100 % Accuracy- Bible Prophecy (Daniel 7 Continued)

 How important is history to prophecy? A person's history at predicting things is important should you be curious about their ability to prophesize, right? If you want to get a prophecy from someone you would look at their track record which would include reading the history of their past interactions. Right now we have things called 'Reviews' on everything from products we might consider buying, to shows we might want to watch, to places you might want to go to eat, drink, sleep, or for recreation. You know what I'm talking about. People scarcely decide to go somewhere new where they are going to spend their hard earned money without checking it out first. We search the internet for reviews- people who have had the experience with the people, places or things we are interested in. Their history with the aforementioned things gives us insight. The more money we are considering spending often determines just how deeply we are going to search out proper reviews. We want to know as much as we can about something before we invest in it. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!  So, what does this have to do with our studying? The reason I hope you are studying is to KNOW TRUTH. The reason I hope you are studying is because we are told by Jesus we will be blessed, and you want to be blessed by Jesus. The reason I hope you are studying is because you know that we are to, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15   I hope you are studying to know the love of God so perfectly given to us in His word.  If you are studying for these reasons then you know the importance of what you are doing. If we can spend sometimes hours reviewing things online before we commit to spending our money, time, effort, how much more time should we be spending studying the Word of God, as we desire to do as our Lord and Savior would have us do?  I'm saying this to impress upon you  the need to NOT look at this study as tedious and too long to read, too much to get into, because that is what Satan wants you to do. Satan wants you to discount the knowledge of history as being completely unimportant when it comes to salvation. Satan would rather have you toss all this knowledge away as meaningless, than have you study to know truth. Prophecy goes hand in hand with history and if we can see from history that there is so far a 100% accuracy rating on prophecies that have come to pass through time, we do not have to have ANY doubt whatsoever that the rest of the prophecies will come to pass just as they've been written.  If you can get a 100% rating in a review with thousands having reviewed something, you would have no doubt about believing what you were setting out to do would be a good thing.  We need to know truth, facts, and prophecy with history reveals that we can know without doubt what lies ahead for mankind.  God help us, bless us as we seek to know His truth and do His will always! 

Continuing on with our study-

Daniel 7:13,14 'I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14. And 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.'

Jesus receives His kingdom.

Read Luke 19:10-12- 'For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. {19:11} And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. {19:12} He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.'

Obviously this is in the Heavenly Sanctuary, in the heavenly temple, when the close of the priestly work is over, all people, nations, languages shall serve Him. None of the wicked. Jesus goes to a far country to receive for Himself the kingdom and then to return.

READ Daniel 7:15-18 -'I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16. 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. 17. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth. 18. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'

This vision that troubled Daniel was interpreted for him. He wanted to understand the truth, we too want to understand it all. The one interpreting the vision says, 'These great beasts, which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth.' We understand through history itself of the four great kingdoms that reigned on Earth. It's plain to see if you study history how this is so and has come to pass.

What happens after the fourth kingdom is finally destroyed?

'But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'

God's saints. The righteous in God. Those first in the kingdom are the least here and now, servants.

This will come to pass as well, just as all that was predicted prior to this has come to pass. Nothing can stop the prophecy from being fulfilled.

READ Daniel 7:19,20 - 'Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; 20 And 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.'

Daniel wanted to know the 'truth of the fourth beast' the fourth kingdom. He understood the other three beasts previously described but the fourth held some confusion for him. Seriously, it is no wonder that the ancient kingdoms were easy for him to understand, they would not last nearly as long, or be nearly as horrific and unnatural as the fourth beast. The fourth kingdom would last in part clear to the end of time, clear to our day and age.

The first kingdom like a lion- he knew what lions were and the nature of lions.

The second kingdom like at bear- he knew what a bear was and the nature of a bear.

The third kingdom like a leopard- yes, he knew was a leopard was and the nature of a leopard.

And he understood that winds meant strife, that wings swiftness- this wasn't some terrible creature he'd never seen before. Bears with ribs, yes understandable. Leopards with wings, understandable as well. But there is no natural animal symbol for Daniel to compare to the fourth beast, the fourth kingdom, such a creature doesn't exist in any form.

The fourth kingdom like a beast dreadful and terrible, nails of brass, teeth of iron, but what beast holds these elements of cruelty, of fierceness? Daniel hadn't a clue.

Then a little horn would come up out of this beast, thrusting aside three of the ten horns it had on its head. And the horn had eyes! Horns didn't have eyes! This horn had eyes of a man and a mouth! A horn with a mouth speaking proud, arrogant claims.

It wasn't any wonder Daniel wanted to understand this fourth beast, this fourth kingdom better than he did. So in even more symbolic language he is told more about the beast. Symbolic and yet as history is the key to understanding, it is just that, understandable without any mistaking.

READ Daniel 7:21,22 - 'I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22. 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 little horn on the fourth beast was going to make war with the saint and prevail against them and it would do so until the Ancient of days was come.

The rise of the fourth kingdom which we know to be Rome, which conquered Greece, and then the division of Rome eventually into ten kingdoms happened between 351-476 AD. History- all history. The ten horns- ten kingdoms all existing at the same time, the little horn- another kingdom but obviously not anything like the other kingdoms.

Kingdoms are political as a rule. Babylon, Medes-Persia, Greece, Rome, ten kingdoms it divided into, all politically gained, all sharing that sameness. has any kingdom come up among the ten kingdoms of the Roman empire since 476 AD? A kingdom different from all the others? Yes? No? The answer is, yes. This kingdom wasn't political in nature but spiritual. This kingdom that was different from all the others was the kingdom of the Papacy. Never before was there such a kingdom, never. This power, this kingdom is proven in its very symbols.

READ Daniel 7:23 - 'Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.'

Truthfully has there ever been a kingdom, a power such as the papacy which had made war unlike any other kingdom? Fifty million martyrs. History proves this cruel persecution. History of the Waldenses, the Albigenses, and Protestants in general, by the papal power.

It is stated on good authority that the persecutions, massacres, and religious martyrs by the church and bishop of Rome, have shed far more blood of the saints of the Most High any other kingdom. Century after century, after century of persecutions.

READ Daniel 7:23-26 - 'Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and. shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 25. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. 26. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.'

More details of the fourth beast, the fourth kingdom, the fourth ruler.

The little horn- wants attention, wants power. The first bishops of Rome had high rank. Read this-- "All the inhabitants of the earth belong to her," said Julian; and Claudian declared her to be "the fountain of laws." " If Rome is the queen of cities, why should not her pastor be the king of bishops?" was the reasoning these Roman pastors adopted. "Why should not the Roman Church be the mother of Christendom? Why should not all nations be her children, and her authority their sovereign law? It was easy," says D'Aubigne, from whom we quote these words (" History of the Reformation," Vol. I, chap. 1), " for the ambitious heart of man to reason thus. Ambitious Rome did so."

The bishops in the different parts of the Roman empire felt a pleasure in yielding to the bishop of Rome some portion of that honor which Rome, as the queen city, received from the nations of the earth. There was originally no dependence implied in the honor thus paid. " But," continues D'Aubigne, "Usurped power increases like an avalanche. Admonitions, at first simply fraternal, soon became absolute commands in the mouth of the pontiff. The Western bishops favored this encroachment of the Roman pastors, either from jealousy of the Eastern bishops, or because they preferred submitting to the supremacy of a pope rather than to the dominion of a temporal power."

Keep reading- History tells the tale-

Such were the influences clustering around the bishop of Rome, and thus was everything tending toward his speedy elevation to the supreme spiritual throne of Christendom. But the fourth century was to witness an obstacle thrown across the path of this ambitious dream. Arius, parish priest of the, ancient and influential church of Alexandria, sprung his doctrine upon the world, occasioning so fierce a controversy in the Christian church that a general council. was called at Nievea, by the emperor Constantine, A. D. 325, to consider and adjust it. Arius maintained "that the Son was totally and essentially distinct from the Father; that he was the first, and noblest of those beings whom the Father had created out of nothing, the instrument by whose subordinate operation the Almighty Father formed the universe, and therefore inferior to the Father both in nature and dignity." This opinion was condemned by the council, which decreed that Christ was of one and the same substance with the Father. Hereupon Arius was banished to Illyria, and his followers were compelled to give their assent to the creed composed on that occasion. (Mosheim, cent. 4, part 2, chap. 4; Stanley, History of the Eastern Church, p. 239.)

The Arians became bitter enemies of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church, history shows this to be true. While the Arian's would get the upper hand remember what prophecy states- the little horn would uproot three horns. Read this-

From Albert Barnes which seems very appropriate when discussing the papacy overthrowing three Arian kingdoms. '"In the confusion that existed on the breaking up of the Roman empire, and the imperfect accounts of the transactions which occurred in the rise of the papal power, it would not be wonderful if it should be difficult to find events distinctly recorded that would be in all respects an accurate and absolute fulfillment of the vision. Yet it is possible to make out the fulfillment of this with a good degree of certainty in the history of the papacy." - Notes on Daniel 7.

Mr. Joseph Mede believes this- he supposes the three kingdoms plucked up to have been the Greeks, the Lombards, and the Franks; and Sir Isaac Newton supposes they were the Exarchate of Ravenna, the Lombards, and the Senate and Dukedom of Rome. Bishop Newton (Dissertation on the Prophecies, pp. 217, 218) states some serious objections to both these schemes. The Franks could NOT have been one of these kingdoms; for they were never plucked up before the papacy. The Lombards could NOT have been one; for they were never made subject to the popes. Says Albert Barnes, "I do not find, indeed, that the kingdom of the Lombards was, as is commonly stated, among the number of the temporal sovereignties that became, subject to the authority of the popes." And the Senate and Dukedom of Rome could NOT have been one; for they, as such, never constituted one of the ten kingdoms, three of which were to be plucked up before the little horn.

But we apprehend that the chief difficulty in the application made by these eminent commentators, lay in the fact that they supposed that the prophecy respecting the exaltation of the papacy had not been fulfilled, and could not have been, till the pope became a temporal prince; and hence they sought to find an accomplishment of the prophecy in the events which led to the pope's temporal sovereignty. Whereas, evidently, the prophecy of verses 24, 25 refers, not to his civil power, but to his power to domineer over the minds and consciences of men; and the pope reached this position, as will hereafter appear, in A. D. 538; and the plucking up of the three horns took place before this, and to make way for this very exaltation to spiritual dominion. The insuperable difficulty in the way of all attempts to apply the prophecy to the Lombards and the other powers named above is that they come altogether too late in point of time; for the prophecy deals with the arrogant efforts of the Roman pontiff to gain power, NOT with his endeavors to oppress and humble the nations after he had secured the supremacy.

The position is here confidently taken that the three powers, or horns, plucked up before the papacy, were the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths; and this position rests upon the following statements of historians.

Odoacer, the leader of the Heruli, was the first of the barbarians who reigned over the Romans. He took the throne of Italy, according to Gibbon (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. III, pp. 510, 515),in 476. Of his religious belief Gibbon (p. 516) says: " Like the rest of the barbarians, he had been instructed in the Arian heresy; but he revered the monastic and episcopal characters, and the silence of the Catholics attests the toleration which they enjoyed."

Again he says (p. 547)- " The Ostrogoths, the Burgundians, the Suevi, and the Vandals, who had listened to the eloquence of the Latin clergy, preferred the more intelligible lessons of their domestic teachers; and Arianism was adopted as the national faith of the warlike converts who were seated on the ruins of the Western empire. This irreconcilable difference of religion was a perpetual source of jealousy and hatred; and the reproach of barbarian was embittered by the more odious epithet of heretic. The heroes of the North, who had submitted, with some reluctance, to believe that all their ancestors were in hell, were astonished and exasperated to learn that they themselves had only changed the mode of their eternal condemnation."

The reader is requested to consider carefully a few more historical statements which throw some light on the situation at this time. Stanley (History of the Eastern Church, p. 151) says- "The whole of the vast Gothic population which descended on the Roman empire, so far as it was Christian at all, held to the faith of the Alexandrian heretic. Our first Teutonic version of the Scriptures was by an Arian missionary, UIfilas. The first conqueror of Rome, Alaric, and the first conqueror of Africa, Genseric, were Arians. Theodoric, the great king of Italy, and hero of the 'Nibelungen Lied,' was an Arian. The vacant place in his massive tomb at Ravenna is a witness of the vengeance which the Orthodox took on his memory, when, in their triumph, they tore down the porphyry vase in which his Arian subjects had enshrined his ashes.

Ranke, in his History of the Popes (London, edition of 1871), Vol. I, p. 9, says- " But she [the church] fell, as was inevitable, into many embarrassments, and found herself in an entirely altered condition. A pagan people took possession of Britain; Arian kings seized the greater part of the remaining West; while the Lombards, long attached to Arianism, and as neighbors most dangerous and hostile, established a powerful sovereignty before the very gates of Rome. The Roman bishops, meanwhile, beset on all sides, exerted themselves with all the prudence and pertinacity which have remained their peculiar attributes, to regain the mastery, at least in the patriarchal diocese."

Machiavelli, in his History of Florence, p. 14, says- "Nearly all the wars which the northern barbarians carried on in Italy, it may be here remarked, were occasioned by the pontiffs; and the hordes with which the country was inundated, were generally called in by them."

These extracts give us a general view of the state of affairs at this time, and show us that though the hands of the Roman pontiffs might not be visibly manifest in the movements upon the political board, they constituted the power working assiduously behind the scenes to secure their own purposes. The relation which these Arian kings sustained to the pope, from which we can see the necessity of their being overthrown to make way for papal supremacy, is shown in the following testimony from Mosheim, given in his History of the Church, cent. 6, part 2, chap. 2, see. 2 - "On the other hand, it is certain, from a variety of the most authentic records, that both the emperors and the nations in general were far from being disposed to bear with patience the yoke of servitude which the popes were imposing upon the Christian church. The Gothic princes set bounds to the power of these arrogant prelates in Italy, permitted none to. be raised to the pontificate without their approbation, and reserved to themselves the right of judging of the legality of every new election."

An instance in proof of this statement occurs in the history of Odoacer, the first Arian king above mentioned, as related by Bower in his History of the Popes, Vol. 1, p. 271. When, on the death of Pope Simplicius, A. D. 483, the clergy and people had assembled for the election of a new pope, suddenly Basilius, lieutenant of King Odoacer, appeared in the assembly, expressed his surprise that any such work as appointing a successor to the deceased pope should be undertaken without him, in the name of the king declared all that had been done null and void, and ordered the election to be begun anew. Certainly the horn which exercised such a restrictive power over the papal pontiff must be taken away before the pope could reach the predicted supremacy.

Meanwhile, Zeno, the emperor of the East, and friend of the pope, was anxious to drive Odoacer out of Italy (Machiavelli, p. 6), a movement which he soon had the satisfaction of seeing accomplished without trouble to himself, in the following manner. Theodoric had come to the throne of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Moesia and Pannonia. Being on friendly terms with Zeno, he wrote him, stating that it was impossible for him to restrain his Goths within the impoverished province of Pannonia, and asking his permission to lead them to some more favorable region, which they might conquer and possess. Zeno gave him permission to march against Odoacer, and take possession of Italy. Accordingly, after a three years' war, the Heralian kingdom in Italy was overthrown, Odoacer was treacherously slain, and Theodoric established his Ostrogoths in the Italian peninsula. As already stated, he was an Arian, and the law of Odoacer subjecting the election of the pope to the approval of the king was still retained.

The following incident will show how completely the papacy was in subjection to his power. The Catholics in the East, having commenced a persecution against the Arians in 523, Theodoric summoned Pope John into his presence, and thus addressed him- "If the emperor [Justin, the predecessor of Justinian] does not think fit to revoke the edict which he has lately issued against those of my persuasion [that is, the Arians], it is my firm resolution to issue the like edict against those of his [that is, the Catholics] ; and to see it everywhere executed with the same rigor. Those who do not profess the faith of Nicaea are heretics to him, and those who do are heretics to me. Whatever can excuse or justify his severity to the former, will excuse and justify mine to the latter. But the emperor," continued the king, "has none about him who dare freely and openly speak what they think, or to whom he would hearken if they did. But the great veneration which he professes for your See, leaves no room to doubt but he would hearken to you. I will therefore have you to repair forthwith to Constantinople, and there to remonstrate, both in my name and your own, against the violent measures in which that court has so rashly engaged. It is in your power to divert the emperor from them; and till you have, nay, till the Catholics [this name Theodoric; applies to the Arians] are restored to the free exercise of their religion, and to all the churches from which they have been driven, you must not think of returning to Italy." - Bower's History of the Popes, Vol. 1, p. 325.

The pope who was thus peremptorily ordered not to set his foot again upon Italian soil until he had carried out the will of the king, certainly could not hope for much advancement toward any kind of supremacy till that power was taken out of the way. Baronius, according to Bower, will have it that the pope sacrificed himself on this occasion, and advised the emperor not by any means to comply with the demand the king had sent him. But Mr. Bower thinks this inconsistent, since he could not, he says, " sacrifice himself without sacrificing, at the same time, the far greater part of the innocent Catholics in the West, who were either subject to King Theodoric, or to other Arian princes in alliance with him." It is certain that the pope and the other ambassadors were treated. with severity on their return, which Bower explains on this wise- " Others arraign them all of high treason; and truly the chief men of Rome were suspected at this very time of carrying on a treasonable correspondence with the court of Constantinople, and machinating the ruin of the Gothic empire in Italy." - Id., p. 326.

The feelings of the papal party toward Theodoric may be accurately estimated, according to a quotation already given, by the vengeance which the took on his memory, when they tore from his massive tomb in Ravenna the porphyry vase in which his Arian subjects had enshrined his ashes. But these feelings are put into language by Baronius, who inveighs against Theodoric as a cruel barbarian, as a barbarous tyrant, as an impious Arian." But " having exaggerated with all his eloquence, and bewailed the deplorable condition of the Roman Church reduced by that heretic to a state of slavery, he comforts himself in the end, and dries up his tears, with the pious thought that the author of such a calamity died soon after, and was eternally damned! " - Bower, Vol. I, p. 328; Compare Baronius' Annals, A. D. 526, p. 116.

While the Catholics were thus feeling the restraining power of an Arian king in Italy, they were suffering a violent persecution from the Arian Vandals in Africa. (Gibbon, chap. 371 see. 2.) Elliott, in his Horae Apocalypticae, Vol. III, p. 152.. note 3, says- " The Vandal kings were not only Arians, but persecutors of the Catholics; in Sardinia and Corsica, under the Roman Episcopate, we may presume, as well as in Africa."

Such was the position of affairs, when, in 533, Justinian entered upon his Vandal and Gothic wars. Wishing to secure the influence of the pope and the Catholic party, he issued that memorable decree which was to constitute the pope the head of all the churches, and from the carrying out of which, in 538, the period of papal supremacy is to be dated. And whoever will read the history of the African campaign, 533-534, and the Italian campaign, 534 - 538, will notice that the Catholics everywhere hailed as deliverers the army of Belisarius, the general of Justinian.

The testimony of D'Aubigne (Reformation, book 1, chap. 1) also throws light upon the undercurrents which gave shape to outward movements in these eventful times. He says- "Princes whom these stormy times often shook upon their thrones, offered their protection if Rome would in its turn support them. They conceded to her the spiritual authority, provided she would make a return in secular power. They were lavish of the souls of men, in the hope that she would aid them against their enemies. The power of the hierarchy, which was ascending, and the imperial power, which was declining, leaned thus one upon the other, and by this alliance accelerated their twofold destiny. Rome could not lose by it. An edict of Theodosius 11 and of Valerian III proclaimed the Roman bishop 'rector of the whole church.' Justinian published a similar decree."

But no decree of this nature could be carried into effect until the Arian horns which stood in its way were overthrown. The Vandals fell before the victorious arms of Belisarius in 534; and the Goths received a crushing blow in connection with their unsuccessful siege of Rome in 538. (Gibbon, chap. 41)

Procopius, relates that the African war was undertaken by Justinian for the relief of the Christians (Catholics) in that quarter; and that when he expressed his intention in this respect, the prefect of the palace came very near dissuading him from his purpose but a dream appeared to him in which he was bidden "not to shrink from the execution of his design; for by assisting the Christians he would overthrow the power of the Vandals. " - Evagrius' Eccl. Hist., book 4, chap. 16.

Listen again to Mosheim- "It is true that the Greeks who had received the decrees of the Council of Nicaea [that is, the Catholics], persecuted and oppressed the Arians wherever their influence and authority could reach; but the Nicenians, in their turn, were not less rigorously treated by their adversaries [the Arians], particularly in Africa and Italy, where they felt, in a very severe manner, the weight of the Arian power, and the bitterness of hostile resentment. The triumphs of Arianism were, however, transitory, and its prosperous days were entirely eclipsed when the Vandals were driven out of Africa, and the Goths out of Italy, by the arms of Justinian." - Mosheim's Church History, cent. 6, part 2, chap. 5, sec. 3.

Elliott, in his Horae Apocalypticae, makes two enumerations of the ten kingdoms which rose out of the Roman empire, varying the second list from the first according to the changes which had taken place at the later period to which the second list applies. His first list differs from that mentioned in remarks on chap. 2: 42, only in that he put the Alemanni in place of the Huns, and the Bavarians in place of the Lombards, a variation which can be easily accounted for. But out of this list he names the three that were plucked up before the papacy, in these words- " I might cite three that were eradicated from before the pope out of the list first given; namely, the Heruli under Odoacer, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths." - Vol. III, p. 152, note 1.

Although he prefers the second list, in which he puts the Lombards instead of the Heruli, the foregoing is good testimony that if we make the enumeration of the ten kingdoms while the Heruli were a ruling power, they were one of the horns which were plucked up.

From the historical testimony above cited, we think it clearly established that the three horns plucked up were the powers named; viz., the Heruli in A. D. 493, the Vandals in 534, and the Ostrogoths in 553. The effective opposition of the Ostrogoths to the decree of Justinian, however, it is to be noted, ceased when they were driven from Rome by Belisarius in 538.

To Be Continued…..

Daniel Chapter 5

 This is a study of Daniel Chapter Five 

READ Daniel 5:1 -' Belshazzar the king made a great (1) _____ to a thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand.'

No longer Nebuchadnezzar, his life is over. Next, we pick up with Belshazzar, learning that feasting and drinking were something he enjoyed. Further on you'll see where Cyrus and his army obviously knew of this feasting and used it to their advantage. Do you remember that statue, the one with the golden head? Well we know the dream interpretation stated that the head of gold would give way to arms and chest of silver, the Babylonian empire would not last and this chapter shows where Babylon ends and the next kingdom begins.

READ Daniel 5:2-4 'Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the (2) ______ which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. 3. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. 4. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.'

Obviously the special golden and silver vessels that were stolen from the temple in Jerusalem were not on display for everyday use. They were the spoils of war, but kept elsewhere. Perhaps like good china stowed away for a special occasion? Or even more sacred than that. They were kept locked away as a show piece to a victorious war fought and won. Here Belshazzar commanded that these temple vessels be brought into the feast, these vessel the Jewish people had kept in their holy temple dedicated to the one, true God. He passed the vessels around and drank wine from them praising the gods of what? Gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone. Gods. Not God. He used vessels dedicated to the one true God of Heaven and Earth to honor false gods. Not a very good thing to be doing, not at all. Of course they knew what they were doing. They had those vessels brought out, not because they didn't have any fine vessels of their own, but they wanted to make a point and that being their gods were greater than the Jewish God.

READ Daniel 5:5-9 'In the same (3) ____ came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6. 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. 7. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the (4) _____ ruler in the kingdom. 8. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. 9. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.'

In the same hour that the king called for the temple vessels to profane them, what happened? The fingers of a man's hand. Not a man. There was no man standing there, just the finger of a man's hand, a man's hand without a body attached to it obviously. These fingers wrote something on the wall of the king's palace. The king saw the hand writing. Can you even imagine?! Talk about being witness to something supernatural. The king was terrified. Instantly he yelled for his astrologers, the Chaldeans, the soothsayers. Sound familiar? Nebuchadnezzar had given all his spiritual advisors first crack at solving mysteries too. Belshazzar called out for them and told them whoever reads that writing on the wall and gives him understanding of what it says shall be clothed in the finest, wear gold necklaces and will even be the third ruler in all the kingdom! Talk about incentives! All the king's wisemen hurried in but they couldn't read that writing, and if they couldn't read it they certainly couldn't understand what it said. So here we have the king celebrating using the looted temple vessels in his revelry, honoring the gods of precious metals, woods, and stones, suddenly all his partying comes to a halt and he's terrified by this hand writing something on the palace wall. No more celebration. He wants to know what's going on. He was no longer having fun. That hand wrote something and it wasn't good, he knew that it wasn't good, his actions speak loud and clear on that one. So, what happened next?

READ Daniel 5:10-16 -- 'Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live forever; let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed. 11. There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; 12. Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation. 13. Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? 14. I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent (5) ______ is found in thee. 15. And now the wise men, the astrologers I have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing. 16. And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.'

A little history here. Daniel had obviously fallen into the realm of the unknown, at least to Belshazzar- who was in all actuality Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, but the customs of the time called any paternal ancestor, father, and too any male descendant was called son. The queen called in was Nebuchadnezzar's daughter, so the queen mother, one who would have known of Daniel, who would have remembered when his grandson could have been too young to remember him. Do you recall that Daniel was made ruler over lands and sent to tend to the kings business? He wasn't always right there in the kings palace and who knew how long he was gone away doing his duties.

Well, here we have the queen coming in and telling Belshazzar that there is one that Nebuchadnezzar used when none of his other wise men could help him. So of course Belshazzar wanted this Belteshazzar brought in, who was in fact Daniel. The king inquired of him if he were the one Nebuchadnezzar brought out of Jewry and then went on to say he knew of him and that the spirit of the gods was in him. He then went on and made the same offer to Daniel as he did his wisemen. If Daniel could help him out he'd gain all that the others would have, if they'd been able to read and interpret the writing on the wall. What does Daniel do...

READ Daniel 5:17 -- 'Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to (6) _______ ; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.'

He tells the king he doesn't want his gifts, his rewards, but he will tell him what he wants to know.

READ Daniel 5:18-21 0 thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor; 19. And for the majesty that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. 20. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: 21. And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.'

Daniel uses this opportunity to speak quite plainly to Belshazzer, telling about Nebuchadnezzar and how God, the most high, dealt with him. How God gave him all and then Nebuchadnezzar became prideful and God took it all away from him by taking his reason. Only when Nebuchadnezzar realized and admitted that the most high God ruled over all men and gives kingdoms to whom he wanted, only then did God give him back his reason. So Daniel gave Belshazzar a little refresher course on the history of the one who ruled before he did. All of which was in fact, history, well known history at that. If your grandfather goes crazy for seven years and then gets his reason back- this is the stuff that is known especially because of its strangeness, its uniqueness. 

Daniel goes on to say...

READ Daniel 5:22-24 -- 'And thou his son, 0 Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; 23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the (7) ______ of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified: 24. Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.'

Daniel points out that Belshazzar didn't humble his own heart at all, even though he knew what Nebuchadnezzar had gone through. He points out that Belshazzar brought the vessels from the One, True God's temple and let him and all his people drink wine in them, praising false gods, gods that mean nothing because only the true God should be honored so, and Belshazzar has not honored him at all. Daniel tells him outright, it'd God's hand that wrote that writing on the wall. The God he's neglected, forgotten, and rejected.

Daniel uses this opportunity not for personal gain, he doesn't want anything from Belshazzar. He takes time to point out who the message is from and why it was given before even revealing the meaning, impressing upon Belshazzar that even though he knew better from history, he's not learned the most important lesson the God, the most high is ruler and not the false gods that abound.

Finally Daniel tells him what it says...

READ Daniel5:25-29 'And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27. TEKEL; Thou art (8)_______ in the balances, and art found wanting. 28. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. 29. Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

The message is not good, as Belshazzar already suspected and feared. Obviously the language was unknown or the wise men would have interpreted it. Perhaps it was written in the Samaritan, the true Hebrew a language that Daniel used prior to his captivity. We know that no one but Daniel could read this message and as in times past, God through His Spirit gave Daniel the wisdom needed.

Also obvious by the interpretation, each word is really a short sentence. Mene, numbered. Tekel, weighed. Upharsin, from the root of peres, divided.

God, the One Belshazzar defied, holds the fate of the Babylonian kingdom in His hands. He's numbered the days of Babylonian Kingdom even though it's at its height of glory, a kingdom one would thought would stand forever. Because of his pride, Belshazzar has been weighed in the balances and found wanting. The kingdom would be given to the Medes and Persians. What an interpretation!

The king immediately gave all that he said he would to Daniel if he made the writing known, even though Daniel told him that wasn't why he was helping him.

What happened next...

READ Daniel 5:30,31-- 'In (9) _____  night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 31. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.'

Wow! That night Belshazzar was killed and Darius of the Medes took the kingdom.

Historically, we know that the Persian soldiers had emptied a channel of the Euphrates River and made their way into the city, killing and fighting their way to the palace. They found the king and killed him, even though the king had been warned. With the takeover by the Persians, the Babylon rule had ended, just as foretold.

That conclude Daniel Chapter 5. May God bless us as we continue to study.

(1) feast - Daniel 5:1

(2) temple - Daniel 5:2 

(3) hour -  Daniel 5:5

(4) third - Daniel 5:7

(5) wisdom - Daniel 5:14

(6) another - Daniel 5:17

(7) vessels - Daniel 5:23

(8) weighed - Daniel 5:27

(9) that - Daniel 5:30

The Book of Daniel Chapter 2 Pt. 1

 The following is our continuing study of the Books of Daniel and Revelation - we are seeking only truth in prophecy, and a better understanding of the heavenly Sanctuary and its continued importance for all of us today. May God bless us richly and the Holy Spirit guide us only to truth!  *For those who don't have time (or desire) to search for the answers to filling in the blanks - the answers are at the end of this page.

READ Daniel 2:1 -- And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was (1)_________, and his sleep brake from him.

As we studied in chapter one, Daniel was taken into captivity in the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. For three years he along with his three friends were schooled extensively on things concerning Babylonian life, things that pleased Nebuchadnezzaer to realize when he tested them that they’d learned better than all those native to his realm.

A question comes to mind that if Daniel was being schooled those three years and didn’t see the king until the end of them, how he could go to the king in the second year stated here and help him. The answer lies in the fact for two year Nebuchanezzar reigned alongside his father Nabopolassar. By the second year of his reign without his father at his side it was a year after Daniel completed his studies.

Having clarified that it’s understandable Daniel at this point would be accounted among his people and not a boy studying to show himself worthy to the king.

READ Daniel 2:2 -- Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to (2)____ the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

Men throughout the ages have pretended to foretell the future through the stars and it was no different then, and no surprise a king would have magicians, astrologers and sorcerers and the Chaldeans, at his beck and call.

Sorcerers feigned communication with the dead to guide the living, just something to show how long spiritualism has been alive and flourishing. The Chaldeans were a group of philosophers very much like the others who claimed extraordinary abilities to deal with the unknown. All these groups flourished in Babylon. 

Having his own group of these men the King having had his troublesome dream wanted them to help him out. What a dream it had to have been to weigh so heavily upon his mind.

READ Daniel 2:3,4 -- And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to (3)____ the dream. Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O king, live forever; tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

Obviously these men weren’t used to such a request. They wanted at least enough information so they could make a great show of pretending to know what it was all about and what it all meant, it was in fact how they’d always done their so called magic.

And Syriac was a learned language of intellectuals so addressing the king in that language was once more a show trying to impress the king with their intellectual prowess as they had in the past.

READ Daniel 2:5-13 – ‘he king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is (4)___ from me; if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor; therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it. The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you; for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed; therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof. The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is (5) ___ a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter; therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be (6)_____; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.’

Obviously the soothsayers and such are stalling and trying to convince the king what he asks for is impossible. Does the king just accept this? Does he let himself be convinced that no one in his realm of the brightest in all the land could help him with this troublesome dream? He wasn’t asking for just an interpretation, he was asking to be told what the dream was first. How could anyone give an interpretation without being told what they’re supposed to be interpreting? Even today we would call someone crazy if they came up to us and said, ‘Hey, what’d I dream last night?’ This is the impossible the king wanted surely he had to see reason.

Yes, Nebuchadnezzar is so bothered by this dream eluding him that he can’t accept the impossibility of what he’s asking. He refuses to believe that none of his supposed wise men can help him, if they can’t help him they’re useless to him. He was furious. Not just a little upset, he was furious and gave a command that all the wise men be killed. 

READ Daniel 2:14-18 -- Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the (7)____ men of Babylon. He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions; That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

God’s hand is seen here so vividly. This dream given to the king and yet withheld from his memory is something powerful as we’ve seen. This dream is exposing the falsity of those normally held in high esteem, the magicians, the sorcerers, the astrologers and the Chaldeans, all of them were being exposed as charlatans. They are unable to do that which they’ve claimed over and over the ability to do.

Just a short while before Daniel and his companions had been found by the king to be ten times better than all the other wise men and yet the king hadn’t asked to see them which proved to be even more valuable to exposing the false sects for what they were. God wanted to expose the false, He wanted the king himself to see their ineffectiveness so his divine purpose could be seen.

Being considered as one among the wise men- Daniel is going to be put to death and what does he do? He asks for an audience with the king. The king is furious with all wise men and he grants Daniel this request. God’s hand surely guiding matters. After Daniel went into the king he then went to his companions. He didn’t stay by himself, he went to those he knew could help him, to join with him in supplication to God. We know that were two or more are gathered God is there.

READ Matthew 18:19, 20 -- Again I say unto you, That if (8)___ of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’

This was no less true back in Daniel’s day. He knew there was spiritual strength in numbers.

READ Daniel 2:19-23 -- ‘Then was the (9) ______ revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his; And he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding; He revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 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 (10)_____.’

Whether God revealed the dream to Daniel while he was asleep or awake is unknown. Night vision could have meant a dream of his own, or it could have been a vision given him while he was awake and his companions and he were praying. God did answer their prayers and Daniel immediately praised and thanked Him. How important is it that we acknowledge the source of all good and praise God. God is honored when we praise him and thank him for what He’s done in our lives. We need to use Daniel’s recorded behavior as an example to us. No blessing of God’s to us should go without acknowledgement. 

READ Luke 17:11-19 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up [their] voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw [them,] he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice GLORIFIED God, And fell down on [his] face at his feet, giving him THANKS: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where [are] the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

The one who returned to give thanks to Him, pleased Jesus. The man’s faith made him whole. We need to give thanks and remember to give thanks for God’s blessings in our lives.

Daniel didn’t receive an answer to their prayers and run off to tell the king what he wanted to know, the first thing he did was thank and praise God. He wasn’t going to take honor onto himself at all, he knew where the honor and glory belonged and that was to God. Including those praying with him, he didn’t even presume to give thanks in his own name, but as a group who offered up prayers to God, who desired of Him an answer of those prayers, he praised and thanked God who answered them.

To be continued…

(1) troubled Daniel 2:1

(2) shew Daniel 2:2

(3) know Daniel 2:3

(4) gone Daniel 2:5

(5) not Daniel 2:10

(6) slain Daniel 2:13

(7) wise Daniel 2:14

(8) two Matthew 18:19

(9) secret Daniel 2:19

(10) matter Daniel 2:23

The Book of Daniel Chapter 1 Pt 1

 I went to a series of Prophecy Lectures that were being given at a nearby church in 1982.  I don't have access to the actual material given back then, but there are other studies with a lot of the same information.  The study we are going to go through is more in-depth. We are living now, 42 years after the last known end time prophecy was fulfilled. There are more end time prophecies that have to be fulfilled and the majority of those it appears will happen very rapidly extremely close to our Lord returning. You read those words and what do you think about them? I hope they arouse your curiosity and don't dissuade you from seeking truth. The above facts can be proven, pray for God's guidance, God's grace, God's mercy, pray for the Holy Spirit to be your guide through all of these studies.  Please, open your Bible - whether an actual book of paper, or an online Bible, it doesn't matter- open your Bible and with a prayerful heart begin to study. 

Remember there are going to be blanks for you to fill in by reading from your Bibles- this is to reinforce what you are studying, giving you a real opportunity to look for yourself upon God's word, and not just read something I've put here for you to read.

Daniel Chapter 1

Let’s begin with a bit of historical background on the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel was written by Daniel Himself that cannot be disputed. Ezekiel, a prophet and a contemporary of Daniels has this to say--

READ Ezekiel 14:19, 20. "… though Noah, 1______, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness."

Daniel is ranked up there with who? Noah and Job, two very important Biblical figures.

Ezekiel also has this to say of Daniel--

READ Ezekiel 28:3 "Behold, thou art wiser than 2______; there is no secret that they can hide from thee."

And even Jesus recognized Daniel and did so recognizing him as a prophet of God. 

READ Matthew 24:15, 16. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by 3_______ ___ ________, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand), then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains."

(The following may read as if you are a Bible scholar, or serious student who knows Biblical history- dates and whatnot. If you do not have this education, I don't, then you may have to pause and look up some facts if you don't want to just accept them as truth. Don't hesitate to do so now, or any time in the future of this study, research.) 

What we know of Daniel begins when he is taken captive in the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzer (Babylonian King). The first year that began the seventy years of enslavement, 606 BC when Habakkuk and Jeremiah were giving their prophecies. A short while after that Ezekiel began his prophesizing and then Obadiah, both finishing their prophetic work long before the end of Daniel’s prophesizing.

Three prophets went after Daniel—Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Both Haggai and Zechariah briefly prophesized in 520-518 BC and then Malachi for a short while in 397 BC. All Biblical history, documented well.

Jeremiah wrote the following prediction--

READ Jeremiah 25:11 -And this whole land shall be a 4___________, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

70 years of captivity was predicted and 70 years of captivity there were.

Daniel was taken captive during that time and at his peak he saw the kingdom decline and even go into other hands. Daniel was given by God knowledge which surpasses any man could have given him. He was honored and loved of God and his words are available to us today to study and learn much from.

He reveals history many centuries into the future to the end of all time. He offers us an account of the timeline of the coming of the Messiah as well. The prophecies of Daniel are amazing as you’ll soon discover.

Historical data tells us that Daniel is supposed to have died at Susa in Persia (today’s Iran), about the year 530 BC, at about 94 years old.

Let us begin--CHAPTER -- I

READ Daniel 1: 1 - In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto 5__________, and besieged it. 2. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god.

Starting with an historical background, he states that Jehoiakim was the king of Judah at the time, that Nebuchadnezzer was king of Babylon and that Nebuchadnezzer besieged Jehoiakim’s reign. He also tells us that it was 3 years into the reign of Jehoiakim and that Jehoiakim was given into Nebuchadnezzar’s hands. Nebuchanezzer took some of the sacred vessels from the house of God into Shinar, the country of Babylon.

READ Genesis 10:10 ‘And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.’

Jerusalem’s capture was predicted by Jeremiah, and accomplished, in 606 BC.

READ Jeremiah 25:8-11-- Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Jeremiah places this captivity in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Daniel is in the third. This seeming discrepancy is explained by the fact that Nebuchadnezzar set out on his expedition near the close of the third year of Jehoiakim, from which point Daniel reckons. But he did not fully capture Jerusalem till about the ninth month of the year following; and from this year Jeremiah reckons. (Prideaux, Vol. I, pp. 99, 100 -https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Old_and_New_Testament_Connected_in_t/dvKBrDj1bnAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22fourth%20year%20of%20Jehoiakim%22)

Jehoiakim humbled himself and was allowed to remain as ruler in Jerusalem, tributary to the king of Babylon. This was the first time Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar. 

Twice after that because the people revolted, it had to be recaptured by the same king, being dealt with more harshly each succeeding time. Of these subsequent overthrows, the first was under Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim in 599 BC when all the sacred vessels were either taken or destroyed and the best of the people along with the king were led into captivity. The second was under Zedekiah, when the city fought the most formidable fight for control except that by Titus, in 70 AD. During the two year siege the city dwellers had to endure the horrors of extreme famine. The king attempting to escape from the city along with his garrison, were captured by the Chaldeans. The sons of the king were slain before him. His eyes were put out, and he was taken to Babylon; and fulfilled was the prediction of Ezekiel who declared that he should be carried to Babylon, and die there, but yet should not see the place.

READ Ezekiel 12:13 - ‘My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.’

The city and temple were at this time completely destroyed, the entire population of the city and country, with the exception of few, were carried captive to Babylon, 588 BC.

Had the Israelites been faithful to God and kept his Sabbath, Jerusalem would have stood forever. READ Jeremiah 17:24-27 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently 6_______ unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the 7________ day, but 8_______ the sabbath day, to do no work therein; Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain forever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the 9 _____.  But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

TO BE CONTINUED…

The Sealed Book- Opened.

 A book was closed and sealed by God. Why? Why would God close and seal a book? Logic dictates that he didn't want us to understand what was written within. We could still read what had been written but to comprehend the meaning behind what was written was another story. God didn't want us to understand until the 'time of the end'.

Dan 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. 

Even to the time of the end.  Why not until the time of the end? Because the words within were specifically for the time of the end.

In 1844 something happened - 178 years ago - NOT a long time. I know you may disagree, because in some respects- it is a really long time ago, but in the grand scheme of things- it really is not a long time. Almost 6000 years this world has been around, 178 years out of 6000 is very little.  When sin entered the world and God told Adam and Eve there would be an enmity put between Satan and them - the plan for Salvation was fully underway. In the year 31AD Jesus was sacrificed on the cross, God's only begotten son was sacrificed for our salvation. About 4000 years after the prophecy of God was given in the Garden of Eden.  Think about that for a moment, the Savior was predicted- 

(Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.) 4000 years before He came and bruised the head of Satan! For perspective 178 years truly is not a long time.  

Jesus told us during His ministry that He would return, and He gave various signs for us to note. He even mentioned Daniel the prophet.

Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 

Jesus referred to Daniel's prophecies. Jesus knew that in those prophecies there was information we'd need.  The book was still closed at that point- it wasn't the time of the end just yet. As mentioned above - in the early 1800's there was a great religious revival, not just in the United States but elsewhere, independent of each other. Suddenly the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation were being understood after much in-depth studying! Their mysteries were unfolding…  the time of the end was at hand.  178 years ago. And how long would the time of the end last? We don't know. But to say it's gone on too long when we know how time can be in the grand scheme of things, is to be impatient. And yes, I long for my Savior to return! I long desperately for this! But I'm told this too…

2Pe_3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Our Savior isn't SLACK in returning, He is LONGSUFFERING! He wants all that will come to repentance to do so before mankind's probation is over. 

Jesus wanted us to look to Daniel, and 178 years ago a prophecy came to pass from the Book of Daniel! A very important prophecy, but how many today know this even occurred? Satan wants us blinded to truth, we can't let him keep us blind!  We will be studying more on the Sanctuary being cleansed…

Dan 8:14  And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 

This is what we'll be studying more on because we need to know what the unsealed Book of Daniel means for us in the end times. And whether or not those end times extend a 1000 more years or just 3 more years… we must be prepared and by the grace and mercy of our LORD we will be. 

All through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR now and forever!!!!!!!

Amen!

Write What Was, What Is, What Will Be.

John saw Jesus when he turned around. The vision before him was something quite spectacular. Try to picture it as you read…

 

Rev 1:13  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the SON OF MAN, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 

Rev 1:14  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 

Rev 1:15  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 

Rev 1:16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength

 

SON OF MAN - JESUS

Mat_8:20  And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the SON OF MAN hath not where to lay his head.

Mat_9:6  But that ye may know that the SON OF MAN hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

 

Son of Man- Jesus- standing in the middle of seven candlesticks.

Jesus - dressed completely- a robe and a golden girdle about His person.

Jesus - His hair white like wool, white as snow.

Jesus - His eyes like fire.

Jesus - His feet like burning brass.

Jesus - His voice loud, reverberating.

Jesus - Seven stars in His right hand.

Jesus - Out of his mouth- a sharp, TWO-EDGED SWORD.

 

Eph 6:17  … the SWORD of the Spirit, which is the word of God

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any TWOEDGED SWORD, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 

 

At this glorious sight John fainted.

 

Rev 1:17  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead.

 

Jesus then touched John with His right hand, the hand holding seven stars, and He spoke to John.

 

Rev 1:17… And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me,

 

Jesus said-

Rev 1:17… Fear not; I am the first and the last 

Rev 1:18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. 

Rev 1:19  Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.

 

Jesus didn't want John frightened, He told John that He was the first and the last, the one that lived and died, and lives now forever. Jesus told John that He held the keys of the grave and death. What amazing truths. Surely John was comforted upon hearing that this miraculous being before Him was none other than His Savior! And His Savior had come to him now after all these years and wanted him to write down what he had seen, things that were right then and things that would be at another time- prophecy- the future.

 

Having comforted John and reiterating the reason for the vision- Jesus wasted no time but began to tell John more of what he would need to write.

 

Those seven stars that John had seen in Jesus hand, and the seven golden candlesticks Jesus had been standing in the middle of were both symbols of something else.

 

Rev 1:20  The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. 

 

Seven stars- seven angels of the seven churches.  What seven churches- the ones mentioned just a few verses ago. The churches of perfect symbolism - the perfect church.

 

Prophecy. Stars-Angels. Candlesticks-Churches.  Jesus surrounded by the churches symbolizing the church He would have perfected, with angels to be with the church as it perfected.

 

More tomorrow by the grace and will of our LORD!

 

 

Few Find the Way.

2Ti 4:1  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom

I have a question, if the living (quick) and the dead (not living) will be judged at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ- who exactly is He judging? 

What do I mean? The living and the dead cover everybody who was ever lived from Adam to the baby born a moment before His return, right?

Let me rephrase the question- how can the Lord Jesus Christ judge the dead if… they… are… not… dead?

What do I mean?

The majority of people believe that death is just another way of living, don't they?

Raise your hand if you've been taught that when you die you are instantly living in the world of those who have died. You've either gone to heaven, or an place of torture, or you've gone to a waiting/working place until you can get to heaven.  In this place you've gone you can still witness all your loved ones till living in the flesh and some believe you can help those still living in the flesh.

Keep your hand raised if you believe in some sort of after death instant life- reincarnation, paradise, etc.

People have sought proof of this instant life after dying, and they say they have the proof from various people who have died and come back to life. Some of these people tell about the wondrous heaven they've encountered. Some talk about walking to a light. Some say they've seen themselves dead as they left their bodies and all this proves that they'll live again as soon as they die.

Let me ask my original question again in light of all we've just talked about.

Let me rephrase the question- how can the Lord Jesus Christ judge the dead if… they… are… not… dead?

If we are either only living in the flesh or living in the non-flesh form we're given immediately upon dying, then we are all alive in one form or another, aren't we?

And if we are told the Lord Jesus Christ will raise the dead upon His return, isn't that odd? What is He raising them from if they are all already raised? Seriously, what is He raising up?

And how could David still be among us in his grave having never received his reward, if he was brought into a new form of life right after he died?

1Th_4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first

Act 2:25  For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 

Act 2:26  Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 

Act 2:27  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 

Act 2:28  Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 

Act 2:29  Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 

Act 2:30  Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 

Act 2:31  He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 

Act 2:32  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 

Act 2:33  Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 

Act 2:34  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 

Act 2:35  Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 

Abel all the way down to Samuel, David, the prophets… have NOT received the promise.

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect

They- all those who died in Christ- would not be made perfect without all those who haven't died in Christ, but are Christ's.

Why does it all matter?

I was recently told that believing you go right to heaven upon death isn't such a big deal.

No, it isn't such a big deal if you want to believe that Jesus Christ died for no reason.

Seriously. Why would Jesus have had to come to earth in the flesh and suffer if people just automatically go on to live upon death already? If a system was already set up for people to live in heaven, why die?  Where is the significance of death if you just live? Where is the significance in Jesus dying if it only means as soon as He died He lived in a new form? We talk about believing that when Jesus died for some reason He didn't instantly live again like others, He stayed in His grave - why, how, if that's not how death works? Why did He tell His disciple Mary not to touch Him until He'd ascended to the Father? That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever if Jesus died and instantly took on His new form and went to heaven, instantly meeting God. That's not what happened though, He didn't go instantly in a new form like most believe everyone does, to a new spirit life. 

And why, please tell me why, Jesus would bring a person back to life from death if they've suffered through the worst of life-dying- and entered their new and much better life?

IT MAKES NO SENSE and IT DOES MATTER A LOT because, if we believe a lie we are DECEIVED.  If we choose deception over truth whose side are we really on?

Ignorance of the truth is one thing, coming face to face with the truth and turning from it is another.

Everything makes perfect sense if the dead truly are just that- dead (not living). If the breath of life given to them returns to God, and they sleep in the dust of the earth until Christ returns to raise them to life out of that dust, is makes perfect sense. Christ raising from the grave is so much more a miracle when we realize the dead aren't raised from the grave automatically, but only by a special dispensation. That is why it is remarkable when we read about the very few who have been raised from the dead.  That is why a body couldn't be found for Enoch, Elijah… Jesus, because they'd been raised from the dead- their entire body raised and then transformed, or simply taken while still alive. That is why so many remarkable men and women of God have not received that promise yet, they are still in the dust of the earth- or else we would read about how they have received their promised reward.

It's important, it really is, because Satan used it as his first lie to deceive Eve.

Gen 3:2  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 

Gen 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 

Gen 3:4  And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die

What would it matter if she died if it meant a better life for her?

Why was death something to fear, if it means a better life?

Death is an end to existence and that end is ONLY temporary until our Savior returns and wakes us up-  some to life and some to another death.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power

Dan 12:1  And 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: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 

Dan 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. 

Who exactly are sleeping in the dust of the earth that need waking up, if they are already and have already been awake this whole time- in a new form?

 Are we to allow ourselves to be deceived by the same lie that Satan told Eve which set us on a course of sin, or are we going to believe the truth, and recognize our need of a Savior for our salvation. Are we going to believe that eternal life is to be lived in Christ upon His return for all of His people- living and dead? Are we going to believe the we will receive the promise along with all the others that are Christ's, all of us together, or believe the lies of Satan.  Is our hope in Christ and salvation offered through Him or do we place our hope in Satan's lie and live for the lie he offers?

It matters.  Truth matters.

We must remember this--

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 

Great signs and wonders will be used to deceive people… and they will be so great that if God didn't intervene through the Holy Spirit- that even the very elect - those who are God's, would be deceived.

When you say you witness a loved one in spirit form - communicating with you - please know that a whole hoard of evil spirits can do many things to perpetuate deception.

2Co_11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Hold fast to truth, always seek truth! Do not believe in comfortable, soothing lies just because they've been handed down to you, and just because the majority believe the lies.

Mat_7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Mat_7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat

And…

Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 

Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 

Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

God help us ALL.

All in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, NOW and FOREVER!!!!!!!

May we be truly Yours, Lord, truly Yours!

All glory, power, honor, praise, all thanksgiving unto you LORD, always!

Amen.