the use of sealed title deed (Revelation 5).]
Contradictory passages?
God says what He means and means what He says!
Ezekiel 12:13 My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and
I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.
Jeremiah 39:6,7
Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.
Note from here to Siege #1 is my calculating using Sir Robert Anderson’s months, years, and dates.
-537y 7m 23d
+1 (no year "0")
2483y 9m 21d
23d + 21d or 30d + 14d = 44days
7m + 9m = 16m or 1y 4m + 30d + 14d = 1y 5m 14d
1y 5m 14d + 360d or 1year
= 2years 5months 14days + 2483y - 537y = 1946y
1946y + 2years 5months 14days = 1948th year 5th month 14th day.
May 14th 1948
1948 5 14
On May 14, 1948, the nation Israel was reestablished on the world scene. A remarkable coincidence. Isaiah appears to have highlighted this very restoration:
Isaiah 11:11, 12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Let’s count the years Servitude of the Nation
547, 557, 567, 577, 587, 597, 606 = 69 years +1 (no year "0")
– Just like 69 of the 70 Weeks there is an interval in there.
• If August 16, 518 B.C. was the completion of the walls of Jerusalem, then:
-518y 8m 16d
+1 (no year "0")
2483y 9m 21d
16d + 21d=37 or 30d +7
9m + 8m =17m or 1y 5m +30.d = 1y 6m 7d
1y 6m 7d +360d or 1y
= 2years 6m 7d + 2483 - 518 = 1,965 + 2 years 6 months 7days
= 1,967 years 6 months 7 days
June 7, 1967
1967 6 7
On June 7, 1967, as a result of the Six Day War, the Biblical city of Old Jerusalem was restored to the nation. Another remarkable coincidence!
Each of these was prophesied to be seventy years in duration and many assume they are synonymous of each other; however, they are not.
Let’s count the years Desolation's of Jerusalem
547, 557, 567, 577, 587, 597, 606 = 69 years +1 (no year "0")
– Just like 69 of the 70 Weeks there is an interval in there.
Chapter 1
Dare to be a Daniel!
1] In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
2] And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.
• Jehoiakim was placed on the throne of Judah by Pharaoh Necho to succeed his brother, Jehoahaz.
• Both of these evil men were sons of Josiah, the godly king who led in the last revival in Judah (2 Kings 23:31–37).
(Jehoiakim’s name was actually Eliakim.)
Who gave them into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand?
• God is always in control...the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand...
Shinar is the county= Babylon is the city (7 times).
3] And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;
4] Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
• The Northern Kingdom was no more, it had fallen two hundred years earlier.
• Israel and Judah are used connotatively, sons of Israel is the nation.
Note “Israel” used of these (of Judah).
Eunuchs = Officers. [Potiphar was a “Eunuch”;
Master of Palace Servants (Genesis 37:36).]
5] And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the
wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they
might stand before the king.
• Peer pressure among teenagers, they were 12 to 15 years old
A non-kosher kitchen.
What would YOU do? Nothing? Try to change everyone?
• They were to have three years of “post-graduate” school…
6] Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah:
7] Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.
• He wanted these Jews to be Babylonians!
Isaiah 39:7: “And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon” (also 2 Kings 20:18).
New Names Given:
Daniel: “God is my Judge” Belteshazzar: “Prince of Bel”
Hananiah: “Beloved of the Lord” Shadrach: “Illumined by the Sun God”
Mishel: “Who is as God” Meshach: “Who is like unto the Moon God”
Azariah: “The Lord is My Help” Abednego: “Servant of Nego, a shining fire”
• (The Chaldee version Nogea translates “Lucifer,” in Isaiah 14:12,
– Nogea, the same as Nego.)
• A change of identity (no longer God’s children) and of destiny (Babylon, not Jerusalem) was in view, both of which would be reinforced by constant use.
8] But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
• Some of the King’s foods were things that were prohibited in Jewish Law.
• This is not a vegetarian thing.
“Purposed in his heart”:
• Our most important stewardship. Christians today face the same trial.
• Satan wants us to become “conformed to this world” (Romans 12:1-2).
In the most pagan of empires: kept himself blameless before the Lord.
9] Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.
10] And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
• The officer’s fears were justified.
• Nebuchadnezzar was known to put out eyes—after killing the progeny (Jeremiah 39:6,7)
– Make their houses into dung hills (Daniel 2)
• He would roast his officers over a fire, etc. (Jeremiah 29:22).
• How would you have handled this situation?
11] Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
• Melzar = steward, or chief butler, entrusted by Ashpenaz with furnishing the daily portion to the youths [Gesenius]. The word is still in use in Persia.
12] Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
“...pulse”: The Hebrew expresses any vegetable grown from seeds, that is, vegetable food in general [Gesenius].
• It could consist of oatmeal or vegetables.
• This is not a proof text for vegetarianism
(Romans 14:1-4).
• This was for not violating dietary laws; having been sacrificed to idols.
13] Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
14] So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
“...ten days”: 10 always a test, measurement, testimony.
“The King’s food”:
• This is not a prisoner’s ration
Elite corps. His diet; wine, etc. (Leviticus 11:1-47 (44); 17:10-14; 1 Corinthians 8:11-13; Acts 10:12-15).
15] And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh
than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.
16] Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should
drink; and gave them pulse.
17] As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and
wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
• Note that the word “all” qualifies this wisdom, showing that it was more than the superstitious lore of the pagan priests that was in mind.
• Researchers have shown that, in addition to astronomy (an adjunct of pagan worship), architecture, linguistics, agriculture, meteorology, agronomy, and many other sciences were already developed in “the land of the two rivers.”
18] Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19] And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.
20] And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
“...magicians”: Properly, “sacred scribes, skilled in the sacred writings, a class of Egyptian priests”
[Gesenius]; from a Hebrew root, “a pen.”
The word in our English Version, “magicians,” comes from mag, that is, “a priest.”
The Magi formed one of the six divisions of the Medes.
“...astrologers”: Hebrew, “enchanters,” from a root, “to conceal,” practitioners of the occult arts.
21] And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.
Forecast:
• Cyrus the Persian.
• Daniel endured beyond all those then present.
[Every episode will also be prophetic for you and me.]
Elements of Moral Heroism:
• Discernment:
– They saw precisely what was wrong with eating the prescribed food.
– Where did they learn it? From pious parents (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).
• Resistance to evil :
Distance from critical observation did not weaken it (see Matthew 10:26-28; James 4:7).
This resistance to evil also developed in their very early years in godly homes.
• Children do not naturally resist evil
• Rather they embrace it.
• They must be taught to hate evil! (see Hebrews 12:9-13; Proverbs 3:11, 12; 13:24; cf.
• Eli’s sons, I Samuel 2:12-30)
• Power to voice disagreement:
Youth is often an age of conformity;
This incident gives strong evidence of special grace in the lives of these four.
• Physical courage:
The prince of the eunuchs was right.
His head as well as theirs could have been in danger (cf. Daniel 2:5, the lions’ den, the fiery furnace.)
• Perseverance:
When no help came via the chief eunuch, Daniel tried the steward.
• Determination:
His purpose “in his heart,” the very center of his being this was not a shallow purpose.
• Meekness:
Without mock heroics Daniel respectfully “requested” or “besought” his superiors.
• Good sense:
The trial suggested was reasonable and feasible. (See also Ezekiel 28:3; Proverbs 2:11 in context.)
[From Pfeiffer, C. F. (1962). The Wycliffe Bible commentary : Old Testament, Chicago: Moody Press.]
Daniel’s Career:
• He was destined to rise to prime prominence in Babylonian Empire;
• He also, rose to prime prominence in the subsequent Persian Empire;
• He personally receive the most astonishing prophecies in the entire Bible (Daniel 9-12);
authenticated by Jesus Himself (Matthew 24:15)
• Daniel was classed with Noah and Job (Ezekiel 14:14).
Daniel obeyed the Lord—and he stayed around longer than anyone else.
He ministered under over four kings and probably lived to see the Jews return to their land at the end of their captivity.
Who’s in Charge Here?
• God gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar… (Daniel 1:2);
• God caused the official to show favour (Daniel 1:9);
• God gave them skill and understanding (Daniel 1:17)
*
http://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/276/
A Prophetic Simile:
The Prophet Ezekiel was called upon to undertake a number of strange performances, one of which was to lie on his side for a total of 430 days. Each day was expressly to represent a year of judgment against the nation.
A number of commentators acknowledge a difficulty which appears when one attempts to apply this specifically to Israel's history. Seventy of the years would seem to be accounted for in the Babylonian Captivity, but that leaves 360 years (430 minus 70) unaccounted for. The 360 years do not seem to fit any period of their history.
Leviticus 26:
It has been suggested by some that there might be a clue in Leviticus 26, where God indicates that:
Leviticus 26:18...if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
(In fact, this commitment is reiterated four times in that chapter for emphasis.)
It has been suggested that multiplying the "problem" 360 years by seven yields 2520 years, which is "approximately" the duration of time from the exile through the Diaspora.
This seemed rather contrived. Furthermore, it had bothered me since I never like to use the term "approximately" and "God" in the same sentence! I felt that if it was meant to fit, it would fit precisely.
Calendar Reconciliation:
Ezekiel's Temple Sir Robert Anderson, in his classic work The Coming Prince, noted that the Bible uses 360-day years in both Genesis and Revelation.
• However, I noticed that no one seemed to try to apply this insight to the 2,520 years potentially suggested in Ezekiel Chapter 4.
• In attempting to reconcile the 2,520 360-day years to our Roman calendar, one is faced with the discrepancies between the sidereal year and the solar year.
• The Julian year is 11 minutes and 10.46 seconds longer than the mean solar year.
• In 1572, it was recognized that errors had accumulated to 11 days too many, and adjustments were required.
• In the Gregorian Reform, September 4th was declared September 14th, and the formula for leap years was changed to exclude centuries unless divisible by four (and millennia by 400).
• Thus, 2,520 360-day years contain 907,200 days
907,200 / 360 = 2,520 years on a 360 day calendar.
• Which are accounted for on our current calendar as 2,483 years, 9 months and 21 days:
Leap Years: = 2483 Years / 4 = 621 leap years
• That will give you 3 years too many every 4 centuries
• That gives you 18 excess years
• That will give you 614 days of leap years to deal with
• On our current calendar of 365 days that works out as....
907,200 / 365.3 = 2,483.43829915138
907,200 / 365.229=2,483.921046795298
• 2,483 years, 9 months and 21 days:
What does all of that mean?
I don’t know, but it is very interesting!
Much more information...
*
The Dream of a King Organization
Historical: Chapters 1 - 6
– 1 Deported as a teenager
– 2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
– 3 Bow or Burn: the Furnace
– 4 Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride
– 5 The Fall of Babylon
– 6 The Lion’s Den
– 7 Daniel’s Vision
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream:
1] And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed
dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
2] Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
• From Nebuchadnezzar’s perspective, he was a young, successful victor who had conquered the known world!
– His old staff was inherited.
– Does he trust them?
• A calibration test emerges; the most famous in history.
“Chaldeans” = title, advisory leadership.
~ Chartom diviner, magician, astrologer, practitioner of the occult;
~ Ashshaph necromancer, conjurer. The practices of these groups may have overlapped
extensively.
• Several times Daniel referred to these men under the general rubric of “wise men” (Daniel 2:12-14, 18, 24 [2 times], 48; 4:6, 18; 5:7-8, 15).
3] And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
4] Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
– Syriack from this verse on turns to Chaldean.
[Chapter 1 through 2:3 were written in Hebrew...
• Now the narrative switches to Aramaic through Chapter 7, the Gentile language of their day…]
5] The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye
will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall
be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.
6] But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me
gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the
interpretation thereof.
7] They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.
8] The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
9] But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
10] The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
11] And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
• Indeed! Isaiah 41:21-23.
12] For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13] And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
14] Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:
15] He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.
16] Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.
17] Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:
18] That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
• No committees, task forces, or research projects.
• The God of Heaven vs. the “gods of heaven.”
Prayer:
Jeremiah 33:3; Psalms 37:5; Philippians 4:6-7; Hebrews 13:15; James 1:5; 1 Peter 5:7.
19] Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20] Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
21] And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Praise
He detailed 7 things; Job 12:13-22; Ps 31:15; 41:13; 75:6; 103:1,2; 113:1,2.
22] He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
23] I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.
24] Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.
25] Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
• Typical bureaucratic “humility.”...I have found a man...
26] The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
27] Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
28] But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
• The purpose of the dream is for the future, “Latter Days”:
Old Testament:
Messianic Age:
Hosea 3:5; Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1;
Israel:
Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 4:30; 31:29;
The Second Coming:
Jeremiah 48:47; 49:39; 23:20; 30:24;
Magog:
Ezekiel 38:16.
New Testament:
Acts 2:17-21; Joel 2:28-32;
Last Days:
John 6:39,40,44,54; 7:37; 11:24; 12:48; 2 Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Peter 3:3;
Last Time:
1 Peter 1:5,20; 1 John 2:18; Jude 18.
29] As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
30] But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
31] Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible (awesome).
32] This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33] His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Specific Gravity of Metals:
• Gold 19.5
• Silver 10.5
• Bronze 8.0
• Iron 5.0
• Iron + Clay 1.9
Metallic image = time line of four empires before God establishes His own…
4+1: Rome in two “phases”…
“Times of the Gentiles”; Luke 21:24; Hosea 3:4, 5
[vs. “Fullness of Gentiles”: Luke 19:42; until Romans 11:25; James’ summary: Acts 15:13-17 (Amos 9:11-12).]
34] Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
35] Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36] This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37] Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power, and strength, and glory.
38] And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
There are Four Kingdoms, and Rome is in two parts:
39] And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
• Babylon = “City of Gold” ( Isaiah 14:4).
• Babylon ruled from 606 B.C. until 539 B.C., when the Persians invaded.
– Babylon fell to Persians without a war (Daniel 5:28,31; 6:28; 8:20;
– Persia (Cyrus) ruled from 539 B.C. until 332 B.C., they made Babylon a secondary capital.
– Persia was conquered by Greece (Alexander the Great): Daniel 8:21; 11:2.
• The Fourth Kingdom was Divided into pieces. (Cf. Daniel; 7:7; 9:26).
Divided elements recombine: Daniel 2:42-44.
– Greece was conquered by Rome from 332 B.C. until 68 B.C.
– Rome ruled from 68 B.C. until?
– The 70 years were fulfilled: 2 Chronicles 36:20,21).
40] And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
– Rome took pride in what they destroyed.
41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
• Re-collected, but mixed with hasap, clay (brittle pottery fragments).
42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
• Clay = people?: Job 10:9; 13:12; 33:6; Isaiah 29:16; 45:9; 64:8; Jeremiah 18:4-6; Romans 9:21.
• Miry clay is clay made from mire, or dust is idiomatic of death.
• ... they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men...
• They are other than the seed of men.
• The context of the dream seems to imply that “they” constitute a significant political constituency!
– Cloning?
– Artificial Intelligence?
Tampering with the Human Genome: A Review of Genesis 6
Jesus’ Strange Warning In Matthew 24:37
But as the Days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
Genesis 6
1] And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2] That the Sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
“Sons of God”
~ Bene HaElohim is the translation meaning angels.
• Jesus’ words recorded at Matthew 22:30 show that marriage and sex relations do not exist in heaven. Yet, angels have on occasion materialized human bodies, even eating and drinking with men. (See: Genesis 18:1-8; 19:1-3) Hence, it is reasonable to conclude that in such a materialized form, they could have sexual relations with women.
• There are Bible-based reasons for believing that some angels did just that. Jude 6, 7 compares the sin of the men of Sodom, who unnaturally went after flesh, with that of “the angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place.” A point in common was that both those angels and the Sodomites “committed fornication excessively and [went] out after flesh for unnatural use.” A similar passage in 1 Peter 3:19, 20 links disobedient angels with “Noah’s days.” (2 Peter 2:4, 5) Consequently, the course that disobedient angels in Noah’s day took can be compared to the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah.
“Sons of God” are mentioned in:
• The Old Testament: Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7
• The New Testament: Luke 20:36
• The Book of Enoch
• The Septuagint (LXX)
~Benoth Adam Hebrew translation “Daughters of Adam”
Daughters of Adam, not just Cain.
Adam had daughters (Genesis 5:4): that’s where Cain got his wife!
“They took…of all they chose”: doesn’t sound like the girls had much choice in the matter…
3] And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4] There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
The Nephilim:
~Nephilim: “the fallen ones.”
– Nephal: “to fall, be cast down to fall away, desert.”
~HaGibborim: “the mighty ones.”
Septuagint (Greek) LXX:
gigantes (~ “giants?”)
gigas = “earth-born”
• Geneges is the same word used in Greek mythology for “Titans,” creatures emerging from interbreeding of the Greek gods with human beings.
• Genea, means “breed,” or “kind.”
• The English words “genes” and “genetics” come from the same root.
Genesis 6:9
These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
~Perfect comes from the Hebrew word tamiym = “without blemish, sound, healthful, without spot, unimpaired.”
• Noah's D.N.A. was tamiym = “without blemish, sound, healthful, without spot, unimpaired by the "Sons of God".
New Testament Confirmations:
Jude 6,7
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
2 Corinthians 5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
House is Greek; Oiketerion, is habitation. Used only twice in the Bible: Jude 6 and 2 Corinthians 5:
2 Peter 2:4,5
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah…
• Here is an interesting site by Steve Quayle with articles and photos:
Steve Quayle:
http://www.genesis6giants.com/
Tartarus:
Tartarus is the Greek term for the “dark abode of woe”; the pit of darkness in the unseen world. In Homer’s Iliad: “...as far below Hades as the earth is below heaven…”
Two Views:
• The commonly taught “Lines of Seth” view emerged in the 5th century but has no Scriptural support.
• The “Fallen Angel” view was the view of the ancient Hebrew scholars and also the view of the early church.
• It was confirmed in the New Testament (Jude 6, 7; 2 Peter 2:4, 5) and it prevails among conservative scholarship today.
Ancient Legends Support This Prevailing Thought:
• Sumer
• Assyria
• Egypt
• Incas
• Mayan
• Gilgamesh
• Persia
• Greece
• India
• Bolivia
• South Sea Islands
• Sioux Indians - The Nephilim Chronicles: Fallen Angels in the Ohio Valley: 8 Foot Giant Sioux Indian Discovered in Iowa Along the Missouri River.
• “Buffalo Bill” Cody tells of meeting a Pawnee Indian carrying, what an army surgeon declared to be a thigh bone of a giant man.
When asked where the bone came from, the Indian said that long ago a race of giants had lived in the area who were 15 feet tall! “They could outrun a buffalo and even carry it in one hand.”
“Angel” View's B.C.:
• Traditional Rabbinical literature
• Book of Enoch (2nd Century BC)
• Testimony of the 12 Patriarchs
• Josephus Flavius
• Septuagint (LXX)
“Angel” View's By the Church Fathers:
• Philo of Alexandria
• Justin Martyr
• Irenaeus
• Athenagoras
• Tertullian
• Lactantius
• Amrose
• Julian
Modern Scholarship:
• G.H. Pember
• M.R. DeHaan
• C.H. McIntosh
• F. Delitzsch
• A.C. Gaebelein
• A.W. Pink
• Donald Barnhouse
• Henry Morris
• Merril F. Unger
• Arnold Fruchtenbaum
• Hal Lindsey
• Chuck Smith
The Sethite View Summary:
• Text Itself
• Inferred Separation
• Inferred Godliness of Sethites
• Inferred that the Cainite were a subset of Adamites
• Unnatural Offspring
• New Testament Confirmations Jude 6-7; 2 Peter 2:4-5
• Post-Flood & Prophetic Issues
The Stratagems of Satan:
• Was to corrupt Adam’s line to prevent the coming of the Messiah in Genesis 6
• Abraham’s seed Genesis 12, 20
• The Famine of Genesis 50
• The destruction of all Hebrew males was decreed in Exodus 1
• Pharaoh’s pursuit Exodus 14
• The populating of Canaan with giants in Genesis 12:6
• War against David’s line in 2 Samuel 7
Post-Flood Nephilim
• “…also after that…” Genesis 6:4 states that after the flood, they would return.
• Rephaim, Emim, Horim, Zamsummim Genesis 14, 15
• Rephaim often translated “dead” Psalms 88:10; Proverbs 2:18; 9:18; 21:16; Isaiah 14:9; 26:14
• Arba, Anak & his 7 sons (Anakim), encountered in Canaan:
Numbers 13:33
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
• Og, King of Bashan king of the Giants: Deuteronomy 3:11; Joshua 12
Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
1 cubit = 18 inches
9 x 18 = 162
162 /12 = 13.5 feet
Nine cubits = 13.5 feet
....13 And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants.
• Goliath and his 4 brothers 2 Samuel 21:16-18
Unsparing Commands:
1 Samuel 15:3
Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
Ineligible for Resurrection?
Isaiah 26:14
They [Rephaim] shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
The Original Warfare:
Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The Conflict Between Two Seeds:
The “Seed of the Woman” vs. The “Seed of the Serpent.”
Forces behind world powers today.
– The Red Dragon: Satan
– The Coming World Leader
– The False Prophet
44] And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45] Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
• “Stone cut without Hands” is a supernatural event:
– Stone is an idiom for Jesus Christ.
Exodus 17:3-6; 33:22; Psalms 118:22; Isaiah 8:14; 28:16; Zechariah 3:9 (Cf. Revelation 5:6); Matthew 21:43,44; Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 2:4-8.
“Broke in pieces”:
Psalms 2:9; 110:5; Revelation 2:6-9.
All three: Iraq, Iran, Greece.
“Mountain”: Isaiah 2:2; 9:6; Luke 1:32,33; Revelation 17:9-11.
The Premillennial View:
• The stone will become a mountain suddenly, not gradually.
– Christianity did not suddenly fill “the whole earth” at Christ’s First Advent.
• Though Christ came in the days of the Roman Empire, He did not destroy it.
• During Christ’s time on earth the Roman Empire did not have 10 kings at once.
– Yet Nebuchadnezzar’s statue suggests that when Christ comes to establish His kingdom, ten rulers will be in existence and will be destroyed by Him.
• Though Christ is now the chief Cornerstone to the church (Ephesians 2:20)
and “a stone that causes [unbelievers] to stumble” (1 Peter 2:8),
– He is not yet a smiting Stone as He will be when He comes again.
• The Stone (Messiah) will crush and end all the kingdoms of the world.
– But the church has not and will not conquer the world’s kingdoms.
• The church is not a kingdom with a political realm, but the future Millennium will be.
– Thus Nebuchadnezzar’s dream clearly teaches pre-millennialism, that Christ will return to earth to establish His rule on the earth, thereby subduing all nations. The church is not that kingdom.
46] Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and
commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
47] The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
48] Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made
him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
49] Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
*
Session 3: Daniel 3 Bow or BurnChapter 3: A Symphony for Sycophants
1] Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
Modern Day Nebuchadnezzar:
The statues of Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), on the left, and Kim Jong-il (1941/42-2011) on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang (April 2012)
The Image Was All Gold:
• The image was 60 cubits high (90 feet), and 6 cubits (9 feet) at the base.
– A cubit was from the tip of the finger to the elbow about 18 inches or 1 ½ feet.
– “Dura” means to be “enclosed by a wall”;
• It is 6 miles South East of Babylon.
Maybe 18-23 years later?
Traditions and children had grown.
6 = 7 - 1 = the number of a man.
• On the 6th day of Genesis: man was created;
• Goliath is measured 6 times in; 1 Samuel 17:4-7;
There were 6 steps for Solomon’s throne; 6 + 1:
Menorah.
In our society, Man is deified = Humanism.
Ultimate: Revelation 13.
A Vote of Confidence:
• Cuneiform tablets tell of a revolt in 596 B.C. which may have set the stage for the wide scale reaffirmation and swearing allegiance in support of Nebuchadnezzar.
• The bowing to the image may have been an attempt for the people to re-pledge their allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar.
• And it could have been a tactic by Daniels rivals to destroy them knowing that they would not bow to an image.
[ from cuneiform tablets in the British Museum].
2] Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
• Officials (Aramaic, Greek):
Princes: Arabian ‘ahashdarpan, Greek satrap;
chief representative or administrator of king;
Governors, segan, prefect, military commanders;
Captains, peha, governor (civil);
Judges, adargazar, counsellor, arbitrator;
Treasurers, qedabar, treasurer,
Counsellors, detabar, lawyers;
Sheriffs, tiptay, magistrates, judge.
3] Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4] Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5] That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
6] And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
• If you follow “heavy metal” music, this “hot” music group gives “Metallica” a whole new meaning!
• The Christian equivalent would be “Deliverance,” and that is, after all, what happens with Christ in the picture, as the three young men soon discover!
Execution Furnace:
There are examples in North Iraq:
Brick furnaces the size of a city block; pitch, sulfur, bellows.
[Enforced state religion: Revelation 13:4-15; 14:9-11; 19:20; 20:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:4.]
7] Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
8] Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9] They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10] Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
11] And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
12] There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13] Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Bowing before an image expressly prohibited in the Torah:
Exodus 20:4,5; Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 16:22.
• Shadrach, “illumined by the Sun God”
– Hananiah, “Beloved of the Lord”
• Meshach, “Who is like unto the Moon God”
– Mishael, “Who is God”
• Abed-nego, Servant of Nego (“Shining Fire”)
– Azariah, “The Lord is my help”
On a CBS Special:
A five-sided clay prism was found in Babylon, now on display at the Istanbul Museum:
The lists are grouped by titles:
• Ha-nu-nu, Chief of the Royal Merchants, a variation of Hananiah, or Shadrach;
• Mushalemarduk: (less marduk) means Meshach.
• Ardi-nabu, Secretary to the Crown Prince; an alternative form of Abed-Nego.
14] Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15] Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
• They got a second chance? They must have been favored.
16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17] If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18] But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Faithful “remnant”: Isaiah 1:9; Romans 11:5. Psalms 2:5; Revelation 7:14. Job 13:15 Also, Acts 4:19.
“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before Him.”
“Our God is a consuming fire” Hebrews 12:29; Deuteronomy 4:24.
19] Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20] And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Seven times?...
21] Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22] Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23] And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Were the officers killed in the back-draft?
24] Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25] He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Bar elahin, is an (Aramaic) translation, son of the gods;
The Hebrew word Elohim is always a plural noun “Trinity” (Genesis 1)!
Holy, holy, holy.
“Angel” of verse 28. Theophany. Walking around loose!
26] Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
El Elyon, possessor of Heaven and Earth.
Nebuchadnezzar’s views will be amplified in Chapter 4!
27] And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
On CBS: Dr. Ron Charles (designed for Owens Corning Corporation) sees it as a two-story structure, 32 feet high, 20 feet inside the chamber.
• The back draft killed seven? Could there have been cold spots? I don’t think so.
• Many of God’s servants never know the fullness of spiritual liberty till they are cast into the midst of the furnace. Go into the furnace. Christ is in the furnace with you.
• Though the smell of fire had not passed on them, it must have left a glow on their countenances and a glory on their persons which we find nowhere else. Henceforth they are called “the three holy children.”
28] Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29] Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
• Whoops! The rivals’ plot had backfired! Nebuchadnezzar is a mover and a shaker.
30] Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
• It is often significant to notice what is missing in the Scripture.
• Daniel is missing.
Advanced Hermeneutics:
• Hermeneutics is the Study of Advanced Interpretation of Scripture.
• Sometimes the Holy Spirit “redacts” the text to highlight a deeper truth…
Hosea 12:10 I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used
similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.
Figures of Speech:
• A similitude is a figure of speech.
• Simile: A Resemblance (Genesis 25:25; Matthew 7:24-27).
• Allegory: A Comparison by representation (Genesis 49:9; Galatians 4:22, 24).
• Metaphor: A form of Representation (Matthew 26:26).
• Type: (Prototype, a prototype has an anti-type a model of something)
A “Type” is a figure or example of something future (Romans 5:14; Genesis 22, 24).
• Analogy: A resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike.
• Hypocatastasis: Is an implied resemblance or representation (Matthew 7:3-5; 15:13).
There are over 200 figures of speech in the Bible: they are cataloged in Cosmic Codes, Appendix A, giving Biblical examples of each.)
The Offering of Isaac A Lesson in Advanced Hermeneutics:
The classic example of a “type” or “model” of God’s Plan. (For a detailed study of this profound passage, see our Expositional Commentary on Genesis.)
Genesis 22
1] And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2] And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
“Only” son? “Love”: 1st Mention. Cf. John 3:16.
3] And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
• No test could have been more severe than the one God now imposed.
And no obedience could have been more perfect than Abraham’s.
4] Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
• Why a three-day journey? (~50 miles) Why there?
5] And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6] And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
• Isaac was not a child: possibly 30 years of age!... you will see why shortly.
• “Both of them together” = both in agreement.
• An image of the Son who said “Father … not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
7] And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8] And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Who?!!... Himself (cf. v.14).
9] And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10] And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
• A true worshiper of God holds nothing back from God but obediently gives Him what He asks, trusting that He will provide.
11] And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12] And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
“Young lads”: Armed soldiers; Isaac 32 years old?
Romans 8:32
He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Leviticus 1:11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward (outside the camp) before the Lord: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.
• Abraham did not withhold his son. Similarly Paul wrote that God “did not spare (epheisato) His own Son, but gave [delivered] Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32).
• A form of the same Greek word is used of Abraham in the Septuagint:
“Thou hast not spared (epheiso) thy beloved son” (Genesis 22:12).
13] And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14] And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
• Substitutionary ram (cf. Genesis 3:22; Leviticus 9; Exodus 29; Numbers 5; Genesis 15).
• A name only relevant in a Prophetic perspective!
Jesus should say: John 8:56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad”
Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
• Abraham knew he was acting out a prophetic ritual.
• Abraham received Christ in the type of believing in Isaac’s resurrection.
Revelation 5:1-7
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood the Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
• The Lamb that was given on the Cross, is taking possession of that which He purchased.
Genesis 22:15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
• God again confirmed His covenant with Abraham (cf. 15:5, 18-21; 17:3- 8).
– His descendants would be numerous like the stars (cf. 15:5; 26:4),
– And like the sand on the seashore (cf. 32:12),
And “like the dust of the earth” (cf13:16; 28:14).
• God then added another element: Abraham’s descendants would be victorious over the cities of their Canaanite enemies.
– This was done by Joshua in the Conquest.
Typology
• Abraham is a type of The Father.
• Isaac is a type of The Son, as an Offering:
– “only son” (1st mention: “love”);
– “dead” to Abraham 3 days (Hebrews 11:19).
Genesis 24: A Bride for Isaac:
Abraham commissions Eleazer to gather a bride for Isaac. Eleazer qualifies her by a well; she agrees to marry the bridegroom; he gives her gifts…she joins her bridegroom at the well of Lahai-Roi.
• Abraham = The Father.
• Isaac = The Son.
• Eleazer = The Holy Spirit …sent to gather the Bride for the Son.
19] So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
Where’s Isaac?
Isaac is personally “edited out of the record” until he is united with his bride by the well of LaHai Roi…two chapters later.
The well of LaHai Roi:
Means “the well of the Living One [who] sees me” Cf. Genesis 16:13-14.)
One Integrated Design:
The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed;
The Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.
Marriage Model of Gentile Brides:
• Gentile Brides
Eve Adam
Rebekah Isaac
Asenath Joseph
Zipporah Moses
Rahab Salmon
Ruth Boaz
• All have no death recorded (who’s the 7th?)
Daniel 3 Revisited:
A Remez? (Is a hint of something deeper)
Compare Daniel 3 with Revelation 13
• Forces the world to worship his Image in Revelation 13:1; Matthew 24
– Is Nebuchadnezzar in some sense a type of Antichrist?
– Cf. Babel, Nimrod
– One Enforced religion Revelation 17; 2 Thessalonians 2:4
• Mark of the Beast Revelation 13:18 a forever barrier to being saved
– Bar codes? Microchips?
– Satan’s seal versus the “seal” of the Holy Spirit Cf. Ezekiel 9:4; Romans 8:15-39; Ephesians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 1:22 a forever seal to being saved
• Fiery furnace is an idiom of the Tribulation (144,000 Jews?) Isaiah 43:1,2; Daniel 9.
– Men destroyed by flames: 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 20:10; 19:20
• Three youths of Israel: 144,000? Revelation 7; 15:2
Fire (as an idiom)
• God’s Presence Exodus 3:1-4
• God’s Pathway Exodus 13:21
• God’s Precepts Exodus 19:16-18 (cf 20:1-17)
• God’s Punishment Genesis 19:23-24; Lev 10:2
• God’s Power 1 Kings 18:24
• God’s Protection Daniel 3:25
• God’s Prophecy 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2 Peter 3:10; Luke 17:29,30
The Missing Element: Where’s Daniel?
Why wasn’t Daniel in the furnace?
• Daniel yielded to the king’s challenge? Not likely.
• Daniel was exempted from accusation by his enemies? Not likely.
• Daniel had been removed from the situation (on an errand for the king?)
– Daniel’s absence may have been viewed as his rival’s opportunity… Absent on affair of state?
• Istanbul prism: lists 3; but no mention of Daniel!
The Church is not mentioned after Revelation 4:1!
One Integrated Design:
the New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed; the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.
*
Daniel 4 Session 4: Nebuchadnezzar’s Affidavit
Organization
• Historical (Chapters 1 - 6): Chapters 2-7 written in Aramaic...
– 1 Deported as a teenager
– 2 Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
– 3 Bow or Burn: the Furnace
– 4 Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride
– 5 The Fall of Babylon
– 6 The Lion’s Den
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream & Convalescence:
• The affidavit of a Gentile king! An statutory edict officially published throughout the world, issued in 562 B.C., the year he recovered from insanity.
[One of the longest chapters in Daniel.]
• Written in Aramaic.
1] Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
2] I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.
• This is a pagan king acknowledging the real Living God, Nebuchadnezzar may be saved.
3] How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
4] I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:
5] I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
6] Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
7] Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
8] But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,
• His (Daniel) Jewish name was used here!
• Daniel = Belteshazzar was his title: remember, the edict went all over the world...
9] O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
10] Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.
In Chapter 6: Daniel is called Rab Khartom, Chief of Magicians = scholars.
[Cf. Chapter 6: Rab Magi, Chief of the (hereditary!) Median Priesthood; Ezekiel 28:3
reference confirms a 6th century Daniel.]
11] The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:
12] The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
13] I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;
14] He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:
15] Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
16] Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
“times” = “years” (Daniel 7:25, et al.)
17] This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
• Councils in heaven: 1 Kings 22:19-22; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6.
Powers that be are ordained of God (Romans 13:1).
18] This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.
19] Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
20] The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
21] Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:
22] It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.
23] And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
24] This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25] That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
26] And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
27] Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
“Tree” Is Used As An Idiom:
• A man (Psalms 1:3; 37:35; 52:8; 92:12 Isaiah 56:3; Jeremiah 17:8).
• Assyrian and Egyptian Pharaoh are compared to cedar of Lebanon (Ezekiel 31:3f).
• Olive tree: Israel (Romans 11:16-24; 2 Kings 14:9; Psalms 1:3; 37:35; 52:8; 92:12; Ezekiel 17).
– Transplanted shoot (Ezekiel 17:22ff; 22:24).
– Stump (Isaiah 11:1).
• Mustard “tree” (Matthew 13:31-32).
28] All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
29] At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
30] The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house
of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?
The Dream Fulfilled:
Babylon: Origin:
• Babylon was surrounded by 2 walls, with a moat in between. 250 watchtowers, 100 ft above the wall;
• Genesis 10:8-10, built by Nimrod, the first world dictator.
• Herodotus reported that it was 15 miles square;
– With a 350 foot walls, it was 87 feet wide (6 chariots abreast!?)
– Babylon’s Hanging Gardens of Semiramis = one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. • (Saddam Hussein offered prizes for anyone who can figure out how they were irrigated...)
• The first world dictator Nimrod built here.
The Second Tower:
(Processional Way, The King’s Palace, The Tower of Babel, the Temple to Marduk)
– Tower of Bel (Bab-El) was it 600 ft!?
– The banquet hall here was roughly 56 feet wide x 173 feet long.
– The magnificence of Babylon led to Nebuchadnezzar’s downfall.
[And it has a prophetic destiny at the end of the age. See Chapter 5.]
– He had a major ego problem and a Babylonian inscription has been discovered that highlights this (Walvoord, p. 176, note 83):
A Babylonian Inscription was Found:
“I, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon,
I am the son of Nabopolassar, King of Babylon.
I who erected the Ezida Temple,
I who built Procession Street,
The Street of the Forgiven Son,
The Street of Nebu,
And paged it with shimmering stones.
Nebu, you the divine minister,
Grant me immortality.”
Pride:
One of the most dangerous times in life is when things are going well.
Our mistakes are our lessons; our pains and sorrows are our credentials.
Often, it takes a fall to occur before God can truly use us.
Proverbs 6:16-19
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Proverbs 16:5 Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, (Psalms 2:1-4) he shall not be unpunished.
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Proverbs 29:23 A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
1 Corinthians 4:6-7
And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
Philippians 2:2-8
Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
• He was crucified on a cross of wood, yet He made the hill on which it stood.
James 4:13-16
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
God hates pride. Why? Satan’s fall (Isaiah 14:4-14):
Isaiah 14:13,14
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Daniel 4 continued;
31] While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
32] And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
33] The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.
Lycanthropy:
• (Greek: lykos, “wolf”; anthropos, “Man”) “Wolfman”.
• A mental disorder in which the patient believes he is a wolf or some other animal.
• Romans: called anyone who turned into a wolf versipellis (“turnskin”)
• Boanthropy: an ox.
• • Nebuchadnezzar is described by the psychological condition known as Boanthropy.
He ate grass:
• Stimulated by the once widespread superstition of a supernatural condition in which men actually assume the physical form of werewolves or other animals.
• Psychiatric disorder and superstition is linked with belief in animal guardian spirits, vampires, totemism, witches, and werewolves.
• Folklore, fairy tales, and legends of many nations and peoples show evidence of lycanthropic belief.
• Romans called anyone who was supposed to have been turned into a wolf by means of magic spells or herbs versipellis (“turnskin”).
Widely believed in Europe during the Middle Ages. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 7:582; 18:912).
Other Examples:
• Raymond Harrisons observed a case in British mental institution in 1946. A man in his early ‘20s was hospitalized for 5 years; fitted description in 4:33.
[Other examples: D.H. Tuke, Dictionary of Psychological Medicine, P.5, 752; Dr. D. R. Burrell, American Journal of Insanity, April, 1894, pp. 493-504.]
• Eusebius references from Abydenus, a Greek historian of 268 B.C., aspects of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity, being on the roof, and other details.
• Josephus attributes to the Babylonian historian Berosus, a Chaldean priest of the time of Alexander the Great, a definite reference concerning a strange malady suffered by Nebuchadnezzar before his death. Josephus, Contra Apion, I, 20 (Thackery’s translation).
Berosus learned Greek, opened a school, and had Abydenus as one of his pupils.
He wrote three books on Chaldean history; fragments are preserved in Josephus and Eusebius.
• Restoration... Summary by Daniel: 5:20-21. Saved? “A heart given unto him”: 7:4.
34] And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35] And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
36] At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
• According to the Babylonian Talmud: the care of Nebuchadnezzar during this period was provided by Daniel.
37] Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
• This is the last we read of Nebuchadnezzar in 562 B.C..
• After his restoration, he lived about one year.
• Nebuchadnezzar’s death was followed by a steady weakening of the regime.
• His son Evil-Merodach succeeded him as Babylon’s next ruling monarch (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
“The Prayer of (Nabonidus [Nebuchadnezzar]?)”: Was found in Cave 4 at Qumran
“The words of the prayer that (Nabonidus?), the king of Assyria and Babylon, the [great] king, prayed [when he was smitten] with a malignant disease by the decree of the [Most High God] in [the city of] Tema.
I was smitten for seven years and from [men] I was put away. But when I confessed my sins and my faults, He [God] allowed me (to have) a soothsayer. This was a Jewish [man of the exiles in Babylon. He] explained (it) and wrote (me) to render honor and g[reat glor]y to the name of the [Most High God]...”
• There are five Aramaic words that are common to chapter 4 and this prayer:
– pitgam, “decree, decision”;
– gaz rayya, “soothsayer, diviner.”
– nbny in Cave 4 = Nabonidus?
– nbnd; is confused with nbkd which is Nebuchadnezzar, so one letter makes the difference “n” for “k”.
– nbkd, is Nebuchadnezzar
So the Prayer of Nabonidus is actually the Prayer of Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Testimony:
• Nebuchadnezzar’s 2nd Dream.
– Great Tree, hewn down for 7 years.
• Daniel interprets…
• 1 Year later,
– Nebuchadnezzar stricken with mental derangement for 7 years.
– (Daniel was his personal nurse).
• Nebuchadnezzar recovers and publishes the entire testimony throughout the world.
Application:
• Immediate: Nebuchadnezzar
• Prophetic?
– Ecumenical outreach of Babylonianism and Gentile power in the last days and final overthrow?
– Seven years of insanity and confusion?
– Conversion took place after the 7 years of madness.
– The tree did not sprout again until after it had been cut down...
Gentile Christians The Church:
Acts 15:14-17
Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Acts 15:14-17; “take out” of them a people for his name... “after this I will return”...
Amos 9:11,12
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: {close: Hebrew hedge, or, wall} That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
The “remnant of Edom” may refer to those who fled to Petra, etc.
Hosea 5:15
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly.
This seems to be “The Great Tribulation” period.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Successors:
• Amel-Marduk (“ruled but two years
– Evil-Merodach” of 2 Kings 25:27; Jeremiah 52:31), and was replaced in 560 B.C. after an army coup by the commander in chief,
• Neriglissar (Nergal-Sharezer of Jeremiah 39:3), son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar.
• After frequent absences from active service, Neriglissar (559-555 B.C.) was, in turn, ousted, and his weak son
• Labashi-Marduk (555) lasted only 9 months before another coup d’etat brought Nabonidus to the throne.
• Soon after his election, Nabonidus (553-536 B.C.) led the army to Palestine and Northern Arabia, leaving his son Belshazzar as co-regent in Babylon.
– Nabonidus’ decision to stay in Arabia resulted from his unpopularity at home as much as from his desire to found a settlement there with exiles from Palestine.
Babylonian Kings:
– Nabopolassar (627-605 B.C.)
– Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 B.C.)
– Evil-Merodach (562-560 B.C.)
– Daughter married
– Neriglissar (560-556 B.C.)
– Nitocris (d) married Nabonidus
– Labashi-Marduk (2 months 556)
– Belshazzar (553-539 B.C.)
*
Session 5: Daniel 5 The Fall of Babylon
Agenda
• The Fall of Babylon Daniel Session 5
– The Fall Of Babylon Is Not To Be Confused With The Doom Of Babylon.
• The Doom of Babylon is in Daniel Session 6
– Prophesied in Isaiah 13,14 Jeremiah 50, 51 Revelation 17, 18 read these 6 chapters in one sitting.
– Babylon Today & Tomorrow
Nabonidus’ Defection:
The word “...father”: implies that Nebuchadnezzar was his, grandfather.
• Soon after his election, Nabonidus led the army to Palestine and Northern Arabia, leaving his son Belshazzar as co-regent in Babylon.
• Nabonidus’ decision to stay in Arabia resulted from his unpopularity at home as much as from his desire to found a settlement there with exiles from Palestine Even priests of Marduk, the national deity of Babylon, became alienated.
• All this gives Cyrus the Great a pretext for invading the lowlands…
1] Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine
before the thousand.
2] Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver
vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
• ...father here is grandfather.
3] Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
4] They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
Are There Hidden Codes in the Bible?
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.
• Picture a thousand lord’s in revelry looking at this hand...
5] In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6] Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
• Bring in the “brown britches”...Isaiah 45:1...I will loose the loins of kings...
7] The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
• His father was the first ruler out on an Arabian mission, he was the second.....
8] Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
The First Cryptologist:
Interpreting the “Handwriting on the Wall”
9] Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.
10] Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:
11] There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
• Note Daniel’s exalted position…
12] Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.
• She also uses Daniel’s Hebrew name…
13] Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
14] I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
15] And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:
16] And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
17] Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
18] O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
19] And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
20] But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
21] And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
22] And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
23] But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
• On October 12, 539 B.C., Cyrus’ general captured Babylon without a battle.
24] Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
25] And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
“Upharsin”: conjunction + Aramaic plural of Peres.
26] This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE (means numbers); God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
27] TEKEL (means weighing); Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
28] PERES (means broken or divided); Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
The Handwriting on the Wall:
• The Talmud suggests that the writing was vertical and backwards.
Aramaic, like Hebrew, reads from right to left.
• (All languages seem to flow toward Jerusalem: those west of Jerusalem-the European languages-flow from left to right; those east of Jerusalem flow from right to left: Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Chinese, etc.)
• There is also a Hebrew tradition that this was an application of atbash, a form of encryption, other ancient traditions assume that it was an Atbash encryption…
(Assuming atbash encryption)
Atbash:
Albam:
Mene: Numbered, Reckoned. “God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it.” Your number is up.
Tekel: Weighed. “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”
Peres: Broken, Divided. “Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and the Persians.”
(By implying a different vowel, “paras” rather than “peres.”
• It also becomes a play on words: paras was the word for Persia.)
29] Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30] In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
31] And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
Cyrus the Great & the Achaemenid Empire:
Cyrus the Great was more than a great man who founded an empire (Aegean Sea to the Indus River). He is seen as the epitome of a great leader:
• Because he was brave and daring, yet tolerant and magnanimous.
• In 1971, Iran celebrated the 2,500th anniversary of his monarchy.
Cyrus II (“The Great”):
Cryus II (“the Great,” 559-530 B.C.) was the founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Cyrus’ father, Cambyses I (600-559 B.C.), was king of Anshan, a region in eastern Elam (Persia).
• His mother was Mandane, was a daughter of Astyages, king of Media (585-550 B.C.).
• When Cambyses died in 559 B.C., Cyrus inherited the throne of Anshan and, after unifying the Persian people, attacked his father-in-law, the weak and corrupt Astyages.
• (The Median general Harpagus, whom Astyages had previously wronged, deserted the king and brought his army to the side of the young Cyrus.)
• Astyages was soon captured and the Persians took the capital city of Ecbatana in 550 B.C. without a battle. (This was also to be the result at Babylon 11 years later.)
• Cyrus succeeded in welding the Medes and Persians into a unified nation that continued for two centuries, until the time of Alexander the Great (331 B.C.).
The Conquest of Babylon:
On October 12, 539 B.C., Cyrus’ general captured Babylon without a battle.
Herodotus states;
The Persians diverted the River Euphrates into a canal upriver so that the water level dropped “to the height of the middle of a man’s thigh,” which thus rendered the flood defenses useless and enabled the invaders to march through the river bed to enter by night.
The Letter to Cyrus:
• When Cyrus made his grand entrance, Daniel presented him with an ancient scroll of Isaiah, which contained a personal letter addressing him by name
[Josephus, Antiquities, XI, I, 2].
• Isaiah had died 150 years before Cyrus was born!
Isaiah 44:27,28
That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
Isaiah 45:1-5
Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
Cyrus’ Response:
• Cyrus was duly impressed. He freed the captives and returned the vessels that had been plundered from the Temple 70 years earlier. He even gave them incentives to return to their homeland and rebuild their temple (2 Chronicles 36:22; Ezra 1:1-4).
[Only about 50,000 Jews responded to this royal proclamation and returned to Jerusalem under the leadership of Zerubbabel.]
The Stele of Cyrus:
This cylinder, discovered by Hormuzd Rassam in the 19th century, can presently be seen in the British Museum in London.
British Museum, London
“...without any battle, he entered the town, sparing any calamity; ... I returned to sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris, the sanctuaries of which have been ruins for a long time... and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I also gathered all their former inhabitants and returned to them their habitations.”
Ezra 1:2-3
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, “The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.”
The Decline:
• Cyrus claimed the title “King of Babylon.”
– He made his son Cambyses as his viceroy in Babylon in 538 B.C. Things remained peaceful until his death in 522 B.C.
• In the reign of Darius II (521-486 B.C.) a further return of exiles to Jerusalem was allowed. His rule did not go unchallenged and several local Babylonians controlled the city for varying periods, usually taking the throne-name of “Nebuchadnezzar” to bolster their claims—Nidintu-Bel (Nebuchadnezzar III”) 522 B.C. and Araka (“Nebuchadnezzar IV”) 521 B.C.
• In the fourth year of Xerxes (485-465 B.C.) the Babylonians made another attempt to gain their independence. Bel-shimanni and Shamash-eriba claimed the throne in 482 B.C. and this revolt was suppressed with much cruelty and damage to Babylon.
• On his visit in 460 B.C., Herodotus reported that the city was virtually intact, however.
• Xerxes and his successors (Artaxerxes I - Darius III, 464-332 B.C.) had little to spare for Babylon amid their lengthy and expensive wars with Greece.
Irrigation work was neglected and the diversion of trade to the main Persian road from Sardis to Susa aided the decline of the city’s influence.
The Rise of Greece:
• On October 1, 331 B.C. Alexander (III, “the Great”) was welcomed by the Babylonians when he entered the city after his victory over the Medes at Gaugamela.
• He was acclaimed king and on his return from the east nine years later he planned extensive renovations including the creation of a port for the city large enough for 1000 warships.
• Though the site of Esagila was cleared, work ceased on Alexander’s ambitious plans at his death in Babylon on June 13, 323 B.C.
• The career of Alexander is detailed in Daniel 8. His successors, in Daniel 11.
• Alexander died at age of 32; the Greek Empire took 22 years to divide. The “silent years” (between the testaments) is profiled in advance in Daniel 11:5-35.
The Greek Empire:
Alexander is succeeded by his four generals:
– Cassander (West) Macedonia & Greece
– Lysimacus (North) Thrace, Bithynia, most of Asia Minor
– Ptolemy (South) Egypt, Cyrene, Arabia. He sponsored the Septuagint Translation: LXX (270 B.C.)
– Seleucus (East) Syria all the way to India
• Ptolemy and Seleucus are the two power guys and their dynasties fight continually.....
• Over 400 years.
• Antiochus Epiphanes is one of those rules who is very prominent (The “Little Horn” of Daniel 8)
• The “Silent Years” are profiled in advance in the Book of Daniel chapter 11.
Atrophy & Decay:
• The foundation of a new rival capital city, Selucia, on the River Tigris expedited the decline of the ancient metropolis.
• Early in the first century A.D. a colony of merchants from Palmyra brought brief prosperity, but they left about A.D. 75 (Garner, p 7-8).
• The city subsequently underwent a gradual decay, even though the ruins remained occupied. Documents on clay from a school for priests in the city continued at least until A.D. 100.
• The city was visited by Trajan in A.D. 115.
• 199 A.D. Babylon was first reported deserted by Septimus Severus 84 years later.
• As recently as the 1800s the village of Hillah, containing over 10,000 inhabitants, stood on the site of ancient Babylon (Rich, p. 157).
• In the late nineteenth century, the German archeologist Robert Koldewey conducted extensive studies at Babylon and the four Arab villages situated on the site. Babylon had been inhabited for some time even before his arrival.
• The dispersal of Jews from Babylon is reported by Josephus (Antiq. XVIII, ix 6-9)
*
Session 6: The Mystery of Babylon Addendum to Chapter 5
The Doom of Babylon, prophesied in Isaiah 13 and 14; Jeremiah 50 and
51; and, Revelation 17, 18. Also, Babylon today (and tomorrow).
Review from Last Time
• Cyrus claimed the title “King of Babylon” and made his son
Cambyses his viceroy in Babylon in 538 B.C. Things remained
peaceful until his death in 522 B.C.
• Darius II (521-486 B.C. ); Nidintu-Bel (Nebuchadnezzar III”) 522 B.C.;
Araka (“Nebuchadnezzar IV”) 521 B.C.
The Decline
• In the 4th year of Xerxes (485-465 B.C. ) the Babylonians made another attempt to gain their independence. Bel-shimanni and Shamasheriba claimed the throne in 482 and this revolt was suppressed with much cruelty and damage to Babylon
• However, in 460 B.C. , Herodotus visited & reported that the city was virtually intact
The Rise of Greece
• 331 B.C. Alexander (III, “the Great”) was welcomed by the Babylonians when he entered the city after his victory over the Medes at Gaugamela. He was acclaimed king and nine years later he planned extensive renovations & a port for 1000 warships.
• Alexander died on June 13, 323 B.C. His career is detailed in advance (Dan 8) and that of his successors, in advance (Dan 11).
The Greek Empire
Alexander is succeeded by his four generals:
– Cassander Macedonia & Greece
– Lysimacus Thrace, Bithynia, most of Asia Minor
– Ptolemy Egypt, Cyrene, Arabia
Sponsored the Septuagint Translation: LXX (270 B.C.)
– Seleucus Syria and East to India
Antiochus Epiphanes (The “Little Horn” of Daniel 8)
Atrophy & Decay
• A new rival capital city, Selucia, on the River Tigris, expedited the decline of the ancient metropolis.
• Until A.D. 75, merchants kept trying to make a living.
• In 115, Trajan visits and in 199, Septimus Severus reports Babylon deserted.
• In the 1800s: 10,000 inhabitants lived on site; archaeologist Robert Kodewey hires locals in Babylon.
The Mystery of Babylon Prophetic Destiny The Bible:
A Tale of Two Cities
Jerusalem, the City of God and Babylon, the City of Man. A paradigm that pervades the entire Bible: literally and metaphorically…
Babylon is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. It is alluded to three times in Christ’s genealogy. It was the capital of the First World Dictator and is destined to be the capital of the Last World Dictator…
The Doom of Babylon:
• Fall of Babylon 539 B.C.
– Without a battle
– Became Alexander’s capital
– Atrophied over the centuries
– Presently being rebuilt
• Destruction of Babylon Isaiah 13, 14; Jeremiah 50, 51
– “Never to be inhabited”
– “Building materials never reused”
– “Like Sodom and Gomorrah”
• “Mystery Babylon”? Revelation 17-18
The great prophecies concerning the city of Babylon in Isaiah Chapters 13 and 14 and Jeremiah 50 and 51 have never been fulfilled.
Some Issues:
• What about Babylon today?
• In October 2017, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the project, called NEOM, at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh.
• Neom's Website:
https://www.neom.com/
• It will be financed by the Saudi government and private investors, according to Reuters.
• "Saudi Arabia is building a $500 billion mega-city that's 33 times the size of New York City"
https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-mega-city-jordan-egypt-oil-2017-10
• Saudi Arabia future $ 1 trillion mega projects 2018 2030
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6VyDe5YXRo
• Saudi Arabia Plans Futuristic City, "Neom" (Full Promotional Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N53DzL3_BHA
• This country’s cities are already putting some of America’s cities to shame.
• The country is now starting to award contracts to local construction companies for the development of five palaces.
• Set to be located on the Red Sea coast, the palaces will be for the king, crown prince, and other senior royals.
• According to Reuters, the buildings will feature traditional Moroccan-style architecture, Islamic designs, and colorful ceramic tiles.
• The complex of palaces will include a marina, helipads, and a golf course.
• Saudi Arabia expects to complete NEOM's first section by 2025.
• Will it be the capital of the final world dictator?
• Are there specifics we should be watching for?
• (Most prophecy books have overlooked some startling passages that will affect each of us over the months and years ahead.)
https://www.neom.com/
Isaiah 13
1] The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2] Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
3] I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
• God is calling His top brass into the battle here!
4] The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
• This is a world wide battle.
5] They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6] Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7] Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt:
8] And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9] Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10] For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
• This exact imagery is used in Revelation 6 to describe the judgment of the Tribulation just before the Second Coming.
11] And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12] I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
• This startling idea parallels Matthew 24:21-22. We can’t say that the world’s population has been on the brink of annihilation before.
13] Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14] And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
• This clearly is yet future.
15] Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16] Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
17] Behold, I will stir up the Medes (Kurds) against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.
• This reference to the Medes is one of the reasons why many have viewed this as referring to the events of 539 B.C.
• However, nothing prohibits the Medes from being involved in the future.
• The Medes (Kurds) were a people who occupied the mountainous area of northwestern Iran and northeastern Iraq, presently occupied by the Kurds today.
• They have been fighting Turkey, Iran, and Iraq in an attempt to establish their own independent country of Kurdistan.
• Hundreds of Kurdish women and children were the victims of Saddam Hussein’s poison gas attacks in 1987 and 1988 and the hatred by the Medes for the Babylonians runs deep.
18] Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
19] And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
• “The glory of the Babylonians’ pride”: not Rome, nor allegorical:
• Literally, the Chaldeans’ pride. Overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah, that is, with “fire from heaven.” This has yet to happen to Babylon.
20] It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
• After the Fall of Babylon under the Persians, it was inhabited, even by Alexander and subsequently, even into the current period.
21] But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls (demons) shall dwell there, and satyrs (demons) shall dance there.
22] And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
Isaiah 14
1] For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
• It is also important to note that this judgment on Babylon will take place at a time when Israel is resettled in their own land from many nations.
• This cannot be applied to the fall of Babylon to the Persians, during which Israel was still in captivity and in exile from the land.
2] And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
3] And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,
4] That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
5] The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.
6] He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
7] The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.
8] Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.
9] Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
10] All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
11] Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
12] How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
• Familiar transcendent passage about the origins and ambitions of Satan…
13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16] They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying,
Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
17] That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
18] All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.
19] But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
20] Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.
21] Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
22] For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.
23] I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.
• Clearly, this is part of God’s climactic scenario as part of the “Day of the Lord” and is part of the final scenes at the end of the “Seventieth Week” of Daniel 9, highlighted in Matthew 24 and Rev 6 through 19.
24] The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
25] That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
26] This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
27] For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
28] In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden.
29] Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
30] And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
31] Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.
32] What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.
Jeremiah 50
1] The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
2] Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.
3] For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
4] In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
• Does the “nation from the north” refer to Magog or the Russians?
• And again, the spiritual position of Israel is described.
5] They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.
6] My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.
7] All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.
8] Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.
9] For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.
“Arrow”: khayts
• literally, shot from engine of war; or shot from a bow by hand;
• Greek LXX: boli.j (noun nominative feminine singular common): a missile; or anything thrown, such as an arrow or javelin; “as of a mighty expert.”
“As of a Mighty Expert”: ’ sakal
Israel has a missile called “Arrow”:
U.S., Israel test Arrow 3 missile system: February 20, 2018
https://www.upi.com/US-Israel-test-Arrow-3-missile-system/1811519150740/
• Israel Aerospace Industries, in collaboration with the Israeli Air Force and the United States' Missile Defense Agency, conducted the test at 2:30 a.m. on Monday.
• The United States and Israel successfully tested the Arrow 3 weapons system to defend against ballistic missiles. Photo courtesy of Israeli Ministry of Defense/Twitter
Read more: https://www.upi.com/US-Israel-test-Arrow-3-missile-system/1811519150740/#ixzz5aQW4SOif
• These missiles have characteristics to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper;
• Hiphil participle masculine singular absolute:
The “arrow” will have insight; to give attention to, consider, ponder, be prudent; have comprehension;
• LLX: suneto,j, intelligent, possessing understanding.
• NAS: “Their arrows will be like an expert warrior who does not return empty-handed.”
• NIV: “Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.”
• The intelligence is in the arrow; they can’t miss!
– These will be “smart weapons”: missiles, bombs, etc.
10] And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the LORD.
11] Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;
12] Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
Again, the absence of subsequent habitation marks this event as yet future.
13] Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
14] Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the LORD.
15] Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.
16] Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
• Again, the period of time is the “Day of Vengeance” of God, a time of climax described throughout the Scripture and yet future.
17] Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
18] Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
19] And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.
20] In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
• The repeated references to the forgiveness of Israel imply a time that is after the New Testament period alluded to in Romans 11:25. It certainly cannot be applied to Israel at the time of her return from the Babylonian captivity (Zechariah 12:10; 13:1).
21] Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
22] A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.
23] How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!
24] I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD.
25] The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
26] Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.
27] Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.
28] The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.
29] Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel.
30] Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD.
31] Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.
32] And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.
33] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.
34] Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35] A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.
36] A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.
37] A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.
38] A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
39] Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40] As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
• A repeated comparison to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, which has never yet happened to Babylon.
41] Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
42] They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
• This will be a multinational force, not just the Persians.
43] The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
44] Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
45] Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans:
Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.
46] At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.
Jeremiah 51
1] Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;
2] And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.
3] Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.
4] Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.
5] For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
6] Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.
7] Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
8] Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.
• A reading of the language clearly links this with Revelation 17 and 18.
9] We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.
10] The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.
11] Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.
12] Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the LORD hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon.
13] O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
14] The LORD of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillers; and they shall lift up a shout against thee.
15] He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.
16] When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
17] Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
18] They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
19] The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.
20] Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;
21] And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;
22] With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;
23] I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
24] And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.
25] Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
26] And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD.
• Again, a reference to the non-reuse of remaining materials. When Robert Koldewey arrived in Babylon in the late 1800s, he found entire sections of the old city being mined for bricks. (Kodewey, p. 168.)
27] Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.
28] Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.
29] And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without
an inhabitant.
30] The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwelling places; her bars are broken.
31] One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,
32] And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.
33] For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.
• An idiom for the Great Tribulation “threshing floor”
34] Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.
35] The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.
36] Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.
37] And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.
38] They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lions’ whelps.
39] In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.
40] I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.
41] How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!
• Sheshach is an encryption!
42] The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.
43] Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.
44] And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
45] My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.
46] And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.
• Again, remarkably similar language as in Revelation 17 and 18.
• The destruction of Babylon predicted by both Isaiah and Jeremiah has never been fulfilled.
47] Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.
48] Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD.
49] As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.
50] Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.
51] We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD’S house.
52] Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.
53] Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.
54] A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans:
55] Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:
56] Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of recompences shall surely requite.
57] And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.
58] Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.
59] The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince.
60] So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even
all these words that are written against Babylon.
61] And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words;
62] Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.
63] And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt
bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:
64] And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
Destruction of Babylon:
Revelation 17
1] And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
• Notice that the prostitute is not the beast, but the prostitute rides the beast. She initially exploits the beast, but is eventually destroyed by him (Revelation 17:16,17).
• The Roman Catholic Church, false worship.
2] With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3] So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
• Revelation 13
4] And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
• Jeremiah passage.
5] And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
• All false worship on earth originated from Babel.
The same idols with new names.
6] And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood
of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration....
• This is a system that murdered Christians, one Pope in one afternoon murdered more Christians than all of the Roman Emperors put together.
15] And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16] And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18] And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
• Notice that the prostitute is not the beast, but rides the beast. She initially exploits the beast, but is eventually destroyed by him (Revelation 17:16,17).
• The reference to the “cup” is another link with Jeremiah, et al.
• Mystery Babylon as a false religious system has been identified with the city of Rome from the early centuries until this present hour.
[Peter’s reference (1 Peter 5:13) is not a “code word” for Rome: Babylon was a major Jewish center for centuries; the Babylonian Talmud was compiled there.]
Revelation 18
1] And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2] And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
• The birds are the false ministers.
3] For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4] And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5] For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6] Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7] How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
• In Hosea this seems to be a contrast to Israel, because Israel is viewed idiomatically as widowed and divorced.
8] Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
9] And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10] Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11] And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12] The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13] And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
• Notice that here are 28 literal commodities listed: perhaps this is to prevent us from allegorizing these references.
14] And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15] The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16] And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17] For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every ship master, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18] And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
19] And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
• They cast dust upon their heads, this is a custom of the Middle East.
21] And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22] And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23] And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24] And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
• This does not fit America.
Mystery Babylon: Revelation 17 & 18
• The Great Whore of Revelation 17 History of the Catholic Church
– Rides the Beast with 7 heads, 10 horns
– Mother of Harlots and Abominations
– Drunk with the blood of the saints
• Babylon the Great (City) Revelation 18 World Trade
– Kings
– Merchants
– Those that trade by sea
Mother of Harlots:
• All occultic practices originated in Babylon (Cf. Isaiah 47).
• Tammuz, the son of Nimrod and his queen, Semiramis, was identified with the Babylonian Sun God, and worshipped following the winter solstice (about Dec. 22).
• They would celebrate his rebirth with a “yule log”, yule is an infant in Chaldean, they would burn this yule log in the evening and then replace it with a trimmed tree the next morning that represented the rebirth of the Sun god. (Jeremiah 10)
• The Babylonian worship of Ishtar, the Golden Egg of Astarte, and the fertility rites of spring give us Easter, et al.
The Two Women The Bible Israel and Woman Riding Beast:
• The priesthood follows the power and money. As Babylon was conquered by subsequent empires, this entire religious system was transplanted,
– first to Pergamos (Revelation 2:12-17) and
– then to Rome.
• As Christianity became established as the official state religion of Rome, many of the religious traditions and practices of the earlier pagan worship were adapted and incorporated.
• Many of our most cherished traditions have their roots in Babylon.
• Will the Roman Church move to the land of Shinar?
The Woman in the Ephah:
Zechariah 5:5-11
5] Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.
6] And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.
7] And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.
8] And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
9] Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
• Note that the “ephah” and the “talent” were the standard commercial measures of volume and weight, respectively.
• The two carriers had the “wings of a stork” which is an unclean bird.
• The captive woman called “wickedness” may be a reference to the harlot of Revelation 17 and 18.
10] Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?
11] And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.
• An ephah containing a woman called “Wickedness,” sealed in with talent of lead and carried by two women with wings of a stork between the earth and heaven:
“To build it a house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.”
Babylon A video:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/ancient-near-east1/babylonian/v/visiting-babylon
• The town of Babylon was located along the Euphrates River in present-day Iraq, about 50 miles south of Baghdad. It was founded around 2300 B.C. by the ancient Akkadian-speaking people of southern Mesopotamia.
A Challenge
We are being plunged into a period of time about which the Bible says more than it does about any other period of time in history, including the time that Jesus walked the shores of Galilee or climbed the mountains of Judea.
Whence Turkey?
• Another major sign post is emerging on our near horizon: will Turkey set the stage for the Magog Invasion as a prelude the final chapter(s)? or will Turkey signal a strategic extension of Europe’s ambitions in the Middle East?
• Turkey was awarded candidate status in 1999, but membership talks have yet to begin because of the country’s poor human rights record.
• In 2001 and 2002 new laws were passed shoring up basic rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press, abolishing the death penalty, and allowing broadcasting and education in Kurdish.
• A new government says progress with the EU membership bid is one of its top priorities, but the Cyprus issue could yet sour relations.
• Turkey was plunged into economic crisis in 2001 - share prices plummeted, inflation soared and interest rates spiraled. The government focused on halting the decline and renegotiating Turkey’s IMF loans.
• The country remains far from alignment with EU norms. Nonetheless there is healthy trade between the EU and Turkey and many Turkish people work in EU countries.
• While at the Air War College, I chatted with some top Turkish officers and they remain optimistic about entering the EU.
However…
Prophetic Role?
The famed Magog Invasion of Ezekiel 38 & 39 emphasizes the participating role of “Meshech and Tubal,” which were major cities of ancient Anatolia from which the modern state of Turkey was formed.
Although presently pro-West, one can readily anticipate a refocusing towards the Islamic east…
Ezekiel 38 & 39
• The occasion in which God Himself intervenes to quell the ill-fated invasion of Israel by Magog and its allies.
• The passage appears to anticipate the use of nuclear weapons.
Nuclear Weapons?
• Leftover weapons provide all the energy for the nation Israel for seven years.
• Professionals hired to clear the battlefield: they wait seven months; then clear for seven months and bury the dead east of the Dead Sea (downwind).
• If a traveler finds something the professionals have missed, he doesn’t touch it: he marks the location and lets the professionals deal with it.
Magog Invasion Seems Imminent:
• Ezekiel 38, 39 appears ready to happen
• Allies are in position: except one (Watch Turkey!)
• Placement alternatives
1) As part of the Armageddon sequence?
2) Prior to the “70th Week”?
• “Kremlin decision has been made…” Intelligence Digest
Whence the European Union?
• If Turkey does get admitted to the EU, does that imply a strategic horizon which will ultimately include “Assyria”?
• Or, will the Magog Disaster leave a power vacuum for an emergent leader to come on the world stage?
• How would a preemptive nuclear strike in the Middle East impact this horizon?
A Disturbing Hint?
Ezekiel 39:6
And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
• This may be the war between America and Magog.
*
Session 7: Daniel 6 The Lion’s Den
Alternate title:
“Avoiding the Mark of the Beast”
Darius, the Mede?
“Darius” may be an honorable title, meaning “holder of the scepter.”
• Used of five later Persian rulers.
1) Darius may have been another name for Cyrus.
Daniel 6:28 may be translated, “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius, even the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”
• Thus Darius may have been a localized name for Cyrus. (This is the view of D. J. Wiseman, “Some Historical Problems in the Book of Daniel,” in Notes on Some Problems in the Book of Daniel, pp. 12-14.)
• It was common for ancient rulers to use different names in various parts of their realms.
2) Darius the Mede could be identified with Cambyses, Cyrus’ son, who ruled Persia 530-522 B.C. (This view is held by Charles Boutflower, In and Around the Book of Daniel. Reprint. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publishing Co., 1977, pp. 142-55.)
3) Another explanation is that Darius was appointed by Cyrus to rule over Babylon, a comparatively small portion of the vast Medo-Persian Empire.
• According to Daniel 9:1 Darius “was made ruler over the Babylonian Kingdom.”
4) Another explanation is that Ugbaru (Gubaru), Governor of Gutium, conquered Babylon, and that Gubaru, alias Darius, was the man Cyrus appointed to rule over Babylon.
– Gubaru is another spelling for Ugbaru; Gobryas being a Greek form of the same name (Xenophon’s Cyropaedia 4. 6. 1-9; 7. 5. 7-34).
(This is the view of John C. Whitcomb, Jr., Darius the Mede. Nutley, N.J.: Presbyterian amp; Reformed Publishing Co., 1974.)
Ugbaru’s Victory:
• The historical situation leading to this appointment, based on the Nabonidus Chronicle, was that Babylon was conquered by Ugbaru, governor of Gutium, who entered the city of Babylon the night of Belshazzar’s feast.
• After Ugbaru conquered Babylon on October 12, 539 B.C., night of Belshazzar’s feast.
• Cyrus entered the conquered city on October 29, 539 B.C. of that same year.
• Ugbaru was then appointed by Cyrus to rule on his behalf in Babylon.
• Eight days after Cyrus’ arrival (November 6, 539 B.C.) Ugbaru died.
• If Darius the Mede is another name for Ugbaru, as is entirely possible, the problem is solved.
• Since Darius was 62 years old when he took over Babylon (5:31), his death a few weeks later would not be unusual.
– Gubaru is another spelling for Ugbaru; Gobryas being a Greek form of the same name (Xenophon’s Cyropaedia 4. 6. 1-9; 7. 5. 7-34).
According to this view (presented by William H. Shea, “Darius the Mede: An Update,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 20. Autumn 1982, pp. 229-47);
The Lion’s Den:
Hebrews 11:33
Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions…
1] It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which
should be over the whole kingdom;
2] And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
3] Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
• Daniel was at least 83 years old, with 66 years in public office and still in a position of honor.
• Daniel was an exceptional administrator, partly because of his extensive experience under Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:48) for about 39 years.
4] Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel
concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch
as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
5] Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except
we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
• Jealousy leads men to attack a colleague who is more competent than themselves. A man in the Kingdom of God will prompt the kingdom of this world to drive its members to display a more extreme bitterness in their assault.
6] Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
7] All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
• Assumed “divinity” of kings derives from ancient legends from Genesis 6: demigods.
Examples: Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Seleucid, and Roman empires. We’ll see it again.
“den” = gob, from the Hebrew verb gub, “to dig”: a pit or cistern.
Saying that they all agreed (v. 7) was wrong for they certainly had not discussed this with Daniel.
8] Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
9] Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
10] Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
11] Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
Prayer: (cf. Ch 2, 6, 9):
A habit (Jeremiah 29:1-12)
Windows habitually open.
• Solomon said to pray toward their land (2 Chronicles 6:36-39; 1 Kings 8:33,35,38,44,48). David (Psalms 5:7; 28:2; also 1 Kings 8:54; Ezra 9:5).
• New Testament (John 4:21-24).
Three times a day? (Psalms 55:16,17).
On his Knees? Lord: Luke 22:41
[Honored for not kneeling in Chapter 3; also 1 Kings 8:54; Ezekiel 9:5.]
Other examples:
• Stephen (Acts 7:60)
• Peter (Acts 9:40)
• Paul at Miletus (Acts 20:36)
• At Tyre (Acts 21:5).
Note: Praise is not absent, even with pending danger.
Our own country was founded by men who knew and believed in the power of prayer.
12] Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Did he sign? Why did they ask first?
13] Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
Daniel was derisively belittled as one of the exiles from Judah (as Arioch and Belshazzar had done; cf. 2:25; 5:13),
14] Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
• They “bugged his apartment.”
• The king knew Daniel for more than a year. Aramaic word order places Daniel first in the sentence, the stressed position:
“And as for Daniel, he set his mind to deliver him.”
15] Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
16] Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
Monarchy is not absolute. Diodorus Siculus records a similar paradox with King Darius III.
• Also a key issue in Esther (1:19; 8:8).
“...whom you serve continually”: what a witness!
17] And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
18] Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
• Both rings would be needed to remove the stone. Parallels with Christ:
“By law to die,” John 19:7. “Stone, sealed,” Matthew 27:62-66.
“Power of resurrection,” Philippians 3:10. Also Acts 5:17-22; 12:5-10, 18.
• Sleepless in the palace...
19] Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20] And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
• Daniel was not kept from his hour of trial!
21] Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22] My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
• By faith (Hebrews 11:33). Secret of safety: the Breastplate of righteousness (but whose?)
Angels: Psalms 91:11; Hebrews 1:14; Psalms 34:7; Psalms 103:20.
23] Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take
Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed (relied) in his God.
24] And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
Kindred also:
Ammianus Marcellinus confirms this Persian custom (cf. Haman’s similar fate, Ester 7:9-10).
Dathan, Abiram, Korah (Numbers 16).
Mosaic law more lenient (Deuteronomy 24:16).
Principle of lex talionis:
False witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:16-21). Aramaic, and other early languages, have a singularly strong idiom for “slander” is to “eat the pieces of a man.”
(Found in the Assyrian and Amarna letters.)
• When Daniel came out the next morning, he was the gainer:
• The king approved him, admired him, loved him.
• Everybody heard of it.
• What awe he must have inspired.
• The king was not regarded as half as much a “god” as Daniel.
• The counselors never troubled him again. The lions had taken care of them.
25] Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
• This kingdom was bigger than the Babylonian Empire.
26] I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before
the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.
• Satan’s attempt to extinguish the light of the Living God in Babylon: Revelation 12...
• Wrath restrained: “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” Psalms 76:10.
27] He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28] So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and [even?] in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
• Daniel 6:28 may be translated, “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius, even the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”
Parallels:
Faithful remnant:
– Edward Dennett (1893), A.C. Gaebelein, G.H. Lang, H.A. Ironside, O.B. Greene, P.R. Newell.
• Foreshadows the Man of Sin?, claiming divine honors under penalty of death (Revelation 7:3,14; 12:13-17; Matthew 24:13-14; Mark 13:13).
• Roaring Lion: 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Timothy 4:17; Revelation 13:2.
• Daniel did not receive the “mark of the Beast.” (Cf. Seal of 144,000 in Revelation 7, 14.)
Lessons of this Famous Event:
• There is safety in persecution (we will suffer persecution).
• The Faithfulness of God is an issue here (some were burned at the stake)
• Inspiring faith of one consecrated to God
• The blessing of obeying God rather than men
• Reward of separation
• God is equal to every emergency:
— “Thou shalt prosper, if thou takest heed” (1 Chronicles 22:13).
The Magi of Medo-Persia:
• Latinized form of Magoi, ancient Greek transliteration of the Persian original (Herodotus, 1:101).
• Rab-Mag, is a title of the Chief of the Magi in Nebuchadnezzar’s Court (Jeremiah 39:3,13).
• Daniel was appointed to that position and Title (Daniel 4:9; 5:11).
• This was a Persian Sect (the Magi) the Medes and now a Jew is in charge.
Medo-Persian Magi:
• Oneiromancy, (Dream Interpretation) was not astrology, the interpretation of dreams was their key skill (Herodotus I.107, 120; VII.19).
• Established as the state religion of Persia by Darius the Great, after some Magi who were considered to be expert in the interpretation of dreams had been attached to the Median court.
• This was before Zoroasterism (Encyclopedia Britannica 7:691).
Later: Philo of Alexandria, Cicero, and Philo, and others, record that the Magi were attached to senior Roman courts with acknowledged gifts and standing.
• Magi (singular, magus = “magic”).
“Magicians” (a profession, rather than citizenship or cultural link), presented in the book of Acts as vile men without standing or morals:
Simon Magus in Samaria (Acts 8:9-24)
Elymas Magus at Paphos on the Island of Cyprus associated with Sergius Paulus the proconsul. (International Dictionary 3:222).
Chief of the Magi, a Persian word for a Magian; magician, chief soothsayer.
Cf. Magi are Median; vs. Chaldeans.)
Persian magi were credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge. (Babylonian magi often considered mere imposters.)
[This Jewish appointment may have had repercussions among the hereditary Median priesthood, leading to the plot of Daniel 6.]
Magian Religion vs. Judaism:
• Each had its monotheistic concept of one beneficent creator, author of all good, who in turn was opposed by a malevolent evil spirit;
• Each had its hereditary priesthood which became the essential mediator between God and man by virtue of a blood sacrifice;
• Each depended upon the wisdom of the priesthood in divination;
• Each held concepts of clean and unclean forms of life;
• Each involved a hereditary priesthood, serving several religions;
• Magi were the priestly caste during Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian periods.
The subsequent syncretistic Magian religion of Archaemenid days had much in common with the Jews: Cf. The Urim and Thummim of the Levite; the Barsoms, small bundles of divining rods of the Magian priest.
Political Background:
Since the days of Daniel, the fortunes of both the Persia and the Jewish nation had been closely intertwined:
• Both nations had in their turn falling under Seleucid domination in the wake of Alexander’s conquests.
• Both had regained their independence: the Jews under Maccabean leadership, the Persians as the dominating ruling group within the Parthian empire.
• It was at this time that the Magi, in their dual priestly and governmental offices, composed the upper house of the council of the Megistanes (“magistrates”) whose duties included the absolute choice and election of the king of the realm.
Magistrates:
• It was in a dual capacity of priest and counselor whereby civil and political counsel was invested with religious authority,
• Thus, the Magi became the supreme priestly caste of the empire.
The Inscription of Bisitun:
It is compared much like the Rosetta Stone.
• Darius I (The Great) 522-486 B.C.
• Written in three languages:
— Elamite
— Akkadian/Babylonian
— Old Persian/Aramaic.
• Speaks of his speedy and final triumph over a revolt of Magi in 522 B.C.
The Parthian Empire: Iran and Afghanistan
• Parthia, ancient empire of Asia, in what are now Iran and Afghanistan.
• The Parthians were of Scythian descent, and adopted Median dress and Aryan speech. • Parthia was subject successively to the Assyrians, Medes, Persians, and Macedonians under Alexander the Great, and then the Seleucids.
• In 250 B.C.: The Parthians (after the Persian Empire) succeeded in founding an independent kingdom.
• During the 1st century B.C., grew into an empire extending from the Euphrates River to the Indus River and from the Oxus (now Amu Darya) River to the Indian Ocean.
• After the middle of the 1st century B.C. Parthia was, thus, a rival of Rome, and several wars occurred between the two powers.
Judea Was a Buffer Zone:
• Pompey, the first Roman conqueror of Jerusalem, in 63 B.C. he had attacked the Armenian outpost of Parthia.
• In 55 B.C. Crassus led the Roman legions in sacking Jerusalem and in a subsequent attack on Parthia proper. The Romans were decisively defeated at the Battle of Carrhae with the loss of 30,000 troops, including their commander.
• The Parthians counterattacked with a token invasion of Armenia, Syria, and Palestine.
• Nominal Roman rule was reestablished under Antipater, the father of Herod, who in turn retreated before a Parthian invasion in 40 B.C.
• Mark Antony reestablished Roman sovereignty in 37 B.C.., and like Crassus before him, also embarked on a similarly ill-fated Parthian expedition.
• His disastrous retreat was followed by another wave of invading Parthians, which swept all Roman opposition completely out of Palestine (including Herod himself who had to flee to Alexandria and then to Rome).
• With Parthian collaboration, Jewish sovereignty was restored and Jerusalem was fortified with a Jewish garrison.
• Herod, by this time, secured from Augustus Caesar the title of “King of the Jews.”
• However, it was not for three years, including a five months’ siege by Roman troops, that the king was able to occupy his own capital city.
Herod’s Slippery Rock:
• Herod had thus gained the throne of a rebellious buffer state situated between two mighty contending empires.
• At any time his own subjects (The Jews) might conspire in bringing the Parthians to their aid.
Roman Tensions:
• Augustus was also aged; Rome, since the retirement of Tiberius, was without any experienced military commander in Rome.
• Pro-Parthian Armenia was fomenting a revolt against Rome (which was successfully accomplished within two years).
• At the time of the birth of Christ, Herod may have been close to his final illness.
Parthian Instability:
• The time was ripe for another Parthian invasion of the buffer provinces, except for the fact that Parthia itself was racked by internal dissension:
• Phraates IV, the unpopular and aging king, had once been deposed and it was not improbable that the Persian Magi were already involved in the political maneuvering requisite to choosing his successor.
• It is possible that the Magi might have taken advantage of the king’s lack of popularity to further their own interests with the establishment of a new dynasty if a sufficiently strong contender could be found…
A Precarious Visit?
• It was a group of Persian-Parthian king makers who entered Jerusalem in the latter days of the reign of Herod.
• The Magi, likely traveling in force with unimaginable oriental pomp and adequate calvary escort to insure their safe penetration of Roman territory, certainly alarmed Herod and the entire populace of Jerusalem (Matthew 2:3).
• Herod’s reaction was understandably one of fear when one considers the background of Roman-Parthian rivalry that prevailed during his lifetime.
• It would seem as if these Magi were attempting to perpetrate a border incident which could bring swift reprisal from Parthian armies.
Matthew 2:1-3
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, 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. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
• Herod was not in Rome.
• Their request of Herod regarding him who “has been born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2) was a calculated insult to him who had contrived and bribed his way into that office.
Matthew 2:4-6
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
• Quoting Micah 5:2. It was prophecy (The Taanach - Old Testament), not astronomy, that was their guide.
Matthew 2:7,8
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
Matthew 2:9-12
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
• This star was not a normal star, this was a supernatural phenomenon.
• How did the Magi know about this prophecy and time?
• It could be that Daniel (Daniel 9) may have established a Magi during his term in Babylon, and taught on this subject, etc.
• In the providence of God, Herod’s request for their subsequent assistance was thwarted, the Magi “being warned in a dream” (a form of communication most acceptable to them) departed to their own country without responding to him.
• (Within two years Phraataces, the parricide son of Phraates IV, was duly installed by the Magi as the new ruler of Parthia.)
Magi Traditions:
Eastern Church tradition:
There are 12 magi (Christmas on January 6). The song “Twelfth Day of Christmas”
Western Church tradition:
There are 3 magi (Epiphany on January 6). The song “These Three Kings”
• 3rd Century Traditions: Kings (Magi) bearing gifts, Psalms 72:10, 68:29.
• By the 6th century chronicle (Exerpia Latina Garbari):
Not only are there three, but these three have names.
Bithisarea = Balthasar
Melichior = Melchior
Gathaspa = Gasper
• Bede (673-735): feels that these were probably represented by the three sons of Noah
— Shem: Asia
— Ham: Africa
— Japheth: Europe
• 14th Century Armenian Tradition:
Balthasar King of Arabia
Melchior King of Persia
Gasper King of India
• Relics attributed to them discovered in the 4th century; transferred from Constantinople to Milan, 5th century; to Cologne by Frederick Barbarossa in 1162 where they remain enshrined.
“Star” of Bethlehem? And Other Conjectures:
• Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24:17? Numbers 24:17 and Isaiah 60:3 is not quoted by Matthew.
• Conjunctions? Kepler suggested that the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces in 7 B.C. from an erroneous inference from Josephus.
(Wrong date: 2 B.C.- 4 B.C.)
• This was not a “natural” phenomenon: it settled over a specific location…
Note: Simon Bar Kochba, A.D. 135,”Son of the Star.”
[See Signs in the Heavens briefing for a discussion of the Hebrew Mazzeroth and the
Zodiac.
See The Christmas Story - What Really Happened for more background on the Nativity. ]
*
Session 8: Daniel 7 The “Times of the Gentiles”
The most comprehensive and detailed prophecy of future events to be
found anywhere in the Old Testament (Cf. Dan 2, Rev 13, 17).
Chapter 7 begins the Second Division of the Book: Daniel’s Visions.
Chapter:
7 1st year of Belshazzar (after Chapter 4, before 5)
8 3rd year of Belshazzar (before 5)
9 1st year of Darius
10-12 [3rd year of Cyrus?]
Luke 21:24
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the Times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
1] In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2] Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3] And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
• Nabonidus made Belshazzar his co-regent in his 3rd year: 553 B.C.
• Daniel was about 67 years old.
• Nebuchadnezzar had died nine years earlier
(Daniel 5 occurs 14 years later).
“...sum”: essential summary (this the first vision given directly to Daniel).
• Because of the great significance of Daniel’s dream, he immediately wrote down a summary of it.
“I saw...”: Is stated 9 times this chapter
— “was beholding.” In the 1st six chapters, Daniel wrote in the 3rd person.
• In the last six chapters he wrote in the 1st person.
• The great sea churned by the action of four (spirits) winds:
The word translated “winds,” ruach, may also be rendered “spirits”
• Elsewhere in Scripture this word is used to refer to God’s providential actions in the affairs of men through angels (Jeremiah 23:19; 49:36; 51:1; Zechariah 6:1-6; 7:14; Revelation 7:1-3).
• Throughout the Old Testament the Mediterranean Sea is referred to as the Great Sea
(Numbers 34:6-7; Joshua 1:4; 9:1; 15:12, 47; 23:4; Ezekiel 47:10, 15, 20; 48:28).
• This vision related specifically to the Mediterranean world.
Is this Symbolic? Isaiah 8:7-8; 17:12-13; 27:1; 57:20; Jeremiah 6:23; 46:7-9; 47:2; Revelation 13:1; 17:1, 15.
THE FOUR BEASTS:
1. A beast like a lion with eagle's wings; represents Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar
Babylon was conquered by Cyrus the Great who established the Persian Empire.
• After about two centuries, the Persians were conquered by Alexander the Great, whose exploits are further detailed in Daniel 8 and 11.
2. A beast like a bear, raised up on one side, with three ribs between its teeth; represents Medo-Persia under Darius and Cyrus.
3. A beast like a leopard with four wings and four heads; represents Greece under Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great:
• After Alexanders death, his kingdom was divided up between his four generals.
Ptolemy I Soter (His kingdom Is in purple on the map)
"Ptolemy the Savior"; ruled from 367 BC until January 282 BC) he was a companion and historian of Alexander the Great who succeeded to his empire. Ptolemy became ruler of Egypt (323–282 BC) and founded the Ptolemaic dynasty which ruled it for the next three centuries, turning Egypt into a Hellenistic kingdom and Alexandria into a center of Greek culture
The Greeks were, in turn, conquered by the Romans.
Cassander (His kingdom Is in green on the map)
Cassander was king of the Hellenic kingdom of Macedon from 305 BC until 297 BC, and de facto ruler of southern Greece from 317 BC until his death.
Lysimachus (His kingdom Is in orange on the map)
Lysimachus ruled from 360 BC until 281 BC) he was a Macedonian officer and diadochus (i.e. "successor") of Alexander the Great, who became a basileus ("King") in 306 BC, ruling Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedon.
Seleucus I Nicator (His kingdom Is in yellow on the map)
Seleucus ruled from 358 BC until September 281 BC; Ancient Greek:
4. A fourth beast, with large iron teeth and ten horns; represents the Roman Empire
• But who conquered the Romans? No one.
• In the fifth century A.D., the western leg of the Roman Empire simply disintegrated into pieces. (The eastern leg of the empire endured another 1000 years before falling to the invasion of the Muslims.)
1. A beast like a lion with eagle's wings; represents Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar
Babylon was conquered by Cyrus the Great who established the Persian Empire.
• After about two centuries, the Persians were conquered by Alexander the Great, whose exploits are further detailed in Daniel 8 and 11.
2. A beast like a bear, raised up on one side, with three ribs between its teeth; represents Medo-Persia under Darius and Cyrus.
3. A beast like a leopard with four wings and four heads; represents Greece under Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great:
• After Alexanders death, his kingdom was divided up between his four generals.
Ptolemy I Soter (His kingdom Is in purple on the map)
"Ptolemy the Savior"; ruled from 367 BC until January 282 BC) he was a companion and historian of Alexander the Great who succeeded to his empire. Ptolemy became ruler of Egypt (323–282 BC) and founded the Ptolemaic dynasty which ruled it for the next three centuries, turning Egypt into a Hellenistic kingdom and Alexandria into a center of Greek culture
The Greeks were, in turn, conquered by the Romans.
Cassander (His kingdom Is in green on the map)
Cassander was king of the Hellenic kingdom of Macedon from 305 BC until 297 BC, and de facto ruler of southern Greece from 317 BC until his death.
Lysimachus (His kingdom Is in orange on the map)
Lysimachus ruled from 360 BC until 281 BC) he was a Macedonian officer and diadochus (i.e. "successor") of Alexander the Great, who became a basileus ("King") in 306 BC, ruling Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedon.
Seleucus I Nicator (His kingdom Is in yellow on the map)
Seleucus ruled from 358 BC until September 281 BC; Ancient Greek:
4. A fourth beast, with large iron teeth and ten horns; represents the Roman Empire
• But who conquered the Romans? No one.
• In the fifth century A.D., the western leg of the Roman Empire simply disintegrated into pieces. (The eastern leg of the empire endured another 1000 years before falling to the invasion of the Muslims.)
Beast Number 1 - Babylon
4] The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
• The four beasts represented four kingdoms (v. 17).
“...lion and had eagle’s wings”:
There are Winged lion on the gates of Babylon (British Museum); Jeremiah 4:7; 48:40; 49:19-22; 50:17, 43-44; Lamentations :19; Ezekiel 17:3,12; Habakkuk
1:8. [A new heart was given him?]
Beast Number 2 - Medo-Persia
5] And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
“...bear”: less regal; ponderous; of formidable strength (Xerxes: 2.5 million men!).
Unbalanced: Cf. Daniel 8:3, two horns.
Unbalanced: Cf. Daniel 8:3, two horns.
One-sided union; Media was already swallowed up by Persia by 550 B.C.
“...three ribs”: Babylon, Egypt, Lydia defeated (Isaiah 13:17,18).
Beast Number 3 - Greece
6] After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four
wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
The lion devours; the bear crushes; the leopard springs upon its prey.
“...four heads”:
Cassander: Greece & Macedonia;
Lysimachus: Thrace & Bithynia (Asia Minor);
Seleucus: Syria, Babylonia (>India);
Ptolemy: Egypt, Palestine, Arabia Petrea (cf. Daniel 8:8, 22).
Composite of three animals: Hosea13:5-8; Revelation 13:2; 1 Samuel 17:34-36; Proverbs 28:15; Jeremiah 5:6; Amos 5:9.
Beast Number 4 - Rome 1&2
7] After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and
terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake
in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from
all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
Rome 1&2 There is no animal comparison:
It was diverse from all the preceding; note the “iron” reference (Cf. Daniel 2).
Trampling all under foot: Cf. v.19.
10 horns = 10 kings (v.24).
Rome:
• Occupation of Sicily in 241 B.C., victory in the first Punic conflict.
• Mediterranean becomes a Roman lake by the beginning of second century B.C.
• Spain is conquered first; then Carthage at the battle of Zama in N. Africa, 202 B.C.; subjugates are north of Italy;
• They then moved east, conquering Macedonia, Greece, and Asia Minor.
• Pompey swept into Jerusalem in 63 B.C. after destroying remnants of the Seleucid Empire (Syria).
Following decades:
Empire controls southern Britain, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany west of the Rhine River.
Grew for four centuries, peaking in A.D. 117.
Declined slowly, beginning in the third century;
Left Britain in A.D. 407;
Rome was sacked by the Visigoths in 410.
It was not until 1453 that the last Roman or Byzantine ruler was killed in battle and Mohammed II conquered Constantinople (Cf. v. 24; Revelation 17:12).
Remains until replaced by Kingdom of Heaven: vv26, 27.
10 nations: Compare Daniel 2:31-35; 40-45; 7:7-8; 19-24; Revelation 13:1-2; 17:3,7,12-18.
Horn No. 11 The “Little Horn”:
8] I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little
horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots:
and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking
great things.
“...Little Horn”: an 11th horn. First mention in Daniel.
“...before whom”: behehewn, between whom.
“Plucked up by the roots”: agar, uprooted gradually.
“Eyes, mouth” makes this an individual.
“Plucked up by the roots”: agar, uprooted gradually.
“Eyes, mouth” makes this an individual.
“Big Mouth”: v.11; Revelation 11:36; 13:5,6.
One of his many titles in the Old Testament. This “little horn” had an insignificant beginning but in its growth it was able to uproot three of the existing horns. (See vv. 19-26 for the identity of this fourth beast and its 11th horn.)
The “Ancient of Days”:
9] I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose
garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne
was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
“Ancient of Days”:
• Mentioned three times in this chapter.
Rema, located, placed (not “cast”).
[Thrones, plural. Where are the 24 elders? (The Church is hidden in the Old Testament; Matthew 13:34,35; Ephesians 3:5,9.)]
“Fire”: Exodus 3:2; 19:18;
Consuming fire: Deuteronomy 4:24 (Hebrews 12:29); 9:3.
Jesus:
2 Thessalonians 1:8; Psalms 18:8; 104:4; 50:3; Ezekiel 1:4; 13:21; Revelation 4:5 (note 15:2).
Sodom and Gomorrah, Genesis 19:24;
Nahab and Abihu, Leviticus 10:2; Isaiah 66:15-16.
Fiery Stream: Ezekiel 1, 10:1.
10] A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
• In v.26, God the Judge takes His seat, the court convenes, and the books are opened. God, who assigns power to kingdoms, will judge those kingdoms. (Cf. Revelation 20:12).
“...books”: Exodus 32:32; Isaiah 65:6 (evil deeds);
Malachi 3:16, (Book of Remembrance);
Daniel 12:1; Luke 10:20.
[Note: Revelation 20:10, 12-15 after millennium? Revelation 10:20? Daniel 7:10!]
“Mr. Big Mouth”
11] I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
• As Daniel was watching the little horn because of its boasting (cf. v. 8) he saw that the fourth beast was slain and consigned to blazing fire.
• This event will terminate “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24, 27). Cf. Revelation 19:19-21.
12] As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
• The kingdoms represented by the three preceding beasts had already been stripped of their power by military conquest.
But the fourth beast will be relieved of its power not by being conquered militarily, but by divine judgment (cf. Daniel 9:27; Revelation 11:15; 19:15).
Each of the three, however, had been allowed to live for a short time. Joel 3:1-2; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 1:13; Mark 14:61.
“prolonged for a season”: survive in another form in the kingdom that replaces them.
Rome on the Rise:
• Cassander’s kingdom 146 B.C.
• Lysimachus’ kingdom 133 B.C.
• Seleucus’ kingdom 64 B.C.
• Ptolemy’s kingdom 31 B.C.
13] I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
• Third major portion of this vision:
The Son of Man approaching the Ancient of Days.
Jesus Christ, taking the title “Son of Man” from this prophecy, frequently used it to refer to Himself (as recorded in the Gospels; cf. Mark 8:31; John 1:51).
Son receives the Father’s gift (Psalms 2:6-9);
will rule over all nations (Psalms 72:11; Revelation 19:15-16; cf. 7:9-12; Revelation 4,5; Isaiah 6:1-3; Ezekiel 1:4-28; 10:1-14). Cf. the Father’s promise to the Son in Psalms 2:6-9; will be fulfilled at Christ’s Second Advent (Matthew 24:30; 25:31; Revelation 11:15).
• The Son of Man will establish an everlasting dominion or kingdom (cf. Daniel 4:34; 7:27).
That kingdom will never be conquered by another (cf. 6:26).
His reign will be established on earth (Revelation 20:1-6).
“...clouds”:
Old Testament: Exodus 13:21; 19:9; 24:16; 34:5; Leviticus 16:2; 1 Kings 8:10-11; Psalms18:11,12; 78:14; 97:2-4; Isaiah 9:1; Jeremiah 4:13; Ezekiel 10:4; Nahum 1:3.
New Testament: Matthew 17:5; 24:30; Luke 21:27; Acts 1:9,11; Mark 14:61,62; Matthew 26:64; 1 Thessalonians 4:17; Revelation 1:7; 14:14.
“...kingdom”: Daniel 2:44,45; Isaiah 9:6; 11:3-5; Micah 4:1-7; 5:2-5; Zechariah 14:9,16,17;
Matthew 24,25; Mark 14:61,62; Luke 1:32,33; 2 Thessalonians 2:6-10; Revelation 19, 20:1-4.
God’s purpose: Ephesians 1:10; Philippians 2:10,11; 1 Corinthians 15:27-28.
15] I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16] I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
17] These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
“Body”: Chaldee nidneh, sheath.
“Troubled”: behal, alarmed.
Like Nebuchadnezzar before him (cf. 2:1; 4:4-5), Daniel was disturbed by his dream (cf. 7:28). Though he had demonstrated the ability to interpret dreams on previous occasions (Ch. 2; 4), he could not interpret this one or his next one (8:15).
18] But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
19] Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
“...saints”: qaddishin, “Holy Ones” (mentioned 7 times).
Old Testament: Matthew 27:52,53; Exodus 19:6.
New Testament:
1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1, etc.
Tribulation: Revelation 13:7; see v. 21.
• The “saints” refer to the believing Jews (cf. v. 25), not to believers of the Church Age.
• The existence of the church in the present Age was nowhere revealed in the Old Testament.
The nation Israel has been set aside by divine discipline in the present “times of the Gentiles,” which began with Nebuchadnezzar.
During the “times of the Gentiles” four empires, Daniel was told, would rise and rule over the land and people of Israel.
Yet God’s covenant to David (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalms 89:14) stands and will ultimately be fulfilled.
Daniel seems to have had no difficulty in interpreting the significance of the first three beasts. It was the fourth beast that caused him consternation, and he asked the angel (probably Gabriel; cf. 8:16; 9:21) to interpret the meaning of the beast and its 10 horns and the other horn that came up among the 10 and was so imposing.
For from this point on to the end of the prophecy, Daniel concerned himself with the revelation about the person and work of the individual represented by this little horn.
20] And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
21] I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
• That “mouth” again...Several facts about this little horn had already been revealed to Daniel (v. 8):
1) It came after the 10 horns (kings; cf. v. 24) were in existence and then was contemporaneous with them;
2) It uprooted 3 of the 10 horns (kings);
3) It was intelligent (it had the eyes of a man);
4) It was arrogant and boastful (cf. v. 11).
Now additional facts are given:
5) He will prevail against the saints of the Most High; He will overcome them (Cf. Revelation 13:7).
[This would appear to contradict Jesus’ promise to the Church (Matthew 16:18):
• They are not the church, but the remnant of Israel (Revelation 12:13-17).
2/3 fall: Zechariah 13:8,9.
Jerusalem falls: Zechariah 14:1,2.
Prevail, overcome? (Cf. Revelation 13:7; 11:3; 12:6; 13:5) vs. Matthew 16:18; Revelation 2, 3 (1 John 5:5!).
22] Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most
High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
• He will be judged by God (cf. Revelation 19:19-20), and Israel, no longer under the rule of the little horn, will enter into her covenanted blessings in the kingdom (cf. Daniel 7:18).
23] Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which
shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall
tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24] And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another
shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue
three kings.
The sphere of this coming ruler in the 4th kingdom will be worldwide.
• Daniel was told that this empire will devour the whole earth (cf. Revelation 13:7).
• And it will be a ferocious conquest, in which that kingdom will trample and crush those who oppose it; a coming one-world government under a worldwide dictator.
“out of” this kingdom: Arise (“1 hour”: Revelation 17:12); “another” (11th) after
them...diverse from the others...
25] And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
[Big Mouth again...] “Against”: le’tsad, “at the side of”: (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
• The “Roman” Empire will cease to exist when the Little Horn is judged.
Three additional facts are now revealed:
1) He will oppose God’s authority. He will speak against the Most High (cf. Revelation 13:6).
2) He will oppress His saints (i.e., Israel; cf. comments on 7:21).
3) He will introduce an entirely new era in which he will abandon all previous laws and
institute his own system. [Change the Law (singular) Genesis 1:4; 17:21;18:14.]
As in 9:27a, he will appear as Israel’s friend, but will become Israel’s persecutor (the saints will be handed over to him) and he will occupy Jerusalem as a (“tabernacle”) of his empire (11:45) for three and one-half years (Revelation 12:6; 13:5).
• “Time, times, and half a time” (cf. Daniel 12:7; Revelation 12:14) refers to the three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation, with “a time” meaning one year, “times” two years, and “half a time” six months.
• This equals the 1,260 days in Revelation 12:6 and the 42 months in Revelation 11:2; 13:5.
“Time, Times, and ½ Time”
• “Times” = dual, later lost in Aramaic: 1 + 2 + ½ = 3 ½
Daniel 7:25, Daniel 12:7; Revelation 12:14
• 3½ years Daniel 9:27; 12:7
• 42 months Revelation 11:2; 13:5
• 1260 days Revelation 11:3; Daniel 12:6
• ½ “week” Daniel 9:27
26] But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
27] And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
• When the Judge, God the Father, convenes the court (cf. v. 10), that is, when He judges the little horn, his power will be removed and he will be destroyed (cf. v. 11; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:20).
• This will occur at the Second Advent of Christ. At the beginning of the Millennium the Son of Man will be given authority to rule (cf. Daniel 7:14).
• This kingdom will not be overthrown and superseded by another. It will continue in the Millennium and on forever (cf. Daniel 4:34; 6:26; 7:14).
“Everlasting kingdom”: Deuteronomy 28:1-44; Isaiah 65:17-25; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10; 20:6.
28] Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled
me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.
(The angel finishes the sentence that began in v. 23.)
Daniel: “Color me shocked.” This prophetic panorama of the times of the Gentiles was so awesome to Daniel that he was deeply moved.
[Text now changes from Aramaic back to Hebrew. Distinguishes the two major programs of God in the Old Testament.]
The “Times of the Gentiles”
Daniel 2 (Man’s View):
human progress; bright, shiny (emphasizes unity).
Daniel 7 (God’s View): voracious beasts (emphasizes diversity).
Alexander’s Successors
• Cassander Macedonia & Greece.
• Lysimacus Thrace, Bithynia, most of Asia Minor.
• Ptolemy Egypt, Cyrene, Arabia, Petraea.
• Seleucus Syria and lands to the East—all the way to India.
Rome on the Rise
• Cassander’s kingdom 146 B.C.
• Lysimachus’ kingdom 133 B.C.
• Seleucus’ kingdom 64 B.C.
• Ptolemy’s kingdom 31 B.C.
The Roman Empire, Phase I
68 B.C. Rome emerges
44 B.C. Julius Caesar assassinated
31 B.C. Battle of Actium
64 A.D. Nero begins his persecutions
284 A.D. Diocletian divides it into 2 (legs?)
312 A.D. Constantine moves to Byzantium
476 A.D. Empire breaks into pieces
Each remaining segment has had its era . . .
Revelation 13:1-10
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
*
Session 9: Daniel 8 The Ram and the Goat:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
The Book of Daniel In Chronological Order:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
Historical Prophecies
1 Introduction
2 The King’s Dream
3 Bow or Burn
4 The King’s Ego Trip
7 Times of the Gentiles
8 The Ram and Goat
5 The Fall of Babylon
6 The Plot of the Magi
9 The 70 Weeks
10 The Dark Side
11 & 12 The Conclusion
Outline
Ch. 1 Introduction
2 King’s Dream
3 Bow or Burn!
4 King’s Ego Trip
5 Fall of Babylon
6 Plot of Magi
7 Times of Gentiles
8 Ram and Goat
9 The 70 Weeks
10 The Dark Side
11/ 12 Conclusion
Daniel 8: The Ram and the He-goat
vv. 1-8 Alexander the Great
20-22 Interpretation of 1-7
9-14 Antiochus Epiphanes
23-25 Shadow Antichrist
1] In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.
2] And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.
“...third year”: Was 51 B.C.
“...a vision appeared”: Many opinions. Josephus believes he was actually there. Also Keil, Rosenmuller, Bertholdt. Others: “in a vision”;
Montgomery, Syriac, Vulgate, John Calvin. Cf. Ezekiel 8:3; 40:1ff to
Jerusalem; Cf. Revelation 17:3, John in the wilderness.
Shushan Palace:
• Susa, one of the Persian royal cities, was located 230 miles east of Babylon; 150 miles north of head of Persian Gulf, midway between Ecbatana and Persepolis;
• Susa was the capital of Elamites in antiquity; later the main residence of Persian kings; Famous palace begun by Darius I and later enlarged by Xerxes;
• Home of Esther (Esther 1:2,5; 2:3,5);
• City of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1);
• Code of Hammurabi found there in 1901.
3] Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns (Medo-Persian): and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.
4] I saw the ram (Cyrus) pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
• Two horns, but unequal—one horn was longer than the other. The horns did not arise simultaneously; the longer one arose after (grew up later than) the shorter one.
The disparity between the ram’s two horns recalls the bear raised up on one side (Daniel 7:5).
• The ram that had been standing by the canal began to charge toward the W-N-S (v. 20):
• His charge was irresistible; none could escape his onslaught.
Medo-Persia. One empire, not two.
The Ram:
• Ram with clean feet, sharp-pointed horns Guardian spirit of the Persian kingdom [Keil].
• The Persian king, at the head of his army, wore the head of ram instead of the diadem [Ammianus Marcellinus, 4th century].
• Zodiac: Aries, the Ram = Persia.
Xerxes:
• Was the last great ruler of Persia (he was king during the days of Esther).
• He made a foray against Europe, against Greece.
• He had an army of 300,000 men & their families.
• But the Greeks were smart
—They didn’t go out to meet him.
Instead, they waited until he got to Thermopylae, a narrow pass into which he could not fit a big army and was defeated.
• Since one Greek soldier was equal to at least ten of the Medo-Persians who were not as trained and disciplined an army as the Greeks were, the Greeks decimated them at Thermopylae.
• When word was brought to him that his fleet had been destroyed, he went down to the sea, took off his belt, and beat the waves with it. (He wasn't tied to tight in the noggin!)
—they had destroyed his fleet!
5] And as I was considering, behold, an he goat (Alexander the Great) came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
“...he goat” = “buck of the goats” (v.21) from the west;
• A goat with a powerful single horn arose suddenly.
• His speed was so great that his feet did not touch the ground.
Alexander the Great:
• At the age of 20 he assumed the mantle of his father, Philip of Macedon.
• Within six years (at age 26) he had conquered the mighty Persian Empire.
• At the age of 30 his empire stretched from the Mediterranean to the Hindu Kush.
• He died at the age of 32.
• His legacy: He was regarded as the new Achilles & new world order.
• Alexander was a visionary conqueror, a ruthless tyrant, and a brilliant military strategist and court politician.
6] And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.
• The description of this goat is parallel to the third beast in Daniel 7:6, the leopard with wings.
• Both were rapid, and the leopard had four heads whereas the goat had four horns.
The Goat:
• A one-horned goat was a symbol for the ancient Macedonians;
• Zodiac:
— Persia; Aries, the Ram:
— Greece Capricorn, the goat (L. caper, goat; cornu, horn);
• May 334 B.C: Alexander crossed the Hellespont with 35,000 troops, first met and defeated the Persians at the Granicus River;
• Nov 333 B.C: 1½ years later, the Battle at Issus near the NE tip of Mediterranean Sea;
• Oct 331 B.C: Persians are finally broken at Gaugamela (Arbella) near Nineveh.
7] And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
• Previously, none could escape from the ram’s power (v. 4);
• Now none could escape from the goat (v. 7) Greeks.
• He was enraged (v. 6) at the Persians for having defeated the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon (490 B.C. and the Battle of Salamis (481), Greek cities near Athens.
• He quickly conquered Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia in a few years, beginning in 334 B.C.
• The greatness that had characterized the ram now belonged to the goat.
8] Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken (Alexander dies at 32 years of age) ; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
“...the great horn was broken”:
• Alexander died at 32 (dissipated life, drunken debauch) at Babylon, 11 years after leaving home country.
As soon as the goat was elevated to great power, his large single horn was broken off, and its place was taken by four “notable ones.”
9] Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
Four “Notable Ones”: Alexander's four generals.
The empire took 22 years to divide:
• Cassander (who was married to Alexander’s sister): Macedonia and Greece.
• Lysimacus (1 of 2 boyhood tutors): Thrace, Bithynia, most of Asia Minor.
• Seleucus (one of Philip’s generals): Syria, lands to the east, to India
• Ptolemy (Macedonian noble, boyhood friend and schoolmate): Egypt, Cyrene, Arabia Petraea, parts of Asia Minor
(A fifth contender: Antigonus, was soon defeated, 301 B.C.)
• Israel endures being a buffer zone between the struggles between the two dynasties.
• The “400 silent years” between the Old Testament and New Testament are detailed in advance with such accuracy that skeptics have attempted to “late date” Daniel…
9] And out of one of them came forth a little horn (Antiochus IV or the Great) , which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land (Israel).
10] And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.
“Little Horn”:
• (Antiochus IV a.k.a. Antiochus the Great)
S: Egypt; E: Medo-Persia, Armenia;
Pleasant Land: Daniel 11:16,41,45; Jeremiah 3:19; Ezekiel 20:6,15; Malachi 3:12.
‘Erets hatstsebi (“glorious land”) taken from the Ptolemies in a series of battles between Antiochus III, the father, and Ptolemy V in 202-198 B.C.
“Host”: people of God (Genesis 15:5; 22:17; Daniel 12:3; Matthew 13:43).
• He became a great persecutor of the people of Israel (the host of the heaven; cf.
“host” in v. 13).
• (Antiochus IV aka Antiochus the Great) he subjugated that nation (trampled on them).
• (Antiochus IV aka Antiochus the Great) set himself up as Israel’s king, calling himself the Prince of the host.
• He compelled the nation to worship him, as suggested by the fact that he prohibited Israel from following her religious practices (removing the daily sacrifice) and desecrated the Temple (brought the sanctuary low).
• The nation Israel (the saints; cf. comments on 7:18) acceded to this individual’s wishes because of his rebellious attitude (cf. “rebellion” in 8:13).
• He prospered and so despised the truth contained in God’s Word that truth was said to be thrown to the ground.
• This part of the vision anticipated the rise of a ruler in the Greek Empire who subjugated the people and land of Israel, desecrated her temple, interrupted her worship, and demanded for himself the authority and worship that belongs to God.
Antiochus IV continued:
• He was the 8th king of the Syrian dynasty, 175-164 B.C. (1 Maccabees 1:10; 6:16).
• He was the infamous brother of Cleopatra.
• Ascended the throne following the murder of his brother, the former king, Seleucus Philopator.
• (He was not even the rightful heir
—Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, was the rightful heir to the throne.
He still lived but was held as hostage in Rome.
• Antiochus succeeded in obtaining the throne largely through flattery and bribery (Daniel 11:21).
• He came to power in 175 B.C.
• He invaded Egypt, defeated Ptolemy VI v. 9
• He was recalled from Egypt by Rome, he made Jerusalem a buffer state; he plundered & desecrated the Temple
• He called himself Epiphanes, “the Illustrious One”
• The Jews called him Epimanes, “the Madman”
11] Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
12] And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
Desolation of the Sanctuary:
The “Abomination of Desolation.”
(Controversies begin here...11-14; 20-26.)
• He stopped the morning and the evening sacrifices.
“Daily sacrifices”: tamid, applies to the daily offerings (Cf. Exodus 29:38ff; Numbers 28:3ff; cf. Daniel 9:27.)
“And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them:
– to follow customs strange to the land
– to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary
– to profane Sabbaths and feasts
– to defile the sanctuary and the priests
– to build altars in sacred precincts and shrines for idols
– to sacrifice swine and unclean animals
– to leave their sons uncircumcised
• They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they should forget the law and change all the ordinances.
1 Maccabees 1:44-49 And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die.”
13] Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
14] And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
• “days” in the Hebrew here is 2,300 evening and morning;
• The term “Evening-Mornings”(‘erev boker) offering of 2300 days =1150 days.
• It is 110 days short of 3½ years…
“one saint speaking” = “awesome numberer”? “cleansed”= Heb. justified.
“2,300 days?” Year-day?
Seventh Day Adventists: 1884, 2nd Coming? 24-hour days?
2300 Days?
• The Seventh-Day Adventism grew out of the “great second advent awakening” in which this verse was given the day-year interpretation.
• William Miller and his followers, among whom was Ellen G. White, understood “the sanctuary” to be the earth which would be cleansed at His coming.
• The date for Christ’s Second Coming was set for the year 1843.
• Miller was a sincere but a badly mistaken Baptist preacher.
• The day-year interpretation was a fragile and insecure foundation for any theory of prophecy, and history has demonstrated it to be false.
• If the 2300 days are taken as being literal 24-hour days, the period would be between 6 and 7 years, which approximates the time of Antiochus began to perpetrate his atrocities in about 170 B.C.
• Six years were from Antiochus’ first incursion into Jerusalem in 170 B.C. to the restoring of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in late 164 B.C.
• Antiochus dies in 164 B.C.
• The Jewish priest, Judas Maccabeus (“the hammer”) drove out the Syrian army, at which time the Temple was cleansed and rededicated after its pollution.
• This cleansing is still celebrated in the Feast of Lights, Hanukkah (Cf. John 10:22).
• The term “Evening-Mornings”(‘erev boker) offering of 2300 days =1150 days.
• It is 110 days short of 3½ years…
15] And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
16] And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
“Gabriel”: First mention in the Bible of an angel by name. Gaber, man;
El, God (Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26).
[“Michael,” Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7.]
17] So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
18] Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
“...set me upright”: Hebrew meaning “made me stand upon my standing”
• Possibly to comprehension, to set me thinking right, not totally physical.
• This prophecy goes beyond the immediate future and is projected into the distant future. Antiochus is merely an adumbration of the other “little horn” who will come at the end of the “times of the Gentiles.
19] And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
20] The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
21] And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
• Again Gabriel moves from the local fulfillment in Antiochus to the end of the Times of the Gentiles.
• We do not have to speculate.
• The ram definitely represents the kings of Media and Persia.
So the “rough goat” is likewise labeled the king of Greece, and the “great horn” is the first king, Alexander the Great.
22] Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand
up out of the nation, but not in his power.
23] And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full,
a king of fierce countenance (Anti-Christ), and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
24] And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power (Satan’s): and he shall destroy wonderfully (terribly), and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people (Israel). Hosea 5:15
25] And through his policy also he shall cause craft (cunning) to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes (Jesus); but he shall be broken without hand.
Revelation 13:7
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations
A Type of the Antichrist:
1. “He shall cause craft to prosper in his hand.”
– No man will be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:17 )
2. “He shall magnify himself in his heart.”
– He is given a mouth speaking blasphemies, with power to continue 42 months (Revelation 13:5)
3. “By peace shall destroy many.”
– The rider on the white horse; then comes the red horse of war
—thus, a false peace (Revelation 6)
4. “He shall stand up against the Prince of princes.”
– The 1st beast of Revelation 13 is against Christ (Revelation 13)
Summary:
• He will achieve great power by subduing others (v.24);
• He will rise to power by promising false security (v.25);
• He will be intelligent and persuasive (v.23);
• He will be controlled by another, Satan (v.24);
• He will be an adversary of Israel and subjugate Israel to his authority (vv.24-25);
• He will rise up in opposition to the Prince of princes, the Lord Jesus Christ (v.25);
• His rule will be terminated by divine judgment (v.25);
Allusions to the Antichrist:
Old Testament: (33)
Adversary Ps 74:8-10; Isa 59:19; Lam 4:11,12; Amos 3:11
Assyrian Isa 10:5,12; Micah 5
Belial Nahum 1:15
Bloody and Deceitful Man Ps 5:6
Branch of the Terrible Ones Isa 25:5; (Cf. Isa 14:19)
Chief Prince Ex 38:2
Crooked Serpent Job 26:13; Isa 27:1
Cruel One Jer 30:14,23
Destroyer of the Gentiles Jer 4:7
Enemy Ps 55:3; Jer 30:14, 23
Evil Man Ps 140:1
Head over many countries Ps 110:6
Head of Northern Army Joel 2:20
Idol Shepherd Zech 11:16, 17
King of Princes Hos 8:10
King of Babylon Isa 14:11-20; (Cf. 30:31-33)
Little Horn Dan 7:8-11, 21-26; 8:9-12, 23-25
Man of the Earth Ps 10:18
Merchant, with balances of deceit Hos 12:7
Mighty Man Ps 52:1
Nail Isa 22:25
Prince that shall come Dan 9:26
Prince of Tyre Ezek 28:2-10
Profane Wicked Prince of Israel Ezek 21:25-27
Proud Man Hab 2:5
Rod of God’s anger Isa 10:5
Seed of the Serpent Gen 3:15
Son of the Morning Isa 14:12
Spoiler, Destroyer Isa 16:4,5
Vile Person Dan 11:21
Violent Man Ps 140:1, 10, 11
Wicked, Wicked One Ps 9:17; 10:2,4; Isa 11:4; Jer 30:14, 23
Wilful King Dan 11:36
New Testament: (13)
Angel of the Bottomless Pit Rev 9:11
Antichrist, Pseudo-Christ 1 Jn 2:22
Beast Rev 11:7; 13
False Prophet Rev 13
Father of the lie Jn 8:44; 2 Thess 2:11
Lawless One 2 Thess 2:8
Man of Sin 2 Thess 2:3
One come in his own name Jn 5:43
Prince of Darkness 1 Thess 5
Son of Perdition 2 Thess 2:3
Star Rev 8:10; 9:1
Unclean Spirit Mt 12:43
Vine of the earth Rev 14:18
26] And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore
shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.
27] And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did
the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
*
Session 10: Daniel 9 The 70 Weeks
The Book of Daniel In Chronological Order:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
Historical Prophecies
1 Introduction
2 The King’s Dream
3 Bow or Burn
4 The King’s Ego Trip
7 Times of the Gentiles
8 The Ram and Goat
5 The Fall of Babylon
6 The Plot of the Magi
9 The 70 Weeks
10 The Dark Side
11 & 12 The Conclusion
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
Daniel 9 is probably one of the most pivotal chapters in the entire Bible for understanding end-time prophecy. That may seem like an exaggeration, but after seeing what’s packed into this chapter it will be easier to understand why that perspective is held by so many.
Daniel 9 is only one of twelve chapters, so we should start with some context.
• The first six chapters are historical. In those chapters we read that Daniel is deported from Israel after the Babylonian conquest.
• He encounters King Nebuchadnezzar, correctly interprets his dream, and is promoted as a result. Then we see Daniel’s rivals trying to “undo” his three friends in the fiery furnace episode.
• Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the world at that time, writes chapter four of Daniel in which he recounts his lesson from God about pride.
• That makes Nebuchadnezzar the only Gentile writer in the Old Testament.
• Next, the fall of Babylon to Darius leads us into the Persian Empire period.
• After the first six chapters, we have six chapters that are a collection of Daniel’s visions. They are, in a sense, appended at the end of the history. They’re not in chronological order; the chapters appear as a group.
• In the first chapter of that group, chapter seven, we have the times of the Gentiles.
• In chapter eight, the ram and the goat are described in a vision about the career of Alexander the Great as he defeats the Persians.
• That leads us into chapter nine and the seventy weeks.
It’s interesting, chapters two through the end of seven are not written in Hebrew; they’re in Aramaic.
• The author uses Aramaic because those chapters focus on the Gentile world. It’s very unusual for the Bible to do that because Scripture usually sees everything, past and future, through the lens of Israel.
• This is a section that very unabashedly focuses on the Gentile world, and that’s one reason it is so dear to us.
• This is a very exciting book, but again, it’s not in chronological order.
• The visions in Daniel seven and eight occur between the events in chapters four and five, and the interview with an archangel in chapter nine occurs between the events of chapters five and six.
Jesus’ Confidential Briefing:
– Four disciples (Peter, James, John and Andrew) ask about His Return.
– Jesus’ response is recorded in three Gospels (Matthew 24, 25; Mark 13; Luke 21).
The Olivet Discourse:
Matthew 24:3-8
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, When shall these things be? And What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (birth pains).
• How do we protect ourselves from being deceived?
• There are all kinds of people spreading all kinds of viewpoints. But which are correct?
• We discern the truth by diligence, and by comparing Scripture with Scripture. Our ultimate refuge is always the whole counsel of God.
• Any particular perspective must be consistent with what we find in the Bible.
All these are “non-signs”: the end is NOT yet.
The Key Event:
Matthew 24:15-16
When ye therefore shall see the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains...
• Jesus highlighted this very passage in Daniel 9:27 as the key to prophecy in Matthew 24:15.
• He authenticates Daniel as a prophet, and the author of this book!
• He also holds us responsible to understand this passage.
• Abomination of Desolation is an idol.
• This one will be inside the Holy of Holies, when the Temple is standing.
[Note its Jewishness: “In Judea… not on the Sabbath Day.”]
The Flight from Judea:
Matthew 24:17-20
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:
• In Israel the roof (housetop) is where everybody usually fellowships.
• So when they come down from the roof (housetop), don’t take anything out of the house, you run and you run now.
• Jesus is speaking to a Jewish audience about Daniel 12.
The Great Tribulation:
Matthew 24:21-22
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
• This is a technology statement about advanced weaponry.
Old Testament (Tenach) Texts:
• The original Hebrew text is called the “Vorlage”:
• That was assembled in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah.
• Septuagint Translation (LXX): From 285-270 B.C.,
• Ptolemy Philadelphus II commissioned 70 top scholars at Alexandria to translate the
Hebrew Tenach (Old Testament) into the common Greek of that day from 285-270 B.C..
• It is the primary quoted text in the New Testament.
• Masoretic Text (MT): Derived from the Council of Jamnia, A.D. 90.
• Daniel was written 300 years before Jesus Christ.
Daniel Chapter 9:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
• Daniel’s Prayer is the first verses 1 - 19
• Gabriel’s Visit vv. 20 - 23
• The Seventy Weeks vv. 24 - 27
1] In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
2] In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
• “Darius”: Uncle of Cyrus? [Same as Chapter 6?] “...was made”: passive recipient.
Here he was reading Jeremiah’s prophecy.
• Daniel was reading his Bible and took it literally! (Jeremiah 25:11,12; 29:10).
• YHWH is mentioned: 7 times in this chapter only.
Jeremiah 25:11, 12
And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
• Sixty-seven of seventy years had passed... Notice Daniel’s response:
he goes to prayer. Prayer (for that which was certain?):
Daniel is, again, our example: He is “in the Word” and in Prayer! (Prayers: Ezra 9; Nehemiah 9?)
Note: It is the “servitude of the nation” in view here, not the city only.
Jeremiah 29:10
For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
• Here also the “servitude of the nation” is in view here, not the destiny of the city.
3] And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
4] And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
[Cf. “Thy Kingdom Come.” Prayer is God’s way of enlisting you in what He is doing. Fasting in the New Testament: Matthew 9:14,15; Acts 13:2,3; 14:23; 1 Corinthians 7:5;
2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:27.]
5] We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
6] Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
“We have sinned...”:
Only two in Old Testament of which no evil is spoken of:
Joseph and Daniel.
Note: I would like to add that Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego was never mentioned as sinning.
His prayer is corporate on behalf of his people…
7] O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this
day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel,
that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven
them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
8] O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9] To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
10] Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
11] Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
• Their national destiny determined by their behavior (2 Chronicles 7:14)!
12] And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
13] As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.
14] Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.
15] And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16] O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
Focus: Jerusalem and God’s people…
17] Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.
• Note the increasing tempo of the verbs of action...
18] O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
19] O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hearken and do! defer not, for thine own sake! O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name…
• You can even discern Daniel’s trembling—even through the translation…
The Interrupted Prayer:
20] And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;
21] Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
“man”: ish, man or servant.
— Gabriel: Always on a mission of Messianic announcement.
“at the beginning”: Daniel 8:15-16.
22] And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
23] At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
“Beloved”:
Old Testament “Beloved” Daniel
New Testament “Beloved” John:
• “Beloved” => apocalyptic details.
Abraham, and the twelve disciples were called: “friends” => prophetic insights
• “Friends” => prophetic insights
The “70 Weeks” of Daniel:
The Scope 9:24
The 69 Weeks 9:25
(The Interval) 9:26
The 70th Week 9:27
The Scope (verse 24)
24] Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy 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 the vision and
prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy Place.
• shabu’im = sevens, “week.” (Genesis 29:26-28; Leviticus 25, 26).
• hatak, determined, reckoned.
1) The focus of the passage is on the Jews, not the Church or the Gentile world.
2) The six major items listed have yet to be completed…to seal up (close authority of) the vision.
• To anoint the godesh gadashim, the Holy of Holies, etc.
• Unfulfilled in over 2000 years: v.26 will detail an intervening Interval between the 69th and 70th Weeks.
• A key to understanding this passage is to realize that the 70 “Weeks” are not all contiguous.
The Book of Daniel: Daniel 9:
How Long Are “Weeks” = ?
Week of Days: Sabbath on the 7th Day (Genesis 2:2; Exodus 20:11);
Week of Weeks: Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15,16);
Week of Months: Nisan to Tishri (Exodus 12:2; Leviticus 23:24);
Week of Years: Sabbatical Years for the Land (Leviticus 25:1-22; 26:33-35; Deuteronomy 15; Exodus 23:10,11; 2 Chronicles 36:19-21).
Note: The focus of the entire prophecy is for Israel, not the Gentile world (Daniel 9:24).
• Seventy “Sevens” imply weeks of years (Genesis 29:27, et al.).
• Sabbath for the land was ordained and failure to keep the sabbath of the land was the very basis for 70 years captivity (2 Chronicles 36:19-21).
The 69 Weeks (verse 25)
25] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the King shall be seven weeks (7), and threescore and two weeks (62): the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
7 + 62 = 69 weeks.
Commandment to restore Jerusalem The Messiah the King
<= 69 x 7 = 483 years =>
The Trigger (terminus ad quo):
The 4 Decrees to “Rebuild Jerusalem”?
1) Cyrus, 537 B.C. Ezra 1:2-4 The Temple
2) Darius Ezra 6:1-5, 8, 12 The Temple
3) Artaxerxes, 458 B.C. Ezra 7:11-26 The Temple
4) Artaxerxes, 445 B.C. Nehemiah 2:5-8, 17, 18 This is the only one that deals with rebuild Jerusalem.
— (1) (2) and (3) were to build the Temple.
— Only the last one (4) was to rebuild the city, and the walls, etc.
Note: Rehob, “street”; haruts, moat, fortification.
Why “7 + 62”? Time to build the city?
Time to close the Old Testament canon?
Time between Testaments?
The Bible Deals In Nominal 360-day Years:
• Biblical Usage:
– Genesis (Genesis 7:24; 8:3,4);
– Daniel (Daniel 9:27; 12:6);
– Revelation (Revelation 11:2,3; 13:5).
• Ancient calendars were based on 360-day years.
• Assyrians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, Hebrews, Persians, Greeks, Phoenicians, Chinese, Mayans, Hindus, Carthaginians, Etruscans, Teutons, et al.
• All these calendars were based on a 360-day year; typically, twelve 30- day months.
(In ancient Chaldea, their calendar was based on a 360-day year and it is from this Babylonian tradition that we have 360 degrees in a circle, 60 minutes to an hour, 60 seconds in each minute, etc.)
• In 701 B.C., all calendars appear to have been reorganized.
• Orbital Changes? Long day of Joshua (Joshua 10:12, 13) due to Mars pass-bys? [Strangely corroborated by Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, which draws on eye witness account of the two moons of Mars before adequate telescopes available. Cf. Joshua Commentary or our briefing package, Signs in the Heavens..]
– Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome, reorganized the original calendar of 360 days per year, by adding 5 days per year.
– King Hezekiah, Numa’s contemporary, reorganized his Jewish calendar by adding a month each Jewish leap year (on a cycle of 7 among every 19 years).
The Target (terminus ad quem)
The Meshiach Nagid: “The Messiah the King.”
The prediction is to the presentation of the Messiah the King (Nagid is first used of King
Saul).
On several occasions in the New Testament when they attempted to take Jesus as a King, He invariably declined, “Mine hour is not yet come.” (John 6:15; 7:30, 44; etc.)
Then one day, He arranges it.
The Triumphal Entry:
Zechariah 9:9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Psalms 118:1, 26-27 O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.26 Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. 27 God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
• Written in all four Gospels, Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-39; John 12:12-16.
Nisan 10:
“take to everyone a lamb.” Jesus deliberately arranges to fulfill Zechariah 9:9.
This is the only day He allows them to proclaim Him King (Luke 19:38).
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Luke 19:38
Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
…quoting Psalm 118.
Luke 19:39
And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, “Master, rebuke thy disciples.”
Why? What for?
• The Pharisees assure our noticing the significance of singing this Psalm!
• That they were declaring Jesus to be the Messiah.
Luke 19:40
And He answered and said unto them, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Jesus held them accountable to recognize this very day (Luke 19:41-44).
• This was the 10th of Nisan, prior to the Passover on the 14th of Nisan, A.D. 32.
Chronology of His Ministry:
• Christ’s ministry began in the fall of A.D. 28 (Tiberius was appointed in A.D. 14.)
• Augustus died August 19, A.D.
• Jesus ministry began year 14 (within the) 15th year of Tiberius ( Luke 3:1).
• 4th Passover: April 6, A.D. 32 was on a Wednesday [Sir Robert Anderson, 1894].
• (Other chronologies presume a Friday crucifixion)
[Other examples of Precision:
Genesis 8:4, Noah’s new beginning, 7th month, 17th day.
(Exodus 12:2: Nisan becomes 1st month.)
Jesus was resurrected on the anniversary of the “New Beginning” under Noah!]
The 69 Weeks:
The 69 Weeks:
Judgment Declared:
Luke 19:41, 41
And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
Luke 19:43, 44
For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another …because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
*
Session 11: Daniel 9 (part 2) The 70th Week
The Book of Daniel In Chronological Order:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
Historical Prophecies
1 Introduction
2 The King’s Dream
3 Bow or Burn
4 The King’s Ego Trip
7 Times of the Gentiles
8 The Ram and Goat
5 The Fall of Babylon
6 The Plot of the Magi
9 The 70 Weeks
10 The Dark Side
11 & 12 The Conclusion
The Interval (Daniel 9:26)
26] And after threescore and two weeks (69 weeks) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war
desolations are determined.
• ....after threescore and two weeks.... it’s like saying after the 69 weeks!
• An interval, or gap, is clearly required by v. 26:
– Events described are after the 69th and prior to the 70th week.
“cut off”: karat, to cut off, eliminate, kill, execute; death penalty.
Isaiah 53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Leviticus 7:20 But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
Psalms 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
Proverbs 2:22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.
• “But not for Himself”: nothingness: rejection, substitution.
Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (of sin). 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• The people of “the prince that shall come” is historically, the Romans.
• 38 years later, the Sanctuary and Jerusalem were both destroyed in 70 A.D.
• Thus, “the Prince that shall to come” will be the Leader of the Roman Empire (but NOT necessarily from Europe, the Western Leg!).
• The Eastern Leg of the Roman Empire is the Byzantine Empire, named Constantinople.
• The Assyrian is another name for “the Prince that shall to come”.
• He has 33 titles in the Old Testament and 13 in the New Testament.
• Unfortunately we have chosen 1 to be the catch all for them all, the “Anti-Christ”.
• Over 1,970 years have transpired so far.
“...flood”: diaspora. Titus Vespasian: 38 years later; (not 3½!).
• Daniel 9:27 has not started yet!
Daniel 9:27
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Daniel 9:26 Rabbinical Confirmations:
• The Rabbi Writings Confirmed the entering and the exiting of the Messiah.
• And yet, they missed Him!
• Verse 26 was recognized by the Rabbi’s that it was Messianic; and prior to the Temple being destroyed.
[Yalkut, Vol II, 32b, p.79 Nazir edition.]
• So the Jewish Rabbi’s knew that the Messiah would be killed before the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.
• The Messiah was to exit prior to 33 A.D.
[Midrash Berishit, p.243 Warsaw edition; re: Yakov Prasch.]
The Destiny of Israel The Missing Key of “Systematic” Theology:
Daniel 9:24-27 These four verses are aimed at Israel!
Divisions of Theology
• Bibliology The Bible
• Theology Proper Attributes of God
• Christology Lord Jesus Christ
• Pneumatology Holy Spirit
• Angelology Angels, fallen and unfallen
• Anthropology Man
• Soteriology Salvation
• Ecclesiology The Church
• Eschatology End-Times; Last Things
Notice what’s missing? Israelology = the study of Israel as an instrument in God’s program for man.
Israel and the Church:
Distinctions:
• Both have different origins, missions, destinies.
• “Replacement” views deny Israel her place in God’s program (Romans 9, 10, 11)
• It makes God a liar and laid the basis for Christian Anti-Semitism.
– The “70 Weeks” deal specifically with Israel.
Also, Paul’s trichotomy: Jews, Gentiles, Church
(1 Corinthians 10:32). Distinctives reappear after Revelation 4.
Blindness Declared:
Luke 19:42
Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
For How Long?
Romans 11:25
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the Fullness of the Gentiles be come in.
“Fulness of the Gentiles” versus “Times of the Gentiles”:
• Don’t confuse the “Fulness of the Gentiles” with the “Times of the Gentiles.”
• The “Times of the Gentiles” is from King Nebuchadnezzar to the last “Man of Sin”.
• The “Fulness of the Gentiles” is a “Church” phrase, there is a number that when it is complete God will say to the Son, “Go get them”.
• That will be the end of the “Interval”.
The Interval - Interval also implied:
Daniel 9:26; Isaiah 61:1,2 (re: Luke 4:18-20); Revelation 12:5,6.
Also:
Isaiah 54:7; Hosea 3:4,5; Amos 9:10,11 (Acts 15:13-18); Micah 5:2,3; Zechariah 9:9,10; Luke 1:31,32; 21:24.
Interval defined:
Luke 19:42 until Romans 11:25.
— This interval is the period of the Church, an era kept secret in Old Testament:
Matthew 13:34,35; Ephesians 3:5,9.
• Born at Pentecost: Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 1:5, 11:15-16.
• Prerequisites: Atonement (Matthew 16:18, 21);
Resurrection (Ephesians 1:20-23);
Ascension: (Ephesians 4:7-11)
— Spiritual gifts only after ascension.
• [Interval implied in 24 references] “Israel” is never used of the Church (73 times).
• Galatians 6:16 is misunderstood, by ignoring the kai in the Greek which clearly distinguishes the two groups.
It seems that the Lord deals with Israel and the Church mutually exclusively. [Example: Chess Clock]
The Church: Mystery Character
• Body Concept Ephesians 3:3-5,9
• Indwelling every believer Colossians 1:26-27
• Bride of Christ Ephesians 5:22-32
• Harpazo, (“Rapture”) 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
• One “New Man” Ephesians 2:15; Cf. Revelation 12:5
• Distinguished from Jews or Gentiles 1 Corinthians 10:32
Our need: Ecclesiology, not Eschatology!
The 70th Week Daniel 9:27:
27] And he (“the prince that shall come”) shall enforce the covenant with [the] many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The 70th Week the Covenant Is Enforced:
• ...he (“the prince that shall come”)...is the Bad Guy!
• He will Enforce the Covenant with “the many”.
• “The many” is an idiom for Israel.
• A 7 year commitment.
• But in the middle of that commitment he will be so powerful, he will break his promise and he causes the sacrifices and the oblation to cease.
• This implies that there is a Temple standing and they have re-established animal sacrifices.
• The Jews today, do not have a remedy for sin.
Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
• Today, they do not have a temple, they do not have an altar of sacrifice to remedy their sins.
• This is Mosaic Judaism.
• We know that the Temple will be rebuilt, because John, Paul, and Jesus make reference to it.
• This is the “Covenant with Hell,” Isaiah 28:15; Zechariah 11:15-17 etc.
“...midst of the week...” :
Which “Prince”?
Antecedent:
• “The Prince that shall come...”
After the death of Nero, General Galba was recalled to become Emperor.
• A conspiracy had him assassinated.
• After Galba, Ortho was made emperor; he was unfit and committed suicide.
• After the revolution and political instability, the general-in-command of the Roman-Israeli expedition was recalled to restore order and become Emperor:
• General Vespasian, father of Captain Titus who remained a general in charge of the siege.
• Just a few days before the final assault on Jerusalem, Vespasian was crowned Emperor of the Roman Empire, making Titus a prince
• (Titus may have been a descendant of Antiochus IV a Syrian Greek).
“Time, Times, and ½ Time”:
Time, times, and the dividing of time (Daniel 7:25; 4:16, 23, 25).
• “Times” = dual, later lost in Aramaic:
1 + 2 + ½ = 3 ½ Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 12:14
• These are all equivalent phrases!
• 3½ years Daniel 9:27; 12:7
• 42 months Revelation 11:2; 13:5
• 1260 days Revelation 11:3; Daniel 12:6
• ½ “week” Daniel 9:27
• This is the most documented period of time in the Bible, Old and New Testament.
• This seven year period, the last half 3 ½ years.
The “Abomination of Desolation”:
Every Detail by Design?
John 10:22…and it was at Jerusalem the Feast of the Dedication, and it was winter.
• Hanukkah is endorsed by the Gospel of John.
Which “Feast of Dedication?”
• Solomon’s Temple? Autumn 1 Kings 8:2
• Zerubbabel’s Temple? Spring Ezra 6:15,16
• The Rededication Winter 25th of Kislev
• Hanukkah is a Jewish festival commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. It is also known as the Festival of Lights.
The “Abomination of Desolation” continued:
Antiochus IV (“Epiphanes”) 175-164 B.C.
Antiochus IV was the 8th king of the Syrian dynasty and infamous brother of Cleopatra. “Epiphanes” = “Illustrious.” [Called “Epimanes,” the mad man.]
• He made Torah reading punishable by death;
• He slaughtered a sow on the Altar and erected an idol to Zeus in the Holy of Holies;
• He incited the Macabbean Revolt, which succeeded in rededicating the Temple, 25th Kislev, 165 B.C.
• This is still commemorated at Hanukkah. (Authenticated by the Holy Spirit: John 10:22.) The sacrifices and oblations cease;
• 2 Thessalonians 2:4. These require a Temple previously consecrated in Jerusalem.
(Preparations have begun!)
The Great Tribulation:
Matthew 24:21,22
For then shall be great tribulation (3 ½ years), such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
• (Note that this is 3½ years, not 7, as is so often assumed.) 3½ years Daniel 9:27; 12:7
• 42 months Revelation 11:2; 13:5
• 1260 days Revelation 11:3; Daniel 12:6
• This “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” climaxes in the “Day of the Lord”:
Isaiah 61:2; Zechariah 12, 14; Revelation 19:19; et al.
• Revelation 6 -19 is essentially an elaboration of the events during the “70th Week” of Daniel 9.
The “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7)
Daniel 12:1
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Hosea 5:15
I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me earnestly.
• When Israel as a nation petitions Jesus to come back, He will!
The Prince that Shall Come The Seed of the Serpent:
Old Testament Allusions (out of 33):
Seed of the Serpent Genesis 3:15
Idol Shepherd Zechariah 11:16, 17
Little Horn Daniel 7:8-11,21-26, Daniel 8:9-12, 23-25
Prince that shall come Daniel 9:26
Willful King Daniel 11:36
New Testament Allusions (out of 13):
The Beast Revelation 11:7; 13
The False Prophet Revelation 13
The Anti/pseudo-Christ 1 John 2:22
The Lawless One 2 Thessalonians 2:8
The Man of Sin 2 Thessalonians 2:3
He Comes in his own name John 5:43
The Son of Perdition 2 Thessalonians 2:3
He will be:
An intellectual genius: Daniel 7:20; 8:23; Ezekiel 28:3
An persuasive orator: Daniel 7:20; Revelation 13:2
A political manipulator: Daniel 11:21
A commercial genius: Daniel 8:25; Revelation 13:17; Psalms 52:7; Daniel 11:38, 43; Ezekiel 28:4,5
A military leader:
Daniel 8:24; Revelation 6:2; Revelation 13:4; Isaiah 4:16
A powerful organizer: Revelation 13:1,2; 17:17
A religious guru: 2 Thessalonians 2:4 (“Allah”?); Revelation 13:3, 14, 15
He will be able to appeal to Jew and Muslim alike! 2 Thessalonians 2:4 (includes Allah!) See also: Psalms 10, 52, 55; Isaiah 10,11,13,14; Jeremiah 49-51; Zechariah 5; Revelation 18, et al.
His physical description: Zechariah 11:17.
Is he Jew or Gentile?
The Leader will be the Son of Satan, the “Seed of the Serpent”: Genesis 3:15;
Isaiah 27:1; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Revelation 13.
Some believe this leader will be a Jew:
Ezekiel 21:25-27; 28:2-10 (of the circumcision); Daniel 11:36, 37; John 5:43 (allos, not heteros: thus, a Jew, not a Gentile).
He will be received by Israel (John 5:43; Psalms 55);
Some believe he will be a Gentile, because he is a Roman Prince, etc.
Remember there are two players (Revelation 13).
The First Beast (of 2)
@3:50:00
The Legend of Daniel part 2 of 2 Chuck Missler
Revelation 13:1,2
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea (a Gentile idiom), having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion (Backwards from Daniel, he’s looking backwards in time): and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
• His world to give authority.
Revelation 13:3
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
His Physical Description:
Zechariah 11:17
Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
2nd Beast “False Prophet”:
Revelation 13:11, 12
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Revelation 13:14, 15
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Revelation 13:16-18
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
666 Whose Number?:
Many point to bar codes, insertable chips, etc. for implementation technology and controls;
• They overlook that it is His number and name that is the critical identity issue.
• You must pledge allegiance to this leader by receiving his mark on your right hand or in your forehead.
• This will be an absolute barrier to ever being saved.
Israel God’s Timepiece:
The “Seventy x Sevens” of Israel
1) Abraham to the Exodus
Promise (Genesis 12:4) 75 years
Galatians 3:17 +430
505 years
Ishmael
(Genesis 16:16;21:5) -15
490 years
2) Exodus to the Temple
Begun: 1 Kings 6 - 8 594
Completed: 1 Kings 6:38; + 7
601
Servitudes: Judges
Mesopotamia 3:8 8 years
Moabites 3:12-14 18 years
Canaanites 4:2,3 20 years
Midianites 6:1 7 years
Ammonites 10:7,8 18 years
Philistines 13:1 40
-111 years of servitude
490 years
3) The Temple to the Edict of Artaxerxes
1 Kings 8:1-66 1005 B.C.
Neh 2:1 445 B.C.
560
Babylonian Captivity -70
490 years
70 x 7 = the number of times that God forgave Israel.
4) Artaxerxes to the Second Coming
Artaxerxes to the 1st Advent
“The Sixty Nine Weeks” 483
[Church interval] ?
The Seventieth Week” +7
490 years
Alternative “Tribulation” Views:
Post-Tribulation Problems
• Denies the New Testament teaching of imminency we are to expect Him at any moment.
Requires the Church be on earth during the 70th Week;
Israel and the Church are mutually exclusive (Daniel 9:26).
• The Church would experience God’s Wrath;
• The Church was promised not to experience it (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 3:10).
• How can the Bride come with Him?
• Who will populate the Millennium?
• Who are in the “Sheep and Goat” Judgment of Matthew 25?
• How can the virgins of Matthew 25 buy oil without the Mark of the Beast?
Rapture Precedes the Tribulation:
• The 70th Week is defined by a covenant enforced by the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27).
• The “Great Tribulation” is the last half of the 70th Week (Matthew 24:15, 21).
• The Leader cannot be revealed until after the Rapture (2 Thessalonians 2:6-9).
Pre-Tribulation Eschatology:
Epistle of Barnabas, (A.D. 100);
Irenaeus, in Against Heresies; Hippolytus, was a disciple of Irenaeus (2nd century);
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho;
Ephraem, the Syrian (4th century—see quote below);
Peter Jurieu, The Approaching Deliverance of the Church, 1687;
Philip Doddridge’s Commentary on the New Testament, 1738;
Dr. John Gill, Commentary on the New Testament, 1748;
James Macknight, Commentary on the Apostolical Epistles, 1763;
Thomas Scott, Commentary on the Holy Bible, 1792.
Ephraem of Nisibis (306-373 AD)
On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World
“For all the saints and Elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins.”
Pre-Tribulation Popularization:
• Emanuel Lacunza (Ben Ezra), 1812
• Edward Irving, 1816
• John N. Darby, 1820
• Margaret McDonald, 1830
Revelation Architecture:
• The Lampstands: Are identified as the Church (Revelation 1:20)
• They are in heaven when John arrives (Revelation 4:5).
• There are 24 Elders: identified as the Redeemed (Revelation 5:9,10);
• They worship before Lamb receives the Scroll;
• The Tribulation begins when the Scroll is unsealed;
• The 70th Week is detailed (Revelation 6-19).
Doctrine of Imminency:
— Imminent means “The Next Expectation”
— Immanent;
• Not to be confused with “immanent” that God is not only transcendent, or far above us, but that He is always with us and active on our behalf.
— Eminent;
• Nor should it be confused with “eminent” which is a title of honor reserved for persons of outstanding distinction.
• Imminency Believers are taught to expect the Savior from heaven at any moment (Philippians 3:20; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:18; 5:6; Revelation 22:20);
• It expresses hope and a warm spirit of expectancy
(1 Thessalonians 1:10);
• And, should result in a victorious and purified life
(1 John 3:2,3; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:15,17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; 1 Timothy 6:14; Hebrews 10:37; Luke 19:13; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12; James 5:8).
• Paul seemed to include himself among those who looked for Christ’s return
(1 Thessalonians 4:15,17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1).
• Timothy was admonished to “keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(1 Timothy 6:14).
• Jewish converts were reminded that “yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”
(Hebrews 10:37).
• The expectation of some were so strong that they had stopped work and had to be exhorted to return to their jobs (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12) and have patience (James 5:8).
• Luke 19:13
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Prophetic Profile of 7 Churches
The Two Extremes
• Rapturemania (The Date Setters)
• Rapture-itis (Rapture paralysis):
Is a uniquely American dementia/
• Just because the Church will not go through The Great Tribulation, why should we escape what most of the Body of Christ in most of the world for most of the past 2,000 years has had to endure?
Matthew 24:44
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
*
Session 12: Daniel 10
A Glimpse of the Dark Side:
• Daniel Chapter 10 is a prelude and introduction to the last two chapters: 11-12.
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
• A spooky glimpse of the Invisible World, and the Invisible War in hyperspace.
The Book of Daniel In Chronological Order:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
Historical Prophecies
1 Introduction
2 The King’s Dream
3 Bow or Burn
4 The King’s Ego Trip
7 Times of the Gentiles
8 The Ram and Goat
5 The Fall of Babylon
6 The Plot of the Magi
9 The 70 Weeks
10 The Dark Side
11 & 12 The Conclusion
The Unseen Warfare 2 Kings 6:8-23:
8] Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
9] And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10] And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned
him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11] Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12] And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
• The first “wire tap”!
13] And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14] Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15] And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16] And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
• (Traditional military cynicism: “There’s always the 2% that didn’t get the ‘word’!”?)
17] And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
• [You can press A “reveal codes” key…]
• There are codes behind the keys and text as you type!
18] And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19] And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20] And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21] And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22] And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23] And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
Daniel 10
1] In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
2] In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.
• Daniel 1:21, “unto the first year of King Cyrus”;
• Official public career;
• This is Daniel’s “3rd year” out of public life.
[Cf. John on Patmos.]
• Two years after “return” (2 Chronicles 36:23,32; Ezra 1:1-3) vs. Ezekiel 2:64,65, Nehemiah 7:62.
Only 49,697 return (“first year”).
Daniel still there?
• Exiles had returned from Babylon and had begun rebuilding the temple. (Perhaps Daniel had not returned with the exiles because of his age: over 80 years old.)
3] I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
• Daniel was not on an “absolute” fast (healthy); Lord commands.
4] And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;
“First month”: Nisan (Abib, Exodus 23:15).
• He started on the 3rd of Nisan.
• He completes his fasting on the 24th.
• A 21 day fast.
The month of Nisan: 1-2, Feast of Rejoicing:
New Year (1 Samuel 20:18,19,34).
10, Presentation of lamb(s).
14, Passover.
15-21, Feast of Unleavened Bread.
5] Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
6] His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
“Angel” = angelos, military messenger.
• A unique form of created being;
• He’s not preexistent, but with formidable capabilities.
• Is his Identity: Gabriel?
• Or the Pre-incarnate Christ? (If He was, He wouldn’t need Michael’s help…)
7] And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
• What scared them? Cf. Saul on the Damascus Road: others heard, unintelligibly.
8] Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
“...corruption”: Daniel has an awareness of his lack of holiness; Cf. Isaiah 6.
9] Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.
• “Deep sleep”: Cf. Adam in Genesis 2. Abraham Genesis 15
10] And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
11] And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
• Beloved versus friend.
12] Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
• Who was visitor? “Sent...from the first day” (3 wks before).
13] But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
14] Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
• But... (withstood for 21 days!)
• Blocked by a lineman... Warfare: withheld; conflict.
• “Prince of the Kingdom of Persia”(?)
Prince: Cf. Michael, a chief “prince” (Ephesians 6:11,12).
[Role of fasting?]
• Michael: Daniel 10:13, 21; Daniel 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7.
• Strength: Exodus 4:10-12; Isaiah 6:6,7.
[Michael fights Satan himself: Jude 9! 1 Thessalonians 4:16!
• Why was Moses’ body needed? (Matthew 17? Revelation 11?)]
15] And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.
16] And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.
17] For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
18] Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,
• “Strengthen (3 times?)”:
• Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39-44; Mark 14:35-41);
• Angel (Luke 22:39-44).
19] And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.
20] Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.
21] But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
Now I will return... (Michael holding him off?)
The Prince of Greece? Medo-Persians continue 200 years after vision. [Time domain = ?] Acts 1:8?
Angels:
• Angels are created beings: Ephesians 1:20-21; Colossians 1:16
• Saw world created: Job 38:4-10
• Have Bodies: 1 Corinthians 15:38-40, 44; Luke 20:27-36
– Oiketerion = bodies 2 Corinthians 5:2, Jude 1:6
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
• Entertained unawares: Hebrews 13:2 Genesis 18; Judges 13
• Guardian Angels:
Matthew 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
• One angel slays 185,000 soldiers! 2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:36
• Angels desire to learn: 1 Peter 1:12
Ministry Assignments:
• At Jesus Birth: Luke 2:8-14
• At Jesus Temptation: Matthew 4:1-11
– (note ownership of world!)
• At Jesus Transfiguration: Matthew 17:1-8
• At Jesus Resurrection: Luke 22:39-46
• At Jesus Ascension: Acts 1:10-11
• At Jesus Return: Matthew 13:39; 24:31
Other Skewering Examples:
• Satan
– The King of Babylon Isaiah 14
– The King of Tyre Ezekiel 28
Ezekiel 28:12-19
Ezekiel 28:2-11 Is addressed to the “Prince of Tyre” (highlight communication style/technique…)
Ezekiel 28:12-19 to “King of Tyre” – the power behind the throne.
• Satan works through men.
12] Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13] Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold (Light): the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes (audio) was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
• Satan was in Eden, clothe with light, the epitome pf wisdom, the most beautiful creation.
• Music significant.
– He was created.
He may have led worship.
• He was in charge of everything.
(He’s still trying!…)
14] Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15] Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16] By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17] Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18] Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, (the fire comes from him) it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Isaiah 14:12-17
12] How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
• The same communication style/technique as in Ezekiel 28: king of Babylon…
• The Five “I will…” statements “in thine heart…” pride and ambition.
[Throne?] This is why God hates pride…
15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16] They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
17] That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
Revelation 12 details his career and destiny…
Satan
• “Numero Uno” Ezekiel 28:11-18
– “sum” = epitome
– “thou has been in Eden”
• Five “I will’s” [pride!] Isaiah 14:12-17
• His angels also cast out Revelation 12:9; 12:4
Isaiah 24:21: Punish the “high ones.”
Romans 8:28-39 (“check that it is still there”).
Three unclean Spirits (out of mouths) Revelation 16:13-14.
Demons:
• Distinct from angels: desperately seek embodiment;
• Knowledgeable: they know their destiny (Matthew 8:29);
• Old Testament:
Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; 2 Chronicles 11:15; Psalms 106:36-37; Isaiah 13:21; 34:14
• New Testament:
Matthew 12:45,43; Mark 1:23-27; Luke 4:33; 1 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 16:14;
1 Corinthians 10:20-21.
Consider...
• Suppose Daniel had stopped fasting after only 20 days?
• Is there a “Prince of the Power of the United States of America”?
• Of the United Nations?
• Of the European Union the Eastern Leg?
• You have an opportunity to “be a Daniel.”
You can undertake a spiritual mission on behalf of the U.S.
[Example: Jonah & Nineveh: 40 days until “ground zero.”]
The Ultimate Issue:
We are in possession of message of extraterrestrial origin. It portrays us as objects of an unseen supernatural warfare.
• Our eternal destiny depends upon our relationship with the winner of this cosmic conflict.
• What is your readiness for this encounter?
Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against:
Adverse Angels;
• “principalities,” archai, the highest order.
• “powers,” exousia
• “the rulers of the darkness of this world,” kosmokrator
• “spiritual wickedness in high [heavenly] places. epouranios Ephesians 6:12
Hierarchy of supernatural authorities in descending order… “powers” = authorities; “high” = heavenly.
Satan = Prince (of this world) mentioned 3 times: John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11.
[Luke 4:5 ownership!]
Prince (of devils) 2 times: Matthew 9:34; 12:24.
Our Armor Ephesians 6:
• Be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His might.
• Girded with Truth
• Breastplate of Righteousness
• Feet shod with Preparation
• Shield of Faith
• Helmet of Salvation
• Sword of the Spirit
• Our Heavy Artillery: Prayer
See The Christian in Complete Armor, by William Gurnall. A Puritan classic, first published in three volumes in 1655, 1658, 1662; revised 1864, Blackie & Sons, Glasgow, Scotland; 1964, 1990 Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Session 13: Daniel 11:1-35
The “Silent Years”
The most comprehensive and detailed prophecy of future events to be found anywhere in the Old Testament. Cf. Dan 2, Rev 13, 17.
Review Daniel 8 (The Ram and the Goat):
Two years after the vision of Daniel 7 and 12 years before the Fall of Babylon in Daniel 5...
• Vision of a Ram and a Goat
– The Ram is defeated by the Goat from the West;
– The “notable horn” of the Goat divides into 4;
– A “Little Horn” has a key role at the end…
• Daniel interprets
– A Leader from the West (Alexander) will subdue the Medo-Persian Empire…Alexander’s Four Generals (Daniel 8):
– Cassander Macedonia & Greece;
– Lysimacus Thrace, Bithynia, most of Asia Minor;
– Ptolemy Egypt, Cyrene, Arabia , Petraea;
– Seleucus Syria and lands to the East all the way to India
(Antiochus Epiphanes appears as the “Little Horn”)
– Cassander Macedonia & Greece;
– Lysimacus Thrace, Bithynia, most of Asia Minor;
– Ptolemy Egypt, Cyrene, Arabia , Petraea;
– Seleucus Syria and lands to the East all the way to India
(Antiochus Epiphanes appears as the “Little Horn”)
Daniel 11 Outline:
1,2 Persian Empire
3,4 Greek Empire
5 - 35 Seleucid – Ptolemy Rivalry (“Between the Testaments”)
36 - 39 The Willful King
40 - 45 Armageddon Scenario
Daniel 11 Time Line:
• Verses 2-20 have past.
• Verses 36-45 are clearly future.
• Verses 21-35 apparently have elements of both.
Israel endures being a buffer zone between the struggles of the two dynasties.
• The “400 silent years” between the Old Testament and New Testament are detailed in advance with such accuracy that skeptics have attempted to “late date” Daniel…
The Angel of Chapter 10 Is Still Speaking Here:
1] Also I (the angel) in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him (Darius).
2] And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
• The angel (of Chapter 10) announces three kings:
– Cyrus
– Cambyses
– Darius Hystapes (Smerdis).
[Herodotus III. 89-97.]
• The angel helped to establish Darius as king in the first year of his reign.
The fourth king, Xerxes, would instigate trouble with the Greeks (486-465 B.C.)
• (He appears to be Ahasuerus of Ezra 4:6, Esther 1:1-12.)
• He instituted tax reforms, became very powerful, trained over 2 million warriors for 4 years, built special barges, and attacked Greece in 480 B.C.
• He crossed the Hellespont in seven days.
– This attack laid the basis for the vendetta that Alexander exploited later.
3] And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
4] And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity (his heirs), nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
• The rise of the Greeks, under Alexander the Great, was detailed in Chapter 8.
• Alexander died without a qualified heir.
• His half brother, Philip Arrhidaeus, was mentally defective.
• His two sons were illegitimate Hercules, by Basina, the daughter of Darius, and Young Alexander, posthumously by Roxana were murdered within 13 years after their father’s death.
• After 22 years of fighting, Alexander’s four generals divided up the Empire (as was detailed in the notes on Chapter 7).
5] And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
• Ptolemy I Soter took Egypt and Seleucus Nicator took Syria led to 150 years of warfare between them, and the repeated trampling through Israel.
• Chapter 11 chronicles this warfare between the “King of the South” (Egypt) and the “King of the North” (Syria) that continued until Rome marched east and the conquests of Pompey established Roman rule over the area.
• The continued attempts by Bible critics to “late date” this passage is a testimony to its accuracy.
• Ptolemy Soter I Soter (323-285 B.C.) was one of Alexander’s wisest and most capable generals and grew very powerful, but now Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-245 B.C.) grew even more powerful.
• It was under Ptolemy II’s rule that the great library was established at Alexandria and the translation of the Old Testament into Greek (the “Septuagint” translation) was commissioned.
• The famed mathematician Euclid taught geometry in Ptolemy’s court.
Ptolemy I captured Jerusalem in 321 B.C. on the Sabbath day without resistance. [Josephus, Antiquities XII. i. 1.]
• However, in 316 B.C. Israel was lost to Ptolemy’s rival, Antigonus. After the Battle of Gaza in 312 B.C., Ptolemy reclaimed it.
• Seleucus I Nicator (312-281 B.C.), who cooperated with Ptolemy, made himself the master of Babylon and established the Seleucid Empire, ruling from Antioch.
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.
“end of years” = after a lapse of several years (2 Chronicles 18:2; Daniel 11:8,13).
• A political marriage was arranged between Antiochus II Theos (262-246 B.C.) and Ptolemy II Philadelphus’s daughter, Bernice.
• Antiochus was required to divorce his own wife, Laodiceia, to facilitate this arrangement.
• Bernice was unable to prevail against her rival Laodiceia, who poisoned Antiochus, murdered Bernice, and set her elder son, Seleucus II Callinicus, on the throne (246 - 226 B.C.).
[Note: this occurs after the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (285-270 B.C.), which included the book of Daniel!]
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:
• Ptolemy III Euergetes (245-221 B.C.), the brother of murdered Bernice, invaded Syria, seized the port of Antioch, and overran Seleucus’ empire as far as Babylon.
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.
• His spoils for Egypt included 4,000 talents of gold, 40,000 talents of silver, and 2,500 idols. [Polybius, Histories V. 38 ]
• These included some carried from Egypt by Cambyses 280 years earlier. He continued more years than his rival: 24 years vs. 20.
9] So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.
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.
• After two years Seleucus reorganized and marched south against Egypt, got clobbered, and returned to Antioch with only a small remnant of his army.
• The sons of Seleucus II were Seleucus III Ceraunus (226-223 B.C.), who was murdered during a campaign in Asia Minor, and Antiochus III (“The Great”) (223-187 B.C.) who recovered the fortress of Seleucia, the province of Coele-Syria, Tyre, and then resumed the war with Egypt.
[Polybius, Histories, II. 71. ]
• In 312 B.C. a large Egyptian army, led by Ptolemy IV Philopator (221-203 B.C.), marched through Judea until it was met in Lebanon by Antiochus who routed it and captured many Judean cities both west and east of the Jordan.
• Initially, the army of Ptolemy IV was larger than that of Antiochus III.
• In the spring of 219 B.C., at the battle at Raphia (20 miles south of Gaza), Antiochus commanded 60,000 men and Ptolemy, 70,000.
• Antiochus was defeated with a loss of 10,000 infantry and 300 cavalry.
• Ptolemy, indolent and dissolute, signed a peace treaty with Antiochus III.
• Ptolemy IV celebrated his victory by a tour of the eastern Mediterranean provinces including Jerusalem.
• He was prevented from entering the Holy of Holies due to paralysis.
• Returning to Egypt, he took out his chagrin and humiliation by persecuting the Egyptian Jews.
11] And the king of the south (Egypt) shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north (Syria): and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.
12] And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.
13] For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.
14] And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
• After the death of Ptolemy IV, his son, was four years old, succeeded him as Ptolemy V Epiphanes (203-181 B.C.).
• Twelve years after the Battle of Raphia, Antiochus III set out with a greater army than before for the conquest of Egyptian territory.
• The “many” that stood up against the King of the South included Antiochus and his ally, Philip of Macedon, as well as risings among the vassals of Egypt.
• In 200 B.C., an Egyptian mercenary named Scopas attempted to wrest Judea from Antiochus.
• After a temporary success, he was defeated by 100,000 troops at Sidon in 198 B.C.
None were able to stand against Antiochus III (“The Great”).
15] So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
16] But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall
stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
• “The glorious land” is Judea, cf. Daniel 8:9; Jeremiah 3:19.
17] He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
• In 197 B.C., Antiochus III set out with a fleet to attack Cilicia, Lycia, and Caria, which were under Egyptian control.
• However, he encountered a disastrous defeat by an upstart power rising on the banks of the Tiber: Rome.
• Antiochus’ daughter, Cleopatra, was given in a political marriage to Ptolemy (arranged in 197, consummated in 193 B.C., the groom being 10 years old) along with Coele-Syria, Phoenicia, and Judea as dowry, and in the hopes that he could eventually annex Egypt.
• He was disappointed, however, as she became a devoted wife instead and sided with Egypt (and her new ally, Rome).
18] After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.
19] Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
• In 196 B.C., Antiochus had turned toward the west in Greece, Asia Minor (Turkey), and crossed the Hellespont to seize part of Thrace.
• It was Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, who encouraged Antiochus III to fight with the Romans.
• In 191 B.C., Antiochus was defeated by the Romans at Thermopylae.
• In 190 B.C. his army of 80,000 suffered an ignominious defeat in a decisive battle near Smyrna where the Roman commander, Lucius Scipio, forced him to renounce all claims in Europe and Asia Minor.
[Appian, Roman History: The Syrian Wars, XI. i. 5; XI. vii. 38.]
• He had to surrender all territory west of the Taurus Mountains and pay a heavy tribute of 15,000 talents (over 30 million dollars).
• He was ruined.
• He took it all out on the northeastern part of his kingdom, plundering the temples in his realm.
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.
• Seleucus IV Philopater (187-175 B.C.) succeeded Antiochus III, giving his son Demetrius as a hostage in the place of his brother Antiochus, and to meet heavy Roman tribute, oppressed Israel through taxation .
[2 Maccabees 3:1-12, 24-31.]
• After 12 years of rule, he is murdered by his treasurer, Heliodorous, who hoped to take over but is out-intrigued by Antiochus IV (“Epiphanes”) 175-164 B.C.
21] And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
• Legitimate candidates might have included Demetrius, the son of the Seleucus IV, held as a hostage in Rome, or the younger son, also named Antiochus, who was still a baby in Syria.
• Antiochus IV was the brother of Seleucus IV, who had also been a hostage for his father in Rome for 14 years.
Just prior to the murder of his brother by Heliodorus, he had been recalled to Antioch. His brother died before he reached the capital, and with the help of the king of Pergamum, and posing as the guardian of young Antiochus who was in Syria, Antiochus IV, with numerous intrigues, gained the throne.
22] And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall
be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.
• “Prince of the covenant” refers to the murder of Onias III, the High Priest in 171 B.C. [2 Maccabees 4:30-35. ]
23] And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24] He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
• Unlike his fathers, Antiochus IV robbed the richest places of the country under his control. Robin Hood.
• He attacked his enemies when they least expected it.
• There was a power contest between Antiochus’ two nephews, Ptolemy VI Philometer (181-145 B.C.) and Ptolemy VII Euergetes (Physicon) for control of Egypt.
25] And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
• After the death of his mother, Cleopatra, Ptolemy IV Philometer received bad advice regarding Antiochus IV who swept over his army.
• When Antiochus conquered Ptolemy Philopater, the Alexandrians brought his brother Ptolemy Physicon to the Egyptian throne.
26] Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.
27] And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
28] Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.
• Antiochus took Philometer under his protection.
• As uncle and nephew, they eat together at one table and, with lies, discussed policy with one another.
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.
• In his second campaign against Egypt, Antiochus was less successful and failed to take Alexandria.
• Furthermore, he encountered the Roman navy.
• Chittim, or Kittim, is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls as a general reference to the people of the Mediterranean, Cyprus in particular.
• The Roman fleet of Caius Popillius Laenas sailed from Cyprus to Egypt after a stunning
Roman victory over Perseus of Macedon near Pydna, south of Thessalonica.
[Livy’s Annales, XLIV. 37.]
• The intimidation of the Romans caused Antiochus to return in humiliation to Syria and, looking for someone to take it out on, he then focused on oppressing the Jews.
31] And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
• (Two centuries later Jesus predicted this would occur again in the future. It will require a Temple, the preparations for which have begun.)
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.
• The famed “abomination of desolation” now takes place.
[2 Maccabees 5:11-18; 6:1-11. Josephus, Antiquities, XII. ii. 6.]
• The opposition led to the Maccabean revolt, and the ultimate rededication of the Temple (celebrated to this day at Hanukkah) and begins the period of the Hasmoneans.
33] And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
34] Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
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.
• • • [In verses 1 through 35, we have gone through approximately 135 prophetic statements that have been counted.
This is an impressive introduction to the section which follows.]
• The remainder of the chapter, verses 36 - 45, has yielded a number of diverse views.
• Some have attempted to restrict the passage to the historical Antiochus IV, and while his megalomania lends itself to such views, the language seems to go far beyond that.
• The “Willful King” has been identified by Ibn-Ezra with Constantine the Great;
Rashi and Calvin understood him to represent the Roman Empire;
Jerome, Theodoret, Luther, J.N. Darby and most “Pre-trib” scholars see him as the Antichrist.
The similarity to other prophetic passages are striking: 2 Thessalonians 2, etc.
A Glimpse of the Dark Side:
• Daniel Chapter 10 is a prelude and introduction to the last two chapters: 11-12.
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
• A spooky glimpse of the Invisible World, and the Invisible War in hyperspace.
The Book of Daniel In Chronological Order:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
Historical Prophecies
1 Introduction
2 The King’s Dream
3 Bow or Burn
4 The King’s Ego Trip
7 Times of the Gentiles
8 The Ram and Goat
5 The Fall of Babylon
6 The Plot of the Magi
9 The 70 Weeks
10 The Dark Side
11 & 12 The Conclusion
The Unseen Warfare 2 Kings 6:8-23:
8] Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
9] And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10] And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned
him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11] Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12] And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
• The first “wire tap”!
13] And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14] Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15] And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16] And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
• (Traditional military cynicism: “There’s always the 2% that didn’t get the ‘word’!”?)
17] And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
• [You can press A “reveal codes” key…]
• There are codes behind the keys and text as you type!
18] And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19] And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20] And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21] And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22] And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23] And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
Daniel 10
1] In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
2] In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.
• Daniel 1:21, “unto the first year of King Cyrus”;
• Official public career;
• This is Daniel’s “3rd year” out of public life.
[Cf. John on Patmos.]
• Two years after “return” (2 Chronicles 36:23,32; Ezra 1:1-3) vs. Ezekiel 2:64,65, Nehemiah 7:62.
Only 49,697 return (“first year”).
Daniel still there?
• Exiles had returned from Babylon and had begun rebuilding the temple. (Perhaps Daniel had not returned with the exiles because of his age: over 80 years old.)
3] I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
• Daniel was not on an “absolute” fast (healthy); Lord commands.
4] And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;
“First month”: Nisan (Abib, Exodus 23:15).
• He started on the 3rd of Nisan.
• He completes his fasting on the 24th.
• A 21 day fast.
The month of Nisan: 1-2, Feast of Rejoicing:
New Year (1 Samuel 20:18,19,34).
10, Presentation of lamb(s).
14, Passover.
15-21, Feast of Unleavened Bread.
5] Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
6] His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
“Angel” = angelos, military messenger.
• A unique form of created being;
• He’s not preexistent, but with formidable capabilities.
• Is his Identity: Gabriel?
• Or the Pre-incarnate Christ? (If He was, He wouldn’t need Michael’s help…)
7] And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
• What scared them? Cf. Saul on the Damascus Road: others heard, unintelligibly.
8] Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
“...corruption”: Daniel has an awareness of his lack of holiness; Cf. Isaiah 6.
9] Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.
• “Deep sleep”: Cf. Adam in Genesis 2. Abraham Genesis 15
10] And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
11] And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
• Beloved versus friend.
12] Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
• Who was visitor? “Sent...from the first day” (3 wks before).
13] But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
14] Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
• But... (withstood for 21 days!)
• Blocked by a lineman... Warfare: withheld; conflict.
• “Prince of the Kingdom of Persia”(?)
Prince: Cf. Michael, a chief “prince” (Ephesians 6:11,12).
[Role of fasting?]
• Michael: Daniel 10:13, 21; Daniel 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7.
• Strength: Exodus 4:10-12; Isaiah 6:6,7.
[Michael fights Satan himself: Jude 9! 1 Thessalonians 4:16!
• Why was Moses’ body needed? (Matthew 17? Revelation 11?)]
15] And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.
16] And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.
17] For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
18] Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,
• “Strengthen (3 times?)”:
• Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39-44; Mark 14:35-41);
• Angel (Luke 22:39-44).
19] And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.
20] Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.
21] But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
Now I will return... (Michael holding him off?)
The Prince of Greece? Medo-Persians continue 200 years after vision. [Time domain = ?] Acts 1:8?
Angels:
• Angels are created beings: Ephesians 1:20-21; Colossians 1:16
• Saw world created: Job 38:4-10
• Have Bodies: 1 Corinthians 15:38-40, 44; Luke 20:27-36
– Oiketerion = bodies 2 Corinthians 5:2, Jude 1:6
1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
• Entertained unawares: Hebrews 13:2 Genesis 18; Judges 13
• Guardian Angels:
Matthew 18:10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
• One angel slays 185,000 soldiers! 2 Kings 19:35; Isaiah 37:36
• Angels desire to learn: 1 Peter 1:12
Ministry Assignments:
• At Jesus Birth: Luke 2:8-14
• At Jesus Temptation: Matthew 4:1-11
– (note ownership of world!)
• At Jesus Transfiguration: Matthew 17:1-8
• At Jesus Resurrection: Luke 22:39-46
• At Jesus Ascension: Acts 1:10-11
• At Jesus Return: Matthew 13:39; 24:31
Other Skewering Examples:
• Satan
– The King of Babylon Isaiah 14
– The King of Tyre Ezekiel 28
Ezekiel 28:12-19
Ezekiel 28:2-11 Is addressed to the “Prince of Tyre” (highlight communication style/technique…)
Ezekiel 28:12-19 to “King of Tyre” – the power behind the throne.
• Satan works through men.
12] Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13] Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold (Light): the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes (audio) was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
• Satan was in Eden, clothe with light, the epitome pf wisdom, the most beautiful creation.
• Music significant.
– He was created.
He may have led worship.
• He was in charge of everything.
(He’s still trying!…)
14] Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15] Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16] By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17] Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18] Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, (the fire comes from him) it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
Isaiah 14:12-17
12] How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13] For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
• The same communication style/technique as in Ezekiel 28: king of Babylon…
• The Five “I will…” statements “in thine heart…” pride and ambition.
[Throne?] This is why God hates pride…
15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16] They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
17] That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
Revelation 12 details his career and destiny…
Satan
• “Numero Uno” Ezekiel 28:11-18
– “sum” = epitome
– “thou has been in Eden”
• Five “I will’s” [pride!] Isaiah 14:12-17
• His angels also cast out Revelation 12:9; 12:4
Isaiah 24:21: Punish the “high ones.”
Romans 8:28-39 (“check that it is still there”).
Three unclean Spirits (out of mouths) Revelation 16:13-14.
Demons:
• Distinct from angels: desperately seek embodiment;
• Knowledgeable: they know their destiny (Matthew 8:29);
• Old Testament:
Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; 2 Chronicles 11:15; Psalms 106:36-37; Isaiah 13:21; 34:14
• New Testament:
Matthew 12:45,43; Mark 1:23-27; Luke 4:33; 1 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 16:14;
1 Corinthians 10:20-21.
Consider...
• Suppose Daniel had stopped fasting after only 20 days?
• Is there a “Prince of the Power of the United States of America”?
• Of the United Nations?
• Of the European Union the Eastern Leg?
• You have an opportunity to “be a Daniel.”
You can undertake a spiritual mission on behalf of the U.S.
[Example: Jonah & Nineveh: 40 days until “ground zero.”]
The Ultimate Issue:
We are in possession of message of extraterrestrial origin. It portrays us as objects of an unseen supernatural warfare.
• Our eternal destiny depends upon our relationship with the winner of this cosmic conflict.
• What is your readiness for this encounter?
Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against:
Adverse Angels;
• “principalities,” archai, the highest order.
• “powers,” exousia
• “the rulers of the darkness of this world,” kosmokrator
• “spiritual wickedness in high [heavenly] places. epouranios Ephesians 6:12
Hierarchy of supernatural authorities in descending order… “powers” = authorities; “high” = heavenly.
Satan = Prince (of this world) mentioned 3 times: John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11.
[Luke 4:5 ownership!]
Prince (of devils) 2 times: Matthew 9:34; 12:24.
Our Armor Ephesians 6:
• Be strong in the Lord and in the Power of His might.
• Girded with Truth
• Breastplate of Righteousness
• Feet shod with Preparation
• Shield of Faith
• Helmet of Salvation
• Sword of the Spirit
• Our Heavy Artillery: Prayer
See The Christian in Complete Armor, by William Gurnall. A Puritan classic, first published in three volumes in 1655, 1658, 1662; revised 1864, Blackie & Sons, Glasgow, Scotland; 1964, 1990 Banner of Truth Trust, Edinburgh, Scotland.
*
Session 13: Daniel 11:1-35
The “Silent Years”
The most comprehensive and detailed prophecy of future events to be found anywhere in the Old Testament. Cf. Dan 2, Rev 13, 17.
Review Daniel 8 (The Ram and the Goat):
Two years after the vision of Daniel 7 and 12 years before the Fall of Babylon in Daniel 5...
• Vision of a Ram and a Goat
– The Ram is defeated by the Goat from the West;
– The “notable horn” of the Goat divides into 4;
– A “Little Horn” has a key role at the end…
• Daniel interprets
– A Leader from the West (Alexander) will subdue the Medo-Persian Empire…Alexander’s Four Generals (Daniel 8):
– Cassander Macedonia & Greece;
– Lysimacus Thrace, Bithynia, most of Asia Minor;
– Ptolemy Egypt, Cyrene, Arabia , Petraea;
– Seleucus Syria and lands to the East all the way to India
(Antiochus Epiphanes appears as the “Little Horn”)
– Cassander Macedonia & Greece;
– Lysimacus Thrace, Bithynia, most of Asia Minor;
– Ptolemy Egypt, Cyrene, Arabia , Petraea;
– Seleucus Syria and lands to the East all the way to India
(Antiochus Epiphanes appears as the “Little Horn”)
Daniel 11 Outline:
1,2 Persian Empire
3,4 Greek Empire
5 - 35 Seleucid – Ptolemy Rivalry (“Between the Testaments”)
36 - 39 The Willful King
40 - 45 Armageddon Scenario
Daniel 11 Time Line:
• Verses 2-20 have past.
• Verses 36-45 are clearly future.
• Verses 21-35 apparently have elements of both.
Israel endures being a buffer zone between the struggles of the two dynasties.
• The “400 silent years” between the Old Testament and New Testament are detailed in advance with such accuracy that skeptics have attempted to “late date” Daniel…
The Angel of Chapter 10 Is Still Speaking Here:
1] Also I (the angel) in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him (Darius).
2] And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
• The angel (of Chapter 10) announces three kings:
– Cyrus
– Cambyses
– Darius Hystapes (Smerdis).
[Herodotus III. 89-97.]
• The angel helped to establish Darius as king in the first year of his reign.
The fourth king, Xerxes, would instigate trouble with the Greeks (486-465 B.C.)
• (He appears to be Ahasuerus of Ezra 4:6, Esther 1:1-12.)
• He instituted tax reforms, became very powerful, trained over 2 million warriors for 4 years, built special barges, and attacked Greece in 480 B.C.
• He crossed the Hellespont in seven days.
– This attack laid the basis for the vendetta that Alexander exploited later.
3] And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
4] And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity (his heirs), nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
• The rise of the Greeks, under Alexander the Great, was detailed in Chapter 8.
• Alexander died without a qualified heir.
• His half brother, Philip Arrhidaeus, was mentally defective.
• His two sons were illegitimate Hercules, by Basina, the daughter of Darius, and Young Alexander, posthumously by Roxana were murdered within 13 years after their father’s death.
• After 22 years of fighting, Alexander’s four generals divided up the Empire (as was detailed in the notes on Chapter 7).
5] And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
• Ptolemy I Soter took Egypt and Seleucus Nicator took Syria led to 150 years of warfare between them, and the repeated trampling through Israel.
• Chapter 11 chronicles this warfare between the “King of the South” (Egypt) and the “King of the North” (Syria) that continued until Rome marched east and the conquests of Pompey established Roman rule over the area.
• The continued attempts by Bible critics to “late date” this passage is a testimony to its accuracy.
• Ptolemy Soter I Soter (323-285 B.C.) was one of Alexander’s wisest and most capable generals and grew very powerful, but now Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-245 B.C.) grew even more powerful.
• It was under Ptolemy II’s rule that the great library was established at Alexandria and the translation of the Old Testament into Greek (the “Septuagint” translation) was commissioned.
• The famed mathematician Euclid taught geometry in Ptolemy’s court.
Ptolemy I captured Jerusalem in 321 B.C. on the Sabbath day without resistance. [Josephus, Antiquities XII. i. 1.]
• However, in 316 B.C. Israel was lost to Ptolemy’s rival, Antigonus. After the Battle of Gaza in 312 B.C., Ptolemy reclaimed it.
• Seleucus I Nicator (312-281 B.C.), who cooperated with Ptolemy, made himself the master of Babylon and established the Seleucid Empire, ruling from Antioch.
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.
“end of years” = after a lapse of several years (2 Chronicles 18:2; Daniel 11:8,13).
• A political marriage was arranged between Antiochus II Theos (262-246 B.C.) and Ptolemy II Philadelphus’s daughter, Bernice.
• Antiochus was required to divorce his own wife, Laodiceia, to facilitate this arrangement.
• Bernice was unable to prevail against her rival Laodiceia, who poisoned Antiochus, murdered Bernice, and set her elder son, Seleucus II Callinicus, on the throne (246 - 226 B.C.).
[Note: this occurs after the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament (285-270 B.C.), which included the book of Daniel!]
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:
• Ptolemy III Euergetes (245-221 B.C.), the brother of murdered Bernice, invaded Syria, seized the port of Antioch, and overran Seleucus’ empire as far as Babylon.
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.
• His spoils for Egypt included 4,000 talents of gold, 40,000 talents of silver, and 2,500 idols. [Polybius, Histories V. 38 ]
• These included some carried from Egypt by Cambyses 280 years earlier. He continued more years than his rival: 24 years vs. 20.
9] So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.
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.
• After two years Seleucus reorganized and marched south against Egypt, got clobbered, and returned to Antioch with only a small remnant of his army.
• The sons of Seleucus II were Seleucus III Ceraunus (226-223 B.C.), who was murdered during a campaign in Asia Minor, and Antiochus III (“The Great”) (223-187 B.C.) who recovered the fortress of Seleucia, the province of Coele-Syria, Tyre, and then resumed the war with Egypt.
[Polybius, Histories, II. 71. ]
• In 312 B.C. a large Egyptian army, led by Ptolemy IV Philopator (221-203 B.C.), marched through Judea until it was met in Lebanon by Antiochus who routed it and captured many Judean cities both west and east of the Jordan.
• Initially, the army of Ptolemy IV was larger than that of Antiochus III.
• In the spring of 219 B.C., at the battle at Raphia (20 miles south of Gaza), Antiochus commanded 60,000 men and Ptolemy, 70,000.
• Antiochus was defeated with a loss of 10,000 infantry and 300 cavalry.
• Ptolemy, indolent and dissolute, signed a peace treaty with Antiochus III.
• Ptolemy IV celebrated his victory by a tour of the eastern Mediterranean provinces including Jerusalem.
• He was prevented from entering the Holy of Holies due to paralysis.
• Returning to Egypt, he took out his chagrin and humiliation by persecuting the Egyptian Jews.
11] And the king of the south (Egypt) shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north (Syria): and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.
12] And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.
13] For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.
14] And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
• After the death of Ptolemy IV, his son, was four years old, succeeded him as Ptolemy V Epiphanes (203-181 B.C.).
• Twelve years after the Battle of Raphia, Antiochus III set out with a greater army than before for the conquest of Egyptian territory.
• The “many” that stood up against the King of the South included Antiochus and his ally, Philip of Macedon, as well as risings among the vassals of Egypt.
• In 200 B.C., an Egyptian mercenary named Scopas attempted to wrest Judea from Antiochus.
• After a temporary success, he was defeated by 100,000 troops at Sidon in 198 B.C.
None were able to stand against Antiochus III (“The Great”).
15] So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
16] But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall
stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
• “The glorious land” is Judea, cf. Daniel 8:9; Jeremiah 3:19.
17] He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
• In 197 B.C., Antiochus III set out with a fleet to attack Cilicia, Lycia, and Caria, which were under Egyptian control.
• However, he encountered a disastrous defeat by an upstart power rising on the banks of the Tiber: Rome.
• Antiochus’ daughter, Cleopatra, was given in a political marriage to Ptolemy (arranged in 197, consummated in 193 B.C., the groom being 10 years old) along with Coele-Syria, Phoenicia, and Judea as dowry, and in the hopes that he could eventually annex Egypt.
• He was disappointed, however, as she became a devoted wife instead and sided with Egypt (and her new ally, Rome).
18] After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.
19] Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
• In 196 B.C., Antiochus had turned toward the west in Greece, Asia Minor (Turkey), and crossed the Hellespont to seize part of Thrace.
• It was Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, who encouraged Antiochus III to fight with the Romans.
• In 191 B.C., Antiochus was defeated by the Romans at Thermopylae.
• In 190 B.C. his army of 80,000 suffered an ignominious defeat in a decisive battle near Smyrna where the Roman commander, Lucius Scipio, forced him to renounce all claims in Europe and Asia Minor.
[Appian, Roman History: The Syrian Wars, XI. i. 5; XI. vii. 38.]
• He had to surrender all territory west of the Taurus Mountains and pay a heavy tribute of 15,000 talents (over 30 million dollars).
• He was ruined.
• He took it all out on the northeastern part of his kingdom, plundering the temples in his realm.
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.
• Seleucus IV Philopater (187-175 B.C.) succeeded Antiochus III, giving his son Demetrius as a hostage in the place of his brother Antiochus, and to meet heavy Roman tribute, oppressed Israel through taxation .
[2 Maccabees 3:1-12, 24-31.]
• After 12 years of rule, he is murdered by his treasurer, Heliodorous, who hoped to take over but is out-intrigued by Antiochus IV (“Epiphanes”) 175-164 B.C.
21] And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
• Legitimate candidates might have included Demetrius, the son of the Seleucus IV, held as a hostage in Rome, or the younger son, also named Antiochus, who was still a baby in Syria.
• Antiochus IV was the brother of Seleucus IV, who had also been a hostage for his father in Rome for 14 years.
Just prior to the murder of his brother by Heliodorus, he had been recalled to Antioch. His brother died before he reached the capital, and with the help of the king of Pergamum, and posing as the guardian of young Antiochus who was in Syria, Antiochus IV, with numerous intrigues, gained the throne.
22] And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall
be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.
• “Prince of the covenant” refers to the murder of Onias III, the High Priest in 171 B.C. [2 Maccabees 4:30-35. ]
23] And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24] He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.
• Unlike his fathers, Antiochus IV robbed the richest places of the country under his control. Robin Hood.
• He attacked his enemies when they least expected it.
• There was a power contest between Antiochus’ two nephews, Ptolemy VI Philometer (181-145 B.C.) and Ptolemy VII Euergetes (Physicon) for control of Egypt.
25] And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
• After the death of his mother, Cleopatra, Ptolemy IV Philometer received bad advice regarding Antiochus IV who swept over his army.
• When Antiochus conquered Ptolemy Philopater, the Alexandrians brought his brother Ptolemy Physicon to the Egyptian throne.
26] Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.
27] And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
28] Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.
• Antiochus took Philometer under his protection.
• As uncle and nephew, they eat together at one table and, with lies, discussed policy with one another.
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.
• In his second campaign against Egypt, Antiochus was less successful and failed to take Alexandria.
• Furthermore, he encountered the Roman navy.
• Chittim, or Kittim, is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls as a general reference to the people of the Mediterranean, Cyprus in particular.
• The Roman fleet of Caius Popillius Laenas sailed from Cyprus to Egypt after a stunning
Roman victory over Perseus of Macedon near Pydna, south of Thessalonica.
[Livy’s Annales, XLIV. 37.]
• The intimidation of the Romans caused Antiochus to return in humiliation to Syria and, looking for someone to take it out on, he then focused on oppressing the Jews.
31] And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
• (Two centuries later Jesus predicted this would occur again in the future. It will require a Temple, the preparations for which have begun.)
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.
• The famed “abomination of desolation” now takes place.
[2 Maccabees 5:11-18; 6:1-11. Josephus, Antiquities, XII. ii. 6.]
• The opposition led to the Maccabean revolt, and the ultimate rededication of the Temple (celebrated to this day at Hanukkah) and begins the period of the Hasmoneans.
33] And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
34] Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
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.
• • • [In verses 1 through 35, we have gone through approximately 135 prophetic statements that have been counted.
This is an impressive introduction to the section which follows.]
• The remainder of the chapter, verses 36 - 45, has yielded a number of diverse views.
• Some have attempted to restrict the passage to the historical Antiochus IV, and while his megalomania lends itself to such views, the language seems to go far beyond that.
• The “Willful King” has been identified by Ibn-Ezra with Constantine the Great;
Rashi and Calvin understood him to represent the Roman Empire;
Jerome, Theodoret, Luther, J.N. Darby and most “Pre-trib” scholars see him as the Antichrist.
The similarity to other prophetic passages are striking: 2 Thessalonians 2, etc.
*
Session 14: Daniel 12 The Climax of All History:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
Chapter 11:36 - 12:13
Summary:
• A world ruler.
• A world religion.
• A world war.
• A time of tribulation for Israel.
• Deliverance at the end of the tribulation.
• Resurrection and judgment.
• Reward of the righteous.
The Little Horn: Antiochus Epiphanes
Daniel 8:9-11
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Daniel 8:20-25
The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. 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. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
The Willful King Daniel 11:36-39:
36] And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37] Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38] But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39] Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
The Armageddon Scenario Daniel 11:40-45:
Verses 40-45 seem to outline the “Armageddon Scenario” of the final conflict climaxing in Revelation 16, 19, etc.
Chapter 12 continues, with a clear description of the Tribulation period.
40] And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41] He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
42] He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43] But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44] But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
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.
Daniel 12 The Climax of All History:
1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Remember: Chapter 12 is in Hebrew—Israel is the focus.
Refers to Daniel’s people, not the Church (Dan 9:16, 19, 24, 10:14; 12:1).
“At that time” (3X) What time? (Dan 9:27). be, “during” = continuation.
Michael (“your prince”) = the angel who oversees Israel. Mentioned 4X in Scripture.
Who is he always battling? Satan (Rev 12:7-9).
[Note “dignity”: Jude 9; Cf. Dan 10:13-21.
Satan is a created being...( vs. “Christ & Satan.”) vs. traditions: Milton, Dante, Goethe, et al.
Where does he rule? not Hell: here! We’re on his turf.
Paradoxes: ignoring vs. overreaction...]
“Time of (Jacob’s) Trouble”:
• Jesus quotes this verse (Mt 24:21; Mk 13:19(!); Rev 7:14);
• “Time of Jacob’s trouble” (Deut 4:30; Jer 30:7; Joel 2:2); parallel to Dan 11:40-45; Cf. Ex 9:18, 24 ;
• Israel to “pass under the rod” (Ezek 20:34-38);
• “Furnace of affliction” (Ezek 22:18-22);
• Only 1/3 spared (Zech 13:8,9);
• Woman (Rev 12);
— Satan cast out (Rev 12:10); No longer able to accuse;
• Thy people (2X) shall be delivered...” (Dan 7:18, 27; Zech 12:10; 13:8-9; Jer 30:7,11; Isa 14:12-17; Job 1:6; 2:1-7; Zech 3:1-5; Rev 12:6-7).
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.
• There seems to be no passage in Scripture which teaches that the Old Testament saints will be raised at the time the church is raptured; before the final tribulation.
Note to self: When Jesus arose from the dead, the saints also rose up.
Hebrew sharply separates two classes of resurrection:
“And many from among the sleepers of the dust of the earth shall awake; these shall be
unto everlasting life; but those, the rest of the sleepers, those who do not awake at this time, shall be unto shame and everlasting contempt.”
(Tregelles, Culber, Seiss, Nathaniel West); Rev 20:5, 12-13.
“Shame, contempt”: olam (everlasting) modifies both.
An eternal state for the wicked!
“First Resurrection” is a class, not an event: Christ, the firstfruits of them that slept; the rapture; and the two witnesses are all in the “first” resurrection.
“Many” …but not “all”:
• Abraham Gen 22:5; Heb 11:19
• Job Job 19:25-26
• Isaiah Isa 26:19(!)
• Hosea Hos 13:14
• of Christ Ps 16:9-10
3] And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
This is the first occurrence of “everlasting life” in the Old Testament?
Ps 16:10; 49:15; Isa 25:8; 26:19; Hos 13:14; Heb 11:17,18; cf. Dan 11:33.
Jewish “teachers”: Dan 11:33-35; Rev 7:4-8; 11:2-12.
“brightness of the expanse”: Zachar, to be brilliant.
“lights”: Mt 5:14-16; Jn 5:35; Eph 5:8; 2 Cor 4:6; 1 Cor 15:41-42.
“Elect”?
• Elect? (Mt 24:22); 144,000 (Rev 7:4);
Saved (Rom 11:26).
“Israel, Mine Elect” (Isa 45:4); Isa 11:11; 27:12-13; Jer 30:7; Ezek 37:21-28;
Hos 3:4-5; Amos 9:11-15.
• New Testament
— “God’s Elect”: Rom 8:33; Col 3:12.
[John the Baptist: Mt 11:11,12.]
• “Spiritual resurrection”? Dead in sins (Eph 2:1; 4:18);
Quickened by the Word of God (Rom 10:17; Heb 4:12);
Has passed from death to life (Jn 5:24; Eph 2:5-6).
• “National resurrection”? Isa 26:12-19; Jer 16:14-15; Ezek 20:33-44;
37:1-28 (Gaebelein, Kelly, Ironside: national, not bodily(?);
To support Old Testament at the rapture).
• Second Resurrection? Eph 4:8-10; 1 Pet 3:18-20; Mt 27:52-53; Isa 61:1,2; 2 Cor 5:1-8; Rev 20:5,6;
Rapture?:
• Only the Church?
• “Written in the book” Ex 32:32, 33; Ps 69:28; Lk 10:20; Rev 13:8; 17:8; 20:15; 21:27. Not all prepared (Ezek 20:33-38).
• Israel “blinded” until Rom 11:25.
• Blotted out? Ex 32:31-33; Ps 69:28; cf. Rev 3:5.
• Not all “saints” or “elect” are the same.
See our briefing pack, The Rapture, for a more detailed study…
4] But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
• “Revealed” in the last days; primary application to “the time of the end.”
[The Book of Revelation is not sealed (Rev 22:10; 1:3).]
Hebrew hadda’at, “the knowledge,” i.e. this prophecy.
• Link with v.3 (vs. Amos 8:12). Israel’s blindness to be relieved (Rom 11:25).
Sealing: made secure; preserved; until end (11:35,40).
“to/fro” = search: 2 Chr 16:9; Jer 5:1; 49:3; Amos 8:12; Zech 4:10.
(Daniel was now over 80 years old.) [If Knowledge doubles each decade?
Then, 50% of all “knowledge” has been added these past 10 years!?]
5] Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.
6] And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river,
How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
Jesus is “man” in linen?
Two others were probably angels.
Two witnesses: Deut 19:15; 31:28; 2 Cor 13:1.
7] And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
3 ½ years (Dan 7:25; 12:7; Rev 11:2; 13:5); 1260 days; 42 months; midweek...
Oath: Gen 14:22; Deut 32:40; Rev 10:5-7.
8] And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
• Daniel did not understand. (Theory of inspiration!?)
9] And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
“Go” (mental attitude): Words sealed.
10] Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Wicked will not understand (1 Cor 2:14; 21 Thess 2:11; Rev 22:11,12).
11] And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12] Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
13] But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
• 30 days between 1260 and 1290 are unrevealed.
Tamid, regular ceremonies (8:11; 11:21).
45 days: judgments? Ezek 20:34-38; Mt 25:31-46.
Start of Millennium?
Borders of Gen 15:18?
So closes the most comprehensive prophetic revelation in the Old Testament.
A Type of the Antichrist:
1. “He shall cause craft to prosper in his hand.” No man will be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark of the beast (Rev 13:17).
2. “He shall magnify himself in his heart.” He is given a mouth speaking blasphemies, with power to continue 42 months (Rev 13:5)
3. “By peace shall destroy many.” The rider on the white horse; then comes the red horse of war—thus, a false peace (Rev 6).
4. “He shall stand up against the Prince of princes.” The 1st beast of Rev
13 is against Christ (Rev 13).
Summary:
• He will achieve great power by subduing others (v.24);
• He will rise to power by promising false security (v.25);
• He will be intelligent and persuasive (v.23);
• He will be controlled by another, Satan (v.24);
• He will be an adversary of Israel and subjugate Israel to his authority (vv.24-25);
• He will rise up in opposition to the Prince of princes, the Lord Jesus Christ (v.25);
• His rule will be terminated by divine judgment (v.25).
Session 15: Europa Rising
Starts @6:30:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QmpXh3O6T4
Rebuilding the Empire
Daniel 2: The “Times of the Gentiles”
• Just as Daniel predicted (Daniel 2 & 7, see figure below), the Babylonian Empire was ultimately conquered by the Persians; the Persians were, in turn, conquered by the Greeks; and, the Greeks were conquered by the Romans.
• But who conquered the Romans?
• No one! The Roman Empire ultimately disintegrated into pieces.
The Roman Empire, Phase I:
– 146 BC Rome conquers Greece
– 133 BC Lysimachus’ kingdom falls
– 64 BC Seleucus’ kingdom falls
– 44 BC Julius Caesar assassinated
– 31 BC Battle of Actium; Egypt falls
• AD 64 Nero begins his persecutions
– AD 284 Diocletian divides it into 2 (The Western Leg was Europe and the Eastern Leg was known as the Byzantium Empire, now known as Syria and Iraq)
– AD 312 Constantine moves the capital to Byzantium and renames it “Constantinople” the New Rome.
– AD 476 Empire will fragment into pieces Each remaining segment had its “day in the sun.”
• The seven empires are also the focus of Revelation 17:
• And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. - Revelation 17:10
• The "five are fallen" would seem to refer to the five kingdoms that had preceded John's day: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece.
• The "one is" would seem to be the one existing when John was writing: Rome, in its "first phase."
• The "other is not yet come" would seem to point to that final world empire that will be taken over by the "11th horn." The following verse also focuses on this final empire:
-Revelation 17:11
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
• It would seem that this final "eighth" empire is one "that was, and is not," and yet is among the list of seven. The only empire among the seven that doesn't exist in some form today is Assyria.
• It strangely disappeared from history until the sensational discoveries of Henry Layard in 1849.
Early Europe:
• Europe emerged out of the shadow of the Roman Empire during a period of cultural change in the Mediterranean that lasted from about A.D. 350 to 600.
• After the capital of the empire was moved from Rome to Byzantium (Constantinople, the “New Rome”) in the 4th century, the western part of the Empire began to disintegrate as major tribal groups continued to encroach on the remnants of “Pax Roma,” each bringing their unique background into the mix.
• The Vikings from the north, and the Muslims from the south, and the Magyars from the east; each had their impact, challenging the durability of the cohesiveness that once was Rome.
However, the laws, the cultures, the religions
• In each region, unique identities evolved that were tied to local or vernacular languages and sets of traditions that explained their history, values, and claims to the land. At the same time, because these regions had inherited the Roman Christian culture embodied in Latin literacy, they developed a shared identity as members of western Christendom.
• This common culture distinguished Europeans from neighboring peoples in the Islamic regimes and the barbarians in the east.
As Rome receded, new cultural forces swept across Europe. The migration and settlement of various Germanic peoples, the so-called barbarians, filtered into the
western European territories of the Roman Empire for several centuries.
• By 500, when Rome no longer effectively controlled the west, Europe was divided into different homelands for various ethnic groups:
• The Ostrogoths settled in Italy;
• The Visigoths found a home in Iberia (present-day Spain and Portugal);
• The Franks who flourished in Gaul (present day France who are descendants of the Germans);
• The Angles and Saxons occupied parts of the British Isles.
—They adopted Christianity in its many different forms.
—They developed a monetary and linguistic infrastructure which were the threads and fabric that would ultimately be regathered into the final tapestry.
Europa Rising: Part II Profiles in Prophecy Series:
https://www.khouse.org/articles/2003/473/
Destiny’s Caldron:
• By the 9th century, the fragile balance of Roman Christian and Germanic traditions was disrupted by a sometimes violent influx of new peoples (see map below).
• These peoples were integrated into European society through some of the same mechanisms of settlement, conversion, and negotiation that had established the earlier wave of immigrants.
• These invasions initiated another phase of ethnogenesis: Europe’s frontier regions developed new identities, and the central kingdoms redefined themselves.
[The fact that the older kingdoms in the British Isles, France, and Germany recovered their equilibrium after these assaults underscores the strength of the earlier synthesis of Roman, Christian, and Germanic traditions.]
• The newcomers (the Muslims, the Vikings, and the Magyars) came from three directions and caused panic throughout Europe.
• Muslim raiders attacked Europe’s coastline from their Mediterranean bases in the south.
• Their incursions were halted in the West by Charles Martel’s forces in the famous battle at Tours in 731.
• Scandinavian Vikings came from the north. These seafaring groups of landless Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian warriors sought fame and fortune through plundering, trading, or demanding tribute from fearful residents in the British Isles and around the coastal and river regions of the continent.
• Some of these Viking groups eventually established settlements and integrated with the local populations.
• For example, they explored Greenland and beyond, colonized Iceland, negotiated control of eastern England, built Dublin in Ireland, founded Normandy in northern France, and established the Kievan dynasty in Russia.
• Nomadic Magogians (known also as Magyars or Scythians) came from the Asiatic steppes in the east (a region that includes present-day Kazakhstan they controlled southwestern Russia all the way to China) and eventually settled in Hungary and converted to Christianity.
• The Great Wall of China was built to keep them out.
• Europe fragmented in response to these waves of attacks. Each region developed new alliances and new identities.
• In 1450, the Muslims even overran Byzantium, ending the eastern leg of the original Roman Empire.
The “Holy Roman Empire”:
• The “Holy Roman Empire” had its origins in the empire established by the Frankish king Charlemagne in A.D. 800, he was crowned by Pope Leo III as “Emperor of the Romans.”
• That was the first use of that title since the fall of the Western Roman Empire in A.D. 476.
• Although Charlemagne’s kingdom soon disintegrated in 843, the concept of the “Holy Roman Empire” was to endure for another 1,000 years.
• Early in the 13th century the Holy Roman Empire was engulfed in a civil war between rival German princes vying for the title of emperor.
• Emperor Frederick II, known as “the wonder of the world,” restored power and prestige to the empire, bringing it to one of its highest points since the death of Charlemagne.
• However, in order to win the support of the German princes, he greatly increased their independence within the empire.
• As a result, after Frederick’s death in 1250, the title of “Holy Roman Emperor” was claimed by many different princes and lords, and civil war began again within the empire.
• Through advantageous alliances with other kingdoms, Emperor Charles V came to control more territory than any Holy Roman Emperor before him.
• He was already ruler of extensive areas in Europe, America and parts of Africa in 1530 when he became Holy Roman Emperor.
— But he was the last to be crowned by the pope. Charles struggled to maintain his empire against outside threats, but his possessions gradually dwindled as territories were captured or ceded.
• After the death of Charles V, the Holy Roman Empire continued to decline in both area and importance, until it was finally dissolved by Emperor Francis II in 1806, following the defeats in the Napoleonic Wars.
• Francis proclaimed himself the emperor of Austria and allied Austria with Britain and Russia to fight Napoleon.
• The united powers defeated Napoleon in 1814, and at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Francis recovered most of the territory he had lost.
The Legacy:
In truth, the empire had existed more in the realm of ideas than as a political or administrative reality.
• Voltaire gave us his classic summary:“It was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.”
– Its legacy, however, endured.
• The ancient obsession with Italy, the costly conflicts with the papacy, and the continuous resistance of German nobles to any strong central authority had made the empire essentially ungovernable for over five centuries.
• Hitler dubbed his machine “The Third Reich” the Third (Roman) Empire, it’s a concept, that lingers.
The Thirty Years’ War:
• The great powers of 16th-century Europe were England, France, Spain, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire.
• The network of relations between powerful states first emerged in Europe during the 16th century and solidified during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648)
• The Thirty Years War began as a Protestant revolt against the Catholic Controlled Government led by King Ferdinand.
• The Thirty Years War resulted in the defeat of the Habsburgs by a coalition of nations, including France, Sweden, and the German principalities.
• Creating the Dutch Nation.
• Napoleon Bonaparte was Corsican, but the french believed him to be French.
• He was born in 1769 A.D. in Ajaccio, Corsica and died in 1821 A.D.
• The young Napoleon Bonaparte was sent from a small island in Corsica, to a military school in France, he graduated in 1785.
• He joined the French artillery in 1788 and began a military career that would change history.
• He conquered much of Western Europe and became one the greatest military leaders of all time.
• In 1793 Napoleon promoted to Brigadier General, he overthrew the French government and takes the crown from the Pope crowned himself.
• In 1798, the “Battle of the Nile”, Napoleon was defeated by a small British Armada commanded by Horatio Nelson.
• The destruction of the French Fleet guranteed the Naval Supremacy of the British throughout the Mediterranean.
• At the opening of the French Revolutionary Wars, Great Britain was Europe’s pre-eminent economic and naval power.
• After Napoleon took control of France in 1799, he led a campaign to dominate the continent through wars with Great Britain, Austria, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire.
• His attempt to redraw the map of Europe threatened the long-standing British conviction that its security required prevention of a hegemonic power on the European continent.
• The sinking of the French fleet at Trafalgar in 1805 destroyed Napoleon’s hopes of invading the UK. Ultimately, Napoleon’s defeat came at the hands of a British-led army at Waterloo in 1815.
• 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with disastrous results.
• Napoleon had 54 victories and 8 defeats
World War I a.k.a. The Great War:
• 1912 to 1914 Nationalist aspirations made the Balkans volatile.
• Seeing the decline of the Turkish Ottoman Empire as an opportunity to extend their territories, newly independent Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece attacked the Ottomans in 1912.
• In 1914 in order to manage their rivalries and fearing nationalist unrest, the Great Powers of Europe formed rival alliances called the Triple Alliance :
• Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the “Triple Alliance,” while Russia, the UK and France formed the “Triple Entente.”
eNews For The Week Of June 06, 2016
https://www.khouse.org/enews/2016-06-06/
This is a very good and in-depth article on the old and new wars.
• A secret agreement between France and Britain, the Sykes-Picot Agreement, included dividing up the Middle East, which laid the foundation of the caldron that continues to this day.
• As Russia and Austria-Hungary intervened in the fighting that broke out in the Balkans, the rest of Europe found itself sucked into “The Great War” (as it was called before we learned we had to count them).
• This period also brought other events that were to impact the decades ahead.
Revolution and civil war plunged Russia, Germany and the remains of Austria-Hungary into chaos in the years that followed World War I. The Europe that emerged from this period was radically different: the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires had disappeared and a host of smaller states had appeared.
• The Russian revolution of 1917 led to the creation of the Soviet Union, a self-declared revolutionary socialist state.
• The League of Nations gave Britain the Mandate to provide a homeland for the Jews, but Britain peeled off 75% of that land to create the state of Jordan for the Palestinians.
World War II:
• Reeling from the excesses of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany rallied behind Adolf Hitler in a quest to reestablish themselves.
• In 1938 Hitler annexed his native Austria and through deceits and intimidation succeeded in annexing Sudetenland, the strategic part of Czechoslovakia.
• Britain and France abrogated their commitments to defend it, convinced that the appeasement would bring “peace in our time.”
• But the rest of Czechoslovakia was then quickly overrun, and the subsequent invasion of Poland in September 1939 forced Britain and France, who had also promised to protect it, to declare war on Germany.
• World War II began.
• Later that month the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, and Poland was then partitioned between Germany and the Soviet Union.
• The Soviet Union attacked Finland in the winter of 1939-40 and annexed the Baltic States and northern Romania.
• Germany went on to conquer Yugoslavia and Greece and launched the invasion of the USSR in 1941.
• 1942 Nazi Germany was at the peak of its power, with most of Europe under the control of Germany and its allies.
• In the USSR, Hitler’s troops at first made rapid progress, advancing to the gates of Moscow and Leningrad, but the invasion turned into a war of attrition in which the German army was gradually ground down by the reviving Soviet Union.
• (Hitler learned the same lesson Napoleon had experienced earlier by not recognizing the “defense in depth” heritage of the ancient Scythians, the forebears of the Russians.)
• The end of World War II saw Germany dramatically reduced in size and divided into East and West.
• Meanwhile the USSR gained Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine, and occupied northern East Prussia, including Konigsburg (Kaliningrad).
• By 1949 much of Eastern Europe effectively became an extension of a massively expanded Soviet Empire.
• The Soviet Bloc also created a buffer zone between the USSR and the rest of Western Europe.
• In April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed by 10 Western European states, the U.S. and Canada to provide a military framework for cooperation in the face of what was seen as a common enemy.
• Relations between the West and the Soviet Union were plunged into the freeze known as “The Cold War.”
• World War II had left Europe scarred with deep ruins and despair.
• Many leaders realized that they could never let that happen again. However, numerous attempts at alliances and treaties were attempted, but doomed to failure. The roots of the tensions ran too deep.
Roman Empire – Phase II?
1951 April 18, Treaty of Paris European Coal and Steel Community. (Read up on it!)
1957 March 25, Treaties of Rome European Economic Community European Atomic Energy Community
1958 March 19; European Parliament
1959 BeNeLux Group formed
1967 Merger of EEC, ECSC, EAEC called the European Community
1973 UK, Ireland, & Denmark join. (Now there are 9)
1981 Greece joins (Now there are 10!)
1986 Spain and Portugal join (Now there are 12)
1986 Single Europe Act (SEA)
1990 German unification - The Berlin Wall comes down.
1993 Maastricht Treaty replaces the Treaty of Rome
1995 Austria, Sweden, and Finland join.
2002 The “Euro” is a common currency
Copenhagen Criteria:
There are 48 different countries that make up Europe.
• In June 1993, in Copenhagen, the European Council laid down for the first time the criteria it would apply to decide on the acceptability of candidates for membership.
It is required that a candidate country:
• Has achieved the stability of institutions guaranteeing
• democracy,
• the rule of law, human rights,
• and respect for and protection of minorities.
• Has a functioning market economy, as well as the capacity to cope with the competitive pressure and market forces within the Union.
• Has the ability to take on the obligations of membership, including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union.
• Since the fall of the Berlin wall they have been helping the candidate countries prepare themselves to fulfill these criteria.
• In the decade of the nineties they spent more than $85 billion dollars on so-called precession aid to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, about as much in real terms as the American Marshall plan in the immediate aftermath of WWII.
• This was not just to put the economies of these countries back on their feet.
It was also to help them build up democratic institutions, to encourage the development of civil society, to train administrations, in which the concept of public service is strong enough to overcome the temptation to corruption, and to help build judicial systems that citizens believe are independent and able to ensure that the rule of law holds
sway in practice and not just in theory.
Current Candidates As of 2004:
• Central European states
– Poland
– Hungary
– Czech Republic
– Slovakia
– Slovenia
• Baltic states
– Estonia
– Latvia
– Lithuania
• Mediterranean islands
– Cyprus
– Malta
*
Starts @7:23:33
Session 2 Future History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QmpXh3O6T4
Session 16: Europa Rising Part II:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
An Empire Being Revived?
• Maastricht in 1993 obsoleted the Treaty of Rome!
• Centralized European SuperState
– Common Foreign Policy
– Common Military
– Common Currency: Euro
– Common Judicial proposals
• Economic Potential larger than the U.S.
– 446 million population vs 280 million
Five EU Institutions:
The Commission—the EU Executive Function—is in Brussels (as is NATO Headquarters).
• The Parliament sits in Luxemburg;
• (It is interesting that its symbol is a woman riding a beast!)
• The Council of Ministers are in Strasbourg.
• The Court of Justice is in The Hague.
• The European Central Bank was established on 1 June 1998. It is based in Frankfurt and Main, Germany, and aims to maintain price stability and to conduct a single monetary policy across the euro area.
• The First 2nd Election European Parliament emblem is a “Woman Riding a Beast.”
• The 2nd Third Election European Parliament emblem
• Signed in: Rome (Italy) 25 March 1957
• The European Economic Community and Euratom were established in 1958 by the Treaties of Rome. The Common Assembly was shared by all three communities (which had separate executives) and it renamed itself the European Parliamentary Assembly.
• The first meeting was held on 19 March 1958 having been set up in Luxembourg, it elected Schuman as its president and on 13 May it rearranged itself to sit according to political ideology rather than nationality.
• This is seen as the birth of the modern European Parliament, with Parliament's 50 years celebrations being held in March 2008 rather than 2002.
Enlargement Commitments:
• 67.5% of 1999 direct investment into candidate countries was of EU origin.
• Over 6 years, total trade increased 300%:
That’s over €210.0 billion dollars per year.
• Member states run considerable surpluses on their export trade with candidate countries, which results in more jobs, more tax revenue and more money for social security systems: over €25.8 billion per year.
• In contrast, the U.S. has booked a record deficit not a surplus but deficit of $435 billion this year!
• Direct financial assistance to EU candidate countries is being provided through three instruments:
• The EU provides Direct assistance of €3.2 billion per year
– Phare, ISPA, and Sapard.
• Phare €1,620 million
• ISPA €1,080 million
• Sapard € 540 million
Remaining Candidates:
• Bulgaria 2007
• Romania 2007
• Turkey ?
Turkey: The Ataturk Legacy:
• Turkey is a member of NATO, they are not a member of the EU.
• Turkey is a major player in the End Times.
• Turkey is strategically placed between Europe and Asia.
• Turkey was once the capital of the world when the Roman Empire ruled, Turkey was moved to “Constantinople” and ruled for a 1,000 years.
• Turkeys population in (2017) was 79.81 million.
• Today the population is 81,916,871.
• Turkey established the “Ottoman Empire.”
• In the years following World War I, Kemal Ataturk aggressively transformed Turkey from a theocratic autocracy into a Western-oriented democracy:
• In 1922 he abolished the Sultanate.
• In 1924 he abolished the Caliphate and the religious courts.
• In 1925 he made it illegal to wear the fez (which he regarded as a symbol of backwardness).
• Having rid Turkey of the trappings of Islamic backwardness, Ataturk proceeded to adopt Western ways:
• In 1925 Turkey adopted the Western calendar.
• In 1926 it adopted the Swiss civil code (and later the Italian penal code).
• In 1928 the country switched to the Latin alphabet.
• In 1931, they adopted the metric system.
• In 1934 all Turks were obliged to take a surname (Mustafa Kemal became Kemal Ataturk), and the women were given the right to vote.
• Following World War II, Turkey joined all the main Western institutions:
The UN in 1945;
the IMF in 1947;
the OECD in 1948;
the Council of Europe in 1949;
NATO in 1951.
• In 1963, after four years of application, Turkey received associate membership in the European Community.
The European Rejection:
• The crisis began as Turkey applied for full membership of the European Community on April 14, 1987.
• Turkey’s associate membership agreement of 1963 specifically held out full membership as an eventual goal and their application in 1987 was ahead of Austria, Finland, Sweden, and Norway (whose applications have been accepted and expedited).
• Nevertheless, it was clear that they were rejected by the European Union.
• Since 2016 accession negotiations have stalled.
• On 26 June 2018, the EU's General Affairs Council stated that "the Council notes that Turkey has been moving further away from the European Union. Turkey’s accession negotiations have therefore effectively come to a standstill and no further chapters can be considered for opening or closing and no further work towards the modernization of the EU-Turkey Customs Union is foreseen."
• The Council added that it is "especially concerned about the continuing and deeply worrying backsliding on the rule of law and on fundamental rights including the freedom of expression.
Pressures over Iraq:
• Turkey declined to allow the U.S. use of its bases, despite a commitment of $80 billion in aid.
Why?
• Because it was pressured by France, previously favored by oil contracts with Iraq;
• Turkey lost its largest trading partner after the 1991 Gulf War.
• And, there was anti-U.S. sentiment in both Germany and France, as well as throughout Europe is substantial and growing.
EU Energy Reserves:
• On the whole, the members of the EU are net energy importers. Import dependency is forecast to grow in the future, as the European Commission estimates that the EU could be forced to import 70% of its total energy, and up to 90% of its oil in the next 20 to 30 years if no new measures are taken.
• Germany, Italy, and France are the EU’s largest net importers of energy; the United Kingdom is the only significant net exporter.
• EU oil is imported primarily from the Persian Gulf region, Norway, Russia, and North Africa. Russia also exports significant amounts of natural gas to the EU countries.
Strategic Changes:
Three major factors are bringing about a strategic change in the Middle East with regards to Turkey:
1) the deferrals by the European Union of Turkey’s application for full membership.
2) the opening up of the Turkic world of Central Asia.
3) the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Turkey.
Muslims In Europe (as % of population):
France (7.5%);
Netherlands (4.4%);
Germany (3.9%);
Britain (3.3%);
Spain (1.8%);
Denmark, Norway, Sweden (1.4%);
Italy (1.2%).
[cf. Economist, 10/20/01.]
Europe Total:
13 million;
Turkey has 63 million!
Turkey’s Prophetic Role?
• The famed Magog Invasion of Ezekiel 38 & 39 emphasizes the participating role of “Meshech and Tubal,” which were major cities of ancient Anatolia, from which the modern state of Turkey was formed.
• Although Turkey is presently pro-West, one can readily anticipate a refocusing towards the Islamic East…
• Turkey is a major player in this Russian led attack towards Israel.
The Magog Invasion Could Happen Before the 7 Year Tribulation:
• Turkey and Russia could attack Israel before the 70th Week.
Sino-Magog Alliance:
1999: NATO Redefined itself as a world police force.
• Both Allies and Adversaries were chilled by this announcement…
2001: The Shanghai Pact was formed with Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was formed to resist the “hegemony” (the leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.) of the United States.
• Russia
• China
• Central Asia
• Are all concerned with the dominance of the United States of America.
EU Prospectus 48 Political Units:
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Single Foreign Policy?
The challenges in formulating a unified foreign policy are legion. Some issues:
• Several members have historically been neutral—notably Sweden, Finland and Ireland. To develop a single EU foreign policy will likely necessitate some reorientation of these countries’ foreign policy outlook
— a change which their populations may oppose.
• Many of the EU members
— notably the UK, France, Portugal and Spain
— had extensive colonial possessions with which they have continued to maintain and foster close links.
Logically, for a single EU foreign policy to develop, these countries will eventually have to submerge their peculiar interests and relationships with third parties to a single EU position.
• The UK and France currently hold two of the five permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
• For a single EU foreign policy to be developed, a logical requirement is the resignation of those seats in favor of a single EU seat on the Council.
• However, there is currently no plan to revise the situation and neither country appears ready to discuss changing their status at the UN.
• With the eastward expansion of the EU and the approximate doubling of the EU’s membership, the range of foreign policy interests will broaden dramatically.
• In particular the relationship between the EU and Russia will likely become a far more central foreign and security policy concern.
• Unanimity is required for the EU to take action.
• As a consequence, the probability that the EU will achieve a consensus is likely to decrease with enlargement.
• At the very least, the time taken to negotiate a common position is likely to increase, thereby restricting the speed and hence effectiveness of a common foreign policy.
Economic Summary: The Euro
• The Euro was introduced as legal currency in 2002.
• 12 Member states are currently participating (Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom not currently participating).
• The European Central Bank has been quietly stockpiling gold, pursuing the goal of making the Euro an asset-based currency (in contrast to the U.S. dollar, which is debt-based).
€ vs. $:
Central Bank Reserves: U.S. $ 68% Euros € 13%
International Monetary Fund, 2001
Global Bond Market:
U.S. $46%
Euro €24%
EU Economy:
It would be a mistake to underestimate the sophistication of the European Industrial establishment. While a substantial part of Europe
— Especially in the new candidate countries
— is agricultural, their potential for growth will become readily apparent as we build a quantitative assessment…
EU UN Participation:
• There are currently four EU nations on the Security Council (France, Germany, Spain, UK), two of which are permanent members, as well as one nation currently applying for membership in the EU (Bulgaria).
• All EU member and candidate nations are members of the UN, and they hold various committee and council positions. This includes nine spots on the Economic and Social Council as well as the presidency of the general assembly. After the enlargement, the EU will make up 25 of the 191 members (13%).
UN Security Council Reform?
• The Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov presented Russia’s proposals for overhauling the UN. Among other things, Moscow suggested that the UNSC include five other permanent members, such as Germany, Japan, as well as one Asian country, one African country and one American country.
(Russia suggested that India become a permanent UNSC member.) According to Ivanov, • Europe is divided on this proposal because Italy and Spain both claimed the right to be represented in the UNSC.
European Constitution:
• A draft copy of the European Union constitution, prepared for submission to the members states, contains no specific reference to God despite strong pressure from conservatives, and from the Vatican.
• The question whether the text should mention God, or Christianity, caused one of the most heated debates in the preparatory body, the Convention for the Future of Europe, consisting of representatives of all the EU member states and soon-to-be states, and chaired by former French president Valery Giscard d’Estaing.
• All 15 EU members and 10 countries due to join next year are formally Christian states, although most
— Including Italy, France, and Spain
— Make no reference to their Christian roots in their respective constitutions.
• Secularists at the convention contended that a clearly pluralist modern Europe had moved beyond a need to include a reference to a particular religion or any religion at all.
• When former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton, the representative of Ireland (whose constitution opens with a solemn invocation to the Holy Ghost) formally proposed including a mention of Christianity, the proposal failed to muster enough support.
The document now goes to the 25 member countries for parliamentary approval.
• Sources said several European countries were nervous about creating resentment among their large Islamic immigrant populations.
What’s Next?
Will an Eastern leg also emerge?
When and where will a SuperLeader emerge?
“The Assyrian”? (Micah 5:5,6; Isaiah 10; et al.).
What will the role of Babylon be? Is it literal? Or a coded symbol? Or both?
Sources:
• National Security Forum, Air War College.
• European Union website (www.europa.eu.int).
• Encyclopedia Britannica.
• Encarta® Reference Library.
• BBC and other news sources.
• Courcy Intelligence Service and others.
• William I. Hitchcock, The Struggle for Europe, Doubleday, London, 2003.
• Private correspondence & interviews.
Monitor The Strategic Trends:
https://www.khouse.org/strategic_trends/europe/full_details/
The European Union has steadily moved forward in its attempt to unite Europe politically and economically. It has succeeded in creating a European parliament, a court and, in the near future, a common currency.
January 1, 1999, marked the beginning of the European Monetary Union (EMU) with 11 member countries locking the value of their currency, called the Euro, which actually appeared in 2002. The Euro has the potential to become a strong force in the international monetary scene, possibly supplanting the dollar as the world's currency of choice.
Great Britian will not be joining the EMU at the present time. There has been a great distrust of what Britian sees as a German-dominated monetary union. The debate is still raging between conservatives who wish to remain independent of the continent and those in the liberal camps who do not wish to be left behind when Europe becomes a superpower.
One of the more controversial ideas put forward at a recent European summit was a plan for a European income tax to finance the European Union. The proposal was forwarded by the President of the European Parliament, Jose Maria Gil-Robles. In his view, the direct taxtion of the people would more closely involve individual citizens with the European government.
Other issues of concern to the European Union include the admission of new members into the union, which has created a heated debate. Some of hte countries seeking membership are at odds with each other, like Greek Cyprus and Turkey. Settling these membership questions will take time.
[See The Coming World Leader for more on the eventual leader of this ultima te superstate.]
? Return to the most recent links
K-HOUSE ARTICLES
The 2nd Annual KI Conference: Strategic Perspectives II by Chuck Missler
European Union Update: Poland's Balancing Act by Chuck Missler
The New Challenges: Europa Rising: Part IV by Chuck Missler
The 'New Europe' Arises Europa Rising: Part III by Chuck Missler
Profiles in Prophecy Series: Europa Rising: Part II by Chuck Missler
Profiles in Prophecy Series: Europa Rising: Part I by Chuck Missler
EU Update: The European Union: Evolving into a Federalized Superpower by Carol Loeffler
The March Toward Tyranny: The Man On Horseback by Chuck Missler
Spyglass Conference 2018
Ron Matsen
Joel Richardson -
The Underground Episode 47 The Antichrist, Turkey, and the Coming Caliphate - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf6p_PVEvjI
https://joelstrumpet.com/
Jay Seegert - http://www.thestartingpointproject.com/
William Federer - https://americanminute.com/pages/about
Bob Cornuke - https://baseinstitute.org/
Dr. William Welty - http://www.khouse.org/articles/2014/1202/
and https://prophecyinthenews.com/tag/dr-william-welty/
Insight from the Inside: Arsdale, Anderson, McKim, McGrath
Sandy Adams - https://www.sandyadams.org/
Frank Turek
Jason Elam
Josh McDowell
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
Chapter 11:36 - 12:13
Summary:
• A world ruler.
• A world religion.
• A world war.
• A time of tribulation for Israel.
• Deliverance at the end of the tribulation.
• Resurrection and judgment.
• Reward of the righteous.
The Little Horn: Antiochus Epiphanes
Daniel 8:9-11
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Daniel 8:20-25
The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. 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. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
The Willful King Daniel 11:36-39:
36] And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.
37] Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38] But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39] Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
The Armageddon Scenario Daniel 11:40-45:
Verses 40-45 seem to outline the “Armageddon Scenario” of the final conflict climaxing in Revelation 16, 19, etc.
Chapter 12 continues, with a clear description of the Tribulation period.
40] And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
41] He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
42] He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43] But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
44] But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
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.
Daniel 12 The Climax of All History:
1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Remember: Chapter 12 is in Hebrew—Israel is the focus.
Refers to Daniel’s people, not the Church (Dan 9:16, 19, 24, 10:14; 12:1).
“At that time” (3X) What time? (Dan 9:27). be, “during” = continuation.
Michael (“your prince”) = the angel who oversees Israel. Mentioned 4X in Scripture.
Who is he always battling? Satan (Rev 12:7-9).
[Note “dignity”: Jude 9; Cf. Dan 10:13-21.
Satan is a created being...( vs. “Christ & Satan.”) vs. traditions: Milton, Dante, Goethe, et al.
Where does he rule? not Hell: here! We’re on his turf.
Paradoxes: ignoring vs. overreaction...]
“Time of (Jacob’s) Trouble”:
• Jesus quotes this verse (Mt 24:21; Mk 13:19(!); Rev 7:14);
• “Time of Jacob’s trouble” (Deut 4:30; Jer 30:7; Joel 2:2); parallel to Dan 11:40-45; Cf. Ex 9:18, 24 ;
• Israel to “pass under the rod” (Ezek 20:34-38);
• “Furnace of affliction” (Ezek 22:18-22);
• Only 1/3 spared (Zech 13:8,9);
• Woman (Rev 12);
— Satan cast out (Rev 12:10); No longer able to accuse;
• Thy people (2X) shall be delivered...” (Dan 7:18, 27; Zech 12:10; 13:8-9; Jer 30:7,11; Isa 14:12-17; Job 1:6; 2:1-7; Zech 3:1-5; Rev 12:6-7).
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.
• There seems to be no passage in Scripture which teaches that the Old Testament saints will be raised at the time the church is raptured; before the final tribulation.
Note to self: When Jesus arose from the dead, the saints also rose up.
Hebrew sharply separates two classes of resurrection:
“And many from among the sleepers of the dust of the earth shall awake; these shall be
unto everlasting life; but those, the rest of the sleepers, those who do not awake at this time, shall be unto shame and everlasting contempt.”
(Tregelles, Culber, Seiss, Nathaniel West); Rev 20:5, 12-13.
“Shame, contempt”: olam (everlasting) modifies both.
An eternal state for the wicked!
“First Resurrection” is a class, not an event: Christ, the firstfruits of them that slept; the rapture; and the two witnesses are all in the “first” resurrection.
“Many” …but not “all”:
• Abraham Gen 22:5; Heb 11:19
• Job Job 19:25-26
• Isaiah Isa 26:19(!)
• Hosea Hos 13:14
• of Christ Ps 16:9-10
3] And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
This is the first occurrence of “everlasting life” in the Old Testament?
Ps 16:10; 49:15; Isa 25:8; 26:19; Hos 13:14; Heb 11:17,18; cf. Dan 11:33.
Jewish “teachers”: Dan 11:33-35; Rev 7:4-8; 11:2-12.
“brightness of the expanse”: Zachar, to be brilliant.
“lights”: Mt 5:14-16; Jn 5:35; Eph 5:8; 2 Cor 4:6; 1 Cor 15:41-42.
“Elect”?
• Elect? (Mt 24:22); 144,000 (Rev 7:4);
Saved (Rom 11:26).
“Israel, Mine Elect” (Isa 45:4); Isa 11:11; 27:12-13; Jer 30:7; Ezek 37:21-28;
Hos 3:4-5; Amos 9:11-15.
• New Testament
— “God’s Elect”: Rom 8:33; Col 3:12.
[John the Baptist: Mt 11:11,12.]
• “Spiritual resurrection”? Dead in sins (Eph 2:1; 4:18);
Quickened by the Word of God (Rom 10:17; Heb 4:12);
Has passed from death to life (Jn 5:24; Eph 2:5-6).
• “National resurrection”? Isa 26:12-19; Jer 16:14-15; Ezek 20:33-44;
37:1-28 (Gaebelein, Kelly, Ironside: national, not bodily(?);
To support Old Testament at the rapture).
• Second Resurrection? Eph 4:8-10; 1 Pet 3:18-20; Mt 27:52-53; Isa 61:1,2; 2 Cor 5:1-8; Rev 20:5,6;
Rapture?:
• Only the Church?
• “Written in the book” Ex 32:32, 33; Ps 69:28; Lk 10:20; Rev 13:8; 17:8; 20:15; 21:27. Not all prepared (Ezek 20:33-38).
• Israel “blinded” until Rom 11:25.
• Blotted out? Ex 32:31-33; Ps 69:28; cf. Rev 3:5.
• Not all “saints” or “elect” are the same.
See our briefing pack, The Rapture, for a more detailed study…
4] But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
• “Revealed” in the last days; primary application to “the time of the end.”
[The Book of Revelation is not sealed (Rev 22:10; 1:3).]
Hebrew hadda’at, “the knowledge,” i.e. this prophecy.
• Link with v.3 (vs. Amos 8:12). Israel’s blindness to be relieved (Rom 11:25).
Sealing: made secure; preserved; until end (11:35,40).
“to/fro” = search: 2 Chr 16:9; Jer 5:1; 49:3; Amos 8:12; Zech 4:10.
(Daniel was now over 80 years old.) [If Knowledge doubles each decade?
Then, 50% of all “knowledge” has been added these past 10 years!?]
5] Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.
6] And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river,
How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
Jesus is “man” in linen?
Two others were probably angels.
Two witnesses: Deut 19:15; 31:28; 2 Cor 13:1.
7] And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
3 ½ years (Dan 7:25; 12:7; Rev 11:2; 13:5); 1260 days; 42 months; midweek...
Oath: Gen 14:22; Deut 32:40; Rev 10:5-7.
8] And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
• Daniel did not understand. (Theory of inspiration!?)
9] And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
“Go” (mental attitude): Words sealed.
10] Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Wicked will not understand (1 Cor 2:14; 21 Thess 2:11; Rev 22:11,12).
11] And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12] Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
13] But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
• 30 days between 1260 and 1290 are unrevealed.
Tamid, regular ceremonies (8:11; 11:21).
45 days: judgments? Ezek 20:34-38; Mt 25:31-46.
Start of Millennium?
Borders of Gen 15:18?
So closes the most comprehensive prophetic revelation in the Old Testament.
A Type of the Antichrist:
1. “He shall cause craft to prosper in his hand.” No man will be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark of the beast (Rev 13:17).
2. “He shall magnify himself in his heart.” He is given a mouth speaking blasphemies, with power to continue 42 months (Rev 13:5)
3. “By peace shall destroy many.” The rider on the white horse; then comes the red horse of war—thus, a false peace (Rev 6).
4. “He shall stand up against the Prince of princes.” The 1st beast of Rev
13 is against Christ (Rev 13).
Summary:
• He will achieve great power by subduing others (v.24);
• He will rise to power by promising false security (v.25);
• He will be intelligent and persuasive (v.23);
• He will be controlled by another, Satan (v.24);
• He will be an adversary of Israel and subjugate Israel to his authority (vv.24-25);
• He will rise up in opposition to the Prince of princes, the Lord Jesus Christ (v.25);
• His rule will be terminated by divine judgment (v.25).
*
Starts @6:30:00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QmpXh3O6T4
Rebuilding the Empire
Daniel 2: The “Times of the Gentiles”
• Just as Daniel predicted (Daniel 2 & 7, see figure below), the Babylonian Empire was ultimately conquered by the Persians; the Persians were, in turn, conquered by the Greeks; and, the Greeks were conquered by the Romans.
• But who conquered the Romans?
• No one! The Roman Empire ultimately disintegrated into pieces.
The Roman Empire, Phase I:
– 146 BC Rome conquers Greece
– 133 BC Lysimachus’ kingdom falls
– 64 BC Seleucus’ kingdom falls
– 44 BC Julius Caesar assassinated
– 31 BC Battle of Actium; Egypt falls
• AD 64 Nero begins his persecutions
– AD 284 Diocletian divides it into 2 (The Western Leg was Europe and the Eastern Leg was known as the Byzantium Empire, now known as Syria and Iraq)
– AD 312 Constantine moves the capital to Byzantium and renames it “Constantinople” the New Rome.
– AD 476 Empire will fragment into pieces Each remaining segment had its “day in the sun.”
• The seven empires are also the focus of Revelation 17:
• And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. - Revelation 17:10
• The "five are fallen" would seem to refer to the five kingdoms that had preceded John's day: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece.
• The "one is" would seem to be the one existing when John was writing: Rome, in its "first phase."
• The "other is not yet come" would seem to point to that final world empire that will be taken over by the "11th horn." The following verse also focuses on this final empire:
-Revelation 17:11
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
• It would seem that this final "eighth" empire is one "that was, and is not," and yet is among the list of seven. The only empire among the seven that doesn't exist in some form today is Assyria.
• It strangely disappeared from history until the sensational discoveries of Henry Layard in 1849.
Early Europe:
• Europe emerged out of the shadow of the Roman Empire during a period of cultural change in the Mediterranean that lasted from about A.D. 350 to 600.
• After the capital of the empire was moved from Rome to Byzantium (Constantinople, the “New Rome”) in the 4th century, the western part of the Empire began to disintegrate as major tribal groups continued to encroach on the remnants of “Pax Roma,” each bringing their unique background into the mix.
• The Vikings from the north, and the Muslims from the south, and the Magyars from the east; each had their impact, challenging the durability of the cohesiveness that once was Rome.
However, the laws, the cultures, the religions
• In each region, unique identities evolved that were tied to local or vernacular languages and sets of traditions that explained their history, values, and claims to the land. At the same time, because these regions had inherited the Roman Christian culture embodied in Latin literacy, they developed a shared identity as members of western Christendom.
• This common culture distinguished Europeans from neighboring peoples in the Islamic regimes and the barbarians in the east.
As Rome receded, new cultural forces swept across Europe. The migration and settlement of various Germanic peoples, the so-called barbarians, filtered into the
western European territories of the Roman Empire for several centuries.
• By 500, when Rome no longer effectively controlled the west, Europe was divided into different homelands for various ethnic groups:
• The Ostrogoths settled in Italy;
• The Visigoths found a home in Iberia (present-day Spain and Portugal);
• The Franks who flourished in Gaul (present day France who are descendants of the Germans);
• The Angles and Saxons occupied parts of the British Isles.
—They adopted Christianity in its many different forms.
—They developed a monetary and linguistic infrastructure which were the threads and fabric that would ultimately be regathered into the final tapestry.
Europa Rising: Part II Profiles in Prophecy Series:
https://www.khouse.org/articles/2003/473/
Destiny’s Caldron:
• By the 9th century, the fragile balance of Roman Christian and Germanic traditions was disrupted by a sometimes violent influx of new peoples (see map below).
• These peoples were integrated into European society through some of the same mechanisms of settlement, conversion, and negotiation that had established the earlier wave of immigrants.
• These invasions initiated another phase of ethnogenesis: Europe’s frontier regions developed new identities, and the central kingdoms redefined themselves.
[The fact that the older kingdoms in the British Isles, France, and Germany recovered their equilibrium after these assaults underscores the strength of the earlier synthesis of Roman, Christian, and Germanic traditions.]
• The newcomers (the Muslims, the Vikings, and the Magyars) came from three directions and caused panic throughout Europe.
• Muslim raiders attacked Europe’s coastline from their Mediterranean bases in the south.
• Their incursions were halted in the West by Charles Martel’s forces in the famous battle at Tours in 731.
• Scandinavian Vikings came from the north. These seafaring groups of landless Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian warriors sought fame and fortune through plundering, trading, or demanding tribute from fearful residents in the British Isles and around the coastal and river regions of the continent.
• Some of these Viking groups eventually established settlements and integrated with the local populations.
• For example, they explored Greenland and beyond, colonized Iceland, negotiated control of eastern England, built Dublin in Ireland, founded Normandy in northern France, and established the Kievan dynasty in Russia.
• Nomadic Magogians (known also as Magyars or Scythians) came from the Asiatic steppes in the east (a region that includes present-day Kazakhstan they controlled southwestern Russia all the way to China) and eventually settled in Hungary and converted to Christianity.
• The Great Wall of China was built to keep them out.
• Europe fragmented in response to these waves of attacks. Each region developed new alliances and new identities.
• In 1450, the Muslims even overran Byzantium, ending the eastern leg of the original Roman Empire.
The “Holy Roman Empire”:
• The “Holy Roman Empire” had its origins in the empire established by the Frankish king Charlemagne in A.D. 800, he was crowned by Pope Leo III as “Emperor of the Romans.”
• That was the first use of that title since the fall of the Western Roman Empire in A.D. 476.
• Although Charlemagne’s kingdom soon disintegrated in 843, the concept of the “Holy Roman Empire” was to endure for another 1,000 years.
• Early in the 13th century the Holy Roman Empire was engulfed in a civil war between rival German princes vying for the title of emperor.
• Emperor Frederick II, known as “the wonder of the world,” restored power and prestige to the empire, bringing it to one of its highest points since the death of Charlemagne.
• However, in order to win the support of the German princes, he greatly increased their independence within the empire.
• As a result, after Frederick’s death in 1250, the title of “Holy Roman Emperor” was claimed by many different princes and lords, and civil war began again within the empire.
• Through advantageous alliances with other kingdoms, Emperor Charles V came to control more territory than any Holy Roman Emperor before him.
• He was already ruler of extensive areas in Europe, America and parts of Africa in 1530 when he became Holy Roman Emperor.
— But he was the last to be crowned by the pope. Charles struggled to maintain his empire against outside threats, but his possessions gradually dwindled as territories were captured or ceded.
• After the death of Charles V, the Holy Roman Empire continued to decline in both area and importance, until it was finally dissolved by Emperor Francis II in 1806, following the defeats in the Napoleonic Wars.
• Francis proclaimed himself the emperor of Austria and allied Austria with Britain and Russia to fight Napoleon.
• The united powers defeated Napoleon in 1814, and at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Francis recovered most of the territory he had lost.
The Legacy:
In truth, the empire had existed more in the realm of ideas than as a political or administrative reality.
• Voltaire gave us his classic summary:“It was neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire.”
– Its legacy, however, endured.
• The ancient obsession with Italy, the costly conflicts with the papacy, and the continuous resistance of German nobles to any strong central authority had made the empire essentially ungovernable for over five centuries.
• Hitler dubbed his machine “The Third Reich” the Third (Roman) Empire, it’s a concept, that lingers.
The Thirty Years’ War:
• The great powers of 16th-century Europe were England, France, Spain, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire.
• The network of relations between powerful states first emerged in Europe during the 16th century and solidified during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648)
• The Thirty Years War began as a Protestant revolt against the Catholic Controlled Government led by King Ferdinand.
• The Thirty Years War resulted in the defeat of the Habsburgs by a coalition of nations, including France, Sweden, and the German principalities.
• Creating the Dutch Nation.
• Napoleon Bonaparte was Corsican, but the french believed him to be French.
• He was born in 1769 A.D. in Ajaccio, Corsica and died in 1821 A.D.
• The young Napoleon Bonaparte was sent from a small island in Corsica, to a military school in France, he graduated in 1785.
• He joined the French artillery in 1788 and began a military career that would change history.
• He conquered much of Western Europe and became one the greatest military leaders of all time.
• In 1793 Napoleon promoted to Brigadier General, he overthrew the French government and takes the crown from the Pope crowned himself.
• In 1798, the “Battle of the Nile”, Napoleon was defeated by a small British Armada commanded by Horatio Nelson.
• The destruction of the French Fleet guranteed the Naval Supremacy of the British throughout the Mediterranean.
• At the opening of the French Revolutionary Wars, Great Britain was Europe’s pre-eminent economic and naval power.
• After Napoleon took control of France in 1799, he led a campaign to dominate the continent through wars with Great Britain, Austria, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire.
• His attempt to redraw the map of Europe threatened the long-standing British conviction that its security required prevention of a hegemonic power on the European continent.
• The sinking of the French fleet at Trafalgar in 1805 destroyed Napoleon’s hopes of invading the UK. Ultimately, Napoleon’s defeat came at the hands of a British-led army at Waterloo in 1815.
• 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with disastrous results.
• Napoleon had 54 victories and 8 defeats
World War I a.k.a. The Great War:
• 1912 to 1914 Nationalist aspirations made the Balkans volatile.
• Seeing the decline of the Turkish Ottoman Empire as an opportunity to extend their territories, newly independent Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece attacked the Ottomans in 1912.
• In 1914 in order to manage their rivalries and fearing nationalist unrest, the Great Powers of Europe formed rival alliances called the Triple Alliance :
• Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed the “Triple Alliance,” while Russia, the UK and France formed the “Triple Entente.”
eNews For The Week Of June 06, 2016
https://www.khouse.org/enews/2016-06-06/
This is a very good and in-depth article on the old and new wars.
• A secret agreement between France and Britain, the Sykes-Picot Agreement, included dividing up the Middle East, which laid the foundation of the caldron that continues to this day.
• As Russia and Austria-Hungary intervened in the fighting that broke out in the Balkans, the rest of Europe found itself sucked into “The Great War” (as it was called before we learned we had to count them).
• This period also brought other events that were to impact the decades ahead.
Revolution and civil war plunged Russia, Germany and the remains of Austria-Hungary into chaos in the years that followed World War I. The Europe that emerged from this period was radically different: the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires had disappeared and a host of smaller states had appeared.
• The Russian revolution of 1917 led to the creation of the Soviet Union, a self-declared revolutionary socialist state.
• The League of Nations gave Britain the Mandate to provide a homeland for the Jews, but Britain peeled off 75% of that land to create the state of Jordan for the Palestinians.
World War II:
• Reeling from the excesses of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany rallied behind Adolf Hitler in a quest to reestablish themselves.
• In 1938 Hitler annexed his native Austria and through deceits and intimidation succeeded in annexing Sudetenland, the strategic part of Czechoslovakia.
• Britain and France abrogated their commitments to defend it, convinced that the appeasement would bring “peace in our time.”
• But the rest of Czechoslovakia was then quickly overrun, and the subsequent invasion of Poland in September 1939 forced Britain and France, who had also promised to protect it, to declare war on Germany.
• World War II began.
• Later that month the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, and Poland was then partitioned between Germany and the Soviet Union.
• The Soviet Union attacked Finland in the winter of 1939-40 and annexed the Baltic States and northern Romania.
• Germany went on to conquer Yugoslavia and Greece and launched the invasion of the USSR in 1941.
• 1942 Nazi Germany was at the peak of its power, with most of Europe under the control of Germany and its allies.
• In the USSR, Hitler’s troops at first made rapid progress, advancing to the gates of Moscow and Leningrad, but the invasion turned into a war of attrition in which the German army was gradually ground down by the reviving Soviet Union.
• (Hitler learned the same lesson Napoleon had experienced earlier by not recognizing the “defense in depth” heritage of the ancient Scythians, the forebears of the Russians.)
• The end of World War II saw Germany dramatically reduced in size and divided into East and West.
• Meanwhile the USSR gained Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine, and occupied northern East Prussia, including Konigsburg (Kaliningrad).
• By 1949 much of Eastern Europe effectively became an extension of a massively expanded Soviet Empire.
• The Soviet Bloc also created a buffer zone between the USSR and the rest of Western Europe.
• In April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed by 10 Western European states, the U.S. and Canada to provide a military framework for cooperation in the face of what was seen as a common enemy.
• Relations between the West and the Soviet Union were plunged into the freeze known as “The Cold War.”
• World War II had left Europe scarred with deep ruins and despair.
• Many leaders realized that they could never let that happen again. However, numerous attempts at alliances and treaties were attempted, but doomed to failure. The roots of the tensions ran too deep.
Roman Empire – Phase II?
1951 April 18, Treaty of Paris European Coal and Steel Community. (Read up on it!)
1957 March 25, Treaties of Rome European Economic Community European Atomic Energy Community
1958 March 19; European Parliament
1959 BeNeLux Group formed
1967 Merger of EEC, ECSC, EAEC called the European Community
1973 UK, Ireland, & Denmark join. (Now there are 9)
1981 Greece joins (Now there are 10!)
1986 Spain and Portugal join (Now there are 12)
1986 Single Europe Act (SEA)
1990 German unification - The Berlin Wall comes down.
1993 Maastricht Treaty replaces the Treaty of Rome
1995 Austria, Sweden, and Finland join.
2002 The “Euro” is a common currency
Copenhagen Criteria:
There are 48 different countries that make up Europe.
• In June 1993, in Copenhagen, the European Council laid down for the first time the criteria it would apply to decide on the acceptability of candidates for membership.
It is required that a candidate country:
• Has achieved the stability of institutions guaranteeing
• democracy,
• the rule of law, human rights,
• and respect for and protection of minorities.
• Has a functioning market economy, as well as the capacity to cope with the competitive pressure and market forces within the Union.
• Has the ability to take on the obligations of membership, including adherence to the aims of political, economic and monetary union.
• Since the fall of the Berlin wall they have been helping the candidate countries prepare themselves to fulfill these criteria.
• In the decade of the nineties they spent more than $85 billion dollars on so-called precession aid to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, about as much in real terms as the American Marshall plan in the immediate aftermath of WWII.
• This was not just to put the economies of these countries back on their feet.
It was also to help them build up democratic institutions, to encourage the development of civil society, to train administrations, in which the concept of public service is strong enough to overcome the temptation to corruption, and to help build judicial systems that citizens believe are independent and able to ensure that the rule of law holds
sway in practice and not just in theory.
Current Candidates As of 2004:
• Central European states
– Poland
– Hungary
– Czech Republic
– Slovakia
– Slovenia
• Baltic states
– Estonia
– Latvia
– Lithuania
• Mediterranean islands
– Cyprus
– Malta
*
Starts @7:23:33
Session 2 Future History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QmpXh3O6T4
Session 16: Europa Rising Part II:
• Chapters 8 through 12 is in Hebrew, because the focus is on Israel.
An Empire Being Revived?
• Maastricht in 1993 obsoleted the Treaty of Rome!
• Centralized European SuperState
– Common Foreign Policy
– Common Military
– Common Currency: Euro
– Common Judicial proposals
• Economic Potential larger than the U.S.
– 446 million population vs 280 million
Five EU Institutions:
The Commission—the EU Executive Function—is in Brussels (as is NATO Headquarters).
• The Parliament sits in Luxemburg;
• (It is interesting that its symbol is a woman riding a beast!)
• The Council of Ministers are in Strasbourg.
• The Court of Justice is in The Hague.
• The European Central Bank was established on 1 June 1998. It is based in Frankfurt and Main, Germany, and aims to maintain price stability and to conduct a single monetary policy across the euro area.
• The First 2nd Election European Parliament emblem is a “Woman Riding a Beast.”
• The 2nd Third Election European Parliament emblem
• Signed in: Rome (Italy) 25 March 1957
• The European Economic Community and Euratom were established in 1958 by the Treaties of Rome. The Common Assembly was shared by all three communities (which had separate executives) and it renamed itself the European Parliamentary Assembly.
• The first meeting was held on 19 March 1958 having been set up in Luxembourg, it elected Schuman as its president and on 13 May it rearranged itself to sit according to political ideology rather than nationality.
• This is seen as the birth of the modern European Parliament, with Parliament's 50 years celebrations being held in March 2008 rather than 2002.
Enlargement Commitments:
• 67.5% of 1999 direct investment into candidate countries was of EU origin.
• Over 6 years, total trade increased 300%:
That’s over €210.0 billion dollars per year.
• Member states run considerable surpluses on their export trade with candidate countries, which results in more jobs, more tax revenue and more money for social security systems: over €25.8 billion per year.
• In contrast, the U.S. has booked a record deficit not a surplus but deficit of $435 billion this year!
• Direct financial assistance to EU candidate countries is being provided through three instruments:
• The EU provides Direct assistance of €3.2 billion per year
– Phare, ISPA, and Sapard.
• Phare €1,620 million
• ISPA €1,080 million
• Sapard € 540 million
Remaining Candidates:
• Bulgaria 2007
• Romania 2007
• Turkey ?
Turkey: The Ataturk Legacy:
• Turkey is a member of NATO, they are not a member of the EU.
• Turkey is a major player in the End Times.
• Turkey is strategically placed between Europe and Asia.
• Turkey was once the capital of the world when the Roman Empire ruled, Turkey was moved to “Constantinople” and ruled for a 1,000 years.
• Turkeys population in (2017) was 79.81 million.
• Today the population is 81,916,871.
• Turkey established the “Ottoman Empire.”
• In the years following World War I, Kemal Ataturk aggressively transformed Turkey from a theocratic autocracy into a Western-oriented democracy:
• In 1922 he abolished the Sultanate.
• In 1924 he abolished the Caliphate and the religious courts.
• In 1925 he made it illegal to wear the fez (which he regarded as a symbol of backwardness).
• Having rid Turkey of the trappings of Islamic backwardness, Ataturk proceeded to adopt Western ways:
• In 1925 Turkey adopted the Western calendar.
• In 1926 it adopted the Swiss civil code (and later the Italian penal code).
• In 1928 the country switched to the Latin alphabet.
• In 1931, they adopted the metric system.
• In 1934 all Turks were obliged to take a surname (Mustafa Kemal became Kemal Ataturk), and the women were given the right to vote.
• Following World War II, Turkey joined all the main Western institutions:
The UN in 1945;
the IMF in 1947;
the OECD in 1948;
the Council of Europe in 1949;
NATO in 1951.
• In 1963, after four years of application, Turkey received associate membership in the European Community.
The European Rejection:
• The crisis began as Turkey applied for full membership of the European Community on April 14, 1987.
• Turkey’s associate membership agreement of 1963 specifically held out full membership as an eventual goal and their application in 1987 was ahead of Austria, Finland, Sweden, and Norway (whose applications have been accepted and expedited).
• Nevertheless, it was clear that they were rejected by the European Union.
• Since 2016 accession negotiations have stalled.
• On 26 June 2018, the EU's General Affairs Council stated that "the Council notes that Turkey has been moving further away from the European Union. Turkey’s accession negotiations have therefore effectively come to a standstill and no further chapters can be considered for opening or closing and no further work towards the modernization of the EU-Turkey Customs Union is foreseen."
• The Council added that it is "especially concerned about the continuing and deeply worrying backsliding on the rule of law and on fundamental rights including the freedom of expression.
Pressures over Iraq:
• Turkey declined to allow the U.S. use of its bases, despite a commitment of $80 billion in aid.
Why?
• Because it was pressured by France, previously favored by oil contracts with Iraq;
• Turkey lost its largest trading partner after the 1991 Gulf War.
• And, there was anti-U.S. sentiment in both Germany and France, as well as throughout Europe is substantial and growing.
EU Energy Reserves:
• On the whole, the members of the EU are net energy importers. Import dependency is forecast to grow in the future, as the European Commission estimates that the EU could be forced to import 70% of its total energy, and up to 90% of its oil in the next 20 to 30 years if no new measures are taken.
• Germany, Italy, and France are the EU’s largest net importers of energy; the United Kingdom is the only significant net exporter.
• EU oil is imported primarily from the Persian Gulf region, Norway, Russia, and North Africa. Russia also exports significant amounts of natural gas to the EU countries.
Strategic Changes:
Three major factors are bringing about a strategic change in the Middle East with regards to Turkey:
1) the deferrals by the European Union of Turkey’s application for full membership.
2) the opening up of the Turkic world of Central Asia.
3) the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Turkey.
Muslims In Europe (as % of population):
France (7.5%);
Netherlands (4.4%);
Germany (3.9%);
Britain (3.3%);
Spain (1.8%);
Denmark, Norway, Sweden (1.4%);
Italy (1.2%).
[cf. Economist, 10/20/01.]
Europe Total:
13 million;
Turkey has 63 million!
Turkey’s Prophetic Role?
• The famed Magog Invasion of Ezekiel 38 & 39 emphasizes the participating role of “Meshech and Tubal,” which were major cities of ancient Anatolia, from which the modern state of Turkey was formed.
• Although Turkey is presently pro-West, one can readily anticipate a refocusing towards the Islamic East…
• Turkey is a major player in this Russian led attack towards Israel.
The Magog Invasion Could Happen Before the 7 Year Tribulation:
• Turkey and Russia could attack Israel before the 70th Week.
Sino-Magog Alliance:
1999: NATO Redefined itself as a world police force.
• Both Allies and Adversaries were chilled by this announcement…
2001: The Shanghai Pact was formed with Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was formed to resist the “hegemony” (the leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.) of the United States.
• Russia
• China
• Central Asia
• Are all concerned with the dominance of the United States of America.
EU Prospectus 48 Political Units:
Albania
Andorra
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Belgium
Bosnia
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Single Foreign Policy?
The challenges in formulating a unified foreign policy are legion. Some issues:
• Several members have historically been neutral—notably Sweden, Finland and Ireland. To develop a single EU foreign policy will likely necessitate some reorientation of these countries’ foreign policy outlook
— a change which their populations may oppose.
• Many of the EU members
— notably the UK, France, Portugal and Spain
— had extensive colonial possessions with which they have continued to maintain and foster close links.
Logically, for a single EU foreign policy to develop, these countries will eventually have to submerge their peculiar interests and relationships with third parties to a single EU position.
• The UK and France currently hold two of the five permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
• For a single EU foreign policy to be developed, a logical requirement is the resignation of those seats in favor of a single EU seat on the Council.
• However, there is currently no plan to revise the situation and neither country appears ready to discuss changing their status at the UN.
• With the eastward expansion of the EU and the approximate doubling of the EU’s membership, the range of foreign policy interests will broaden dramatically.
• In particular the relationship between the EU and Russia will likely become a far more central foreign and security policy concern.
• Unanimity is required for the EU to take action.
• As a consequence, the probability that the EU will achieve a consensus is likely to decrease with enlargement.
• At the very least, the time taken to negotiate a common position is likely to increase, thereby restricting the speed and hence effectiveness of a common foreign policy.
Economic Summary: The Euro
• The Euro was introduced as legal currency in 2002.
• 12 Member states are currently participating (Denmark, Sweden and the United Kingdom not currently participating).
• The European Central Bank has been quietly stockpiling gold, pursuing the goal of making the Euro an asset-based currency (in contrast to the U.S. dollar, which is debt-based).
€ vs. $:
Central Bank Reserves: U.S. $ 68% Euros € 13%
International Monetary Fund, 2001
Global Bond Market:
U.S. $46%
Euro €24%
EU Economy:
It would be a mistake to underestimate the sophistication of the European Industrial establishment. While a substantial part of Europe
— Especially in the new candidate countries
— is agricultural, their potential for growth will become readily apparent as we build a quantitative assessment…
EU UN Participation:
• There are currently four EU nations on the Security Council (France, Germany, Spain, UK), two of which are permanent members, as well as one nation currently applying for membership in the EU (Bulgaria).
• All EU member and candidate nations are members of the UN, and they hold various committee and council positions. This includes nine spots on the Economic and Social Council as well as the presidency of the general assembly. After the enlargement, the EU will make up 25 of the 191 members (13%).
UN Security Council Reform?
• The Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov presented Russia’s proposals for overhauling the UN. Among other things, Moscow suggested that the UNSC include five other permanent members, such as Germany, Japan, as well as one Asian country, one African country and one American country.
(Russia suggested that India become a permanent UNSC member.) According to Ivanov, • Europe is divided on this proposal because Italy and Spain both claimed the right to be represented in the UNSC.
European Constitution:
• A draft copy of the European Union constitution, prepared for submission to the members states, contains no specific reference to God despite strong pressure from conservatives, and from the Vatican.
• The question whether the text should mention God, or Christianity, caused one of the most heated debates in the preparatory body, the Convention for the Future of Europe, consisting of representatives of all the EU member states and soon-to-be states, and chaired by former French president Valery Giscard d’Estaing.
• All 15 EU members and 10 countries due to join next year are formally Christian states, although most
— Including Italy, France, and Spain
— Make no reference to their Christian roots in their respective constitutions.
• Secularists at the convention contended that a clearly pluralist modern Europe had moved beyond a need to include a reference to a particular religion or any religion at all.
• When former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton, the representative of Ireland (whose constitution opens with a solemn invocation to the Holy Ghost) formally proposed including a mention of Christianity, the proposal failed to muster enough support.
The document now goes to the 25 member countries for parliamentary approval.
• Sources said several European countries were nervous about creating resentment among their large Islamic immigrant populations.
What’s Next?
Will an Eastern leg also emerge?
When and where will a SuperLeader emerge?
“The Assyrian”? (Micah 5:5,6; Isaiah 10; et al.).
What will the role of Babylon be? Is it literal? Or a coded symbol? Or both?
Sources:
• National Security Forum, Air War College.
• European Union website (www.europa.eu.int).
• Encyclopedia Britannica.
• Encarta® Reference Library.
• BBC and other news sources.
• Courcy Intelligence Service and others.
• William I. Hitchcock, The Struggle for Europe, Doubleday, London, 2003.
• Private correspondence & interviews.
Monitor The Strategic Trends:
https://www.khouse.org/strategic_trends/europe/full_details/
The European Union has steadily moved forward in its attempt to unite Europe politically and economically. It has succeeded in creating a European parliament, a court and, in the near future, a common currency.
January 1, 1999, marked the beginning of the European Monetary Union (EMU) with 11 member countries locking the value of their currency, called the Euro, which actually appeared in 2002. The Euro has the potential to become a strong force in the international monetary scene, possibly supplanting the dollar as the world's currency of choice.
Great Britian will not be joining the EMU at the present time. There has been a great distrust of what Britian sees as a German-dominated monetary union. The debate is still raging between conservatives who wish to remain independent of the continent and those in the liberal camps who do not wish to be left behind when Europe becomes a superpower.
One of the more controversial ideas put forward at a recent European summit was a plan for a European income tax to finance the European Union. The proposal was forwarded by the President of the European Parliament, Jose Maria Gil-Robles. In his view, the direct taxtion of the people would more closely involve individual citizens with the European government.
Other issues of concern to the European Union include the admission of new members into the union, which has created a heated debate. Some of hte countries seeking membership are at odds with each other, like Greek Cyprus and Turkey. Settling these membership questions will take time.
[See The Coming World Leader for more on the eventual leader of this ultima te superstate.]
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