The eyes of the world are riveted on the Middle East. Newscasters repeatedly declare it is the strategic center of the world. Almost daily, Arabs, and Jews exchange hostile words and raids. Nations outside the Middle East are anything but neutral. Everyone seems to agree the Middle East constitutes one of the most potentially explosive areas in the world.
The Middle East- the center of world attention--commands a center stage position in Daniel Chapters 8 through 12. Chapter 8 mentions Israel's sacrifices and sanctuary, her crime and chastening. Palestine will explode with invasion, and I think this chapter introduces us to it.
Part 1 Daniel 8: 1-14
Daniel consistently gives the time, place, and circumstances of the divine revelations which came to him. The Biblical writers take special pains to link all events to calendar dates and geographic places. Time and history are thus connected to eternity.
God intervenes in history; God acts in history. In the Scriptures we have a history of redemption and a history of the future kingdom. The time of the vision is the third year of Belshazzar's regency; the place is Susa in Persia, not Babylon; and more specific than that, Daniel stands (in vision) on the banks of the Ulai, a river on which Susa was built (vs. 1,2).
Daniel saw a ram standing on the side of the river, about to begin a westward assault in which it would crush every opponent in its path. The angel Gabriel interpreted the meaning (vs. 20).
The ram signifies the dual kingdom of the Medes and Persians. The shorter horn (vs. 3) is a fit emblem of Media because the Medes did not continue in power after Darius. The longer horn which came up later pictures the ascendancy of the Persians over the Medes under the leadership of Cyrus.
While Daniel was reflecting upon the ram, he saw a goat coming from the opposite direction and moving with great speed toward the East. The animal had a single horn protruding from its head, and with that fearful horn the goat charged into the ram in a blind fury, knocking the ram to the ground and tramping upon it.
The goat became mighty in power; but at the zenith of its strength the horn was broken, and four other horns came up in its place.
Gabriel gave the meaning of these details, too (vs. 21). The horn is the king of Greece. We know his as the famous son of Philip of Macedon--Alexander the Great. The Persians had invaded Greek territories and had infuriated the Greeks by their treacherous and bloodthirsty deeds.
With the newly devised army Alexander cut to pieces the Persians and with phenomenal success expanded his empire until it reached India. It is reported Alexander wept because no territories were left to be conquered.
Alexander died at the age of 33 of a condition brought about by a dissolute life. He simply didn't have the resistance to throw off a tropical fever. he had no heir, and so his four generals divided the vast empire between themselves. This is the meaning of the four horns (vs. 8).
It's easy to follow the majority of Bible expositors and think the little horn of Daniel 8 is identical to the little horn of Daniel 7. But this is a hasty conclusion in my opinion. I've learned an important rule of interpreting prophecy is that similarity is not necessarily identity. One needs to distinguish things that differ....
Many students of prophecy (especially American writers I've noticed) believe chapter 8 is a clarification of chapter 7 and chapter 8 pinpoints the geographic area from which the antichrist will come. They are confusing three separate and distinct end-time leaders and making prophecy even more complicated than it already is I think.
Careful study will show neither the little horn of Chapter 7 not the little horn of chapter 8 is the antichrist; and the little horn of chapter 7 is an entirely different person from the little horn of chapter 8. About the only similarity between them is both persecute Israel, but this is not enough to equate them in my opinion.
The little horn of Daniel 8 had his initial historical fulfillment in the person and performances of Alexander's divided empire. Antiochus swept down from the North and inflicted terrible atrocities upon the Jews. He marched his armies through Palestine to Egypt. His northern connection, his Egyptian campaign, and his destruction of the land of Palestine make him the ancient predecessor of the coming king of the North, NOT of the emperor-beast in Europe.
Daniel described Antiochus' activities in verses 10-14, and in many of these details Antiochus resembles the future Assyrian whom God will use to chastise Israel. Antiochus elevated himself to the stars of heaven and magnified himself as the equal of any god (vs. 10, 11). The Assyrian of old boasted in his own strength (Isaiah 10:13), magnifying himself above all others (vs. 15).
"The transgression" plays a prominent part in Antiochus' activities (Daniel 8:12, 13, 23). Likewise, God will employ the services of the Assyrian to punish Israel for "the transgression," which represents a return to idolatry.
The armies of the Assyrian Sennacherib were used by God to chasten Israel for idolatry, and God will raise up a successor to the Assyrian in the future who will punish Israel for entering into an alliance with Western Allies--a treaty held together by the erection of an idol in the Jewish temple. God will use the Assyrian of the future to disannul the diabolical compact (Isaiah 28: 14-18).
"Desolation" is associated with Antiochus (Daniel 8:13), and it's the northern invader of the end-time whom God will use to devastate Israel's land. "The abomination of desolation" refers to the ruination the northern invasion will cause in Palestine on account of the idolatrous connection between Israel and the kingdom of the beast of Europe.
In my opinion the return of Israel to the land and the marvelous restoration of the land is preparatory to the destruction the nation will experience when the armies of the North reduce it to waste and ruin. God is conditioning His people.
Antiochus will tread the people under his feet (vs. 13). Again this is the same language that is used of the Assyrian in Isaiah 28:18, where God warns the Jews they will be trodden down by the overflowing sourge of the northern army. A careful study of all the passages that pertain to the king of the North and to the Assyrian will show that Antiochus is more akin to him than to the western dictator. (Read the following passages for more information: Isaiah 10:24,25; 14: 24-27; 30:31-33; Joel 2; Micah 5:1-6; 7:12)
Part 2 (Daniel 8: 15-27)
Daniel 8 is perfectly clear about the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy about the little horn. It will be consummated in a period just short of 3 1/2 years (vs. 14), at a time when the Jewish temple has been rebuilt and the Mosaic ritual restored, at a time of God's indignation--in short, at the time of the end (vs. 17, 19) and in the latter time of Israel's transgression (vs. 23).
Nothing can be more certain than that Antiochus did not totally fulfill the content of these prophecies. A double fulfillment is in view here--a fulfillment to occur at the end of the times of the Gentiles, as well as fulfillment in Antichus' time. "The time of the end" marks the period immediately before Christ returns to set up the kingdom of David.
It is the period of the seven year tribulation. The time of the end is appointed (vs. 19)--that is, fixed in the eternal counsels. And that time is especially designed by God to complete His whole work in Israel before bringing the nation into the era of Messiah's earthly reign.
The moment the image of the beast is erected in the temple, God will bring the northern king of fierce countenance against the land of Israel (vs. 23). Daniel begins his description of the invader in verses 23-25 and continues it in Chapter 11, verses 40-45.
The "fierce countenance" implies his impudence and shameless disregard for God and man. he is unmoving in his feelings and pursues a cruel course without reluctance. "Understanding dark sentences" means he knows how to use falsehood and dissimulation. he says one thing and means another. He phrases his words in such a way as to deceive. In his own right he is powerful enough, but in addition to that, he is upported by another government (Daniel 8:24).
The king of the North is a confederate of Prince Rosh (Ezekiel 28:2, 4-6). The armies of the extreme North combine with the king of the North and other countries to invade Palestine. The results of the invasion are devasting; many Jews suffer death. Others escape the area before the invasion and flee to the mountains in obedience to the instructions of Jesus in Matthew 24: 15-22.
Others make their perilous journey through Jordan to the rose red city of Petra (Isaiah 16:1-4). But these details belong to the other prophets; space and time forbid a study of all these events now.
The king of the North will make the Jews think they are safe, and while they are saying, "peace and safety," sudden destruction will come upon them from the North. The peace mentioned in Daniel 8: 25 is probably equivalent to the era of peace that will immediately follow the rapture of the church (Rev. 6:2-4). Ezekiel gives the same conditions. He puts the invasion of Prince Rosh and all his confederate armies at a time when the Jews think they are perfectly secure (Ezekiel 38: 8, 11, 14). Israel is not really safe; she only imagines it.
She is depending upon the western dictator to defend her, and she has been listening to the "dark sentences" of the king of the North who has deceived her into trusting him. But the northern aggressor goes too far (Daniel 8: 25); he contests the authority of the Messiah and meets his doom by a supernatural intervention of God.
"Broken without hand" indicates no human hand or army will defeat the king of the North and the armies backing him. The prophets and John the revelator concur in their explanation of this destruction. The ground will literally open and swallow up the king of the North and the armies. Joel informs us that some will escape to the desert region where they will parish in the burning sands.
Ezekiel suggests a sixth of the army will return to its place in the North. The future Assyrian, king of the North and successor to Antiochus, is prominent on the prophetic page; in fact, much more space is given to him than to the emperor-beast in Europe or to the Jewish antichrist in Palestine.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Rise of the Western Dictator (Daniel Chapter 7)
The evolutionary interpretation of human history sees it as a gradual rise from brutes and barbarism to a more and more advanced level of civilization and culture. Generally, the outlook is associated with the doctrine of perfectibility and inevitable progress. This philosophy places no limitations on the glorious heights to which man can and will ascend.
The Biblical analysis of man's history is just the opposite. The Scripture narrates man's noble and perfect beginning and then proceeds to trace his descent from society with God to savagery. Technologically, man has accomplished almost miracles; spiritually and ethically, he has been in retrogression since the fatal transgression in Eden.
The subject at hand gives us a glimpse of the end product--the final stage of man's swift downward plunge to beastiality and the ultimate in moral degradation.
Part 1 (Daniel 7: 1-14)
Chapter 7 turns the clock back to the accession year of Belshazzar when Daniel was granted a series of divine revelations which came to him through the medium of dreams and visions. Not everything which Daniel saw in visionary form is recorded in detail; he wrote down only the salient features of their content--a kind of summary with special attention given to world kingdoms.
Actually, the content of Chapter 7 consists of four visions:
The angels who are responsible for restraining universal commotion and catastrophe permit the storms to rage uncontrollably. Out of the surging, billowing waters arose four tremendous monsters, each different from the other.
Daniel described each as it appeared beginning with a lion, continuing with a bear and a leopard, and concluding with the mention of a beast so ferocious and unique Daniel could compare it with no known creature. It had iron teeth and ten horns. In contemplating the ten horns, Daniel noticed the rise of an eleventh horn, occasioned by the uprooting of three of the other horns (vs. 8).
Then the prophet's eye beheld a governmental scene in Heaven. Seats were arranged around a central throne on which sat the Ancient of days. The very same description in Revelation 1 is given of Christ, although here in Daniel, God the Father is in view, He is the chief justice who decides the affairs of men and earth.
"Ancient" intimates the eternity of the divine person. The white hair is an emblem of purity and holiness. The fiery flame and burning wheels, reminiscent of Ezekiel 1, are indicative of severity. The fiery stream speaks of the going forth of judgment in which sinners are consumed (vs. 10).
The 100 million spirit beings who stand ministering before Him are angels and should be distinquished from the occupants of the lesser thrones.
I've heard it argued the lesser thrones are occupied by a different order of spirit beings or by human representatives of Israel or of the church...
At any rate, the sovereign of the universe has decided to judge earth dwellers for their awful wickedness. This should not be confused with the great white throne judgment after the millennial reign. The judgment in Daniel 7 I believe occurs before the millennial kingdom and especially concerns the destiny of the fourth beast (vs. 11).
The judgment proceeds on the basis of what was recorded in the books. The deeds of men are written down for evidence against them. God's righteous judgment will not overlook the works which men have done.
In a final vision, Daniel sees the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven (vs. 13). This is a revelation of Christ with special emphasis upon His humanity, His relationship to Israel as the Messiah, and His role as the governor of nations (vs. 14).
Christ has proved himself eminently qualified to rule, as every other human representative has not, and now He is invested with universal regal authority.
Daniel describes both the king and the kingdom. The scope of the kingdom will include "all people, nations and languages." The kingdom is as enduring as the earth itself. The kingdom, then, refers to the future worldwide sway of Jesus Christ over the governments of earth.
None will contest His authority and none will dethrone the king of glory. The kingdom here in Daniel is the earthly millennial kingdom, the restored Davidic kingdom, the Messianic kingdom and not the universal sovereignty of God--sometimes called the absolute kingdom--which He has always exercised in the affairs of men.
The millennial age is a future period in history during which the universal government of God will be exercised on earth without opposition from men, through a human mediator--the man Christ Jesus.
I think a kingdom cannot exist without a king. As long as the king is rejected and absent from earth, the kingdom will be delayed. Some teachers speak of the postponement of the kingdom. I think they mean the interval during which the kingdom program has been suspended during the church age.
Part 2 (Daniel 7: 15-28)
The visions were entirely beyond Daniel's ability to interpret. He'd gazed upon some terrible scenes, and his spirit was disquieted (vs. 15). An angel imparted the information Daniel sought (vs. 16).
The beasts represent the successive empires of ancient Babylon (lion) Medo-Persia (bear), Greece (leopard), and Rome (the nondescript beast), especially at the time when these empires extended their dominions to include the mediteranean coasts. The beasts don't seem to describe the initial beginnings of these empires so much as a later stage in their development.
When it comes to the fourth beast, we have something that goes way beyond anything ever develped in the ancient Roman empire. When Daniel sees this beast, it not only dominates the world of the Mediterranean but exists in the form of ten-state unification.
The angel interprets the horns to be "ten kings that shall arise" (vs. 24). I don't think it means the kings will come on the scene successively, one after the other with perhaps long intervals between. I believe they are all ruling simultaneously when an eleventh king puts in his appearance. Never in the past was the Roman empire ruled by ten contemporaneous kings.
The ten horns are identical in meaning to the ten toes of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The ten horns, like the ten toes, represent a future development in which the Mediterranean world will be controlled by ten united states.
This form of government will be functioning when Christ returns from glory to destroy it. The forth kingdom, in this ten-nation form, will be the last Gentile world government and will be demolished to make room for the fifth world government--a theocracy under the rule of the Messiah (vs. 14, 18, 22, 27).
The kingdom of Messiah did not follow the collapse of Rome in A.D. 476, and the Roman empire at that time was not ruled by ten kings simultaneously. The fourth beast is ancient Rome, but the stage of the empire, as Daniel describes it, belongs to the future tribulation period.
I think that although these kingdoms (Medo-Persia, Greece, Roman)... are historical and successive in their rising, one does not completely destroy the other. Each continues in its characteristic features utnil they are all combined in the reorganized empire of the future.
Most of Daniel 7 deals with the fourth kingdom, the ten horns, and the little horn because these are the matters which have special significance for the time of the end.
The first three beasts get little consideration because they do not have future ramifications--the territories of Babylon, Persia, and Greece were conqured by ancient Rome and will be included in the teriritories of the reorganized Roman empire. Moreover, the future empire will be characterized by the voracity of Babylon, the tenacity of Persia, the velocity of Greece, and the rapacity of Rome. (I think five of these kings will preside over Europe, and the other five over the Middle East)...
The little horn must now engage our interest. After the ten kings have asserted their authority over the vast empire of the future, another king will make his appearance. He has an insignificant arrival--"little horn", but he soon makes his authority felt.
He overcomes opposition from three kings and is eatapulted to absolute sovereignty over the reorganized empire (vs. 24). He is especially remarkable for diabolical intelligence. His eyes mesmerize his audiences. He is a master of persuasive oratory.
Primarily... his verbal abuse is directed against the most high God and the tribulation saints (vs. 25). His dictatorship will continue for 3 1/2 years--the last half of the seven year tribulation.
I think the saints referred here in verses 18, 21, 22, 25, and 27 are people who will be saved after the church saints have been raptured. Many of the saints of the tribulation period will survive the judgments and remain on the earth after the tribulation to become the citizens of the millennial kingdom.
Side note here.....I've often heard the "little horn" described as the "antichrist"... typically the term antichrist is used to identify the first beast of Revelation 13:1-10. All premillenial interpreters agree that the first beast of Revelation and the little horn of Daniel 7 are one and the same person, but not all agree to which endtime personality the title "antichrist" should be applied... because there are a couple of beasts described in Revelation.
Getting these end-time characters distinguished and identified is one of the most complicated projects in prophetic studies. I have no idea what interpretations may be accurate.. but it seems most in keeping with the full picture of Scripture to take the view that the antichrist is the last ecclesiastical head of the reorganized Roman empire, and the European dictator is the last civil head.
Revelation 13:1-10 gives the clearest analysis of the character and conduct of the little horn of Daniel 7--the European beast dictator.
In all of the details this passgage corresponds to what Daniel discloses. In a vision, John sees a beast rise out of the Mediterranean Sea--a beast which already has 10 horns (Rev. 13:1). The empire of the future is a composite of the leopard, bear, and lion, which suggests the empire of the beast will eventually incorporate everything within the old territories.
The empire of the future will be brought out of the period of inactivity and rise to political supremacy. The emperor will demand to be worshiped as God (Rev. 13:4).
John paints the same portrait of the beast Danil unveils---bestial, blatent, blasphemous, and belligerent.
John concurs with Daniel... the ten kings will recognize the absolute authority of the dictator (Rev. 17: 12, 13). He anticipates the collapse of the empire of the beast and finally sees the beast seized and his armies destroyed in the lake of fire.
John, like Daniel (Daniel 7:12), even intimates the destruction of the beast himself and his kingdom will not be the finale of end time events, for a remamnt of armies will need to be dealt with and destroyed after the slaying of the beast and his armies (Revelation 19:21). But the Son of Man will triumph over the man of sin.
The Biblical analysis of man's history is just the opposite. The Scripture narrates man's noble and perfect beginning and then proceeds to trace his descent from society with God to savagery. Technologically, man has accomplished almost miracles; spiritually and ethically, he has been in retrogression since the fatal transgression in Eden.
The subject at hand gives us a glimpse of the end product--the final stage of man's swift downward plunge to beastiality and the ultimate in moral degradation.
Part 1 (Daniel 7: 1-14)
Chapter 7 turns the clock back to the accession year of Belshazzar when Daniel was granted a series of divine revelations which came to him through the medium of dreams and visions. Not everything which Daniel saw in visionary form is recorded in detail; he wrote down only the salient features of their content--a kind of summary with special attention given to world kingdoms.
Actually, the content of Chapter 7 consists of four visions:
- The vision of the three beasts
- The vision of the fourth beast
- The vision of the judgment scene
- The vision of the coming of the Son of Man
The angels who are responsible for restraining universal commotion and catastrophe permit the storms to rage uncontrollably. Out of the surging, billowing waters arose four tremendous monsters, each different from the other.
Daniel described each as it appeared beginning with a lion, continuing with a bear and a leopard, and concluding with the mention of a beast so ferocious and unique Daniel could compare it with no known creature. It had iron teeth and ten horns. In contemplating the ten horns, Daniel noticed the rise of an eleventh horn, occasioned by the uprooting of three of the other horns (vs. 8).
Then the prophet's eye beheld a governmental scene in Heaven. Seats were arranged around a central throne on which sat the Ancient of days. The very same description in Revelation 1 is given of Christ, although here in Daniel, God the Father is in view, He is the chief justice who decides the affairs of men and earth.
"Ancient" intimates the eternity of the divine person. The white hair is an emblem of purity and holiness. The fiery flame and burning wheels, reminiscent of Ezekiel 1, are indicative of severity. The fiery stream speaks of the going forth of judgment in which sinners are consumed (vs. 10).
The 100 million spirit beings who stand ministering before Him are angels and should be distinquished from the occupants of the lesser thrones.
I've heard it argued the lesser thrones are occupied by a different order of spirit beings or by human representatives of Israel or of the church...
At any rate, the sovereign of the universe has decided to judge earth dwellers for their awful wickedness. This should not be confused with the great white throne judgment after the millennial reign. The judgment in Daniel 7 I believe occurs before the millennial kingdom and especially concerns the destiny of the fourth beast (vs. 11).
The judgment proceeds on the basis of what was recorded in the books. The deeds of men are written down for evidence against them. God's righteous judgment will not overlook the works which men have done.
In a final vision, Daniel sees the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven (vs. 13). This is a revelation of Christ with special emphasis upon His humanity, His relationship to Israel as the Messiah, and His role as the governor of nations (vs. 14).
Christ has proved himself eminently qualified to rule, as every other human representative has not, and now He is invested with universal regal authority.
Daniel describes both the king and the kingdom. The scope of the kingdom will include "all people, nations and languages." The kingdom is as enduring as the earth itself. The kingdom, then, refers to the future worldwide sway of Jesus Christ over the governments of earth.
None will contest His authority and none will dethrone the king of glory. The kingdom here in Daniel is the earthly millennial kingdom, the restored Davidic kingdom, the Messianic kingdom and not the universal sovereignty of God--sometimes called the absolute kingdom--which He has always exercised in the affairs of men.
The millennial age is a future period in history during which the universal government of God will be exercised on earth without opposition from men, through a human mediator--the man Christ Jesus.
I think a kingdom cannot exist without a king. As long as the king is rejected and absent from earth, the kingdom will be delayed. Some teachers speak of the postponement of the kingdom. I think they mean the interval during which the kingdom program has been suspended during the church age.
Part 2 (Daniel 7: 15-28)
The visions were entirely beyond Daniel's ability to interpret. He'd gazed upon some terrible scenes, and his spirit was disquieted (vs. 15). An angel imparted the information Daniel sought (vs. 16).
The beasts represent the successive empires of ancient Babylon (lion) Medo-Persia (bear), Greece (leopard), and Rome (the nondescript beast), especially at the time when these empires extended their dominions to include the mediteranean coasts. The beasts don't seem to describe the initial beginnings of these empires so much as a later stage in their development.
When it comes to the fourth beast, we have something that goes way beyond anything ever develped in the ancient Roman empire. When Daniel sees this beast, it not only dominates the world of the Mediterranean but exists in the form of ten-state unification.
The angel interprets the horns to be "ten kings that shall arise" (vs. 24). I don't think it means the kings will come on the scene successively, one after the other with perhaps long intervals between. I believe they are all ruling simultaneously when an eleventh king puts in his appearance. Never in the past was the Roman empire ruled by ten contemporaneous kings.
The ten horns are identical in meaning to the ten toes of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The ten horns, like the ten toes, represent a future development in which the Mediterranean world will be controlled by ten united states.
This form of government will be functioning when Christ returns from glory to destroy it. The forth kingdom, in this ten-nation form, will be the last Gentile world government and will be demolished to make room for the fifth world government--a theocracy under the rule of the Messiah (vs. 14, 18, 22, 27).
The kingdom of Messiah did not follow the collapse of Rome in A.D. 476, and the Roman empire at that time was not ruled by ten kings simultaneously. The fourth beast is ancient Rome, but the stage of the empire, as Daniel describes it, belongs to the future tribulation period.
I think that although these kingdoms (Medo-Persia, Greece, Roman)... are historical and successive in their rising, one does not completely destroy the other. Each continues in its characteristic features utnil they are all combined in the reorganized empire of the future.
Most of Daniel 7 deals with the fourth kingdom, the ten horns, and the little horn because these are the matters which have special significance for the time of the end.
The first three beasts get little consideration because they do not have future ramifications--the territories of Babylon, Persia, and Greece were conqured by ancient Rome and will be included in the teriritories of the reorganized Roman empire. Moreover, the future empire will be characterized by the voracity of Babylon, the tenacity of Persia, the velocity of Greece, and the rapacity of Rome. (I think five of these kings will preside over Europe, and the other five over the Middle East)...
The little horn must now engage our interest. After the ten kings have asserted their authority over the vast empire of the future, another king will make his appearance. He has an insignificant arrival--"little horn", but he soon makes his authority felt.
He overcomes opposition from three kings and is eatapulted to absolute sovereignty over the reorganized empire (vs. 24). He is especially remarkable for diabolical intelligence. His eyes mesmerize his audiences. He is a master of persuasive oratory.
Primarily... his verbal abuse is directed against the most high God and the tribulation saints (vs. 25). His dictatorship will continue for 3 1/2 years--the last half of the seven year tribulation.
I think the saints referred here in verses 18, 21, 22, 25, and 27 are people who will be saved after the church saints have been raptured. Many of the saints of the tribulation period will survive the judgments and remain on the earth after the tribulation to become the citizens of the millennial kingdom.
Side note here.....I've often heard the "little horn" described as the "antichrist"... typically the term antichrist is used to identify the first beast of Revelation 13:1-10. All premillenial interpreters agree that the first beast of Revelation and the little horn of Daniel 7 are one and the same person, but not all agree to which endtime personality the title "antichrist" should be applied... because there are a couple of beasts described in Revelation.
Getting these end-time characters distinguished and identified is one of the most complicated projects in prophetic studies. I have no idea what interpretations may be accurate.. but it seems most in keeping with the full picture of Scripture to take the view that the antichrist is the last ecclesiastical head of the reorganized Roman empire, and the European dictator is the last civil head.
Revelation 13:1-10 gives the clearest analysis of the character and conduct of the little horn of Daniel 7--the European beast dictator.
In all of the details this passgage corresponds to what Daniel discloses. In a vision, John sees a beast rise out of the Mediterranean Sea--a beast which already has 10 horns (Rev. 13:1). The empire of the future is a composite of the leopard, bear, and lion, which suggests the empire of the beast will eventually incorporate everything within the old territories.
The empire of the future will be brought out of the period of inactivity and rise to political supremacy. The emperor will demand to be worshiped as God (Rev. 13:4).
John paints the same portrait of the beast Danil unveils---bestial, blatent, blasphemous, and belligerent.
John concurs with Daniel... the ten kings will recognize the absolute authority of the dictator (Rev. 17: 12, 13). He anticipates the collapse of the empire of the beast and finally sees the beast seized and his armies destroyed in the lake of fire.
John, like Daniel (Daniel 7:12), even intimates the destruction of the beast himself and his kingdom will not be the finale of end time events, for a remamnt of armies will need to be dealt with and destroyed after the slaying of the beast and his armies (Revelation 19:21). But the Son of Man will triumph over the man of sin.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Plot That Failed (Daniel Chapter 6)
In a day of political intrigue, governmental graft, and credibility gaps, it's refreshing to review the integrity of Daniel, whose only "fault" was a godly life and conscientious business dealings.
The circumstances were certainly extenuating, for Daniel was an old man, long overdue for retirement; he was all alone in a corrupt culture and court. He was hated by his associates and under continued surveillance. How will he react to adversity? Will he "be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand"?
Part 1 (Daniel Chapter 6)
Darius the Mede advanced the aged Daniel to a very prominent and influential position in the Persian government. We aren't informed about what led to Daniel's promotion, but we may surmise his long familiarity with the intricacies of administration would make him a valuable asset to the new regime.
Darius may have heard of Daniel's ministries to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. He had doubtlessly come to realize Daniel could be depended upon to manage well the affairs of state.
But the elevation of this Jew to such heights of service and honor won him a hatred of envious politicians who determined to bring an indictment against the prophet and thus remove him from office (vs. 4). By their own admission, Daniel's private and public life was flawless, and so they plotted to impeach him by leveling charges against him concerning his religious devotion.
Appealing to Darius' vanity and implying Darius himself was a god, the conspirators enticed the king to pass a law forbidding prayers to any other god for a period of thirty days. They counted on Daniel's defying the irrevocable Persian decree, and they were not disappointed.
According to his custom, Daniel faced toward Jerusalem and knelt in prayer to his God three times a day (vs. 10). The rogues detected Daniel's infraction of the law ans reported it to the king. Darius realized too late he had been tricked into setting his signature to the diabolical edict. He was bent upon finding some loophole in the law, but the law was binding.
Darius had no alternative except to carry out the demands of the law by casting Daniel into the den of lions. As soon as it was daybreak, Darius hastened to the execution chamber to inspect the result. He was delighted to find Daniel unharmed (vs. 20-23).
Daniel was removed from the den and the men who plotted his destruction were fed to the lions. The king celebrated the occasion by sending a peace proclamation into the whole realm exalting Daniel's living, faithful and eternal God (vs. 25-27).
Part 2
Daniel in the lion's den is nowhere in Scripture called a type, but the details of this chapter are so minutely repeated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ it is impossible not to see the relationship here.
Daniel was one of the triumvirate whom Darius intended to set over the whole realm. Christ is one of the three persons of the triune Godhead whom the Father intends will govern the whole world in the day of His millennial glory. Daniel's character was spotless; he was motivated by an indwelling spirit (vs. 3).
Christ was innocent and sinless. His whole life from birth to resurrection was under the absolute control of the Holy Spirit, and even Jesus' enemies testified to His sinlessness (see Matt. 27: 4, 19)
Daniel's holy life was such a daily rebuke to the indiscretions and irregularities of the heads of state they trumped up charges against him and got a conviction on the grounds of his relationship to his God.
The rulers of the Jewish people were so filled with envy against Christ they schemed to kill Him by charging Him with blasphemy--claming to be equal with God.
Daniel was condemned by an unchanging law. The unalterable law of God was involved in the death of Christ. The law said "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Christ was sinless, but He was taking the place of those who had broken the holy law of God. He came to satisfy the broken the just demands of the law in the stead of transgressiors of that law.
Before Daniel's execution day he faced toward the holy city and prayed. Before the day of crucifiction, Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem and agonized in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. Darius wanted to save Daniel, but he could not set aside the law. Pilate believed in Christ's innocence and attempted to set Him free but could not.
Daniel was cast into the place of death and a stone, sealed with the signet of a Gentile empire, secured the entrance. Christ went to the place of a skull and poured out His life in violent death. He was taken down from the cross and placed ina speulcher sealed with the Gentile insignia and secured by Roman guards.
Very early in the day, a mourning king hurried to the intended sepulcher to inquire of Daniel's condition. As it began to dawn on Sunday, mourning women came to Joseph's tomb to prepare the body of Jesus for permanent burial.
The king, to his utter amazement, heard the "dead" Daniel speak. Mary, at the garden tomb, heard her beloved Master speak to her. Angels attended Daniel's deliverance, and angels figured prominently in announcing the resurrection of Christ.
Daniel was rescued from the place of certain death without so much as a scratch upon him. Christ came from the tomb in resurrection glory, having defeated death and the grave. Daniel fulfilled every requirement of the law; nevertheless, he lived.
The Persian law demanded only that he be thrown into the den of lions. The law did not specify the lions must eat him, and it didn't say he had to remain in the lion's lair. Christ satisfied completely the offended holiness of God, and fulfilled perfectly the broken law of God by dying the sinner's death; and yet He lives.
The law did not require He remain dead or that the grave hold its prey indefinitely. He met the demands of the law and lived despite the legal infliction of death. Sinners could not die as a penalty for their sins and live, too, but the God-man "was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
Daniel's deliverance from the jaws of death was occasioned by the universal promulgation of a message of peace. Christ has made peace for us through the blood of His cross. We are preaching the gospel of peace. The ambassadors of Christ are calling upon all men everywhere to be reconciled to God (be at peace with God).
The content of the proclamation included a message of life--"the living God". One special ingredient of the gospel message is the news about a living Savior--"and that he arose again the third day" (1 Cor. 15:4).
In the historic incident the law was satisfied, God was glorified, and Daniel was magnified, for his name accompanied every report of the miracle. In the anti type, the law was satisfied, God was glorified, Christ was magnified, and sinners were justified on the basis of Christ's redeeming work. The inexorable demands of the law could no longer clam the offending sinner.
Part 3
Every isolated historic event recorded in the Bible has some indispensable connection with God's overall plan and purpose to inaugurate the coming kingdom. Scripture records only history which has some bearing upon the ultimate goal of history.
In some ways Darius was a kind man--although certainly weak and largely controlled by his own officials. But what he did has prophetic significance irrespective of his personal traits, for his conduct conforms exactly to what I think will happen in the tribulation of the future.
Darius arrogated to himself prerogatives which belong only to God. He set himself up as God and forbade his subjects to petition anyone except himself for thirty days. His blasphemy will be repeated by the final oppressor of God's elect people in the tribulation; he will exalt himself above all that is called God.. (see Rev. 20:4)
In the period of the tribulation many saved Jews will refuse to acknowledge the beast's authority; and, like Daniel, this remnant of believing Jews will suffer the consequences of their devotion to God. Many of them will feel the pain of death for this faith in Jesus. But God will spare many, delivering them as He did Daniel.
They will preserved from martyrdom by the intervening hand of God. Just as Daniel was faced by wild beats and was rescued, so the Jewish remnant will face the ferocity of the two beasts of Revelation and get the victory over them.
The same deification of man mentioned in the Babylonian empire appeared also in the Medo-Persian empire. This principle later erupted in the Greek empire under the blasphemous conduct of Antiochus Epiphanes and again in the Roman empire under the Caesars.
It characterizes the times of the Gentiles from beginning to end; and in the coming finale of Gentile dominion, the deification of man will be reintroduced in the person of the beast and in his false prophet. But just as Daniel's foes were cast to their doom in the pit of lions, the enemies of Israel in the tribulation will be cast alive into the lake of fire. (Rev. 19:20)
The events which followed Daniel's deliverance are all reminders of conditions which will prevail during the age to come. Darius sent out a peace proclamation which had a universal scope. In the millennial kingdom the peoples of the earth will live in peace at last. Peace will come to men and they will learn war no more.
In that day men will be reconciled to God and live in harmony and unity with God's laws. During the kingdom reign of Christ, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord and glorify the Father God.
The Gentiles will come to a new knowledge of the Lord, and they will be subservient to Israel. The kingdom of God will come at last to earth, and it will never again be jeopardized by human defiance of divine authority.
The circumstances were certainly extenuating, for Daniel was an old man, long overdue for retirement; he was all alone in a corrupt culture and court. He was hated by his associates and under continued surveillance. How will he react to adversity? Will he "be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand"?
Part 1 (Daniel Chapter 6)
Darius the Mede advanced the aged Daniel to a very prominent and influential position in the Persian government. We aren't informed about what led to Daniel's promotion, but we may surmise his long familiarity with the intricacies of administration would make him a valuable asset to the new regime.
Darius may have heard of Daniel's ministries to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. He had doubtlessly come to realize Daniel could be depended upon to manage well the affairs of state.
But the elevation of this Jew to such heights of service and honor won him a hatred of envious politicians who determined to bring an indictment against the prophet and thus remove him from office (vs. 4). By their own admission, Daniel's private and public life was flawless, and so they plotted to impeach him by leveling charges against him concerning his religious devotion.
Appealing to Darius' vanity and implying Darius himself was a god, the conspirators enticed the king to pass a law forbidding prayers to any other god for a period of thirty days. They counted on Daniel's defying the irrevocable Persian decree, and they were not disappointed.
According to his custom, Daniel faced toward Jerusalem and knelt in prayer to his God three times a day (vs. 10). The rogues detected Daniel's infraction of the law ans reported it to the king. Darius realized too late he had been tricked into setting his signature to the diabolical edict. He was bent upon finding some loophole in the law, but the law was binding.
Darius had no alternative except to carry out the demands of the law by casting Daniel into the den of lions. As soon as it was daybreak, Darius hastened to the execution chamber to inspect the result. He was delighted to find Daniel unharmed (vs. 20-23).
Daniel was removed from the den and the men who plotted his destruction were fed to the lions. The king celebrated the occasion by sending a peace proclamation into the whole realm exalting Daniel's living, faithful and eternal God (vs. 25-27).
Part 2
Daniel in the lion's den is nowhere in Scripture called a type, but the details of this chapter are so minutely repeated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ it is impossible not to see the relationship here.
Daniel was one of the triumvirate whom Darius intended to set over the whole realm. Christ is one of the three persons of the triune Godhead whom the Father intends will govern the whole world in the day of His millennial glory. Daniel's character was spotless; he was motivated by an indwelling spirit (vs. 3).
Christ was innocent and sinless. His whole life from birth to resurrection was under the absolute control of the Holy Spirit, and even Jesus' enemies testified to His sinlessness (see Matt. 27: 4, 19)
Daniel's holy life was such a daily rebuke to the indiscretions and irregularities of the heads of state they trumped up charges against him and got a conviction on the grounds of his relationship to his God.
The rulers of the Jewish people were so filled with envy against Christ they schemed to kill Him by charging Him with blasphemy--claming to be equal with God.
Daniel was condemned by an unchanging law. The unalterable law of God was involved in the death of Christ. The law said "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Christ was sinless, but He was taking the place of those who had broken the holy law of God. He came to satisfy the broken the just demands of the law in the stead of transgressiors of that law.
Before Daniel's execution day he faced toward the holy city and prayed. Before the day of crucifiction, Jesus set his face towards Jerusalem and agonized in prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. Darius wanted to save Daniel, but he could not set aside the law. Pilate believed in Christ's innocence and attempted to set Him free but could not.
Daniel was cast into the place of death and a stone, sealed with the signet of a Gentile empire, secured the entrance. Christ went to the place of a skull and poured out His life in violent death. He was taken down from the cross and placed ina speulcher sealed with the Gentile insignia and secured by Roman guards.
Very early in the day, a mourning king hurried to the intended sepulcher to inquire of Daniel's condition. As it began to dawn on Sunday, mourning women came to Joseph's tomb to prepare the body of Jesus for permanent burial.
The king, to his utter amazement, heard the "dead" Daniel speak. Mary, at the garden tomb, heard her beloved Master speak to her. Angels attended Daniel's deliverance, and angels figured prominently in announcing the resurrection of Christ.
Daniel was rescued from the place of certain death without so much as a scratch upon him. Christ came from the tomb in resurrection glory, having defeated death and the grave. Daniel fulfilled every requirement of the law; nevertheless, he lived.
The Persian law demanded only that he be thrown into the den of lions. The law did not specify the lions must eat him, and it didn't say he had to remain in the lion's lair. Christ satisfied completely the offended holiness of God, and fulfilled perfectly the broken law of God by dying the sinner's death; and yet He lives.
The law did not require He remain dead or that the grave hold its prey indefinitely. He met the demands of the law and lived despite the legal infliction of death. Sinners could not die as a penalty for their sins and live, too, but the God-man "was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
Daniel's deliverance from the jaws of death was occasioned by the universal promulgation of a message of peace. Christ has made peace for us through the blood of His cross. We are preaching the gospel of peace. The ambassadors of Christ are calling upon all men everywhere to be reconciled to God (be at peace with God).
The content of the proclamation included a message of life--"the living God". One special ingredient of the gospel message is the news about a living Savior--"and that he arose again the third day" (1 Cor. 15:4).
In the historic incident the law was satisfied, God was glorified, and Daniel was magnified, for his name accompanied every report of the miracle. In the anti type, the law was satisfied, God was glorified, Christ was magnified, and sinners were justified on the basis of Christ's redeeming work. The inexorable demands of the law could no longer clam the offending sinner.
Part 3
Every isolated historic event recorded in the Bible has some indispensable connection with God's overall plan and purpose to inaugurate the coming kingdom. Scripture records only history which has some bearing upon the ultimate goal of history.
In some ways Darius was a kind man--although certainly weak and largely controlled by his own officials. But what he did has prophetic significance irrespective of his personal traits, for his conduct conforms exactly to what I think will happen in the tribulation of the future.
Darius arrogated to himself prerogatives which belong only to God. He set himself up as God and forbade his subjects to petition anyone except himself for thirty days. His blasphemy will be repeated by the final oppressor of God's elect people in the tribulation; he will exalt himself above all that is called God.. (see Rev. 20:4)
In the period of the tribulation many saved Jews will refuse to acknowledge the beast's authority; and, like Daniel, this remnant of believing Jews will suffer the consequences of their devotion to God. Many of them will feel the pain of death for this faith in Jesus. But God will spare many, delivering them as He did Daniel.
They will preserved from martyrdom by the intervening hand of God. Just as Daniel was faced by wild beats and was rescued, so the Jewish remnant will face the ferocity of the two beasts of Revelation and get the victory over them.
The same deification of man mentioned in the Babylonian empire appeared also in the Medo-Persian empire. This principle later erupted in the Greek empire under the blasphemous conduct of Antiochus Epiphanes and again in the Roman empire under the Caesars.
It characterizes the times of the Gentiles from beginning to end; and in the coming finale of Gentile dominion, the deification of man will be reintroduced in the person of the beast and in his false prophet. But just as Daniel's foes were cast to their doom in the pit of lions, the enemies of Israel in the tribulation will be cast alive into the lake of fire. (Rev. 19:20)
The events which followed Daniel's deliverance are all reminders of conditions which will prevail during the age to come. Darius sent out a peace proclamation which had a universal scope. In the millennial kingdom the peoples of the earth will live in peace at last. Peace will come to men and they will learn war no more.
In that day men will be reconciled to God and live in harmony and unity with God's laws. During the kingdom reign of Christ, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord and glorify the Father God.
The Gentiles will come to a new knowledge of the Lord, and they will be subservient to Israel. The kingdom of God will come at last to earth, and it will never again be jeopardized by human defiance of divine authority.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Collapse of a Kingdom (Daniel Chapter 5)
I remember being overjoyed with a handful of my own money as I entered the discount store to buy "whatever I wanted" according to my grandmother! I sat there in silence looking at all the lovely jewelry and I was dazzled by some gold-colored chains. They were sparkley... so I purchased one and went on with my day.
But only a few weeks later I looked with sad and tearful eyes at my beloved chain. Its gold color had disappeared, leaving only a dull, unattractive, worthless piece of metal... I remember feeling so riped off! I learned a valuable lesson that day...outward appearances are not always representative of the actual worth.
I think this is an accurate appraisal of Babylon at the time the events of Daniel chapter 5 occurred. Ahthough there was an outward appearance of prosperity and security, the armies of the Medo-Persians were beating at the city gates, and great Babylon was soon to fall in fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy in chapter 2.
Part 1 (Daniel 5: 1-16)
For hundreds of years Daniel 5 was the only literary source for the fact of Belshazzar's reign. No other document of antiquity mentioned Belshazzar. The ancient records seemed to contradict Daniel by stating Nabonidus was the last king of the Babylonian empire. Naturally the destructive critics made much of this apparent discrepancy and pointed to Daniel as a first-class example of unreliability.
In more recent years; however, the accuracy of Daniel has been verified by archaeological discoveries. Belshazzar's name was appeared on Babylonian inscriptions, and we now know he reigned in Babylon while Nabonidus was absent from the city.
Belshazzar was the eldest son of Nabonidus, and reigned concurrently with him. On October 29, 539 B.C., Belshazzar entertained the aristocracy of Babylon at a most unusual feast. it was unparalleled for the presence and numbers of dignitaries, for drunkenness, for desecration, and for defiance. In all the annals of Biblical history, Belshazzar's banquet is unrivaled for debauchery, blasphemy, revelry, and profanity.
He provided a menu of wine, women, and wantonness. The presence of women (wives and concubines) added to the unexampled character of the occasion, for women were rarely invited to this kind of feast (Esther 1:10-12).
But Belshazzar was not satisfied until he committed a terrible sacrilege. Inflamed with wine, he decided to do something daring and sensational. He would mock the living God by defiling the sacred utensils which his grandfather had removed from the Temple at Jerusalem. To show the superiority of the Babylonian gods, he commanded the golden and silver vessels be filled with wine and distributed to his intoxicated guests. (The Tabernacle furnishings were not to be defiled by unsuitable hands according to scripture 1 Sam. 5:8-12 and 2 Sam. 6: 6, 7).
One other motive may have sparked the feast and suggested the profanation of the holy vessels. For weeks the armies of Medo-Persia, under the command of Cyrus and Darius, had been engaged in a campaign against Babylon...with no results.
The Babylonians were entrenched behind the impregnable walls of the city with rations to last them almost indefinitely. Belshazzar believed his heathen deities had secured him against the siege of Cyrus and the eastern army, and so the king arranged a feast to honor his gods and to show his contempt for the Medes and Persians.
I think Belshazzar should have been fasting instead of feasting... he rested in false confidence and it led to his ruin. He felt so invulnerable inside his mighty fortifacations he gave vent to an utter reckless abandon.
In the grim watches of the night when the feast reached its dizzy height, the fingers of a man's hand, writing on the palace wall, brought the wicked merrimakers to a sudden and sober halt. The king was so affected by the mysterious interuption his face turned to a ghastly pallor, his min reeled under the force of it, and his knees trembled uncontrollably (vs. 6).
His own guilty conscience told him he couldn't expect anything but bad news from Heaven.
Charlatans filled the palace, and although Nebuchadnezzar had thoroughly exposed their incompetence and fraudulence, Belshazzar had learned nothing from the past. So he summoned the wise men to interpret the cryptogram with a promise to elevate anyone who succeeded to the third place in the kingdom.
But the efforts of the wise men proved as futile as they were in Nebuchadnezzar's day, and the king despaired of solving the riddle.
Then Nebuchadnezzar's widow came to the banquet hall, counseling her grandson to appeal to Daniel. She gave a resume of Daniel's character, position, and superhuman knowledge (vs. 10-12).
Daniel, now an old man, must have been rudely awakened from his peaceful slumber and brought before the king with all haste. Belshazzar commenced his interview with Daniel by the confirmation of his pedigree, continued with a presentation of the problem, and concluded with a promise to reward Daniel with prestige, power, and a princedom (vs. 16).
Part 2 (Daniel 5: 17-30)
Daniel's first response was to refuse the gifts of the profligate king. He could not be bribed or bought, and he did not read the divine inscription for money. Daniel knew the treasures and glory of Babylon were no longer Belshazzar's to give soon they would be the possessions of Cyrus.
Thereupon, Daniel recounted to Belshazzar God's dealings with Nebuchadnezzar. In his providence God had raised Nebuchadnezzar up to irresistibility, might, and authority; He had delegated to him absolutely control over the affairs of nations (vs. 18, 19).
But Nebuchadnezzar abused his power and acted toward God in insolence and obstinacy, resulting in the Lord denying him his reason, dethroning him, and debasing him (vs. 20, 21).
Then, before Daniel deciphered the enigma and declared the doom of the young king, he commented on Belshazzar's crime. Stating clearly Belshazzar's impudence was worse even than Nebuchadnezzar's. He had insulted God Himself by profaning the consecrated instruments of His sanctuary, by exalting himself above God, by refusing to acknowledge his dependence upon God, by denying God's supremacy, and by robbing God of the glory due His name.
Man's first responsibility is to glorify God, but Belshazzar glorified the gods of Babylon and defied the God of Heaven (vs. 22, 23).
God's patience exhausted, righteous judgment must be executed. The day of reckoning had dawned, and Daniel pronounced the sentence of doom in the interpretation of the writing.
"Mene"--the allotted number of days for the duration of the Babylonian empire ahd been determined by God, and they had run their course.
"Tekel"--Belshazzar had been eighed in the scale of God's standard and been found too light to qualify.
"Upharsin"-- The kingdom had already been taken from him and given to the Medes and Persians (vs. 24-28).
Belshazzar kept his word to Daniel and promoted him to become the third ruler in the kingdom, but the king did not live long enough to see Daniel installed. Before the light of morning had broken across the easter skies, Cyrus' soldiers entered the city by marching under the walls in the muddy river-bed of the Euphrates, and Belshazzar came to an ignominious end.
Daniel 5 involves more than what merely meets eye. It's on the surface, a history of the collapse of the Babylonian empire of the past, but it's also a forecast of the destruction of great Babylon of the future. The whole book of Daniel was written with the times of the Gentiles in view--their commencement, course, characteristics, culmination, and collapse.
Everything which is truth of the early stages of the Gentile period of world politics is also true of the final stage of Gentile history. The initial stage and the ultimate stage are both marked by the prominence of ruling classes, commerce, covetousness, concubines, carousals, contept for God, consternation, and condemnation.
But only a few weeks later I looked with sad and tearful eyes at my beloved chain. Its gold color had disappeared, leaving only a dull, unattractive, worthless piece of metal... I remember feeling so riped off! I learned a valuable lesson that day...outward appearances are not always representative of the actual worth.
I think this is an accurate appraisal of Babylon at the time the events of Daniel chapter 5 occurred. Ahthough there was an outward appearance of prosperity and security, the armies of the Medo-Persians were beating at the city gates, and great Babylon was soon to fall in fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy in chapter 2.
Part 1 (Daniel 5: 1-16)
For hundreds of years Daniel 5 was the only literary source for the fact of Belshazzar's reign. No other document of antiquity mentioned Belshazzar. The ancient records seemed to contradict Daniel by stating Nabonidus was the last king of the Babylonian empire. Naturally the destructive critics made much of this apparent discrepancy and pointed to Daniel as a first-class example of unreliability.
In more recent years; however, the accuracy of Daniel has been verified by archaeological discoveries. Belshazzar's name was appeared on Babylonian inscriptions, and we now know he reigned in Babylon while Nabonidus was absent from the city.
Belshazzar was the eldest son of Nabonidus, and reigned concurrently with him. On October 29, 539 B.C., Belshazzar entertained the aristocracy of Babylon at a most unusual feast. it was unparalleled for the presence and numbers of dignitaries, for drunkenness, for desecration, and for defiance. In all the annals of Biblical history, Belshazzar's banquet is unrivaled for debauchery, blasphemy, revelry, and profanity.
He provided a menu of wine, women, and wantonness. The presence of women (wives and concubines) added to the unexampled character of the occasion, for women were rarely invited to this kind of feast (Esther 1:10-12).
But Belshazzar was not satisfied until he committed a terrible sacrilege. Inflamed with wine, he decided to do something daring and sensational. He would mock the living God by defiling the sacred utensils which his grandfather had removed from the Temple at Jerusalem. To show the superiority of the Babylonian gods, he commanded the golden and silver vessels be filled with wine and distributed to his intoxicated guests. (The Tabernacle furnishings were not to be defiled by unsuitable hands according to scripture 1 Sam. 5:8-12 and 2 Sam. 6: 6, 7).
One other motive may have sparked the feast and suggested the profanation of the holy vessels. For weeks the armies of Medo-Persia, under the command of Cyrus and Darius, had been engaged in a campaign against Babylon...with no results.
The Babylonians were entrenched behind the impregnable walls of the city with rations to last them almost indefinitely. Belshazzar believed his heathen deities had secured him against the siege of Cyrus and the eastern army, and so the king arranged a feast to honor his gods and to show his contempt for the Medes and Persians.
I think Belshazzar should have been fasting instead of feasting... he rested in false confidence and it led to his ruin. He felt so invulnerable inside his mighty fortifacations he gave vent to an utter reckless abandon.
In the grim watches of the night when the feast reached its dizzy height, the fingers of a man's hand, writing on the palace wall, brought the wicked merrimakers to a sudden and sober halt. The king was so affected by the mysterious interuption his face turned to a ghastly pallor, his min reeled under the force of it, and his knees trembled uncontrollably (vs. 6).
His own guilty conscience told him he couldn't expect anything but bad news from Heaven.
Charlatans filled the palace, and although Nebuchadnezzar had thoroughly exposed their incompetence and fraudulence, Belshazzar had learned nothing from the past. So he summoned the wise men to interpret the cryptogram with a promise to elevate anyone who succeeded to the third place in the kingdom.
But the efforts of the wise men proved as futile as they were in Nebuchadnezzar's day, and the king despaired of solving the riddle.
Then Nebuchadnezzar's widow came to the banquet hall, counseling her grandson to appeal to Daniel. She gave a resume of Daniel's character, position, and superhuman knowledge (vs. 10-12).
Daniel, now an old man, must have been rudely awakened from his peaceful slumber and brought before the king with all haste. Belshazzar commenced his interview with Daniel by the confirmation of his pedigree, continued with a presentation of the problem, and concluded with a promise to reward Daniel with prestige, power, and a princedom (vs. 16).
Part 2 (Daniel 5: 17-30)
Daniel's first response was to refuse the gifts of the profligate king. He could not be bribed or bought, and he did not read the divine inscription for money. Daniel knew the treasures and glory of Babylon were no longer Belshazzar's to give soon they would be the possessions of Cyrus.
Thereupon, Daniel recounted to Belshazzar God's dealings with Nebuchadnezzar. In his providence God had raised Nebuchadnezzar up to irresistibility, might, and authority; He had delegated to him absolutely control over the affairs of nations (vs. 18, 19).
But Nebuchadnezzar abused his power and acted toward God in insolence and obstinacy, resulting in the Lord denying him his reason, dethroning him, and debasing him (vs. 20, 21).
Then, before Daniel deciphered the enigma and declared the doom of the young king, he commented on Belshazzar's crime. Stating clearly Belshazzar's impudence was worse even than Nebuchadnezzar's. He had insulted God Himself by profaning the consecrated instruments of His sanctuary, by exalting himself above God, by refusing to acknowledge his dependence upon God, by denying God's supremacy, and by robbing God of the glory due His name.
Man's first responsibility is to glorify God, but Belshazzar glorified the gods of Babylon and defied the God of Heaven (vs. 22, 23).
God's patience exhausted, righteous judgment must be executed. The day of reckoning had dawned, and Daniel pronounced the sentence of doom in the interpretation of the writing.
"Mene"--the allotted number of days for the duration of the Babylonian empire ahd been determined by God, and they had run their course.
"Tekel"--Belshazzar had been eighed in the scale of God's standard and been found too light to qualify.
"Upharsin"-- The kingdom had already been taken from him and given to the Medes and Persians (vs. 24-28).
Belshazzar kept his word to Daniel and promoted him to become the third ruler in the kingdom, but the king did not live long enough to see Daniel installed. Before the light of morning had broken across the easter skies, Cyrus' soldiers entered the city by marching under the walls in the muddy river-bed of the Euphrates, and Belshazzar came to an ignominious end.
Daniel 5 involves more than what merely meets eye. It's on the surface, a history of the collapse of the Babylonian empire of the past, but it's also a forecast of the destruction of great Babylon of the future. The whole book of Daniel was written with the times of the Gentiles in view--their commencement, course, characteristics, culmination, and collapse.
Everything which is truth of the early stages of the Gentile period of world politics is also true of the final stage of Gentile history. The initial stage and the ultimate stage are both marked by the prominence of ruling classes, commerce, covetousness, concubines, carousals, contept for God, consternation, and condemnation.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Downfall of a Dictator (Daniel Chapter 4)
"Pride goeth .... before the fall!" How many times have you heard this warning? Yet how frequently this in of pride appears in our lives. The pathway of history is strewn with people who thought themselves self-sufficient and destined to lead others on to glory. The courts are full of offenders whose troubles flow from pride.
Many marital problems spring from the same source. Why is an almost universally condemned sin so prevalent and persistent a problem?
The absence of God from the life of a sinner leaves him wholly captivated by the selfish ego. The natural man is obsessed by his self-reliance, self-control, and self-esteem. In his pride he creates himself a god and thus lives independently of God.
Part 1 (Daniel 4:1-27)
I think this chapter deals heavily with the issue of pride, the heights to which it soars, and the method which God uses to bring proud sinners to their knees. It magnifies God's absolute sovereignty and man's sinfulness. The account in the fourth chapter of Daniel was written by Nebuchadnezzar after he had learned about God's supremacy and mercy from a firsthand experience with the most high God.
The chapter is introduced by a brief prologue in which Nebuchadnezzar addresses all the subjects of his realm. The king's jurisdiction encompassed a vast territory, and he wanted all of the peoples under his dominion to share the good news of his deliverance. Among other items, the announcement contains a proclamation of peace.
Ordinary men would have made every attempt to hid the fact they had suffered a mental derangement, and certainly a universal monarch would not be eager for his subjects to learn of such a disgraceful debasement, but Nebuchadnezzar was determined that everyone should know about the "signs and wonders" which the God of Daniel had worked on the king's behalf (vs. 2).
He had had a personal transaction with the God of Heaven, and he was unashamed for his subjects to ehar of it and benefit from it.
Nebuchadnezzar had come to understand something about the King and the kingdom eternal. He was referring to God's absolute rule in all theaters of time and space, over all creatures--uniterrupred and universal.
The incident which the king is about to rehearse took place toward the close of his reign when relative peace had settled throughout the empire (vs.4). The Gentile world government had arrived at a status in which it was uncontested and unopposed. It had mounted up to lofty heights, glorious and powerful. Magnificence and majesty were everywhere displayed in the kingdom of Babylon.
The Oreiental monarch's complacency was interrupted by a dream which distrubed his sleep and made him fearful of the future. When his wise men could not interpret the drea, it was committed to Daniel. The king describes the content of the dream in verses 10-17.
He saw a tree planted on the earth and growing until it became so large it stretched up to the skies and spread itself over all the earth. Its foliage was luxuriant and its fruit prolific. It afforded shelter for all the animals and birds who lived in its branches and received its provisions.
Then the king saw a supernatural being descending from Heaven--an angel who commanded the tree to be felled, the animals driven away, and the fruit scattered. The tree was not completely destroyed; a stump remained in the ground. Fetters of iron and bronze were ordered for someone who was to be given the heart of a beast for the space of seven years and live like an animal of the field.
The angel added the fulfillment had been decreed and it would serve God's purpose of vindicating His absolute sovereignty. Furthermore, it would demonstrate God Himself elevates men to positions of earthly glory as it pleases Him and he also deposes them at will (vs. 17).
The tree represented Nebuchadnezzar in all his glory and grandeur. Like the tree, he had exalted himself to Heaven, vaunting in his accomplishments and like the tree, he had spread his dominion to the remote recesses of the world. Millions of people rested confidently in the protective shade of this "tree" and drew their sustenance from its provisions.
The tree, then, includes both Nebuchadnezzar the emperor and the empire wove which he ruled. It characterizes the first stage of Gentile world domination, and at the same time it illustrates the whole course of the Gentile period of supremacy until the last stage in the future tribulation.
An angel from Heaven sounds the death knell and calls for the hewing down of the tree just at the height of its glory (vs. 23). The event spells the debasement of arrogant Nebuchadnezzar who imagined he had gained his lofty position quite independently of God. At the same time it is a reminder of the coming collapse of the Babylonian empire.
Furthermore, I think it's indicative of the destruction of the last form of Gentile word power when God will bring the times of the Gentiles to a halt at the end of the tribulation.
Daniel informed the king he would suffer a seven-year period of insanity in which he would crawl about on all fours, believing himself to be an ox. He would be banished from the company of men and left to living with the brutes of the field dieting on grass (vs. 25).
The stump foretells Nebuchadnezzar will survive the ordeal and live to be reinstated on the throne (vs. 26). I think the image of the stump also implies the empire will outlive him and pass on to his successor.
In addition, the cutting down of the tree speaks of the final destruction of Gentile rule at the end of the tribulation. The tribulation judgments will succeed in devastating the kingdom of the beast. All of his followers among the nations will be slain by the returning Messiah, but there will be survivors among the peoples of the earth.
A group of saved Gentile survivors ("the stump") will emerge from the tribulation woes to enter the period of the millennial reign...when they will be the faithful subjects of King Jesus.
Daniel's parting word to the king is an appeal for him to forsake his sins and iniquities, and prove he has genuinely repented by producing deeds of kindness. Such a reversal of his attitudes and actions might avert the fulfillment of the prophecy and the judgment of God (vs. 27).
Part 2 (Daniel 4:28-37)
Evidently the dream, combined with Daniel's plea, had a beneficial effect upon the king. Nebuchadnezzar seems to have suppressed his pride for about a year. But soon the dream faded into forgetfulness and Daniel's warning went unheeded. The king fell back into his old haunts and habits.
One day on the palace roof he was simply overcome with a sense of his own greatness (vs. 29, 30). He was surveying the vast city of Babylon and was stuck with the genius and power by which had attained such dizzying heights. He framed his thoughts in words, and in that moment the long suffering of God ceased and the threatened judgment fell (vs. 31).
The period of opportunity and grace was past. The king was to learn what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of an angry God.
God withheld Nebuchadnezzar his rational powers and reduced him to the level of the irrational beast of the field. I think this demonstrates God has direct access to the mentality of men and He can do with it anything that suits His purpose. Nothing in Nebuchadnezzar's succeeding actions is contrary to the possibility.
When the designated period had elapsed, God restored the king's sanity. The first intimation of it was the fact that he looked up to God (vs. 34). The protracted bestiality was over, and Nebuchadnezzar lifted his voice in an anthem of praise to God in His mercy.
The years of Nebuchadnezzar's beast-like conduct are vivd reminders again of the final stage of Gentile world power I think... because in the future, the kingdomes of earth will be governed by two "beasts"--men who are savage and ferocious, energized by the devil and set on destroying the people of God.
Power-crazed men will gladly accept the offer which the devil gave to Jesus to control the kindoms of this world (Luke 4: 5,6). They will entertain no thought of God.
In utter godlessness and lawlessness they will exercise their jurisdiction over all the territory from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf, and for all we know they will extend their territorial sway to worldwide proportions. But they will be brought down to the pit, and the unexcelled magnificence of their empire will be reduced to rubble in an hour.
Nebuchadnezzar learned much from his experience (vs. 35-37). He knew there existed only one eternal God--the most High. He knew God was supreme and all-glorious and He would not share his glory with the creature. He knew man has absolutely nothing with wich to commend himself to God; and his works are worthless and transitory. He learned God has the right to do exactly as He pelases without consulting the creature first or ever.
God's sovereignty extends to the highest Heaven and to the lowest hell. Nothing in Heaven above or on the earth below can thwart God's purposes or interrupt His plans.
Nebuchadnezzar learned God acts in unfettered liberty to do with His creatures anything He pleases, and the creature only shows his insolence and rebellion and pride when he reacts against God's ways or when he takes upon himself prerogative which belong only to God.
The king learned God is eternally just and true, faithful and righteous altogether. I wonder how many "believers" believe these same truths?
Many marital problems spring from the same source. Why is an almost universally condemned sin so prevalent and persistent a problem?
The absence of God from the life of a sinner leaves him wholly captivated by the selfish ego. The natural man is obsessed by his self-reliance, self-control, and self-esteem. In his pride he creates himself a god and thus lives independently of God.
Part 1 (Daniel 4:1-27)
I think this chapter deals heavily with the issue of pride, the heights to which it soars, and the method which God uses to bring proud sinners to their knees. It magnifies God's absolute sovereignty and man's sinfulness. The account in the fourth chapter of Daniel was written by Nebuchadnezzar after he had learned about God's supremacy and mercy from a firsthand experience with the most high God.
The chapter is introduced by a brief prologue in which Nebuchadnezzar addresses all the subjects of his realm. The king's jurisdiction encompassed a vast territory, and he wanted all of the peoples under his dominion to share the good news of his deliverance. Among other items, the announcement contains a proclamation of peace.
Ordinary men would have made every attempt to hid the fact they had suffered a mental derangement, and certainly a universal monarch would not be eager for his subjects to learn of such a disgraceful debasement, but Nebuchadnezzar was determined that everyone should know about the "signs and wonders" which the God of Daniel had worked on the king's behalf (vs. 2).
He had had a personal transaction with the God of Heaven, and he was unashamed for his subjects to ehar of it and benefit from it.
Nebuchadnezzar had come to understand something about the King and the kingdom eternal. He was referring to God's absolute rule in all theaters of time and space, over all creatures--uniterrupred and universal.
The incident which the king is about to rehearse took place toward the close of his reign when relative peace had settled throughout the empire (vs.4). The Gentile world government had arrived at a status in which it was uncontested and unopposed. It had mounted up to lofty heights, glorious and powerful. Magnificence and majesty were everywhere displayed in the kingdom of Babylon.
The Oreiental monarch's complacency was interrupted by a dream which distrubed his sleep and made him fearful of the future. When his wise men could not interpret the drea, it was committed to Daniel. The king describes the content of the dream in verses 10-17.
He saw a tree planted on the earth and growing until it became so large it stretched up to the skies and spread itself over all the earth. Its foliage was luxuriant and its fruit prolific. It afforded shelter for all the animals and birds who lived in its branches and received its provisions.
Then the king saw a supernatural being descending from Heaven--an angel who commanded the tree to be felled, the animals driven away, and the fruit scattered. The tree was not completely destroyed; a stump remained in the ground. Fetters of iron and bronze were ordered for someone who was to be given the heart of a beast for the space of seven years and live like an animal of the field.
The angel added the fulfillment had been decreed and it would serve God's purpose of vindicating His absolute sovereignty. Furthermore, it would demonstrate God Himself elevates men to positions of earthly glory as it pleases Him and he also deposes them at will (vs. 17).
The tree represented Nebuchadnezzar in all his glory and grandeur. Like the tree, he had exalted himself to Heaven, vaunting in his accomplishments and like the tree, he had spread his dominion to the remote recesses of the world. Millions of people rested confidently in the protective shade of this "tree" and drew their sustenance from its provisions.
The tree, then, includes both Nebuchadnezzar the emperor and the empire wove which he ruled. It characterizes the first stage of Gentile world domination, and at the same time it illustrates the whole course of the Gentile period of supremacy until the last stage in the future tribulation.
An angel from Heaven sounds the death knell and calls for the hewing down of the tree just at the height of its glory (vs. 23). The event spells the debasement of arrogant Nebuchadnezzar who imagined he had gained his lofty position quite independently of God. At the same time it is a reminder of the coming collapse of the Babylonian empire.
Furthermore, I think it's indicative of the destruction of the last form of Gentile word power when God will bring the times of the Gentiles to a halt at the end of the tribulation.
Daniel informed the king he would suffer a seven-year period of insanity in which he would crawl about on all fours, believing himself to be an ox. He would be banished from the company of men and left to living with the brutes of the field dieting on grass (vs. 25).
The stump foretells Nebuchadnezzar will survive the ordeal and live to be reinstated on the throne (vs. 26). I think the image of the stump also implies the empire will outlive him and pass on to his successor.
In addition, the cutting down of the tree speaks of the final destruction of Gentile rule at the end of the tribulation. The tribulation judgments will succeed in devastating the kingdom of the beast. All of his followers among the nations will be slain by the returning Messiah, but there will be survivors among the peoples of the earth.
A group of saved Gentile survivors ("the stump") will emerge from the tribulation woes to enter the period of the millennial reign...when they will be the faithful subjects of King Jesus.
Daniel's parting word to the king is an appeal for him to forsake his sins and iniquities, and prove he has genuinely repented by producing deeds of kindness. Such a reversal of his attitudes and actions might avert the fulfillment of the prophecy and the judgment of God (vs. 27).
Part 2 (Daniel 4:28-37)
Evidently the dream, combined with Daniel's plea, had a beneficial effect upon the king. Nebuchadnezzar seems to have suppressed his pride for about a year. But soon the dream faded into forgetfulness and Daniel's warning went unheeded. The king fell back into his old haunts and habits.
One day on the palace roof he was simply overcome with a sense of his own greatness (vs. 29, 30). He was surveying the vast city of Babylon and was stuck with the genius and power by which had attained such dizzying heights. He framed his thoughts in words, and in that moment the long suffering of God ceased and the threatened judgment fell (vs. 31).
The period of opportunity and grace was past. The king was to learn what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of an angry God.
God withheld Nebuchadnezzar his rational powers and reduced him to the level of the irrational beast of the field. I think this demonstrates God has direct access to the mentality of men and He can do with it anything that suits His purpose. Nothing in Nebuchadnezzar's succeeding actions is contrary to the possibility.
When the designated period had elapsed, God restored the king's sanity. The first intimation of it was the fact that he looked up to God (vs. 34). The protracted bestiality was over, and Nebuchadnezzar lifted his voice in an anthem of praise to God in His mercy.
The years of Nebuchadnezzar's beast-like conduct are vivd reminders again of the final stage of Gentile world power I think... because in the future, the kingdomes of earth will be governed by two "beasts"--men who are savage and ferocious, energized by the devil and set on destroying the people of God.
Power-crazed men will gladly accept the offer which the devil gave to Jesus to control the kindoms of this world (Luke 4: 5,6). They will entertain no thought of God.
In utter godlessness and lawlessness they will exercise their jurisdiction over all the territory from the Atlantic to the Persian Gulf, and for all we know they will extend their territorial sway to worldwide proportions. But they will be brought down to the pit, and the unexcelled magnificence of their empire will be reduced to rubble in an hour.
Nebuchadnezzar learned much from his experience (vs. 35-37). He knew there existed only one eternal God--the most High. He knew God was supreme and all-glorious and He would not share his glory with the creature. He knew man has absolutely nothing with wich to commend himself to God; and his works are worthless and transitory. He learned God has the right to do exactly as He pelases without consulting the creature first or ever.
God's sovereignty extends to the highest Heaven and to the lowest hell. Nothing in Heaven above or on the earth below can thwart God's purposes or interrupt His plans.
Nebuchadnezzar learned God acts in unfettered liberty to do with His creatures anything He pleases, and the creature only shows his insolence and rebellion and pride when he reacts against God's ways or when he takes upon himself prerogative which belong only to God.
The king learned God is eternally just and true, faithful and righteous altogether. I wonder how many "believers" believe these same truths?
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Moment of Crisis (Daniel Chapter 3)
Years ago there was a popular song alluding to many events which could make a hero out of the person who responded correctly to them. As each opportunity was examined, however, the response was always the same: "That's a fine opportunity for someone, for somebody else--not me."
Thus every opportunity to become something more than ordinary was firmly rejected.
Doesn't this remind you of the average believer today? God brings experiences into his life which provide occasions for him to exhibit faith and courage, but he says, "Somebody else, Lord--not me." He seldom experiences the joy of a life walked by faith, and those around him are deprived of an example of the mighty works of God in response to faith.
I think Daniel Chapter 3 is an excellent witness for God, which comes when God's power is coupled with man's obedience.
Part 1 (Daniel 3: 1-7)
Chapter 3 in Daniel opens with an account of Nebuchadnezzar's building a great golden image in the plain of Dura near the city of Babylon. There is some doubt about what the image represented, but it probably was meant to impress the king's subjects with his majesty, might, and magnificence.
After the building of the image had been completed, the king commanded the governmental leaders of Babylon to attend its dedication. Nebuchadnezzar was an absolute ruler; consequently, no one dared refuse his summons.
Every governmental officer was represented; however, Daniel's name is absent from the list. Scripture is silent about the reason, but I think he may have been absent on extended business in some remote province of the empire.
The king then gave instructions concerning the procedure to be followed in the dedication. At the sound of the six musical instruments, the assembly of VIPs were to fall down and worship the image (vs. 5).
As an added inducement for the people to follow these instructions, the king commanded those who did not obey be thrown into a hot furnace. This was meant to eliminated from the minds of the people any thought of disobedience.
Part 2 (Daniel 3: 8-18)
Daniel 3: 8-18 makes it clear there were three exceptions to this universal obedience. Daniel's three friends refused to bow. Evidently some of the Chaldeans were watching the Jews to see whether they would obey the king. When the three Jews failed to comply, the Chaldeans immediately went to the king and reported them (vs. 8).
It's doubtful their main motivation was the threat the Jews presented to the authority of the king. I think it's more likely the Chaldeans saw an opportunity to rid themselves of these foreign usurpers who had positions which, they felt, rightfully belonged to true Babylonians. Further, I suspect they had been looking and plotting for such an opportunity.
By the way....The men who accused the Jews were the very same men whom Daniel had rescued earlier from the wrath of the king. How ungrateful they were! I think ingratitude and this idea of "entitlement" is one main sin of today's generation.
Moving on....
After reminding the king of his decree (vs. 9-11), they made three charges against the Jews:
Because he had no reason to question their loyalty in the past, and because they were such useful and wise servants, he gave them the benefit of the doubt by inquiring whether they had misunderstood the meaning of his decree.
He gave them a second chance to worship the image. If they still disobeyed him, then their death was certain, for he boasted no god could deliver them from his power (vs. 15). The king could conceive of no power greater than what he himself or his dogs exercised.
The witness of the three Jews was loud and clear. They had no defense against the accusation made against them, for their disobedience was not caused by lack of understanding. They knew worshiping the image meant a denial of the true God of Israel and an infraction of the first commandment (Exodus 20:3-5).
They were willing to pay any price which the king might impose upon them. They realized God could deliver them from the penalty decreed by the king, but they also considered the possibility God might not choose to do so. I believe God doesn't always save us from the trials we face, BUT he alway spreserves us in it!
Regardless of the outcome, Daniels friends were determined to remain true to God. Their faith manifested itself by a willing submission to whatever God would allow to happen to them. In life or death, they could only gain through a faithful witness to God.
Part 3 (Daniel 3:19-30)
The attitude expressed by the three Jews was more than Nebuchadnezzar could endure. Their refusal to obey him and take advantage of his generous offer of a second chance compounded their guilt. They had challenged his authority, and now they insulted him.
This made the king so angry his physical appearance was actually changed. No longer was he willing to give them an opportunity to repent. He had the furnace heated seven times hotter than necessary. It now matched the heat of his inflamed fury against the three Jews.
I picture the furnace being something like a modern brick kiln. It was most likely wider at the bottom than at the top and maybe had two openings, one at the bottom where materials were added to supply the fire and where ashes were removed; the other, at the top where people were cast into the fire. I envision steps leading up the side of the furnace to the opening above.
After the fire was as hot as the king desired, he commanded the three Jews be thrown down into it. The strongest men were appointed to this task because it required carrying the three Jews up the side of the furnace to the top (vs. 20). The Jews were bound fully clothed, carried up to the top, and cast down right inot the middle of the raoring flames.
The extremely high temperature of the fire is affirmed by what happened to the men who threw the Jews into the furnace. The heat and flames were so inense they were scorched to death (vs. 22). This description helped illustrate for me the magnitude of the miracle which pretected the intended victims.
Evidently Nebuchadneszzar was sitting near the furnace looking into the fire through the opening at the bottom. He expected to see three bodies come crashing down, consumed by the fire in an instant. Imagine his surprise and shock when his expectations were disappointed.
No wonder he left his seat and checked ot see whether or not he could believe his eyes (vs. 24). He even asked his counselors to verfy the men had really been thrown into the fire, and they confirmed it to be true.
Instead of three men the king saw four persons in the fire. The fourth person impressed the king as a supernatural being. In the original text verse 28 actually describes the fourth man as an angel or messenger of God.
No further identification is given in this chapter; however, we know the being was either a preincarnate appearce of Christ or an angel sent by God to protect the three Jews. Another incredible detail was the three men were no longer bound; they were freely walking around in the fire.
Nebuchadnezzar was convinced the Jews had been delivered by supernatural means, and so he called the men to come out of the furnace. He calls them "servants of the most high God" (vs. 26).
I personally don't read too much into that phrase. Nebguchadnezzar was a believer in polytheism. He admitted only the God of the Jews was the greatest of all the gods, and I believe that's as far as he would go. It didn't destroy his belief in other gods, nor did he trust the Hebrews' God.
Having come out of the fire, the Jews were examined by the other governmental officials. Here was a manifest the full magnitude of the miracle. Nothing was burned; not even the small of fire was on them! Their bodies and clothes were the same as before they entered the fire. As with all miracles God performs, this miracle was complete in every detail.
Once the miracle had been verified by all present, the king began to praise the God of the Jews. Two things impressed the king. First, he observed the men's trust in God, which resulted in their deliverance. Second, he realized they had completely yielded their bodies to God, although they knew it might cost them their lives.
I love how God proves in this chapter how even unsaved people take notice of the believer's confidence in God. They cannot help admiring real courage when they see it. Nebuchadnezzar believed it would have beeen dangerous to offend such a powerful God; therefore, he made a decree forbidding anyone to speak against the God of the Jews (vs. 29).
The kings final act was to reward the Jews. They were promoted in the governmental ranks of Babylon (vs. 30). The occasion which threatened to destroy them provided instead for greater prominence in the kingdom. How frustrated their enemies must have been!
A crisis confronted the Jews; they faced the challenge courageously. These three men were found equal to the situation because they knew and trusted God who is above every situation. Setting aside any thought of rationalization would justify a compromise, they placed their confidence in God and stood there ground.
As a result, they were privileged to hear a heathen dictator voicing his respect for God. God had visited the Gentiles iwth an unforgettable demonstration of His omnipotence, and they glorified the name of the most high God.
I think chapter three contains more than a historical account of three courageous Jews. The chapter is reminiscent of the events of the tribulation. At the end times of the Gentiles, the man of sin will erect a statue in the temple at Jerusalem.
He will order everyone to worship a Western dictator whom the statue represents. Death will be the penalty for defiance. Many Jews will die for their refusal to practice idolarty and worhip the beast.
But God in His mercy will deliver thousands of saved Jews from their persecutors. He will protect them from the awful wrath of their enemies by hiding them in a place He has prepared to secure them until the tribulation judgments have passed.
These Jews will come through the fires refined and purified. In the day of Messiah's glory these saved Jewish survivors will be elevated to Judicial and legislative positions in the administration of the coming kingdom of Christ on the earth. God will be greatly glorified among the Gentiles as the result of His extraordinary work in the Israel of the future.
Thus every opportunity to become something more than ordinary was firmly rejected.
Doesn't this remind you of the average believer today? God brings experiences into his life which provide occasions for him to exhibit faith and courage, but he says, "Somebody else, Lord--not me." He seldom experiences the joy of a life walked by faith, and those around him are deprived of an example of the mighty works of God in response to faith.
I think Daniel Chapter 3 is an excellent witness for God, which comes when God's power is coupled with man's obedience.
Part 1 (Daniel 3: 1-7)
Chapter 3 in Daniel opens with an account of Nebuchadnezzar's building a great golden image in the plain of Dura near the city of Babylon. There is some doubt about what the image represented, but it probably was meant to impress the king's subjects with his majesty, might, and magnificence.
After the building of the image had been completed, the king commanded the governmental leaders of Babylon to attend its dedication. Nebuchadnezzar was an absolute ruler; consequently, no one dared refuse his summons.
Every governmental officer was represented; however, Daniel's name is absent from the list. Scripture is silent about the reason, but I think he may have been absent on extended business in some remote province of the empire.
The king then gave instructions concerning the procedure to be followed in the dedication. At the sound of the six musical instruments, the assembly of VIPs were to fall down and worship the image (vs. 5).
As an added inducement for the people to follow these instructions, the king commanded those who did not obey be thrown into a hot furnace. This was meant to eliminated from the minds of the people any thought of disobedience.
Part 2 (Daniel 3: 8-18)
Daniel 3: 8-18 makes it clear there were three exceptions to this universal obedience. Daniel's three friends refused to bow. Evidently some of the Chaldeans were watching the Jews to see whether they would obey the king. When the three Jews failed to comply, the Chaldeans immediately went to the king and reported them (vs. 8).
It's doubtful their main motivation was the threat the Jews presented to the authority of the king. I think it's more likely the Chaldeans saw an opportunity to rid themselves of these foreign usurpers who had positions which, they felt, rightfully belonged to true Babylonians. Further, I suspect they had been looking and plotting for such an opportunity.
By the way....The men who accused the Jews were the very same men whom Daniel had rescued earlier from the wrath of the king. How ungrateful they were! I think ingratitude and this idea of "entitlement" is one main sin of today's generation.
Moving on....
After reminding the king of his decree (vs. 9-11), they made three charges against the Jews:
- They did not honor the king.
- They would not worship the king's gods.
- They would not worship the golden image.
Because he had no reason to question their loyalty in the past, and because they were such useful and wise servants, he gave them the benefit of the doubt by inquiring whether they had misunderstood the meaning of his decree.
He gave them a second chance to worship the image. If they still disobeyed him, then their death was certain, for he boasted no god could deliver them from his power (vs. 15). The king could conceive of no power greater than what he himself or his dogs exercised.
The witness of the three Jews was loud and clear. They had no defense against the accusation made against them, for their disobedience was not caused by lack of understanding. They knew worshiping the image meant a denial of the true God of Israel and an infraction of the first commandment (Exodus 20:3-5).
They were willing to pay any price which the king might impose upon them. They realized God could deliver them from the penalty decreed by the king, but they also considered the possibility God might not choose to do so. I believe God doesn't always save us from the trials we face, BUT he alway spreserves us in it!
Regardless of the outcome, Daniels friends were determined to remain true to God. Their faith manifested itself by a willing submission to whatever God would allow to happen to them. In life or death, they could only gain through a faithful witness to God.
Part 3 (Daniel 3:19-30)
The attitude expressed by the three Jews was more than Nebuchadnezzar could endure. Their refusal to obey him and take advantage of his generous offer of a second chance compounded their guilt. They had challenged his authority, and now they insulted him.
This made the king so angry his physical appearance was actually changed. No longer was he willing to give them an opportunity to repent. He had the furnace heated seven times hotter than necessary. It now matched the heat of his inflamed fury against the three Jews.
I picture the furnace being something like a modern brick kiln. It was most likely wider at the bottom than at the top and maybe had two openings, one at the bottom where materials were added to supply the fire and where ashes were removed; the other, at the top where people were cast into the fire. I envision steps leading up the side of the furnace to the opening above.
After the fire was as hot as the king desired, he commanded the three Jews be thrown down into it. The strongest men were appointed to this task because it required carrying the three Jews up the side of the furnace to the top (vs. 20). The Jews were bound fully clothed, carried up to the top, and cast down right inot the middle of the raoring flames.
The extremely high temperature of the fire is affirmed by what happened to the men who threw the Jews into the furnace. The heat and flames were so inense they were scorched to death (vs. 22). This description helped illustrate for me the magnitude of the miracle which pretected the intended victims.
Evidently Nebuchadneszzar was sitting near the furnace looking into the fire through the opening at the bottom. He expected to see three bodies come crashing down, consumed by the fire in an instant. Imagine his surprise and shock when his expectations were disappointed.
No wonder he left his seat and checked ot see whether or not he could believe his eyes (vs. 24). He even asked his counselors to verfy the men had really been thrown into the fire, and they confirmed it to be true.
Instead of three men the king saw four persons in the fire. The fourth person impressed the king as a supernatural being. In the original text verse 28 actually describes the fourth man as an angel or messenger of God.
No further identification is given in this chapter; however, we know the being was either a preincarnate appearce of Christ or an angel sent by God to protect the three Jews. Another incredible detail was the three men were no longer bound; they were freely walking around in the fire.
Nebuchadnezzar was convinced the Jews had been delivered by supernatural means, and so he called the men to come out of the furnace. He calls them "servants of the most high God" (vs. 26).
I personally don't read too much into that phrase. Nebguchadnezzar was a believer in polytheism. He admitted only the God of the Jews was the greatest of all the gods, and I believe that's as far as he would go. It didn't destroy his belief in other gods, nor did he trust the Hebrews' God.
Having come out of the fire, the Jews were examined by the other governmental officials. Here was a manifest the full magnitude of the miracle. Nothing was burned; not even the small of fire was on them! Their bodies and clothes were the same as before they entered the fire. As with all miracles God performs, this miracle was complete in every detail.
Once the miracle had been verified by all present, the king began to praise the God of the Jews. Two things impressed the king. First, he observed the men's trust in God, which resulted in their deliverance. Second, he realized they had completely yielded their bodies to God, although they knew it might cost them their lives.
I love how God proves in this chapter how even unsaved people take notice of the believer's confidence in God. They cannot help admiring real courage when they see it. Nebuchadnezzar believed it would have beeen dangerous to offend such a powerful God; therefore, he made a decree forbidding anyone to speak against the God of the Jews (vs. 29).
The kings final act was to reward the Jews. They were promoted in the governmental ranks of Babylon (vs. 30). The occasion which threatened to destroy them provided instead for greater prominence in the kingdom. How frustrated their enemies must have been!
A crisis confronted the Jews; they faced the challenge courageously. These three men were found equal to the situation because they knew and trusted God who is above every situation. Setting aside any thought of rationalization would justify a compromise, they placed their confidence in God and stood there ground.
As a result, they were privileged to hear a heathen dictator voicing his respect for God. God had visited the Gentiles iwth an unforgettable demonstration of His omnipotence, and they glorified the name of the most high God.
I think chapter three contains more than a historical account of three courageous Jews. The chapter is reminiscent of the events of the tribulation. At the end times of the Gentiles, the man of sin will erect a statue in the temple at Jerusalem.
He will order everyone to worship a Western dictator whom the statue represents. Death will be the penalty for defiance. Many Jews will die for their refusal to practice idolarty and worhip the beast.
But God in His mercy will deliver thousands of saved Jews from their persecutors. He will protect them from the awful wrath of their enemies by hiding them in a place He has prepared to secure them until the tribulation judgments have passed.
These Jews will come through the fires refined and purified. In the day of Messiah's glory these saved Jewish survivors will be elevated to Judicial and legislative positions in the administration of the coming kingdom of Christ on the earth. God will be greatly glorified among the Gentiles as the result of His extraordinary work in the Israel of the future.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Mystery and Meaning of the Dream (Daniel Chapter 2)
Fortune tellers, horoscopes, taro cards--how many times have you heard of people trying to learn about the future from these means? They read the cards and attend séances in their desperate struggle to alleviate their fears about the future. It seems for some people the greatest of all fears is fear of the unknown.
The believer in Christ, I think, is spared this anxiety because he has been united to Christ. He is in a place of safety, giving him promises of a future in the presence of God Himself.
In addition to this, God has given us, in the Bible, an outline of the future history of the world. Although we do not know all the details, He has nevertheless revealed the general broad outline of the course of events to take place among the nations.
I think Daniel, Chapter 2, contains the ABC's of prophesy; later chapters in Daniel supply the details!
Today my thoughts are focused around Daniel 2
The Mystery of the Dream (Daniel 2:1-23)
One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which agitated him so much he woke up and could not get back to sleep. The king didn't know the meaning of the dream, and he was afraid it might mean something unfavorable was going to happen to him.
He called his wise men and asked them to interpret his dream. They were willing to interpret provided the king would tell them the content of the dream. (vs. 4).
The king had apparently forgotten the dream, and so he used this as an occasion to test the reliability of his wise men. He demanded to know the content of the dream and the meaning of it. If they could tell it to him, their reward would be great. If they could not, then the king would have them all killed (vs. 5-6).
Nebuchadnezzar knew these men could say almost anything, and he would have no way to check on their interpretation. But if they could produce both the dream and its import, he would be convinced of their ability to know the secrets of the future and to advise him correctly and wisely (vs. 7-9).
The wise men replied, saying the kings request was beyond the power of any human being. In fact, they claimed only the gods could reveal the dream to the king; and unfortunately, the gods did not dwell among men.
This fired the king's wrath! Now he had proof his wise men were frauds. He knew all the information he had received from them in the past was nothing but lies and guess work. They had been making a fool out of him! Immediately the command went out to kill all the wise men in the city of Babylon (vs. 12-13).
Numbered among the wise men were Daniel and his three friends. The man appointed to lead the execution of the king's decree came to Daniel and told him what had happened. Daniel asked to be brought before the king. He then requested the king give him a little time, and he would reveal the dream and its interpretation.
Daniel left the presence of the king and held a prayer meeting with his three friends. Their approach to God was based not upon their own merit or their own faithfulness, but upon God's mercy. They realized the truth that if we receive anything from God, it is not because we deserve it, but because His great mercies are new every morning (vs. 17, 18).
That night, through a vision, God revealed to Daniel both the dream and its interpretation. Before Daniel rushed off to inform the king or even his friends of the disclosure, he stopped to praise God, who is the source of all wisdom. What man cannot know, God knows! (vs. 19-23).
The Meaning of the Dream (Daniel 2: 24-49)
Daniel went before the king and introduced the interpretation by comparing the limited knowledge of man with the unlimited knowledge of God. He wanted Nebuchadnezzar to understand he was about to receive information concerning the latter days that could not be discovered by human means--it must come through a special revelation from God. Daniel gave all of the credit to God.
Before explaining the meaning of the dream, Daniel gave a resume of its content (vs. 31-35). The king had seen an image (a colossus) in the form of a man. Its composition consisted of various kinds of metals; gold, silver, bronze, and iron mixed with clay. While he was looking at the image, Nebuchadnezzar saw a stone strike the feet of the image, crumbling the whole image. The stone then became larger and larger until it filled the entire earth.
The image represents all the world-ruling empires that would come into existence from Daniel's time until the second coming of Christ. I think this is clearly expressed in verse 28 in the phrase "latter days." This particular term is used in the Old testament generally to refer to a future time of trouble and blessing for the nation of Israel. Here, in keeping with the context, I think it refers to the last days of Gentile dominion over the earth.
The metals in the image represent 1) the progressive decentralization of authority in each of the successive governments and 2) the general decrease in strength of the governments.
Nebuchadnezzar possessed absolute dictatorial power; his eventual successors, Darius and Cyrus, had to work with in the framework of the laws of the Medes and Persians.
We're not left in any doubt about the historical starting point of the period which the dream disclosed. By beginning his interpretation with the head of gold and by associating it with Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel indicates the Babylonian empire is the first of those kingdoms which will make up the time of the Gentiles (vs 38).
Many records have been discovered which confirm the greatness and grandeur of his kingdom. His hanging gardens constituted one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It's believed he had them constructed for his wife, who in the arid flatland of Babylon was homesick for the hills of the area in which she was reared.
The walls of the city of Babylon were so thick the top easily accommodated a chariot race. All of the magnificence and wealth of his empire will characterize the final stage of man's rule up on the earth.
The second and third empires are not identified in this chapter. We're told later, however, what empires are meant in Daniel Chapter 5 verse 28...The Medo-Persian empire is predicted to follow the Babylonian; and in 8: 21, the successor to Medo-Persia is announced to be Greece.
Thus the book of Daniel is proved once again to be both historically and prophetically accurate, for it was written long before some of these empires came into existence. The Persian invasion from the East was responsible for conquering Babylon in the past, and it appears an invasion from the East will destroy the Babylon of the future.
The fourth kingdom is nowhere identified in the book of Daniel. But since up to this point the empires are identical to those empires which all historians recognize--one folowing the other from Babylon to Greece--we have good reason for thinking the fourth empire must be identified with the kingdome which immediately followed Greece--Rome. The descriptions fit Rome, for Rome ruled with an iron fist even though as a Republic with a senate it was the weakest form of government yet to appear.
Note chapter 2 of Daniel does not speak of five different and separate Roman empires. The feet and toes are a development of the legs. The legs most likely symbolize the division that split the Roman empire into Western and Eastern sections. The legs, feet, and toes are all parts of the one empire.
The vision depicts a time in the future when the territory once occupied by Rome will develop into ten distinct parts of a political unification. This development didn't occur at any time during Rome's long existence and has not yet occurred. The prophecy points to a time when Western Europe comes under the control of ten rulers who eventually submit to the dictates of a final tyrant.
This time period is further identified by the fact the occasion in question will be followed immediately by the inauguration of a the kingdom of God (Daniel 2: 44). That kingdom awaits the coming of Jesus Christ, (most interpreters think Jesus is represented by the stone), before it will be introduced to history.
I think it's only consistent to believe the mountain filling the earth is the millennial kingdom of the future. I also think it's a violation of all the rules of interpretation to make the parts of the image to represent political governments and literal empires functioning on earth, but then interpret, as some do, the kingdom which Messiah will introduce will only be a spiritual rule of God in one's heart which began at the first advent and culminated in the gospel age.
I don't believe the coming of the stone could refer to the first advent of Christ, as many commentaries declare, because the ten-divisional Roman empire did not exist at that time, nor was the "destructive" work of the stone accomplished during Christ's earthly ministry. Daniel doesn't describe the dream as teaching a gradual spread of the so-called kingdom of grace in the heart through the preaching of the gospel.
I think...what we see in this chapter is a sudden intervention in history in which Christ comes to smash the final stage of Gentile world dominion and to set up the empire of Heaven on the earth--the visible, literal, political, social, and historical kingdom of God for which the disciples were taught to pray: "Thy kingdom come."
The phrase, "in the days of these kings" (vs. 44), is decisive in any attempt to identify the specific time for the introduction of the kingdom which the God of Heaven will set up. These "kings" did not exist at the first advent, and they did not appear in the time of the apostles. They haven't come on the world scene yet. Therefore, the kingdom of God has not been established yet.
I do think the literal kingdom, described here is always, and everywhere future however. It's designed to replace earthly empires with a divine government which will proceed from Jerusalem. I think the coming kingdom will be political and historical, but will also be spiritual and eternal. Spiritual principles will regulate the affairs of men in that day, and time will merge into eternity at the close of the millennial day.
I think one last word is necessary about "the kingdom" as the Bible uses the expression in Daniel Chapter 2. I don't think "the kingdom" is Heaven itself. It's not salvation, the new birth, the church, spiritual principles, or Christ's rule in the believer's heart either. I think the kingdom in this context refers to the earthly millennial reign.
I also believe because of the character and the invincible purpose of God, there can't be any doubt of the ultimate triumph of righteousness!
The chapter closes with Nebuchadnezzar's reaction to what Daniel had to say... and I think his reaction was normal for a worshiper of many gods. He began to worship Daniel as the one through whom the gods work (vs. 46). Although he was still a believer in many gods, the king recognized Daniel's God as the greatest of all gods (vs. 47).
The believer in Christ, I think, is spared this anxiety because he has been united to Christ. He is in a place of safety, giving him promises of a future in the presence of God Himself.
In addition to this, God has given us, in the Bible, an outline of the future history of the world. Although we do not know all the details, He has nevertheless revealed the general broad outline of the course of events to take place among the nations.
I think Daniel, Chapter 2, contains the ABC's of prophesy; later chapters in Daniel supply the details!
Today my thoughts are focused around Daniel 2
The Mystery of the Dream (Daniel 2:1-23)
One night King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which agitated him so much he woke up and could not get back to sleep. The king didn't know the meaning of the dream, and he was afraid it might mean something unfavorable was going to happen to him.
He called his wise men and asked them to interpret his dream. They were willing to interpret provided the king would tell them the content of the dream. (vs. 4).
The king had apparently forgotten the dream, and so he used this as an occasion to test the reliability of his wise men. He demanded to know the content of the dream and the meaning of it. If they could tell it to him, their reward would be great. If they could not, then the king would have them all killed (vs. 5-6).
Nebuchadnezzar knew these men could say almost anything, and he would have no way to check on their interpretation. But if they could produce both the dream and its import, he would be convinced of their ability to know the secrets of the future and to advise him correctly and wisely (vs. 7-9).
The wise men replied, saying the kings request was beyond the power of any human being. In fact, they claimed only the gods could reveal the dream to the king; and unfortunately, the gods did not dwell among men.
This fired the king's wrath! Now he had proof his wise men were frauds. He knew all the information he had received from them in the past was nothing but lies and guess work. They had been making a fool out of him! Immediately the command went out to kill all the wise men in the city of Babylon (vs. 12-13).
Numbered among the wise men were Daniel and his three friends. The man appointed to lead the execution of the king's decree came to Daniel and told him what had happened. Daniel asked to be brought before the king. He then requested the king give him a little time, and he would reveal the dream and its interpretation.
Daniel left the presence of the king and held a prayer meeting with his three friends. Their approach to God was based not upon their own merit or their own faithfulness, but upon God's mercy. They realized the truth that if we receive anything from God, it is not because we deserve it, but because His great mercies are new every morning (vs. 17, 18).
That night, through a vision, God revealed to Daniel both the dream and its interpretation. Before Daniel rushed off to inform the king or even his friends of the disclosure, he stopped to praise God, who is the source of all wisdom. What man cannot know, God knows! (vs. 19-23).
The Meaning of the Dream (Daniel 2: 24-49)
Daniel went before the king and introduced the interpretation by comparing the limited knowledge of man with the unlimited knowledge of God. He wanted Nebuchadnezzar to understand he was about to receive information concerning the latter days that could not be discovered by human means--it must come through a special revelation from God. Daniel gave all of the credit to God.
Before explaining the meaning of the dream, Daniel gave a resume of its content (vs. 31-35). The king had seen an image (a colossus) in the form of a man. Its composition consisted of various kinds of metals; gold, silver, bronze, and iron mixed with clay. While he was looking at the image, Nebuchadnezzar saw a stone strike the feet of the image, crumbling the whole image. The stone then became larger and larger until it filled the entire earth.
The image represents all the world-ruling empires that would come into existence from Daniel's time until the second coming of Christ. I think this is clearly expressed in verse 28 in the phrase "latter days." This particular term is used in the Old testament generally to refer to a future time of trouble and blessing for the nation of Israel. Here, in keeping with the context, I think it refers to the last days of Gentile dominion over the earth.
The metals in the image represent 1) the progressive decentralization of authority in each of the successive governments and 2) the general decrease in strength of the governments.
Nebuchadnezzar possessed absolute dictatorial power; his eventual successors, Darius and Cyrus, had to work with in the framework of the laws of the Medes and Persians.
We're not left in any doubt about the historical starting point of the period which the dream disclosed. By beginning his interpretation with the head of gold and by associating it with Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel indicates the Babylonian empire is the first of those kingdoms which will make up the time of the Gentiles (vs 38).
Many records have been discovered which confirm the greatness and grandeur of his kingdom. His hanging gardens constituted one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It's believed he had them constructed for his wife, who in the arid flatland of Babylon was homesick for the hills of the area in which she was reared.
The walls of the city of Babylon were so thick the top easily accommodated a chariot race. All of the magnificence and wealth of his empire will characterize the final stage of man's rule up on the earth.
The second and third empires are not identified in this chapter. We're told later, however, what empires are meant in Daniel Chapter 5 verse 28...The Medo-Persian empire is predicted to follow the Babylonian; and in 8: 21, the successor to Medo-Persia is announced to be Greece.
Thus the book of Daniel is proved once again to be both historically and prophetically accurate, for it was written long before some of these empires came into existence. The Persian invasion from the East was responsible for conquering Babylon in the past, and it appears an invasion from the East will destroy the Babylon of the future.
The fourth kingdom is nowhere identified in the book of Daniel. But since up to this point the empires are identical to those empires which all historians recognize--one folowing the other from Babylon to Greece--we have good reason for thinking the fourth empire must be identified with the kingdome which immediately followed Greece--Rome. The descriptions fit Rome, for Rome ruled with an iron fist even though as a Republic with a senate it was the weakest form of government yet to appear.
Note chapter 2 of Daniel does not speak of five different and separate Roman empires. The feet and toes are a development of the legs. The legs most likely symbolize the division that split the Roman empire into Western and Eastern sections. The legs, feet, and toes are all parts of the one empire.
The vision depicts a time in the future when the territory once occupied by Rome will develop into ten distinct parts of a political unification. This development didn't occur at any time during Rome's long existence and has not yet occurred. The prophecy points to a time when Western Europe comes under the control of ten rulers who eventually submit to the dictates of a final tyrant.
This time period is further identified by the fact the occasion in question will be followed immediately by the inauguration of a the kingdom of God (Daniel 2: 44). That kingdom awaits the coming of Jesus Christ, (most interpreters think Jesus is represented by the stone), before it will be introduced to history.
I think it's only consistent to believe the mountain filling the earth is the millennial kingdom of the future. I also think it's a violation of all the rules of interpretation to make the parts of the image to represent political governments and literal empires functioning on earth, but then interpret, as some do, the kingdom which Messiah will introduce will only be a spiritual rule of God in one's heart which began at the first advent and culminated in the gospel age.
I don't believe the coming of the stone could refer to the first advent of Christ, as many commentaries declare, because the ten-divisional Roman empire did not exist at that time, nor was the "destructive" work of the stone accomplished during Christ's earthly ministry. Daniel doesn't describe the dream as teaching a gradual spread of the so-called kingdom of grace in the heart through the preaching of the gospel.
I think...what we see in this chapter is a sudden intervention in history in which Christ comes to smash the final stage of Gentile world dominion and to set up the empire of Heaven on the earth--the visible, literal, political, social, and historical kingdom of God for which the disciples were taught to pray: "Thy kingdom come."
The phrase, "in the days of these kings" (vs. 44), is decisive in any attempt to identify the specific time for the introduction of the kingdom which the God of Heaven will set up. These "kings" did not exist at the first advent, and they did not appear in the time of the apostles. They haven't come on the world scene yet. Therefore, the kingdom of God has not been established yet.
I do think the literal kingdom, described here is always, and everywhere future however. It's designed to replace earthly empires with a divine government which will proceed from Jerusalem. I think the coming kingdom will be political and historical, but will also be spiritual and eternal. Spiritual principles will regulate the affairs of men in that day, and time will merge into eternity at the close of the millennial day.
I think one last word is necessary about "the kingdom" as the Bible uses the expression in Daniel Chapter 2. I don't think "the kingdom" is Heaven itself. It's not salvation, the new birth, the church, spiritual principles, or Christ's rule in the believer's heart either. I think the kingdom in this context refers to the earthly millennial reign.
I also believe because of the character and the invincible purpose of God, there can't be any doubt of the ultimate triumph of righteousness!
The chapter closes with Nebuchadnezzar's reaction to what Daniel had to say... and I think his reaction was normal for a worshiper of many gods. He began to worship Daniel as the one through whom the gods work (vs. 46). Although he was still a believer in many gods, the king recognized Daniel's God as the greatest of all gods (vs. 47).
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Daniel's Faithfulness (Daniel Chapter 1)
I've decided its time to dissect and inductively study the book of Daniel. I'm fascinated with it... but I need to put my thoughts in writing.. so they're not clumped up in my mind.. all scrambled and unmanageable..
Thanks for understanding, and I hope you'll follow along and read with me. I'm anxious to hear your thoughts and commentary on the book and look forward to hearing from you.
My thoughts today are focused around Daniel Chapter 1.
I should preface by stating.. that from the beginning of Israel's history, God had promised judgment if the nation would not obey the law (References: Deuteronomy 28: 15-62; 31: 16-21).
Although Daniel was in right relationship with God, this was not true of the nation as a whole. Their sin had become so great, God carried out the judgment which he had predicted many years before (Isaiah 39: 6,7). Daniel, through no fault of his own, found himself a captive in a foreign land and exposed to many practices that were contrary to the Word of God.
Because of his family position, and his physical and mental ability, he was chosen for training by the Babylonians (Dan. 1:4).
This training involved instruction in a very complicated language and learning what was considered the greatest wisdom of the day. The Chaldeans were considered specialists in the fields of magic and astrology. If Daniel became successful in this, it meant that although he was still a captive, his life would be rather easy and he would occupy a preferred place in Babylon.
The problem facing Daniel was that the training involved eating what was contrary to the Mosaic law (verse 5). The delicacy of the food was not the issue, for it was the same the king ate himself. Something about it, however, would have caused Daniel to defile himself if he had eaten it. Daniel now had a choice to make; should he do what he knew was wrong, or should he jeopardize his whole future by remaining true to God and requesting some other kind of food?
The other Jewish youths were eating the food without complaint for conscience (verse 10). Could he afford to be any different? After all, his captors might return him to the resettlement camps for his difiance and inappreciation.
Daniel didn't delay his decision. He determined there would be no compromise (verse 8). I think his decision is a reflection of his past way of life. Because he had been faithful in the past, it was easier for him to make the right decision at this point.
He proposed to the one in charge of his training that they have a ten-day trial period (vs. 12). During the ten days he would follow his own diet. If at the end he was in pooer condition than the other captives, he would then eat the king's food.
This involved some danger to those responsible for Daniel. If something happened to him and the king found out about it, it would cost them their lives (vs. 10). But God caused Daniel's request to receive a favorable response on the part of his captors. Thus, in spite of the danger to themselves, they allowed Daniel and his three friends to eat only those foods which the four Hebrews Chose.
In a day of easy living and willing compromise, Daniel's life stands out. He resolved to be different if this was what remaining true to God required. His goal was not to please men and get a few compliments but to please God and live a life of which God could approve.
He guarded against the shortsighted approach to life which sacrifices the eternal on the altar of the present.
Daniels whole life was above reproach. Not a single sin is recorded against him. I don't think we're to imagine he was actually sinless, but we should appreciate and recognize his deepest motive was to glorify God. His eye was single; therefore, his whole body was full of light.
In Daniel's refusal to conform, he didn't approach his supervisor in an arrogant and defiant manner. He made no assault upon the Babylonian religion. He didn't assume a sanctimonious superiority. Instead, he requested he might be permitted to abstain from defiling himself. He was gracious and tactful, yet specific, direct, nonpunishing... and uncompromising. He was careful not to do anything that would get his supervisor in trouble with the king at the risk of losing his life.
This is a lesson we all need to learn I think when facing conflict. God does not expect us to antagonize the enemies of the gospel by our rash and belligerent attitudes. Daniel and his friends did not protest the change of their names to correspond with heathen deities. The Babylonian idolators could call them what they liked; names could never hurt them, but to displease God by eathing food which had probably been offered to deomons was an act which they could not contemplate.
And what was the outcome? God in His providence directly intervened in several matters.
What made Daniel different from the mass of Jewish captives that he should be selected for special service? Was it some meritorious virtue in hismself? No! God made the difference between Daniel and those who forsook the Lord. The God of Daniel cuased him to be born into a royal family. The God of Daniel cuased him to be transported to Babylon with the rest of the men of Judah. God cuased the head of the eunuchs to permit Danile's request.
I think we can safely say God put it in Daniel's mind and heart to make such a request, and God by His own divine power produced steadfastness and resolve in Daniel not to conform to Babylonian customs...God's appointed place for Daniel required preparation and conditioning. Thank God for Daniel's faithfulness!
Thanks for understanding, and I hope you'll follow along and read with me. I'm anxious to hear your thoughts and commentary on the book and look forward to hearing from you.
My thoughts today are focused around Daniel Chapter 1.
I should preface by stating.. that from the beginning of Israel's history, God had promised judgment if the nation would not obey the law (References: Deuteronomy 28: 15-62; 31: 16-21).
Although Daniel was in right relationship with God, this was not true of the nation as a whole. Their sin had become so great, God carried out the judgment which he had predicted many years before (Isaiah 39: 6,7). Daniel, through no fault of his own, found himself a captive in a foreign land and exposed to many practices that were contrary to the Word of God.
Because of his family position, and his physical and mental ability, he was chosen for training by the Babylonians (Dan. 1:4).
This training involved instruction in a very complicated language and learning what was considered the greatest wisdom of the day. The Chaldeans were considered specialists in the fields of magic and astrology. If Daniel became successful in this, it meant that although he was still a captive, his life would be rather easy and he would occupy a preferred place in Babylon.
The problem facing Daniel was that the training involved eating what was contrary to the Mosaic law (verse 5). The delicacy of the food was not the issue, for it was the same the king ate himself. Something about it, however, would have caused Daniel to defile himself if he had eaten it. Daniel now had a choice to make; should he do what he knew was wrong, or should he jeopardize his whole future by remaining true to God and requesting some other kind of food?
The other Jewish youths were eating the food without complaint for conscience (verse 10). Could he afford to be any different? After all, his captors might return him to the resettlement camps for his difiance and inappreciation.
Daniel didn't delay his decision. He determined there would be no compromise (verse 8). I think his decision is a reflection of his past way of life. Because he had been faithful in the past, it was easier for him to make the right decision at this point.
He proposed to the one in charge of his training that they have a ten-day trial period (vs. 12). During the ten days he would follow his own diet. If at the end he was in pooer condition than the other captives, he would then eat the king's food.
This involved some danger to those responsible for Daniel. If something happened to him and the king found out about it, it would cost them their lives (vs. 10). But God caused Daniel's request to receive a favorable response on the part of his captors. Thus, in spite of the danger to themselves, they allowed Daniel and his three friends to eat only those foods which the four Hebrews Chose.
In a day of easy living and willing compromise, Daniel's life stands out. He resolved to be different if this was what remaining true to God required. His goal was not to please men and get a few compliments but to please God and live a life of which God could approve.
He guarded against the shortsighted approach to life which sacrifices the eternal on the altar of the present.
Daniels whole life was above reproach. Not a single sin is recorded against him. I don't think we're to imagine he was actually sinless, but we should appreciate and recognize his deepest motive was to glorify God. His eye was single; therefore, his whole body was full of light.
In Daniel's refusal to conform, he didn't approach his supervisor in an arrogant and defiant manner. He made no assault upon the Babylonian religion. He didn't assume a sanctimonious superiority. Instead, he requested he might be permitted to abstain from defiling himself. He was gracious and tactful, yet specific, direct, nonpunishing... and uncompromising. He was careful not to do anything that would get his supervisor in trouble with the king at the risk of losing his life.
This is a lesson we all need to learn I think when facing conflict. God does not expect us to antagonize the enemies of the gospel by our rash and belligerent attitudes. Daniel and his friends did not protest the change of their names to correspond with heathen deities. The Babylonian idolators could call them what they liked; names could never hurt them, but to displease God by eathing food which had probably been offered to deomons was an act which they could not contemplate.
And what was the outcome? God in His providence directly intervened in several matters.
- First, He prepared the heart of Melzar to grant Daniel's request. This proves God has access to the minds and wills of even unregenerate men and can control them as He wills. What Melzar chose to do of his own free will was exactly what God had chosen for him to do.
- Second, God sustained Daniel and his brethren so they suffered no ill effects from such a poor diet. Expecting them to show signs of malnutrition, Melzar found the quartet of captives in better health than those who had gorged themselves on the king's delicacies. In all of the rest of their training they were not required to share the king's diet. They continued to live on their simple fare, and God continued to preserve their bodily well being.
- Third, God gave Daniel and his friends all sorts of knowledge and skills. They surpassed everyone else in the kingdom in their knowledge of the Chaldean language, literature, art, crafts, and sciences. Even though they had a three year course in liberal arts, which gave them proficiency in all the humanities, they never adopted the philosophy or the religion of the Chaldean's. God gave them a penetrating insight into the nature of reality, and they enjoyed from Him discriminative powers which natural men lacked.
- Fourth, God gave an additional ability to Daniel. He was made to understand all visions and dreams (vs. 17). This endowment was a prerequisite to what follows in the book of Daniel.
- Fifth, God providentially arragned the elevation of Daniel and his companions to places of prominence in the Babylonian goverment. Every detail of a long line of events worked toward this end. God was working out His eternal puposes, and the details called for a Jewish prime minister and prophet to counsel serveral pagan kings and disclose to them (and us) the course of world empires.
What made Daniel different from the mass of Jewish captives that he should be selected for special service? Was it some meritorious virtue in hismself? No! God made the difference between Daniel and those who forsook the Lord. The God of Daniel cuased him to be born into a royal family. The God of Daniel cuased him to be transported to Babylon with the rest of the men of Judah. God cuased the head of the eunuchs to permit Danile's request.
I think we can safely say God put it in Daniel's mind and heart to make such a request, and God by His own divine power produced steadfastness and resolve in Daniel not to conform to Babylonian customs...God's appointed place for Daniel required preparation and conditioning. Thank God for Daniel's faithfulness!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Willing and Obedient
No matter how hard I try, my 8 year old son Timothy is a far better baker than I. My friends could tell you, nothing I bake is edible because it always tastes like baking soda... even when I don't put baking soda in the recipe...
A few weeks ago, when Timothy was wrist-deep in cookie dough, I pressed him for advice.
"I follow the recipe--EXACTLY," he said. "Do you?""Not quite," I hedged, recalling the many liberties I take with cook-books. Watching him roll bits of dough painstakingly between his hands, I explained that I usually plopped the dough haphazardly on the cookie sheet with a spoon. "it's faster and easier that way."
"Faster and easier doesn't make it right mom," was his stern reply..."There are rules---" he began.Just then, a loud buzz from the timer interrupted his lecture. He opened the oven and stuck a toothpick into the top of a cookie. "PERFECT," he announced.
Carefully, he peeled off two large snowly spheres with a spatula and put them on to the cookie rack. My mouth watered as I watched him bite into a fragrant, perfectly baked snickerdoodle."AHHHHHH," he sighed, "worth waiting for!"
Thank you Lord for Timothy. You used him to remind me when I grow impatient, its the obedient who earn a place at your table! I'm astonished at how often you use our children to teach me your perfection.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Appearances
"Judge not according to the appearance..." John 7:24There was only one banana left in the fruit basket this morning, and it was ripe.... overripe in fact.
I carefully pulled back the black peel and began slicing it into Elijah's cereal. "MOM," his six year old voice wailed... "I don't like bananas!"
"Yes, you do!" I replied, "You eat them all the time!"
"Well," he said ... as he looked at the discarded peeling, "I don't like them when they're burned."
I laughed a little to myself upon hearing this...of course, the banana wasn't burned--even though its color did remarkably resemble charred toast. I thought about his comment for a little while as I continued preparing breakfast for the rest of the family... I noticed lots of other things in life aren't quite what they appear to be either.
Perhaps "Mrs. Anderson", a newcomer at our church, isn't really aloof but is simply shy. And my friend's recent silence could mean personal problems, not that she no longer enjoys my company. Maybe the rude attendant at Alberstons never smiles because she's in pain.. emotional or physical.
I need to work on not judging others on appearances. I need to "peel" off the exterior labels and defenses of those around me. I need to practice welcoming the unusual or exotic! I should savor the new, find curiosity about the different, bring humor to the unfamiliar, and watch -- with delight-- as my world expands!
Yay for brand new days where I can try new things!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Questions
"Jesus said to the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, "I have a question for you.""...Luke 6:9For my four year old Caleb, everything is a question. "What are you doing with that pan?" "Why are we going this way?" "Why does the car make that noise?"... even now as I'm typing this out.. I can hear him ask his dad "Why do you put milk in your cereal?"
Some questions are easy to answer of course, but some have no answer.
After about fifty of those unanswerable questions one day, I blurted out in exhaustion to my husband, "WHY..... does he ask sooooo many questions... can't he just accept things as they are?" I couldn't even finish the sentence before I started laughing because I, myself, have been known to question authority a time or two. It appears Caleb is just like his mother!
One of the things I love about Caleb is how often he reminds me to see value in sticky situations.In this instance, he helped me remember part of learning and growing up in maturity and character IS, in fact, asking questions.
Have I ever stopped asking questions? More importantly... have I stopped questioning my motives and actions by merely putting up with my bad habits as they are?
I need to be more like Caleb. I need to start asking myself why. "Why do I look the other way as I drive by the woman holding the sign "Homeless--Anything helps"? Why do I have time to watch TV, but not to pray? Why do I take on more work than I can possibly do?
Jesus asked so many questions in His teaching, often answering questions with a question. He knew letting questions work in our minds and hearts conditions and helps us mature spiritually. He knew the ability to question was necessary in order for us to willingly accept God's perfect answers for life and the situations it brings.When I think about it that way, I'm comforted in knowing I don't always have to come up with an answer for myself or for Caleb; however, asking sometimes unanswerable questions has prompted me to change my attitude as well as my actions.
I'm choosing now to reach more often for my Bible rather then the remote control. I've turned down another volunteer opportunity, though I'd really like to do it, because I'm already overloaded. I'm also enjoying Caleb's enthusiasm in seeking answers, rather then feeling his questions are a burden.
I'm thankful God is right next to me.. helping me face the truths I discover.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Definitely Different
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy... do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12: 1, 2
If I could speak to those younger believers, being conformed at the very moment I write this, what would I say? Would I join the apostle Paul in urging them to be definitely different?
It's difficult to be different. Everyone wants to be "different".. nowadays.. which in essence makes them all the same. When Paul says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world," he has more in mind than material things. I think he is speaking of my life...as God's child...the way I think and perceive life.. and how I chose to live it.
With one short phrase Paul points to the motivation. "I urge you," he said, "in view of God's mercy."
Only such redeeming love, like that of Christ at the Cross can make me WANT to separate myself from the world around me. It motivates me to be different...to be transformed.
A close friend of mine journaled several years ago his understanding of this passage. He said:
"The world does not train us to think Spiritually; in fact, it trains us to think carnally. The most commonly accepted practice of living as a Christian is to apply spiritual principles to our carnal lives...which is an improvement.... but it's not TRUE transformation.
Transformation...ONLY happens when we openly admit nothing about our carnal thinking is worth saving.. or holding on to.. we turn from that towards the Holy Spirit and what He produces.
Being transformed... definitely transformed....being different... definitely different... is painful...but essential to life in Christ..rather than with Christ."
I agree with my friend, and pray the Lord would fill me with His precious love IN Christ so I am powered to live as His child!
If I could speak to those younger believers, being conformed at the very moment I write this, what would I say? Would I join the apostle Paul in urging them to be definitely different?
It's difficult to be different. Everyone wants to be "different".. nowadays.. which in essence makes them all the same. When Paul says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world," he has more in mind than material things. I think he is speaking of my life...as God's child...the way I think and perceive life.. and how I chose to live it.
With one short phrase Paul points to the motivation. "I urge you," he said, "in view of God's mercy."
Only such redeeming love, like that of Christ at the Cross can make me WANT to separate myself from the world around me. It motivates me to be different...to be transformed.
A close friend of mine journaled several years ago his understanding of this passage. He said:
"The world does not train us to think Spiritually; in fact, it trains us to think carnally. The most commonly accepted practice of living as a Christian is to apply spiritual principles to our carnal lives...which is an improvement.... but it's not TRUE transformation.
Transformation...ONLY happens when we openly admit nothing about our carnal thinking is worth saving.. or holding on to.. we turn from that towards the Holy Spirit and what He produces.
Being transformed... definitely transformed....being different... definitely different... is painful...but essential to life in Christ..rather than with Christ."
I agree with my friend, and pray the Lord would fill me with His precious love IN Christ so I am powered to live as His child!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Healing for Perfect Strangers!
"Blessed be the Lord: for he hath showed me His marvelous kindness..." Pslams 31:21 On the outside.. I've been told I look hard to approach.. even intimidating.. on the inside, however not so much! I've always been sensitive, my feelings hurt easily. Things that might not bother a lot of people could make me cry, and often spoil the day: Someone yells at me, a fellow driver on the road is rude, my husband scolds; a neighbor or friend or even my own child says something cutting....etc.
I've learned however..as stung as I may be.. not to take it out on someone else. I've found the best way to get over an unexpected hurt is to try to cancel it by comforting somebody else.
Life is usually prompt in giving me the chance to do this. Yesterday, still seething and suffering from a sharp remark from one of my kids, I was standing in line at the store and behind me was a shabby man staring fixedly towards the ground. I could tell by his sniffling he was struggling not to cry.
I watched him, as he fumbled to find his handkerchief, and found myself saying, "I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help you?" "No, thanks, ma'am," he said, producing a picture from his worn wallet. It was of a pretty little girl. "We lost her yesterday," he continued, eager to talk about it. "I'm on my way now to pick out flowers."
After I finished my transaction with the cashier, I waited until he had finished his so we could walk out of the store together. We ended up standing in the entry way of the store and he shared his pride in her, and his great loss.
We touched upon the mystery of being born at all, of being parents, of the brevity and beauty of life upon this earth, and the joy of sharing it with someone we loved, even for a little while. We spoke of the wonderful comfort of faith and the promises of Jesus. How He directed and bade the children to come unto Him, for theirs "is the kingdom of God..." (Mark 10:14).
When we parted, I knew the man's heart was lighter. He was actually smiling. "This has meant a lot to me ma'am. I'm going to tell my wife the things we said." "You helped me feel better, too," I told him. It was as if some vital balance had been struck between that which is hurtful and that which is healing.
My day was no longer spoiled, and his had been brightened... and itsn't that what really counts? The good, the kind, the encouraging things we do for one another can equal and even surpass the pain we all inflict sometimes, and sometimes suffer.
I prayed in the car on my way home, asking the Lord to give me the strength to heal hurt feelings, and to guard me against hurting anyone else.. and I thanked him for showing me His kindness through the man at the store. I love seeing Jesus unexpectedly in people!
I never got the man's name, and he never got mine. I'll remember him always though, and I have a feeling we'll see each other again...maybe not in this world but certainly when we go home to be with our Father in Heaven.
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