From the context, it would seem that Daniels distress is the result of the wickedness and oppression of the world kingdoms which are represented by the beasts, and by the knowledge that the saints will be oppressed and even overcome for a period of time. As the destruction of the last beast and the blaspheming horn came as a complete shock to them, so the Lords coming will catch unbelievers unprepared as well (24:27-39). Now you have enabled me to understand what I requested from you. At least the final portion of chapter 7 has not been fulfilled. Take me to the king and Ill interpret his dream., 25 Arioch didnt lose a minute. Daniels appointment as chief over all Babylonias wise men sets the stage for conflict. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself (verse 28). Nevertheless, Daniel tells no one, keeping the matter to himself and suffering a quiet agony over the future events God has revealed to him. Daniel uses the expression Son of man twice. It struck the statue on its iron and clay feet, breaking them in pieces. By 650 AD they were block-printing prayers. In an unprecedented turn of events, King Nebuchadnezzar reversed his decision to execute his advisors. Then the saints will receive the kingdom which will never end. Their perception is wrong, for suddenly and without warning their day of destruction will come upon them. Is it possible to understand history apart from knowledge of God and a Judeo-Christian worldview. Things are not as they appear to be! Prophecy is revealed to men to change their perspective, to urge them to see things as God sees them rather than as they appear to the human eye. Abraham had to believe and behave on the basis of Gods promises, rather than on the basis of his perception. (3) What principles should guide and govern our attempt to interpret the prophecy of this chapter? First is a great tree that filled Yet, contact with believers alone does not convert. But here Arioch is trying to take credit for Daniel. At its root, it was wisdom. Daniels first inner turmoil occurs in chapter 7. In Dan. The kingdom of God would not be established in Daniels lifetime, nor in the life of those who returned to the land of Israel from their captivity. Would Belshazzar toast the gods of gold, silver, wood and stone with the sacred temple vessels? But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth. The day of judgment is still future and has not yet been fulfilled. He intends to make changes in time and in law. False Teachers WebDaniel Timeline in Biblical History. 80 During my school teaching days, I tried to make my students think I had eyes in the back of my head so that no matter what they did--even if my back was turned--they could not escape my all-seeing eyes or my discipline. He had asked to see the king (v. 15-17). At one point in Chapter 9, Daniel understood from the scriptures that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years.. Nebuchadnezzar then acknowledges the supremacy of Daniel's God and raises him to high office in Babylon. As the saints suffer at the hands of the wicked, it may appear all hope is lost. The best translation in English in this context is a long time.. The head of the statue was pure gold, the chest and arms were silver, the belly and hips were bronze, the legs were iron, and the feet were an iron-ceramic mixture. No convincing explanation for this has been put forward. Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Other biblical prophecies bear on the prophecies of Daniel, particularly preceding or contemporary prophecies. The process of having a baby involves the pains of childbirth. The point of this prophecy is not to tell us who future kings will be, but rather what they will be like. 2:29), and he questioned the loyalty of those in his court (cf. Terms and Conditions The Parable of the Ten Virgins Keep watch because you do not know the day or hour of His return (Matthew 25:1 25:13). Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. What is it that these men are testifying against You? 63 But Jesus kept silent. 2:37 You, O king, are the king of kings. While most prophecies in the Bible reveal events which will take place after the death of the recipient of the prophecy, the prophecy is revealed for impact upon those to whom it was revealed. Peter heals a lame beggar at the Temple (Acts 3:1 3:10). (5) Above all, the prophecy in this chapter means precisely what God says it means in this text, nothing more and nothing less. Nebuchadnezzars dream is revealed to DanielThe king saw a great image, a stone cut from the mountain without hands destroyed the image, and the stone grew and filled the whole earthThe stone is the latter-day kingdom of God. In our passage, Daniel asks for and receives an explanation. Jesus applied this text to them, not as those who would enter into His kingdom, but as those who would be judged at His return. Later, he began having visions from the Lord about the end times. His thoughts alarm him, and his face pales. Then a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth. In chapter 5, King Belshazzars dream should have greatly alarmed him, but apparantly it did not. He only called on him in a moment of sheer panic when no one else could help, and only then because of the recommendation of the queen mother. Dan. sees in the darklight spills out of him! He surpasses those before him by speaking boastfully, then blaspheming, and finally seeking to overthrow Gods order. It seems there is more of a sense of urgency in seeking the meaning of the second dream. 2 Daniel said, I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. In His response to the demand of the high priest, Jesus directly claimed to be the promised Messiah. The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take place. The beast was lifted up and made to stand like a man. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human handsa rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. Fasting Suffering and glory are a part of one work. Deut. for you have bestowed wisdom and power on me. Nebuchadnezzar had been convicted, but not converted. Public sentiment was turning against this foreign religion, and the Babylonians, including Belshazzar, wanted a return to their old time religion the pagan worship of the gods of Babylon. We provide the highest quality of service and utmost personalized level of support to our clients. Or Daniel could be referring to himself and his friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) whom he urged to pray to God for understanding of the kings dream. Just what this means is unclear, but it suggests this arrogant king not only speaks against God, but, like Satan, he aspires to change the order God has established. (1) The Book of Daniel is a part of the Holy Scriptures, and thus inspired, accurate, and trustworthy. Ohio man charged with attempting to burn down church that planned to host drag show events. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. [13], Chapter 2 in its present form dates from no earlier than the first decades of the Seleucid empire (late 4th/early 3rd centuries BCE), but its roots may reach back to the fall of Babylon and the rise of the Persian Achaemenid empire, and some scholars have speculated that the dream of four kingdoms was originally a dream of four kings, Nebuchadnezzar and his four successors. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy., King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered than an offering and incense be presented to him. However, the iron and clay feet represent an iron kingdom that will be partly strong and partly brittle. 4:13, 8 signals that a change had occurred, which he describes in this chapter. A revelation from God in his sleep discloses future events which Daniel finds most troubling. At the outset of the account of his vision, Daniel wants his reader to know the historical context in which this prophecy was given and to consider its interpretation and application in the light of that context. ; The NET Bible. The Son of man, Jesus Christ, would come to the Ancient of Days [God] with the clouds of heaven. This fourth beast seems to regenerate in the form of subsequent kings and kingdoms. (5) Prophecy is not written as hype but revealed to produce the hope of glory and endurance in present tribulation. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. In the second scene, heaven calmly prepares for court, which will determine that the time for judgment has come. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. Encouraged to do so, it savagely devours. When we expect it least, the Lord will return, the wicked will be punished, and the kingdom of God established forevermore. As Daniel continues to watch, another horn emerges, as three of the other horns are plucked out by the roots to make room for it. The account of the writing on the wall and the death of Belshazzar (obviously the last year of his reign) is found in Daniel 5. He summons his magicians and astrologers to interpret it, but demands that they first tell And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. Considering this text has changed my opinion about the gap in the prophecies of the Old Testament. When he came to the Ancient of Days he would be given dominion, and glory, and a News without bias or noise. Leadership But in the end, God will judge the wicked and establish His kingdom for His saints. This description certainly fits the account of Nebuchadnezzars plunge from power and sanity in chapter 4. (5) While the process involves wicked kings and nations and the suffering of the saints, the culmination is the establishment of Gods eternal kingdom. 10 If any one is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if any one kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The last kingdom has at least eleven kings. Temple Take me to the king and I will interpret his dream for him. Daniel does not say, Do not execute us yet or Hold on, dont kill me. Suddenly, the boasting beast is silenced by death, and his body is cast into the burning fire. A keen reader will notice that the value of the metals decreases from head to feet (i.e. Daniel is granted time to consult God. No wonder interpreters differ about the details. The king is told that all of these earthly kingdoms would be destroyed by the stone not fashioned by human hands, and that an eternal kingdom would take the place of these temporal kingdoms. He said, Call off the execution! In the Old Testament, the expression son of man was used most frequently in reference to men, who were merely (as opposed to God) human. We are not of night nor o darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (1) Daniel 7 is the last chapter written in Aramaic in the Book of Daniel. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. The saints should neither believe nor behave on the basis of how things appear to be (the wicked prospering and prevailing over the righteous). The coming of the Son of Man is represented as one coming, and not two. [24] Daniel 2:2023 emphasizes the Divine as a repository of wisdom and the controller of the destiny of kings; such hymns and prayers are typical of postexilic biblical narratives. Now there's much for us to learn in the story of Nebuchadnezzar's confession and open letter in this dream which is recorded here in verses 10 through 18. Quite clear, however, is the identity of the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man.. World History 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.
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