#1216 Daniel 8 Part 3 Epiphanes or Epimanes

 

15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”

18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his      nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. - Daniel 8: 15-27

Daniel 8: 15-27 Gabriel Speaks to Daniel

14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.… Matthew 24: 14-16

I sought to understand it - This is history that has not yet unfolded with characters not yet born. Isaiah, who came before Daniel, saw even further than this, and from a perspective, standing in the Millennial kingdom, he looked back upon those who mourned Christ at the end of the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob's Trouble. Remember, all these things are written for our instruction, our edification, and comfort, that God is so much in control that he can tell the end, write it, seal it. Keep this in mind also, just like the prophecies of Isaiah were far reaching and fulfilled literally, we will find that same pattern in Daniel. The final antichrist will look much like Antiochus, and this will be a pattern throughout history. In Matthew 24, above, Jesus takes us back to Daniel to show that this will happen again, that many antichrists will come, but the end is still not yet. Like Daniel, we need to admit when we don't understand and remember that God has sent us a comforter, His Holy Spirit to indwell our bodies as His temple, and to guide us in all truth. 

…3For even Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written: “The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.” 4For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope. 5Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant you harmony with one another in Christ Jesus,… Romans 15: 3-5

…17He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer. 18Let this be written for the generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD. 19For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary; the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth… Psalm 102: 17-19

…12I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. 13However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is to come. 14He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.… John 16: 12-14

He was trying to understand the vision we discussed in the last two posts which starts with a Persian king, followed by a Greek king, and then finally a type of antichrist at the end of the Grecian empire, which came out of one of the four horns to which the kingdom had been divided. Most liberal scholars will not accept the time for which Daniel claims to be written from, because the history that he describes is too exacting on the mind, it is far too accurate. Even where they have disagreed with Daniel's foretelling of history, much like the arguments against Isaiah, quite problematically for their still printed rebuttals, archeology has eventually caught up with discoveries that back Daniel's claims. How much will men regard the truth when it is not in their favor though? Just look at any of the other sciences, start asking questions and then you tell me. We discussed most of the interpretation of this in these two posts:

Daniel 8 Part 1

Daniel 8 Part 2

Having the appearance of a man - 

One who looked like a man - The angel Gabriel (Da 8:16), the first angel named in Scripture and one of only two named (good) angels (Satan a fallen angel is of course named), the other being the archangel Michael (cp Da 10:13, 21) - Precept Austin

And I heard a man's voice - God speaks to his angel, the one having the appearance of a man. He speaks in a man's voice that Daniel can understand.

…6“Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could not see a thing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.… Acts 9: 6-8

And God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

...18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. Exodus 20: 1-3; 18-21

Gabriel - Some have called Gabriel, God's PR messenger, he comes with great tidings. His name means "mighty one of God, hero of God, warrior of God". 

…18“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” 19“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “ I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”… Luke 1: 18-20

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1: 26-33

I was frightened and fell on my face - He doesn't seem to grow accustomed or complacent about these encounters. He is well read though, so I wonder what went through his mind when he read of the previous encounters of other prophets. God's holiness and glory are overwhelming, yet men carry on as though it won't be an issue for them. Even angels, who have been in the presence of God, are often a terrifying sight. Daniel's NT counterpart, John the beloved, had a similar experience. 

…2I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.” 3Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, 4“As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.… Genesis 17: 2-4

28 As the appearance of the rainbow 1in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. Ezekiel 1: 28

…8And I am John, who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things. 9But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” 10Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.… Revelation 22: 8-10

The vision is for the time of the end - I believe this links together the time of the end of the Grecian empire where Antiochus will be a type of the final antichrists, look at the wording in verse 19 as well, "latter end of the indignation" and "appointed time of the end". Then Jesus words at the top of this in the Olivet discourse of Matthew 24, "when you see", and this is something coming that is very much like time of Antiochus, yet different eras, and again, Antiochus comes from the four horns of Greece, the final Antichrist rises out of the 10 horns, the revived kingdom that will come up close to the end of the time of the gentiles. Antiochus has 2300 days and the final antichrist has only about 1280 days of terror and desolation of the temple.

On the other hand, the time phrases (see following explanation) in Daniel 8:17 (pertains to the time of the end) and Daniel 8:19 (the final period of the indignation… the appointed time of the end) strongly suggest that God's intention is to use the character and actions of Antiochus Epiphanes to presage (provide a forewarning of) the coming world dictator, the Antichrist. Whether one choose to refer to this as a double fulfillment (near future = Antiochus, far future = Antichrist) or classifies Antiochus as a historical type of the future Antichrist is a moot point (View #3 and View #4), in my opinion. In either case the historical person Antiochus Epiphanes is "descriptively" predictive of the future Antichrist. This is the view which this writer espouses. - Precept Austin

This phrase "the end of time" (again the same 2 Hebrew nouns as Da 8:17) is used in Daniel 12

But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time ("time of the end" = NET, ESV, NIV); many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase. (Da 12:3)

These parallel phrases support the view that the present passages that were fulfilled in the person of the Rather Small Horn, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, were actually a foreshadowing of the future Antichrist (some commentators use the phrase that Antiochus is "typical" of the Antichrist and others such as Donald Campbell state that the description in Daniel 8 has a "double fulfillment", historically in the events of 175-164BC and in the future in the reign of terror of the Antichrist). In fact, study of the following passages suggest many points of similarity between these two enemies of God and Israel. - Precept Austin

But not with his power - The four kings that split Alexander the Greats kingdom were not of his royal line, and they did not have the same amount of power, in fact, we will see that they fought amongst each other for dominance in the next chapter.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge comments that "After Alexander's death, in the prime of life and in the height of his conquests, his brother and two sons were all murdered; and the kingdom was divided among four of his generals. 1. Seleucus, who had Syria and Babylon; 2. Lysimachus, who had Asia Minor; 3. Ptolemy, who had Egypt; and, 4. Cassander, who had Greece, etc." - Precept Austin

When the transgressors have reached their limit - The apostates, and all these kings have been used to cleanse God's people.

1Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.… 1 Timothy 4: 1-2

…31So you testify against yourselves that you are the sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your fathers. 33You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?… Matthew 23: 31-33

…14For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews, 15who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men, 16hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.… 1 Thessalonians 2: 14-16

A king of bold face...who understands riddles - Smart, clever, determined, wearing his arrogance upon his face, much like the final antichrist. People love confidence.

The Septuagint (LXX) translates the Hebrew with a Greek adjective (anaides - often used with a description of one's countenance - see LXX of Dt 28:50 for "fierce" countenance, Pr 7:13 for "brazen" face, Pr 25:23 "angry" countenance, Eccl 8:1 "stern" face) meaning shameless, bold, ruthless, reckless. Clearly Antiochus fit such a description, for a man's face often conveys what is in a man's heart.

Skilled in intrigue (literally = "understanding hidden things", "understanding riddles") (NET - He will be "crafty", a veritable "master of intrigue" (NIV) who "understands riddles" (ESV) and difficult problems. The Hebrew word for intrigue (hiydah - 02420) is used to describe King Solomon's ability to handle "difficult questions" (hiydah) a reputation about which even the Queen of Sheba had heard (1Ki 10:1).

But not by his own power - He receives power through craftiness from those around him, like the final form receives it from the 10 other kings, yet he is also tied to the occult, his power from Satan.

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling,[a] that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.[b] And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: - Revelation 13: 1-9

In his own mind he shall become great - What ever things he does accomplish, most of it will be by deceit, and none of it will be equal to how he sees himself, this is a strong delusion. He is an egotist and a narcissist.

MacArthur - Many believe that the description here transcends that of Antiochus alone, and uses him as a type of the Antichrist who will oppose Christ during the Great Tribulation. Certainly the devious work of Antiochus and of the Antichrist is of the same heinous character.

Shrewdness (07922)(sekel from sakal = to be prudent) can convey the ideas of prudence, good sense, insight, understanding but clearly here speaks of these traits in a bad sense which could be summed up as cunning, treachery (only such negative use). Sekel speaks of intelligence that is more than just mere book knowledge or learning about a particular subject. It has a greater significance and means insight or understanding. - Precept Austin

By no human hand - Antiochus did not die by the hand of a man, and the final antichrist will be killed by God very quickly. Some say Antiochus died of insanity and disease of the bowels. That little candle burned out.

Broken without human agency - Was Antiochus "broken without human agency?" The phrase means that he would not be killed by another human, but (by implication) ultimately terminated by God the Righteous Judge (cp what happened to King Herod - Acts 12:21-23 = "immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died."). Similarly the Antichrist will be defeated and destroyed by God, specifically at the return of the King of kings (see Rev 19:11-16, Rev 19:20) - Precept Austin

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#1210 Daniel 7 Part 1 History of the World

 

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

The Ancient of Days Reigns

9 “As I looked,

thrones were placed,

and the Ancient of Days took his seat;

his clothing was white as snow,

and the hair of his head like pure wool;

his throne was fiery flames;

its wheels were burning fire.

10 A stream of fire issued

and came out from before him;

a thousand thousands served him,

and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;

the court sat in judgment,

and the books were opened.

11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

13 “I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven

there came one like a son of man,

and he came to the Ancient of Days

and was presented before him.

14 And to him was given dominion

and glory and a kingdom,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him;

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed.

Daniel's Vision Interpreted

15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’

19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,

there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,

which shall be different from all the kingdoms,

and it shall devour the whole earth,

and trample it down, and break it to pieces.

24 As for the ten horns,

out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,

and another shall arise after them;

he shall be different from the former ones,

and shall put down three kings.

25 He shall speak words against the Most High,

and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,

and shall think to change the times and the law;

and they shall be given into his hand

for a time, times, and half a time.

26 But the court shall sit in judgment,

and his dominion shall be taken away,

to be consumed and destroyed to the end.

27 And the kingdom and the dominion

and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven

shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;

his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,

and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” Daniel 7 ESV

Daniel 7: 1-7  Vision of the Four Beasts

Sister Passage Daniel 2

In the first year of Belshazzar - We go from chapter 6, where Daniel is now under the reign of  the Persian empire, back to the time of Belshazzar, the king who saw the writing on the wall. 

…21He was driven away from mankind, and his mind was like that of a beast. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind, setting over it whom He wishes. 22But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways.… Daniel 5: 21-23

Something to note here is that Daniel chapter 1 was written in Hebrew, chapters 2-7 were written in Aramaic, and chapters 8-12 go back to Hebrew. Chapters 2 and 7 are sister chapters which will help us in our understanding of the prophecies of 8-12 and also Revelation. 

A quick overview of chapter 1 introduces us to 4 Hebrew boys going into the Babylonian captivity, which will be the start of the time of the gentiles. It also introduces us to a world system that tries to remove the boys' allegiance to their God, one that would attempt to make them Babylonians, giving them new names based upon that of the gods of Babylon. 

Daniel 1 Part 1

Daniel 1 Part 2

In Daniel chapter 2 we also see God use the gift of interpretation, that he has given to Daniel, to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar's dream about the image, and this will match up with and be even more expounded upon in chapter 7.

In chapter 3, which is the sister chapter to 6, we see Daniel's 3 friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, defy the decree of an absolute monarch because to obey it would cause them to disobey God. They have been great citizens in every other way, the most honest, the most loyal and diligent, but they have rightly chosen to put the decrees of the Creator of the universe above an earthly authority. There is a time for civil disobedience. For those that do not yet understand this, their time was the beginning of the time of the gentiles, a time that we are still in, looking forward to the second coming of Christ. These 4 Hebrew boys become the model, blue print, the road map for how believers are to conduct themselves throughout this gentile age, until our Lord returns. We live in the world as sojourners, as light, not conforming to the image of this world but being transformed daily to the image of Christ. Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego were asked to bow to an idol in chapter 3 and Daniel was asked to pray and worship a man rather than God in chapter 6, and this will be a common patter till the end of the age.

Daniel 3 Part 1

Daniel 3 Part 2 Not gonna bow to your idol

Daniel 6 Part 1

Daniel 6 Part 2

…3You shall have no other gods before Me. 4You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,… Exodus 20: 3-5

1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. 3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.… Romans 12: 1-3

…12And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own.… Hebrews 11: 12-14

So there is a little recap, now back to the text:

The four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea - The biggest Sea that Daniel would know would be the Mediterranean, and though Babylon was east of here at the Euphrates river, it encompassed this territory in it's kingdom as well, as did the Persian empire, and Greece and Rome which were on this sea. All these kingdoms and their rulers perceived themselves as great, but God sees them in turmoil, degenerating to more chaos in every age. The present ruler of this age is a liar and the father of lies. 

Now, basically, four is a number that’s associated with the earth. There are four seasons. We talk about the four corners of the earth. Four seems to be identified with the numbers of the earth. The wind comes from the four areas: north, south, east, west. And so, what you see, then, is the earth in turmoil. The sea representing humanity. And this is very common in the Bible.

For example, in Revelation 17:15, it says, “The water which thou sawest are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” The sea seems to be representative of people. And the winds are just another part of the earth and its system. And the earth is in boiling, convulsing, raging, disturbed turmoil. Upheaval, distress. And so, Daniel stands and sees all of human history in turmoil. He sees the upheaval of the day of man. He sees humanity shaken at its very ebb because of the turbulent impact of its sinfulness.” The winds, you see, are the various elements of human sin that play upon the nations, that stir up the strife and the turmoil. - J Mac

These winds are described in a way that pictures them as contemporaneously stirring up the great sea. These probably represent supernatural "winds" and not literal winds, for it states that these winds originate in heaven. The Hebrew word (related to the Aramaic word in this passage) for winds in the OT can be translated as angel. TWOT notes that the Hebrew word may "designate a supernatural, angelic being, "a spirit from God" - Precept Austin

…22Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.” 23And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play, and Saul would become well, and the spirit of distress would depart from him. 1 Samuel 16: 22-23

…35This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold, I will shatter Elam’s bow, the mainstay of their might. 36I will bring the four winds against Elam from the four corners of the heavens, and I will scatter them to all these winds. There will not be a nation to which Elam’s exiles will not go. Jeremiah 49: 35-36

…4So I inquired of the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5And the angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth from their station before the Lord of all the earth. 6The one with the black horses is going toward the land of the north, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”… Zechariah 6: 4-6

1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. 2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:… Revelation 7: 1-2

…20Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD. 21And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ 22So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”… 2 Chronicles 18: 20-22

…13The princes of Zoan have become fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. The cornerstones of her tribes have led Egypt astray. 14The LORD has poured into her a spirit of confusion. Egypt has been led astray in all she does, as a drunkard staggers through his own vomit. 15There is nothing Egypt can do—head or tail, palm or reed.… Isaiah 19: 13-15

The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings - The first beasts to arise from the tumult and pride of man, for the time of the gentiles, was Babylon. This corresponds with the head of gold on the image in chapter 2. Some of the sculptures used in Babylon may be older than Neb, possibly derived from the times of Nimrod and the tower of Babel. A lion is the king of beasts and the eagle of birds. Babylon was powerful and ferocious, but also soaring and fast like an eagle, conquering and overseeing a vast region rather quickly.

Jeremiah used both the lion and the eagle as pictures of Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 49:19-22), and Babylon’s winged lions can be seen at the British Museum today. - Enduring Word

Then as I looked it's wings were plucked off - None of the following kingdoms will be so intrinsically identified with their ruler as Babylon was with Nebuchadnezzar. God tells him, you are the head. He was an absolute monarch whose words were law, but he could change his mind at any time. He was also a genius both as a military strategist and architect, but his pride allowed him to elevate himself in his mind to a place he couldn't hold, yet God was merciful and struck him down from his lofty places. Like the tale of Icarus, the son of the craftsman Daedalus, whose wings gave out from flying to close to the sun, Neb's wings are plucked in the vision. This takes us back to the story in chapter 4, where Daniel warns the king about his pride, and cautions him to repent, yet after a year of thinking about it Neb still elevates himself in his mind, but God graciously puts him in his place. He loses his mind for seven years, until he realizes that the Most High God reigns. This is a marked period of instability, as Neb is the head of the kingdom, and now he is eating grass like a wild donkey in the field. 

Daniel 4 Part 1

Daniel 4 Part 2 

It was lifted up from the ground - 

It was lifted up from the ground - Da 4:15, 23 describes a tree chopped down with its roots in the ground which Daniel interpreted as Nebuchadnezzar who was humbled and made to eat grass like cattle (which implies he was on all fours on the ground) (Da 4:32, 33). At the end of 7 periods of time (seven years) the king lifted his eyes toward heaven and his reason returned (Da 4:34), at which time he began to walk on two feet rather than on all four like a beast. - Precept Austin

And the mind of a man was given to it - He was restored to his kingdom realizing the truth that the Most High God reigns and puts in charge who He wills. After Neb the kingdom depreciated further until the taking of the city by the Medio-Persians during the reign of Belshazzar, a wicked king who was probably the grandson of Neb. He knew what his grandfather had gone through because of his pride, yet he blasphemed the only true, living God. Just like the 4 Hebrew boys in chapters 1, 3 and 6 are a road map of how the saints should live in the time of the gentiles, so chapters 4 and 5 are a road map of how rulers should respond, admitting to the sovereignty of God, but also how most will actually respond, following their humanistic hearts, leading others to destruction. They will make much of what they are able to build with the things that God created and left to them, but little, often nothing of how God actually sees them.

Chapter 5 Blasphemy

Chapter 5 Part 2 Interpreting the Writing on the Wall

…30For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32Remember the early days that you were in the light. In those days, you endured a great conflict in the face of suffering.… Hebrews 10: 30-32

1Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:… Psalm 2: 1-2

Like a bear - This is the next empire, the breast plate and arms of silver that we saw on the statue in Neb's vision from Daniel 2. Daniel predicts this before it happens, but actually gets to see it happen. He is not the first prophet to predict the demise of Babylon though:

A bear although slower than the lion is also a ferocious beast which was exemplified in the Medo-Persian style of war (see Isaiah 13:17, 18 "They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, nor will their eye pity children.") The greater size of the bear may also be related to the larger armies fielded by the Medo-Persians which allowed them to overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers. - Precept Austin

…27who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’ 28who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’” Isaiah 44: 27-28

Cyrus had not been born at the time of Isaiah's prophecy, and neither had Christ, but read Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

It was raised up on one side - The sides were the Medes and the Persians.

Whitcomb comments on the lop-sided posture noting that…Median influence (was) predominate during the reigns of Cyrus and Cambyses… but shifting to Persian dominance by the time of Xerxes fifty years later (Est 1:19, "the laws of the Persians and the Medes"). (Whitcomb, J: Daniel- Everyman's Bible Commentary)

John Walvoord comments that…Persia at this time, although coming up last, was by far the greater and more powerful and had absorbed the Medes. This is represented also in Daniel 8 by the two horns of the ram with the horn that comes up last being higher and greater (Da 8:3). The ram with its unequal horns is identified as "The kings of Media and Persia" (Da 8:20). This interpretation also helps to support the Medo-Persian character of the second empire and is true to the facts of history. (Daniel 7 - Daniel's Vision Of Future World History) - Precept Austin

It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth - Many scholars find it most probable that this references the nations or Lydia taken in 546 BC, Babylon 539 BC and Egypt 525 BC. 

Arise devour much meat - The "bear-like" kingdom is issued two commands. While the speaker is not stated, we know that God is in some way behind the stirring up of these Gentile kingdoms. The Medo-Persian empire seems to have "obeyed" the commands to arise and devour for they extended their conquests (~ "devoured" much meat) until their borders reached from the Indus River on the east to Egypt and the Aegean Sea on the west, which constituted more territory under the control of the Medo-Persian empire than any empire had conquered to date. - Precept Austin

Like a leopard with 4 wings - The third kingdom corresponds to the bronze kingdom in Daniel 2, the belly and thighs of the statue in Neb's dream. This will be Greece. Now Daniel saw the head of gold, and this is in Belshazzar's reign when he has this vision, but soon he will see the breast and arms of silver. He may have even heard of Cyrus at this point from the writings of Isaiah, and know that he is fast approaching. The Geeks and Alexander won't come for another 200 years. 

Like a leopard - What characterizes this beast besides the fact that it is a carnivore? The leopard is known for its speed. For example the horses (of the Babylonians) were said to be "swifter than leopards" (Hab 1:8+). Another characteristic of leopards is that they would lie in wait so as to surprise their prey (cp Jer 5:6, Ho 13:7).

Four wings of a bird - Nebuchadnezzar was "two wing" swift, but Alexander was "four wing" swift! This adds to the picture of speed, which characterized the military conquests of Alexander the Great. - Precept Austin

Alexander was super fast, and so was his life. He conquered more area than Persia, yet died an alcoholic in his thirties.

And the beast had four heads - Alexander had four generals to whom the kingdom was divided.

For further discussion of Alexander's kingdom, see Da 8:5-8+.The fact that this beast is shown with "four heads" (compare its "four wings of a bird") points to the four major divisions of Alexander's empire following his death in 323 B.C.: (1) Babylon and north Syria under Antigonus (later under Seleucus I Nicator); (2) Egypt under Ptolemy I Soter; (3) Macedonia under Cassander; and (4) Thrace and Bithynia under Lysimachus. Compare comments on 8:8 and 11:4.2 (Whitcomb, J: Daniel- Everyman's Bible Commentary) - Whitcomb

Four heads - When Alexander "the Great" died as an alcoholic at age 33yo (Da 8:8+), his kingdom was divided between four generals (Da 8:8+, see map below). As one might imagine, the "higher" critics and liberal "scholars" take great umbrage at the conservative interpretation, for otherwise they would be forced to acknowledge that Daniel's prophecy was amazingly (supernaturally!) accurate, his vision occurring 200 years before it occurred. On reading the liberal pondering (wanderings!) on the "four heads" one is tempted to refer them and their specious arguments to the Almighty God, of Whom the words of Whom Isaiah records…

"Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. (Now when one accepts the truth that God is the supreme, supernatural, sovereign Who can not only declare but bring about what He declares they are in a humble spiritual position to heard His call in the next verse which brought C H Spurgeon to salvation) "Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:21, 22, cp Isa 42:9, 44:7, 46:9, 10) - Precept Austin

It had great iron teeth - This is the Roman empire seen in the statue of Daniel 2 with legs of iron and feet mixed with iron and miry clay. 

Stamped what was left with it's feet - Rome was famous for it's marching soldiers, it's iron, and building of roads. All roads lead to Rome, someone said. She was also a destroyer at times, shutting down uprisings with crushing displays of power. 

1As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, His disciples came up to Him to point out its buildings. 2“ Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”… Matthew 24: 1-3

From history we know that the Roman armies were known for their iron armor which led some to refer to them as the "Iron Legions" of Rome, emphasizing their strength and invincibility. But in the sovereign irony (pun intended) of God, the "crushing" kingdom was itself to be crushed by the Stone cut without hands (Da 2:34, 35, 44, 45). - Precept Austin

It was different than all the beast that were before it - Rome lasted longer than any of the previous kingdoms, and no one has risen up to take it's place over such a vast region. Hitler and Mussolini tried, but no go, and from here through verse 8 there is a lot to be said so I will pick it up in the next post.

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#1201 Daniel 2 Part 3 The Interpretation From Gold To Terracotta

 

31 “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

36 “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

Daniel Is Promoted

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. 47 The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king's court. Daniel 2: 31-49 ESV

Daniel 2: 31-49 The Dream and It's Interpretation

…23How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.… Luke 21: 23-25

You saw, O king, and behold, a great image - Now we remember that Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten his dream, and it was put out to the wise men, the magicians and the Chaldeans that he wanted an interpretation of his dream, but they also had to tell him what the dream entailed. If they could not then he considered them phonies, liars, and the punishment for not meeting the expectation was death. Daniel has, with his friends, gone and sought the favor of the God of heaven through prayer. God has answered him by revealing Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and now Daniel is simply telling the king what he saw in that dream. I think the king was pondering his legacy and what things would come after him, and I think this becomes more obvious when he builds a statue later and demands that it be worshiped. Behold, he says, like "look" or "wonder of wonders, wow, see here, pay attention." He saw a great image, a statue, and it was in the form of a man, fittingly, as this will mark the beginning of the humanist "time of the gentiles". 

Exceeding brightness - We will see that this image, statue, is made up mostly of different metals.

And its appearance was frightening - Notice, Daniel didn't say, "it's appearance frightened you", but I'm sure it did, and again he was losing sleep over these dreams and willing to kill not only the captive wise men, but also his own countrymen, the Chaldeans. 

Side note: Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldeans, this is the land of Babel (Babylon), so when it mentions the Chaldeans separately, it is because they hold a place of preeminence by their birth or lineage. There were other similar situations in the middle, near and even far east. Joseph rose to a position of power in Egypt, yet it was considered taboo to the Egyptians to eat with a Hebrew. I have watched documentaries on China and the different ethnic groups there, and it was interesting that there was a group of people in western China that even exhibited blond hair. What was fascinating about it was the reaction of those around them, even relatives, they openly showed preference to those who looked more like the 90% of the country that identify with the ethnic group called the Hans. One woman, when asked, told her preference for dark hair and brown eyes, and stated that she would not want her children to look like the blond Chinese that were standing there listening to her. Even Nebuchadnezzar's own people were not safe from him in this; it has had a deep effect on him.

Gold, silver, bronze, iron, iron mixed with clay - J Mac, out of curiosity, looked up the specific gravity of these metals, and as you work your way down, you realize this is a really top heavy structure with a serious weak point at it's base, since the iron has been mixed with clay. Gold is your most rare and valuable, also the most pliable, silver the next and also next in value, bronze and then iron. Bronze was valuable in war, but then as we make our way down each metal becomes less pliable, less valuable, but stronger. Iron being the strongest.

Fruchtenbaum observes that the metals "increase in strength; but second, they decrease in value. The fulfillment will be in the decrease of the character of authority and rule: Babylon was an absolute monarchy with the monarch above the law; with Medo-Persia the monarch was not above the law and he did not have the authority to change his own decrees (cp Da 6:8, 11, 12, 15); the Hellenic kings had no dynastic or royal right to rule, and ruled by force of conquest and personal gifts; and Roman imperialism was a republic which degenerated into mob rule merging with the imperial form of government. Yet there will be an increase in strength of one empire over the other." (Fruchtenbaum, A. G. The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events. 2003. Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries)

A stone was cut out by no human hand - This is Christ, the chief cornerstone, the stone the builders rejected. He was the Son of God, born of a virgin, a priest in the order of Melchizedek, born without sin, Holy. He was placed in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit. Those that believe in Him are also born not of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but like Peter, born again by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, and Christ is revealed to them and in them by the call of God in election. In Matthew 16 Jesus was not making Peter into a pope, for there is no such thing, this was not the start of the papacy, but the revelation of that which is born from above. You must be born again. 

…21I will give You thanks, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation. 22The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes.… Psalm 118: 21-23

…15For you said, “We have made a covenant with death; we have fashioned an agreement with Sheol. When the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not touch us, because we have made lies our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” 16So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken. 17I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place.… Isaiah 28: 15-17

…10then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11This Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”… Acts 4: 10-12

…17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”… Matthew 16: 17-19

…6For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” 7To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.… 1 Peter 2: 6-8

And it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay - This stone destroys the world's systems, the rule of men. He brings the time of the gentiles to an end.

14The second woe has passed. Behold, the third woe is coming shortly. 15Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.” 16And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,… Revelation 11: 14-16

…8Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession. 9You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.” 10Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth.…

…11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him. Psalm 2: 8-12

But the stone...became a great mountain - This stone replaces the rule of men, the kingdoms that reign during the time of the gentiles. Mountains are symbolic of rule, of kingdoms in the Bible. Jesus Christ will destroy the final kingdom of Antichrist and set up His Millennial Kingdom which will have it's headquarters in Jerusalem but encompass the whole earth.

Became a great mountain - This must be figurative language because it would be difficult to conceive of a great mountain filling the whole earth! And by comparing Scripture with Scripture we know that mountain is sometimes used figuratively to depict a kingdom. In fact, if we compare Da 2:35 with Daniel's description in Da 2:44 clearly parallels great mountain with a kingdom which will never be destroyed. So while great mountain is clearly figurative (a metaphor), remember that figurative language always has a literal meaning. In this context mountain clearly refers to a literal kingdom that will fill the entire earth, a truth which argues against those systems of belief (eg, Replacement Theology) that teach this refers to an invisible spiritual kingdom. (See discussion regarding The Arrival of God’s Kingdom)

…9This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction.…  Revelation 17: 9-11

1 In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it. 2And many nations will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.… Micah 4: 1-2

This was the dream - So Daniel has completed the first part and I have already added some notes to it's explanation. He recalled the dream for the king, now he has to give an interpretation. 

The king of kings - This is how God is referring to Nebuchadnezzar, and not just as a tidal king, which means over nations with vassal rulers, that is part of it, but he is also the first part of the rule of the gentiles, when Israel no longer has it's own sovereignty or autonomy. 

…6and the villages on her mainland will be slain by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’ 7For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with cavalry and a great company of troops. 8He will slaughter the villages of your mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp to your walls, and raise his shields against you.… Ezekiel 26: 6-8

And into whose hands he has given, wherever they dwell - Nebuchadnezzar was given rule of the earth, whatever he could manage.

You are the head of gold - That answers the gold part, and this probably went straight to a certain king's head. I hope you can see the timelessness of this; the first major humanist religion, uprising against God, came from the land of Babylon, the tower of Babel, and every kingdom of the earth has also come from there. When I say the applications from Daniel are timeless, well we are in the time of the gentiles, and I think we are near the end of it. Babylon is the head of gold, but when the prophet John speaks of the end of times, the end of the time of the gentiles, we have an economic system referred to as Babylon the Great, mother of harlots and another religious system called mystery Babylon. All the world's apostasy, false religions, humanism, atheism, has all flowed out of Babel. Daniel isn't just for OT readers, he is covering history from Babylon all the way to Christ's coming kingdom. 

Garland has an interesting comment on king of kings ("the king from (among other) kings") - This phrase designates the highest ruling authority on earth: not just any king, but the king among all kings. If we know the Scriptures, we immediately sense an historical tension because God previously promised this honor for a ruler seated upon the throne of David. "I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him… I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth." (Ps 89:20, 27) If the Davidic rulers had been obedient to exercise righteous rule (1Ki 10:9; 2Chr. 9:8), this right would never have been transferred into Gentile hands. But, due to the ongoing sin of the rulers in the line of David, God had taken away their position as the highest king, invested with divine authority, and transferred it to Nebuchadnezzar. This is the condition prevailing during the Times of the Gentiles. At the end of the Times of the Gentiles, when the stone strikes the image, dominion will once again return to a man seated on the throne of David. The man’s Name is Jesus the Christ, Who is the only true Potentate, “the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1Ti. 6:15; Rev. 17:14-note; 19:16-note). - Garland quoted in Precept Austin

Another kingdom inferior to you shall rise after you - This is the silver and Daniel doesn't give a lot of details, some think to keep Nebuchadnezzar from going after Medo-Persia. Daniel is a student of scripture though, as we will continue to see, and the prophet Isaiah has already prophesied the coming of the Persian king, Cyrus. Gold is more precious than silver, yet the Persian kingdom will be bigger and stronger, yet it's rule will be more broken up, a Persian king cannot change a law that he or another Persian king has mandated. Nebuchadnezzar is well represented as the head, because he made all the decisions and could go back easily on his previous word. In other words, he did not answer to any laws.

…27who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’ 28who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’” Isaiah 44: 27-28

1This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut: 2“I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. 3I will give you the treasures of darkness and the riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.… Isaiah 45: 1-3

A third kingdom of bronze - This takes us up to  Greece, and the next line is, "which shall rule over all the earth". This is the title by which Alexander the Great called himself, first king of Greece, then when he conquered Persia, king of Persia, then Asia, and eventually king of all the earth. Greece is described as the leopard with wings, and the speed at which Alexander conquered the known world was extraordinary, and he died in his thirties. He ruled an area covering Europe then east to India and south to North Africa where there is a city named after him in Egypt, called Alexandria. His kingdom was split in four parts under the rule of his four generals, but they could not stand against Rome.

It’s characterized by bronze, I think, for other reasons. One writer says this. “It is easy to imagine what an astonishing impression the Greeks must’ve made on the civilized world. Consider the contrast between their soldiers and the soldiers of the Persian army.” They knocked off the Medo-Persian Empire. Had you seen a soldier of Media or Persia in the days when they controlled the civilized world, he would have looked like this. Here’s what a Medo-Persian soldier looked like. On his head would have been a soft turban. He would have been clothed with a tunic with sleeves and trousers full and long. That would have been a Medo-Persian soldier.

But when you saw a Greek soldier, he would have had on his head a helmet of brass, on his body a breastplate of brass. Before him he would be carrying a shield of brass and, believe it or not, a sword made out of brass. That is why the classic writers of ancient days refer to the brazen-coated Greeks. Brass became a sign and symbol of Greek conquests and the Greek empire. Gold, why? Because Nebuchadnezzar was preoccupied with gold. Silver, why? Because the Meads and the Persians were preoccupied with silver. Brass, why? Because it symbolized the power of the forces of Alexander the Great. - J Mac

The head… fine gold - Gold = Da 2:32, 38 = Lion Da 7:4 = Nebuchadnezzar (Babylon) (It began approximately 605BC when Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Assyrians and the Egyptians at the Battle of Carchemish and it fell in 539 BC - See Da 5:28, cp Da 8:20, 21, 22) (See Wikipedia article Neo-Babylonian Empire)

Breast and its arms - Silver = Da 2:32,39; Bear = Da 7:5; Ram = Da 8:6, 20 = Media & Persia (539-331 BC)

Its belly and its thighs - Bronze = Da 2:32, 39; Leopard Da 7:6; Male, Shaggy Goat = Da 8:8,21 = Greece under Alexander the Great (331-63 BC) - Precept Austin

Strong as iron - This is Rome, and no other kingdom has lasted so long, she is the two legs of iron, but also we shall see a revived Roman empire, the ten toes of iron mixed with clay, very short lived. Iron is the strongest of the medals, but might does not make right, and she is part of the continuing downward spiral of humanity. The original Roman empire was the longest lasting world empire. Iron represented her military might and also the force by which she ruled. These are the people who used crucifixion, yet had the slowness of a Republic. This was who was in charge during the time of Christ's first coming. 

A fourth kingdom - While this kingdom is not named in Daniel from history we know this to be the Roman Empire, larger, stronger and longer lasting than the 3 preceding kingdoms. Unlike the 3 preceding kingdoms, the Roman Empire fell both internally (moral collapse) and externally (Barbarian invasion). Also unique is that there is no absolutely definite date of its fall as there is with the other 3 kingdoms. - Precept Austin

Fred Barshaw gave me a very interesting article this week and I want to share it with you. It says the following was written by Professor Alexander Tyler nearly 200 years ago while our 13 original colonies were still a part of Great Britain. In fact, Tyler was at the time writing about the fall of the Athenian Republic over 2,000 years earlier. This is what he said and I'm quoting. “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy always followed by dictatorship.

“The average age,” – says Tyler – “of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years.” For us, that was 1976. “These nations have progressed through the following sequence” - now listen to this - “from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, and from dependency back into bondage.”

Every nation follows the same cycle. And democracy seems to follow it just as fast or in some cases faster than any other form of government. By the way, it might shock you to know that democracy is not God’s form of government. God’s form is theocracy where one person rules, and that person is God. The world today then is simply going through the same cycles of dissolution that it has always endured. We can see the seeds of dissolution very, very manifested. - J Mac

And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay - Partly strong and partly brittle, and it's power is divided to ten kings, hence the 10 toes. 

…2She was pregnant and crying out in the pain and agony of giving birth. 3Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. 4His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.… Revelation 12: 2-4

1Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.… Revelation 13: 1-2

…11The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction. 12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast. 13These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast.… Revelation 17: 11-13

You say, “What’s the importance of that?” Because the weakness appears only in the final form. They were strong once. But in the final form, there’s going to be weakness, great weakness. And what is the weakness? Verse 43 says, “The clay is the seed of men.” What does that mean? What does that mean? Well, all kinds of scholars have played around with it and I don’t want to say that I know the absolute answer. But I’m going to give you what I think is best. You know what I think it means? I think it refers simply to human beings. I think the problem in the final form of the Roman Empire is going to be that there are too many people involved in the issues.

Solidarity will be lost in the final Roman Empire. It will be mixed. There will be a decay, a lack of solidarity. In fact, Robert Culver, who has done some marvelous work in this area of Scripture, says, “The clay represents the ultimate in debasement of the character of sovereignty.” At the top of the image is the gold head. That’s not an empire, that’s the only one of the four that he says is a man. That’s you, Nebuchadnezzar. In other words, the Babylonian Empire was solidarity personified because one man called all the shots. As you go down, it gets more diverse and more diverse and more diverse. And the more diverse government gets - watch this - the more you have problems with it. - J Mac

The dream is certain and it's interpretation sure - All these worldly kingdoms are going to come to an end, and Christ is going to come and set up His kingdom. 

…8The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest. 9They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water. 10On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.… Isaiah 11: 8-10

Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings - Many will say this, all will acknowledge it one day, but many will say, "Lord, Lord", every knee will bow and tongue confess, yet as we will see with Nebuchadnezzar, it is one thing to intellectually assent to the fact that God is God. Old Neb is a fickle one, but God isn't done with him. 

Chief prefect over the wise men - A ruler over Babylon, and this is smart on the kings part, he takes the wisest and puts him over the wise. Maybe they will learn something, and Daniel is smart, for he appoints his 3 loyal companions, and what amazing choices they were.

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