SEE COMPLETE LIST OF ARTICLES ON HOME PAGE Lessons from the Book of Daniel By Ken Raggio Also: "Daniel - Man of Excellence" (Character Study) Daniel And The Three Hebrews The prophesied siege of Jerusalem by Babylon began when Nebuchadnezzar captured King Jehoiakim. He took the holy temple vessels back home to his own idolatrous temple in Shinar. He also captured the finest young princes of Israel, including the king's seed; "children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace." God had big plans for Daniel and his friends. Daniel 1:6 - "Among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah." Courage To Be Different Where are the souls who will dare to be different from the world? Does anybody go against what is popular anymore? How can God be pleased with our living when we are no different from the rest of the world? God, give us courage like Daniel had, to buck the trends and be different for righteousness sake. Daniel 1:8 - "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself." Modesty And Sobriety Are Better In Babylon, Daniel and his fellows were appointed a daily provision of the king's meat and wine for three years, while preparing to serve the king. Daniel did not want to be defiled with royal indulgences. He asked the prince of the eunuchs to be excused, but the prince was afraid Daniel would appear unhealthy. Daniel challenged him to prove the Hebrews with vegetables and water for ten days. Daniel 1:15 - "At the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat." God Gave Daniel Supernatural Knowledge And Skills Daniel was profoundly spiritually insightful, and was one of Israel's most important and influential prophets. He served under four pagan kings, because Almighty God carefully endued him with knowledge and skill to serve His eternal purpose. God works that way. He will enable you to do his will. Daniel 1:17,19 - "As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. ...the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm." Nebuchadnezzar Dreamed A Dream This story is reminiscent of Pharaoh and Joseph. The Egyptian Pharaoh had a dream that was interpreted by a Hebrew (Joseph), who had a divine gift for interpreting dreams. Nebuchadnezzar also dreamed a dream, and the Hebrew (Daniel) possessed the divine gift to interpret it. In both cases, God was setting the stage to reveal His sovereign power. In the end, it became apparent that God sent the dream, and God sent the interpreter. Daniel 2:1 "In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him." They Desired Mercies Of The God Of Heaven Nebuchadnezzar could not remember the dreams that troubled him, so he demanded his magicians, astrologers and sorcerers to reveal and interpret them Naturally, they could not, so Nebuchadnezzar ordered them all to be put to death. But Daniel begged time to shew the answer. "Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ...That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret." Fortify your prayers with strong desire. Daniel 2:19 - "Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. ...what we desired of thee." God Sets Up And Removes Kings Daniel had the keenest awareness that everything going on in Babylon, including everything going on with Nebuchadnezzar, was under the perfect control of Almighty God. That truth is the heart and soul of Bible prophecy. Prophecy is simply the declaration of what God is going to do. Never doubt that God has EVERYTHING under control, and it is ALL working for HIS good. You should want to be perfectly allied with Him. Daniel 2:20-21 - "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: ...he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings." Don't Forget To Give Thanks None of King Nebuchadnezzar's counselors could reveal his troubling dreams to him, so he ordered them all to be killed. But by intercessory prayer, Daniel obtained a revelation from God which answered the King's wishes, and saved the lives of Daniel and his brethren. Daniel immediately gave thanks and praise to God. Daniel 2:23 - "I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter." God Reveals Secrets Of The Latter Days The wisest men in Babylon had no clues about the future. Nebuchadnezzar would have killed them for their ignorance. But all wisdom and knowledge comes from the LORD, and wise men of God like Daniel save many lives. God knows EVERYTHING. Daniel saw things 2500 years in the future. Daniel 2:27-28 - "Daniel answered... The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." God Tutored Nebuchadnezzar, Pagan King When all else had failed, the man of God, Daniel, had the answers that Nebuchadnezzar could find nowhere else. Nebuchadnezzar was the most powerful man on earth in his day, ruling over the sprawling Babylonian empire. But he did not have a clue about the future. God decided to teach him a few things. Daniel 2:29 - "As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass....Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image." Nebuchadnezzar's Image God gave the dream to Nebuchadnezzar. He saw a great statue of a man. It was bright, excellent and terrible, and foretold the sequence of coming world empires. Its golden head represented the current Babylonian empire; its silver breast and arms represented the successor Medo-Persian empire. Brass thighs prophesied of Greece. Iron legs foresaw the Roman empire; iron and clay feet, the Holy Roman empire. Jesus Christ will come and crush them. Daniel 2:45 - "...the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and... brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold" God Of Gods, Lord Of Kings Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and worshipped Daniel for his ability to describe the dream he had forgotten, and to interpret it. He ordered his officers to offer an oblation and sweet odors to Daniel. He made him a great man, gave him many great gifts, made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors. People can recognize that our God is the greatest. Daniel 2:47 - "Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret." We Will Worship No Other God King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold over one hundred feet high, and ordered everyone in Babylon to bow down and worship it, on threat of death. But three Hebrew princes said no. If you really know God, you will worship no other. Daniel 3:17-18 - "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." You Can Survive Your Trial Without Loss Not only did Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego survive the fiery furnace, but there was no physical evidence they had even been in the fire. God can take you through your trial completely unharmed. Trust Him. Daniel 3:26-27 - "Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them." God Sent His Angel What did Nebuchadnezzar see in the furnace with the three Hebrews - a man, the son of God or an angel? First, he called it the fourth man - "I see four men loose." Next, in the Hebrew text, he said that he "resembles a son of the gods." We cannot believe that this was the man Christ, because the man Christ would not be born of Mary until almost six centuries later. It was an angel. Daniel 3:28 - "Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants." Nebuchadnezzar Blesses God When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego walked out of the fiery furnace without even the smell of smoke on them, Nebuchadnezzar realized that he and all his officials had witnessed an astonishing miracle. When God-fearing people take a stand, God is glorified, and the world takes note. Daniel 3:28-30 - "Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, ...there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon." No Other God Can Deliver After This Sort How many times will you ever have the opportunity to watch three men walk out of a fiery inferno unscathed? That furnace was so hot that the guards who approached it died. Nobody but our God can deliver after this sort. You can have a miracle, too. Believe. Daniel 3:29 - "Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort." Nebuchadnezzar's Testimony Again, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream. Again, his magicians, astrologers, and soothsayers could do nothing to interpret it. Again, by God's help, Daniel interpreted the dream and saved the day. This, and every major Bible story has a miraculous component; sign, wonder, miracle, angel, etc. With God, your story can be miraculous, too. Daniel 4:1 - "Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; ...I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders!" God Sets Up The Basest Of Men God sent Nebuchadnezzar out to pasture as punishment for his pride, "by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones" - angelic messengers. God can abase the most powerful man on earth, or exalt the basest of men. God can send a righteous leader to a righteous people, or a fool to fools. He is the King of kings. Daniel 4:17 - "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." Nebuchadnezzar - The Great Tree Hewn Down Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a great tree in the earth. It had fair leaves, much fruit for everyone, beasts resting under it, and birds nesting in it. But "watchers" - heavenly agents - hewed it down, leaving only a stump. Daniel interpreted it. God would judge Nebuchadnezzar. He must turn from his evils. Daniel 4:25-28 - "They shall drive thee from men, ...thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, ...they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, ...till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will." Nebuchadnezzar's Seven-Year Insanity A clay tablet in the British Museum (BM34113) describes Nebuchadnezzar's insane behavior: "His life appeared of no value to him... he gives an entirely different order... he does not show love to son or daughter... family and clan does not exist." The Expositor's Bible Commentary reports that "There is no record of acts or decrees by the king during 582 to 575 BC." Daniel prophesied it four times (4:16,23,25,32). Daniel 4:32 - "Thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee." Blessing And Praising God After Being Hewn Down After dreaming that he was a great tree, hewn down by a watcher from heaven, Nebuchadnezzar experienced a traumatic reality check. God sent him into the fields where he lost his mind. After the ordeal ended, Nebuchadnezzar greatly feared and reverenced God. God knows how to sober you up and make you recognize His greatness. Daniel 4:34-35 - "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 honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion." None Can Say, "What Doest Thou?" The parameters of prayer are mostly unlimited. Jesus said, "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it," John 14:14. But one area that is off-limits is opposing God's sovereign will. Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way that God is always in charge. Not even a king is big enough to override His final answer. Learn to accept His judgments. Daniel 4:35 - "He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" Kings Quickly Rise And Fall "Nebuchadnezzar the Great," who conquered Jerusalem and ruled Babylon from 605-562BC, experienced a profound divine rebuke, when God drove him to insanity for seven years. Nebuchadnezzar's successors were minor figures who could not maintain power. His son, Amel-Marduk was killed by his brother-in-law, Neriglissar, who was deposed by his son Labas-Marduk, who was immediately removed by a coup by Belshazzar, who shared power with his father, Nabonidus, who was mentally ill. Daniel 5:1 - "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand." Handwriting On The Wall Abruptly Ends The Party Belshazzar defiled the holy vessels from the temple in Jerusalem at an idolatrous, drunken party for all his courtiers. God sent a mysterious hand to write on the wall. Daniel 5:5-6 - "In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister 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." Belteshazzar The name Daniel means "El (God) is my judge." Nebuchadnezzar gave Daniel a Chaldean name - Belteshazzar - meaning "Prince of Bel." His first name identified him with EL - (i.e., Elohim, El Shaddai). His second name referred to Bel, Babylon's false god. The world will try to change your identity into something compatible with their way of thinking. But in all his first-person writings, Daniel never mentioned his given name, Belteshazzar, without reminding the reader that he was also Daniel. Don't let the world steal your godly identity. Daniel 5:12 - "...Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar." Do Not Waste Time Calling Astrologers Or Soothsayers When King Belshazzar of Babylon profaned the holy vessels of the Jewish Temple in a drunken party, God sent a message to him by mysterious handwriting on the wall. He called for his astrologers and soothsayers to interpret the writing, but they were powerless. The Queen urged him to call for Daniel. She knew about Daniel's interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dreams by the power of God. The world has no substitute for a true man of God. Daniel 5:15 - "The wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, ...but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing." You Should Learn From Your Forebears Daniel 5:13 calls Nebuchadnezzar the father of Belshazzar. "The king spake and said, ...Art thou that Daniel, ...whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?" Daniel said, "The most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom..." (5:18). Herodotus identified a Queen Nitocris as Nebuchadnezzar's daughter, and other sources say Belshazzar was her grandson. Even if Nebuchadnezzar was, at best, a "forefather," Belshazzar should have feared God who dealt so profoundly with him. Tragically, he did not. Daniel 5:22 - "And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this." Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin Daniel indicted Belshazzar for lifting up himself "against the Lord of heaven," drinking from the holy vessels, praising non-existent gods, "and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified." Then, he interpreted the handwriting. "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." Daniel 5:26-31 "God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. ...Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. ...Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom." Darius And Daniel When the Persians came to power in Babylon, following the fall of Belshazzar, Daniel not only survived the transition, but was immediately promoted for his excellence. In the real world, most officials are thrown out in a regime change. But Almighty God had His hand on Daniel. Darius had three presidents and 120 princes, and Daniel was over them ALL. God will keep you in power as long as He wants to. Daniel 6:3 - "Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm." Pray, Even Under Threat Of Death God prospered Daniel so profoundly, that his jealous pagan counterparts wanted him dead. They created an outrageous law to sentence him to death for praying. But you know the story. Daniel continued praying, and God took miraculous care of him. Let nothing stop your praying. Daniel 6:7 - "All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, ...that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions." Communion With God In Prayer Is Worth Every Risk I would rather be in a lion's den if God is there, than to live in a luxurious castle without God. Obviously, that is how Daniel felt, too. Never let anybody interfere with your relationship with God. Daniel 6:10-11 - "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God." Will Prayer Become A Crime? Daniel's adversaries were ambitious to prosecute him for praying three times a day to his God. Will such a day ever come for you or me? One of my readers wrote to say that the military in his country invaded their church service and shot up a dozen people. Two of them died. Their crime? Practicing Christianity. Everyone else was warned to abandon all Christian practices within thirty days or be prosecuted. Will you keep on praying if that time comes? Daniel 6:16 - "Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions." God Shut The Lions' Mouths And Saved His Prophet Daniel's insanely jealous peers tricked King Darius, who painfully regretted Daniel's being thrown into the lion's den. But God was not finished with His prophet. When Darius visited the lion's den early in the morning, Daniel was well. Daniel 6:20-22 - "O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me." God Will Vindicate The Righteous Daniel's foes passed legislation to criminalize prayer. The same thing is happening nowadays. But Daniel prayed anyway, and God delivered him from dying in the lion's den. Moreover, the king cast Daniel's enemies into the lion's den - with their wives and children. They all died. Darius then issued a decree throughout his kingdom that men should fear the God of Daniel. Daniel 6:27-28 - "He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth. ...So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian." Four Winds Striving On The Great Sea Soon after Belshazzar came to power, Daniel dreamed a very disturbing dream. He wrote it down and told what he saw. The first thing he saw was four winds striving on the great sea. These winds correspond to the four horsemen of Revelation 6 and Zechariah 6:5, "These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth." The great sea represents the human masses (Revelation 17:15). Daniel 7:2 - "I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea." Four Great Beasts Came Up From The Sea While four great winds blew upon the great sea of humanity (Revelation 17:15), Daniel saw four great beasts coming up from the sea. Grieved and troubled, Daniel asked for "the truth of all this." "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." Daniel dreamed of four great kingdoms on earth when Jesus returns. Daniel 7:3 - "Four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." A Lion With Eagle's Wings We cannot correctly interpret Daniel's four beasts using ancient empires, as most commentators do. This lion must be a modern empire, as must be the eagle's wings. Anybody in the 21st Century should know that the British Lion and the American Eagle are universally recognized symbols. American was originally a British colonial possession until the wings were plucked in 1776 by their Declaration of Independence. 2500 years ago, Daniel saw America being born. Daniel 7:4 - "The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked." A Bear With Three Ribs In Its Mouth Virtually everybody on earth recognizes the symbol of the Russian Bear. Nothing in Russia's history is more significant than the Yalta Conference of 1945, when Joseph Stalin met with Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt ("The Big Three" ribs), and took control of Eastern Europe and created the Socialist United Nations. Daniel 7:5 - "Another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh." A Four-Headed Leopard No nation on earth is more closely associated with the symbol of a Leopard than Germany. And amazingly enough, it has had FOUR heads - four REICHS - 1. The Holy Roman Empire; 2. The German Empire; 3. Hitler's Third Reich; 4. The European Union. Germany has a symbiotic relationship with France through the centuries, whose symbol is a fowl - the rooster! Daniel 7:6 - "After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it." The Dreadful Beast This is the most powerful beast that Jesus Christ will confront at Armageddon. Out of this beast, a little horn, the Antichrist, will come. It is a vicious totalitarian world government of the last days. Unless it transitions to another identity, it is what we now call the United Nations. Daniel 7:7 - "Behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns." The Little Horn The prophets saw a ten-horned Beast; a world-government driven by ten kings just before Armageddon. We cannot know beforehand exactly who this will be. I suspect that the iron and clay Holy Roman Empire (European Union) will be a critical component of a new ten-member power structure created at the United Nations. Ultimately, one rising nation will drive three others out of that federation. The Antichrist will come from that nation. Daniel 7:7,8 - "...there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots." The Ancient Of Days Is the Ancient of Days an old, white-haired man? Is the Lamb of God a four-legged sheep with seven horns and seven eyes?(Revelation 5:6). No. John 1:18 says, "No man hath seen God at any time." "No man hath seen, nor can see" Him. I Timothy 6:16. The King is "eternal, immortal, invisible," I Timothy 1:17. The white-haired man is an allegory, a metaphor, symbolic. Jesus is the only "image of the invisible God," Colossians 1:15. Daniel 7:9 - "The Ancient of days did sit, ...the hair of his head like the pure wool." The Judgment Of The Antichrist The four beasts of Daniel 7 represent four empires most hostile to Israel and the saints on earth just before Jesus Christ comes to Armageddon. In the vision, Daniel saw their demise. "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, ...the judgment was set, and the books were opened." From heaven, God pronounced judgment on the Antichrist. Daniel 7:9-11 - "I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame." God Keeps A Record Daniel showed that God will judge the Antichrist out of the record-books. God keeps records on every man and woman, boy and girl. David said his wanderings, his tears, his substance, and "all my members" were in His book. Malachi 3:16 said there is "a book of remembrance." John said, "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: ...and the dead were judged out of those things," Revelation 20:12. Be careful how you live. God keeps a record. Daniel 7:10 - "The judgment was set, and the books were opened." The Burning Flame Put this in its correct time-frame. This verse will be fulfilled immediately after Armageddon. Jesus will have just returned to earth with His newly resurrected saints. He will defeat all His foes in the Battle of All Battles - Armageddon. He will destroy the Antichrist and the False Prophet. The setting is Jerusalem. In the sight of vast multitudes of Israelites and Christians, he will cast the Antichrist and the False Prophet into a flaming pit. See Revelation 19:20. Daniel 7:11 - "I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame." God Will Repossess All Dominion There is no earthly dominion that is not a gift from God. If a king has any kingdom, God gave it - and He can just as easily take it back. That is what the parable of the husbandman (Matthew 21:33) was all about. If God gives you a vineyard and you do not take care of it, He will take it back and give it to someone else. At Armageddon, Jesus will repossess all earthly kingdoms. Daniel 7:12 - "Concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." Kingdom Come Jesus prayed, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Jesus will soon return to set the world in holy order after the Battle of Armageddon. The global government will be destroyed, and Satan cast into hell. Jesus will command all nations from Jerusalem for 1000 years. Daniel 7:14 - "...there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Heaven and Earth Shall Pass Away Matthew, Mark and Luke record the identical words of Jesus, "Heaven and earth shall pass away..." John saw it prophetically in Revelation 21:1, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away." Like it or not, this world is not going to last. God is going to destroy it. Only those in His eternal kingdom will survive. Daniel 7:14 - "...his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." I Asked The Truth Of All This, So He Told Me God showed Daniel an amazing vision of four spirits striving on the earth, four great beasts creating horrors, and the Ancient of Days giving kingdoms and dominion unto the Son of Man. Daniel could not understand, so asked for help. Ask for the truth. Daniel 7:15-16 - "I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things." The Saints And Their Eternal Kingdom The world hates the saints of God, but they are most precious to God. His saints are the primary reason why we have a Bible. God could easily have withheld creating the earth and the things therein. But He made the earth and created mankind, and sent a Savior, so He would have an eternal people for Himself. We will inherit the entire earth as kings and priests for 1000 years, then will inherit Heaven forever. Daniel 7:18 - "The saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." Ten Horns On The Dreadful Beast The fourth beast Daniel saw had ten horns. This will almost certainly be a European-dominated United Nations. Its ten horns will be newly designated, powerful nations, including Britain (Lion), Russia (Bear), and Germany (Leopard), (Revelation 13:1-2), perhaps comprising the UN Security Council. Islamic Turkey may become the little horn, removing three. Daniel 7:20 - "Of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows." The Earth Is The LORD's No man, devil, or Antichrist will ever wrest the earth from God. He created it, owns the title deed, and will give it to whomsoever He pleases - namely, His saints, to rule and reign for 1000 years. Exodus 9:29; Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalms 24:1; 1 Corinthians 10:26 - "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." Daniel 7:21-22 - "The same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." The Truth Of The Fourth Beast Daniel said that the fourth beast will be diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful. It will have iron teeth. In Nebuchadnezzar's statue, iron represented Rome, or Europe. Brass represented Grecia, which includes Turkey. Brass nails suggests the inclusion of Turkey and Islam in the fourth beast. It will devour, break in pieces and stamp the residue with its feet (of a bear - Russia and Communism). Here appears to be a terrifying monstrous European, Turkish, Communistic world government. Daniel 7:23 - "The fourth beast ...shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces." The Ten-Horned Beast The ten-horned beast will not be manifest until very shortly before Armageddon, so we cannot know for certain who it will be. We can know for certain that this beast is a One-World-Government, "diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces." It is a future form of what is now the United Nations. Daniel 7:27 - "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High." Keep The Matter In Your Heart I have been teaching about Bible prophecies for the last days for almost four decades. I am truly disturbed by the tendency most people have for "burying their head in the sand," and ignoring the signs of the times. Daniel was very different from most of us. Even though the dreams and visions DEEPLY troubled him, he KEPT THEM IN HIS HEART. Everything God reveals is important. Daniel 7:28 - "Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart." Shushan in Elam Some of Daniel's visions and dreams occurred while he was in the palace at Shushan, in the province of Elam. Elam was named after the son of Shem, son of Noah. Nehemiah later served in the palace at Shushan, and Esther became the queen there. It is now Shush, Iran - east of the Tigris River. Daniel's tomb is there. Daniel 8:1-2 - "In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, ...I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; ...and I was by the river of Ulai." The Ram and The He-Goat Daniel had another vision in which a he-goat with a notable horn attacked a great ram with two horns. The he-goat became great after smiting the ram in great fury, destroying him. God was showing Daniel the epic overthrow of the Medo-Persian empire by Alexander the Great of Greece (331 BC), 250 years BEFORE it happened! Daniel 8:20-21 - "The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king." He-Goat Kingdom Of Greece Divided Four Ways After the he-goat with the notable horn (Alexander the Great and the Grecian Empire) defeated the ram with two horns (the Medo-Persian Empire), Daniel saw that Alexander's Empire would eventually be divided into four parts. That actually happened when Alexander died in 323 BC. The four divisions were Egypt, Seleucia (Middle East), Pergamon (Turkey), and Macedonia (Greece). Rome eventually conquered all four divisions. Daniel 8:8 - "The he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven." The Little Horn Banishes Temple Sacrifices One of the four remnant kingdoms of Grecia will produce a little horn - Antichrist! He will be strong toward the south (Egypt?), east (Iran?), Palestine (v9), even demon principalities - overthrowing and crushing them (v10). Antichrist will rise against "the prince of the host [of heaven]," (Michael?). He will halt daily sacrifices in the temple, and cast down the place of the sanctuary - Jerusalem! (Revelation 11:2B). Multitudes of evil ones will support his actions. Daniel 8:12 - "An host was given him against the daily sacrifice... , and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered." God Sends Angels To Help His Saints "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Hebrews 1:14. When Daniel was dumbfounded by marvelous visions from the LORD, Gabriel came and made him understand how God's indignation would end. Daniel 8:15-17 - "Behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice, ...which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and ...said unto me, Understand, ...for at the time of the end shall be the vision." The End Of The Indignation There is no more universal theme in scriptures than that of the final day of God's wrath at Armageddon. Since the first sins of Lucifer, Adam and Eve, God has been indignant - angry, resentful, infuriated, mad. Once all these prophecies of the last days are fulfilled, God will no longer be indignant. At Armageddon, Jesus Christ will unleash all His fury against Lucifer, the Beast, the False Prophet and all evil nations. Daniel 8:19 - "I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be." The World Is Headed For Unprecedented Evil Every thinking person should come to terms with the reality that, apart from the Word of God, and Jesus Christ, this world is utterly, hopelessly headed for unrestrained evil. By the time the Antichrist emerges, there will be no turning back. Run to the Rock while you can. Daniel 8:23-24 - "A king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. ...by peace shall destroy many." The Fiercest King In History Many prophecies describe the coming Antichrist, and the view is never pretty. The "little horn" that will lead the final one-world dictatorship will "destroy wonderfully." He will "destroy the mighty and the holy people." His policies will "cause craft [deception] to prosper in his hand." This most demon-possessed world-wide dictator in history will crush everything he can crush, until Jesus Christ crushes HIM. Daniel 8:24 - "And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: ...he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." We Must Trust God When He Refuses To Explain Sometimes God's greatest works in our lives leave us profoundly distressed. Daniel fainted, and was sick for days when God showed him the vision. When he finally returned to work, he still did not understand. We must trust God. Daniel 8:26-27 - "The vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it." Go By The Book Daniel calculated exactly how much longer Judah would be in captivity, by studying the book of Jeremiah. Consequently, Daniel knew what to expect, and was able to prepare himself mentally, physically and spiritually. If we would go by the Book, we would know where we are headed. Daniel 9:2-3 - "I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting." Daniel Repented In Behalf Of All Israel In the days of King Darius the Mede, Daniel contemplated Jeremiah's prophecies concerning seventy years of desolation in Jerusalem. "I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes." Daniel knew that Moses prophesied judgments, if the people became godless and prayerless. Daniel made intercession for Israel that day. Daniel 9:16 - "Lord, ...let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, ...hear the prayer of thy servant, ...cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate." Angels Respond to Prayer The Bible records that almost every major character in the Bible was visited by an angel. Angels are ministering spirits for those who will be the heirs of salvation. Do you think no angels work in your behalf? Daniel prayed, and Gabriel came to give him skill and understanding. Keep praying! You may receive a surprise visitor! Daniel 9:21 - "...whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation." At The Beginning Of Thy Supplications... We often feel like God does not hear our prayers because we do not get the answer we want as quickly as we want it. When Daniel began to pray for Israel, Gabriel instantly appeared with an answer. Angels rarely appear when we pray, but never doubt that God hears, and will answer in His own good time. Daniel 9:22-23 - "O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter." Seventy Weeks Of Years To Finish The Transgression In Leviticus 26:21&28, God warned that if Israel did not respond when chastened, he would multiply their punishment seven times. So when seventy years of Babylonian captivity failed to restore them, Daniel prophesied SEVEN TIMES SEVENTY - 490 years (70 weeks of years) of punishment to finish their transgressions. Daniel 9:24 - "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." Finishing The Transgression - Israel's Last Sins Secular Zionism is blood-brother to the New World Order, the International Banking System, and Communism. All were created by cabalistic Jews who abandoned Biblical truth for Talmudic-Babylonian-Freemasonic-Illuminati perversions. Their Antichrist system will introduce the Mark of the Beast. Communism was created to enslave humanity. Zionists would rule the world in defiance of Jehovah. But Jehovah, embodied in Jesus Christ, will hook the jaw of their own monster - Communist Russia - and destroy it at Armageddon. Daniel 9:24 - "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, ...to make an end of sins, ...and to anoint the Most Holy." Sixty-Nine Weeks = 483 Years - Nehemiah To Calvary Nehemiah asked Artaxerxes to "send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. ...And the king granted me." Artexerxes started the clock that counted 483 years until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which fulfilled Daniel's 69-week prophecy. Daniel 9:25 - "From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off." Never Doubt The Accuracy Of Bible Prophecies Around 550 BC, Daniel prophesied of King Artaxerxes of Persia commissioning Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the streets and walls in troublous times - which happened a century later (445 BC). Nehemiah documented his troubles with Assyrians, Sanballat and Tobiah). Daniel prophesied that Messiah would die 483 years later. He did. Daniel 9:25 - "From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. ...[afterward] shall Messiah be cut off." After 62 Weeks Shall Messiah Be Cut Off When did Daniel say Messiah would be cut off? After 62 weeks, or after 69 weeks? The fact is that the first seven weeks PRECEDE the second 62 weeks. Therefore, if Messiah was cut off AFTER 62 weeks, it was ALSO at the END of 69 weeks. Both answers are the same date. Messiah (Jesus) WAS cut off (from Israel) by His crucifixion, "but not for Himself." Christ can NEVER be cut off from His divine purpose! All prophecy WILL be fulfilled! Daniel 9:26 - "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." The People Of The Prince That Shall Come - ROME! In Daniel 10, the heavenly messenger revealed to Daniel the spiritual, heavenly warfare between Michael (the archangel) and the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Grecia. When the Prince of Persia fell. the Persian Empire failed. When the Prince of Grecia prevailed, Alexander the Great built the great Grecian Empire. Next, the Roman Empire conquered Greece, and also conquered Israel. Corresponding to the iron legs in Nebuchadnezzar's Image, Daniel foresaw Jerusalem and the temple overthrown by the PRINCE OF ROME! Daniel 9:26 - "...and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary." Daniel's Seventieth Week A "week of years" in prophecy is seven years. Several prophecies indicate an event-packed seven-year period immediately before Armageddon. A seven-year peace covenant will be put forward by a Rome-influenced European power-broker who will soon be exposed as the Antichrist. The time-line is firm. Exactly seven years after the confirmation of this covenant, Jesus will return with His saints to Jerusalem at Armageddon, and will destroy the Antichrist. Jesus' 1000-year Kingdom will begin immediately thereafter. Daniel 9:27 - "And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week..." The Confirmation Of The Covenant "He shall confirm the covenant..." Who is "HE"? The previous verse answers, "the Prince that shall come." The Prince of Rome. Both the IRON and the CLAY in Nebuchadnezzar's Image are Roman. The IRON man will be the head of the European four-headed leopard beast. The CLAY man will be the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The Beast and the False Prophet of Revelation 13. Antichrist and the Pope. Daniel 9:27 - "He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." The Sacrifice And The Oblation Here is one of the most important prophesied events in the Bible: the taking away of the sacrifice and the oblation from the Third Temple in Jerusalem. Shortly after the Third Temple is built, and sacrifices resumed, the Antichrist will enter the holy place and halt all sacrifices. This event will trigger the final 42 months before Armageddon - the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:15,21) - Jacob's Trouble (Daniel 12:1, Jeremiah 30:7). Daniel 9:27 - "In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate." The Consummation Of Israel The Antichrist will terminate the offerings of sacrifices in the Third Jewish Temple "even until the CONSUMMATION." What does that mean? From Joshua's day, God warned, "If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and CONSUME you," Joshua 24:20. The horrifying events leading to the battle of Armageddon will consume all Israel, except 144,000 divinely-protected Jews. If those days were not shortened, no flesh would be saved. At Armageddon, Jesus will save and restore Israel. Daniel 9:27 - "...he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation." The Abomination Of Desolation The Antichrist will defile the Third Temple by standing in the Holy Place and demanding the daily sacrifices be halted. That will make the temple desolate. Under the Old Testament scheme, the sacrifices were the heart of every activity in the temple. Without sacrifices, the temple is useless. Desolate. The temple will remain desolate 42 months - 3 1/2 years, until everything is consumed at Armageddon (the consummation), and Jesus begins the restitution of all things (Acts 3:20-21). Daniel 9:27 - "...he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." You Cannot Know God Without Supernatural Intervention Bible scholars and biblical scholarship alone cannot discover God. Many brilliant men have undertaken to know the scriptures and the will of God, yet have never come to the true knowledge of God. God reveals Himself supernaturally. Dreams, visions, angels, miracles, signs, wonders, are indispensable components of divine revelation. Daniel 10:1,7 - "A thing was revealed unto Daniel, ...and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. ...I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves." Daniel's Fast Daniel fasted for twenty-one days. Finally, the angel Gabriel brought him a spectacular revelation of the plan of God for the last days. We could have stupendous results if we could discipline ourselves to fast. It does not always have to be an absolute fast. Daniel abstained from "pleasant bread," "flesh" (meat), and "wine." You must define your fast. God will honor your best effort. Daniel 10:3 - "I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." The Man Clothed In Linen A man appeared to Daniel in his vision. He was an angel. He and Israel's chief prince, Michael, had been withstanding the demon prince of Persia. Daniel 10:5 - "I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude." Divine Revelations Are Personal And Private When God showed Daniel the vision, other men stood by, but did not see it. They fled because it scared them so badly, they were "quaking." A similar situation occurred when God spoke to Saul in Acts 9. He heard the voice of the LORD, but "the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man." Divine revelations are personal and private. Daniel 10:7 - "I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves." From The First Day, Thy Words Were Heard Daniel prayed about everything, it seemed. Toward the end of Israel's captivity, he undertook an extended fasting and prayer vigil, for understanding of his visions. On his last fast day, an angel woke him from a deep sleep, putting him on his hands and knees. Then he told him to stand to receive his answer. God hears - the minute you call. Daniel 10:12,14 - "From the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, ...thy words were heard. ..., I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days." Spiritual Warfare In The Heavens The man-angel clothed in linen explained to Daniel that he and the angel Michael were at war in heaven against the spirit prince of Persia. That must be why the Persians ultimately sponsored the reconstruction of Jerusalem, and were then overthrown by the Grecian, Alexander the Great. The angel warned that "when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come." Daniel 10:13 - "The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." The Princes Of Persia And Grecia This is a rare view of how things happen in the spirit world. The angel revealed to Daniel that he and Michael, the angel-prince of Israel, were at war with the demon prince of Persia. When they overthrew the demon, the Persian empire fell, and another prince (Grecia) came. Daniel 10:13,20-21 - "The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me, ...now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come, ...there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince." God Follows An Ancient Plan In These Latter Days The heavenly visitor explained to Daniel that his vision was all about "the latter days." OUR days! Almighty God decreed the future from millennia past. Now, these ARE the latter days. Now, you and I will see with our eyes, hear with our ears, and UNDERSTAND hundreds of elaborate prophecies from thousands of years past. Obscure prophecies will no longer be obscure, but clearly understood, albeit shocking headlines in our daily news. Daniel 10:14 - "Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days." When You Don't Feel Like Praying As the angel narrated Daniel's vision of coming epic events in the last days, Daniel literally quaked and trembled. He had no strength and objected to the angel that he could not speak. The angel touched him and said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not: ...be strong." When you feel too faint to pray, God will help you. Daniel 10:19,21 - "And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. [the angel replied] ...I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth." Visions Are Often For Far-Future Events In the days of Cyrus, king of Persia, Daniel received revelations from God for which "the time appointed was long." While Daniel was on a three-week fasting and prayer vigil, a heavenly visitor showed him "what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days." Let all the atheistic detractors in the world know that God knows the end from the beginning. Fulfilled ancient prophecies comprise irrefutable evidence of the eternal power and foreknowledge of God. Daniel 10:21 - "I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth." Angels Strengthen And Weaken Empires Daniel's angel visitor continued to explain how things happen in the heavens. After explaining how he and Michael had fought with the prince of Persia, and would next fight with the prince of Grecia, he revealed that it was he who had helped the Persians conquer the Babylonians. So the angels presided over the fall of Babylon, the rise of Media-Persia, the fall of Persia, and rise of Grecia. God's angels rule in the heavens. Daniel 11:1 - "Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him." Prophecies Are A Revelation Of Truth Daniel 11 contains complex prophecies covering a long saga of events between the Old and New Testaments. Daniel accurately prophesied dozens of VERY DETAILED events that would happen between the King of the North - Syria (and the Seleucian Empire) and the King of the South - Egypt (and the Ptolemaic Empire). These prophecies SHOULD have ASTONISHED the Jews who lived in the days of Jesus Christ, and totally convinced them of HIS MESSIAHSHIP, since Daniel also prophesied the VERY YEAR Messiah would die. For heaven's sake - PAY ATTENTION TO PROPHECY! Daniel 11:2 - "And now will I show thee the truth." Gabriel: The Fourth Persian King Will Oppose Grecia The angel Gabriel (8:16, 9:1) explained to Daniel, then serving King Cyrus of Persia, that the fourth Persian king would engage the Grecians in a major war. Certainly enough, after Cyrus the Great came Cambyses, then Darius I (the Great), then Xerxes, who, with an army of two million (according to Herodotus), fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel 11:2. Daniel 11:2 - "There shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia." Daniel Prophesied The Rise Of Alexander The Great Gabriel had already revealed that the Prince of Grecia would come (10:20; 11:2). Daniel then prophesied that "a mighty king" with "great dominion" would "do according to his will." Alexander the Great of Greece conquered the Persians and all of Eurasia. When he died, his vast empire split into four separate kingdoms - perfectly fulfilling Daniel's prophecies. Daniel 11:3-4 - "A mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven." King Of The North (Syria), King Of The South (Egypt) Daniel prophesied that the empire of Alexander the Great would split four ways. It did. 1. Egypt 2. Seleucia (Syria, Iran, Iraq, Eastern Turkey) 3. Pergamon (Western Turkey) 4. Macedonia (Greece). In the prophecies of Daniel 11, Seleucia (Syria) is called the "King of the North," and Egypt is called the "King of the South." Daniel 11:5-6 - "The king of the south [Egypt] shall be strong, And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north [Syria] to make an agreement." Meet Ptolemy I Of Egypt, Seleucus Of Syria Meet Ptolemy I and Seleucus. Ptolemy I claimed Egypt when Alexander the Great died. Seleucus eventually joined him, but soon rose from there to conquer Gaza, Babylon, and Syria. His empire became larger than Ptolemy's. Two centuries beforehand, Daniel prophesied amazing details of their rise to power, which would not occur until about 325-281 BC. Such astonishingly accurate prophecies should make believers out of everyone! Daniel 11:5 - "The king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion." Meet Berenice, Daughter Of Ptolemy II Of Egypt The successor of Ptolemy I in Egypt was Ptolemy II. The successor of Seleucus in Syria was Antiochus. Antiochus made war with Ptolemy II. To settle their differences, Antiochus married the daughter of Ptolemy II. That ended the war. Daniel prophesied it all by divine revelation, two centuries earlier. WOW! Daniel 11:6 - "In the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm." Fate Of Syrian And Egyptian Royalty Prophesied The vast Seleucid Empire, ruled from Syria by Antiochus, made peace with Ptolemy II of Egypt when he married Ptolemy's daughter, Berenice. Antiochus divorced his first wife, Laodice, to marry Berenice. But Ptolemy died, and Antiochus divorced Berenice to return to his first wife. In rage, Berenice poisoned him. Then Laodice poisoned Berenice and her son, the crown prince. All was prophesied by Daniel. Daniel 11:6b - "She shall be given up [Berenice divorced], and they that brought her [Antiochus died], 'and her child' (YLT Version) [crown prince died], and he that strengthened her in these times [Ptolemy II died]." The Overthrow Of Syria By Egypt in 241 BC When Egypt's Ptolemy II died, Antiochus of Syria divorced Ptolemy's daughter, Berenice, and returned to his first wife, Laodice. Berenice murdered Antiochus, so Laodice murdered her. Berenice's brother raised an Egyptian army and invaded Syria. Egypt attained the height of its world power. Daniel prophesied it 200 years earlier. Daniel 11:7-8 - "Out of a branch of her [Egyptian] roots shall one stand up in his estate [her brother], which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north [Syria], and shall deal against them, and shall prevail." Antiochus III Loses Syria To Ptolemy IV In 217 BC In the third generation of the Seleucid (Syrian) empire, Antiochus III waged the "Fourth Syrian War," taking Israel, and attacking Ptolemy IV of Egypt. But Egypt won, and took Syria. Daniel foretold that 300 years earlier. Daniel 11:10-12 - "His [Antiochus II] sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great [Syrian] forces: ...the king of the south [Ptolemy IV] shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north [Syria] ...and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it." Antiochus The Great Regroups, Retakes Syria, 198 BC After losing Syria to the Egyptians, Antiochus III (the Great) went back east and regrouped. He formed an alliance with Philip of Macedonia, and together they attacked and conquered Ptolemy V and Egypt - 350 years after Daniel prophesied it. At that time, they also gained control of Palestine. Daniel 11:13-14 - "The king of the north [Syria] shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south." God Controls The Destinies Of All People Daniel prophetically depicted Egypt as "robbers" with a vision to take Palestine. His prophecy that Syria would defeat Egypt and consume "the glorious land" was fulfilled in 198 BC. Daniel 11:14b-16 - "The robbers of thy people [Egyptians] shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. So the king of the north [Syria] shall come, ...and the arms of the south [Egypt] shall not withstand, neither his [God's] chosen people, ...he that cometh against him [Syria] will do according to his own will, ...he [Syria] shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed." Ultimately, The Prophecies All Point To Israel No matter how complex the Bible prophecies are, they all eventually run in a full circle back to the nation of Israel. Whether the subject is Babylon, Rome, Syria, Egypt, Beasts or False Prophets, everything eventually points to God, His people, and His land. The other characters only play roles in testing and trying Israel until Jesus Christ returns to His LAND and His PEOPLE. Daniel 11:16 - "He that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed." Prophecies About Cleopatra The Syrian Antiochus of Syria contemplated invading Egypt. Instead, he gave his daughter Cleopatra to marry Ptolemy V in 193 BC, hoping to subvert Egypt through her. But Cleopatra proved loyal to her Egyptian husband. When he died, she became the first sovereign Ptolemaic queen. Egyptians called her "The Syrian." Daniel 11:17 - "He [Antiochus] shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women [Cleopatra], corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him." Daniel Prophesied Roman Victory Over Syria Antiochus the Great refocused his military efforts from controlling Egypt to conquering Greece and the islands of the Mediterranean. Unfortunately for him, the Roman general Scipio Asiaticus launched a counter-attack and prevented Antiochus from his conquest. Antiochus' Seleucid (Syrian) empire crumbled in 188 BC, and the Roman empire began emerging. Daniel 11:18 - "After this shall he [Antiochus] turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf [Scipio the Roman] shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him." Antiochus The Great Falls, Son Seleucus Taxes Israel The prophecy said that Antiochus the Great would "turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found." Following a defeat by the Roman Scipio, Antiochus returned to his fort in Antioch, and soon afterward, died in another war, fulfilling prophecy. His son, Seleucus II, imposed harsh taxes on his kingdom, including Israel, to pay tributes to the Romans. He was poisoned. That also fulfilled prophecy. Daniel 11:20 - "Then shall stand up in his [Antiochus'] estate a raiser of taxes [Seleucus II] ...but within few days he shall be destroyed." Antiochus Epiphanes - Prototype Of The Antichrist Daniel 11:21-32 prophesies of one of the most infamous men in the Bible - the Old Testament prototype of the New Testament Antichrist. He committed the Abomination of Desolation in the temple during the Maccabean period - between the Old and New Testaments. His name was never mentioned in the Bible, but it was Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria. Daniel 11:21,28,31 - "...[there] shall stand up a vile person, ...his heart shall be against the holy covenant; ...and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate." Flattery - Trademark Of The Antichrist The wise man in Proverbs 29:5 said, "A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet." People use flattery to snare you. The Antichrist will use flattery to obtain power in the world. Beware of silver-tongued oratory that is full of flattery - "excessive, insincere praise." It is poisonous. Daniel 11:21,32,34 - "He shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. ...And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, ...but many shall cleave to them with flatteries." God Knows His Enemies How can we read all these amazing prophetic details about seemingly obscure events without realizing that God knows His enemies intimately? Every spy agency and intelligence organization on earth would crave to know the thoughts and intentions of their enemies years in advance the way God knows. God not only knows every thought, but He also knows every movement of every person on earth BEFORE they make it. Daniel 11:28 - "Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land." The Kingdom Of The Coming Antichrist This fellow, Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria from 171-167 BC, was a foreshadow of the future Antichrist. Both come from the ancient Syrian empire (reaching from Turkey on the west to Iran on the east). It is one of four divisions of Alexander's Grecian empire. It is the "little horn" of Daniel 8:9. Antiochus defiled the temple then, as Antichrist will in the future. Daniel 11:31 - "And arms [armies] shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate." The Maccabeans Before the Roman (iron legs) periods of Nebuchadnezzar's image was a period involving the four divisions of the Grecian empire. One was Syria, "king of the north." Antiochus Epiphane of Syria invaded Judea, deposed Onias the high priest ("[Onias] shall be broken"), placed a statue of Zeus in the temple, and offered swine flesh on the altar. Mattathias, the successor high priest, and his son, Judas Maccabeus, raised an army [the Maccabeans] and fought valiantly against the Syrians. Daniel 11:32 - "The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. ...yet they shall fall by the sword." They That Understand Shall Instruct Many Much has been said about the power of one. One person can make a difference. When the entire Syrian empire was against Jerusalem, one man, Judas Maccabeus, rallied an army of God-fearing Jews who were willing to die for a righteous cause - defending all that is holy from a tyrant. The Maccabean revolt is a historical phenomenon, a glorious example of men of clear understanding standing up and speaking out. Now, more than ever, righteous men must be heard, even if they must die for the cause. Daniel 11:33 - "They that understand among the people shall instruct many." Some Will Be Tried, To The Time Of The End Suddenly, the prophecies in Daniel 11 turned from ancient events to future coming events in the last days - "the time of the end." Verses 21-34 described ancient events between the Jews and the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes, (an Old Testament type of the Antichrist) who committed abominations in the temple. But beginning in verse 35, the prophecies refer to a future Syrian king, the coming Antichrist. Daniel specifically said that these prophecies pertain to the time of the end. Daniel 11:35 - "...even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed." Saints, Heroes, And Martyrs In The Last Days Daniel's prophecies (verses 21-32) described the struggles that eventually occurred between Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes and saintly Jewish heroes, the Maccabeans, who resisted the Syrians under Antiochus for committing abominations in the temple (around 170 BC). Similarly, great saints in the last days will make a brave stand against the final Antichrist as he defiles and opposes everything divine and holy. Many will be purged and purified during that time. Daniel 11:35 - "Some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end." White Means Purified In Tribulation In Revelation 3:18, an angel delivered a message for the church to John, saying "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed." "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," Revelation 7:14. Daniel 11:35 - "Some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white," 12:10 - "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried." Antichrist: The Assyrian Israel never had a more persistent enemy than Assyria. Assyria took the northern ten tribes of Israel into captivity, beginning in 740 BC under Tiglathpileser, then Shalmaneser, and then Sargon II. Later, Sennacherib of Assyria also threatened King Hezekiah of Judah. Hundreds of years later, after Judah returned from Babylonian captivity, the Assyrian Antiochus Epiphanes profaned the temple in Jerusalem. Daniel revealed that the final ANTICHRIST will be the king of Assyrians (probably modern Turkey, possibly modern Syria). Daniel 11:36 - "The king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god." Antichrist Will Prosper Till God's Anger Is Satisfied The self-willed Antichrist king from somewhere in the Syria/Turkey region will exalt and magnify himself above and against every god, even the God of gods. God has determined this evil man's fate since the beginning of time. Antichrist will prosper until God's indignation (anger) with Israel is satisfied. Daniel 11:36 - "The king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. The God Of The Antichrist Who is the God of the Antichrist? Himself! He will not honor Jehovah or any other god. We would expect a man from the region of Syria or Turkey to be a Muslim who honors Allah. But if the Antichrist does not honor any other god, he could not be a Muslim, UNLESS he claims to be the INCARNATION of Allah. Muslims refer to their expected "Mahdi" as "the last repository of Allah." Daniel 11:37 - "Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all." The Antichrist And His Strange God - Lucifer! The Antichrist will completely deny the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He will violently hate Jehovah, Jesus, Jews and Christians. His "strange god" will be God's worst enemy. Who else? Lucifer will absolutely possess this terrifying man - Antichrist! The world has never seen such evil. Daniel 11:37 - "Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, ...nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. ...a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour. ...Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory." Estate Even the devil has his own place. The Antichrist will have his own place. "In his estate," means, "in his place, his base." The Antichrist will probably have a fortified installation that he operates from. The real news here is that God determines and grants everybody a place until everything ultimately comes to judgment. Remember how Jesus granted Judas, "What thou doest, do quickly." Ever since Lucifer sinned in the Garden of Eden, God has granted him a place. But his final place will be in hell. Daniel 11:38 - "In his estate shall he honour the God of forces." The Antichrist And His Defense System The Antichrist will honor the "God of forces." In dozens of other Old Testament verses, the Hebrew word "maoz" is translated "strength" or "stronghold." It also has a connotation of "defense systems." Will the Antichrist stand behind the world's most threatening defense system? Will he possess a threatening nuclear arsenal? I suspect that he will. Daniel 11:38-39 - "But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: ...with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds, ...and he shall cause them to rule over many." Antichrist Will Rule Israel During Last 42 Months During the forty-two months after he desecrates the Jewish temple (by standing inside it, claiming to be God), the Antichrist will set about to rule the world as the most evil king in all of human history. As "the king of the north," he will quickly engage in war with Egypt, and take over ALL Israel. Daniel 11:39,41,45 - "...he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. ...He shall enter also into the glorious land, ...And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain." All Biblical Prophecies Have Purpose I have not found a more difficult chapter in the Bible than Daniel 11. But despite its apparent complexity and difficulty, it contains some of the most important prophetic information in the Bible. To ignore Daniel 11 is to deprive ourselves of several INDISPENSABLE pieces of the prophetic puzzle. If we want to understand what will happen in the last days, or accurately identify the coming Antichrist, we must understand Daniel 11. Daniel 11:40 - "At the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him." Antichrist Will Take Egypt Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979 when President Anwar Sadat signed the Israel-Egyptian Peace Treaty with Israeli President Menachem Begin. Egypt hosts the headquarters of the 22-nation Arab League. Egypt will initially stand against the Antichrist, but will be defeated by him. Daniel 11:40,42-43 - "At the time of the end shall the king of the south [Egypt] push at him: and the king of the north [Antichrist] shall come against him like a whirlwind, ...and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over ...all the precious things of Egypt." Money And Power The Antichrist will have more earthly power than any man who ever lived. He will also control the earth's wealth. Nevertheless, his power and money cannot stand against the sovereign power of Almighty God. Jesus Christ will come and take it all from the Antichrist. Daniel 11:40-45 - "He [Antichrist] shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. ...many countries shall be overthrown: ...He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: ...he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, ...yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Antichrist Will Overthrow Many Countries This Turkish-Syrian Antichrist will be a vicious enemy of Israel, and probably all Western civilization. He will have no tolerance for moderate Arabs. Jordan will escape his terrible control, but Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia will not. He will overthrow MANY countries. Daniel 11:41-43 - "Many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon [Jordanians]. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. ...the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps." Antichrist, Islam, And Communists - "Great Fury" Antichrist will conquer Israel, Egypt, and many other nations. This Syrian-Turkish monster will do everything he wants, until trouble comes from the north and east. I think this Muslim Antichrist will be attacked by Russia and China, provoking the worst war in the history of the world. Communists versus Muslims. The Sixth Trumpet War of Revelation 9. One-third of mankind will die. Antichrist will survive till Armageddon. Daniel 11:44 - "Tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many." Paradise Lost Lucifer will finally realize one of his most-longed-for dreams. Lucifer said, in Isaiah 14:13, "I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north." But God answered him back, in Ezekiel 28:16. "I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub." Jesus will destroy him in Jerusalem. Daniel 11:45 - "And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Archangel Michael And The Great Tribulation The Iron and Clay kingdom of Europe and the Roman Catholic Church will empower the Turkish-Syrian Antichrist. He will set his palace in Jerusalem. The Great Tribulation begins right there. It will continue for 42 months. Michael the archangel will stand up for Israel. 144,000 godly Jews will be delivered. The rest will die. Daniel 12:1 - "At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time." Everyone That Shall Be Found Written In The Book According to Revelation 12, God will seal 144,000 Jews - 12,000 for each of the twelve tribes - at the very beginning of the Great Tribulation. This is the remnant, "which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ," mentioned in Revelation 12:17. The unspoken conclusion is that they will be the only Jews to survive the Great Tribulation. The rest will be destroyed during the Antichrist's 42-month rule in Jerusalem. Daniel 12:1 - "At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." Saints Will Resurrect First, Sinners 1000 Years Later The FIRST resurrection will occur when Jesus returns to earth. The dead in Christ will rise and living saints will be caught up to meet them in the air (I Thessalonians 4:16-17). "The rest of the dead [the wicked] lived not again until the thousand years were finished," Revelation 20:4-5. Daniel foresaw both resurrections. Sinners will be resurrected and judged at the White Throne (Revelation 20:11) AFTER the millennium. Daniel 12:2 - "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." The Righteous Will Shine Forever Only the mighty God of all things can make this true. If the universe is ruled by evil, the righteous must necessarily perish. But there is a God in heaven, and He is a righteous God. His people are righteous. His cause is righteous. EVERYTHING evil will someday perish, and every man, woman, boy and girl who has embraced and stood for the eternal truth of Almighty God will live forever. Daniel 12:3 - "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." Transportation and Education In The Last Days "Many shall run to and fro." Daniel could never have imagined how accurate that would be in a world with 800 million cars, 50,000 airline flights daily, and nearly two billion airline passengers annually. "And knowledge shall be increased." As of June, 2009, about 1.7 billion people were using the Internet and 350 million students worldwide attended school regularly. Globally, information is growing at about 66% annually, and that rate is accelerating exponentially. Daniel 12:4 - "Seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." The Words Are Closed Up And Sealed Until The End God presides over His mysteries, and only reveals them whenever and to whomever He wants. Although Daniel received volumes of the most amazing prophecies ever given, most of them made absolutely no sense to him at the time. You and I must also realize that God often works that way in our lives. Daniel 12:4, 8-9 - "O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: ...I heard, but I understood not: ...He said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." Lucifer And The Antichrist What is the relationship between Lucifer and the Antichrist? One and the same. Every diabolical plan Lucifer ever concocted will be manifested in the Antichrist. Antichrist will be Lucifer's human manifestation. This man will be absolutely Lucifer-possessed like nothing ever seen before. If you see one, you've seen them both. Whereas Michael and Gabriel fought personally with the princes of Babylon, Persia, Grecia and Rome, only Jesus Christ will confront the Syrian Antichrist - Lucifer in flesh. Daniel 12:7 - "When he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." The Final Destruction Of Israel During Jacob's Trouble In Daniel's vision, someone asked the man clothed in linen "how long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" The angel raised both hands to heaven and swore that it would be a time, times, and half a time (42 months or 3.5 years in other related prophecies). The Great Tribulation, or Jacob's Trouble runs from the Abomination of Desolation until Israel is essentially wiped off the map, and Jesus comes with vengeance at Armageddon. Daniel 12:7 - "When he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." What Shall Be The End Of These Things? God gave so many spectacular revelations to Daniel concerning the last days, he was literally overwhelmed with it all. But as in every previous situation of his life, Daniel sought for an answer by praying. When things around you are confusing and distressing, talk to God about it. He is the Great Comforter. Daniel 12:8-9 - "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." None Of The Wicked Will Understand, But The Wise Will This may be one of the most amazing things in the Bible. A person who walks with God, knows the Word of God, and understands the will of God will recognize and understand the rise of the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and events leading to Armageddon. But ungodly people DO NOT HAVE A CLUE! Prophetic events mean nothing - darkness - to ungodly men. RIGHT NOW, STUDY to show yourself approved unto God! Daniel 12:10 - "Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." The Extra 45 Days - Armageddon What are the extra 45 days for at the end of the Great Tribulation? I believe that is how long the Battle of Armageddon will be. A lot of people will be alive when Jesus first arrives for that epic Battle, but millions will die. Blessed are those who survive Armageddon. Daniel 12:11-12 - "From the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days." Share | E-mail this article to a Friend Continue to Lessons from the Book of Hosea Return to Lessons from the Book of Ezekiel SEE COMPLETE LIST OF ARTICLES ON HOME PAGE See an approximate TIMELINE of the PROPHETS I am continually writing new content for this site. Please return often for more material, and tell your friends about www.kenraggio.com , too! THANKS! And God bless you! Ken Raggio Click here for BOOKS and VIDEOS by Ken Raggio ALL ARTICLES WRITTEN BY KEN RAGGIO, Copyright 1988-2010 Articles may not be republished on the Internet without express permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. http://kenraggio.com Thanks for coming by! 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