DANIEL STUDY

[oldhermit]

Before we begin this study, it is incumbent upon us to understand the importance of revealed meaning. What I mean by revealed meaning is meaning than scripture attaches to its own use of language and symbols. Since scripture is exclusively the product of the mind of God, then only God has the right to assign his own meaning to revealed symbols. This means that man has no right to impose his own meaning upon scripture. Like all symbols, biblical symbols represent something that is beyond themselves. So, with this in mind, let us begin our study of the prophesies of Daniel. I will try to keep the posts to a manageable size.

Daniel 2:36-45 – Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the “Great Image.”
The Revealed Meaning of the Dream, 36-45
“This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

The dream is an outline of the next 550 or so years of human history before it was to unfold. This dream represents a catalogue of temporal events in connection with the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of a kingdom superior to all temporal kingdoms. The temporal indicators point to the coming of the Messiah. These indicators were the succession of four kingdoms that would rise and fall from Nebuchadnezzar to the Roman Empire. Let us examine the outline of the dream as Daniel supplies the meaning.

A. The head of gold, 36-38.
In the inspired interpretation of this dream, the only king or kingdom that is identified by Daniel is Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire. This is the starting place in time for the meaning of the dream.

“You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.”

Nebuchadnezzar is presented as the representation of the Babylonian empire, the dominating world kingdom at the time. Every other kingdom shown in this image would be represented in the same way. Nebuchadnezzar’s place on the world stage at this time was not the result of Nebuchadnezzar's military genius, strength, or power, nor was it the result of any cunning or wisdom on his part. This is a lesson he will learn in chapter three. Nebuchadnezzar was where he was because the Lord put him there to serve the Lord's purpose.

In this dream, the king stands as the entire kingdom. This is evident from verse 38. “After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.”

 

[oldhermit]

Does anyone wish to comment on this segment? If not, I will continue.

 

[Truth7t7]

Does anyone wish to comment on this segment? If not, I will continue.

I'm not really concerned with the kings and building up to the (Little Horn) what is your interpretation on who, how, what, when, (The Little Horn) took or will take place?

No disrespect

 

[oldhermit]

I'm not really concerned with the kings and building up to the (Little Horn) what is your interpretation on who, how, , what, when, (The Little Horn)

No disrespect

We will definitely get to that. We are looking at the he visions one at a time.

 

[Truth7t7]

We will definitely get to that. We are looking at the he visions one at a time.

Ok, see ya in a few days, I was interested in your views on (TheLittle Horn) Past, Present, Or Future?

See ya in a few

 

[oldhermit]

B. The breast and arms of silver would be the Medo-Persian empire that conquered the Babylonians in the time of Daniel. Daniel confirms this in 5:28, when he tells Belshazzar, “Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.” In fact, Isaiah also prophesied in 13:17-19 that Babylon would be given over to the Medes and Persians almost 200 years before it happened.

“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. Also, their bows will dash the young men to pieces, and they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Jeremiah gives the same prophesy in Jeremiah 51:11, “Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance for His temple.”

Nebuchadnezzar had looted the temple and placed the holy objects in the temple of his gods. In chapter 5, Belshazzar even has the audacity to have the gold and silver vessels of the temple of God brought to a feast so that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Jeremiah said this would not go unpunished.

In Isaiah chapters 44 and 45, Isaiah even names Cyrus as the king who would be over the Medo-Persian empire at that time. The fulfillment of this event will be where the book of Daniel will end. The meaning of the rest of this image is a record of events that would happen after the time of Daniel.

Daniel says that the breast and arms of silver represent a single kingdom yet, in an attempt to make the Grecian empire a fourth kingdom in order to satisfy millennialistic expectations, many millennial advocates such as Dr. Robert J M Gurney attempt to divide the Mede empire from the Persian empire to make the second and third kingdoms. Daniel, however, presents the Medo-Persian empire as a single kingdom. Babylonian and Persian records also confirm that the Medo-Persian empire was a single kingdom united under one king.

C. The belly and thighs of bronze, 39
This kingdom of bronze would in time, overthrow the kingdom of silver. In chapter 8, Daniel will identify this kingdom as Greece who would conquer the Medo-Persians and divide the kingdom into four separate kingdoms. This division was the result Alexander the Great’s untimely death and his empire being divided between four of his generals. In 8:21 Daniel says,

“And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king (Alexander the Great). As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.”

In 498 BC, Greece invaded the Persians and this led to the Greco-Persian wars which lasted about 50 years. The Persian Empire would continue to stand until 336 BC. In the time of Darius III, it fell to Alexander the Great. We will examine this in much greater detail when we get to chapters 11-12.

The way these dreams are given to Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, and Daniel shows a progressive revelation of the same theme. What was revealed to Nebuchadnezzar was the fact that four consecutive world kingdoms would rise and fall, and in the time of the last, God would set up his kingdom. Each time a new dream or vision appears in the book of Daniel, more detail is revealed about the same historical context. The book of Revelation does precisely the same thing.

D. The legs of iron with the feet of clay and iron, 40-45.
This fourth kingdom represented by Daniel as consisting of both legs and feet would be the kingdom of the Roman Empire. It is interesting that Daniel never actually mentions Rome by name anywhere in the book. He mentions Babylon by name 17 times, Medo-Persia 19 times, and Greece three times. Though Rome is not mentioned by name, we will see in chapter seven how this empire of iron is further described and how perfectly it fits Roman history.

1. “Legs of iron” suggests the military strength of the kingdom.

2. The feet and toes of the fourth kingdom are an amalgamation of iron and clay demonstrating its weakness and fragile nature.

3. “They will mingle with the seed of men (other nations – this is the clay); but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.” In other words, Rome’s arrangement with the other nations would prove unstable.

This kingdom would be strong militarily, but because of the intermingling with foreign nations, there would exist a fragile coherence of unity. Rome exercised the use of military force to keep the peace (the Pax Romana) among all the nations under its control. But from the death of Alexander until the time of Christ, the Roman Empire was plagued by almost continual war. Roman was constantly having to quell internal strife among the annexed nations. It was constantly having to put down one rebellion after another. The Jews were simply part of this equation. Although the Jews were subjects of the Roman Empire, they always had an uneasy relationship with Rome. The two simply did not adhere to one another. This friction later manifested itself in a series of revolts by the Jews between 66 AD and 135 AD.

 

[Blackpowderduelist]

Does anyone wish to comment on this segment? If not, I will continue.

I am fully interested in the entire build up, so as to reach a full explanation. Please continue with the study. Thus far it is quite interesting.

 

[oldhermit]

I try to offer enough time between posts for people to ask questions.

 

[Live4Him]

What was revealed to Nebuchadnezzar was the fact that four consecutive world kingdoms would rise and fall, and in the time of the last, God would set up his kingdom.

I totally agree with this. With such being the case, the chronological timeline in relation to the image works from head to toe. In other words, Babylon (the head) came first, then Medo-Persia, Greece, and, finally, Rome (culminating in the feet and toes).

As you rightly stated, "in the time of the last", ROME, "God would set up his kingdom", so this tells us that ROME must somehow be in power at the time of Christ's second coming. Personally, I could go into great detail as to how they will be, but this is not the specific point that I want to address at this moment. Instead, I'd like to suggest something about the following:

Daniel chapter 2

[34] Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
[35] Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

...

41] And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
[42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
[43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

Seeing how "the stone" (Christ) shall "smite the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay" at his second coming, this indicates to us that these feet of iron and clay are present at the time of Christ's return. With such being the case, I'd like to suggest something in relation to "they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men".

It seems to me that Daniel is presenting a CONTRAST here between whoever this "they" are and "the seed of men". In other words, this "they" seem as if they are not human beings, and, personally, I strongly consider that they're not.

We read:

Revelation chapter 12

[7] And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
[8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
[9] And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
[10] And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
[11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
[12] Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

It is my understanding that this angelic battle has not yet taken place. When it does take place, Satan and his angels shall be cast down to this earth, and Satan will come down "having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time". To my understanding, this "short time" (3 1/2 years) of Satan's great wrath is what we would normally call "the great tribulation".

Anyhow, I've often considered that when Daniel spoke of "they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men" this "they" might be Satan and his angels who will apparently be on earth leading up to the time of Christ's second coming.

Thoughts?

 

[oldhermit]

I think once we get through all of Daniel's visions, we will see much more clearly how all of this fits together.

 

[Live4Him]

I think once we get through all of Daniel's visions, we will see much more clearly how all of this fits together.

No offense, but I've already read the book of Daniel probably 50 times or more. This is NOT to say that I understand all of it (because I don't), but it is to say that we shouldn't overlook parts of it as they are presented to us. Granted, we get additional insight into certain visions as we look to other visions, but, at the same time, we're not only limited to Daniel's visions for additional insight. In other words, the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel pretty much work together like hand and glove.

Anyhow, as you were...

 

[HighPremise]

No offense, but I've already read the book of Daniel probably 50 times or more. This is NOT to say that I understand all of it (because I don't), but it is to say that we shouldn't overlook parts of it as they are presented to us. Granted, we get additional insight into certain visions as we look to other visions, but, at the same time, we're not only limited to Daniel's visions for additional insight. In other words, the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel pretty much work together like hand and glove.

Anyhow, as you were...

Share with us from your extensive experience in Daniel and Revelation your interpretation of Michael -
Dan 12 and Rev 12. The spiritual interpretation of course, not the unspiritual interpretation.

 

[oldhermit]

D. The fifth kingdom would be of a different kind.

“And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the kingdom shall not be left to other people.”

1. “These kings” to which Daniel refers would be the Roman emperors which John outlines for us in the book of Revelation. It is the same imagery as that of Daniel 7.

2. “It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms,”
This is not just an indictment against the fourth kingdom but also the three preceding kingdoms as well. “It broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold.” This is the idea of conquering. The Kingdom of God would immediately begin to infiltrate not only the Roman Empire but all kingdoms of the earth through the preaching of the gospel. In Revelation 11:15, the seventh angel announced, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

3. “A stone made without hands” refers to the kingdom of God. “Made without hands” means this kingdom in not of human or earthly origin.

E. This Stone would grow into a great mountain, 44-45.

1. It is important to notice the contrast between the earthly kingdoms and that of the stone cut without hands. The earthly kingdoms are corporeal, flesh and blood. As such, they are temporal, limited to and bound by time, and are subject to being conquered by stronger nations. By contrast, the kingdom of God is different in both type and in kind. It is of divine origin – made without hands. It is eternal, unconquerable, and invincible.

2. The big question – How can the Church be the fulfilment of this prophesy? The millennialist argues that the Church is not and cannot be the fulfilment of this prophesy. Millennialists insist that this has not yet been fulfilled in any way because the world powers still stand.

First, we must understand that the kingdom of God and earthly kingdoms are incommensurable, they cannot be measured on the same plane or understood in the same way. Unlike earthly kingdoms, the kingdom of God does not conquer through the use of military force. In John 18:36, Jesus told his disciples. “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”

The kingdom of God conquers in a much different way. It works inwardly, conquering the hearts of men, subjecting men of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, Revelation 5:9, 13:7 and 14:6. Paul says in 2 Corinthians, 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Jason Jackson makes the observation that

“The New Testament nowhere teaches that we are to look for a superpower kingdom of God that would dominate the world as it now is, having accomplished world-domination through some literal, Armageddon-like conquest.”

This is precisely what millennial theorist are looking for. They are looking for something that will never exist. They are waiting for events that will never occur.

(Quote taken from Jackson, Jason. "How Can the Church Be the Fulfillment of Daniel 2:44?" ChristianCourier.com. Access date: December 19, 2019.
https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1243-how-can-the-church-be-the-fulfillment-of-daniel-2-44)

3. The growth and expansion of the Kingdom of God would be a gradual process.
Acts chapter two records the establishment of the Kingdom of God among men “in the days of these kings.” The expansion of this kingdom would infiltrate every nation, every tribe, every culture, every ethnic group, and every language on the face of the globe, and it began with the assimilation of the Jews on the day of Pentecost. Its infiltration would then expand from Jerusalem to all Judea then Samaria and finally to the end of the earth. But it had to begin with the dispersed Jews, and so it did. “And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.” Acts 2:5. This is where the stone would begin to grow into “a great mountain and filled the whole earth.”

F. The certainty of the dream and it’s meaning are absolute, 45. “The great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

Daniel says the dream was certain, (in other words, these things would indeed happen just as described) and that the interpretation was sure; Therefore, its meaning is not subject to any other interpretation. What made the interpretation sure was the source of the interpretation. Since it was God who assigned meaning to the dream, this makes the interpretation and its meaning absolute. If the meaning is absolute, there is no other possible meaning. There can be no other meaning than that which was revealed to Daniel. This is the nature of an absolute. Attempting to assign any other meaning to these revealed symbols rejects the reveled meaning.

This is the inherent problem with applying human interpretation to ANY text of scripture. I know I have said this many time before, but I cannot emphasize this enough. When you ask someone how they would interpret a particular text of scripture, what you are asking them is, “What meaning do you attach to this text of scripture?” My response is, who cares? What I want to know is, what truth does the language of the text reveal to us? This completely dismisses any and all human infringement upon the text, whether it is mine or that of someone else. Daniel is quite clear. Since scripture comes from the mind of God, then only God has the right to assign meaning to scripture. God reserves the exclusive right to interpret scripture. Because the interpretation came from the Lord, this automatically renders all other interpretations null and void.

 

[oldhermit]

No offense, but I've already read the book of Daniel probably 50 times or more. This is NOT to say that I understand all of it (because I don't), but it is to say that we shouldn't overlook parts of it as they are presented to us. Granted, we get additional insight into certain visions as we look to other visions, but, at the same time, we're not only limited to Daniel's visions for additional insight. In other words, the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel pretty much work together like hand and glove.

Anyhow, as you were...

Absolutely. I am sure you probably have read Daniel many times, but there may be some members following the thread who have not.

 

[Lucy-Pevensie]

I've never heard of anyone trying to make 2 separate kingdoms from Medio-Persia before.
2 phases of the same kingdom perhaps but not 2 distinct Kingdoms.

 

[oldhermit]

I've never heard of anyone trying to make 2 separate kingdoms from Medio-Persia before.
2 phases of the same kingdom perhaps but not 2 distinct Kingdoms.

It is not a very popular opinion, but there are some who advocate this view.

 

[Live4Him]

Jason Jackson makes the observation that

“The New Testament nowhere teaches that we are to look for a superpower kingdom of God that would dominate the world as it now is, having accomplished world-domination through some literal, Armageddon-like conquest.”

What a load of rubbish.

 

[oldhermit]

DANIAL 7 and REVELATION 13

I. The Record of the Vision, 1-3,

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. Daniel spoke, saying, ‘I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.”

A. The use of symbolism
This vision, and the visions to follow, represent the use of symbolism at its finest. This vision gives us the same prophetic representations we saw in the image of chapter two, but are presented to us in a different set of symbols with more detail provided about the four kingdoms. The use of symbolism is designed to prevent any discovery of meaning. What we have learned from the vision of the image in chapter two and the hand writing on the wall is that man is profoundly unequipped to assign meaning to revealed symbols. Meaning is limited to only one source – God. Symbolism defies all human attempts to assign meaning to revealed symbols and it will be no different with the vision of chapter seven. Not even Daniel presumed to assign meaning to these symbols but asks for meaning to be shown to him from the Lord.

B. The time of the dream – “In the first year of Belshazzar.”
So, Daniel is not following a chronological order of events here. He is taking us back to the time of Belshazzar when he received this vision. He will do the same thing in each of the following visions. It is important to know this because if Daniel had had this vision in the time of Darius, why would Babylon be symbolized in this vision since it had already fallen?

C. Only a partial account of the dream is recorded by Daniel. Daniel did not record all he saw; he merely offers us a summary account of the vision. "...he wrote down the dream, TELLING THE MAIN FACTS."

D. The allegorical use of “the four winds” in verse two represents the turbulent state of world affairs which produce earthly kings and kingdoms.

E. The “great sea,” as a geological feature, is sometimes used in scripture to identify the Mediterranean Sea, and some have understood the great sea here to refer to the Mediterranean region. But as a prophetic symbol, the sea is used in scripture to represent the world of nations, the sea of world empires, or the political sea as seen in Jeremiah 46:7-8 and Luke 21:25-26. Allegorically, it is not unusual for scripture to symbolize people as waters or seas. Revelation 17:15 uses similar imagery as a symbol as the angel defines for John the meaning of all the symbols he saw in the vision of the scarlet woman and the scarlet beast, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” In Revelation 13, John says, “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.”

Remember, Daniel’s vision is about the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, and these do not rise up out of the literal seas. These four kings arise out of the sea of political turmoil one after the other in relation to time, and in an established order.

F. “Great” as a description of the four beasts is of course a matter of comparison. They are great with respect to the other kingdoms of the earth. They are larger, stronger, more powerful, and in their time, they each dominate all others.

 

[Live4Him]

Jason Jackson makes the observation that

“The New Testament nowhere teaches that we are to look for a superpower kingdom of God that would dominate the world as it now is, having accomplished world-domination through some literal, Armageddon-like conquest.”

This is precisely what millennial theorist are looking for. They are looking for something that will never exist. They are waiting for events that will never occur.

As I said earlier, what a load of rubbish.

Acts chapter 1

[1] The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
[2] Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
[3] To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
[4] And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
[5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
[6] When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
[7] And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
[8] But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
[9] And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

After his resurrection from the dead, Jesus was seen of his disciples for forty days, during which he spoke to them of "the things pertaining to the kingdom of God", even as he had done for approximately 3 ½ years prior to his crucifixion.

Notice the very last question that his disciples asked him before he ascended to heaven:

“Lord, with thou at this time RESTORE AGAIN THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL?” (Acts 1:6)

Unlike many today (including you, apparently), Jesus’ disciples actually knew what to look for because they actually understood the scriptures.

For example, they apparently understood what had been prophesied by the prophet Micah:

Micah chapter 4

[1] But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
[2] And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
[3] And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
[4] But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.
[5] For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
[6] In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
[7] And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
[8] And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.


^^^THIS^^^ is what those who truly handled the scriptures aright were looking for:

THE KINGDOM COMING TO THE DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM OR THE LORD RESTORING AGAIN THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL RIGHT HERE ON EARTH.

In fact, this is what the following parable of Jesus is all about:

Luke chapter 19

[11] And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
[12] He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
[13] And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
[14] But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
[15] And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
[16] Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
[17] And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
[18] And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
[19] And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
[20] And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
[21] For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
[22] And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
[23] Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
[24] And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
[25] (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
[26] For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
[27] But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

The people were RIGHTLY waiting for the kingdom of God to appear RIGHT HERE ON EARTH, but they had their timing wrong. In other words, they thought that it would appear at Christ’s first coming, but he needed to correct their theology by letting them know that it wouldn’t appear RIGHT HERE ON EARTH until his second coming or until "when he was returned, having received the kingdom" (Luke 19:15). Notice too that his faithful servants were rewarded with authority over cities because the saints will reign and rule with Christ RIGHT HERE ON THIS EARTH DURING HIS COMING MILLENNIAL REIGN.

^^^THIS^^^ is what the Bible actually teaches from cover to cover.

DON'T BE DECEIVED, PEOPLE.

 

[oldhermit]

II. The Four Beasts, 4-8
A. The lion beast, 4

“The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings (more properly, vultures wings.) I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.’”

This corresponds to the head of gold which Daniel says is Babylon, in the image of chapter 2.

1. The Lion was the symbol chosen by Babylon to represent their empire. This symbol seems to have been a leftover from their days as part of the Assyrian nation. The lion dominated the artistry of the city of Babylon and was also used on their coins. The lion of Babylon represented Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, and war. Babylon also used the image of the winged lion and statues and other art work from Babylon sometimes depict the winged lion having the face of a man. Whether or not this has any bearing on why the Lord chose to represent Babylon as a winged lion may be neither here nor there.

The lion represents strength and the wings represent swiftness as they often do in scripture. In the matter of this beast, wings represent the swiftness of its conquests. Indeed, Babylon had reached the pinnacle of its power and dominance in only a few years. “…till its wings were plucked off” signifies a halt to its momentum of conquest. In the time of Nebuchadnezzar, the empire had expanded greatly compared to what he had inherited from his father Nabopolassar. After the time of Nebuchadnezzar, the expansion ceased and the empire began to decline quite rapidly. As you will notice, this beast has only two wings while the third beast has four, representing magnified swiftness of conquest. We will look at that when we get to verse 6.

2. Unlike the other beasts in this vision, the lion undergoes a complete transformation from its original form to something completely different. This lion was “lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.”

a. The loss of the wings = loss of swiftness and unchecked motion.

b. Made to stand like a man = loss of strength and power, weak.

c. Given the heart of a man = loss of ferocity. He has been given a complete change of nature and character.

Remember, he is talking about a kingdom not a lion. This kingdom has become weaker, there is less power, less ferocity; It is given a more docile manner. Thus, this once swift, powerful, and ferocious kingdom would be made to become weak and docile in as much as a man is weaker and more docile than a lion.

B. The bear beast, 5

“And suddenly, another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’”

This corresponds to the breast and arms of silver in the image of chapter 2. This is the kingdom of Medo-Persia.

1. The “bear” is an insatiable omnivore of tremendous strength and ferocity.

2. In this scene, it is “…raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth.”

This could mean that the second kingdom would consist of two parts with one part of the kingdom greater in prominence than the other hence, “raised up on one side.” This certainly reflected the Medo-Persian Empire as the Persians surpassed the Medes. But I do not believe this is the intent of the imagery. This is a picture of a bear at rest with one side partially raised. The bear is in the process of devouring a recent kill.

Most commentators suggest the three ribs represent the Persian conquest of Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. This of course is speculative and may be a possibility but, I would suggest that in comparing this vision with the one in chapter 8, it may be more probable that the ribs here correspond to the three directions of Persian conquest in 8:4.

“I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward, so that no animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.”

3. “…devour much flesh!”
While the first kingdom in this vision is represented as being in decline, the second kingdom is pictured as being in the prime of its existence as it were, with still many conquests to be obtained. The command is thus given, “Arise, devour much flesh!”

C. The leopard beast, 6

“After this, I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.”

This corresponds to the belly and thighs of bronze in the image of chapter 2 and represents the Grecian Empire.

1. “Four wings” A very swift conqueror. Even more swift than Babylon.
In 334 BC, Alexander the Great began his conquests and by 331 he had conquered all of the known world and Hellenized all its subjects. Alexander died in 323 BC. This was swift indeed.

2. “Four heads” represent the four divisions of the Grecian Empire.
After Alexander’s death, his empire was divided among his four generals known in Latin as the Diadochi, which is actually from the Greek, “Διάδοχοι” meaning “successors.”

 Lysimachus – who took Thrace and much of Asia Minor.

 Cassander – controlled Macedonia and Greece.

 Ptolemy I – ruled Egypt, Palestine, Cilicia, Petra and Cyprus. He founded the Ptolemaic Dynasty which lasted until the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC.

 Seleucus I Nicator – ruled the remainder of Asia and founded the Seleucid Empire which also comprised Mesopotamia, Persia, and part of India.

These four generals are symbolized by the four heads of the leopard. In 146 BC, Greece was made a Roman Province, which brings us to the next beast.