20 Come, my people: enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors after thee: hide thyself for a very little while, until the indignation pass over.
21 For lo, the Lord cometh out of his place, to visit the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth upon them: and the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more hide her slain. Isaiah 26:20-21 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

God is Sovereign! He has always been and always will be Sovereign. I use Gmail as my main email. Unfortunately Google embeds ads in the interface just above the control buttons. Sometimes I will see something interesting there and click it. Usually I regret it. I once saw one that advertised a study that was supposed to show the real definition of Hyper-Calvinism. I am Reformed in my Theology, but I abhor Hyper-Calvinism. I know that many confuse the two so I hit the link to see what was what. The formula the writer of the document in question used to determine if a person was Hyper-Calvinistic was if all they talked about was God’s Sovereignty and glory instead of insisting on man’s responsibility. While I can see what the writer was trying to say I also saw that even though he agreed that God was Sovereign, he still was not sovereign over Man’s will. I read about half the document then gave up because the further I read the less Sovereignty God had and the more Man had. I had to go get a cold drink of water after that because it left a very bad taste in my mouth. Isn’t this the very essence of Man’s rebellion against God?

God has laid out history. It will run its course according to His plan. When it is time, in His timing alone, the time of the End will come upon this world. We have reached the last chapter in the wonderful book of Daniel. My heart is full of joy for some reason this evening. Perhaps it is that this study elevates God and shows the audacity of man refusing to submit to His Sovereignty. I rejoice as I “see” that God is going to bring “this age” to an end soon, and then we will enter the “age to come.” In that age our enemy will be locked away and not able to deceive anyone. Our Lord Jesus Christ will rule with a rod of iron and His people will rule and reign with Him. I rejoice as I see that victory, but we have the matter of transversing through the birth pangs at the end of “this age” which will culminate in the birth of the “age to come.”

1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince, which standeth for the children of thy people, and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there began to be a nation unto that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and perpetual contempt.
3 And they that be wise, shall shine, as the brightness of the firmament: and they that turn many to righteousness, shall shine as the stars, forever and ever.
4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book till the end of the time: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Daniel 12:1-4 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The phrase, “And at that time…” refers back to Daniel 11:35-45, which we looked at in last night’s post. In that passage we read of the coming of the Antichrist. Michael is an archangel (Jude 9). He is a chief prince in the spiritual realm. He is the prince who protects Israel during the time of the Gentiles. Gabriel tells Daniel that his people will be under Michael’s protection during a time of trouble that is greater than any that has ever come before. He gives Daniel a promise that all those whose name is found written in the book will be delivered. What book? This is the book of the saved.

16 Then spake they that feared the Lord, everyone to his neighbor, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his Name.
17 And they shall be to me, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day that I shall do this, for a flock, and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18 Then shall you return, and discern between the righteous and wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.
1 For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and the day that cometh, shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, and shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name, shall the sun of righteousness arise, and health shall be under his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as fat calves.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked: for they shall be dust under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:16 – 4:3 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

17 ¶ And the seventy turned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subdued to us through thy Name.
18 And he said unto them, I saw Satan, like lightning, fall down from heaven.
19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on Serpents, and Scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
20 Nevertheless, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subdued unto you: but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:17-20 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

1 And I saw a beast rise out of the sea, having seven heads, and ten horns, and upon his horns were ten crowns, and upon his head the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet like a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a Lion: and the dragon gave him his power and his throne, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, but his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered and followed the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast! who is able to war with him!
5 And there was given unto him a mouth, that spake great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him, to do two and forty months.
6 And he opened his mouth unto blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his Name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints, and to overcome them, and power was given him over every kindred, and tongue, and nation.
8 Therefore all that dwell upon the earth, shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of that Lamb, which was slain from the beginning of the world. Revelation 13:1-8 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

8 The beast that thou hast seen, was and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and shall go into perdition, and they that dwell on the earth, shall wonder (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world) when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. Revelation 17:8 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

11 And I saw a great white throne, and one that sat on it, from whose face fled away both the earth and heaven, and their place was no more found.
12 And I saw the dead, both great and small stand before God: and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged of those things, which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up her dead, which were in her, and death and hell delivered up the dead, which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death, and hell were cast into the lake of fire: this is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

22 And I saw no Temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it.
23 ,And their city hath no need of the Sun, neither of the Moon to shine in it: for the glory of God did light it: and the Lamb is the light of it.
24 And the people which are saved, shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor unto it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And the glory and honor of the Gentiles shall be brought unto it.
27 And there shall enter into it none unclean thing, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or lies: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelation 21:22-27 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Who goes into eternity unscathed? Only those whose names were written in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the World are allowed into eternity with God. All whose names are not written in it will end up on the lake of fire. There is not one thing you or I can do to have a name either written in that book or not. It was written before the foundation of the world. However, God is the only one who knows whose names are found there. So, our job, or role so to speak, is to obey God, make disciples wherever God puts us, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is what we are supposed to be doing. This is why it is so tragic to see how “Evangelism” has devolved into a drive for relevance according to society’s mores and values. Those who have fallen for the lie to transform Christianity into a flesh driven, self-focused, religion of self-worship are not doing what Jesus commanded us to do. Judgment is coming folks. We are in the last days, the time of birth pangs. Once those birth pangs increase in violence and speed there will be no more time to reach your neighbor, your co-worker, your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your daughter, your  son, your granddaughter, or your grandson  with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

When the Great Tribulation comes upon the world, unprecedented violence, world-wide disasters, devastating wars, and persecution of God’s people will consume this planet. However, those days will be cut short as the last bowl of God’s wrath is poured out on this world. At the end of that the Beast and the False Prophet will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Then all whose names are found in the Book of Life of the Lamb will be resurrected unto glorious eternal life with the Lamb. However, those whose names are not found in the book will not. At the end of what we call the Millennium they will be resurrected unto shame and contempt to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire prepared for Satan and his angels where the Beast and the False Prophet are.

5 ¶ Then I Daniel looked, and behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the brink of the river, and the other on that side of the brink of the river.
6 And one said unto the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, When shall be the end of these wonders?
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand, and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever, that it shall tarry for a time two times and an half: and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
8 Then I heard it, but I understood it not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up, and sealed, till the end of the time.
10 Many shall be purified, made white, and tried: but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall have understanding: but the wise shall understand.
11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abominable desolation set up, there shall be a thousand, two hundred and ninety days.
12 Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand, three hundred and five and thirty days.
13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest and stand up in thy lot, at the end of the days. Daniel 12:5-13 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The times, times, and half a time is the answer to the question asked in v6. The question was how long would be the Great Tribulation. It is 3 and one half years. This is the last half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. During this time of tribulation the “little horn”, the Lawless one, the Antichrist will persecute the saints of God. He will shatter their power and prevail over them. However, God puts an end to it, thereby delivering His people. Many will be saved during this evil time. The angel then tells Daniel that from the time of the ending of the daily sacrifice, when the Antichrist demands to be worshipped, as god, to the end of the tribulation, is 1290 days. However, three and one-half years is 1260 days. What are the additional 30 days all about? Some believe this is referring to the judgment of the living after Jesus returns, but before the “age to come.” Then the angel makes the statement, “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! “. That is an additional 45 more days. What is this? Again, this is some sort of transitional period between the two ages. The last thing the angel tells Daniel is that he too would die, but he would also be resurrected with the rest of God’s people. If your name is in the Lamb’s book of life then you too will stand with Daniel and the rest of the saints at that time. In the meantime, let us stop wasting our time on trivialities and, instead, live for God’s glory in all parts of our lives.

Soli Deo Gloria!

20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee? but now will I return to fight with the Prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the Prince of Greece shall come.
21 But I will show thee that which is decreed in the Scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. Daniel 10:20-21 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

As we saw in the last post, there are evil powers behind the “kingdoms” of the world. Satan is the lord of this present age. In this post we will attempt to exposit Daniel 11. This is a very interesting chapter in that it covers the history of spiritual conflict in Israel (11:2-35) to the tribulation (11:36-42) where Michael comes to the aide of the Jews to assist in fully delivering them (12:1). The history section of this prophecy (vv2-35) is so accurate that skeptics have railed against the veracity of this prophecy. They cannot understand how someone could write with such accuracy several hundred years earlier than the events. However, as believers, we should look at this part of Daniel and rejoice in the fact that when God says something will happen, it will happen. However, this prophecy, which extends into chapter 12, looks into the future from Daniel’s time into what is future for us as well. We will see a preview of the Antichrist given to Daniel by God over 2 millennia ago.

1 Also I, in the first year of Darius of the Medes, even I stood to encourage and to strengthen him.
2 And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength, and by his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.
3 But a mighty King shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his pleasure.
4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven: and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion, which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up even to be for others besides those. Daniel 11:1-4 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

When Cyrus overthrew the Babylonians, the Jews were given their freedom and allowed to return to Israel if they desired. The Persians treated the Jews kindly. Why? Gabriel and Michael were upholding the Persian rulers. The three kings after Cyrus were Cambyses (530-522 BC), Psuedo-Smerdis (522 BC), and Darius I Hystapes (522-486 BC). The fourth Persian king who was far richer than all of them was Xerxes I. He is the Ahasuerus we read of in Esther. He reigned from 486 BC to 465 BC. There were other kings of Persia after Xerxes I, such as Artexerxes, the king who allowed Nehemiah to return and build the wall of Jerusalem. This prophecy does not mention them though. Some believe that the failed military campaigns of Xerxes I against the Greeks (481-479 BC) started the downward spiral for Persia. Alexander the Great conquered Persia in 331 B.C. (v3). Alexander died in 323 BC. His kingdom was divided into four parts each ruled by one of Alexander’s generals. Cassander ruled Macedonia. Lysimachus ruled Thrace and Asia Minor. Seleucus ruled Syria and Babylonia. Ptolemy ruled Egypt and Arabia. None of these four ruled with power or lineage that Alexander had. None of them will be able to hold onto their kingdoms as Alexander would have.

5 And the King of the South shall be mighty, and one of his princes, and shall prevail against him, and bear rule: his dominion shall be a great dominion.
6 And in the end of years they shall be joined together: for the King’s daughter of the South shall come to the King of the North to make an agreement, but she shall not retain the power of the arm, neither shall he continue, nor his arm: but she shall be delivered to death, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that comforted her, in these times.
7 But out of the bud of her roots shall one stand up in his stead, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the King of the North, and do with them as he list, and shall prevail,
8 And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods: with their molten images, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold, and he shall continue more years than the king of the North.
9 So the king of the South shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.
10 Wherefore his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a mighty great army: and one shall come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up at his fortress.
11 And the King of the South shall be angry, and shall come forth, and fight with him, even with the king of the North: for he shall set forth a great multitude, and the multitude shall be given into his hand.
12 Then the multitude shall be proud, and their heart shall be lifted up: for he shall cast down thousands: but he shall not still prevail,
13 For the King of the North shall return, and shall set forth a greater multitude than afore, and shall come forth (after certain years) with a mighty army, and great riches.
14 And at the same time there shall many stand up against the king of the South: also the rebellious children of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision, but they shall fall.
15 So the King of the North shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the strong city: and the arms of the South shall not resist, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
16 But he that shall come, shall do unto him as he list, and none shall stand against him: and he shall stand in the pleasant land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
17 Again he shall set his face to enter with the power of his whole kingdom, and his confederates with him: thus shall he do, and he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many, but a prince shall cause his shame to light upon him, besides that he shall cause his own shame to turn upon himself.
19 For he shall turn his face toward the forts of his own land: but he shall be overthrown and fall, and be no more found.
20 Then shall stand up in his place in the glory of the kingdom, one that shall raise taxes: but after few days he shall be destroyed, neither in wrath, nor in battle.
21 And in his place shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
22 And the arms shall be overthrown with a flood before him, and shall be broken: and also the prince of the covenant.
23 And after the league made with him, he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and overcome with a small people.
24 He shall enter into the quiet and plentiful province, and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers: he shall divide among them the prey and the spoil, and the substance, yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strongholds, even for a time.
25 Also he shall stir up his power, and his courage against the King of the South with a great army, and the King of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army: but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast and practice against him.
26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat, shall destroy him: and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall, and be slain.
27 And both these Kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall talk of deceit at one table: but it shall not avail: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
28 Then shall he return into his land with great substance: for his heart shall be against the holy covenant: so shall he do and return to his own land.
29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the South: but the last shall not be as the first.
30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be sorry and return and fret against the holy covenant: so shall he do, he shall even return and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the Sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall set up the abominable desolation.
32 And such as wickedly break the covenant, shall he cause to sin by flattery: but the people that do know their God, shall prevail and prosper.
33 And they that understand among the people, shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by sword, and by flame, by captivity and by spoil many days.
34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave unto them feignedly.
35 And some of them of understanding shall fall to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, till the time be out: for there is a time appointed. Daniel 11:5-35 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The passage above from v5 through v35a discusses the wars and intrigues between the Ptolemys and Selucids for control of Palestine. In v30 we see Antiochus Epiphanes’ soldiers profaning the Temple, committing unclean acts that made it impure and defiled. In v33 we are given a very short summary of the wars between Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maacabees. Some Jews refuse to fight the Greeks on the Sabbath and are martyred (v35). From that verse back through v5 is all part of the historical record. This is an amazing prophecy. The Jews called the profaning of the Temple the abomination that causes desolation. In Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15 we see that this abomination that causes desolation is only a preview of what the Antichrist will do during the Tribulation. In v35b we have the phrase, “until the time of the end…” this points to a forward leap across multiple millennia of history from Antiochus Epiphanes to the Tribulation.

36 And the king shall do what him list: he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself against all, that is God, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper, till the wrath be accomplished: for the determination is made.
37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desires of women, nor care for any God: for he shall magnify himself above all.
38 But in his place shall he honor the god Mauzzim, and the god whom his fathers knew not, shall he honor with gold and with silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 Thus shall he do in the holds of Mauzzim with a strange god whom he shall acknowledge: he shall increase his glory, and shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
40 And at the end of time shall the king of the South push at him, and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships, and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through.
41 He shall enter also into the pleasant land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
42 He shall stretch forth his hands also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt, and of the Libyans, and of the black Mores where he shall pass.
44 But the tidings out of the East and the North shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great wrath to destroy and root out many.
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious and holy mountain, yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. Daniel 11:36-45 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The “king” in v36 is no longer referring to Antiochus Epiphanes. This is a leap forward to a time that is future to us. Antiochus Epiphanes was a forerunner or type of this “king.” Much of what the former did the latter will do on a much greater scale. In vv36-45 we have a summary of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. God gave this prophecy to Gabriel to give to Daniel to give to us. This summary is found nowhere else in scripture. God used the evil of Antiochus Epiphanes as the perfect transition point from the type of the Antichrist to the Antichrist himself. This evil person will exalt and magnify himself above every god, claiming to be god. Antiochus Epiphanes was evil and bad, but he never did this. There have been many antichrists, but this man will be the last one.

This “king” does not regard the gods of his upbringing. His god is one of fortresses. The word for “fortress” is used six times in this chapter. It means “a strong place.” This “king” worships power. He uses money and power to seduce others into assisting him. He rewards them by giving them authority and riches. There will be another North vs. South war (v40). The “king” strikes back and defeats both powers. Then he will enter Israel. Some believe that it is at this time that he commits the Abomination of Desolation that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:15. In vv44-45 we read of his final battle as he takes a stand against a power for which he has no answer.

19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their hosts gathered together to make battle against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 But the beast was taken, and with him that false Prophet that wrought miracles before him, whereby he deceived them that received the beast’s mark, and them that worshipped his image. These both were alive cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sitteth upon the horse, which cometh out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled full with their flesh. Revelation 19:19-21 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Yes, things will get very bad on planet Earth before they get better. However, we have prophecies in the Word of God that go beyond the evil and tribulations and wars to the victory of the Kingdom of God by our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen and come soon Lord Jesus!

Soli Deo Gloria!

10 ¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the assaults of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against ,principalities, against powers, and against the worldly governors, the princes of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness, which are in the high places. Ephesians 6:10-12 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

There is a great deal more going on in the spiritual than those of us in the temporal know about. All in Christ who still live and breathe are in the world, but are not part of it. Some, of course, live as if they are part of it, but we are called to be separate from the fleshpot world while being filled with the Spirit. Why? Of course if we are in love with this world, this present age, we will become encumbered and distracted from what we should be doing. Also, the world system, its things and its ways are all controlled by our enemy and his rulers, authorities, cosmic powers who do all they can to keep people blind in this present darkness. When believers are temporally focused they are being influenced by evil, if not controlled by it.

1 In the third year of Cyrus King of Persia, a thing was revealed unto Daniel (whose name was called Belteshazzar) and the word was true, but the time appointed was long, and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
2 At the same time I Daniel was in heaviness for three weeks of days.
3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three weeks of days were fulfilled. Daniel 10:1-3 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

We now move two years after the time when Daniel received the vision of the Seventy Weeks we read in Chapter 9. In Chapters 10,11, and 12 we read of the last vision Daniel received. We will concentrate on Chapter 10 in this post. Prior to receiving this last vision, Daniel was mourning for three weeks. He ate no delicacies. He ate no meat and did not drink any wine. He let his body take on a position of abject mourning springing from a humble and broken heart. Why would he do this? He was fasting and praying. We will see in v12 and following that Daniel was praying for wisdom, knowledge and discernment about the Jews their place in the coming empires and the end times.

4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of that great river, even Hiddekel,
5 And I lifted mine eyes, and looked, and behold, there was a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz.
6 His body also was like the Chrysolite, and his face (to look upon) like the lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet were like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words was like the voice of a multitude.
7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me, saw not the vision: but a great fear fell upon them, so that they fled away and hid themselves.
8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my strength was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no power.
9 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, I slept on my face, and my face was toward the ground. Daniel 10:4-9 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Who is this man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz? His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning. His eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze. What was his voice like? The sound of his words like the sound of a tumult. Again, who is this? It isn’t Gabriel. This description is far greater than his. Read this:

12 Then I turned back to see the voice that spake with me: and when I was turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks,
13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and girded about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and hairs were white as white wool, and as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire,
15 And his feet like unto fine brass burning as in a furnace: and his voice as the sound of many waters. Revelation 1:12-15 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

We know that this passage from Revelation is John’s description of our Lord Jesus Christ in His glorified state. Do you see the similarities? What was Daniel’s response to seeing Him compared to John’s at seeing Christ? They both fell as dead men. Notice also how the men with Daniel were so terrified that they fled. Is this the pre-incarnate Son of God Himself or another angel?

10 And behold, an hand touched me, which set me up upon my knees, and upon the palms of mine hands,
11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand in thy place: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had said this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to humble thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but lo, Michael one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I remained there by the Kings of Persia.
14 Now I am come to show thee what shall come to thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. Daniel 10:10-14 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The hand and words here are those of Gabriel who had visited Daniel previously. Notice also that God does hear the prayers of His people and does answer them. Here we are given some insight into the spiritual realm. Gabriel could not come to Daniel when he was sent because of the resistance from “the prince of the kingdom of Persia.” Who is that? He was one of the rulers of this present darkness as Paul told us in Ephesians 6. Daniel was so stricken with grief and mourning that he fasted and prayed fervently. This is spiritual warfare. Because of Daniel’s continual service to God, fasting and praying, Gabriel was given assistance from Michael, one of the chief princes. Was the “man” Daniel saw first Michael? Gabriel could not withstand the power of the evil princes of darkness without Michael’s help. Gabriel was given a message for Daniel about what would happen to his people in the latter days.

15 And when he spake these words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and held my tongue.
16 And behold, one like the similitude of the sons of man touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my Lord, by the vision my sorrows are returned upon me, and I have retained no strength.
17 For how can the servant of this my Lord talk with my Lord being such one? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
18 Then there came again, and touched me, one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,
19 And said, O man, greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee: be strong and of good courage. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my Lord speak: for thou hast strengthened me.
20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee? but now will I return to fight with the Prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the Prince of Greece shall come.
21 But I will show thee that which is decreed in the Scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. Daniel 10:15-21 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Satan engages in heavenly warfare in an attempt to thwart God’s work. The prince of Persia was somehow anointed in a way that kept Gabriel from reaching Daniel at once. Michael is one of the chief angels in Heaven.

7 And there was a battle in heaven, Michael and his Angels, fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels.
8 But they prevailed not, neither was their place found anymore in heaven.
9 And the great dragon that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, was cast out, which deceiveth all the world: he was even cast into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:7-9 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

This passage describes a war in Heaven. We know that our enemy stands before God accusing the brethren day and night. (Revelation 12:10) He is doing that right now as you read this and as I write this. He is telling God how unworthy we are to be called Christians. He is telling God things to incite Him to allow suffering and pain in our lives to discourage us. He does not believe that God’s grace is sufficient for us. However, we know that Satan is right about something. We are not deserving of anything good from God for our sakes. However, for the sake of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whose blood purchased us from darkness and death to save us from the Father’s wrath, we have right standing before Him according to God’s grace.

We must pursue prayer and fasting as Daniel did. Daniel loved the Lord and served Him day and night. God mightily used him because of his faithfulness. He fasted and prayed and mourned for his people and God’s glory. Are we doing the same thing for our brethren? The visible Church is sick. It has been compromised. It is full of false teachers and preachers who scatter the true sheep to fill the pews with false sheep. They bring the world into the church instead of being separate from it. Are we broken hearted over it? Are we fasting and praying for her sake? If Christians will humble themselves and pray, God will hear from Heaven and answer. His will be done.

Soli Deo Gloria!

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans,
2 Even in the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the Lord had spoken unto Jeremiah the Prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolation of Jerusalem. Daniel 9:1-2 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

One of the worst parts about expounding scripture while not allowing “what men say” to influence that exposition is that there will always be some people who are “offended” or in disagreement with the analysis. I desire to offend no one. I deeply desire to be of use to my Lord in bringing His people into agreement about what His Word says. Therefore, I will continue to simply exposit scripture. As we have moved through Daniel I have tried very hard to look at extra-biblical sources only when necessary. I am very well aware that Daniel 9 is a hot button with some people. However, we must proceed.

Daniel was a very godly man. He was taken to Babylon before Nebuchadnezzar’s army destroyed Jerusalem. He was a youth who came into the King’s service as his “Prime Minister” because in him was found an excellent spirit. Daniel survived the Babylonian Kings who followed Nebuchadnezzar into the reign of Cyrus the first King of the Medo-Persian Empire. Daniel had a copy of Jeremiah’s prophecy about how long Jerusalem was to remain desolate. He read the part that we call Jeremiah 25:1-14. We will concentrate on vv8-14.

8 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Because ye have not heard my words,
9 Behold, I will send and take to me all the families of the North, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babel my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will destroy them, and make them an astonishment and an hissing, and a continual desolation.
10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the noise of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
11 And this whole land shall be desolate, and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babel seventy years.
12 And when the seventy years are accomplished, I will visit the king of Babel and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquities, even the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it a perpetual desolation.
13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all nations.
14 For many nations, and great kings shall even serve themselves of them: thus will I recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands. Jeremiah 25:8-14 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

In this passage we read why God allowed the Judeans to go into captivity and that there would be a definite timetable for a restoration of city and nation. The prophecy says that Jerusalem will be desolate and the sons will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. After the seventy years are complete God will punish Babylon. Daniel would have also read Jeremiah 29, which is Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon exhorting them to not rebel, but serve their masters. In v10 we read, “But thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babel, I will visit you, and perform my good promise toward you, and cause you to return to this place.” Daniel was a very sagacious man. He knew His God and believed Him. He knew that the time was nearing for the seventy years to end and also the Persians had conquered the Babylonians.

Daniel was probably in his eighties or even older here. He was not a young man. However, he was a godly man who served His God day and night. His heart yearned for Jerusalem and the restoration of the temple worship. Then he prayed.

3 And I turned my face unto the Lord God, and sought by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
4 And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, saying, Oh Lord God which art great and fearful, and keepest covenant and mercy toward them which love thee, and toward them that keep thy commandments,
5 We have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, yea, we have rebelled, and have departed from thy precepts, and from thy judgments.
6 For we would not obey thy servants the Prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, and unto us open shame, as appeareth this day unto every man of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, yea, unto all Israel, both near and far off, through all the country, whither thou hast driven them, because of their offences, that they have committed against thee.
8 O Lord, unto us appertaineth open shame, to our Kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9 Yet compassion and forgiveness is in the Lord our God, albeit we have rebelled against him.
10 For we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he hath laid before us by the ministry of his servants the Prophets.
11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy Law, and are turned back, and have not heard thy voice: therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.
12 And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great plague: for under the whole heaven hath not been the like, as hath been brought upon Jerusalem.
13 All this plague is come upon us, as it is written in the Law of Moses: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth.
14 Therefore hath the Lord made ready the plague, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we would not hear his voice.
15 And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as appeareth this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.
16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy wrath be turned away from thy city Jerusalem thine holy Mountain: because of our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are a reproach to all that are about us.
17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary, that lieth waste for the Lord’s sake.
18 O my God, incline thine ear and hear: open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city whereupon thy Name is called: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our own righteousness, but for thy great tender mercies.
19 O Lord hear, O Lord forgive, O Lord consider, and do it: defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy Name is called upon thy city, and thy people. Daniel 9:3-19 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Notice that Daniel humbly comes before the Lord God his maker confessing the sins of the people and agreeing with God that they deserved far worse than they got. Then he prayed for God to turn aside His anger and wrath from the people and Jerusalem appealing not to their own merit but to God’s great mercy. Notice also how he pleaded with God to pay attention and act. He asked Him to not to delay for His own sake. How often do we pray to God in a wimpy sort of way refusing to plead with Him over things like this? It is not wrong to pray for God to do something for His sake and great name as Daniel did here. Then Daniel got his answer.

20 ¶ And while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and did present my supplication before the Lord my God, for the holy Mountain of my God,
21 Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen before in the vision, came flying, and touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee knowledge and understanding.
23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee, for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter and consider the vision. Daniel 9:20-23 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Does God answer prayer? Does God love His people? Does God want us to pray in order to know Him and His ways? Yes, yes, and yes! Notice that God greatly loves Daniel. Why is that? Daniel is highly esteemed! It should be deeply ingrained in each of God’s people to serve Him as Daniel did. Those who walk through this life as Spirit-led believers are in this group. Yes, God loves His people, but those who are highly esteemed and used by Him for His glory are those who seek nothing from this life except His glory. Those living like this can take all sorts of abuse and even not seek to “be right” in every discussion, but they will come at others as lions for the sake of their Lord’s glory. Notice also how soon God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer was sent to him. God sent it at the beginning of his pleas for MERCY! He did not demand anything from God for self. He simply wanted to know the truth and for God to be merciful to His people.

24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thine holy city, to finish the wickedness, and to seal up the sins, and to reconcile the iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
25 Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to bring again the people, and to build Jerusalem, unto Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks, and the street shall be built again, and the wall even in a troublous time.
26 And after threescore and two weeks, shall Messiah be slain, and shall have nothing, and the people of the prince that shall come, shall destroy the city and the Sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood: and unto the end of the battle it shall be destroyed by desolations.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of the abominations, he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Daniel 9:24-27 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

For us to understand this prophecy or vision given to Daniel by Gabriel from God in answer to his prayer for mercy, we must look at some historical data.

605 B.C. – Jeremiah’s prediction of Judah’s captivity. Daniel and others were deported to Babylon after this.

587 B.C. – God’s Word came to Jeremiah promising the rebuilding or re-inhabiting of Jerusalem.

586 B.C. – Jerusalem fell, the first temple was destroyed and most of the remaining Jews were taken to Babylon.

558 B.C. – Cyrus the Great became King of Persia and partnered with Media.

539 B.C. – Cyrus’ general, Gobryas, attacked the Babylonians

538 B.C. – Gobryas defeats Babylon, kills Belshazzar, Daniel received the “Seventy Weeks” prophecy and Cyrus decrees to end Jewish captivity.

536 B.C. – Foundations of the second temple were laid, thus ending the 70 year captivity (605 B.C. to 536 B.C.)

458 B.C. – Artaxerxes’ decrees to rebuild temple.

445 B.C. – Artaxerxes’ decrees to rebuild Jerusalem.

6? B.C. – 33? A.D. Life of Christ

A.D. 70 – Roman General Titus destroys Jerusalem and the temple.

Along with these important dates we must also take a look at the “coming prince” mentioned in v26. This mercurial person is mentioned here in Daniel and in the New Testament. Here are a few cross-references about this coming prince from Daniel 9 (coming prince), 2 Thessalonians 2 (man of sin) and Revelation 13 (the beast from the sea).

Characteristics         Prince         Man of Sin         Beast
Makes Blasphemy
In Temple                     X                     X                     X

Makes Idol                    X                                             X

Demands Worship                               X                      X

Succeeds in Deceiving
With Signs                                             X                     X

Reign of Terror             X                                             X

Empowered by
Satan                                                      X                     X

3 1/2 Year Reign           X                                             X

Persecutes Saints          X                     X                     X

World Ruler             (implied)               X                     X

Destroyed by
Christ at His
Coming                     (implied)               X                      X

The Hebrew term “seven” (shabua’) is used six times in Daniel 9:24-27. In every usage outside of this passage it always indicates a definite period of seven. Gabriel tells Daniel that the period of the prophecy is for seventy “sevens.” Nearly all Biblical Scholars believe this is referring to seventy periods of seven years. Here is the breakdown of what Gabriel told Daniel about the Seventy Weeks. The first period is for Seven sevens v25. These 49 years will begin with a “word to restore and build Jerusalem.” It will end with the coming of an anointed one, a prince. Following this period will be Sixty-two sevens. This is made up of 434 years. During this period the temple and city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt in troubled times. At the end of this period, an anointed one shall be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy Jerusalem and the temple. Then there is another Seven, 7 years, where the prince who is to come will make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. The Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Jesus Christ will take place.

There is a reason for the three separate groups of seven. We cannot jam them together demanding that they be concurrent. No, God separated them into these three groups for a reason. Let’s look at v25 again.

25 Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to bring again the people, and to build Jerusalem, unto Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks, and the street shall be built again, and the wall even in a troublous time. Daniel 9:25 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

We must determine who sends out the word to restore and build Jerusalem. The time period from that moment to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. That is 49 years. The Hebrew for the “going out of the word” is “dabar.” This is simply a command, not necessarily a royal decree. It comes from someone with the authority to make it happen though. Also, we must not jump to the conclusion that the “anointed one” spoken of here is the Messiah. Scripture speaks of many other “anointed ones.” For instance God called Cyrus himself “His anointed.” When did Cyrus become king of Medo-Persia? That took place in 538 B.C. If we go back 49 years from that date we come to 587 B.C. Look at the chart above. That was when God’s Word came to Jeremiah promising the rebuilding or re-inhabiting of Jerusalem. Who has more authority than God? Then the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem is from God and took place in 587 B.C. through the prophet Jeremiah. 49 years later, Cyrus, God’s anointed, comes to power. This completes the Seven Sevens.

The Sixty-Two Sevens equals 434 years. We cannot simply start counting those years from the end of the Seven Sevens (538 B.C.). The only predictive event for this group of years is, “after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off.” It does not say how long after. There must be a time gap between the seven sevens and the sixty-two sevens, but how long? From this we see that the 490 years are made up of three sets of years that encompass a much longer span of time. What historical events would mark the beginning and ending of the sixty-two sevens then? From the text it would seem that the beginning of the rebuilding of the city walls of Jerusalem would be a good candidate for the beginning event. When was that? Nehemiah requested to go and rebuild the walls in April of 444 B.C. According to Josephus he then went to Babylon to seek volunteers from among the Jews to go with him. He also had to obtain building materials. Josephus tells us that he arrived in Jerusalem in the 25th year of Artaxerxes. That would be 440 B.C. If we then add 434 years to that date we get 6 B.C. Many scholars believe that his is probably the time of the birth of Christ because Herod the Great died in 4 B.C.

So far we have the seven sevens beginning with God’s word to Jeremiah and ending with the crowning of Cyrus the Great. Then there is a gap until 440 B.C. for the beginning of the sixty-two sevens which began with Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem. It ended with the birth of Christ in 6 B.C. These dates are firm and the alignment of the events with the number of years in these first two groups of sevens is too exact to be dismissed lightly.

In v26 we have a summary of what the people of the prince who is to come do to Israel and Jerusalem and the Jewish people. Josephus describes this in horrible detail. Needless to say, the end for Jerusalem came like a flood. However, what about the final seven? We already know that there is a gap between the first seven sevens and the sixty-two sevens. The final seven of the seventy takes place in the future to us. The prince who is to come is the lawless one and the Beast from the sea. In v27 we see that he makes a strong covenant with many for one week. That week is the last seven. Here is a simplistic breakdown of this seven. The first 3 1/2 years will be made up of a covenant between the prince who is to come and Israel. At the end of the 3 1/2 years, he commits the abomination of desolation. This reveals who he is to those who have discernment. Then in the next 3 1/2 years the great tribulation falls upon the world. It is ended with the return of Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria!

1 In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar, a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.
2 And I saw in a vision, and when I saw it, I was in the palace of Shushan, which is in the province of Elam, and in a vision me thought I was by the river of Ulai.
3 Then I looked up and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns, and these two horns were high: but one was higher than another, and the highest came up last.
4 I saw the ram pushing against the West, and against the North, and against the South: so that no beasts might stand before him, nor could deliver out of his hand, but he did what he listed, and became great. Daniel 8:1-4 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Many of the Old Testament prophecies have already been fulfilled. For instance, Jesus Christ fulfilled every one of the prophecies that spoke of His first coming, His torture, His death, His burial, etc. We have now arrived at Daniel Chapter 8. Daniel switches from Aramaic, which he used from 2:4b through 7:28, back to Hebrew starting in 8:1 through the end of His book. In Chapter 8 we will look at some already fulfilled prophecies and also how one of the characters from those that have been fulfilled also prefigures another character that is still future to us.

Daniel has another vision two years after the one from Chapter 7. In this vision Daniel sees himself at the Persian city of Susa. This does not mean that he was physically there. He may have still been in Babylon since the Medo-Persian Empire had not yet come to power. He sees himself at the Ulai canal. Some translations call it a river. He looked and saw a Ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, one higher than the other. They were both high, but the higher grew taller later. No one could withstand his power.

The first part of Daniel’s vision reveals a Ram that represents the Medo-Persian Empire. The two horns represent the Medes and the Persians. The Persians provided the civilization and the Medes provided the military might. At the beginning of the empire the Medes were more powerful, but the Persians soon dominated after the fall of Babylon. The Medo-Persian Empire became huge. It covered the entire near East and threatened to spread into Europe with invasions into Greece. It did conquer Egypt. The Ram corresponds to the Bear from Daniels vision from Chapter 6 and the silver portion of the image from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from Chapter 2.

5 And as I considered, behold, a goat came from the West over the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and this goat had an horn that appeared between his eyes.
6 And he came unto the ram that had the two horns, whom I had seen standing by the river, and ran unto him in his fierce rage.
7 And I saw him come unto the ram, and being moved against him, he smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand against him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him, and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his power.
8 Therefore the goat waxed exceeding great, and when he was at the strongest, his great horn was broken: and for it came up four that appeared toward the four winds of the heaven. Daniel 8:5-8 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The next part of Daniel’s vision pertains to a male goat with one conspicuous horn that moved so swiftly that it appeared to not touch the ground. The Ram with the two horns falls before the great wrath of the goat. The two horns of the ram are broken and no one could come to his aid. The goat became great and strong, but the great horn became broken. In its place four horns came up towards all directions.

The goat was the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great. This corresponds to the Leopard from Daniel’s vision in Chapter 7 and the Bronze part of the image from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from Chapter 2. His army contained 35,000 men. The Persian army was much bigger. However, Alexander’s leadership enabled him to win every battle. However, as soon as the Medo-Persian Empire became his, Alexander died. The empire was split into four parts governed by his four generals. It was split into four sections: Macedonia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt.

9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed very great toward the South, and toward the East, and toward the pleasant land.
10 Yea, it grew up unto the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host, and of the stars to the ground, and trode upon them,
11 And extolled himself against the prince of the host, from whom the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his Sanctuary was cast down.
12 And a time shall be given him over the daily sacrifice for the iniquity: and it shall cast down the truth to the ground, and thus shall it do, and prosper.
13 Then I heard one of the Saints speaking, and one of the Saints spake unto a certain one, saying, How long shall endure the vision of the daily sacrifice, and the iniquity of the desolation to tread both the Sanctuary and the army underfoot?
14 And he answered me, Unto the evening and the morning, two thousand and three hundred: then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed. Daniel 8:9-14 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

General Seleucus received Syria. His descendants were the Seleucids. The little horn refers to Aniochus Epiphanes, a Seleucid, who came to power in 175 B.C. He was not in line to be king, but took the throne by deceit. The name “Epiphanes” means, “God made manifest.” He sought to force Greek culture on the Jews. He attempted to bring the Jews into line with the rest of the Greek empire through changing their culture. In fact, he was successful in bringing many of the “free-thinking” priesthood into abandoning the Jewish Religion. However, there was a hard-core group of priests and common people who refused to be “assimilated” into Hellenistic cultic religion along with its immoral cultural values. The more he tried to force his will on the Jews the more obstinate the resistance became leading to revolt. Antiochus Epiphanes announced a law requiring all citizens to present themselves four times a year to pay formal homage to him as the senior god of the Seleucids. The day chosen for these periodic submissions was Shabbat, when Jews preferred not to leave their homes, this being their day of prayer. Epiphanes was met by revolt and the setting up of a small state in which the high priest was the central figure. This was the Maccebean revolt which gained the Jews their independence. Antiochus Epiphanes occupied Jerusalem. He entered the temple. In the Holy of Holies he desecrated the sanctuary by offering unclean animals upon the alter of burnt-offerings. Then he polluted the whole building by sprinkling it with water in which flesh had been boiled. Then he dedicated the Temple itself to Jupiter Olympius, and erected the statue of that deity and plundered the temple treasures. This was called the Abomination of Desolation.

In v10 we read of the little horn throwing some of the stars of heaven to the ground and trampling on them. What does this mean? The best commentaries I have read on this verse say it is describing the persecution against the Jewish people in picturesque language. The stars are the Jewish people themselves. Other examples of this in scripture are found in Genesis 12:3, Genesis 15:5, Genesis 22:17, Exodus 12:41 and Deuteronomy 1:10. In v11 we have a description of Antiochus Epiphanes demanding sacrifice and worship. We know that the temple sacrifices ultimately were directed to our Lord, the Prince of Princes. When the little horn demands that those sacrifices be directed to him then he was exalting himself over our Lord Himself. In v13-14 we read of how long this little horn will be able to trample on the Jews and their religion. The answer is 2,300 evenings and mornings. This is describing a period of 6 1/3 years of sacrificing a lamb twice a day on the altar of sacrifice. This shows us how precise this prophecy was because the persecution under Antiochus ran from September 6 171 B.C. to December 25, 165/4 B.C. When he died, the Jews cleansed the temple. This began the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah.

15 ¶ Now when I Daniel had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, behold, there stood before me like the similitude of a man.
16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
17 So he came where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for in the last time shall be the vision.
18 Now as he was speaking unto me, I being asleep fell on my face to the ground: but he touched me, and set me up in my place.
19 And he said, Behold, I will show thee what shall be in the last wrath: for in the end of the time appointed it shall come.
20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns, are the Kings of the Medes and Persians.
21 And the goat is the King of Greece, and the great horn that is between his eyes, is the first king.
22 And that that is broken, and four stood up for it, are four kingdoms, which shall stand up of that nation, but not in his strength.
23 And in the end of their kingdom, when the rebellious shall be consumed, a King of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not in his strength: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty, and the holy people.
25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand, and he shall extol himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the prince of princes, but he shall be broken down without hand.
26 And the vision of the evening and the morning, which is declared, is true: therefore seal thou up the vision, for it shall be after many days.
27 And I Daniel was stricken and sick certain days: but when I rose up, I did the king’s business, and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. Daniel 8:15-27 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The “in the end of the time” from v19 is referring to a time late in the period of time that is in the historical view of this prophecy. In other words, this is the end of the time of the Greek Empire in the form of four kingdoms. The little horn is obviously Antiochus Epiphines (175-164 B.C.) He did persecute the Jews and died of natural causes. Men did not kill him and he did defy God. He prefigures the Antichrist who is yet to come. We see that Antiochus is a pattern for him. We will see more of this when we get to Chapter 11.

Soli Deo Gloria!

1 And I saw a beast rise out of the sea, having seven heads, and ten horns, and upon his horns were ten crowns, and upon his head the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet like a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a Lion: and the dragon gave him his power and his throne, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, but his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered and followed the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast! who is able to war with him! Revelation 13:1-4 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

It is time to prayerfully step into the prophetic section of Daniel. I always have quite a bit of anxiety about tackling books that are deeply eschatological. Why? My method of Bible teaching is to simply expound scripture. I try to limit input into my analysis of passages to Biblical references for the most part. I do not believe I am wise enough or schooled enough in eschatology to do justice to this study. However, God is able to open up His word to our hearts. As we look at these sections in Daniel let us carefully let scripture speak. God will give us the truth as He sees fit. Perhaps God will give us insight into His Word that we have lacked until now. If so, then it is God doing this, not me.

The Book of Daniel is not laid out in chronological order. For instance Chapter 7 takes place 14 years before the feast from Daniel 5 while Chapters 7 and 8 take place after Chapter 4, but before Chapter 5. With that in mind let’s read God’s Word with a heart intent on hearing what God has to say to us.

1 In the first year of Belshazzar King of Babel, Daniel saw a dream, and there were visions in his head, upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and declared the sum of the matter.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea:
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea one divers from another.
4 The first was as a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth, and set upon his feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given him.
5 And behold, another beast which was the second, was like a bear, and stood upon the one side: and he had three ribs in his mouth between his teeth, and they said thus unto him, Arise, and devour much flesh.
6 After this, I beheld, and lo, there was another like a leopard, which had upon his back four wings of a fowl: the beast had also four heads, and dominion was given him.
7 After this, I saw in the visions by night, and behold, the fourth beast was fearful and terrible and very strong. It had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue under his feet: and it was unlike to the beasts that were before it: for it had ten horns.
8 As I considered the horns, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked away: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking presumptuous things. Daniel 7:1-8 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Daniel flashes back to the beginning of King Belshazzar’s reign. He had a night vision given to him by God. When he awoke, he wrote down the dream completely. The dream or vision begins with a stormy sea stirred up by winds from every direction. The Great Sea refers to the Mediterranean. Then Daniel saw four beasts come up out of sea. They were different from each other. The first one resembled a lion with eagle’s wings. Daniel saw the first beast have its wings plucked off. Then it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand like a man. It was given the mind of a man. This is describing a kingdom or empire whose nature is swift and vicious like a lion. Notice that this beast is divinely given these characteristics. It was given a purpose by God to accomplish His will. This is describing Babylon. It corresponds to the head of gold from the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from Daniel Chapter 2.

The second beast from Daniel’s vision resembled a bear. One of its sides was greater than the other. It has three ribs in its mouth. It was told to conquer much. This beast corresponds to the silver portion of Nebuchadnezzar’s image from Daniel 2. Remember the silver portion of the image contained the chest and arms. One arm represented the Medes and the other the Persians. This second beast has one side greater than the other. At the beginning of the Medo-Persian empire, the Medes provided the military power that the Persians needed to overthrow Babylon. Ironically, the Medes came to the aid of the Babylonians in their war to be free of Assyria. It was the combined forces of the Medes and Babylonians who destroyed Nineveh in 614 B.C. Now we have the Medes combining forces once again, but this time with the Persians to conquer Babylon in 539 B.C. However, the Bear in Daniel’s vision has one side larger than the other. The larger, more powerful side is the Persians. This empire becomes huge. The three ribs in its teeth represent the nations that are conquered by the Medes and Persians.

The third beast from Daniel’s vision resembled a leopard. It had four wings of a bird and four heads. Again it was given dominion by God. This beast corresponds to the Bronze section of Nebuchadnezzar’s image. This beast is the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great. The wings represent its swift conquest of the Persian Empire. The four heads represent the four generals who inherited Alexander’s empire when he died. It was split into four sections: Macedonia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt.

The fourth beast from Daniel’s vision is not given a description that corresponds to a known animal. It is different. It was terrifying and dreadful. It was exceedingly strong. Its teeth were of iron. It destroyed or took apart what remained of the three previous empires. This beast had ten horns. However a little horn rises up to pluck out three of the ten. This little horn had eyes like man and a mouth that spoke great things. Some translations say that it spoke “pompous words.” This beast corresponds to the iron section of Nebuchadnezzar’s image. In these two dreams (visions) this “empire” becomes “extended” into another form that has ten entities. The image from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream had two legs of iron, but the feet were made of iron and clay. Each of it’s ten toes represented ten kings. Daniel’s fourth beast has ten horns with a little horn plucking out three of them.

The Roman empire self-destructed. It eventually became two separate kingdoms. The Eastern Roman Empire had it’s capital in Byzantium. The Western Roman Empire was in Rome or other cities in Italy. The two legs in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represent this. It became fragmented after it fell apart in 476 A.D. The fourth beast will be revived with great unified strength near our Lord’s second coming. At that time, it will be made up of 10 parts under kings. There will be an 11th King who will depose three of the 10 as he comes to power. This is the little horn. This represents a human in that Daniel saw the eyes like man and a mouth boasting. The way it speaks tells us that the little horn is proud. Interestingly, Daniel’s vision immediately moves to the time of judgment by God on this fourth beast.

9 I beheld till the thrones were set up, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels, as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued, and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand thousands stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books opened.
11 Then I beheld, because of the voice of the presumptuous words which the horn spake: I beheld, even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning fire.
12 As concerning the other beasts, they had taken away their dominion: yet their lives were prolonged for a certain time and season.
13 ¶ As I beheld in visions by night, behold, one like the son of man came in the clouds of heaven, and approached unto the Ancient of days, and they brought him before him.
14 And he gave him dominion, and honor, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall never be taken away: and his dominion shall never be destroyed. Daniel 7:9-14 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

God is Omnipotent and Sovereign! No matter how powerful and dreadful men’s kingdoms become, they are all subject to Him. When it’s time for judgment, then the ballgame is over. The fourth beast will be judged and destroyed even as the little horn spouts his boasting. This corresponds to the second coming of Christ, the stone cut out without hands that smashes Nebuchadnezzar’s image by striking the feet. In that vision the stone striking the image smashed it and it was not seen again. In Daniel’s vision the previous beasts or empires are still in place, but they have no dominion. Notice that just before Christ returns, the final form of the fourth beast will contain the three previous beasts. However, the Roman part is smashed and done away with. The three others do survive for a while, but have no power. The fourth beast in its final form will indeed be a world empire. However Christ’s Kingdom will replace it and it will never be destroyed.

15 ¶ I Daniel was troubled in my spirit, in the midst of my body, and the visions of mine head made me afraid.
16 Therefore I came unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this: so he told me, and showed me the interpretation of these things.
17 These great beasts which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth,
18 And they shall take the kingdom of the Saints of the most High, and shall possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.
19 ¶ After this, I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was so unlike to all the others, very fearful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass: which devoured brake in pieces, and stamped the residue under his feet.
20 Also to know of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the others which came up, before whom three fell, and of the horn that had eyes, and of the mouth that spake presumptuous things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
21 I beheld, and the same horn made battle against the Saints, yea, and prevailed against them,
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the Saints of the most High: and the time approached, that the Saints possessed the kingdom.
23 Then he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom in the earth, which shall be unlike to all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten Kings that shall rise: and another shall rise after them, and he shall be unlike to the first, and he shall subdue three Kings,
25 And shall speak words against the most High, and shall consume the Saints of the most High, and think that he may change times and laws, and they shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end.
27 And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the holy people of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all powers shall serve and obey him. 
28 Even this is the end of the matter, I Daniel had many cogitations which troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in mine heart. Daniel 7:15-28 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

As we see from this explanation, the little horn corresponds to the Antichrist. (Daniel 8:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10; and Revelation 13:1-10 where he is called the Beast.) He will be able to conquer much of the world. He will be able to make war against God’s saints and overcome them. However, when Christ comes, he will slay him with His breath. Notice that Christ is called the Son of man in vv13-14. That was Jesus Christ’s favorite title for Himself.

Just as Daniel’s thoughts greatly alarmed him, we should take these matters seriously. This isn’t speaking of things that might happen, but things that have already happened that are the basis of what is coming. What should we do? Shouldn’t we be about doing what our Lord told us to do before He ascended into Heaven? Those watching Him ascend into the clouds were told that He would return the same way. Therefore, let us be about making disciples, teaching them to observe all things that Christ commanded. When we obey our Lord, He is with us, enabling us, and sustaining us. Forget churchianity. Forget dead, cold orthodoxy. Forget health, wealth and prosperity non-gospels. Forget experiential Christianity. No, we need to preach the gospel as Christ and the Apostles preached it that all men are offenders of God’s Law and cannot do any good works that would save them from God’s wrath against their sin. Then we give them the good news of Christ’s work on the cross on their behalf. Then we tell them that they must believe on Him and repent and serve Him as their Lord with their whole heart. After all, God saves the ungodly and isn’t that what we all are?

Soli Deo Gloria!

10 ¶ But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of living, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, patience,
11 Persecutions, and afflictions which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra, which persecutions I suffered: but from them all the Lord delivered me.
12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.
13 But the evil men and deceivers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:10-13 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

“Christians” in the United States and other “civilized” countries do not exist in a climate of a fear of persecution like those in China and India. Some would say that is because of our culture or that there are huge numbers of Christians here. However, the truth of the matter is that Christians who live in total obedience to their Lord will be persecuted. So, what does that say about Christians who live at peace with the world around them? The truth of the matter is this; the reason Christians are not persecuted in the US is that very few of them are walking in the level of obedience to their Lord that would draw attention to them from those who hate the real Jesus and the Word of God. However, if they were living holy lives, sharing their faith, actively making disciples, and preaching the whole Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ the wrath of Satan and his seed would come upon them.

Nothing has changed in the hearts of men and women since the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Men’s hearts are wicked beyond belief. None are righteous and no one seeks after God. Unless God regenerates the heart no one can believe and repent. Therefore, those who have followed hard after God have always been the persecuted, the ridiculed and those of whom the world is not worthy. Daniel was one of these.

1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty governors, which should be over the whole kingdom,
2 And over these three rulers, (of whom Daniel was one) that the governors might give accompts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
3 Now this Daniel was preferred above the rulers, and governors, because the spirit was excellent in him, and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
4 ¶ Wherefore the rulers and governors sought an occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom: but they could find none occasion nor fault: for he was so faithful that there was no blame nor fault found in him.
5 Then said these men, We shall not find an occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the Law of his God. Daniel 6:1-5 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Never let anyone tell you that God’s Law and His ways can ever be at peace with the world and its ways. That is why this merging in the US of the “Religious Right” with the Conservative wing of our political system is a foolish match. The fact that it has been going this way for so long should be a huge warning to us that the “Religious Right” is Christian in name only. If these people were living Righteous, Holy lives in obedience to their Lord; they would not be concerned about worldly things, but would be obeying their Lord in all things. That would mean living lives that please their Lord by seeking first the Kingdom and His Righteousness instead of trying to build that Kingdom here in partnership with godless men and women.

Daniel lived that way. He served his King, but his primary purpose in life was serving God. That is why he had such an excellent spirit. He was not bound to “stuff” or “money” or “fame” or “self.” Instead, he simply lived out his live in obedience to God in whatever he did. This provoked the godless men he kept honest to try to have him removed. Without Daniel in charge these men could line their own pockets at the King’s loss. They were right about one thing though. The only way they could ever get leverage against Daniel would be through his uncompromising service to God.

6 Therefore the rulers and these governors went together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live forever.
7 All the rulers of thy kingdom, the officers and governors, the counselors and dukes have consulted together to make a decree for the king, and to establish a statute, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
8 Now, O king, confirm the decree, and seal the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
9 Wherefore king Darius sealed the writing and the decree. Daniel 6:6-9 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

What was the method of attack they came up with in order to have Daniel removed? They incited the King to pass a law that no one could pray to any god or man for thirty days except to the King himself. This sounds strange doesn’t it? However, these pagans knew in their hearts that their gods were impotent therefore they often worshipped their monarchs as gods. This plot was based upon stroking the King’s ego to have people actually worship him. We may see this as strange, but the Lawless One will demand and receive worship during his reign over the whole Earth during the Great Tribulation. What is the penalty for not worshipping the King exclusively? It was death by being cast into the lion’s den. The Lawless One will have those who refuse to worship him beheaded.

10 ¶ Now when Daniel understood that he had sealed the writing, he went into his house, and his window being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed and praised his God, as he did aforetime.
11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying, and making supplication unto his God.
12 So they came and spake unto the king concerning the king’s decree, Hast thou not sealed the decree, that every man that shall make a request to any god or man within thirty days, save to thee, O King, shall be cast into the den of lions? The King answered, and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
13 Then answered they, and said unto the King, This Daniel which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast sealed, but maketh his petition three times a day. Daniel 6:10-13 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Did Daniel hide his faith? Did he try to appear innocuous to everyone in an attempt to avoid this danger? No! He did not compromise anything. He knew the law was meant to “get” him. He knew he was being watched. He knew that he could simply not pray to God for thirty days and there would be no danger, but he also knew that thirty days without prayer and fellowship with God would be like death to him. In his economy, God’s glory and his obedience far outweighed any temporary benefit that would be gained by compromise. He had eternal focus. He had a heart that went hard after God. To him, the eternal was far more important than the temporal. Therefore, he changed nothing. He prayed to God three times a day as he always did. Then his accusers went to the King to bring charges against Daniel. I am sure they thought that this was it. Daniel would soon be gone and the kingdom’s riches would be easy pickings for them. Notice also that their total accusation against Daniel is not that he doesn’t serve the King with an excellent spirit, but that he is praying to and serving his God.

14 When the King heard these words, he was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel, to deliver him: and he labored till the sun went down, to deliver him.
15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the King, Understand, O King, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree nor statute which the king confirmeth, may be altered.
16 ¶ Then the King commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions: now the king spake, and said unto Daniel, Thy God, whom thou always servest, even he will deliver thee.
17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den, and the King sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his princes, that the purpose might not be changed, concerning Daniel.
18 Then the king went unto his palace, and remained fasting, neither were the instruments of music brought before him, and his sleep went from him. Daniel 6:14-18 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

We see in these verses that this King saw the folly of this stupid decree now that Daniel had been caught in its net of intrigue. He knew that Daniel had done no wrong. He had obeyed his God over the commands and laws of men. That was his crime. I believe that God is calling His people now to live at this level of commitment to Him and His commands. The reason that most professing Christians are not persecuted is that they do not live this way. They do not have this level of commitment to their Lord. The vast majority of them are not genuine. However, those who are should repent, seek the Lord, go hard after Him and then walk in repentance and obedience to Him in all things. Persecution will surely come to those who do this, but what is that when we are eternally focused? The King’s heart was broken over these events. I am sure he saw the folly of the decree. God gave him no rest this night.

19 ¶ Then the king arose early in the morning, and went in all haste unto the den of lions.
20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake, and said to Daniel, O Daniel the servant of the living God, is not thy God (whom thou always servest) able to deliver thee from the lions?
21 Then said Daniel unto the King, O king, live forever.
22 My God hath sent his Angel and hath shut the lion’s mouths, and they have not hurt me: for my justice was found out before him: and unto thee, O king, I have done no hurt.
23 Then was the King exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel out of the den: so Daniel was brought out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
24 And by the commandment of the King these men which had accused Daniel, were brought, and were cast into the den of lions, even they, their children, and their wives: and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones a pieces, or ever they came at the ground of the den. Daniel 6:19-24 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

This miracle of the lions not harming Daniel is one that only God can do. Daniel was not harmed. Why? He constantly served His God and trusted Him. The King knew this. He prayed as Daniel was cast into the lion’s den for him to be protected by God. He said, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.” That is quite impressive that this King knew that Daniel’s God was the Living God not anything like those impotent stone gods his people worshipped. The King’s justice is swift and succinct. He casts those who accused Daniel into the den of lions. This time no angel stopped up their mouths. Before they, their wives and children even reached the bottom of the den, the lions overcame them crushing their bones. This is a good analogy of the final judgment by God. When people are judged by God it is always just and right. These evil people were killed the way they sought to have Daniel killed. Instead of removing Daniel, they were removed.

The enemy of man, Satan, is a liar and a murderer. He accuses God’s people continually before God’s throne. However, he is powerless to touch any of them unless God allows it. The persecution that comes may be unto death or great pain, but in it God’s will is done and He is glorified. Justice will prevail in the end as God is worshipped and glorified, as he deserves.

25 ¶ Afterward King Darius wrote, Unto all people, nations and languages, that dwell in all the world: Peace be multiplied unto you.
26 I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom, men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and remaineth forever: and his kingdom shall not perish, and his dominion shall be everlasting.
27 He rescueth and delivereth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth: who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus of Persia. Daniel 6:25-28 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Why is it that professing Christians would ever believe that God is not sovereign? King Darius (or Cyrus) was not a Jew and probably not a believer, but he knew that God was the living God who could humble the proud and deliver His people with no problem at all. Tragically, most professing Christians are in love with this world and see their religion as a ticket to Heaven so they will not go to Hell. In the meantime, they simply live as they please. Why? Their religious leaders tell them that that is okay. God is love and just wants to save everyone. Forget that repentance stuff. Just love Jesus and you’re okay.

That is a “fairy tale” folks. God is the living God, enduring forever. His Kingdom shall never be destroyed. His dominion shall be to the end. He judges the wicked and demands obedience from His people. Our Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross to be the propitiation for the sins of His people. He took their sins upon Himself and had the Father’s wrath against those sins poured on Him. This satisfied the Father. The penalty had been paid. The work of redemption was complete in His death. He rose from the dead on the third day. He is risen! This proves to all those who believe on Him that their sins are forgiven and they have eternal life in Him. Those who are Born Again believe and repent then are justified, sanctified, and adopted. They are not perfect, but live lives of repentance. They do not take their salvation for granted and live any way they choose. They are New Creations who have been freed from the penalty of sin in their justification and are being freed from the power of sin in their sanctification.

Only those who are truly Born Again believe and are saved. Only they will be able to stand and not fall before the fires of persecution when they come. Those who are not genuine will compromise their faith and do anything possible to avoid the persecution. On the other hand, those who do know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be given courage and the words to speak when the time comes. We must pray that the Lord be with us in these last days that we will stand and not fall as He gives us the grace to do so.

I am about two-thirds of the way through reading Fox’s Book Of Martyrs. I am at the late 1500’s right now and the Roman Catholic Inquisition against all Protestants is at its Height. I find the descriptions of the tortures and outright evil done to Christians by these evil people claiming to be the “True Church” very difficult to read. Here is the list of acts that are all that would be enough evidence to condemn you to being arrested and tortured to death by the Inquisition.  1) Failure to believe in the doctrines of the Church of Rome. 2) Failure to make offerings or prayers for the dead. 3) Failure to go to Mass. 4) Failure to confess, and receive absolution. 5) Unbelief in purgatory or failure to pay money to get the souls of their friends out of it.

I grew up as a Southern Baptist with a large number of Catholic friends. The town I lived in until I was 14 had a Roman Catholic Convent with a large Catholic Church and a Catholic School. That complex was about a block south of our house. In fact, it was obvious that the land the houses in our neighborhood were built on was formerly part of that Roman Catholic complex. The house directly behind ours had a very old building in the back yard that looked to be over a hundred years old. The family that lived there used it for storage. Right behind that structure in the lot of the house next door was a very large storm shelter that looked to be about the same age. When those Tornado sirens blew the whole neighborhood gathered there for shelter. I knew the Catholic Priest who lived in the house that sat between the school and the church. He was from Ireland. One of my best friends was the pitcher on my baseball team. I was the catcher. He was Catholic and went to that school. In one game in which I was catching, the shortstop on the other team was batting and hit one of those towering foul balls straight up.  I jumped up, pulled off my mask and tried to catch it. However, I lost it in the lights. I don’t remember much about the details of what happened after that except that the ball hit me in the face and I fell down. I looked up and several people were all around me and one of them was that Priest. That sardonic person living in me asked, “Did I die?” I actually had no idea he had been at the game.

Lastly, I had a friend in the 8th grade who was Catholic. We weren’t buddy, buddy. We were friends because we had classes together and worked out together in weight lifting after football season. In any case, one day we were walking home from school and for some reason religion came up in our conversation. He tried to say that him being Catholic meant he was the one who was right while I was not since I was a Baptist. I asked why he thought that. The only answer he gave me was that the Roman Catholic Church was the first Church while protestant churches were poor copies. I never forgot that. By-the-way, back to the previous baseball season. When I was catching for our number one starting pitcher it was a real work out because he threw a very fast screwball that made a dive for the plate just as it got to the batter. I never saw anyone hit it, however, I really struggled catching it. He was Catholic as well as I stated above. He was totally different than my other friend. He called that Priest names behind his back and had nick names for the Nuns who taught their classes at the school. He told me that that Priest had served in Ireland for many years and had driven a group of other priests back to their complex after a long meeting in which a lot of wine had been drunk by all including him. He had an accident in which a few of the other priests were badly injured and one had been killed. Since it was in Ireland and he was a Priest nothing happened to him legally except that he was transferred to the United States. I thought that it was interesting that it seemed that everyone knew about that, but they acted like it was some sort of secret.

Soli Deo Gloria!

1 King Belshazzar made a great feast to a thousand of his princes, and drank wine before the thousand.
2 And Belshazzar while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring him the golden and silver vessels, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the Temple in Jerusalem, that the king and his princes, his wives, and his concubines might drink therein.
3 Then were brought the golden vessels, that were taken out of the Temple of the Lord’s house at Jerusalem, and the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines drank in them.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5 At the same hour appeared fingers of a man’s hand, which wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the palm of the hand that wrote.
6 Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against the other. Daniel 5:1-6 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

God used Nebuchadnezzar to bring an end to the Kingdom of Judea. The kingdom of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar was glorious. God blessed him and, as we saw in yesterday’s post, humbled him when he took credit for it all. After his death in October 562 BC, having reigned 43 years, he was succeeded by his son Amel-Marduk (or Evil-merodach 2 Kings 25:27-30). Amel-Marduk, who, after a reign of two years, was succeeded by Neriglissar (559 – 555). Neriglissar was succeeded by Nabonidus (555 – 538). Nabonidus, having no interest in politics or ruling an empire, left Babylon to live at Tayma, a rich oasis city in Arabia, leaving his son Belshazzar behind to rule the empire in his stead. At the close of the reign of Nabonidus and Belshazzar (less than a quarter of a century after the death of Nebuchadnezzar) Babylon fell under Cyrus the Great as the head of the combined armies of Media and Persia. This new empire was the silver part of the “image” in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from Daniel 2. Daniel Chapter 5 tells us the story of the last night of Belshazzar’s reign.

1 King Belshazzar made a great feast to a thousand of his princes, and drank wine before the thousand.
2 And Belshazzar while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring him the golden and silver vessels, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the Temple in Jerusalem, that the king and his princes, his wives, and his concubines might drink therein.
3 Then were brought the golden vessels, that were taken out of the Temple of the Lord’s house at Jerusalem, and the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines drank in them.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.
5 At the same hour appeared fingers of a man’s hand, which wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the palm of the hand that wrote.
6 Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against the other. Daniel 5:1-6 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Belshazzar was no Nebuchadnezzar. While this party was going on the armies of Media and Persia under Cyrus the Great surrounded the city of Babylon. The city was under siege and he was having a drunken party. Not only does he ignore the threat of the siege, he brings out the sacred vessels, taken from Solomon’s Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, to be used as for the drinking of wine. However, just as this sacrilege takes place the fingers of a human hand supernaturally appears. This hand writes on the plaster wall of the king’s palace. Belshazzar sees the hand write. He goes pale, God causes the man’s conscience to condemn him, and all the strength goes out of his legs. His knees knock together. The man is frightened.

7 Wherefore the king cried loud, that they should bring the astrologians, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babel, Whosoever can read this writing, and declare me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with purple, and shall have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
8 Then came all the king’s wise men, but they could neither read the writing, nor show the king the interpretation.
9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his princes were astonied.
10 Now the Queen by reason of the talk of the King and his princes, came into the banquet house, and the Queen spake, and said, O king, live forever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed.
11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and in the days of thy father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him: whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made chief of the enchanters, astrologians, Chaldeans, and soothsayers,
12 Because a more excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding (for he did expound dreams, and declare hard sentences, and dissolved doubts) were found in him, even in Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will declare the interpretation. Daniel 5:7-12 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Our sovereign God blocks the “wise men” of Babylon from being able to read or interpret the writing on the wall so none of them can tell him what it means. As he cries for someone to interpret the writing he declares that whoever can do it will be made third ruler in the kingdom. He is the second ruler behind his father Nabonidus. However, the queen reminds him of Daniel.

13 ¶ Then was Daniel brought before the king, and the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom my father the king brought out of Jewry?
14 Now I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and that light and understanding, and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
15 Now therefore wise men and Astrologians have been brought before me, that they should read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof: but they could not declare the interpretation of the thing.
16 Then heard I of thee, that thou couldest show interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and shall have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
17 Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, Keep thy rewards to thyself, and give thy gifts to another: yet I will read the writing unto the king, and show him the interpretation. Daniel 5:13-17 (1599 Geneva Bible)

Oh that our Christian leaders in our time would have Daniel’s view of the temporal! Earthly rewards, riches, fame, etc. mean little or nothing to the one who is eternally focused as Daniel was. He knew that the handwriting on the wall was from God and, therefore, he knew that his job was to interpret it for God’s glory and to express His will to these people.

18 O king, hear thou, The most high God gave unto Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and honor, and glory.
19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages trembled, and feared before him: he put to death whom he would: he smote whom he would: whom he would he set up, and whom he would he put down.
20 But when his heart was puffed up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his honor from him.
21 And he was driven from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the heaven, till he knew that the most high God bare rule over the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it, whomsoever he pleaseth.
22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all these things,
23 But hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of heaven, and they have brought the vessels of his House before thee, and thou and thy princes, thy wives and thy concubines have drunk wine in them, and thou hast praised the gods of silver and gold, of brass, iron, wood and stone, which neither see, neither hear, nor understand: and the God in whose hand thy breath is and all thy ways, him hast thou not glorified. Daniel 5:18-23 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Not only does Daniel tell Belshazzar to keep his gifts, he preaches to him. He tells him how it was God who raised up Nebuchadnezzar and it was God who humbled him as we saw in Daniel 4. Daniel also reminds Belshazzar that he should know all of this. Then he rebukes him for his pride and reckless use of the sacred vessels taken from the Temple of God. Then he tells him why the handwriting is on the wall. God almighty holds our very breath in his hands. We live because our God wills it. When it is time for us to die it is because He wills it. There is no fear of God in Belshazzar or those who have been partying with these sacred vessels. Those who walk in pride have no fear of God. However, God is able to humble those who walk in pride.

24 Then was the palm of the hand sent from him, and hath written this writing.
25 And this is the writing that he hath written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of the thing, MENE, God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.
27 TEKEL, thou art weighed in the balance, and art found too light.
28 PERES, thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
29 Then at the commandment of Belshazzar they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 The same night was Belshazzar the King of the Chaldeans slain.
31 And Darius of the Medes took the kingdom, being threescore and two years old. Daniel 5:24-31 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Daniel tells the king that the hand that wrote on the wall came from God’s presence. The message was in Aramaic so the fact that no one could read or interpret except Daniel tells us that this was a supernatural message that could only be read by God’s man, Daniel. Mene is Aramaic for “counted” or “appointed.” The fact that it is repeated gives it a stronger meaning. Tekel means “weighed” or “assessed.” Belshazzar’s kingdom was assessed or weighed by God and found wanting. Therefore, he has called an end to it. The word Parsin means divided. Some translations put “U” on the front of this word and spell it as UPHARSIN. This would denote “and divided.” Daniel tells Belshazzar that God is through with him and is giving the kingdom to the Medes and Persians. That very night the Medo-Persian army was able to enter the city by diverting the Euphrates River from flowing under the wall. This lowered the water enough so the army could reach the palace before anyone was aware. Belshazzar and his guard were killed. This took place on October 16, 539 B.C.

Darius the Mede is a mystery. Some believe he was Cyrus himself. Others believe he was Gubaru or Gobryas the appointed king over Babylon under Cyrus. Cyrus entered the city in victory on October 29, 539 B.C. The name Darius was the name or title of at least 5 Persian rulers. One clue that this king is Cyrus himself is found in Daniel 6:28.

28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus of Persia. Daniel 6:28 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

It is possible to translate this verse as, “So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius even Cyrus the Persian.” Whoever this king was, God used him for His glory, as we shall see in chapter 6.

What should be we learn from this story of the last night of the Babylonian empire? Why did God take this kingdom down and allow the silver part of Nebuchadnezzar’s “image” to come to power? Just as God humbled Nebuchadnezzar as we saw in Daniel 4, He is able to humble those who walk in pride. In our day, there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing drawing huge numbers of professing Christians into apostasy. They do not fear God. They flaunt their false doctrines and pragmatic religion before the face of God and call it Christianity. It is religion to be sure, but Christianity it isn’t. I have heard and seen these men and women “make prophecies” and use false “healings” and fake “miracles” as if they have usurped God’s very power for their own benefit. They preach a “Kingdom Now” theology that is nothing more than how to get rich by being a “Christian.” The pragmatic bunch is preaching a form of the gospel that is nothing more than empty religious acts that deceive millions into thinking they are Christians because they prayed some prayer or walked some aisle or were baptized. Their sermons are not expositions of scripture. Instead, they are feel good messages that tell people that being religious is all it takes to please God. No obedience or cross carrying required. God is love after all.

The handwriting is on the wall. God has opened the spiritual eyes of his messengers. They have been given discernment and they are revealing to God’s people the truth of the growing apostasy. The Scarlet Woman is being made more and more apparent every day. God is calling His people to come out of her while there is still time. The Remnant who have been drawn from religious darkness into His light of obedience are being given His peace and joy as they find that they can serve Him without being part of some religious organization. Many are forming small house churches while seeking God’s will in every part of their lives. Those He draws into this must continue to seek His face and will in all things in these last days. Even so…come soon Lord Jesus!

Soli Deo Gloria!

1 I Nebuchadnezzar being at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace,
2 Saw a dream, which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed, and the visions of mine head troubled me.
3 Therefore made I a decree, that they should bring all the wise men of Babel before me, that they might declare unto me the interpretation of the dream. Daniel 4:1-3 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

The deepest, widest blind spot that most professing Christians have is that they are convinced their religion pleases God. Pride disguises itself in many different ways. One that I have noticed in most professing Christians is a form of self-righteousness that sees their religion as making them so well-pleasing to God that anyone who is not part of their denomination or church could not possibly be right with God. Pragmatism springs from a desire by spiritually blind Christian leaders to mimic what other “successful” preachers or pastors do to grow their congregations or baptize huge numbers of converts. When these manipulating processes seem to work the first result is deeper spiritual blindness. Why? Idolatry always produces spiritual blindness. This blindness keeps those in it deceived into believing a lie. What lie? The lie is that God is not totally sovereign and needs their help to further the Kingdom. Their religious efforts may appear to “work,” but since the results are the fruit of fleshly methods and the works of men they only lead to cultivating pride. However, we must never forget that God is Sovereign.

Any view of our relationship with God that draws attention to self is not rooted in humility. Instead, it is a fruit of pride. Preachers are called by God to do one thing well. That one thing is to exposit Holy Scripture to their congregations. If they do that one thing then all other parts of their ministries will flow from that. God’s Word needs no additions. It needs no help. It is sufficient and complete. It interprets itself. However, starting in the mid to late 19th Century, a trend began where preachers no longer exposited scripture alone to their congregations or whoever they were preaching to. Instead, they preached their own interpretations of bits of scripture that “lightened” both their load of having to work so hard in the Word and their congregation’s responsibility to conform to it. Now in our time, preachers have abandoned their role as expositors completely. Instead of studying the Word and preaching the messages God gave them from it, they preach sermons that are little more than morality plays. They do this so they can draw as many people into relationship with their church as possible. They know that if they preach as Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, or John A. Broadus or George Whitefield used to preach they would lose a large section of their congregations. What section is that? That section would be made up of those who cannot tolerate the truth from God’s Word.

Isn’t God Sovereign? Until we come to consciously view this existence through the lens of our Lord’s Sovereignty, we will never be at that place where we live for His glory alone. If we live as if we are in control of any part of our lives then we are in rebellion against His sovereignty and the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There is something common to all who have come to live their lives submitted and surrendered to God. That commonality is humility. Those humble before God have their hearts turned to Him and away from all other things that would divide their love and devotion. Anything that would come in between that love relationship with God is seen as a temptation to sin by seeking fulfillment from something other than God’s glory. When Christians turn their hearts away from God they are in pursuit of some form of Idolatry. That “god” could be self, another person, a spiritual leader, a religion, a church, a denomination, a writer, self-fulfillment in works, or entertainment. I’m sure we could come up with many more. Since our pastors have abandoned the expositional preaching of God’s Word we are rarely exposed to it’s sharp two-edged sword cutting into our hearts.

However, God is not mocked. He is Sovereign and those who are leading the vast majority of professing Christians down the garden path into apostasy are filling up the cup of God’s Wrath against them unless God intervenes. God is drawing more people out of the growing apostasy everyday. It is amazing how many testimonies I receive from people who have left churches because of their move into the Purpose Driven Deception or the Willow Creek Association of dummied down churches. When I left my old church back in 2006 because it went Purpose Driven I was convinced that God would put my wife and I back into another church very quickly because, after all, aren’t we supposed to be as heavily involved in “church” as possible? However, it was not until we relocated back to Oklahoma in December 2012 and we “rejoined” a church here that we were part of in the mid-1980’s that that journey ended for us. Why did it take so long? I confess to all reading this that my walk with my Lord has only deepened during that time. Could it be that “church” has become, in our hearts, what it not supposed to be? Are we worshipping our religion rather than our God? If that is so then aren’t we really worshipping ourselves?

4 So came the enchanters, the astrologians, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers, to whom I told the dream, but they could not show me the interpretation thereof,
5 Till at the last Daniel came before me, (whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, which hath the spirit of the holy gods in him) and before him I told the dream, saying,
6 O Belteshazzar, chief of the enchanters, because I know, that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream, that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
7 Thus were the visions of my head in my bed, and behold, I saw a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great:
8 A great tree and strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the ends of all the earth.
9 The boughs thereof were fair and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: it made a shadow under it for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh fed of it.
10 I saw in the visions of mine head upon my bed, and behold, a watchman and an holy one came down from heaven,
11 And cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and break off his branches: shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit, that the beasts may flee from under it, and the fowls from his branches.
12 Nevertheless, leave the stump of his roots in the earth, and with a band of iron and brass bind it among the grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts among the grass of the field.
13 Let his heart be changed from man’s nature, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him, and let seven times be passed over him.
14 The sentence is according to the decree of the watchmen, and according to the word of the holy ones: the demand was answered, to the intent that living men may know, that the most High hath power over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and appointeth over it the most abject among men.
15 This is the dream, that I King Nebuchadnezzar have seen: therefore thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof: for all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to show me the interpretation: but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.
16 ¶ Then Daniel (whose name was Belteshazzar) held his peace by the space of one hour, and his thoughts troubled him, and the King spake and said, Belteshazzar, let neither the dream, nor the interpretation thereof trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
17 The tree that thou sawest, which was great and mighty, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof through all the world,
18 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all, under the which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven did sit, Daniel 4:4-18 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream from God. In this dream, he is given a vision of a wonderful tree that is home and shelter to many. However, at its height It is chopped down and stripped of its branches. This happened by the word of a Heavenly “Watcher.” The vision then shifts the being from being the sheltering and grand tree to a man whose mind is made into that of a beast of the field. This decree from the watcher will be for seven periods of time. The context here demands that the periods of time are years. The “Watcher” is a Heavenly Angel. The felling of the tree and the driving of the man into the field as he loses his reason are the result of God’s judgment.

19 It is thou, O king, that art great and mighty: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the ends of the earth.
20 Whereas the King saw a watchman, and an holy one that came down from heaven, and said, Hew down the tree, and destroy it, yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, and with a band of iron and brass bind it among the grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him.
21 This is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king,
22 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as the oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven: and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know, that the most High beareth rule over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
23 Whereas they said, that one should leave the stump of the tree roots, thy kingdom shall remain unto thee: after that, thou shalt know, that the heavens have the rule.
24 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by mercy towards the poor: lo, let there be a healing of thine error.
25 All these things shall come upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
26 ¶ At the end of twelve months, he walked in the royal palace of Babel.
27 And the king spake and said, Is not this great Babel that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? Daniel 4:19-27 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Daniel interprets the dream for Nebuchadnezzar by God’s grace. Notice what Daniel’s advice is in v27. What was the King’s sin? Wasn’t it that he was taking pride in his prosperity? He was not humbling himself before God who had raised him up as King of the known world. Daniel tells him that his kingdom is in God’s hands. However, Nebuchadnezzar did not take Daniel’s advice.

28 While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came down from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee be it spoken, Thy kingdom is departed from thee,
29 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass, as the oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou knowest, that the most High beareth rule over the kingdom of men, and giveth it unto whomsoever he will.
30 The very same hour was this thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as the oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown as eagles feathers, and his nails like birds claws.
31 And at the end of these days, I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding was restored unto me, and I gave thanks unto the most High, and I praised and honored him, that liveth forever, whose power is an everlasting power, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.
32 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and according to his will he worketh in the army of heaven, and in the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, nor say unto him, What doest thou?
33 At the same time was mine understanding restored unto me, and I returned to the honor of my kingdom: my glory and my beauty was restored unto me, and my counselors and my princes sought unto me, and I was established in my kingdom, and my glory was augmented toward me. Daniel 4:28-33 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Daniel had warned the king about being prideful. He did not believe him or he did not take it to heart. Our Christian leaders in our time are being warned by those who have discernment to return to the Bible while turning away from manipulation and entertainment as means to build their churches into earthly kingdoms. In their pride they ignore this godly and sound advice to their own peril.

34 “But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes toward heaven, and my knowledge returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can strike against His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’
36 At that time my knowledge returned to me. And my majesty and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom, and my high officials and my nobles began seeking me out; so I was reestablished in my kingdom, and extraordinary greatness was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” Daniel 4:34-37 (LSB) 

I know it’s not a popular thing to warn people. When we warn others that if they continue in their rebellion they will have to deal with God’s judgment, we are ridiculed and called un-Christlike or “haters”. However, the sins of the Christian leaders who are taking their followers quickly into apostasy are crying out to God for judgment. What is their sin? It is idolatry, which is a fruit of pride and deception. It may be too late for many of them to repent. However, it is becoming more and more apparent every day that God is drawing His sheep out of the Scarlet Woman. The table is being set for the great falling away. When the restrainer moves out of the way, the lawless one will be revealed and the apostate church will fall away completely to follow hard after him. Let us pray for God to protect us from this deception and use us to proclaim the truth to those in darkness for His glory alone.

Soli Deo Gloria!

16 ¶ ,Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of the wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.
17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the Councils, and will scourge you in their Synagogues.
18 And ye shall be brought to the governors and kings for my sake, in witness to them, and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that hour, what ye shall say. Matthew 10:16-19 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

If we listen to the common message from the vast majority of “Christian” leaders these days we will not receive one of eternal focus, power, or value. Instead, if we hear a message that tells us that God desires for all of His people to have it their way, to have their best life now, to live any way they choose all the while seeing that the point of Christianity is to be blessed here and now. Along with that it insinuates that if we suffer then we must have sin in our lives that we have not confessed. Is the point of Christianity the believer’s health, wealth and prosperity? Is the focus of our faith primarily on this life now?

In this post we will focus on Daniel Chapter 3. I have a New Testament I found in the bottom of a box of books I was preparing to sell. When I saw it, I rescued it. It is white with gold page edges. The color isn’t really white anymore. It is more of a dirty tan color and is a bit ragged. On the front cover my name is embossed in gold letters. It says “Michael Ratliff.” On the flyleaf a person with very good handwriting wrote this:

To Michael (age 4)
For Sunday School Attendance

That means that this Bible is at least 70 years old. I still remember that Sunday School class. I had a wonderful teacher who read us stories from the Bible. One of the first stories I remember was the one from Daniel 3. Of course, I was very young and when I heard the story of the three young men being preserved in the fire by God I believed it. There was no doubt in me. I can’t remember any one else in the class scoffing at it either. My teacher was very good. She made sure that we focused on the commitment and obedience of the three even if it meant being thrown into a furnace. Isn’t it amazing how these truths from God’s Word stick to us like super-glue?

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babel.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent forth to gather together the nobles, the princes and the dukes, the judges, the receivers, the counselors, the officers, and all the governors of the provinces, that they should come to the dedication of the image, which Nebuchadnezzar the King had set up.
3 So the nobles, princes, and dukes, the judges, the receivers, the counselors, the officers, and all the governors of the provinces were assembled unto the dedicating of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the King had set up and they stood before the image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then an herald cried aloud, Be it known to you, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That when ye hear the sound of the cornet, trumpet, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all instruments of music, ye fall down, and worship the golden image, that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.
6 And whosoever falleth not down, and worshippeth, shall the same hour be cast into the midst of an hot fiery furnace.
7 Therefore as soon as all the people heard the sound of the cornet, trumpet, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all instruments of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down, and worshipped the golden image, that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Daniel 3:1-7 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Some atheists and those who hate God’s word have attacked this story from Daniel 3 stating that engineers have calculated that a gold statue of these dimensions could not stand without crumbling in on itself from the weight. However, the language tells us that this is an “image.” That word in Aramaic simply means a “human form.” It was more than likely a bas-relief image on a wall or escarpment. It could have been a statue that was simply overlaid with gold. Either would make perfect sense. In either case it was probably covered in gold not made of solid gold. It was very tall and impressive. It is as if Nebuchadnezzar took his dream of the image from Chapter 2 in which the head of gold was his kingdom, and created an image entirely of gold for people to worship him and his nation. It is amazing that pagan cultures like this will allow other religions as long as their own religion is honored. Nebuchadnezzar was actually creating a new “god” for his subjects to worship in addition to the rest of the Babylonian and Chaldean gods.

Those in attendance at this meeting called by the king are the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces. This was all of his administrators and officials that could be there. Even though Daniel wrote this book and he was Nebuchadnezzar’s prime minister, he is not mentioned at all. Perhaps he was away on the King’s business elsewhere when this took place. Since he was the King’s chief counselor it is hard to believe that he would counsel the king to build this image and demand self-worship.

The worship of this image was to be accompanied by all sorts of music from cornet, trumpet, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer. I. believe a “sackbut” is a horn with a slide like a trombone. When the people heard the music they were commanded to fall down and worship the image. Along with the command is a threat that stated if anyone disobeyed it they would be cast into a fiery furnace. This part of Daniel seems to be a foreshadowing of how the false prophet will cause people to worship the Beast (Antichrist) and his image within the Scarlet Woman during the Great Tribulation. In any case, when the king’s musicians play, all of those present fall and worship the image. However, not all did so.

8 ¶ By reason whereof at that same time came men of the Chaldeans, and grievously accused the Jews.
9 For they spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O King, live forever.
10 Thou, O King, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, trumpet, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all instruments of music, shall fall down, and worship the golden image.
11 And whosoever falleth not down, and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of an hot fiery furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the charge of the province of Babel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: these men, O King, have not regarded thy commandment, neither will they serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image that thou hast set up. Daniel 3:8-12 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Religion is not a guarantor of faith. I honestly feel God is removing His remnant from the quickly apostatizing Church at this time. I have found that God is not allowing me to become religious again. Perhaps I have a tendency to substitute my religion for my devotion to my Lord. In any case, I love to worship my Lord. I love to pray to Him. I love to serve Him and do attend when I can, but my service to Him is primarily outside of church. Perhaps that is what he desires from us all. In vv8-12 we find that Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego have refused to bow to and worship the image. God does not hide them. He allows those jealous of their place and position in the kingdom to accuse them before the king. Their accusation is also leading. They maliciously accuse them. They don’t just tell the king what they are doing or not doing, but that they tell the king that they have disregarded you. They are deliberately trying to have these men removed from power. Yes, God does allow these things to happen to his people. Yes, it can even lead to persecution and death.

13 ¶ Then Nebuchadnezzar in his anger and wrath commanded that they should bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, so these men were brought before the king.
14 And Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said unto them, What disorder? will not you, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, serve my god, nor worship the golden image that I have set up?
15 Now therefore are ye ready when ye hear the sound of the cornet, trumpet, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all instruments of music, to fall down, and worship the image which I have made? for if ye worship it not, ye shall be cast immediately into the midst of an hot fiery furnace: for who is that God, that can deliver you out of mine hands? Daniel 3:13-15 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Nebuchadnezzar would never make statements like that when Daniel was around to counsel him. This king would also know that these three worship the same God as Daniel who could interpret dreams. He also makes the huge mistake of thinking that he is equivalent with God. He says, “who is that God, that can deliver you out of mine hands? ” That almost sounds like a challenge to the Living God, the Most High, doesn’t it?

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the King, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 Behold, our God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the hot fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Daniel 3:16-18 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

This must be our stand as well. As we walk through each day we are given test after test with a few trials thrown in from time to time. Each are designed to put us in positions of standing as these three young men did or compromising. The apostate church in our time is marked by compromise disguised as political correctness or in-offensiveness. If those with discernment rebuke professing Christians then they are accused of being un-Christlikeness or worse. I have some very close to me try to make me see that it is wrong to expose the lies of false Christian leaders. They say it casts the church in a bad light. They say it is divisive. They say we should just stay quiet and get along the best we can. After all, perhaps they do have enough of the truth that we can learn from each other. Well, no thank you. Get behind me Satan. You are a stumbling block to me. We must fix our eyes like flint on our Lord and our eternal place with Him. We must get over the lie that this life is more important than the eternal. No it isn’t. These three young men knew that. They know that their obedience to their God was far more important than avoiding the fire.

19 ¶ Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of rage, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he charged and commanded that they should heat the furnace at once seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he charged the most valiant men of war that were in his army, to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the hot fiery furnace.
21 So these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their cloaks, with their other garments, and cast into the midst of the hot fiery furnace.
22 Therefore, because the king’s commandment was strait, that the furnace should be exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that brought forth Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fell down bound into the midst of the hot fiery furnace. Daniel 3:19-23 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

This furnace was more than likely a brick kiln. Babylon was constructed mostly of mud bricks. The kiln was probably used in the construction of the worship area on the plain of Dura where the image was set up. Nebuchadnezzar loses his temper at the audacity of the response from these three young men. The rage we see in the king is demonic or Satanic in origin. This is the type of anger our enemy incites in those he is using to attack God’s people. The results can be very brutal. The fire is so hot in the furnace that the heat and flames kill those who throw the three young men into the kiln. Their clothes probably ignited from the intense heat.

24 ¶ Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? Who answered, and said unto him, It is true, O king.
25 And he answered, and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the son of God. Daniel 3:24-25 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

Who is the fourth person in the fire with Shadrach, Meschach, and Abed-nego? The Aramaic Nebuchadnezzar uses to describe this person is how he would refer to a supernatural being. The Babylonians believed in angels so he could have thought an angel was protecting them. It could be the pre-incarnate Son of God as well. The deliverer of these men’s lives from the fire could have also been their Lord. Notice how God uses this to get Nebuchadnezzar’s attention.

26 Then the King Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the hot fiery furnace, and spake and said, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, the servants of the high God, go forth and come hither: so Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 Then the nobles, princes, and dukes, and the king’s counselors came together to see these men, because the fire had no power over their bodies: for not an hair of their head was burnt, neither were their coats changed, nor any smell of fire came upon them.
28 Wherefore Nebuchadnezzar spake and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who hath sent his Angel, and delivered his servants, that put their trust in him, and have changed the king’s commandment, and yielded their bodies rather than they would serve or worship any god save their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree that every people, nation, and language, which speak any blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be drawn in pieces, and their houses shall be made a jakes, because there is no god that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the King promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babel. Daniel 3:26-30 (1599 Geneva Bible) 

When God performs a miracle it is never done halfway. The smell of the fire was not in their hair or clothes. Nothing was singed. They were completely unaffected by the fire except that their bonds were either burned away or removed by their protector. Notice how Nebuchadnezzar worships the Most High God! He recognizes that those who serve the Most High have a God who does miraculous things that cannot be faked or copied by men. His religious leaders used magic and illusion in their worship of their gods, but that was paltry and counterfeit compared to the work and power of the Most High God. God was glorified in this. He never does miracles to magnify people, only Himself. Daniel gives God all the glory here as does Nebuchadnezzar. He intended to make an example of them and ended up promoting them because they serve the living God, not some impotent idol worshipped by man-made religion.

In these last days we must read these passages and see that religion is not what God wants from us. Instead, he commands our obedience. I am convinced that much of what we see going on in our churches resembles the burnt offerings of the Israelites. They were very religious, but they did not obey the Lord. By the Grace of God my relationship with Him is closer than ever. My walk is holier and more pure than any time in my life. He is using me and I pray He is glorified in me. We must dedicate ourselves to our obedience and love of Him first. If a church or pastor or writer or whoever or whatever takes the place of that then we are in idolatry. We must examine ourselves. Are we walking before the face of God in personal holiness as a way of life or are we using church to substitute for that? God is calling us to come out of the idolatry and become devoted to loving and serving Him for His glory alone.

Soli Deo Gloria!