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Chapter 4: Biblical Book of Daniel and commentary
Summary of the book of Daniel
The Old
Testament book of Daniel is the only major apocalyptic book in the Old
Testament occurring and written during the time of
Babylonian captivity, roughly 605 B.C. to 535 B.C. in what
was a disastrous period for the Israelite nation, all prophesied earlier by
prophets
such as Jeremiah, Isaiah and Moses. Due to the sinning
condition of that nation with respect to the covenant given almost a millennia
earlier,
God decreed that the nation and city of Jerusalem would be
under siege by foreign nations and destroyed for 70 years.
The main themes
to the book are the visions, prophecies, stories contained therein revolve
around God's sovereignty over the ruling of
nations, as opposed to man in power acting alone. It deals
with man, politics, Daniel's faith and courage, humility and wisdom in the face
of an
idolatrous nation, perseverance in the face of religious
oppression and idolatry. It tends to deal with the end-times, or the "end
of days," which
as you will see, deal mostly with centuries and a succession
of world powers leading up to the arrival of the Messiah, about 500 years
later.
Daniel is
fascinating with respect not only to the accuracy of prophetic visions received
and thereafter fulfilled, but seemingly impossible
supernatural experiences. Due to the previous suspicions by
scholars, there naturally have been many attempts to discredit this book as a
fraud, something written after the fact, around 164 B.C.
during the time of the Maccabee revolt. There are also some who see problems
with
the dates of the reign of various kings given, but will not
deal with these now, for they involve much tedious and lengthy, scholarly-type
discussion. There are other portions of Daniel not included
in current canoconical versions of the Bible, such as Bel the Dragon and
Susanna.
These for the time will not be discussed, though important.
Well, It is
Daniel himself who has returned to say that indeed it was genuinely written by
Daniel in the time of Babylon, and has returned to
make sense of all confusion. You will notice that Daniel of
old speaks of himself in the third-person, as does Daniel of the 21st century.
The
reason is the disdain for the concept of "I" as
many refer to themselves, for an angel sees himself as part of a greater whole.
All the other
qualities of Daniel of Old have become embodied in his 21st
century incarnation as well: Wisdom of the gods (angels), courage, loyalty,
resolute firmness and faith in God in the face of adversity,
and under the guidance of super-natural protection.
The prophetic
portions are written in layers and form a symbiotic relationship with John's
Revelation of the New Testament, as well as many
other Biblical prophecies, and these will be discussed,
however briefly. The main focus of the Final Book of Daniel shall not deal with
history,
which virtually all of the prophetic portions involve, so
much as with the present, therefore commentary dealing with fulfilled prophecy
and
historical references will be kept to a minimum. My comments
are in brackets.
Chapters 1
through 6 tend to deal with the life of Daniel and companions in a pagan
society of Babylon. Daniel of Old was a Jewish captive,
taken in his teenage years to serve under king
Nebuchadnezzar in a pagan society, how he progressed through the ranks of the
royal palace
serving under many kings until the Mede/Persian rule around
538 B.C. It includes visions, the fiery furnace of blazing fire, the lions' den,
the
writing on the wall, and devious plots by idolaters and
power-mad kings.
Chapters 7
through 12 deal mostly with prophetic visions of future history. Herein shall
include a general summary of most verses, what
they mean, and how they may relate to his present
incarnation. Many of such visions were delivered by angels, and some in dreams, and
deal with symbology and military conflicts, transferring of
powers from major world civilizations leading to the end of the age, the coming
of the
Messiah, more than 500 years later.
Although this
commentary is coming from Daniel himself, it is important to note that some
meaning has been lost through the ravages of
history and various translations, so will attempt to give
only brief disseminations on general content, without nitpicking into
literalistic, minute
details, and this version is a combination of the English
New revised Standard version/King James version, designed to give basic essence
to
scriptural meaning.
The scene of the
first chapter starts off with Daniel and companions kidnapped by a fiery king
of Babylon who first stormed Jerusalem
around 605 B.C., taking some of the royal family with him,
carting them off to Babylon to serve the king there, after being trained to
learn the
language and literature of the culture, later to be selected
to serve in the royal court.
DANIEL Four Young Israelites
at the Babylonian Court
1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah,
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord let
king Jehoiakim of Judah fall into his power, as well as some
of the vessels of the house of God. These he brought to the land of Shinar, and
placed the vessels in the treasury of his gods. Then the
king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of
the
royal family and of the nobility, young men without physical
defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with
knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king's
palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
[The above
occurred about 605 B.C. and Judah was thereafter under the political control of
Babylon. The king took some of the temple
treasures back with him on a preliminary raid on Jerusalem,
and kidnapped some of the nobility, including me, Daniel, in the previous
incarnation, in order to serve the king and administrative
affairs of Babylon. Judah's king was killed at the time. This was the first of
three raids;
the second occurred in 597 B.C., the last in 586 B.C., which
was the ultimate downfall of Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed. 70 years
later Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild and restore
Jerusalem, allowing many of the captives and dispersed Jews to return, about
536 B.C.
This event was unprecedented for the Judaic nation, and was
prophesied to occur many times by many of the prophets, including Moses,
Jeremiah, Isaiah. It was a result of the people's rebellious
nature toward the covenant God gave them. The Chaldeans were a nomadic,
semitic tribe who gradually gained power for centuries in
the region, and took great influence over affairs and culture of Babylon, with
their own
brand of religion involving sorcery and magic and
astrology.]
The king
assigned them a daily portion of the royal rations of food and wine. They were
to be educated for three years, so that at the end of
that time they could be stationed in the king's court. Among
them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, from the tribe of Judah. The
palace master gave them other names: Daniel he called
Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and
Azariah he called Abednego.
[Under the
training to be received, they ordered me (Daniel) to sacrifice to other gods
for the food to be eaten while under training, and also
pig's meat, which was forbidden to be eaten under the kosher
food laws established under the Torah I was then submitted to. The King
changed our Jewish names to others based on pagan gods. This
was a three-year education experience in preparation for royal duties;
Daniel and his companions were already educated, but had to
be trained in the Aramaic (Chaldean) language of Babylon and taught various
forms of wisdom, some of which involved idolatry and
practices unbecoming to the Judaic faith.]
But Daniel
resolved that he would not defile himself with the royal rations of food and
wine; so he asked the palace master to allow him not
to defile himself. Now God allowed Daniel to receive favor
and compassion from the palace master. The palace master said to Daniel,
"I am
afraid of lord the king; he has appointed your food and your
drink. If he should see you in poorer condition than the other young men of
your
own age, you would endanger my head with the king." Then
Daniel asked the guard whom the palace master had appointed over Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: "Please test your
servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
You can then
compare our appearance with the appearance of the young men
who eat the royal rations, and deal with your servants according to what you
observe." So he agreed to this proposal and tested them
for ten days. At the end of ten days it was observed they appeared better and
fatter
than all the young men who had been eating the royal
rations. So the guard continued to withdraw their royal rations and the wine
they were
to drink, and gave them vegetables. To these four young men
God gave knowledge and skill in every aspect of literature and wisdom; Daniel
also had insight into all visions and dreams.
[Daniel had
courage and faith, as he does now, and rebelled against the order to eat swine
and sacrifice to the pagan gods as practiced in
Babylonia, thereby issuing a protest to the guard in charge,
and how the guard would be in danger should he allow this, so Daniel gave a
test
for him: To feed only the bare minimum as a vegetarian diet,
observe the result after 10 days, and the result was that God treated them with
favor, keeping them in excellent health, despite
depravation. In a karmic sense, this is probably why Daniel started off as a
"drunkard and a
glutton" in his present incarnation: to make up for
past extremes and deprecations, although Daniel does now fast for the sake of
God since
the awakening. I am no longer subject to the strict Kosher
food laws of the Torah, and am permitted to eat ham or bacon, although avoid it
due
to its unhealthy constitution. Skill in dreams and visions
were very important to these ancient cultures, and Daniel received many of the
divine
variety due to his faith in God, enabling him to receive
favor and respect, as he has in the present incarnation.]
At the end of
the days that the king had set for them to be brought in, the palace master
brought them into the presence of king
Nebuchadnezzar, and the king spoke with them. And among them
all, no one was found to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah; therefore they were stationed in the king's court.
In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired
of
them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians
and enchanters in his whole kingdom. And Daniel continued there until the first
year of King Cyrus.
[After three
years of education, Daniel and his companions were tested in the presence of
the king, and due to our faith in God, divine
wisdom and intelligence received, were exalted beyond all
others; we were blessed with knowledge and insight far exceeding that of
contemporaries and wise men. Daniel of the present has also
been gifted by God in such wisdom and insight, especially after the 1991 NDE,
and later angelification, with exceedingly high wisdom and
intelligence. Daniel had remained in administrative service in various
positions
within the palace of Babylon for many decades, until the
reign of the Medo-Persian empire under king Cyrus, around 538 B.C.]
Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
2 In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign,
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed such dreams that his spirit was troubled and sleep left
him. So
the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the
sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. When
they came in and stood before the king, he said to them,
"I have had such a dream that my spirit is troubled by the desire to
understand it."
The Chaldeans said to the king (in Aramaic), "O king
live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will reveal the
interpretation."
[From this point
on Daniel writes in the form of Imperial Aramaic since learned during the
three-year schooling process. This form of
language continued for many centuries, until the time of
Christ. It was common in those times to address kings with the phrase "O
king live
forever. A furious Nebuchadnezzar then demands all the wise
men and sorcerers to tell him the impossible interpretation of the disturbing
dream he witnessed, but they first wished to know the dream,
for they did not know.]
The king
answered the Chaldeans, "This is a public decree: if you do not tell me
both the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb
from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. But if
you tell me the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts
and rewards
and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation."
They answered a second time, " Let the king first tell his servants the
dream, then we can give its interpretation." The king
answered, "I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because
you have seen
that I have firmly decreed: if you do not tell me the dream,
there is but one verdict for you. You have agreed to speak lying and misleading
words to me until things take a turn. Therefore, tell me the
dream, and I shall know you can give me its interpretation." The Chaldeans
answered the king, "There is no one on earth who can
reveal what the king demands! In fact no king, however great and powerful, gas
ever
asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.
The thing that the king is asking is too difficult, and no one can reveal it to
the
king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with
mortals."
[Again the
Chaldeans demanded of Nebuchadnezzar to first tell them of his dream, but
because the irrationally impossible demands of the
king, they could not tell, and he refused to tell them,
power-hungry and despotic as he was, expected them to somehow know not only the
interpretation, but the dream itself. The Chaldeans (and
many modern-day fundamentalist Christians) did not believe the gods dwelt with
mortals, yet Daniel soon comes to the rescue, and as you
will see, is "endowed with the spirit of the holy gods," which means
angel. The
Chaldeans hoped that by stalling, the king would change his
mind about this threatening decree, until conceding that they could not reveal
it.
The king then became furious, and to then make good on his
promise of the destruction of all the wise men.]
Because of this
the king flew into a violent rage and commanded that all the wise men of
Babylon be destroyed. The decree was issued,
and the wise men were about to be executed; and they looked
for Daniel and his companions, to execute them. Then Daniel responded with
prudence and discretion to Arioch, the king's chief
executioner, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon; he asked
Arioch, the
royal official, "Why is the decree of the king so
urgent?" Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. So Daniel went in and
requested that the
king give him time and he would tell the king the
interpretation.
[Nobody was able
to reveal the king's dream, so, in irrational anger, Nebuchadnezzar wished to
kill all the wise men, and issued a prompt
order to execute everyone, so they started rounding up all
the wise men to be executed. But Daniel was elsewhere at the time, and when
finding out about this decree, perplexed at the nature of
the decree, made a confident assertion to the king through Arioch to wait, and
the
dream would be revealed to him by God through prayer and
faith, but this required some time.]
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar's Dream
Then Daniel went
to his home and informed his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and
told them to seek mercy from the God of
heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his
companions with the rest of the wise men of Babylon might not perish. Then the
mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and
Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
[In a manner
similar to mass prayer for revelation from readers by 21st century readers,
Daniel of Old summoned his friends to join in a
mass prayer to God to reveal the mystery of revelation, and
God responded. The outcome was a revealing dream of the king's dream, and
Daniel was thankful.]
Daniel said:
"Blessed be the name of God from age to age, for wisdom and power are his.
He changes time and seasons, deposes kings
and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge
to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and hidden things; he
knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him. To
you, O God of my ancestors, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me
wisdom and power, and have now revealed to me what we asked
of you, for you have revealed to us what the king ordered."
[Even in his
present incarnation has Daniel expressed such profound appreciation to God for
such answers, wisdom and power received.
God knows all, and can reveal such wisdom to His
messenger-servants, the prophets. God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient --
God is
all, and One, in sovereign control of everything: The
seasons, nations, kings. For those who seek wisdom and understand by the mercy
and
grace of God, will receive it if they ask. The answer of the
dream was given so that God may be glorified through Daniel.]
Daniel Interprets the Dream
Therefore Daniel
went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon,
and said to him, "Do not destroy the
wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will
give the king the interpretation." Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel
before the king
and said to him: "I have found among the exiles from
Judah a man who can tell the king the interpretation."
[Arioch tries to
take credit for finding someone who can interpret the dream, even though it is
Daniel who approached Arioch.]
The king said to
Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to tell me the dream
and its interpretation?" Daniel answered the
king, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners
can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking, but there is a God in
heaven
who reveals mysteries, and he has disclosed to King
Nebuchadnezzar what will happen at the end of days.
[Before reveling
the dream and its interpretation, Daniel reminds Nebuchadnezzar of the
impossible demands placed upon the wise men,
but rightfully gives credit to God for revealing this demand
through Daniel. The next verses regarding the dream then deal with a succession
of
future, world empires leading up to the time of Christ.]
Your dream and
the visions of your head as you lay in bed were these: To you, O king, as you
lay in bed, came thoughts of what would be
hereafter, and the revealer of mysteries disclosed to you
what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me because
of
any wisdom that I have more than any other living being, but
in order that the interpretation may be known to the king and that you may
understand the thoughts of your mind.
[As now, Daniel
does not give credit to his wisdom exceeding other humans in degree, whether it
be now or then, but to the power of God.
Daniel then goes on to describe Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and
what it symbolized.]
"You were
looking, O king, and lo! there was a great statue. This statue was huge, its
brilliance extraordinary; it was standing before you,
and its appearance was frightening. The head of that statue
was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of
bronze, its
legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
[The Babylonians
worshiped images, and this statue was a representation of kingdoms to come
"in the latter days." In decreasing levels of
"value" according to metallic power, we start with
the head of gold, descending to the feet, the foundation of brittle clay. The
head of gold was
symbolized as then magnificent Babylon, as strong and
powerful as it was at the time, the chest and arms of silver represented the
dual Mede
and Persian (two arms) civilization that followed after 538
B.C. -- divided -- , the middle and thighs of bronze represented the
civilization of
Greece after 331 B.C., and the feet of part clay and iron
represented Rome, the final empire to reign over the Judaic nation.]
As you looked
on, a stone was cut out, not by human hands, and it struck the statue on its
feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces.
Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, and the gold, were all
broken in pieces and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and
the
wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be
found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled
the
whole earth.
[Within 500
years or so, the stone -- Jesus, and the spiritual kingdom of heaven thereafter
set up through the church, smashed the last
foundation of the statue, all these kingdoms, bringing them
to an end (but the process took longer), without a trace to be found; the stone
was
the Christian church that followed in replacement, a great
mountain filling the whole earth.]
"This was
the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king
of kings--to whom the God of heaven has given the
kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory, into whose
hand he has given human beings, wherever they live, the wild animals of the
field,
and the birds of the air, and whom he has established as
ruler over them all--you are the head of gold.
[Daniel
acknowledges the power God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, and power therefore given
over all aspects of human endeavors, and
proclaims he is the head of gold, or Babylon, who was given
great power as the leader of the greatest civilization then existing.]
After you shall
arise another kingdom inferior to yours, and yet a third kingdom of bronze,
which shall rule over the whole earth.
[History makes
clear this is the Mede and Persian empire (arms and chest of silver) that
followed within a generation or two, with Cyrus
making an alliance with Darius of Persia. Daniel lived to
see this event. The third world-empire/kingdom of bronze to rule over the whole
earth
was Greece, under the militaristic escapades of Alexander
the Great.]
And there shall
be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; just as iron crushes and smashes
everything, it shall crush and shatter all these. As you
saw the feet and toes partly of potter's clay and partly of
iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the strength of iron shall be
in it, as you
saw the iron mixed with the clay. As the toes of the feet
were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly
brittle. As
you saw the iron mixed with clay, so will they mix with one
another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix
with
clay.
[Moving from the
head down to the final kingdom, here represented by the clay and iron feet,
this kingdom was in fact Rome, strong as iron,
smashing everything, crushing all previous kingdoms. But in
fact it was at the core brittle, mixed with clay, and it did not hold forever,
and
eventually crumbled into various nations of Europe, at least
retaining some of the strength of iron; it has continually remained divided as
the
many historical wars suggest. The ten toes can be symbolized
either by ten emphasized by ten major segments or provinces of Rome existing
at the time of Christ, or ten emperors. What came of its
legacy? It was replaced by the everlasting spiritual Kingdom of Heaven set up
by
Jesus as the king.]
And in the days
of those kings the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom that shall never be
destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to
another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring
them to an end, and it shall stand forever; just as you saw that a stone was
cut from
the mountain not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the
bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has informed the king
what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its
interpretation trustworthy."
[Contrary to
most Jewish contemporaries at the time with their expectations of the Messiah,
and even now despite the wishes or beliefs of
many Christians, this was in fact not a physical, earthly
kingdom to be established, but was in fact a spiritual kingdom. Jesus, the
Messiah in
fact set up this kingdom "in those days," and had
read Daniel's writings concerning this matter, discerned its proper meaning
when frequently
discussing the "kingdom of heaven" to be
established: A spiritual, heavenly kingdom, which cannot be destroyed, and this
began with the
Church, which began by politically taking over Rome; and it
shall stand forever, as no earthly kingdom is otherwise capable. Also, the
"kingdom of God is already here, but you do not see
it...The kingdom of God is within you." This is demonstrated in modern
NDEs: the
kingdom was long ago established in the after-life realms.]
Daniel and His Friends Promoted
Then king
Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, worshiped Daniel, and commanded that a grain
offering and incense be offered to him. The
king said to Daniel, "Truly, your God is God of gods
and lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal
this
mystery!" Then the king promoted Daniel, gave him many
great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief
prefect
over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of
the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of
the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's
court.
[I never wished
to be worshiped, but the king did so, and made payment in several forms, then
thanked God that Daniel worshiped as the
God over gods, the One capable of revealing mysteries of the
dark, then was promoted to conduct the economic and political affairs of
Babylon, but with the help of his friends. Because of this,
God allowed Daniel and companions to be promoted in the kingdom. This began a
long career in the office conducting affairs over Babylon,
but remained in the presence of the king, leaving much business to his three
companions.]
The Golden Image
3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height was
sixty cubits and whose width was six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura
in the province of Babylon. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent
for the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the
treasurers,
the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the
provinces, to assemble and come to the dedication of the statue that King
Nebuchadnezzar had set up, the heralds proclaimed aloud,
"You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear
the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and
entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue
that King
Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and
worship shall immediately be thrown into the furnace of blazing fire."
Therefore,
as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn,
pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, all the peoples,
nations,
and languages fell down and worshiped the golden statue that
King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
[This was almost
two decades after the previous chapter, and involved more demands of pagan
idolatry; everyone was suddenly under a
command by the king, Nebuchadnezzar, to fall down and
worship an inanimate object, a statue, at the sound of a chorus of instruments.
In
this culture we were subject to many adversarial forms of
religious oppression. We were then ordered to worship this large statue, based
on
the likeness of king Nebuchadnezzar, under the threat of
destruction by being cast into the fiery furnace. This "casting into a
fire" metaphor
was symbolically used by many of the New Testament, such as
the "lake of fire" mentioned in John's Revelation.]
Accordingly, at
this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to
King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live
forever! You, O king, have made a decree, that everyone who
hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical
ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden statue, and
whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of
blazing fire. There are certain Jews whom you have appointed
over the affairs over the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O king. They do not
serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue you have set
up."
[Again, the
Chaldeans, in religious conspiracy, under the irrational rage of king
Nebuchadnezzar and his command to worship the gods of
metal, stone and wood, assault the beliefs in One God of the
Jews, of whom many years earlier had been taken captive, by bringing to light
Daniel's companions' refusal to worship anything other than
the Most High.]
Then
Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
be brought in; so they brought those men
before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it
true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you
do
not worship the golden statue that I have set up? Now if you
are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum,
and
entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the golden
statue I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall
immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and
who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?"
Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no
need to present a defense to you in this matter.
If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us. But
if not, be it
known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and
we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up."
[Arrogant as
ever, Nebuchadnezzar became furious that these men would not serve or worship
the statue or his gods, and therefore
threatened them, but they persisted and unrelentlessly stuck
to their faith in the Most High God, willing to sacrifice their lives with
immense
devotion, and were rewarded with supernatural protection.]
The Fiery Furnace
Then
Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
that his face was distorted. He ordered the
furnace heated up seven times more than customary, and
ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire.
So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics, their trousers, their hats,
and
their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace
of blazing fire. Because the king's command was so urgent and the furnace was
so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing
fire.
[There exists
another portion of Daniel inserted here which has not been canonized within the
current Bible, but involves a lengthy prayer
these three men said with an angel in the midst of the fire.
The supernatural protection they were granted caused the flames to leap out of
the
over heated furnace and killed the soldiers who bound and
threw these three men into the fire.]
Then King
Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in amazement. He asked his
counselors, "Was it not three men that we threw
bound into the fire?" They answered the king,
"True, O king." He replied, "But I see four men unbound, walking
in the middle of the fire, and
they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god."
[During this
supernatural episode as a result of their faith, an angel came and protected
Daniel's three companions, in the midst of the fiery
furnace to which they had been cast.]
Nebuchadnezzar
then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said,
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the
Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects,
the
governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and
saw that the fire had not any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of
their
heads was not singed, their tunics were not harmed, and not
even the smell of fire came from them. Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be
the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his
angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king's
command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and
worship any god but their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people,
nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their
houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able
to deliver in this way." Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego
in the province of Babylon.
[Nebuchadnezzar
finally came to his senses, realizing he threw three men, servants of the Most
High God into a fiery fire, who placed their
trust in God, and therefore escaped harm. Some have
speculated that this angel was Michael. Some have even suggested this was
Daniel,
who, in angel form, detached from his body to help his
companions. It may very well could have been...Nebuchadnezzar then makes a
decree
acknowledging the power of God and those that worship Him
alone, acknowledges sovereignty of the Almighty and thereafter respects
thereof.]
Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream
4 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages
that live throughout the earth: May you have abundant prosperity! The signs
and wonders that the Most High God has worked for me I am
pleased to recount. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his sovereignty is
from generation to generation.
[Nebuchadnezzar
finally recognizes the power of God over his life and kingdom, but not for
long.]
I Nebuchadnezzar
was living at ease in my home and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that
frightened me; my fantasies in bed and
the visions of my head terrified me. So I made a decree that
all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, in order that they may
tell me the interpretation of the dream. Then the magicians,
the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners came in, and I told them the
dream, but they could not tell me its interpretation. At
last Daniel came before me--he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my
god,
and who is endowed with a spirit of the holy gods--and I
told him the dream: "O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that
you are
endowed with a spirit of the holy gods and that no mystery
is too difficult for you. Hear the dream that I saw; tell me its
interpretation.
[Again, all the
magicians, Chaldeans could not tell the King his dream or interpretation
thereof, then along comes Daniel, endowed with the
spirit of the holy gods (angels) who is wise and understands
all, for no mystery is too difficult for him, for his power of wisdom comes
from God,
as it is now in the present incarnation. Notice that the
above portion were written by the King, but under the guidance of Daniel, hence
the
third-person method of writing.]
Upon my bed this
is what I saw; there was a tree at the center of the earth, and its height was
great. The tree grew great and strong, its top
reached to heaven, and it was visible to the ends of the
whole earth. Its foliage was beautiful, its fruit abundant, and it provided
food for all. The
animals of the field found shade under it, the birds of the
air nested in its branches, and from it all living things were fed.
"I
continued looking, in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and there was a
holy watcher, coming down from heaven. He cried aloud and
said:
'Cut down the
tree and chop off its branches, strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit. Let
the animals flee from beneath it and the birds from its
branches. But leave its stump and roots in the ground, with
a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be bathed
in the
dew of heaven, and let his lot be with the animals of the
field in the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from that of a human,
and let
the mind of an animal be given to him. And let seven times
pass over him. The sentence is rendered by decree of the watchers, in order that
all who live may know that the Most High is sovereign over
the kingdom of mortals; he gives it to whom he will and sets over it the
lowliest of
human beings.'
"This is
the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare the
interpretation, since all the wise men of my
kingdom are unable to tell me the interpretation. You are
able, however, for you are endowed with a spirit of the holy gods."
[After
describing his story, the king asked Daniel to interpret the dream, and issue
meaning. Indeed Daniel has been endowed with the
"spirit of the holy gods," as acknowledged by the
king, then as well as now, and the God-given wisdom enabled Daniel to proceed
to tell the
king the interpretation of the symbology thereof.]
Daniel Interprets the Second Dream
Then Daniel, who
was called Belteshazzar, was severely distressed for a while. His thoughts
terrified him. The king said, "Belteshazzar, do
not let the dream or the interpretation terrify you."
Belteshazzar answered, "My lord, may this dream be for those who hate you,
and its
interpretation for your enemies!
[The dream was
terrifying because it dealt with the king's future downfall, something his
enemies would certainly enjoy; the next explanation
describes thereof.]
The tree that you
saw, which grew great and strong, so that its top reached to heaven and was
visible to the end of the whole earth, whose
foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and which
provided food for all, under which animals of the field lived, and in whose branches
the
birds of the air had nests--it is you, O king! You have
grown great and strong. Your greatness has increased and reaches to heaven, and
your
sovereignty to the ends of the earth.
[King
Nebuchadnezzar was given by God sovereignty over nations, and all living
things, with great riches of a prosperous nation to feed all,
and was at the height of power, but a dire judgment by God
would soon be decreed, much to the chagrin of King Nebuchadnezzar, by a holy
watcher.]
And whereas the
king saw a holy watcher coming down from heaven and saying 'Cut down the tree
and destroy it, but leave its stump and
roots in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze, in the
grass of the field; and let him be bathed with the dew of heaven, and let his
lot be
with the animals of the field, until seven times passes over
him'--this is the interpretation, O king, and it is a decree from the Most High
that has
come upon the lord my king: You shall be driven away from
human society, and your dwelling shall be with the wild animals. you shall be
made to eat grass like oxen, you shall be bathed with the
dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, until you have learned that
the
Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and
gives it to whom he will. As it was commanded to leave the stump and roots of
the tree, your kingdom shall be re-established for you from
the time that you learn that heaven is sovereign. Therefore, O king, may my
counsel be acceptable to you: atone for your sins with
righteousness, and your iniquities with mercy to the oppressed, so that your
prosperity
may be prolonged."
[King
Nebuchadnezzar had then been ruling over what was then the most powerful and
prosperous civilization on earth, but this success
soon led to iniquitous behavior, pride and arrogance, and
Daniel counseled him to repent with righteousness, so that his kingdom and
power
may persist, for God rewards those who live by guidance of
the ways of the spirit, and gives punishment to those who do not. The holy
watcher was an angel who came to pass judgment. The stump
and roots with a band of iron and bronze was the promise of
Nebuchadnezzar's return to power after his tree has been cut
down and humbled, and realize that God has ultimate sovereignty over mortals,
no matter how powerful they become. If he did not humble
himself, he would face seven years of living in the wilderness as a madman.]
Nebuchadnezzar's Humiliation
All this came
upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the
roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the
king said, "Is this not magnificent Babylon, which I
have built as royal capital by my mighty power and for my glorious
majesty?" While the
words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven:
"O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: The kingdom has departed
from you! You shall be driven away from human society, and
your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. you shall be made to eat
grass
like oxen, and seven times shall pass over you, until you
have learned that the Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals and
gives it to whom he will." Immediately the sentence was
fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from human society, ate
grass
like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven,
until his hair grew long as eagles' feathers and his nails became like birds'
claws.
[Despite
Daniel's warnings originating from his dream, King Nebuchadnezzar let power and
arrogance get to his head, taking all the credit
for the magnificence he obtained, failing to acknowledge the
sovereignty of God over the kingdoms of mortals. An angel -- holy watcher --
then
pronounced the sentence upon the king, which involved a
seven-year bout of insanity which involved behaving like an animal and outcast
in
the wilderness apart from human society, until acknowledging
the power of God.]
Nebuchadnezzar Praises God
When that period
was over, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to
me. I blessed the Most High, and
praised and honored the one who lives forever. For his
sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom endures from
generation to
generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted
as nothing, and he does what he wills with the host of heaven and the
inhabitants of
the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to
him, "What are you doing?"
At that time my
reason returned to me; and my majesty and splendor were restored to me for the
glory of my kingdom. My counselors and
my lords sought me out, I was re-established over my
kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar,
praise
and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works
are truth, and his ways are justice; and he is able to abase those who walk in
pride.
[Finally after
seven years of madness King Nebuchadnezzar comes to his senses, recognizing the
incredible power of God, his errant ways
of pride, and how, after realizing this, was given by God even
more power and dominion in his kingdom, corresponding to the roots and stump
of iron and bronze.]
Belshazzar's Feast
5 King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand of
his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence of the thousand.
Under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar
commanded that they bring in the vessels of gold and silver that his father
Nebuchadnezzar
had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king
and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. So they brought
in the
vessels of gold and silver that had been taken out of the
temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives,
and his
concubines drank from them. They drank the wine and praised
the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
[This was around
539 B.C. where Belshazzar was co-ruler under a different king (who was absent
most of the time) for a time, son of
Nebuchadnezzar, and under the drunken festivities and
erroneous celebration, discarding all respect to the Most High, abused the
treasures
taken from the previously ransacked Jewish temple years
earlier under King Nebuchadnezzar, proudly worshiped the material riches, that
of
wealth of the mortal realm, all of which pass away, rot,
over change in form, and are all vanity. At this time the armies of the Medes
and
Persians had surrounded the city of Babylon, but they
thought they were safe due to the perceived safety of impenetration of the
city's walls.]
The Writing on the Wall
Immediately the
fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall
of the royal palace, next to the lampstand.
The king was watching the hand as it wrote. Then the king's
face turned pale, and his thoughts terrified him. His limbs gave way, and his
knees locked together. The king cried aloud to bring in the
enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners; and the king said to the wise men
of
Babylon, "Whoever can read this writing and tell me its
interpretation shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around his
neck, and rank
third in the kingdom."
[Terrified at
the meaning of this phenomenon, Belshazzar called out for the wise men and
other sorcerers, but because they did not have
God of their side, they were dumbfounded. Confused at the
meaning of the ominous apparition, the wise men are called in, but they cannot
tell
determine its meaning.]
Then all the
king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king
the interpretation. Then King Belshazzar became
greatly terrified and his face turned pale, and his lords
were perplexed.
[The
"writing on the wall" has since become a metaphor for an obvious sign
to which everyone should take heed...Belshazzar did not, for
the end of his kingly reign was only hours away. Seeking the
meaning of this frightening phenomenon, he calls out for the wise men to issue
interpretation with promise of reward, including a kingship
rank next to him.]
The queen, when
she heard this discussion of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting
hall. The queen said, "O king, live forever!
Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your face grow pale.
There is a man in your kingdom who is endowed with the spirit of the holy gods.
In
the days of your father he was found to have enlightenment,
understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods. Your father, King
Nebuchadnezzar, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters,
Chaldeans, and diviners, because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and
understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and
solve problems were found in this Daniel, who the king named Belteshazzar. Now
let
Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation."
[The queen,
knowing of Daniel's past fame in dream interpretation, wisdom, enlightenment
and knowing the spirit of a holy angel dwells
with him, requested of the king to summon Daniel to
determine the meaning. Daniel had been out of circulation for some time from
ruling the
province of Babylon, therefore Belshazzar had never heard of
him.]
The Writing on the Wall Interpreted
Then Daniel was
brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, "So you are Daniel,
one of the exiles of Judah, whom my father the
king brought from Judah? I have heard of you that a spirit
of the gods is in you, and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent
wisdom
are found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters, have
been brought in before me to read this writing and tell me its interpretation,
but they
were not able to give the interpretation of the matter. But
I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you
are
able to read the writing and tell me its interpretation, you
shall be clothed in purple, have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank
third in the
kingdom."
[After Daniel
was located, and brought in the presence of Belshazzar, it was then requested,
with the reward of great status, that if he could
give the interpretation to the vision, which all the
magicians, enchanters and sorcerers were incapable of providing, he would
thereafter rank
third in the kingdom, behind Belshazzar, but Daniel refused
this reward, for he knew that the gifts were ill-gotten from a corrupt king who
was
disrespecting the temple treasures.]
Then Daniel
answered in the presence of the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, or
give your rewards to someone else! Nevertheless I will
read the writing to the king and let him know the
interpretation. O king, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar
kingship,
greatness, glory, and majesty. And because of the greatness
that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared
before him. He killed those he wanted to kill, kept alive
those he wanted to keep alive, honored those he wanted to honor, and degraded
those
he wanted to degrade. But when his heart was lifted up so
that his spirit was hardened so that he acted proudly, he was deposed from his
kingly throne, and his glory was stripped from him. He was
driven from human society, and his mind was made like that of an animal. His
dwelling was with the wild asses, he was fed grass like
oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until he learned that the
Most
High God has sovereignty over the kingdom of mortals, and
sets over it whomever he will. And you, Belshazzar his son, have not humbled
your heart, even though you knew all this! You have exalted
yourself against the Lord of heaven! The vessels of his temple have been
brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives
and your concubines have been drinking wine from them. You have praised the
gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone,
which do not see or hear or know; but the God in whose power is your very
breath,
and to whom belong all your ways, you have not honored.
[Daniel rebukes
Belshazzar for profaning the holy treasures taken from Babylon by
Nebuchadnezzar years earlier, reminds him of the
sovereignty of God, pride and abuse thereof, and how he
would soon be punished thereafter as a consequence. His mind had not been set
on God, but earthly pleasures, vanity and idolatry under a
false sense of security, not acknowledging respect of the Most High. Daniel
told him
to keep the offered reward for they would not be of value,
since his kingdom would soon be destroyed, that night.]
"So from
his presence the hand was sent and this writing was inscribed: MENE, MENE,
TEKEL, and PARSIN. This is the interpretation of
the matter: MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and brought
it to and end; TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found
wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given over to
the Medes and Persians."
[The
supernatural hand that wrote the inscription on the wall, terrifying Belshazzar
was interpreted by Daniel, moved by the Holy Spirit. The
kingdom of Babylon was now decreed by God to come to an end,
Belshazzar was judged unworthy of its leadership, and was about to be
taken by storm by the Mede and Persian armies.]
Then Belshazzar
gave the command, and Daniel was clothed in purple, a chain of gold placed
around his neck, and a proclamation was
made concerning him that he should rank third in the
kingdom.
That very night
Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed. And Darius the Mede received the
kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
[Hoping that he
could somehow prolong his reign, Belshazzar anointed Daniel, with futility,
rulership with a gold chain around the neck.
Meanwhile, the immense fortresses of Babylon were breached
by the Mede-Persian armies under the command of Cyrus (in conjunction with
Darius, his uncle -- a coalition tied by marriage), who had
been preparing for two weeks, entering the city with little resistance by
damming the
river which flowed beneath it, enabling soldiers to enter
under the walls, killing the guards, lowering the drawbridges and allowing the
rest of
the army to enter. Once reaching the royal palace, they
immediately killed Belshazzar, ending the civilization of Babylon. Despite the
refusal of
Daniel to accept the gifts, the king still gave them.]
The Plot against Daniel
6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred
twenty satraps, stationed throughout the whole kingdom, and over them three
presidents, including Daniel; to these the satraps gave
account, so that the king may suffer no loss. Soon Daniel distinguished himself
above
all the other presidents and satraps because an excellent
spirit was in him, and the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom.
So
the presidents and the satraps tried to find complaint
against Daniel in connection with the kingdom. But they could find no grounds
for
complaint or any corruption, because he was faithful, and no
negligence or corruption could be found in him. The men said, "We shall
not find
any grounds for complaint against this Daniel unless we find
it in connection with the law of his God."
[At this time a
new civilization under a new king and government was being established by the
Mede-Persian empire, and one of the first
jobs entailed appointing sectorial leadership in the form of
leaders and presidents. Daniel had been demonstrating great ability (and also
influenced by Belshazzar's last command that he would rank
high in the kingdom) in handling past Babylonian affairs and was therefore
given
position of president, one out of three. Because of the
exceptional wisdom and ability Daniel possessed, given by God, others became
jealous, particularly being of a Jewish exile. They
conspiratorially searched for reasons to get him fired, but because of his loyalty,
incorruption
and faithfulness with respect to the kingdom, they could
find none. Therefore, knowing he was a Jew, seeking to dispose of him through
conspiratorial means. This begins a famous chapter dealing
with the lion's den. King Darius lived only two years after this initial
conquest and
episode, to be succeeded by Cyrus of Persia.]
So the
presidents and satraps conspired and came to the king and said, "O king
Darius, live forever! All the presidents of the kingdom, the
prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors
are agreed that the king should establish and ordinance and enforce an
interdict,
that whoever prays to anyone, divine or human, for thirty
days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into a den of lions. Now, O king,
establish
the interdict and sign the document, so that it cannot be
changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be
revoked." Therefore King Darius signed the document and
interdict.
[The
conspirators managed to issue an ordinance to the unknowing king in order to be
entrapped, and Daniel disposed of by being cast
into a den of lions to be eaten. To ensure their success,
they reminded the king that once signed, could not be changed. Daniel's
faithfulness
in God would again be challenged, and God's ability to
deliver demonstrated.]
Daniel in the Lion's Den
Although Daniel
knew the document had been signed, he continued to go to his house, which had
windows in its upper room open
towards Jerusalem, and to get down on his knees three times
a day to pray to his God and praise him, just as he had done previously. The
conspirators came and found Daniel praying and seeking mercy
before his God. then they approached the king and said concerning the
interdict, "O king! Did you not sign an interdict, that
anyone who prays to anyone, divine or human, within thirty days except to you,
O king,
shall be thrown into a den of lions?" The king
answered, "The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and
Persians, which cannot
be revoked." Then they responded to the king,
"Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king,
or to the interdict you
have signed, but he is saying his prayers three time a
day."
[In rebellion
against the absurd ordinance, Daniel showed his faith in God by continuing to
pray to God as usual, even in the sight of the
antagonistic conspirators, naturally then approached the
king with the accusation and charges of Daniel's perceived disobedience,
emphasizing the identity of Judaic exile. Daniel exercises
the same diligence in prayer, but has now attained a state of near continual
prayer.]
When the king
heard the charge, he was very much distressed. He was determined to save
Daniel, and until the sun went down he made
every attempt to rescue him. Then the conspirators came to
the king and said to him, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and
Persians
that no interdict or ordinance that the king establishes can
be changed." Then the king gave the command, and Daniel was brought and
thrown into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel,
"May your God, whom you faithfully serve, deliver you!" A stone was
brought and laid on
the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own
signet and with the signet of his lords, so that nothing may be changed
concerning
Daniel. Then the king went to his palace and spent the night
fasting; no food was brought to him, and sleep fled from him.
[Darius was now
in distress about what he had done -- allowing the conspirators to prevail and
send an innocent Daniel to the lions by
abusing the king and immutable laws of the Medes and
Persians, followed through on the command but mourned, wishing Daniel to be
saved
from the power of the lions. Little did they know the
supernatural power granted to an embodied angel of God, then, as is also the
case in
present-day Daniel. Although this is the only such lion's
den story mentioned in the Christian Bible, there was at least one other time
where
Daniel was thrown into the dens, once for a week straight.]
Daniel Saved from the lions
Then, at
daybreak, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions. When he came near
the den where Daniel was, he cried out anxiously to
Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your
God whom you faithfully serve been able to deliver you from the lions?"
Daniel then said
to the king, "O king, live forever! My God has sent his
angel and shut the lions' mouths so that they would not hurt me, because I was
found
blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have
done no wrong." Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that
Daniel
be taken up out the den, and no kind of harm was found on
him, because he had trusted in his God. The king gave a command, and those
who accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of
lions--they, their children, and their wives. Before they reached the bottom of
the
den the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in
pieces.
[Darius,
desiring to save Daniel and distressed all night long at the predicament,
rushing to the den, hoping that God has saved him.
Indeed, God demonstrated power to those who have faith by
sending an angel to help protect against the ferocity of the lions' hunger.
Daniel
had done nothing wrong in the view of God, or Darius, and
this faith was divinely rewarded, through faith and trust. Realizing then the
deception of the conspirators against the king and Daniel,
he immediately ordered them to be cast into the den of lions; because of the
culture
then present, the household -- wives and children were
considered as "one" with the man, so they also were thrown to the
lions. They were
not under God's protection as Daniel, therefore were
immediately devoured with powerful jaws of large feline variety, braking all their
bones
into smithereens. What a way to go.]
Then King Darius
wrote to all peoples and nations of every language throughout the whole world:
"May you have abundant prosperity! I
make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people should
tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: For he is the living God, enduring
forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his
dominion has no end. He delivers and rescues, he works signs and wonders in
heaven and on earth; for he has saved Daniel from the power
of the lions. So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and of Cyrus
the Persian.
[Acknowledging
the miracle he observed, Darius proclaims to all nations of the power of God,
sovereignty and dominion, amazed at such
supernatural signs, and that we should all respect the Most
High, who rules over all kingdoms everlasting, enduring forever. Cyrus, around
538 B.C., issued a decree enabling the Jews to return to
their homeland and rebuild the city and temple, and by that time Daniel was very
old,
but still managed to return to witness the end of Judaic
desecration (Nehemiah 10:6, Ezra 8:2). The king had read the prophecy of Isaiah
which names him specifically as the one who would be the
shepherd of the Jews, allowing them to return to their homeland.]
Visions of the Four Beasts
7 In the first year of king Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel
had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed.
[Now the book of
Daniel takes a turn, with remaining chapters dealing with prophetic aspects of
future world events. It should be noted that
Daniel's book is written in layers, and is not chronological
in order, and that some chapters have significant relationship to others, and
are
symbiotic. Chapters two and seven are supplementary in that
they deal with roughly the same topic, given in different ways at different
times;
chapter two near the beginning of Daniel's career under
Nebuchadnezzar, and chapter 7 several decades later under Belshazzar. This is
termed backtracking; chapter 5 chronologically takes place
after chapters 7 and 8. What follows in this chapter is symbolic dreams based
on
beasts and animals representing kings and nations to come,
from the perspective of the times of Daniel. Because Daniel was administrator
over affairs of Babylon for much of his life, much of the
visions he had dealt with world politics, kings and conquests of nations.
Additionally,
because this was an apocalyptic time for the Judaic nation
and faith, the prophecies are likewise apocalyptic for the future, all understandable
considering Daniel's circumstances. Most of these dealt with
times leading to the era of Christ, leaving very, very little for our time, for
it is
largely history.]
Then he wrote down the dream: I Daniel saw in my vision by
night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, and four great beasts
came out of the sea, different from one another.
[Daniel
witnessed symbolic beasts representing four kingdoms -- world powers to come
from Babylon to the era of Christ. Writing down
such important dreams is significant, for it is easy to
forget them otherwise.]
The first was
like lion and had eagles' wings. Then, as I watched, its wings were plucked
off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made
to stand on two feet like a human being; and a human mind
was given to it.
[This first
beast was Babylon, for the lion once represented this nation, and the mind may
be considered Nebuchadnezzar. This is the head
of gold mentioned in the statue of Daniel 2]
Another beast
appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side,
had three tusks in its mouth and was told,
"Arise, devour many bodies!"
[The above
represents the two-sided Mede/Persian empire, and the three tusks may represent
the conquests of Babylon, Lydia and Egypt.
This corresponds to the chest and arms of silver in the
statue of chapter 2.]
After this, as I
watched, another appeared, like a leopard. The beast had four wings of a bird
on its back and four heads; and dominion was
given to it.
[This was the
world dominion and civilization of Greece, headed by Alexander the Great,
starting around 331 B.C. and conquests
administered thereof. The kingdom was thereafter divided
into four parts.]
After this in the
visions by night a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly
strong. It had great iron teeth and was devouring,
breaking in pieces, and stamping what was left with its
feet. It was different from all the beasts that preceded it, and it had ten
horns. I was
considering the horns, when another horn appeared, a little
one coming up among them; to make room for it, three of the earlier horns were
plucked up by the roots. There were eyes like human eyes in
this horn, and a mouth speaking arrogantly.
[This fourth and
final kingdom of the age was the Roman empire, with the symbology of
strengthened iron that trampled into pieces the
remains of all the preceding empires/beasts. It grew very
powerful and lasted longer than all others it replaced. The ten horns
represented the
ten divisions or provinces existing at the time of Christ.
The "little horn" to come from this empire -- contrary to what many
presently believe, or
called the "antichrist," -- was in fact the
emperor Nero, who spoke arrogantly and persecuted Christians just before 70
A.D. Then Daniel sees
the outcome of the end of the age.]
Judgment Before the Ancient of Days
As I watched,
thrones were set in place, and an Ancient of Days took his throne, his clothing
was white as snow, and the hair of his head
like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels
were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence. A
thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood attending him. The court sat in judgment, and the books were
opened.
[This is often
referred to as the "Judgment," but this is actually not the Most High
God, but the first human to attain god-like status and
dominion, ascending in angelification to the celestial
realms, and he achieved this many thousands of years ago. This was actually the
judgment at the end of that age, around the time of Christ,
similar to another we will face at the close of the present age. There is such
a
judgment at the end of every age by the Ancient(s) of Days,
whose presence and glory is overwhelming as described above.]
I watched then
because of the noise of the arrogant words that the horn was speaking. And as I
watched, the beast was put to death, and
it body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As
for the rest of the beasts, there dominion was taken away, but their lives were
prolonged for a season and a time.
[This
"beast" against the ways of God was Nero of Rome, and the historical
record and congruence of other scriptures such as John's
Revelation indicate this occurred almost two millennia ago;
the beast/devil/dragon/serpent "cast into the fiery furnace of blazing
fire and sulfur."
The other beasts' dominion, or remnants of the other world
powers -- Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece were "taken away" but remained
to issue
some influence on culture for some time after, even to this
day.]
As I watched in
the night visions, I saw one like a son of man coming with the clouds of
heaven. And he came to the Ancient of Days and
was presented before him. To him was given dominion and
glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
His
dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass
away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.
[This is
undoubtedly Christ who came in the 'clouds of heaven' (as revealed in
Near-Death Experiences) and then presented before the
Ancient of Days. He was then given authority, dominion,
kingship; and then established everlasting "kingdom of God/heaven" at
the beginning
of the age of Pisces which was in fact established in
spiritual form, unlike earthly kingdoms that pass away, through the advent and
manifestation of Jesus Christ in the first Century A.D.
"My kingdom is not of this earth," said Jesus before being crucified.
A spiritual kingdom
that cannot be destroyed or pass away, already long since
established as spoken to the disciples: "There are some standing here who
will not
perish until they see the Son of Man coming in his
glory." (NT) He became the Light seen in NDEs. "The heaven and earth
shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away."]
Daniel's Visions Interpreted
As for me,
Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified
me. I approached one of the attendants to ask him
the truth concerning all this. So he said he would disclose
to me the interpretation of the matter: "As for these four great beasts,
four kings shall
arise out of the earth. But the holy ones of the Most High
shall receive the kingdom and posses the kingdom forever--forever and
ever."
[Naturally this
vision disturbed and confused Daniel, so therein asked one of the many angels
present to tell him the meaning, and it was
disclosed. The four beasts/world powers were in order:
Babylon, Mede/Persians, Greece, Rome, then the everlasting kingdom to be set up
for
the saints of the Most High: the Christian church in the
material realm, and the spiritual kingdom which cannot be seen, but has been
present
now for almost 2000 years. However, this does not
necessarily refer to "Christians only," for anyone -- Jew, Muslim
etc., who are willing to
become holy ones of the Most High -- saints and angels --
are permitted to possess the kingdom and reign over all. "The meek shall
inherit the
earth...Those who humble themselves will be exalted...The
kingdom of God is within you."]
Then I desired
the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest,
exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and
claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces, and
stamped what was left with its feet; and concerning the ten horns that were on
its head, and concerning the other horn, which came up and
to make room for which three of them fell out--the horn that had eyes and a
mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that seemed greater than
the others. As I looked, this horn made war with the holy ones and was
prevailing
over them, until the Ancient of Days came; then judgment was
given for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy
ones gained possession of the kingdom.
This is what he
said: "As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth
that shall be different from all the other kingdoms; it
shall devour the whole earth, and trample in down, and break
it to pieces.
[In the
description of the fourth beast, it describes the fearsome power of Rome during
the height of its power, how it trampled over all of the
Middle East and Europe. Nero was making war (or persecuting)
over the Christians.]
As for the ten
horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after
them. This one shall be different from the former
ones, and shall put down three kings.
[This is the
feet of clay and iron mentioned in Daniel, chapter two, which ultimately
crumbled. These are generally believed to be ten Roman
emperors beginning with Christ's birth and the one arising
after them, with the arrogant words as Nero, here described:]
He shall speak
words against the Most High, shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and
shall attempt to change the sacred
seasons and the law; and they shall be given into his power
for a time, times, and a half time. Then the court shall sit in judgment, and his
dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and totally
destroyed.
[Nero was
blasphemous against God, and emperors were considered divine. He persecuted
Christians and Jews and began the
apocalyptic 3.5-year Great tribulation period of 66-70 A.D.
where Jerusalem and Israel were completely destroyed. However, many Christians,
who listened to Jesus' warning to head for the hills when
they saw armies surrounding Jerusalem (the desolating sacrilege) managed to
escape and avoid the resulting carnage. After the heavenly
great White Throne Judgment in the presence of the Ancient of Days, the court
decreed the taking away of the dominion of Nero (he
committed suicide) and
the future demise of Rome.]
The kingship and
dominion and the greatest of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given
to the people of the holy ones of the
Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey them." Here the account ends. As
for me,
Daniel, my thoughts greatly terrified me, and my face turned
pale; but I kept the matter in my mind.
[Christianity's
dominion ultimately spread through the empire, and became the official
religion, the Roman Catholic Church. However, the
real " greatest kingdom under the whole heavens"
was not the church itself, but the established spiritual kingdom behind it,
which cannot be
seen. It is being ruled behind the scenes by the holy
people, those willing to be transformed into angels through becoming the Way,
ruled by
the King, Christ. "The meek shall inherit the
earth." Those who find God within are the ones who attain the kingdom, and
becomes angelic
gods of the Most High. Those who conquer self have conquered
the world. Only a spiritual kingdom could be everlasting and not be
destroyed, for anything material must pass away. This may
also be perceived as what lies beyond the Second Coming and shift into a higher
dimension: The merging of heaven and earth at zero point.]
Vision of a Ram and a Goat
8 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision
appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me at first. In the
vision I
was looking and saw myself in Susa the capital, in the
province of Elam, and I was by the river Ulai. I looked up and saw a ram
standing by
the river. It had two horns. both horns were long, but one
was longer than the other, and the longer one came up second. I saw the ram
charging westward and northward and southward. All beasts
were powerless to withstand it, and no one could rescue from its power; it did
as
it pleased and became strong.
[This was about
541 B.C. under the reign of king Belshazzar, under reign of Nabonius, who was
actually the real king. Chapter 8 generally
deals with future events to Daniel, involving more symbology,
the succession of world empires from Medo-Persia to that of Greece and the
exploits of Alexander the Great, followed by the exploits of
Antiochus and the Maccabee revolt from 168 to 164 B.C. The Ram is the first
empire discussed here, and the longer horn was Cyrus of
Persia, who ruled for 20 years, and the first horn Darius the Mede, who first
conquered Babylon, ruled only 2 years. As the kingdom grew
strong and invaded much of the region, no other nation was strong enough to
resist its power, so the empire did as it pleased for the
next 200 years. This tends to be the average length of nations before they
collapse or
transform.]
As I was
watching, a male goat appeared from the west, coming across the face of the
whole earth without the ground. The goat had a
horn between its eyes. It came toward the ram with the two
horns that I had seen standing beside the river, and it ran with savage force.
I saw
it approaching the ram. It was enraged against it and struck
the ram, breaking its two horns. The ram did not have the power to withstand
it; it
threw the ram down to the ground and trampled upon it, and
there was no one who could rescue the ram from its power. Then the male goat
grew exceedingly great; but at the height of its power, the
great horn was broken, and in its place there came up four prominent horns
toward
the four winds of heaven.
[This shaggy
goat to the west was Greece. It suddenly grew very strong in the mid-300s B.C.,
and its first target to conquer was the
Medo-Persian empire to the east, the two horns that were
broken. The horn between the eyes which grew very great was the well-known
Alexander the Great. The symbol of the ram corresponded to
the zodiac sign of Aries -- symbolic of that age -- just as the sign of the
fish is
symbolic of the age of Pisces, chosen at a time when
astrology was popular. The goat is symbolic of Capricorn. After Alexander
discovered he
had no more nations to conquer, he was broken, and in his
place came four others to lead Greece after him, leading four parts of the
empire.
These were his Generals, Cassander, who ruled Greece and
Macedon, Lysimachus who ruled Asia Minor, Seleucus who ruled Syria and
Babylonia and Ptolemy ruled over Egypt and Palestine.]
Out of one of
them came another horn, a little one, which grew exceedingly great toward the
south, toward the east, and toward the
beautiful land.
[Out of one of
these horns (generals) came another horn as a descendant, who would rule over
Greece and become strong, and toward
Israel. This was Antiochus Epiphanes, a descendant of clan
of the general Selecus, who usurped the throne in 175 B.C.]
It grew as high
as the host of heaven. It threw down to the earth some of the host and some of
the stars, and trampled on them. He even
exalted himself as high as the prince of the host; it took
the regular burnt offering away from him and overthrew the place of his
sanctuary.
[Antiochus grew
very strong, was blasphemous and persecuted the Jews tremendously. Here are
some of the atrocities he committed
within the next 10 years: Outlawed observance of the
Sabbath, circumcision (a standard Jewish practice under Moses' law), the Judaic
religion itself, replacing it with Greek worship, reading of
any Scriptures, burned all Scriptures he could find, sacked Jerusalem with
armies,
forced idol worship and set up a statue of Zeus on the alter
of the temple, sacrificed a pig on the alter (overthrowing the sanctuary and
stopping the daily sacrifice/burnt offering), and even
claimed he was God in the flesh. On coins he minted was inscribed:
"Antiochus Theos
Epiphanes -- God has made himself manifest," a
blasphemy akin to his exaltation as "high as the prince of the
host."]
Because of the
wickedness, the host was given over to it together with the regular burnt
offering; it cast truth to the ground, and kept
prospering at what it did. Then I heard a holy one speaking,
and another holy one said to the one that spoke, "For how long is this
vision
concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that
makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and the host to be
trampled?" And he answered him, "For two thousand
three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to
its rightful
state."
[Daniel hears
two angels speaking to one another, and this deals with a period of time
Antiochus desecrated the temple. 2300 days is 6.5
years. This was a very detailed number, and accurate, for
from the time Antiochus started persecuting the Jews, until the reconsecration
of the
temple, exactly 2300 days passed until the sanctuary was
restored back to the Jews and the daily burnt offerings restarted. Antioch
First
entered Jerusalem in 170 B.C. and began persecutions, but
waited until 167 B.C. to stop the daily sacrifices (the transgression that
makes
desolate) and set up the idolatrous statue of Zeus and pig
sacrifice, a period of three years. Exactly three and a half years later things
were
"restored to its rightful state," which occurred
in 164 B.C. and the host -- Antiochus -- was trampled. This period of time is
mentioned several
times in Daniel (and Revelation) and is mentioned as 42
months, or 1260 days, and time, times, and a half time.]
Gabriel Interprets the Vision
When I
Daniel I tried to understand it. Then
someone appeared standing before me, having the appearance of a man, and I
heard a
human voice by the Ulai, calling, "Gabriel, help this
man understand the vision." So he came near were I stood, and when he
came, I became
frightened and fell prostrate. But he said to,
"Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the
end."
[While Daniel
was considering the vision, an angel suddenly appears before him, and another
angel pleads to Gabriel to give him the
interpretation. The divine glory of an angel of God
terrified Daniel, so he fell to the ground. Contrary to what many believe, this
vision is not for
the end of days nor the end of the world. The phrases
"time of the end," and, "end of days" can refer to
different times, depending to the vision
being disclosed. For this particular vision, it involves an
"end" which came at 164 B.C. That is, "the end of the days"
mentioned in Daniel 12:13
is the only passage which involves this modern era, the end
of the age, which is not the same time as the "end of the days discussed
here. At
other times it can also refer to the end of the age that
culminated at the time of Christ and 70 A.D., such as the "end of
days" in Daniel, chapter
2. This can sometimes seem obscure and vague, So the
differentiations shall be made.]
As he was
speaking to me, I fell into a trance, face to the ground; then he touched me
and set me on my feet. He said, "Listen, and I will tell
you what will take place in the period of wrath; for it
refers to the appointed time of the end.
[Gabriel's
radiance was too powerful for a human to withstand, so Daniel falls flat on his
face. He then tells me the purpose of this vision,
and that it deals with a later time, and this appointed
period of wrath were the events leading up to and before 164 B.C.]
As for the ram
that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. The
male goat is the king of Greece, and the great
horn between it eyes is the first king. As for the horn that
was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from
his
nation, but not with his power.
[This has
already been mentioned, but the great horn of the goat was Alexander the Great
of Greece. The four nations arose from the four
Generals that came after Alexander, and they had less power
than he. Gabriel further expands on how Antiochus arises from one of these
kings "at the end of their rule."]
At the end of
their rule, when the transgressions have reached their full measure, a king of
bold continence shall arise, skilled in intrigue. He
shall grow strong in power, shall cause fearful destruction,
and shall succeed in what he does. He shall destroy the powerful and the people
of
the holy ones. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper
under his hand, and in his own mind shall be great. Without warning he shall
destroy many and shall even rise up against the Prince of
princes. But he shall be broken, and not by human hands.
The vision of
the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true. As for you, seal up
the vision, for it refers to many days from now."
So I Daniel was overcome was sick for some days; then I
arose and went about the king's business. But I was dismayed by the vision and
did
not understand it.
[This means that
at the end of the rule of the four kings, the end of days for the four kings of
the house of the original four generals which
reigned over Greece since the days of Alexander the Great,
and would produce the wretched Antiochus, the bold king who came from the
house of Selecus. He was bold, powerful, aggressive,
destroyed the power of the Jews for 3.5 years -- the 2300 days with fearful
destruction,
succeeded at what he did, and is said to have killed 100,000
Jews, and forced more into slavery. He exalted himself as God. Antiochus was
then trampled underfoot, and broken. Gabriel reminds Daniel
that the 2300 day period means just that, and is literal, and to write down and
seal the vision, for it involves some centuries into the
future. The vision obviously disturbed Daniel and caused illness for several
days, and
because this was an event in the far distant future, its
meaning could not be understood.]
Daniel's Prayer for the People
9 In the first year of Darius son of Xeres, by birth a Mede,
who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans -- in the first year of his
reign, I
Daniel perceived in the books the number of years that,
specified by word of the LORD to the prophet Jeremiah, must be fulfilled for
the
devastation of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.
[The first year
of Darius was just after the conquest of Babylon around 538 B.C., who was the
first ruler of the newly-established
Medo-Persian empire. This is about the same time as the
lions' den experience in chapter 6. At this time Daniel was quite old -- about
80, and
was nearing the end of the 70 years of Judaic devastation
which was prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer. 1:1-13). Of course, the book of Jeremiah
consists of plenty of warnings to the Jews to repent and
change their ways, or suffer the consequences. Chapter 9 consists of two
sections:
Daniel's prayer to God to confess sins of his people and
inquire for God's forgiveness and for an answer, which was given by the angel
Gabriel, concerning the important seventy-week prophecy
concerning Christ and the end of the age. Because the prayer portion is
self-explanatory, more emphasis will be placed on the answer
received. Because the prayer deals with the shame and sinfulness of the Jews,
God then answered by giving His plans for the nation and how
sin is to be dealt with.]
Then I turned to
the Lord God, to seek an answer by prayer and supplication with fasting,
sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my
God and made confession, saying,
"Ah, Lord,
great and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love with those who love
you and keep your commandments, we
have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled,
turned aside from your commandments and ordinances. We have not listened to
your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our
kings, our princes, and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
"Righteousness is on your side, O Lord, but open shame, as at this
day, falls upon us, the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and all Israel, those who are near and those who are far
away, in all the lands which you have driven them, because of the treachery
they
have committed against you. Open shame, O Lord, falls on us,
or kings, our officials, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you.
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we
have rebelled against him, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by
following his laws, which he set before us by his servants,
the prophets."
"All Israel
has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. So the
curse and the oath written in the law of Moses,
the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we
have sinned against you. He has confirmed his words, which he spoke
against us and against our rulers, by bringing a calamity so
great that what has been done against Jerusalem has never been done under the
whole heaven. Just as it is written in the law of Moses, all
this calamity has come upon us. We did not entreat the favor of the Lord our
God,
turning from our iniquities and reflecting on your fidelity.
So the Lord kept watch over this calamity until he brought it upon us. Indeed,
the Lord
our God is right in all that he has done; for we have
disobeyed his voice."
"And now, O
lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty
hand and made your name renowned to this day
-- we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, in view of
all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from your
city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because of our sins and
our iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have been a disgrace
among all our neighbors. Now therefore, O our God, listen to
the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, and for your own sake,
Lord,
let your face shine upon your desolated sanctuary. Incline
your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the
city that bears your name. We do not present our
supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground
of your great
mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord listen and
act and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and your
people bear |