93653.5 Daniel – Apicontent

A. Summary and Overview.

The book of Daniel was written by the prophet Daniel sometime between 540 to 530 BC. That Daniel was a prophet, and the author of the book, is validated by Daniel 7:1b and 12:4, and by Jesus in Matthew 24:15. It is one of the major prophetic books along with Isaiah and Jeremiah. The prophecies within the book are so precise and detailed that Bible critics claim that it was written much later in the second century BC, as it details kingdoms and events that would occur after Daniel’s death. This would not make Daniel a prophet and nullifies its existence as the inspired Word of God. But the previously mentioned reference by Jesus regarding the fact that Daniel was a prophet, puts to rest this criticism: “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)”.
The book is written in two languages. Chapter 1 to 2:3 is written in Hebrew. the language of the Jews. Chapters 2:4 through 7 are written in Aramaic, the language of various empires of the time. Chapters 8 through 12 go back to Hebrew. One reason for this may be that the chapters in Hebrew focus on the Jews, while those in Aramaic focus on the kingdoms of the Gentiles. Chapter 4 was written by King Nebuchadnezzar “to all peoples, nations and languages” (Vs. 4:1), recounting his pride, his fall and his eventual acknowledgement and praise of God.
The book traces the life of Daniel from his exile in Babylon, as one of the first group of captives taken by King Nebuchadnezzar after the first conquest of Jerusalem in 605 BC, to when he was an old man at the time when King Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC. What can make the book of Daniel difficult to understand is that the chapters are not arranged in chronological order. Here is the order in which they are chronologically:

Chapters 1-4: Early captivity and interpretation of dreams and visions
Chapter 7: Vision of the four beasts
Chapter 8: Vision of the ram and he-goat
Chapter 5: Belshazzar’s feast-Babylon’s fall
Chapter 9: 70-weeks prophecy
Chapter 6: Daniel in the lion’s den
Chapters 10-12: Daniel’s last vision

An understanding of the prophecies in Daniel is key to understanding Biblical prophecy including the Book of Revelation. It includes the 70-weeks prophecy that pinpoints the appearance of the Messiah and the coming of the Antichrist. Key verses and chapter summaries will be presented.

B. Chapter 1.

Daniel, whose Hebrew name means “God is my judge” and his three friends, of whom we are most familiar by their Babylonian names: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, are taken as captives to Babylon. They were of royal blood of the House of David and were placed under the oversight of the chief of the eunuchs. Scripture is silent as to whether Daniel was a eunuch himself. He never married, and there is not the slightest indication of sexual sin as was the case with King David. This is a possibility, but regardless, Daniel’s faithfulness to God throughout the book is a testimony to his righteous living.
They are given their first test by refusing to eat of the foods of the Babylonians and persuading the steward placed over them by the chief of the eunuchs, to eat only vegetables instead of wine and other food items of the king. The four are given training for three years in the Babylonian culture, wisdom and literature. At the end of their training, they are brought before the king and found in every matter of wisdom and understanding, to be “ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom” (Vs. 1:20b). “Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (Vs. 1:17b).

C. Chapter 2.

In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream that troubles him. He calls for his magicians, enchanters and sorcerers and tells them to interpret it. They cannot, as he wisely does not tell them what the dream is. This angers the king and he commands that all be killed including Daniel and his three friends. Daniel requests from the king that he be given more time. This is granted and he asks his three friends to seek God’s mercy to give Daniel the interpretation. It is revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and he asks to see the king and gives him the dream and its interpretation.
Daniel gives all glory to God for revealing the dream and its interpretation: “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days” (Vs, 2:27).
Daniel relates to the king what he saw in his vision: “This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 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. 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” (Vs. 2:31-35).
Daniel then goes on to give the interpretation. He relates to the king that the head of gold is Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. The other metals represent kingdoms that will follow but are inferior to his. We know from history that the silver chest and arms represent the Medes and Persian empire, the bronze middle and the thighs represents the Greek empire and the two legs of iron the Roman. The feet and toes represent the kingdom in the last days-a mixture of strength and weakness. The stone that crushes the image represents Christ who will come and set up his kingdom that will never cease.
The king then greatly honors Daniel and appoints him ruler over the province of Babylon and over the wise men of Babylon. Daniel persuades the king to appoint his three friends over the affairs of Babylon.

D. Chapter 3.

Nebuchadnezzar makes a giant image of gold pertaining to the vision he saw in his dream. This image is all of gold, perhaps to represent his kingdom that he believes will never end. He requires that “when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image” (Vs. 3:5a). Failing to do so will result in being thrown into a fiery furnace.
Certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego of not obeying the king’s command. Nebuchadnezzar has them brought before him and tells them that when they hear the sound, they are to fall down and worship the image. If they do so, they will live, but if not, they will be cast into the fiery furnace. The three respond, “If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Vs. 3:17-18).
The king is furious and has the furnace heated to seven times what it normally is. The three are bound and some of the mighty men of the king’s army carry them up to the furnace. The mighty men are killed due to the heat, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fall bound into the furnace.
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods’” (Vs. 3:24-25). Nebuchadnezzar calls out to the three and when they come out, they are unharmed. Their hair was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed and no smell of fire was upon them. Nebuchadnezzar gives God the glory and promotes them in Babylon. The question arises as to where was Daniel during this time? The consensus by most Bible scholars is that he was away on the king’s business. If he was present, he certainly would not have bowed to the image.

E. Chapter 4.

Nebuchadnezzar begins this chapter with praise to God. He sends a message to: “all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. How great are his signs, His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation” (Vs.4:1-3).
He has a second dream of a tree that grew large, and birds found shelter in it, and the tree produces fruit, that was food for all. But then a “watcher from heaven” came down and ordered that the tree be cut down and the beasts and birds scattered. The watcher then declares: “But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him. The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Vs. 4:15-18).
Nebuchadnezzar asks Daniel for the interpretation. Daniel is dismayed, and tells the king that it should be for his enemies, but unfortunately, it is meant for the king. The king is the magnificent tree, but that it will be brought low. The king will become like an animal eating grass and being wet with the dew for seven years until he realizes that God rules, and that He gives the kingdom to who he chooses. He then tells the king: O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity” (Vs. 4:27).
But Nebuchadnezzar did not listen. One year later he is walking on the roof of his royal palace and boasts: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (vs. 4:30). While he was still speaking, a voice from heaven came to him: “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws” (Vs. 4:31-33).
At the end of the appointed days, he lifts his eyes to heaven and his reason returned to him. The chapter, and further mention of the king concludes with Nebuchadnezzar acknowledging God: “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble” (Vs. 4:37).

F. Chapter 5.

As mentioned in the overview, this chapter takes place in the future after the events of chapter 8. Nebuchadnezzar has died and his son, Belshazzar now rules over Babylon. Daniel is now an old man and in retirement. Outside the walls, the army of the Medes and the Persians is about to enter the city by stealth. King Cyrus of the Medes has diverted the river Euphrates which provides water to the city and the entrances to the city are protected by iron gates. Cyrus’s army marches unopposed under the gates and through the open and unguarded bronze gates to the city. This is detailed in Isaiah chapter 45.
The chapter opens with: “King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone” (Vs.5:1-4).
Immediately, the fingers of a hand appeared and wrote on the wall. The king’s countenance became fearful and his knees knocked together. They could not read what was written. They call the wise men but they are unable to read it. The Queen mother relates to Belshazzar that his father had Daniel as a wise consultant and that he could read the writing. Daniel is called for. He first gives the king a rebuke for knowing how his father was humbled by God but instead, lifted himself up: “And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored” (Vs. 5:22-23).
Daniel then gives the interpretation: “And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (Vs. 5:25-28).
The chapter concludes with Belshazzar being killed and Darius the Mede receiving the kingdom at about 62 years of age (Vs. 5:30-31).

G. Chapter 6.

This is the famous account of Daniel in the lion’s den. Babylon has fallen and Daniel has been assigned as one of three overseers of 120 Satraps who administer the affairs of Darius’s kingdom. Daniel distinguishes himself because “an excellent spirit was in him” (Vs. 6:3b). Other officials become jealous of his success and seek to find fault with him, but they are unable. They determine that the only way is to find something in relation to the Law of Moses, which Daniel follows.
They devise a plot where they persuade the king to issue a decree that anyone who petitions any god or man except the king himself will be thrown into the lion’s den. The king in his pride issues the command. This does not impact Daniel, and he goes to his house, opens the windows which were towards Jerusalem, and prays three times a day. Daniel’s enemies came and found him doing so. They report this to the king who is greatly distressed. Daniel’s enemies remind him that this is a law “of the Medes and the Persians” which cannot be revokes. The king labors until evening trying to find a way to deliver Daniel, but he is unable.
The king has Daniel placed into the den of lions and tells him: “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” (Vs. 6:16b). The king then returns to his palace and spends the night fasting. In the morning, he discovers that Daniel has survived as an angel came and sealed the lion’s mouths. The king is elated, but has the enemies of Daniel, their wives and children thrown into the den. The lions overpower them and crush their bones. “Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: ‘Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions” (Vs. 6:25-27).
The chapter closes with the statement that “Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (Vs. 6:28).

H. Chapter 7.

Chapter 7 is set before the fall of Babylon, as described in chapter 5, “in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar king of Babylon” (Vs. 7:1a). The vision he sees corresponds to the vision that King Nebuchadnezzar saw of the image made of metal. Daniel is asleep on his bed, and he receives a vision of four beasts which come out of a turbulent great sea. The first beast is a lion with wings of an eagle, whose wings are plucked off. It is made to stand upon two feet and the heart of a man is given to it. The second was like a bear that raised up on one side with three ribs in its mouth. It was told to arise and devour much flesh. The third beast is like a leopard with four winds on its back.
Daniel then sees another beast: “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. 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” (Vs. 7:7-8).
Daniel then sees a vision of the ancient of days: “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. 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” (Vs.7:9-10). The fourth beast is destroyed, and its body given over to fire.
Daniel then sees in his vision one like the son of man: “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. 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” (Vs. 7:13-14). This refers to Christ and his eventual establishment of His kingdom on earth. Jesus referenced this passage when the High Priest asked him “are you the Christ, the son of the blessed?” Jesus affirmed that He is. This caused the High Priest and the Sanhedrin to convict Him of blasphemy (Mark 14:61-64).
In his dream, Daniel approaches one who was standing there and asks him the interpretation. He tells him: “These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever” (Vs. 7:17-18). In his day, Daniel would not have known what all of these four beasts represent. We know looking back in history that the first beast represents Babylon. The lion was the symbol of Babylon and was depicted in Babylon such as the Ishtar Gate. That its wings were plucked off and it was stood up as a man and a heart given to it, represents the humbling of Nebuchadnezzar, as told in chapter four. The second beast represents the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians. The Medes were a lesser kingdom which is why it is depicted as being on one side. The three ribs represent the three kingdoms that it initially conquered: Lydian, Babylon and Egypt. That it is told to arise and devour much flesh refers to the conquests that the Persian empire eventually achieved. The leopard with four wings represents the Greek empire under Alexander the Great. When he died, his empire was divided among four of his generals represented by the four wings.
Daniel inquires of the person in his dream the meaning of the fourth beast. He responds: “The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings. And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time. But the judgment shall be set, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 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 is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him” (Vs. 7:23-27).
We know from the book of Revelation that this fourth beast represents the Antichrist, who will rule for 3-1/2 years (a time, and times and half a time). But he will be destroyed at the return of Christ. Chapter seven concludes with Daniel being troubled by what he has seen, but he keeps the matter to himself (Vs. 7:28). Daniel will have another vision two years later about the two kingdoms of Persia and Greece and the antichrist in the next chapter.

I. Chapter 8.

Daniel was in the ancient city of Shushan, or Susa, now the modern Iranian city Shush, in the province of Elam when he receives another vision. He is beside the river Ulai, which is believed to now be called the river Karkheh. At one time, it was divided into two branches about 20 miles northwest of the city. There was a canal close by the city which may explain why some translations say “by the Ulai canal”. Under the Persians, Shushan became a summer dwelling place for royalty and is the location where the book of Esther takes place. Excavations have revealed the various palace details mentioned in that book.
In his vision, Daniel sees a ram with two horns, one being higher than the other. This represents the kingdom of Medo-Persian empire which succeeded the Babylonian empire. The Persian empire became the dominate one which explains why one horn is higher than the other. The ram magnifies himself by pushing westward, northward and southward. But then, another beast, a goat with a “notable horn, comes from the west without touching the ground. It tramples the ram breaking its horns. The goat represents the kingdom of Greece under Alexander the Great, whose conquest were very fast represented by the goat not touching the ground. The goat’s horn is broken at the height of its power, representing Alexander’s death at 33 at the height of his power. The goat’s horn is replaced by four horns towards the “four winds of heaven”. The four horns represent the four generals of Alexander to whom his kingdom was divided.
Out of one of the four horns, another horn came up and “waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them. Yea, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and it took away from him the continual burnt-offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt-offering through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered” (Vs. 8:9b-12).
Daniel then hears: “a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one who spoke, ‘How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt-offering, and the transgression that maketh desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?’ ‘And he said unto me, two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed’” Vs. 8:13-14).
Daniel is troubled and asks the meaning of the vision. One with the appearance of a man stood before him and a voice tells the angel Gabriel to explain the vision. Gabriel tells him that the vision is of “the appointed time of the end. The ram represents the Medo-Persian empire and the goat Greece. He further tells him that a: “king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and do his pleasure; and he shall destroy the mighty ones and the holy people. And through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and in their security shall he destroy many: he shall also stand up against the prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (Vs. 8:23b-25).
This vision is what is called a two-fold fulfillment. One of Alexander’s four generals, Seleucus I Nicator, founded the Seleucid empire in 312 BC after Alexander’s death. In 215 BC, the Seleucid empire was ruled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes who persecuted the Jews killing over 40 thousand of them, setng up an idol of Zeus and profaned the temple by slaughtering a pig on the alter. These actions initiated a Jewish revolt called the Maccabean Revolt, which put down the Seleucid kingdom. The temple was cleansed and it is still remembered each year as Hanukkah.
The vision also relates to the coming antichrist. Antiochus Epiphanes was evil, but to assign to him “to cast to the ground some of the stars and host of heaven” or to “stand up against the prince of princes” is far beyond what he did. The book of Revelation reveals that this vision also refers to the antichrist. The interpretation of the 2300 evenings and mornings is that it is about 6-1/3 years and pertains to the period that the temple was desecrated in about September 170 BC to about December 164 BC when it was cleansed. The antichrist will also desecrate the temple, and he is the one who will do the extraordinary things mentioned here, including standing up to the prince of princes, who is Jesus.
Daniel faints and is sick for many days before getting up to do the king’s business.

J. Chapter 9.

Chapter 9 takes place chronologically after chapter 5 speaks of the fall of Babylon. It is the first year of the reign of Darius, of the Medio-Persian empire. It contains what many believe is the most spectacular and profound prophecy in Scripture. Daniel reads Jeremiah’s prophecy that the Jews would spend 70 years in captivity. It is nearing the time that this period would be fulfilled. He prays in sackcloth and ashes confessing his sin and the sins of his people. As he is praying, Gabriel comes and touches him and says that he will give him wisdom and understanding.
Gabriel’s message is this: “Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and [to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times. And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined. And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate” (Vs. 9:24-27).
This prophecy remained a mystery until the early 1800s when Sir Robert Anderson, who was head of Scotland Yard in London, England was able to decode the message with the help of the Royal Observatory. He was an avid Bible student and he discerned that the seventy weeks were seventy weeks of years, 70 times 7 or 490 years. The prophecy is further broken down into 7 weeks or 49 years, then 62 weeks or 434 years and then one more week, or 7 years. The 70 weeks of years begins with the decree by King Artaxerxes of the Persian empire, to rebuild Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 2:1-8). We know from history that this was 444BC.
The first 7 weeks of years, or 49 years, is the time it took to rebuild Jerusalem “in troubled times”, as noted in Nehemiah. The next period of 62 weeks of years, or 434 years the time “after which the anointed one will be cut off”. The total of 49 years plus 434 years is 483 years. Using a 360-day year, which was in use in ancient times based upon the cycle of the moon, 483 weeks of years is 476 years in our modern solar calendar, based upon the sun. Adding 476 to 444 BC and adjusting for the change from BC to AD, this works out to 33 AD, to the very day when Jesus was presented to Israel as their Messiah at his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus laments over the city: “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes’” (John 19:41-42).
Shortly “after the three score and two weeks”, Jesus, the anointed one, was “cut off”, meaning crucified. This halted the prophetic clock. In 70 AD, the people of the “Prince that will come” destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The prophecy then jumps to the time of the antichrist for the final 70th week or the 7 years of the tribulation. The antichrist will make a treaty “with many” which starts the prophetic clock once more. In the middle of the week, or 3-1/2 years, he stops the sacrifices in the temple and sets up “the wing of abominations”, or an idol. Christ returns at the end of the last week, or 7 years, and puts the antichrist into the Lake of Fire.
As a side note, since the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem, this indicates a possible reconfiguration of the Roman empire. But who actually comprised the ranks of that army? Due to the vast expanse of the Roman empire, it was common to have auxiliary troops from the various providences. The Jewish historian, Josephus reports that the army that conquered Jerusalem, were auxiliary troops comprised from cohorts from within the province of Syria (Zeichmann: Military Forces in Judaea 6-130 CE). The prophet Isaiah makes mention of “the Assyrian” in Isaiah 14:25: “I will break the Assyrian in my land, and on my mountains trample him underfoot; and his yoke shall depart from them, and his burden from their shoulder.” Ancient Assyria was comprised of the modern countries of northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran and northeastern Syria. Due to this, some scholars speculate that the antichrist may be “the Assyrian”.

K. Chapter 10.

This chapter is an introduction to the final two chapters of the book of Daniel. He has been mourning for three weeks. He sees a vision of a magnificent being. He tells Daniel that since he started mourning and humbling himself before God, that he was opposed by the Prince of Persia. It was not until the angel Michael came and assisted him that he was able to come. This brief narrative gives us a window into the spiritual warfare that takes place between God’s angels and Satan’s entities. Apparently, Satan has assigned “princes” over various regions on earth who administer his evil schemes and frustrate God’s purposes.
Daniel is told that what he is about to hear pertains to the future of his people and end times. The being tells Daniel that he is greatly beloved, and that he will tell him what is inscribed in the book of truth (Vs. 10:19; 21a).

L. Chapter 11.

Chapter 11 is an extremely detailed and complicated portion of Scripture and contains some of the most precise prophecies in the Bible. They are so precise that Bible critics can’t accept their validity and claim that they were written after the fact in the second century BC. But these prophecies were given by God himself: “I am God, and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done” (Vs. Isaiah 46:9b-10a). Chapter 11 contains 45 verses. The first 35 contain prophecies that are past and have been fulfilled. The last ten pertain to future events. All the prophecies given to Daniel were future focused. But to us, the first 35 verses, containing 135 prophecies, have been fulfilled.
Verses one through four of chapter 11 describe the kingdom of Persia and its overthrow by Alexander the Great. After his death, his kingdom was divided by four of his generals. Macedonia-Greece was ruled by Antipater and his son, Greece and Asia Minor by Lysimachus, the rest of Asia except lower Syria and Palestine by Seleucus Nicator, and Egypt and Palestine by Ptolemy. The last two generals set up their kingdoms which warred against each other with various political intrigues and are referred to as “the King of the North” and the “King of the South”.
The first 35 verses culminate with a description of Antiochus IV Epiphanes who profaned the temple as described in chapter 8 above. The last 10 verses leap forward to end times, the tribulation, and the antichrist. This is the final week of the 70-week prophecy of chapter 9.

M. Chapter 12.

Verse one tells of the time of the end when: “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time”. This is the Great Tribulation, as described in the book of Revelation. This will be a time of trouble greater than we have seen in the world wars, the Holocaust, famines, pandemics. It will literally be hell on earth. Verse 2 is the first mention in Scripture of everlasting life: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt”. Apparently, the Sadducees in Jesus’s time were not familiar with this passage as they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.
Verse 3 speaks of those being wise shining as the firmament. Proverbs 11:30 tells us: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that is wise wins souls”. If we want wisdom, we need to be a soul winner.
Daniel is told to seal up the book to the time of the end when many shall run to and fro, and knowledge will be increased. We are living in a time of world-wide travel and knowledge is increasing exponentially. This is another confirmation we are living in the end times.
The book concludes with numbering of days that is not fully understood at this time. There is first a mention of time, times and a half (Vs. 7) which is the 1260 days of one-half of the tribulation. But in verses 11 and 12 is this: “And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days”. This is an additional 30 days, and then a further 45 days beyond that. The meaning of this may not be discernable to us today, but may be a promise to those who are alive on the earth at that time as an encouragement that deliverance is at hand.
The book concludes as Daniel is told: “But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and shalt stand in thy lot, at the end of the days” (Vs. 12:13).

N. Discussion Questions, Application and Passing it on.

Daniel is an incredible man. He is declared to be “greatly beloved” (Vs. 10:19) by the heavenly messenger. As you look back over what has been learned in the book of Daniel, what attributes does he have that you can set as goals to emulate?
Make it a goal to understand and be able to explain the major prophecies of the book of Daniel. They testify of God, who is outside the limitations of time and space and who declares: “I am God, and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done” (Vs. Isaiah 46:9b-10a). This can be a powerful tool in winning souls. Don’t you desire to be wise? (Proverbs 11:30).