By Stephen J Bach DANIEL 1 There are men who spend their lifetime trying to prove that the Bible is not all it claims to be. One of the ways that they try to accomplish this is to take various books of the Bible and try to prove that they are not written by the authors that they are claimed to be written by. The book of Daniel has come under fire from what they call, “Higher Criticism,” and many have tried to prove that they book of Daniel was not really written by Daniel. Their best argument is that it would be impossible for someone to describe events that had not yet taken place, with such accuracy. Therefore, it must have been written by someone from a later generation, who just put Daniel’s name on it. Another argument they present is that there are a few Greek words, a few Persian words, and that it is written partially in Hebrew and partially in Aramaic. They use this as their basis of proof that Daniel was not really the author, but the fact that he uses all of these different languages just goes to prove that Daniel WAS the author. The Bible says Daniel was a wise man, a counselor, and in the court of the king, where he would have met Greeks, Persians, and people from all over the world working as an officer in the Babylonian kingdom. These men seem to have proof of nothing but their own foolishness. One of the tragic things about going to seminaries these days is that you spend whole semesters studying all of these ideas and all of the papers written by all of these various people who want to argue the authorship of the Bible. What a waste of time! No wonder so many pastors cannot teach the Word of God plainly, because they’ve been overfilled with man’s doctrine! What does God have to say? That’s what’s important! Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. This would be the year 607 BC, the first siege of Jerusalem, when it fell to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 1:3-4 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility… This is a fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah. Isaiah told King Hezekiah 105 years earlier that this would happen. Isaiah 39:6-7 “The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, you own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” King Hezekiah had been ill, but then recovered, and some Babylonian men came to tell Hezekiah that they were glad that he was well again. But, Hezekiah showed these men around the palace, and all of the riches that were there. When they left and Isaiah returned and learned what Hezekiah had done, he became angry. He then gave Hezekiah this prophecy. 105 years later, it happened. Daniel 1:4-5 …young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. The king’s meat was no doubt, sacrificed to his pagan gods. In those days, as they were cooking the meat, they would offer it as a sacrifice to their pagan gods, and then they ate it. Daniel 1:6-7 Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. Name meanings: Daniel – God is judge Hanaiah – Beloved of the Lord Mishael – Who is as God Azariah – The Lord is my help Belteshazzar – Bell’s prince (Bell was a Babylonian god) Shadrach – Illumined by the sun god Meshach – Who is like Shach (Shach was a Babylonian god) Abednego – Servant of Nego (Nego was a Babylonian god) Daniel 1:8-10 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” The official was worried that if Daniel got too skinny and didn’t look like he was healthy enough, the king would have his head. Daniel 1:11-21 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom. And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus. Daniel 2:1-3 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means.” Now, here’s where it gets interesting. In verse four, we see that the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic. So from verse 4 to the end of chapter 7, the book of Daniel is written in Aramaic. Daniel 2:4-11 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, liver forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.” Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.” Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me the dream, there is just one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.” The astrologers answered the king, “There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men.” Nebuchadnezzar was a hot head, so they soon realized they were dealing with the wrong man. Daniel 2:12-13 This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death. Notice the incredible power of Nebuchadnezzar. He was the final word and his word was law. He could order the death of all these men at any time, for anything. When we get into chapter five, we see that in the medo-persian empire, once the king signed a decree into law, the king was bound by that law. He did not have the same type of power and control that Nebuchadnezzar did. Probably, no other man in the history of mankind, had been given so much power. We will see more evidence of that when Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Daniel 2:14-18 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Here we see that Daniel went into the king to ask for time to interpret the dream, and then he went back to his friends and said, “Hey guys, time for a prayer meeting.” It is important to this story to know that Daniel, at this point, was probably about 19 or 20 years of age. He was probably about 16 years old when he was taken captive to Babylon. He was a very young man when he decided in his heart that he wasn’t going to defile himself with the king’s meat. It shows that somewhere along the line, Daniel had excellent training in the ways of God. Even by the age of 16, these things are so embedded in him, that even though he is carried away to a far country, he continues such integrity in spiritual matters. As we read Daniel’s response to God, the depth of his spiritual character is revealed here after God reveals to him the dream. Daniel 2:19-23 During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: “Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons’ he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.” I’ve heard people say that teenagers cannot possibly have the maturity to make decisions concerning spiritual matters. All we have to do is look at Daniel to see how untrue that really is. Daniel showed depth of character, incredible integrity, and spiritual maturity. Daniel 2:24-28 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means.” The king asked Daniel, “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you lay on your bed are these: Make note here, that Daniel does not take personal credit for interpreting the dream. He gives credit to God for the understanding and the interpretation of the dream. If anyone is interested in becoming involved in the work of the Lord, it is important to take a look at what Daniel did here. He was not about to take credit for what God had done. Secondly, the dream is for the latter days, so it has prophetic significance. Daniel 2:29-30 As you were lying there, O king, your mind turned to things to come, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than other living men, but so that you, O king, may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind. Daniel is not trying to pay tribute to himself, but rather he is praising God. It is important for anyone involved in ministry, not to try to exalt yourself, but just to bring glory to God. Daniel 2:31-35 “You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue – an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.” This is the dream that was troubling Nebuchadnezzar so much that he could not sleep. Now Daniel is going to interpret the dream. Daniel 2:36-38 “This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory, in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.” If we go back to verse 29, before Nebuchadnezzar had gone to sleep, he was laying on his bed, wondering what was going to happen to this world. So this dream pertains to the future. Through this dream, God is giving him history in advance. Daniel 2:39-45 “After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron – for iron breaks and smashes everything – and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of the mountain, but not by human hands – a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.” Head of Gold – Babylonian Empire Chest of Silver – Medo-Persian Empire Belly & Thighs of Bronze – Greecian Empire Legs of Iron – Roman Empire Feet of Iron & Clay (10 toes) – Confederacy of 10, related to Roman Empire but weaker with the clay – Last days - One World Government. Since the Roman Empire, there has not been a world governing empire. It was Hitler’s dream to become a world ruler, but he failed. It is the goal of Communism to develop a world dominating empire. We know that there will be a confederacy of ten nations, that will link themselves together with treaties, to become the final world dominating power. Since the ten toes are part iron, the nations will have some affiliation with the Roman Empire. From verse 44, we know that Jesus Christ will return to set up His kingdom during the time of these ten nations. As we discussed in our last study, a new map has been drawn up of the world, by the UN, with only ten nations. The borders as we know them today, will disappear and new borders will be established. The fact that the European Union has been put together is extremely significant in itself, but now to have the EU drawing up maps with old borders erased and new borders being declared to form into ten nations, should be a huge wake-up call! My friends, we are here! Daniel’s prophecy is being fulfilled right before our very eyes, and most churches and pastors don’t recognize the signs because they have not studied prophecy. I have even heard pastors say that prophecy can only be used once it has been fulfilled, and for no other purpose. My question to them would be: What is the point of having Biblical Prophecy, if we are only interested in history? Wouldn’t that nullify Jesus’ statement to recognize the season? How can we recognize the season if we are only looking for history, and not looking to future events? What about what Paul said: 1 Thessalonians 5:4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. Wouldn’t we be surprised if we only recognized prophecy once it had become history? Yet, Paul says that we should NOT be surprised! Jesus said: Matthew 24:38-39 “For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” If we did not recognize the events that lie ahead, there would be no hope for anyone! We would all be as the people in the days of Noah, and no one would be ready for the Rapture, and no one would be taken! Why would God take the time to show Nebuchadnezzar a dream about the future, or have Daniel interpret the dream, if He did not want us to know what is coming? Nebuchadnezzar was not going to be around to see it become history. How could he recognize it as prophecy if it wasn’t history yet? It just makes no sense! These pastors know who they are and know that I am speaking to them, and when they read this, they had better WAKE UP and get back to the Word of God! They are just about to cross over the line into false teaching and heresy! They are not getting their congregation ready for the Rapture, or the coming of the Lord! You CANNOT argue with Scripture! This is their warning! Just as the Lord said, “The dream is true, and the interpretation is trustworthy.” 2 Daniel 2:46-49 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Daniel and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court. We cannot read this second chapter of Daniel and see what is happening in the world today without getting extremely excited! My friends, get right with Jesus and get ready!
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 17:56:42 +0000
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