FAQ You, O king, are the most powerful king on earth. Those who rejected the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of Man, would mourn when they saw Him returning in the clouds: And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30). His declaration, which resulted from the deliverance of the three Hebrews, made it unlawful to hinder the worship of the Jews; his decree recorded at the end of chapter 4 went much further. Should we be troubled as well? The king is told that all of these earthly kingdoms would be destroyed by the stone not fashioned by human hands, and that an eternal kingdom would take the place of these temporal kingdoms. 2:36 This was the dream. Print. The horn continues to sound off while the court is being set up for judgment. With the death of Nebuchadnezzar comes a change in the peoples attitudes, especially their leaders toward Judaism. God grants this king success and his saints suffering, but only for an appointed time. The king and Daniel, the wise courtier (, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 06:58. (7) Prophecy is revealed, not to give us the particulars of things to come, but to change our perspective. 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. (8) Is there any relationship between Nebuchadnezzars dream in chapter 2 and Daniels dream in chapter 7? Then Daniel praised the God of heaven 20 and said: Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; 23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king., 24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. At this point the revelation ended. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. The Old Testament prophet did not see the gap because he viewed the coming of Christ as God does. That was bad enough, from the religious leaders perspective, but the way in which He answered them was the last straw. Daniels response is testimony to this reality. We are told the Old Testament prophet could not see the distance between the first and the second coming of our Lord, just as one cannot see the distance between two mountains, when viewed from afar. Passover Even those portions which we believe have been fulfilled, students of prophecy differ about the way of their fulfillment. 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? [6] What counts is not Daniel's human gifts, nor his education in the arts of divination, but "Divine Wisdom" and the power that belongs to God alone, as Daniel indicates when he urges his companions to seek God's mercy for the interpretation of the king's dreams. 36 This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. Take me to the king and I will interpret his dream for him., Arioch took Daniel to the king at once and said, I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means., The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?. WebDaniel and his friends complete their three years of learning. The statue has four parts; there are four beasts. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 2:40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Chapter 7 reveals in broad terms what the future holds. Chapter 7 moves from the historical accounts of Daniel and his three friends to the prophetic revelations received by Daniel in the last half of the Book.76 The following chart may help us visualize the relationship of Daniels prophecies to the historical setting in which they were revealed: The first prophetic revelation is found in Daniel 2. 13 And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. Suffering is an inseparable part of the process which leads to glory. 19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. Daniel 2:26-45: 589 BC: Nebuchadnezzar begins siege of [7], In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, is troubled by a dream. He would, after His death, burial, and resurrection come in His glory, rewarding men according to their deeds (16:27). How was the fourth beast different from the first three? [19], The overall theme of the Book of Daniel is God's sovereignty over history,[5] and the theme of the tales in chapters 16 is that God is sovereign over all earthly kings. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. Pope Francis Issues Call for Peace on Anniversary of Russias Invasion of Ukraine. They believed that the Messiah would come to establish the kingdom, to bless the Jews and to condemn the Gentiles. in 1971. Print. God will establish His kingdom, and that kingdom, unlike the kingdoms of men, is eternal. [17], Daniel 2 exhibits both these genres, but it is also made up numerous subgenres: a court tale, a dream report, a legend, an aretalogy, a doxology, and a midrash. This fourth beast has the distinction of ten horns. He gave orders to offer sacrifice and incense to him. The Skilled Migrant Category is a points system based on factors such as age, work experience, your qualifications, and an offer of skilled employment. First, God enabled him to explain several of the kings dreams. [8] Modern scholars agree that Daniel is a legendary figure;[3] it is possible that this name was chosen for the hero of the book because of his reputation as a wise seer in Hebrew tradition. He also presented an offering and incense to Daniel, most likely indicating that he viewed him as the representative of God (Dan. Are we supposed to discover their identity? Note that the description of the beasts is written in prose, while the description of the heavenly court in verses 9-10 and of the Son of Man in verses 13-14 is written in poetry form. The second scene portrays the establishment of the thrones on which the Ancient of Days and those holding court are to be seated to pronounce judgment. The Holy Bible: King James Version. In chapter 5, King Belshazzars dream should have greatly alarmed him, but apparantly it did not. He lavishes gifts on Daniel and makes him chief of all the wise men and ruler over the province of Babylon. Suffering and glory are a part of one work. The last kingdom has at least eleven kings. And the high priest said to Him, I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God. 64 Jesus said to him, You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, AND COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN (Matthew 26:59-64). Within this view, the arrival of the kingdom of God (the rock) is symbolic for the arrival of Jesus. [18] The marriage might be a reference to either of two between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies, the first in c.250 BCE and the second in 193. He distinguishes himself by his ability to overcome the whole earth, crushing it under foot. As the destruction of the last beast and the blaspheming horn came as a complete shock to them, so the Lords coming will catch unbelievers unprepared as well (24:27-39). At least the final portion of chapter 7 has not been fulfilled. The transfiguration of our Lord was but a foretaste of His coming glorious kingdom (16:28). He went and said thus to him: Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation., 25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation., 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?. From an eternal perspective, the coming of Christ and His kingdom is but one coming. [28] The concept of four successive world empires is drawn from Greek theories of mythological history, while the symbolism of the four metals is drawn from Persian writings. We could never predict the goals God has determined, nor the means He has ordained for history to reach them. Two major divisions comprise our text: (1) Daniels dreamverses 1-14 and (2) the interpretationverses 15-28. The kingdom of God would not be established in Daniels lifetime, nor in the life of those who returned to the land of Israel from their captivity. Previously, the king had accused his wise men of stalling for more time. The Son of man, Jesus Christ, would come to the Ancient of Days [God] with the clouds of heaven. 2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. The Son of Man had the power to forgive sins, as well as to heal a paralytic (Matthew 9:6). Worship, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window). 47 The king said to Daniel, Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery.. Having related the dream, Daniel then interprets it: it concerns four successive kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar, which will be replaced by the everlasting kingdom of the God of heaven. Ceremonial Laws When we expect it least, the Lord will return, the wicked will be punished, and the kingdom of God established forevermore. 4143 But then the feet and toes that ended up as a mixture of ceramic and iron will deteriorate into a mongrel kingdom with some remains of iron in it. Providence 24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them,81 and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. Prayer We dare not ignore that which is revealed nor do we dare go too far afield in speculating about what is concealed (see Deuteronomy 29:29; 1 Timothy 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:23). When the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, having added perfect humanity to His undiminished deity, He spoke of Himself very often as the Son of Man. In the Gospels, Jesus began not only to identify Himself as the Messiah, the promised Son of Man, but also to explain all that this involved. We are not to base our thinking and actions on circumstances, but upon the Scriptures. I am a nurse from the Philippines with two years of experience before I came to New Zealand. Sin distorted this authority with this particular disease, even turning man into an animal. He questioned His disciples so that they could confess that He, the Son of Man, was the Messiah (16:13f.). The kingdom of God will be established and the saints will possess it forever. The blasphemous horn of Daniel 7, which goes so far as to oppose the people of God, is suddenly taken by death, and his kingdom is removed. Web27 Daniel replied, No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. At the outset of the account of his vision, Daniel wants his reader to know the historical context in which this prophecy was given and to consider its interpretation and application in the light of that context. True. 24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. His thoughts alarm him, and his face pales. Quite clear, however, is the identity of the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man.. In chapter two, Daniel refers to God five times and blesses Him as the God In Dan. However, the iron and clay feet represent an iron kingdom that will be partly strong and partly brittle. Seeing this image frightened and bothered him, but a king of his magnitude and Dan. (9) What is the relationship between Daniels vision in chapter 7 and the events described in Daniel 5? 25 And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. The fact that wicked men will prosper and prevail and that the righteous will suffer is hardly pleasant news. We do not act on what we see so much as on what God has said. This description certainly fits the account of Nebuchadnezzars plunge from power and sanity in chapter 4. 3 While they are saying, Peace and safety! then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. The eleventh horn may hope to change the time, but in Gods plan this king is granted a time, times, and half a time three and a half years to oppose and oppress the saints. (8) The four beasts are all different, with the last standing apart from the first three. Both sets of kingdoms are brought to a sudden end and are replaced by an eternal kingdom. Both the statue parts (made of different metals) and the beasts represent kings and kingdoms. But the stone that hit the statue became a huge mountain, dominating the horizon. 10 If any one is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if any one kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Unsubscribe at any time. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. [24] Daniel 2:2023 emphasizes the Divine as a repository of wisdom and the controller of the destiny of kings; such hymns and prayers are typical of postexilic biblical narratives. 18 But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come. 19 Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet, 20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and which was larger in appearance than its associates.
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