Some say the past
isn't important, and yet Jesus our Lord and Savior said this….
Luk 24:23 And when they found not his body, they came,
saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was
alive.
Luk 24:24 And certain of them which were with us went
to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw
not.
Luk 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of
heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luk 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things, and to enter into his glory?
Luk 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets,
he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
He began at Moses
and all the prophets and He expounded unto them in ALL the scriptures things
concerning himself.
Jesus went to the
past to bring it to His present so that all the PROPHETS those who prophesize
said concerning Him was made known.
Jesus used PROPHETIC sources!
Jesus also said this…
Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the
end come.
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' own words-
'spoken of by Daniel the prophet'. It
does NOT get any more apparent than this that it is very important for us to
study prophecy!
So we shall continue
by the grace of our Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ to revisit the prophecy
studies from almost five years ago. May
we be blessed with either new comprehension, or renewed comprehension.
*******
Let's take a much
closer look at some of these verses we touched on yesterday.
Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's
wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from
the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given
to it.
Now if what we
believe is true- that the 1st beast is a representation of the kingdom of
Babylon we should be able to understand this a little better.
Let's look up a few
things on the internet and see if we can't find a connection of any sort.
From the-- The Ishtar Gate (Assyrian: ܕܵܪܘܲܐܙܲܐ
ܕܥܵܐܫܬܲܪ translit: Darwaza D'Ishtar, Arabic:بوابة
عشتار) was the eighth gate to the inner city of
Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King
Nebuchadnezzar II on the north side of the city.
Parts of the gate
and lions from the Processional Way are in various other museums around the
world. Only three museums acquired dragons, while lions went to several museums
Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishtar_Gate>
In the Bible itself
we have mention of a lion representing Babylon.
Jeremiah prophesized of Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem this way...
Jer 4:6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay
not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
Jer 4:7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the
destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to
make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an
inhabitant.
Jer 20:4 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make
thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the
sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all
Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive
into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.
Jer 50:17 Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have
driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
Jer 50:43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of
them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a
woman in travail.
Jer 50:44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the
swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them
suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over
her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that
shepherd that will stand before me?
Still more internet
sources show a statue of the lion of Babylon-
The Lion of Babylon,
large and splendidly carved in basalt, reminds us again that the lion was the
symbol of the goddess Ishtar. In the sculpture, the lion's back has marks
indicating that it was meant for a precious saddle upon which the goddess
Ishtar would stand.
Pasted from <http://www.atlastours.net/iraq/babylon.html>
The Striding Lion
Iraq: Babylon,
Processional Avenue north of the Ishtar Gate
Neo-Babylonian
Period
Reign of
Nebuchadnezzar II, ca. 604-562 B.C.
Molded brick with
polychrome glaze
90.3 cm H, 230.5 cm
W
Purchased in Berlin,
1931
Oriental Institute,
Chicago
OIM A7481
Click on the links
to see the pictures. These are
HISTORICAL facts, not made up fiction. When Daniel said the first beast was
like a lion it's easy to associate it with Babylon without having to take a
very big leap of faith at all.
What about the rest
of what Daniel said--
1st beast-like a
lion
had eagle's wings
Wings plucked
Lifted up from earth
Stand upon the feet
like a man
A man's heart was
given it
What do eagle's wings represent in the Bible?
Deu 28:49 The LORD shall bring a nation against thee
from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation
whose tongue thou shalt not understand
2Sa 1:23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in
their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than
eagles, they were stronger than lions.
Psa 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so
that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
WINGS
wingz (kanaph;
pterux):
Biblical references
to the wings of birds are common, especially in Psalms, many of them
exquisitely poetical. Often the wings of an eagle are mentioned because they
are from 7 to 9 feet in sweep, of untiring flight, and have strength to carry
heavy burdens: so they became the symbol of strength and endurance. Ancient
monuments and obelisks are covered with the heads of bulls, lions, different
animals, and men even, to which the wings of an eagle were added to symbolize
strength.
Solomon was thinking of the swiftness of wings
when he said, "For riches' certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle
that flieth toward heaven" (Proverbs 23:5). So also was Isaiah in 40:31,
"They that wait for Yahweh shall renew their strength; they shall mount up
with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and
not faint."
And a Biblical
reference--
Hab 1:6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that
bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to
possess the dwelling places that are not theirs.
Hab 1:7 They are terrible and dreadful: their
judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
Hab 1:8 Their horses also are swifter than the
leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall
spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as
the eagle that hasteth to eat.
Some Babylon
history--
Under Nabopolassar,
Babylon threw off Assyrian rule in 612 BC and became the capital of the
Neo-Babylonian (sometimes and possibly erroneously called Chaldean)
Empire.[6][7][8]
With the recovery of
Babylonian independence, a new era of architectural activity ensued, and his
son Nebuchadnezzar II (604–561 BC) made Babylon into one of the wonders of the
ancient world.[9] Nebuchadnezzar ordered the complete reconstruction of the imperial
grounds, including rebuilding the Etemenanki ziggurat and the construction of
the Ishtar Gate — the most spectacular of eight gates that ringed the perimeter
of Babylon. A reconstruction of The Ishtar Gate is located in the Pergamon
Museum in Berlin. All that was ever found of the Original Ishtar gate was the
foundation and scattered bricks.
Nebuchadnezzar is
also credited with the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of
the seven wonders of the ancient world), said to have been built for his
homesick wife Amyitis. Whether the gardens did exist is a matter of dispute.
Although excavations by German archaeologist Robert Koldewey are thought to
reveal its foundations, many historians disagree about the location, and some
believe it may have been confused with gardens in the Assyrian capital,
Nineveh.
Chaldean rule did
not last long and it is not clear if Neriglissar and Labashi-Marduk were
Chaldeans or native Babylonians, and the last ruler Nabonidus and his son and
regent Belshazzar were Assyrians from Harran.
Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon>
Nebuchadnezzar
engaged in several military campaigns designed to increase Babylonian influence
in Syria and Judah. An attempted invasion of Egypt in 601 BC was met with
setbacks, however, leading to numerous rebellions among the states of the
Levant, including Judah. Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions,
capturing Jerusalem in 597 BC and deposing King Jehoiakim, then in 587 BC due
to rebellion, destroying both the city and the temple, and deporting many of
the prominent citizens along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of
Judea to Babylon.[6] These events are described in the Prophets (Nevi'im) and
Writings (Ketuvim), sections of the Hebrew Bible (in the books 2 Kings and
Jeremiah, and 2 Chronicles, respectively). After the destruction of Jerusalem,
Nebuchadnezzar engaged in a thirteen year siege of Tyre (585–572 BC), which
ended in a compromise, with the Tyrians accepting Babylonian authority.
Following the
pacification of Tyre, Nebuchadnezzar turned again to Egypt. A clay tablet,[7]
now in the British Museum, states: "In the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar,
king of the country of Babylon, he went to Mitzraim (Egypt) to make war.
Amasis, king of Egypt, collected [his army], and marched and spread
abroad." Having completed the subjugation of Phoenicia, and a campaign
against Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar set himself to rebuild and adorn the city of
Babylon, and constructed canals, aqueducts, temples and reservoirs.
So there is no doubt Babylon was a strong kingdom
and under Nebuchadnezzar it grew tremendously into something spectacular. But just as it was swift to grow it also had
its wings plucked- it wasn't to remain strong, and it wasn't to grow and
conquer endlessly.
1st beast-like a
lion
had eagle's wings
Wings plucked
Lifted up from earth
Stand upon the feet
like a man
A man's heart was
given it
In fact for all that
Nebuchadnezzar along with His kingdom, Babylon, were a force to be reckoned
with they didn't remain so. Babylon became weak- like a man in comparison to a
lion and to put a man's heart in a lion's chest would never sustain it. A man's heart is weak compared to the heart
of a lion, just as a man's courage is much weaker than a lion's.
It isn't farfetched
at all whatsoever to compare the head of gold - Babylon with the 1st beast in
this later vision of Daniel's. Let's go
further and see if we can make connections with the other beasts and their corresponding
part of the image in Dan. 2.
Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a
bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth
of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much
flesh.
Firstly, a lion in
the animal kingdom is the king- the head of the whole animal kingdom whereas a
bear isn't so much. Clearly the bear is inferior to the lion and that is one
thing to note. Medo-Persia was inferior to
Babylon.
Secondly, it was
raised on one side. The conquerors of Babylon were the Medes and Persians. And it is a well known historical fact (for
history buffs that is) that the Persians were stronger than the Medes when all was
said and done.
Let's read a bit
about it…
The Medes and the
Persians: from the 9th century BC
Of the two main
Indo-European tribes moving south into Iran, it is at first the Medes who play
the dominant role. With a capital at Ecbatana (modern Hamadan), they establish
themselves as powerful neighbours of Assyria. In 612 they combine with Babylon
to sack the Assyrian capital at Nineveh. Their spoils are northern Assyria and
much of Anatolia, where the Halys river becomes the border between themselves
and Lydia.
The Medes already
control much of Iran including Fars, in the southwest. This is the heartland of
the Parsa or Persians, whose king is a vassal of the Medes - and from whose
name the region has until recently been known as Persia in the west.
Cyrus the Great:
559-530 BC
The balance between
the Medes and the Persians rapidly changes after Cyrus II becomes king of the
Persians in 559 BC. He rebels against the Medes in 553. Three years later he
captures their king and their capital city, Ecbatana. He then presses west to secure
and expand his new empire. He seizes the Lydian capital, Sardis, in 546,
together with Croesus, its famously rich king. His armies then continue west to
dominate the Greek cities of Ionia, extending his power to the shores of the
Aegean.
Babylon and
Mesopotamia fall to him next, in 539. The basis of the first Persian empire
(the Achaemenid empire) has been set in place within a mere eleven years of
Cyrus defeating the Medes. He has earned his title 'the Great'.
Cyrus the Great
conquered Media, Lydia, and Babylon.
Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire>
Cyrus the Great of
the Persian's had 3 major conquests-
Media, Lydia, and Babylon.
These could be the 3
ribs, yes?
2nd beast- like a
bear
Raised up on one
side
3 ribs in it's mouth
between the teeth
Said- Arise, devour
much flesh
Think about it… A
bear comes up next after the lion, then the bear raised itself up on one side,
Persia over the Medes and Persia who conquered together. Then Cyrus of the Persians conquered 3 others,
Media, Lydia, and Babylon. That bear has 3 ribs in its mouth and yes, the
Persians went on to do much conquering…devouring much flesh before being
conquered by Greeks.
Read this…
According to
Plutarch, Artaxerxes' successor Artaxerxes III (358 – 338 B.C.E.) came to the
throne by bloody means, ensuring his place upon the throne by the assassination
of eight of his half-brothers.[30] In 343 B.C.E. Artaxerxes III defeated
Nectanebo II, driving him from Egypt, and made Egypt once again a Persian
satrapy. In 338 B.C.E. Artaxerxes III died under unclear circumstances (natural
causes according to cuneiform sources but Diodorus, a Greek historian, reports
that Artaxerxes was murdered by Bagoas, his minister).[31] while Philip of
Macedon united the Greek states by force and began to plan an invasion into the
empire.
Artaxerxes III was
succeeded by Artaxerxes IV Arses, who before he could act was also poisoned by
Bagoas. Bagoas is further said to have killed not only all Arses' children, but
many of the other princes of the land. Bagoas then placed Darius III (336–330
B.C.E.), a nephew of Artaxerxes IV, on the throne. Darius III, previously
Satrap of Armenia, personally forced Bagoas to swallow poison. In 334 B.C.E.,
when Darius was just succeeding in subduing Egypt again, Alexander and his
battle-hardened troops invaded Asia Minor.
At two different
times, the Achaemenids ruled Egypt although the Egyptians twice regained
temporary independence from Persia. After the practice of Manetho, Egyptian
historians refer to the periods in Egypt when the Achaemenid dynasty ruled as
the twenty-seventh dynasty of Egypt, 525–404 B.C.E., until the death of Darius
II, and the thirty-first dynasty of Egypt, 343–332 B.C.E., which began after
Nectanebo II was defeated by the Persian king Artaxerxes III.
Alexander the Great
(Alexander III of Macedon) defeated the Persian armies at Granicus (334
B.C.E.),
Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire>
Did you read that?!
The tale of such death, such treachery, the killing of family, of children,
poisoning…Yes, much flesh was devoured by the Persians. So it's really not all that farfetched to put
all this together, right? History!
History coinciding with prophecy.
We have to be able
to look at the prophecies given to us by God. God wants us to understand, to
know that His word is true and what He said has come to pass and WILL come to
pass. Believing in the word of God takes
faith, faith being the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not
seen. We are called to believe by faith and it is by faith we must believe. We
have to trust in God, it was our original parents who broke that trust in God
but it's a trust that can be restored, repaired. We see it in our own lives all
the time don't we, on a human to human level. We get hurt by someone and the
trust we have is broken but that trust is often restored again. We are called
to forgive because every time we forgive we are experiencing on a very small
level the much greater experience of God forgiving us. If we don't forgive we
can't ever expect to be forgiven.
God's grand picture
includes US, each and every one of us! In this grand picture there have been
those who are called to fulfill God's will in big ways, but many more of us are
called to fulfill it in very tiny ways. All of us that have the honor, the privilege
of being able to read God's word need to do just that. While people are being
tortured and even killed to read this amazing message so many others don't give
it a second glance. Right now we are
delving into prophecy and as was mentioned before prophecy fulfilled is our
history and prophecy unfulfilled our future.
As long as we are still living here on earth and our Savior hasn't come
for us we are living with unfulfilled prophecy that WILL be fulfilled if not in
our lifetime than in our descendants. Every moment we live we are living in
prophecy being fulfilled we just don't always recognize it, in fact the
majority don't and very, very few do. Remember -- Jesus was a prophecy
fulfilled and many didn't and still do not believe, do not recognize the
fulfillment.
When I said that we
are constantly living in prophecy fulfilled I meant it. We are living in the
time of the ten toes awaiting the Stone that will break down this world as we
know it and usher in life with Christ.
There are a lot of
prophecies, a lot, and many of them have been fulfilled, very few haven't
compared to the majority that have. We need to look at our thousands of years
of history closely and by the grace of God and through the Holy Spirit's
guidance we will be able to discern so much.
We will continue to study and pray that we are understanding as God
would have us understand fully and in Him and His righteousness, His love.
Amen.
