DANIEL and REVELATION PROPHECY STUDY

[thecountrydoc]

The Unsealing of Daniel​

Study Number 5 Part 1​

"Whatever It Takes" Salvation​

As the story of the book of Daniel unfolds to chapter 4, we find Nebuchadnezzar fully confident in himself, his kingdom and his gods. After all, he was introduced as one who "besieged Jerusalem, taking God’s people captive (see Dan. 1:1). He is described as a ruler over all nations, whose dominion stretches "to the end of the earth" (Dan. 4:22). He is the great leader builder of Babylon’s power. The god’s he worships are obviously stronger than any other.

If God’s purposes are to be carried out, and if Nebuchadnezzar anf his subjects are drawn to do more rhan just acknowledge the only true God of heaven and earth, something drastic is going to have to happen, something that will shake Nebuchadnezzar’s entire confidence in the wisdom and superiority of Babylon. And that is exactly what Daniel 4 is all about!

Chapter 4 also speaks to each of us today. There is always something in our lives that seeks to push its way to the front and occupy first place, God’s place.

Whether it’s a job, material possessions, other people, or some talent, there is a little of Nebuchadnezzar in each of us. The Bible portrays out true position in the words of king David, "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of Thee, and Thine own have we given Thee" (Chron. 29:14).

There is nothing we have, or ever will have, for which we can say, "See, this is what I have done. This originates with me." All we possess comes from God, whether talent, wealth, intellect, genius, or whatever it may be, all good things come from God. And when we are swallowed up in the diversions of earthly pride, it is the unpleasant job of a God of love to do whatever He can to wake us up to the reality of His plan to save us (see Eph. 5:13-14; Rev. 3:19).

A Radical Change

Daniel 4opens with some incredible words from King Nebuchadnezzar, words that make obvious the radical change which has taken place in his heart.

"Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to show the signs that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are His signs! And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation" (Dan. 4:1-3).

It is interesting that this chapter of Daniel was actually written by Nebuchadnezzar. The fact that he was once the despotic ruler of a heathen nation, one of "the basest of men," now turned Bible writer, speaks plenty of the grace of God. Nebuchadnezzar is only one name among many recorded, not to mention the countless millions of names not recorded, whom the grace of God has turned from sin ti righteousness. That leaves each one of us pleanty of hope.

Another Dream

Why is Nebuchadnezzar now praising the God of heaven rather than the idols of Marduk? Let’s hear his conversion testimony from the beginning:

"I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace: I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my head and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore made I a decree to bring all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the inturpretation of the dream. Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told them the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. But Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that Ihave seen, and the interpretation thereof" (Dan. 4:4-9).

Did you notice the language of these last few paragraphs? It is almost identical to Nebuchadnezzar’s experience in chapter 2. He has a dream upon his bed. The dream troubles him. He cannot understand the dream, though he feels it is important. All the wise men of the kingdom are called in to make known the interpretation of the dream, but they cannot help the king. Finally Daniel is called in.

God is bringing Nebuchadnezzar right back to his chapter 2 experience. The king seems to have forgotten he was with the God of gods (see DAN. 2:47). Now the God of heaven is bringing the king full circle. He does that in our lives sometimes (see Numbers 22). When we forget how God has revealed His will to us in the past, He reminds us in the present. But if we persist in sin, choosing to turn from His love and grace, He will eventually honor our free choice (see Numbers 22"20–35).

At this point Nebuchadnezzar’s new dream is probably bringing back memories of the past. Perhaps the king’s conscience begins to impress upon him how he failed to acknowledge what God was trying to tell him. He may havesensed that he had a date with Daniel and Daniel’s God.

Notice that he is not upset with the wise men of his kingdom for not interpreting the second dream. He issues no decrees threatening them to be cut asunder. It is likely he never really expected them to be able to interpret this second dream. He may have called all the magicians and astrologers in first, hoping against hope that he would not need to call on Daniel again.

Since his first dream, the king’s loyalty to his professed faith in God has been somewhat weak. He knows Daniel’s God is the true God, but his failure to honor Him leads the king to avoid those who truly serve and obey Him. "But at the last" he calls for Daniel. He knows Daniel can give him the interpretation; he knew it all along. Daniel will tell him all, and perhaps that is why Nebuchadnezzar calls upon him last. All is sometimes too much to bear for those who are not doing what they know to be right.

The Bible teaches that "God sent not not his son into this world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this condemnation, that light iscome into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved" (John 3:17-20).

Nebuchadnezzar is caught between a rock anda hard place. More than anything else he wants to understand this dream. He senses its importance as it relates to himself. Yet his conscience knows that the knowledge that comes from Daniel’s God brings responsibility; it calls us to move away from darkness and obey the light (see 1 John 1:7).

I must take another break. When I return our next part of this study, part #2, "A MIGHTY TREE" will be our topic.

May I also suggest that you read the complete passages refferenced as it will help to give you the complete context. It is also helpful to compare translations and to use a study Bible and/or a chain refference Bible when studying

Respectfully, your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[thecountrydoc]

The Unsealing of Daniel
Study Number 5 Part 2​

"A MIGHTY TREE."​

At last Nebuchadnezzar is face to face with Daniel. In a sense of relief, coupled with a degree of anxiety, he shares his strange dream with the servant if God.

"Thus were the visions of my head in my bed; I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and it was meat for all: the beast of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed from it. I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven; He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beast get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beast in the grass of the earth: Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. This is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will,. And setteth up over the basest of men. This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but though art able; for the spirit of the holy god’s is in thee" (Dan. 4:10-19).

Now we can clearly see that God is bringing Nebuchadnezzar over the same ground as in chapter 2. There is one point, one important truth, that must have been impressed upon the king’s mind from the very inception of this dream. Before Daniel or any of the wise men were called to interpret what all of this ment, one message was clear. This dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar, "to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men" (Dan. 4:17).

In chapter 3 we found that Nebuchadnezzar did not like the idea of being replaced by other kingdoms. He sought to preserve his power by setting up an image all of gold and having every subordinate nation bow in allegiance to it. Thus he hoped to defy the decree of God. It didn’t work. God is ultimately in charge of the powers of this earth, which brings us to another important principle, namely, how to relate to the civil powers.

Obeying Earthly Powers

The words are pretty clear here in Daniel. The God of heaven gives the kingdom of men to whomsoever He will. He gives it even to "the basest of men." This does not make God responsible for the cruelty of such rulers. It was never God’s perfect will to allow evil men to exist, let alone to rule over others. It is our own disobedience, going all the way back to the garden of Eden, that left a God of love with difficult options.

One of the chief points of this chapter is that God has ordained the earthly sword of justice. "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers" the Bible says. "For there is no power bur of God: the powers that be ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and though shalt have praise for the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for the wrath, but also for the conscience sake. For this cause pat ye tribute also: fot they are God’s ministers, attending upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Though shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt lovethy neighbor as thyself" (Romans 13:1-9).

Notice that each "Thou shalt not" quoted by Paul applies to our relationship to our fellow human beings. Our duty to civil power lies in loving our neighbor as ourselves.
At the same time, there is a counterbalancing principal enunciated in the Bible. It is the idea that "we ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). And it is true. Look at Daniel’s three friends who refused to bow down before the image of gold. They obeyed God rather than the decrees of men, though such decrees were mandated by the highest civil authority. Paul recognized this important principle. The thirteenth chapter of Romans encourages obedience to rulers and those in authority in the context of the last six commandments and any other that is encompassed in the command, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." He is careful not to mention any of the first four commandments or their summation as given by Jesus to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, andwith all thy soul, and all thy mind"(Matt. 22:37). In other words, when it comes to the first four commandments, and how we worship God, our obedience to earthly rulers takes second place.

This is why the three Hebrew captives refused to bow to the image. To do so would be in violation of the second commandment. Attending the dedication violated no Bible principal. Thus, they were obligated to obey their earthly ruler as far as was possible while maintaining a conscience void of offense before God.

The Interpretation

"ThenDaniel,whosenamewasBelteshazzar,was astonished for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, lrt not the dream, or the interpretation thereof trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hat thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. The tree which though sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beast of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation: It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. And whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one come down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beast of the field, till seven times pass over him; this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after thiu shalt have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine inequities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility" (Dan. 4:19-27).

Rebuked in the Spirit of Meekness

There is a great lesson to be learned from the way Daniel approached the king with this message of rebuke from heaven. Truly Daniel had observed the king’s failure to follow the light of truth he had previously been shown. Yet he was not rash in admonishing Nebuchadnezzar. He approached this monarch with great prudence and tact, delivering a message that was calculated to humble his pride. Daniel was meek in his approach and it paid off (see Gal. 6:1; 2 Tim. 2:24-26).

The interpretation of the second dream was quite simple. Judging from the king’s response, or lack of one, we might conclude that he was half expecting the warning from heaven. Nebuchadnezzar received this message well. In fact, it made such an impression upon his mind that for one year he continued to prosper in his kingdom. Then one fateful day it happened.

I must once again take a break. When I return we shall find out about what happened and "Applying the Dream."

Your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[Telaquapacky]

I meant to mention this before we left Daniel, Chapter 3. There is a significant numerological parallel between Daniel 3:1,5 and Revelation 13:18. In Revelation, an image to the beast is erected, and people are compelled by death threat to worship the image. The Beast's number is six hundred, threescore (60) and six. In Daniel 3:1,5, the people are compelled by death threat to worship an image whose dimensions are threescore cubits by six cubits (Some translations, including the NIV lose this because they convert 60 cubits to 90 feet), and the people are told to worship when they hear musical instruments playing, six of which are mentioned by name.

Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 3:5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

This parallel suggests to me that Christians in the end time will inevitably be called upon to fill the same role that Mishael, Hananiah and Azariah did in Daniel 3. In both instances, the stakes are life and death.

 

[Telaquapacky]

Morris Venden preached a very interesting sermon once called, "God's Honor Guard." In this sermon, Venden expressed how God is happy to save people of all walks of life, who have had all kinds of life experiences. this way, in the judgment, no one can complain that they were too poor to be saved, because someone poorer than them would give their testimony, that they loved and came to believe in God despite grinding, lifelong poverty. Then when someone would complain that they were too rich, someone richer than them would stand up and give their testimony that they did not let riches and their temptations stand between them and a saving faith in God. No one could complain that they were miserably ill their whole life, because someone else was saved who was sicker and more miserable. No one could complain that they never learned to trust in God because they never had any problems- because someone who had even smoother sailing than them stands up and gives their testimony.

Daniel, chapter 3 was, it appears, written by King Nebuchadnezzar himself- at that time the world's greatest monarch. Nebuchadnezzar then joins God's Honor Guard as an example of a supreme ruler whow comes to a saving relationship with God from pride and paganism. Nebuchadnezzar's life stands as a rebuke to Pharaoh in Exodus (as well as many earthly rulers throughout history), who let his pride and power keep him from acknowledging God in spite of ample evidence.

I used to wonder how Nebuchadnezzar could regain his power after being out of the loop in the loony bin for seven years. I realized it was largely because he had entrusted so much authority to Daniel, who proved trustworthy. Daniel no doubt prevented a power struggle or palace coup, and faithfully kept Nebuchadnezzar's throne safe for him.

Sometimes we grasp onto temporal things and don't trust God. If we trust God enough to take the things dearest to us away if it's His will, often He will restore them to us. It's His way of making sure that temporal things are not more important to us than He is.

In verse 27, Daniel exhorts Nebuchadnezzar to give up the sin of pride. Again, an important function of prophecy is to call people to forsake sin and seek obedience to God.

That God raises up kings and puts kings down is important for us to keep in mind, and to trust that He is working His purpose out. Yesterday, Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, and an opposition leader who had returned to that country from exile was a bright hope for Pakistan, with her love of equality and democracy and the rights of women and individuals- was assassinated by a suicide bomber, to prevent her from running in upcoming elections. I am deeply grieved and troubled by this. What sorrow I have for the Pakistani people! I have a lot of apprehension about our own hopes being dashed when a good and beloved political leader may be assassinated in our own country in the coming years. But I feel challenged to have faith that God has a higher purpose in allowing these things to happen. What a world we live in! It is a great comfort to know that God will bring all this horror and anguish to a close soon and we can go home!

 

[thecountrydoc]

Thank you once again Telaquapacky for an excellent post. There is ideed a coralary between the numerical values given to the golden statutue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream and the number of the beast power found in Rev. 13:18.

As I said when we started this study on the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation , although they were written hundreds of years apart, they tell the same story. As we progress through theses two most important books of prophecy we will continue to find this type of complementery information. We will also continue to see how they not only complement each other but how Daniel gives us necessary knowledge, not only to help us undertand Revelation, but practical knowledge we can also apply from these lessons to our everyday lives.

The Scriptures are like a mine of percious stones or precious metals. Once we find a vein, if we keep digging we will find more and more of the treasue.


Your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[thecountrydoc]

The Unsealing of Daniel
Study #5 Part 3​

Applying the Dream

Thefirsttwowordsofverse 28 are the most important in the interpretation of this dream. If we are going to allow the word of God to have it’s proper place in giving us the meaning of Nrbuchadnezzar’s dream, we mist accept the fact that it all applies to Nebchadnezzar, not some other place and time. In fact, the words of verse 26 make the interpretation of the stump that is left with a band of iron and brass around it very plain: "And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after thou shalt have known that the heavens do ruler." Again notice the first few words: "All that came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar" (Daniel 4:28). It is quite clear that the entire dream applies to Nebuchadnezzar.

"At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake, and said, Is this not the great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws" (Daniel 4:29-33).

The idea that Nebuchadnezzar became a wild man is as mysterious as Jonah being swallowed by a whale and possibly just as hard for those who lack faith to swallow. Yet there are modern accounts of men being swallowed whole by gigantic sea creatures and living to tell about it. Just so, "the conditions that Daniel described is known by psychiatrist as lycanthropy (the wolf-man syndrom) or boanthropy (the ox-man syndrom). It was fairly common centuries ago, even when civilized people lived close to their animals. It is a mental state in which a person comes to think that he or she has turned into an animal and begins to act like an animal" (God Cares. Vol 1, C Mervyn Maxwell, pp. 59-60).

The Personal Testimony of a WorldRuler

Consider why chapter 4 was written and the lesson that was learned by King Nebuchadnezzar. He states it quite well in his closing thoughts. Let’s read them:

"And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants og the earth are reputed nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the armu of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honoe and brightness returned unto me; and my counselors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase" (Daniel 4:34-37).

In the conversion of Nebuchadnezzar we find afitting illustration of the basic principals and issues involved in every person’s conversion.

First, we see ourselves in Nebuchadbezzar as self-exalted, self-reliant, self-deceived sinners. Nebuchadnezzar felt no need for God. He haughtily indulged in the thought that he himself was the source of his successes in life. He needed to be awakened to the greater reality of God’s sovereignty. So do we.

Secondly, we see the circumstances of divine providence humbled the king, He had endeavored to retain his own glory while giving lip service to Jehovah. He mingled with his religious profession a measure of self that would preserve his pride, and it nullified the power of divine truth in his heart.

Finally, again through the course of divine revelation and providence, Nebuchadnezzar was brought still lower that he might abandon every vestige of self-reliance. God must be our all in all or nothing at all. The way to God is the way of cross. Only through a total renunciation of self-love, self-reliance can we truly know who we are and who God is.

God leads, enlightens, preserves and saves even the basest, most sinful of men. Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion extends great assurance and hope to every one of us, no matter how low in sin we have sunk. God’s love knows no bounderies.

It appears that pride was the main obstacle standing between Nebuchadnezzar and God. It’s probably the same with many of ustoday. We fall into an "inordinate self esteem, an unreasonable conceit for one’s own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, rank or elevation in office which manifest itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve, and often in contempt of others" (American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828).

No wonder Daniel’s remedy for the king was to break off his sins by "showing mercy to the poor" (Daniel 4:27). Helping the needy rather than withdrawing from them in contempt is a positive approach to eliminating pride. Micah spoke of the same remedy for pride when he said, "He hath shown thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8).

Through the process of humility the once proud Nebuchadnezzar had become one with his Maker. He definitely didn’t seem to have any immediate complaints about what he had experienced, only thanksgiving. We can be sure he won’t have any complaints when thre realities of eternity break upon him. Neither will any who put their trust in Jesus.

This concludes Study #5​

Study #6 to follow​

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Respectfully, your brother in Christ,
Doc​

​

 

[Telaquapacky]

The part of this chapter that I found most significant is in verses 30 and 31, "While the word was still in the king's mouth..." This is clearly a case where God performs an overt act of discipline on a son.

Hebrews 12:5,6
And you have forgotten the word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son."

Recently we had a guest speaker at our church for the divine worship service, and in his sermon, he said that many Christians believe that when bad things happen to Christians it is because God purposely brings tailor-made sufferings into our lives to help us grow spiritually. He refuted that idea, and instead insisted that bad things just happen to us merely as a result of living in a sinful world- and that even though God does not bring them our way to benefit us from them spiritually, we do have the opportunity to benefit from them spiritually if we take them in the right attitude. We observed a very interesting phenomenon as people reacted to the guest speaker's line of reasoning. The more legalistic people were greatly offended at the idea that God would not bring suffering into your life in order to help you grow. The more liberal people felt validated by the sermon. They felt it was the sign of a more loving God not to bring suffering, but to be there when we experience it, to help us grow from it and get through it.

I think that by saying that God doesn't bring the suffering to you purposely to help you grow, but if suffering comes, He can use it to help you grow, is some peoples' idea of balancing the theology. But I have a different idea. I believe that sometimes God does disciplines us, and sometimes He doesn't. I believe God is the perfect parent, with perfect wisdom, a perfect sense of timing, and without any of the failings of our human parents. He knows when the time is right for us to get a smack by the board of education on the seat of learning; and He knows when it is better to let us slide.

You can see why a legalist would need to see God hovering over us with a paddle, looking for every wrong move, to swat us- and why a liberal would need to see God sitting back like an indulgent parent, letting their kids get away with everything. I really believe that the truth rests in the middle. I look back on my life, and I am equally thankful to God for the sins I committed that brought swift and bad consequences- that I learned from to obey- as I am thankful to God for the sins I got away with, because the suffering it may have taken to "correct" me, might easily have backfired and driven me deeper into rebellion. God always knew when to intervene and when to stand back and wait.

Last September, my Stepfather passed away, and I spoke at his funeral, in my parents' Congregational church. I told the people how my Dad taught me about God not only because of the discipline I received, but also because of how my Dad let me slide on so many occasions. When my Dad married my Mom, I was a long-haired druggie, and he was an L.A. Policeman. Our relationship went through some difficult times, but eventually I straightened up and became a good citizen and later, a Seventh-day Adventist. My Dad did discipline me, but he never took it too far. Sometimes he let me know he didn't like what I was doing, but that there was nothing he could do to stop me- I would have to decide for myself what kind of life I wanted to live. In his last days, he did not even remember that I had ever disappointed him (excuse me, I'm getting all weepy writing this). I wish everyone had the privilege I had in having such a loving earthly father.

So I think this particular scripture is as significant in what it says as in what it doesn't say. Sometimes it is true that God smacks us when the word of sin is still in our mouth- But what is sweeter and more beautiful is that God knows when to do this and when not to. I think that is a point that the legalists and liberals alike miss.

 

[thecountrydoc]

In rereading this thread I noticed Telaquapcky's post in which he said:

"I meant to mention this before we left Daniel, Chapter 3. There is a significant numerological parallel between Daniel 3:1,5 and Revelation 13:18. In Revelation, an image to the beast is erected, and people are compelled by death threat to worship the image. The Beast's number is six hundred, threescore (60) and six. In Daniel 3:1,5, the people are compelled by death threat to worship an image whose dimensions are threescore cubits by six cubits (Some translations, including the NIV lose this because they convert 60 cubits to 90 feet), and the people are told to worship when they hear musical instruments playing, six of which are mentioned by name."

Just in case any of you missed this post or one that I posted on the subject of biblical numbers in another thread, I thought it would be well to repost it here before starting our next study.
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IMORTANT NUMBERS of SPECIAL INTEREST in the BIBLE and for UNDERSTANDING PROPHECY




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KEYS TO BIBLICAL NUMBERS​

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[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Many of the numbers in the Bible have deeper or prophetic or spiritual significance.[/FONT]






[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Both the in Old and New Testaments, numbers reveal hidden concepts and meanings that commonally escape the casual reader. And throught history, men with great minds, like Augustine, Isacc Newton, and Leonardo Di Vinci, showed more than just a passing curiosity regarding the importance of biblical numbers. Once more Jesus said

"the very hairs of your head are numbered." (Matt.10:30)​

[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]At least 12 numbers in the Bible stand out in this regard: 1,2, 3,4,5,6,7,10,12,40,50, and 70. However, much more can be said on this subject, so these examples serve merely as an introduction and are not exaustive by any means. [/FONT]


[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]1-repersents absolute singleness and unity. (Ephesians 4:4-6; John 17:21,22.) Note: WE presume readers need no more than these teo citations, as most of the type of biblical information regarding unity and singleness is common knowledge. [/FONT]


[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]2-represents the truth of God's Word; for example, the law and prophets (John 1:45), two or three wittnesses(2Cor.13:1), and a sword with two edges(Heb.4:12). See Mark 6:7 and Rev.11:3. it is also used 21 tines in the Books of Daniel and Revelation. [/FONT]


[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]3-repersents the Godhead/Trinity. The angels cry "Holy" three times to the triune God(Isa.6:3). [/FONT]


[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]4-repersents universal truth, as in the four directions(north,south,east,west) and the four winds(Matt.24:31;Rev.7:1;Rev.20:8). In Acts 10:11, a sheet with four coners simbolizes the gospel going to all the gentiles. [/FONT]


[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]5-repersents teaching. First, there are the five books of Moses. Second, Jesus taught about the five wise virgins and used five barly loaves to feed the 5000. [/FONT]


[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]6-repersents the worship of man, signifying his rebellion, imperfection, work, and disobedience. It is used 273 times in the Bible, including its derivatives(e.g,sixth) and another 91 times as "threescore" or 60." [/FONT]


[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]The number is especially significant in the book of Revelation, as "666" identifies the beast, [/FONT]




[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]

"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six humdred threescore and six"(Rev.13:18).​

[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]7-repersents prefection, and is the sign of God, divine worship, completions, obedience, and rest. The "prince" of Bible numbers, it is used 562 times, including its derivatives(e.g.,seventh, sevens). (see Gen.2:1-4, Ps.119:164, and [/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Ex.20:8-11 for just a few of the examples.) [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]The number seven is also the most common in biblical prophecy, occurring 42 times in the books of Daniel and Revelation alone. In Revelation there are seven churches, seven spirits, seven golden candlesticks, seven stars, seven lamps, seven seals, seven horns, seven eyes, seven angels, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven thousand slain in a great earthquake, seven heads, seven crowns, seven last plauues, seven golden vials, seven mountains, and seven kings. [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]10-repersents law and restoration. of course, this includes the Ten Commandents found in Ex.20. See also Matt.25:1(10 virgins); Luke 17:17(ten lepers); Luke 15:8(healing, ten silver coins). [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]12-repersents the church and God's authority. Jesus had 12 diciples, and there were 12 tribes of Israel. In Revelation 12:1, the 24 elders and the 144,000 are multipals of 12. The New Jerusalem has 12 foundations, 12 gates 12 thousand furlongs, and a tree with 12 kinds of fruit 12 times a year eaten by 12 times 12,000 or 144,000.(See Rev.21) [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]40-repersents a generation and times of testing. It rained 40 days during the flood. Moses spent 40 years in the desert, as did the children of Israel. Jesus fasted for forty days. [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]50-repersents power and celebration. The Jubilee came after the 49th year(Lev.25:10), and Pentecost occurred 50 days after Christ resurection(Acts 2). [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]70-repersents human leadership and judgement. Moses appointed 70 elders(Ex.24:1);The Sanhedrin was made up of 70 men. Jesus chose 70 disciples(Luke 10:1). Jesus told Peter to forgive 70 times 7. [/FONT]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]May the Holy Spirit guide you as you study the Word.[/FONT]

Your brother in Christ,
Doc

.​

 

[thecountrydoc]

The
Unsealing of Daniel
Study Number 6​

Daniel Chapter 5​

Atonement Rejected​

The Bible predicts the future with unerring accuracy, and its prophecies are not merely general. They are packed with specific details. This is one of the truly amazing things about Bible prophecy. The story line of Daniel 5 is no exception.

Many so-called prophets today are highly acclaimed for predictions that are almost obvious. The newspapers in the check out aisle of your local grocery store carry the newyear’s insights of the these mystic seers, "There’s going to be an earthquake in California. A great economic calamity will hit Wall Street. A terrible war will occur in the MiddleEast. Some important leaders will be assassinate." They utter their prophecies with great authority. Ofcourse, some of these predictions do take place. But saying there will be an earthquake in California is like prophesying that you’ll have food for breakfast tomorrow morning. Even with these near-obvious predictions, the accuracy modern day prophets is incredibly low. Yet people are still impressed.

Bible prophecies are of a completely different nature. Yes, some are general, but they are 100% accurate and many are highly detailed. On one occasion, God even named an individual, generations before he was born, outlining the mission he would accomplish in human history.

Daniel 5 contains one of these detailed predictions. As we study it, you will find its accuracy and fulfillment stunning.

Handwriting on the Wall

"The handwriting’s on the wall." This is an old cliche’ originating from the fifth chapter of Daniel. We may find it’s meaning in the context of it’s original setting, that is, the feast in the place of a king.

"Belshazzar the king made a great feast to thousands of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Necuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth the fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read the writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of fine gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom" (Dan.5:1-7).

All of us would most likely be a little troubled if we saw fingers of a bodiless hand writing on the wall. God had to be dramatic in order to get Belshazzar’s attention, because up to that point nothing else had–not Nebuchadnezzar’s history, not Danile’s witnessw, nor even the fact that Babulon was now completely surrounded by the army of Media-Persia.

Belshazzar knew that the Media-Persian army was outside his walls, laying siege to Babylon. But he also believed the walls of the city were impregnable. And with the river Euphrates running right through the city and the hanging gardens in it’s midst, Babylon had food enough for many years. The king thought he had "peace and safety" (see 1 Thes. 5:1-3).

Like too many today, the king of Babylon found himself partying without thought for tomorrow or accountability to God for his actions. In the midst of his revelry he commanded that the golden cups, taken from God’s temple by Nebuchadnezzar, be brought, that his subjects might drink wine to the gods of metal, stone and wood. Suddenly he was confronted with eternal realities when a bodiless hanf traced ominous letters on the wall of the banquet hall, leaving words that he could not understand. In the mysterious handwriting he sensed the judgement of an all-seeing, all-knowing God. Now everything around him was lost to his fear. Nothing promissed comfort or pleasure, assurance or hope. The only desire of this terrified king was to comprehend the meaning of this mysterious message that seemed to speak doom to his benumbed senses.

The king’s state of mind at the moment was foreseen and recorded by the prophet Isaiah:

"Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it. My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned against me. Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink" arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield" (Isa. 21: 3-5).

Notice the detail with which Isaiah wrote of this experience over a century before it happened:
a) The kings loins were filled with pain.
b) He was aghast at seeing this mysterious hand.
c) His night of pleasure turned into a night of fear.
d) And too late, he ordered his princes who were eating and drinking to anoint the shield.
We noted in a previous study, Isaiah had written of his people’s captivity, predicting the fate even of Daniel and his three friends (see Isa. 39:7-7).

This is only part of what God revealed through this faithful prophet concerning Babylon’s fall. Isaiah’s messages correctly prophesied of Judah, Babylon, and Cyrus, the king of Persia, whose mother was not even a twinkle in his grandmother’s eye when Isaiah was alive. These faithful predictions show the Bible to be a reliable book, one that accurately foretells the future, setting God’s Word aside from man’s word and truth aside from deception.

The enemy of souls is at work to get us off track so that we will not accept God and His great plan of salvation for humanity. From the very beginning, God’s Word has warned us of false messages delivered by so-called prophets. In His love He Has given us a clear guide to discern the difference between truth and error.

"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder," the Lord warned through Moses, "And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or the dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him and cleave unto Him" (Deut. 13:1-4).

Messages of truth, delivered by God’s prophets are clearly connected to obedience to His commandments. False prophets sometimes have visions and dreams that actually come to pass. This is allowed by God to test our commitment to truth. Any dream, vision, or prophecy that leads us away from obedience to God and His commandments is false.

When I return we will continue our study of Daniel chapter 5 with: Study #6, Part 2

Called to Read the Writing​

___________________________________________​

Your brother in Christ,
Doc​

 

[thecountrydoc]

The
UNSEALING of DANIEL
Study Number 6, Part 2​

Daniel Chapter 5 ​

Called to Read the Writing

At this point, recorded for the third time in the book of Daniel, came the call for Babylon's wise men to try to bring understanding to the words of God. And again it was impossible (see Dan. 5:8). This simply demonstrates that the wisdom of the world is utterly helpless when it comes to things Eternal. Humanity cannot solve the most significant troubles facing our world. We need heavenly help.

"Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live forever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and wisdom. like the wisdom of the gods was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation. Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou the that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing: And I have heard of thee, thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with, scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, andgive thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation" (Dan. 5:10-17).

Like Elisha, when offered money for healing, Daniel refuses the king’s gifts, and in so doing gives credit to god for his abilities (see 2 Kings 5:15-16).

Accountability for Light

Daniel begin faithfully recounting the record of God’s dealing with Nebduchadnezzae: :O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor: for the majesty that He gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he wouldhe kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he would put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened with pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and took his glory from him: and was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beast, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that He appointeth over it whomsoever He will, And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified" (Dan. 5:18-23).

The key phrase here is. "Though thou knewest all this." The New Testament says, "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:29-30).

God winks at our ignorance as He did with Nebuchadnezzae. But Belshazzar could not plead ignorance for praising gods of wood and stone. He knew of Nebuchadvezzar’s experience. He understood the course of wrong. Yet he course he pursued was wrong. Yet he refused to acknowledge God as Nebuchadnezzar had. "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin"(James 4:17). Knowledge of truth brings responsibility. All violations of what is right is sin, but God holds us accountable when His most earnest efforts to enlighten and redirect us fail. This was thecase with Belshazzar. The God of heaven was calling this king to account for his sin.

Let no one conclude from this that it is better to remain ignorant of eternal truth. Condemnation will fall upon those who have refused to come to the light for fear of being reproved for their evil deeds. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hath the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, and his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God" (John 3:19-21).

Not one of us need remain away from Christ. Anyone, no matter how great a sinner, may come to Christ just as he is. Jesus says. "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). God does not condemn us for being sinners. Christ came to save sinners. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation," the apostle Paul declares, "that Chriost Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (1Tiomothy 1:15). We are condemned because as sinners we refuse to come to Christ, because we cling to the darkness rather than turning to the Light.

While Isaiah prophesied doom for those who rejected God’s love, he also ezpounded upon the theme of salvation. "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else" (Isa. 45:22). The "ends og the earth" are those who may be farthest from Christ. The worst sinners can look to Him and live. If you have lived a life of hate, hurt and bitterness, feeling that God is far from you, then you are at the "ends of the earth." God says, "Look unto Me and I will save you." Look, dear friend, to Jesus Christ who gave His life for you. "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21).

When I return, we will continue our study of Daniel Chapter 5, with Part 3

Weighed and Found Wanting​

 

[Telaquapacky]

Doc,
There's an interesting parallel between Belshazzar's experience at the feast and the experience of the wicked in the last days, how heaven-daring celebration gives way to terror of God.

Daniel 5:3-6
3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.
4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.
6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.

Revelation 11:10,11
10 The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.

Luke 21:26,27
26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Not that we would gloat over anyone's discomfiture- deserving as it may be- but it underscores how important it is to us to endeavor to be among the saved, who will be comforted and overjoyed by the writing on the wall, rather than among those for whom it will be a fearful, threatening harbinger of doom.

 

[thecountrydoc]

Once again my friend you have made a very correct obversation. Thanks for your comments. They are always welcomed.

The more we study prophecy the more we are encourage, by not only the obvious things we learn from it, but also from the parallel things we can see and apply to our lives today.

By taking a slow, in depth, approach to the study of prophecy we are able to see both the forest and the trees.

Your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[thecountrydoc]

The
Unsealing of Daniel
Study Number 6, Part 3 ​

Daniel Chapter 5​

Weighed and Found Wanting

"Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; thou art weighed in the balances, and art fount wanting. PERES; thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians" (Dan. 5:24-28).

In Aramaic Mene means "counted" or " numbered.. Tekel means "weighed." Upharsin is Aramaic and is actually translates "and Parsin" (see Dan. 5:24 RSV, NIV). Parsin is the plural for peres, which in the singular means "divided." The plural is also the spelling for Persians. (See God Cares, vol. 1, p. 78, C. Mervin Maxwell). Here is a very important insight into the judgement of God against those who persist in sin. The very fact that God allowes men and women to pursue a wrong course, especially when they know better, reveals that He honors our free choice. God will do everything He can to rersuade us to return from sin and it’s results; everything, that is, except force the will. Our Savior knows that the wages of sin is death (see Romans 6:23). Compassionately He pleads, "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?" (Eze. 33:11).

If we do not turn from evil, God honors our choice. The Source of all life and breath gives us up to that which we have persistently chosen (see Acts 17:28). "We would have healed Babytlon," are the inspired words of Jeremiah, "but she was not healed" (see Jer.51:9). God wouldnot only have healed Babylon, but He would heal all of mankind, if they were willing. For God is not "willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

The sins of the whole world were laid upon Jesus Christ at Calvary. He took upon His guiltless soul the weight of every sin, that we might take upon us the righteousness belonging solely to Him (see 2 Cor. 5:21). Not soul need be found wanting in the balance of God’s righteous judgment.

Don’t be misled by God’s use of balances here. Salvation is not a matter of our good deeds outweighing our bad ones. In the Christian faith, salvation is offered solely upon the merits of Jesus Christ. So why does God use this illustration?

"In dealing with men God always uses a language which appeals forcibly to their understanding. Yhis is illustrated in the hand writing on the wall. It is a common belief amoung idolaters that the gods weigh deeds in balances, and if the good deeds outweigh the evil, the individual enters into his reward; if the opposite result is obtained, punishment follows. The language, therefore, was familiar to King Belshazzar....

"To the one who knows God, the attitude of the Lord toward the sinner is very diofferent, and still the symbol of the weights and balances is applicable. That this subject might be understood, God had sent an explanation by the prophet Ezekiel. When a man sins without repentance, he is cut off from God, because his iniquities separate between him and God, and he cannot be saved. If a man loves Christ and accepts Him and His righteousness, Christ character is written opposite the the name of that man in the books of heaven, andso long as a love of truth is cherished, the man is known by the character of Christ" (The Story of Daniel the Prophet, pp. 72-73. S.N. Haskell).

Cyrus Fulfills Prophecy

As Daniel finished his interpretation, Belshazzar, true to his word, made him third ruler in the kingdom. And, true to God’s word, the kingdom was taken from Belshazzar that night. "Then commanded Belshazzar , and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" (Dan. 5:29-31).
It ishere that we find one of the most amazing fulfillment’s of Bible prophecy ever recorded. The sixty-two-year-old Darius, the aged king of the Medes, conquered Babylon in behalf Cyrus the "King of Lands" (see God Cares, vol. 1 pp. 104-105). Cyrus made his triumphal entry about two and a half weeks later. The Media-Persian army diverted the flow of the Euphrates so that could find passage under the city through the unlocked gates of Babylon. It was on the very nightof Belshazzar’s feast that the Media-Persian army marched down the river bed into the city, taking the over-confident Chaldeans totally by surprise. All of this history isrecorded, over one hundred years before it happened, in these prophetic verses of Isaiah: "Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him, to open before him the two leaved gates; andthe gates shall not be shut; Iwill go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in surnder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast known me" (Isa. 45:1-4).

Amazing! There is nothing that can be compared to God’s Word and the prophecies He recorded.

What Happened to Daniel?

As we shall see in our next study, Daniel was not killed in the capture of Babylon, even though he was the "third" ruler. The question naturally arises, "Why did the conquering army not destroy Daniel, who was the third ruler in the kingdom, at this critical moment?" The answer is simple. When the kingdom was taken and Belshazzar slain, Nabonadius, the first ruler, was at the head of the army and surrounded by the enemy in another part of the kingdom. This left Daniel sole ruler in Babylon. He, knowing that over one hundred years before, Isaiah had prophesied that Cyrus should take the kingdom, was ready to welcome him whom God had said should build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem.
"There is also good reason to believe that Daniel and Cyrus were not strangers. When excluded from the council of Belshazzar, Daniel had spent a portion of his time at Shushan, the capital of Elam. Elam had revolted from Babylon, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Jeremiah.
"Daniel may have formed an acquaintance with Cyrus, and showed to him, as the high priest did to Alexander on a certain occasion, the prophecy that pertained to himself, andalso revealed to him the way God had said he should enter Babylon. It is evident from the wording of the decree given in the first chapter of Ezra, that Cyrus was familiar with these prophecies" (see Ezra 1:1-5).

Conclusion

Through Daniel and Isaiah God has given us some tremendous prophetic insights that found their fulfillment in Daniel’s time. In all of this, God’s purpose is our salvation. Notice the claims He made through Israel in relation to Bible prophecy:

"Behold, the former things are come to pass, and the new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them" (Isa. 42:9).

"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God,and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 49:6-10).

"I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of My mouth, and I showed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. Because I knew thou art obstinate, and thy neck is as an iron sinew, and thy brow as brass. I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I showed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them" {Isa. 48:3-5).

Now consider the words of Jesus as He spoke of things to come:

"And now I have told you before it came to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe" (John 14:29).

These scriptures make it clear that the whole point of Bible prophecy is that we would believe in one true God as our Friend and Savior. God knows our harts are hard, that we are sometimes obstinate. He uses prophecy to help melt our hearts. Through these tremendous revelations He encourages us to leave the idols of this world, be they man or metal, living or material, and trust in Christ alone as our Redeemer. Won’t you give your heart to Him who longs to save you?

This concludes Study Number 6. ​

When I return we will begin Study Number 7: Atonement through Intercession

Your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[Telaquapacky]

I saw another parallel between Daniel and Revelation: that the drying up of the river Euphrates makes way for conquering forces from the east.


Revelation 16:12
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

An Irony:
It’s interesting that the Euphrates River, the very thing that Belshazzar and the citizens of Babylon regarded as a source of their security turned out to be the thing God used to overthrow them. I believe that the antitypical Euphrates River in Revelation is symbolic of something the enemies of God’s people have trusted in, that fails them in the last days, or turns against them.

Comparing the verses below from Revelation 13, 17 and 18, you can see in the beginning a haughty confidence in God’s enemies, that turns into fear and loathing when they are exposed as fallen. Something that made them wonderful and seemingly invincible in the sight of the world fails suddenly- and they become the universal object of scorn and retribution by both God and man.

Revelation 13:3
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Revelation 17:15 to 18:8
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

Revelation gives a very strong exhortation to get out of Babylon before she and everyone who trusts in her are judged fallen, wanting in the balance, and are lost and destroyed along with the very thing they thought would keep them safe.

 

[thecountrydoc]

Telaquapacky, you are truly gifted and well studied to see these coralations in these books of prophecy. Thanks for your input.

Is everyone taking notes? These are points that you will find to be of great help when showing others how these two great books of prophecy, Daniel and Revelation, help explain eachother.

Respectfully, your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[thecountrydoc]

Hello my Brothers and Sisters,

I must once again appologize for not keeping up with our study. As I'm sure most of you are aware there has a great deal of turmoil in our forum over the past month or so. That turmoil has produced an overload of reports and extra work for your moderators. Hopefully I will be able to get back on track shortly.

Thanks for your patience.

Your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[Telaquapacky]

Daniel 6:1-4
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.
3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.

The wisdom of Nebuchadnezzar in keeping and training Daniel and his brothers to be officials in his government paid off, both for Babylon and for Daniel, because of his intelligence and integrity, and his faithfulness to his duty- all products of his personal walk with God. By the time the regime change took place and the Medes and Persians occupied and took over Babylon, Daniel had served the kingdom wisely and ably for many decades. He had knowledge and experience of the kingdom that the other administrators lacked. This along with his conscientiousness, and the blessing of God, placed Daniel far above the other administrators. They had just been appointed to a foreign post, and were probably discontented with their position and were greedy to take advantage of things to enlarge their power and benefit themselves. But Daniel had a kind of power that they did not have, and it made them extremely jealous. His ethical way of dealing in the affairs of government not only deprived them of an opportunity to impeach him, but it also obstructed and inhibited their attempts at political corruption. They could not get away with cheating the king or the people as long as Daniel was around.

In verses 6 to 9, we see the royal administrators and the satraps go to King Darius as a group representing not only themselves, but some classes of civil servants below them. We were told in the first verse in the chapter, that there were two administrators other than Daniel, and 120 satraps. There were probably over a hundred men present at this conference with King Darius, though the impetus probably came from the two administrators who were at the same level as Daniel. Doubtless there were many more lower civil servants below them whom they claimed to represent, and those may have been previously employed by the former government, and may have been familiar with Daniel, and worked under him. It is a blessing to work under a faithful and wise leader, and Daniel probably had many enthusiastic supporters among the lower civil servants. Politics is sometimes a few persuading many, sometimes many persuading few; but when persuasion seems unattainable, sometimes politics is merely going over people's heads, and claiming to represent them without their agreement or consent. It seems unlikely that their campaign against Daniel was known by the others below them, and the meeting was probably hastily conducted, maybe even at an odd hour, so to avoid controversy or dissent. So the government officials mentioned in verse 7 below the level of the administrators and the satraps, had probably not really "all agreed" concerning the edict. The administrators and satraps were also careful not to let Darius know the ultimate target of their attack. Darius appears not to have been very experienced in government intrigue, otherwise, rather than be railroaded by a large group of men, he might have been suspicious of their claim of unanimous support, and he might also have asked, "Where's Daniel?" The administrators made sure Darius knew that he was signing legislation that could not be repealed, so he could not back out when he leaarned the truth.

As soon as possible after getting the legislation they sought, the administrators staked out Daniel's house and caught him praying to God as usual. What they did not know was that Daniel had had experience with this kind of thing in the past- both direct experience with Nebuchadnezzar's decree to destroy the wise men of Babylon in Daniel 2:13, and indirectly with Nebuchadnezzar's decree to worship the golden image in Daniel 3:4-6 (indirectly, because Daniel was not present for that one). Both times God had intervened, and the fearlessness and faith of God's servants had resulted in God's glory. Probably during Daniel's life there were many smaller occasions, too many to mention in the Scripture, where God had glorified Himself in the faithfulness of His servant. Daniel was zealous for God's glory- this was the thing he lived for. So it wasn't that Daniel was "in your face," defying the crooked politicians that he opened his windows to Jerusalem, and show off that he was praying to Jehovah. Daniel saw the opportunity for God to be glorified in his faithfulness to God in the face of opposition and death threats.

 

[thecountrydoc]

Hi once again to one and all,

I would like to thank all who have read, or posted to, this thread.

As most of you are aware I haven't been around much for the last several months. One of the reasons for my absence has been some rather serious health problems that are now improving. I will be back shortly to continue this most important study of the books of Daniel and Revelation. I look forward to studying with all of you once again.

Your friend and brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[Stryder06]

I'll be watching for this

 

[honorthesabbath]

Hi once again to one and all,

I would like to thank all who have read, or posted to, this thread.

As most of you are aware I haven't been around much for the last several months. One of the reasons for my absence has been some rather serious health problems that are now improving. I will be back shortly to continue this most important study of the books of Daniel and Revelation. I look forward to studying with all of you once again.

Your friend and brother in Christ,
Doc

Welcome back Doc! It's good to see you here again. And glad to hear you are on the road to recovery. I know, on a personal basis, how illness can take us down.