Apocalyptic Hope .
..
Part
Two
Daniel Ch 7--9 ................ Part Three Daniel Ch 10-12
Daniel .... Part
One
Very brief notations of Daniel Chapters 1
through 6.
Daniel is a closed book until the time of the end.( Daniel 12:4).
The 144,000 ( Rev. 7 ) will most likely give this Book its
fullest meaning. In the meantime, we apply our understanding as
best we can, asking for help from the Holy Ghost who will teach
us all things...
even things to come ( John 16:13)
Daniel Chapters 1 through 7 is written in the Babylonian Chaldee
language
Daniel Chapters 8 through 12 is written in Hebrew
AUDIO David Guzik http://enduringword.com/daniel_audio.htm
1. Daniel and his three friends (
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ) are brought to Babylon
from Israel ; approximately 607 B.C.
AUDIO David Guzik http://enduringword.com/daniel_audio.htm
Text
: Daniel Chapter One:
Wholesome self-control and obedience yield much spiritual fruit.
10 days = a time of testing
( compare with the 10 days in Rev. 2:10 wherein the Smyrna Church
would have "tribulation 10 days.')
pulse = beans, vegetables, whole grains
water = the wisest choice of beverage. A person of learning
avoids all alcoholic beverages. Water purifies all the systems
within the body, aiding the brain to work at its best capacity.
The more natural the food, the better. In modern times that would
translate into avoiding Genetically modified and processed foods.
We must ask for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. "ye have not,
because ye ask not." James 4:2
"As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and
skill in all learning and wisdom:
And Daniel had understanding in in all visions and dreams."
"despise not prophesyings" 1 Thessalonians 5:20
These young men were well rewarded for their dependence upon God,
for they were 10 times smarter than the wise men of Babylon. Dan.
1:20.
2.
AUDIO
David Guzik http://enduringword.com/daniel_audio.htm
Text: Daniel Chapter Two:
Picture of image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream.
In Chapter two, the first three verses are written in Hebrew and
the remaining verses are written in Syriac.
2:11 ... The Babylonian religion was celestial..their many gods
dwelt above. They could not conceive of a God dwelling with man
in the flesh ( Emmanuel...the mystery of the Incarnation).
2:14 Daniel applied tact and discretion in all his affairs. He
approached matters respectfully and humbly.
2:16: Daniel requested time, knowing that the Holy Spirit
oftentimes speaks to one's soul in the night and upon rising.
Those are valuable times of revelation.
2:18 Daniel first asks God for mercy ( to spare his life and the
life of his friends). He does not straight away ask for the
understanding of the matter. Daniel did this because he realized
that his deliverance from the wrath of the king came not from his
own expertise in these matters, but from the sovereign
intervention by God.
Daniel well understood his priorities.
"The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord"
When the matter is revealed to Daniel, he didn't rush out and
email everybody. He stopped and took time to thank God for the
understanding. We are to be thankful in all situations. 1
Thessalonians 5:18
Daniel never kidded himself about Who the source of the
inspiration was : God.. Job 32: 8 .
He kept himself in check at all times and gave the glory to God.(
Daniel 2: 20--23)
Notice that Daniel says that God gives wisdom to the wise and
knowledge to them that know understanding..
In other words, the more one applies spiritual principles in all
their affairs, the more insight one is given.
God builds upon your foundation. Are you seeking with all your
heart ? Are you spending time in the Word, studying it and
researching it for yourself ? Or, are you depending upon others
for insights ?
The best middle-man between you and the Lord, is none other than
the Holy Spirit. That is what is meant by the "priesthood of
the Believer". Each Believer is to forge out his own
understanding of the Scriptures , being led
and guided by the Holy Spirit. We can access
other's perspectives, but in the end our conclusions must be
based on the voice of the Holy Ghost. One cannot emphasize that
too much.
"To him who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith to the churches" Rev. Chapters 2 and 3.
(assemblies : where two or more are gathered together in His
name).
Actually in Rev. 3:20, you can be a church of ONE with the Lord
Himself. A golden blessing.
" If any man hears My voice, I will come in and sup with
him."
Why it is good to be Spirit-led and not personality-led:
A congregation or assembly that depends too much upon a leader,
will have the same qualities of follow-ship when the first and
second beast arrive upon the scene. This flock ( sometimes called
"sheeple") will be so used to having someone else think
for them, that they will not have built up the gift of
discernment--- backed up by their personal knowledge of
Scripture. They will become feed for the fodder.
"There is a God in heaven that reveals secrets" Dan.
2:28...
He that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to
pass." Dan. 2;29
Why did Daniel know the interpretation ? Was it because of his
own aptitude ? No. God revealed the matter to Daniel for the sake
of the people --Believers and non-Believers alike. That they may
know prophecy and of the Last days. "My people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge" Hosea 4:6
God does not do something without telling his servants, the
prophets, first ....Amos 3:7
Daniel tells the king of the kingdoms to come and of the Stone (
cut without hands ...holy ... Jesus- Messiah ) Who broke the
image at the feet and-- crumbling upward--- the statue fell
apart.
Then Messiah ( Stone ) sets up his
government
( mountain) which covers the earth. See Rev. 20:4.
The statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream is explained at
www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/ch2p2.html
3. AUDIO David Guzik http://enduringword.com/daniel_audio.htm
Text :Daniel Chapter Three
In this chapter Nebuchadnezzar requires the worship
of his image. A herald, or crier, announces the command to bow
down before the statue at the sound of music, or else one will be
burned to death in a furnace. The music is played by instruments
only, and there is no mention of vocal singing.
Will "ring tones" from mobile phones signal the command
to pay homage ? --Dec. 26, 2005
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/25/business/ring26.php
Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego do not bow. We are commanded in
the First Commandment to have no other gods before us. We serve
only the Living God. The king is enraged and he commands that the
fire of the furnace burn seven times hotter than before. He
commands that the three Hebrew young men be bound and thrown into
the furnace. But when Nebuchadnezzar looks into the furnace , he
finds four men loose and
walking about with no harm from the fire. And the fourth
"looks like the Son of God". ( Jesus)
Nebuchadnezzar calls the three young men out of the furnace, who
come out straight forth. They have no hurt upon their bodies--not
even a hair is singed -- nor are their clothes affected at all,
nor is there any smell of fire upon them. Nebuchadnezzar is
amazed with this miracle, and commands that everyone is to
respect the God of Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego.
There are several things to notice in this passage.
First of all, Nebuchazezzar is awe-struck with this miracle ( who
wouldn't be ?) . He recognized the fact that the element of fire
was under a Higher Power. A power against a Power. Nebuchadnezzar
respected power, and the demonstration grabbed his attention and
awe. He recognized that there was a Being who had incredible
power, for to overcome fire was an act of Divinity never before
occurring in history.
verse 29:"because there is no other God that can deliver
after this sort".
But Nebuchadnezzar did not see that Power as personal... as a
Person. He concentrated more on the control of fire than on the
fourth Person in the furnace.
It is our very Jesus Who was in that furnace with the three
Hebrew young men, just as He was in all the furnaces of the Nazi
concentration camps of WW2.
"When thou walkest through the fire ,
thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon
thee." Isaiah 43:2
Those who were in the Nazi ovens passed over into glory before
any flame could devour. The outer shell was burned, yes, but the
person passed into eternity before the flames could reach them.
You either believe that or you don't. Since it is based upon the
undeniable word of God, we believe.
Fire has always held a fascination with man, and it is associated
with divinity. Elijah cried on Mt. Carmel:
"The God that answers by fire, let Him be God." 1 Kings
18:24
The False Prophet, in Revelation 13:13 , calls " fire down
from heaven" thus seeking divine attributes for himself..
But his "fire from heaven" and all of his signs,
wonders and powerful miracles ( Rev. 13:14 ; Rev. 19:20 and 2
Thessalonians 2:9) are all "lying wonders".
They are the result of illusionist technology and satanic powers
( whose coming is after the working of Satan" ) , and not of
Divine intervention.
Neither Nebuchanezzar, nor the False Prophet nor anyone under
their influence have a personal relationship with the Living God.
They love not the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:10.
We will see in the next Chapter ( Chapter Four) that
Nebuchadnezzar comes to a better understanding of the Living God.
What parts of this Chapter apply to our present situation today ?
Well, soon we too will be required to worship the image of the
Beast. In modern times, men do not necessarily fall down and bow
before persons in order to show worship. But any means by which
we put another before God is worship. For instance if we submit
to the one avenue of 666 for all our economic purchases ( the
subdermal Mark of the Beast) then we are putting our total trust
and dependency upon the beast who requires that System. We are no
longer trusting in God for daily sustenance, but upon a man and
his 666 System. That is worship.
Taking the 666 Mark of the Beast IS
worshipping the Beast ( loyalty, allegiance)
www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/mobdd.html
www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/chipindex.html
Clarke's Commentary
http://www.godrules.net/library/clarke/clarkedan3.htm
Matthew Henry http://www.htmlbible.com/kjv30/henry/H27C003.htm#8-18
4.
AUDIO
David Guzik http://enduringword.com/daniel_audio.htm
Text Daniel : Chapter Four
This time around, Nebuchadnezzar has a second dream, but rather
than pompously asking his magicians to tell him his dream, he
relates it himself. But his magicians could not interpret the
dream. So Nebuchadnezzar calls for Daniel to interpret the dream.
Notice that the king still called on his own court before calling
on Daniel. That means that while Nebuchadnezzar gave lip service
to Daniel's God, he did not worship the Living God, nor make God
his priority in life.
God's man -- Daniel -- was second choice in this scenario.
The dream: an angel ( "a watcher and a holy one") came
down and cried that the tree should be cut down, the branches cut
off, the leaves shaken and the fruit scattered. Even the animals
and birds were to no more come near the tree. But a stump of
roots was allowed to remain, encircled with iron and brass (
severity ).
The tree was to be like a beast in the open wilderness .
"Let his heart be changed from man's and let a beast's heart
be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him."
Daniel 4:16.
It is easy to change from being a sane person to becoming a
predatory beast, in personality. Just let ego and pride take
over. SELF will run wild, and one will become unreasonable and
insane... an unconscionable beast.
Now what is meant by "seven times" ? It could mean
seven years. Or it could mean seven seasons. In ancient times
there were but two seasons: Winter and Summer. Seven seasons
would be 3 1/2 years. The exact time of the Great Tribulation. It
is our belief that that is what is meant by "seven
times".
Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that those turn of events will happen
to the king himself.
Daniel then asks the king to repent of his sins and to turn to
righteousness and to be merciful unto the poor, for perhaps he
could forestall the event.
The king must have hearkened unto Daniel's advise, but like so
many of us, he fell back into his ways again, for it tells us
that one year later, this event did finally come to pass.
You see, Nebuchadnezzar was taking an inventory of the greatness
of his kingdom and he reflected upon himself for its majesty and
glory, not giving the credit to God.
A Voice came from heaven ( Bas Kol ) saying : " The kingdom
is departed from thee" ( notice the Voice did not say
"thy" kingdom is departed from thee, but "the
" kingdom is departed from thee.)
Nebuchadnezzar was driven into the wilderness and lived like an
animal for "seven times" until he lifted his eyes to
heaven, and his understanding and reason returned, and He blessed
the Most High.
This humble act of acknowledging God as supreme and sovereign in
all of our affairs, restored him to his senses.
You see, many people believe in God. Even the devils believe, and
tremble. ( James 2:19 )
But how many of us give God top billing, putting Him first above
all else....even above our selves .. our time .. our ambitions ..
our wants etc ?
Most of the time God is put on the back-burner, while other
things take precedence.
But for him to call God "Most High" ( El Elyon ) meant
that the Living God --- Daniel's God --- was supreme above all
other gods.
It meant that there was no other God than Daniel's God, and that
all other gods were forms of idolatry. Nebuchadnezzar had now
come to step one. He had finally learned his lesson.
"When the pupil is ready, the teacher can begin."
Another great lesson learned from Daniel 4 is that : "the
Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to
whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of
men" Daniel 4:17.
"the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it
to whomsoever He will."
Daniel 4:25 and Daniel 4:32.
This is mentioned three times.
The kingdom was restored to Nebuchadnezzar in all of its glory,
and Nebuchadnezzar had this to say:
"I blessed the Most High and I praised and honored Him that
liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and
his kingdom is from generation to generation:
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and
He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven ( Sabaoth)
and among the inhabitants of the earth:
and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, 'What doest
Thou?'...
Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of
heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgement."
Daniel 4:34, 35 + 37.
"How great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders
!" Dan. 4:3
We
ought to praise God rather than the False Prophet, who shows
"lying wonders".
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. and His dominion is from
generation to generation. Dan. 4:3
The application of Daniel Chapter Four is the realization of how
self-destructing PRIDE is.
PRIDE destroys our mental faculties: our reasonableness and
understanding, our Godliness.
To think about self, to admire one's own accomplishments, to seek
acknowledgement, to rely on the approval and acceptance from
others is all self-destructing. We may never be recognized. We
may never be invited into the company of men. But we are accepted
in the Beloved Who deserves all of our praise, honor, reverence
and worship. Him alone.
Did King Nebuchadnezzar have accomplishments ? Yes. Was he great
and to be feared ? Yes.
"The Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar .. a kingdom, and
majesty, and glory, and honor.
And for the majesty that He gave him, all people, nations, and
languages trembled and feared before him.
Whom he would, he slew. And whom he would, he kept alive.
And whom he would, he set up; and whom he would, he put down.
But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in PRIDE,
he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory
from him....till he knew (realized) that The Most High ( El
Elyon) ruled in the kingdom of men and that He appointeth over it
whomsoever He will. " Daniel 5: 18--21
" those that walk in PRIDE He is able to
abase." Daniel 4:37
5.
AUDIO
David Guzik http://enduringword.com/daniel_audio.htm
Text: Daniel Chapter Five
Excellent song and beautiful Graphic Picture
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/a/n/handwrit.htm
In this chapter, Belshazzar ( second in rank over the kingdom)
gives an enormous feast.
Every reference given to the king here reveals his
over-indulgence, lust and materialism.
While inebriated ( drunk ) , Belshazzar mocks God with blasphemy
and sacrilege. He takes that which is holy and makes it profane.
For this, a Hand appears, and writes on the wall a mysterious
message which only Daniel can interpret. ( Is this a reference to
the Gifts of the Holy Ghost ? We believe so.)
"There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the Spirit of the
holy gods; and in the days of thy father light ( enlightenment )
and understanding and wisdom , like the wisdom of the gods, was
found in him...
"Forasmuch as AN EXCELLENT SPIRIT ( a good attitude ) and
knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing
of hard sentences ( revelations given) , and dissolving of doubts
( discernment ), were found in the same Daniel."
The king offers Daniel gifts and rewards for his interpretation
of the message. Daniel flatly refuses
any gift. A man of God cannot be beholden to anyone. Gifts are
oftentimes bribes for allegiance and service. A man of God
remains an independent operative, solely under the leading of the
Holy Ghost. " I pin my soul to no man's back" said Sir
Thomas More to King Henry the Eighth.
Daniel reminds the king that his father walked in pride and was
debased. Yet in the end Belshazzar's own father humbled himself
in the sight of God and man. What Daniel really is saying here is
: "Have you learned nothing from your father ? You are
accountable for that experience and example."
We too, Believers in 2005 and beyond, are accountable for that
example. We have seen the end of PRIDE through Nebuchadnezzar's
experience. Only a fool repeats another's folly. The wise man
perceives the lesson to be learned and acts accordingly.
"The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord."
Belshazzar has played the fool :
"And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine
heart, though thou knewest all this:
But hast lifted up thyself AGAINST the Lord of Heaven ....
the God in Whose Hand thy breath is ( thy Life), and Whose are
all thy ways, hast thou not Glorified."
Daniel 5:22, 23
He then pronounces God's judgement upon him, written in the
message. Daniel tells Belshazzar
that the kingdom is departed from him.
1. The number of days given to him is filled up. It is over,
finished. His number is up.
2. "Thou art weighed in the balances and found
wanting".
For all the Godly input of example and lessons given to
Belshazzar, it reaped no benefit.
3. PERES : "Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes
and Persians."
Foreigners would overtake the land. ( Both Hamitic and Japethic
).
PERES means to divide. Is there a modern day PERES that is
dividing up the land of Israel ?
" In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans
slain. " Daniel 5:30
6.
AUDIO
David Guzik http://enduringword.com/daniel_audio.htm
Text: Daniel Chapter Six
Darius the Mede is now the king over 120 provinces, with 120
princes. He appoints three presidents over the realm. Daniel, was
already made third ruler in the kingdom by Belshazzar. Daniel
5:16
Daniel ranked highest in preference of all the presidents:
"This Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes,
because an excellent spirit ( good attitude) was in him; and the
king thought to set him over his whole realm."
Godly men of forthright truth wind up greatly respected for their
character. ( When Godliness is in the king himself)
While position and honor are causes of joy in the righteous, it
is the cause of jealousy and envy in the unrighteous, who seek to
overthrow the Godly man.
Daniel's adversaries sought to find a flaw in him regarding his
loyalty to the king, the laws and the kingdom. But Daniel was not
a political fellow, so no fault was found in him. Daniel was
faithful in all of his civic duties and responsibilities.
So his adversaries decided to use Daniel's own Godliness against
him.
First, they came to the new king and offered the flattery of
civic worship to the king for 30 days in his new tenure. This
appealed to Darius' pride ( ego ) and the edit was decreed 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." Daniel 6:7
Kings love subservience and power. And power is best expressed
(so they perceive) when someone is punished, or killed. So
letting unreasonableness take over, Darius signs the mad decree.
Didn't we find out in Chapter Four that it is very easy to become
unreasonable ? There is a fine line separating sanity from
insanity and that fine line is humility. When one leaves off
humility and puts on Pride, one loses his better senses.
Was Daniel afraid of the decree? Well it says that he knew about
the decree, which implies that also he realized the personal
jeopardy he would put himself into, if he was caught praying.
Here is how Daniel must have felt, as Paul spoke by the Holy
Ghost 700 years later, regarding fears:
"But none of these things move me. Neither count I my life
dear unto myself so that I may finish my course with joy".
Acts 20:24
Daniel may have had fears. He may have thought :
'I have finally arrived at a high position of influence in my
life. Must I abandon it over this silly rule ? Can not I pray
secretly and not have anyone know ? After all, it's only for 30
days and after all, God knows my heart. I love only Him.
Then why bother with this ? Why not just keep a low profile and
slide by ? "
Well, worldly-wise thoughts will keep you complacent. But Daniel
realized that all the truth in his life counted for nothing
unless he could be truthful to himself. He knew that for him to
slink back and cringe over the decree---to become intimidated at
all--- would jeopardize him spiritually, and for Daniel, the
spiritual weighed in far heavier than the temporal. No. Daniel
would keep on keeping on. If he had always prayed aloud to God
three times a day, then so be it, he would keep on praying aloud
to God three times a day..."none of these things move
me". Daniel had chutzpah.
Well it didn't take long for the accusers to "we-tip"
the king. ( Surveillance was highly effective back in ancient
times even without today's GPS, audio and visual surveillance,
cam-phones, voice-recognition etc. etc. etc.) All it takes is a
snoopy neighbor, friend, co-worker or relative.
It seems that for every two people, one is a tattle-tale...such
is the desire to ingratiate oneself to a source of power.....men
being naturally what they are.
Well the ' poor' king's hands were tied, for he had made the
decree and his decrees were unalterable, even for friends. Kings
are not really bound by anything. But whim is a pleasure to be
indulged in, and so whim is indulged in here.
Darius has Daniel cast into the lion's den , and says,
"Thy God Whom thou servest continually, He will deliver
thee."
If Darius truly believed in the all powerful God of Daniel, he
would not make a contest with Him for petitions.
Darius, as a "friend", commits Daniel to what appears
to be a for-sure death sentence.
The king---fearing Daniel's God just might have power---has a
stone rolled over the entrance to the lion's den and seals the
entrance with his own signet.
Now Darius' conscience began to bother him and he couldn't eat
nor sleep. God has Ways and Means to deal with us. Darius begins
to wonder about the God of Daniel. So at daybreak he runs to the
den and asks Daniel if he has been delivered by his God, whom
Darius now calls "the Living God" ( the God who
actually interrelates in our lives ).
Daniel tells the king that God has truly delivered him.
"My God hath sent His angel, and has shut the lion's mouths,
that they have not hurt me." Dan. 6:22
Darius is glad and commands that Daniel be drawn up from the den,
where upon they find no hurt upon him, "because he believed
in his God ( trusted, he let the envelope get pushed ) ."
Daniel 6:23
Then Darius has Daniel's accusers ( along with their children and
wives) tossed into the den " and the lions had the mastery
of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at
the bottom of the den." Dan. 6:24
Here are some Scripture verses that apply:
"Roll a boulder down on someone else, and it will roll back
on you" -- Proverbs 26: 27
"who through Faith ... stopped the mouths of lions" --
Hebrews 11: 33
"neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the
earth"-- Job 5: 22
"touch not mine anointed" Psalm 105:15
All of Scripture is integrated. Each verse is a rivet ( an
integrator ) .
Here we see again another king , of a different origin, Darius
--- proclaiming God as the "Living God" ( the
intervening God .. the God of all reality ).
Nebuchadnezzar called Him the "King of heaven".
Daniel called Him the Lord of heaven."
And Darius called Him the "Living God"
( in Whom we live and move, and have our being" Acts 17:28)
" I make a decree, that in every dominion of my kingdom men
tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for HE IS THE LIVING
GOD, and stedfast forever, and His kingdom that which shall not
be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.
He delivereth and rescueth, and He worketh signs and wonders in
heaven and in earth, Who hath delivered Daniel from the power of
the lions" Dan. 6:6
Application for today: "lions" is also a prophetic term
for Western nations of the Gentiles. If Believers are given a
command which in conscience we cannot obey, then moral obedience
( sometimes called "civil disobedience" is required).
Acts 5:29 "We ought to obey God rather then men"
__________________
Continued
at Daniel part two
www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/dan2.html
Salvation www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/sal.htm
Bible www.blueletterbible.org