Filling In The Framework From Daniel 2

Daniel had seen the vision in Daniel 9 shortly after the Medo-Persian Empire conquered Babylon.  He had been studying Jeremiah’s prophecies, as he stated in Daniel 9:1-2.  “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”

In the study, he had read the prophecy about Judah in in Jeremiah 25:11. “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.”  They had been in captivity sixty three or sixty four years, and Daniel began to try to develop a good relationship with Dariaus in hopes of facilitating their release as Daniel 11:1 describes.  “Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.”

In his efforts to improve relations with the Medo-Persian Empire, Daniel shared some of the prophecies God had given him.  the first, in Daniel 11:2 related directly to the Medo-Persian Empire.  “And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.”

Babylon was conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire, an alliance of the Medes and the Persians.  Darius was leader of the Medes, while Cyrus was leader of the Persians.  Darius Made Babylon his capital, but seven years later, he died and Cyrus became emperor of both the Medes and the Persians.  He retained Babylon as his capital and the empire became known simply as the Persian Empire.  He would give the order and finance the Jews return to Jerusalem and Judah.   When Cyrus died, his son, Cambyses assumed the throne, taking the title Ahasuerus or King of Kings and eventually marrying Esther.  After fifteen years, Cambyses was killed while fighting in Egypt, and his top general returned to Babylon to assume the throne and drive out another man who had tried to take over. 

This general, Darius the great would reign about forty years, and it was during his reign that the temple was finally completed.  He made his son Xerxes coregent and sent him to defend against the growing greek threat to the west,  When after nearly twenty years, Xerexes was killed, Darius named his grandson, Artaxerxes as coregent and it was Artaxerxes who authorized completion of the wall at Jerusalem, forty nine years after Cyrus gave the order to rebuild the city. 

When Darius died, Artaxerxes assumed the title of emperor, building on Darius’ victories and becoming the wealthiest and most powerful of the Persian Emperors.  A few years later, he named one of his sons as co regent with the intention of his becoming heir to the throne.  One of his half brothers was jealous, and murdered him in an attempt to become co regent and was killed by a full brother of the first, who them became coregent.  With Artaxerxes’ death, the constant fighting among his heirs and repeated attacks by Greek forces resulted in the breakup of the Empire. 

The breakup of the Persian Empire allowed expansion of the Greek Empire, and in 323 BC, Alexander the great was able to conquer all the land once held by the Persian Empire.  Three years later, while fighting in India, he got and infection and returned to Babylon, where he died.  Since he had no heirs when he died, the Greek empire was divided among his four generals, as described in Daniel 11:3-5.  “And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.  And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.   And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.”

While the southern kingdom centered in Egypt under the Ptolemy family would e very strong, the western kingdom centered in Rome would become even greater that the Greek Empire under Alexander.   Eventually, Cleopatra, queen of Egypt would make a treaty with the Roman Empire under Julius Caesar.   Shortly after making the treaty, Cleopatra was killed by Roman forces and Julius Caesar seized Egypt as part of his Empire, as described in Daniel 11:6.  “And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.” 

Cleopatra’s Empire had included Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya.  About five hundred years after Julius Caesar seized her kingdom, the Roman Empire collapsed, and a growing Moslem empire began to develop, based originally in Saudi Arabia, eventually seizing Spain and parts of southern and eastern Europe, and parts of Asia that had once been controlled by The Roman Empire, as described in Daniel 11:7-9.  “But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.  So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.”

These invasions by Moslem forces led to the Crusades, as described in Daniel 11:10.  “But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.”   The Moslem forces retaliated, invading and capturing Constantinople and forcing the Greek Orthodox Church to move to Moscow under Ivan the Terrible.   At one point they even attempted to seize the capital of the Holy Roman Empire in Vienna Austria but were unsuccessful.   This would only lead to more conflict, as we see in Daniel 11:11-13.  “And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.  And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.  For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.”

World War I saw the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the European nations taking control of those Moslem Nations.  World War II set the stage for the re-emergence of Israel and new growth in the Moslem nations, leading to the present day instability of the Middle East.  Terrorism and constant strife are building toward a major conflict in the area, as described in Daniel 11:14-15.  “And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.  So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.”  The coalition of nations will be too strong for the Moslem forces to defeat, and they will take both Israel and the Moslem territory in an effort to settle the conflict, as described in Daniel 11:16-17.  “But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.  He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.”

We are posed for war in the Middle East at any time.  When it happens, nations around the world will be drawn into the conflict.  Ezekiel 38 lists some of the countries that will be involved. 

Messiah’s Birth

Sixty three years after Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptian and Assyrian forces at Carchemish, and took control of Judah, the combined Medo-Persian forces captured Babylon, and Darius the Mede became the official ruler.  During the first year of his reign, Daniel was studying Jeremiah’s prophecies and realized that Jeremiah had said their captivity would only last seventy years, as Daniel 9:1-2 says.  “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”

Realizing the captivity was the result of Judah’s sin, Daniel began to seek the God’s forgiveness for the nation and ask his blessing in Daniel 9:3-19.  “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.  O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.  To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.  Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.  As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.  Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.  O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.  Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.”

In Psalm 34:18, David stated, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”  Daniel clearly demonstrated a broken heart, and a repentant, contrite attitude or spirit, and God blessed him accordingly, as Daniel 9:20-23 makes very clear.  “And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;  Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.   And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. “

God doesn’t usually reveal himself to those who are not interested in what he has to say, knowing they won’t pay attention anyway.  He does reveal himself to those who love him, as Jesus said, in John 14:21-23.  “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”  

The proof of our love for him is our obedience.  When we love him enough to obey him he reveals things to us that he doesn’t show the rest of mankind.  Because of Daniel’s love for God, he was given an understanding that most people never received.  The same principle still holds true today.  God doesn’t reveal his secrets to those who do not love him enough to obey.  As a result, many who claim to be Christians have difficulty understanding the scriptures, and especially prophecy.

God then revealed a time frame to Daniel in which he would work especially with Israel, in Daniel 9:24.  “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”  The Hebrew word for seven is also translated week, as it is in this passage.  God chose Israel as his special people, and he has designated a certain amount of time for dealing with Israel especially.  The way it is translated, the seventy weeks clearly refers to a time period, of seventy sevens or four hundred ninety units of time. 

The Jews had hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah coming, with some dating clear back to Genesis 3, shortly after creation.  Gabriel gave Daniel timeframe for Messiah’s coming, in Daniel 9:25.  “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”

He described the time as being broken into two parts, seven weeks, and sixty two weeks from the date of the command to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah would come.  The books of Ezra and Nehemiah, when compared with the Persian records from Babylon show that the rebuilding of Jerusalem took forty nine years or seven weeks, as described in the prophecy.  Sixty two weeks or four hundred thirty four years after the reconstruction was complete, Messiah would come. 

Traditionally historians have dated Cyrus’ command to rebuild Jerusalem as being around 535 BC, but recently translated records from Babylon place it around 485-495 BC.  That would make the completion of Jerusalem about 436-446 BC, and Messiah’s birth about between 2 BC and 12 BC.  We know our Gregorian calendar is off by at least four years, but we don’t know how much more, nor are we sure exactly how far off our translation of the Persian records may be, since the records are not complete.  There is considerable evidence that Christ was born sometime between 5 BC and 7 BC., fitting neatly into the prophecy as to the date of his coming.  This prophecy explains why the wise men were able to identify what the star that they followed meant.

The prophecy continued, describing the crucifixion of Christ to pay for the sins of the world and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  Daniel 9:26 states, “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”

From 70 AD until 1948, there was no nation of Israel.  At the end of time there will be a period know as the Tribulation or Great Trouble, when the satanic world empire will rule the world for a period of seven years, led by a person known as the Antichrist.  Daniel 9:27 gives a brief description of that period.  “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” 

Since the re-establishment of Israel in 1948, there have been constant attacks and efforts to destroy it.  During the seven years of Tribulation, the world government will make a treaty with Israel which will be broken half way through the period, and the entire world will attempt to destroy Israel and those who support her, driving the people out of Jerusalem until the Messiah’s return, when that world Government and its leaders will be destroyed.

Prophecy of the End of the Babylonian Empire

One thing we learn as we study scripture is that God doesn’t always do things the same way.   In I Corinthians 12:1-11, Paul makes this very clear.  “Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.  For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”  God uses different things in different situations.  That someone does things a different way or followed a different path to get where they are does not mean they are wrong. 

In the first two prophecies in Daniel, God sent Nebuchadnezzar dreams which Daniel interpreted for him.  In Daniel 5, God uses a very public event to get his message across, probably because unlike the message to Nebuchadnezzar, other people are going to be seriously impacted by the events prophesied.  Daniel 5:1-4 describes the situation when God sent the prophecy.  “Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.  Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.  Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.  They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s daughter had married a Syrian prince, and after the death of his son and two of his grandsons, her husband became king.  He took the army to defend and expand the kingdom, leaving his son, Belshazzar in charge of the government in Babylon.  Belshazzar was very proud to be king, and was celebrating his position, deliberately using the things that had been dedicated to God to imply he more power than God.  God disrupted the party, with a prophecy about what was going to happen that very night, as described in Daniel 5:5-9.  “In the same hour 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.  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.

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 third ruler in the kingdom.  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.  Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.”

The sight of an unattached hand writing on the wall got everyone’s attention, and when his advisors and experts could not tell him what it meant, Belshazzar panicked.  His mother remembered how Daniel had been able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and suggested he be given a chance to interoret what the hand had written, in Daniel 5:10-12.  “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 for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: 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; 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.”

Based on her recommendation, Daniel was called and asked to interpret the writing, in Daniel 5:13-16. 
“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?  I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.  And now the wise men, the astrologers, 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: 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.”

By this time, Daniel had been in Babylon about sixty years, serving as an advisor to the king, yet they only contacted him when no one else could resolve the problems.  He rejected the offer of rewards for being able to interpret the writing, doing it voluntarily, as we see in Daniel 5:17.  “Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.”

Daniel started out by reminding Belshazzar what Nebuchadnezzar had done, and what happened when he became proud and ignored God, in Daniel 5:18-21.  “O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, 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.  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: 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.”

Belshazzar had ignored what happened to Nebuchadnezzar, doing the same thing.  As a result, the Babylonian Empire was going to be conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire, as Daniel 5:22-28 warned.  “And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels 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: Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.  And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.  This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.  TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.  PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”

While they fulfilled all the promises Belshazzar had made it didn’t mean much to Daniel as Daniel 5:29-31 tells us.  “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.  In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.  And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.” 

Daniel was appointed as one of the most powerful men in Babylon, just behind Belshazzar and his father.  Unfortunately that appointment didn’t last long.  That night, the Medes and Persians diverted the water from the Euphrates and used the riverbed to invade the city.  With all the leadership at Belshazzar’s party, the city was caught off guard and defeated.  Darius the Mede assumed the throne of Babylon, representing the Medo-Persian Empire, and ending that first period of the prophecy in Daniel 2.   

Expanding Knowledge of the Future

About two years after his vision in Daniel 7, and about fifty years after interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2, Daniel had another vision.  Daniel 8:1-14 describes the vision.  “In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.  And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.  I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.

And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.  And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.  And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.  And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.  And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.  Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.  And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced, and prospered.

Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?  And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”

When Daniel questioned what the vision meant, the angel, Gabriel was sent to interpret the message for him, in Daniel 8:15-19, so that he could know what would happen at the end of the present world.  “And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.  And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.  So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.  Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.  And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.”

The ram Daniel saw at the first represents the Medo-Persian Empire, as Daniel 8:20 tells us.  “The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.”  The Medo-Persian Empire was just coming to power at the time, and about six years later would conquer Babylon, as described in Daniel 5.  At the time it was a joint effort, but after the death of their first leader, the Persian king would take over and the empire would become known as the Persian Empire. 

About a hundred fifty years after Daniel saw this vision, in 323 BC, the Greek Empire would conquer most of the known world of the day under Alexander the great, as described in Daniel 8:21-22.  “And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.  Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.”  Three years later, in 320 BC, Alexander the great died.  Since he had no heirs, the Empire was split among his four generals.  Later, although it is not mentioned here, the Roman Empire would reunite them, and that empire would continue to influence them until the last days, as we saw in Daniel 2 and 7. 

Ultimately, this will lead to a final world power ruled by a wicked king, the little horn of Daniel 7, as Daniel 8:23-25 describes.  “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.  And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.  And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.”

Modern Christians know this last ruler as the Antichrist.   He will be empowered by Satan, and will use treaties and promises of peace to get control of nations and destroy them, much like Hitler did in the 1930’s.  As a result of his policies, there will be a period of economic prosperity that will draw people to him, but ultimately, he will be destroyed.  While the Medo-Persian Empire would occur shortly, most of the prophecy dealt with things so far in the future that it would not affect the people alive at the time so the vision was shut up for the time being, as Daniel 8:26 tells us.  “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.”

The Fourth Kingdom And Its Relation To the End Times

After Nebuchadnezzar’s death, his son Awil Marduk, called Evil Merodak in II Kings 25:27 became king for a short time, followed by two of his sons, even though they were just small children at the time.  They both died as small children, and his brother in law, Nabonides, an Assyrian prince took the throne, naming his son Belshazzar king over the city.  The prophecy in Daniel 7 takes place at the beginning of Belshazzar’s reign, according to Daniel 7:1. “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.”

Daniel 7:2-14 describes the vision he saw.  “Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.  And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.  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.  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. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.  I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.  A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.  I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.  As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

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.  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.”

Not understanding what this vision meant, Daniel asked and was given the interpretation of the vision, as Daniel 7:15-16 tells us.  “I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.  I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.”

In Daniel 2, God had given a prophecy outlining world history, with different empires represented by the different materials and body parts.  In this vision various beasts represent those same empires.  God’s people would flourish even during those empires, eventually ruling the earth forever, as Daniel 7:1718 tells us.  “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.  But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Daniel was especially curious about the fourth beast and the horns that came out of it who would be in power when God brought judgment on the earth, as he describes in Daniel 7:19-22.  “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; 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.  I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.”

In both the prophecy in Daniel 2 and this one, this fourth kingdom leads ultimately to an alliance of ten kingdoms that are in existence when God Judges the world.  The being who answered Daniel, probably and angel describes that kingdom, which we know from history as the Roman empire and its future, in Daniel 7;23-25.  “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.  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.  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.”

Eventually the Roman Empire will devolve into an alliance of ten nation or kingdoms.  Another nation who is not part of that first group will invade and conquer three of the original ten, Taking power and opposing God with all his power.  He will remain in power for just three and a half years.   At the end of that time Judgment will come and his power will be broken forever, as Daniel 7:26-27 tells us.  “But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.  And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Although this prophecy gave more details than that in Daniel 2, it left Daniel with a lot of questions, as Daniel 7:28 tells us.  “Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.”

A Prophecy Warning Nebuchadnezzar

In Daniel 2, God had given a vision prophesying the general course of history for Europe, northern Africa, Western Asia, and the Middle East, starting with the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar.  In Daniel 4, he gave a vision and prophecy relating specifically to Nebuchadnezzar as the first of the Future empires.  In Daniel 4:4-7, Nebuchadnezzar describes his efforts to learn what it meant.  “I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace: I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.  Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.  Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof. “

Since Daniel had been the only one capable of interpreting his first dream through God’s power, Nebuchadnezzar hoped he could interpret the second one,  He describes his dream in Daniel 4:8-18.  “But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.

Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.  The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.

I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him: and let seven times pass over him.  This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.”

Daniel was troubled about the dream because it was not something he thought Nebuchadnezzads would want to hear, as Daniel 4:20-27 explained.  “Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.

The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation: It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.  And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him; This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.  Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.”

God had enabled Nebuchadnezzar to conquer and build one of the greatest empires of all time.  Unfortunately, Nebuchadnezzar had become proud taking all the credit for himself.  As a resut God would causer him to lose his mind for seven years, and live like some kind of wild animal until he understood God was in charge and had enabled him to accomplish what he had done.  Once he understood that, the kingdom would be restored to him.   

Daniel 4:28-36 describes hw the prophecy was fulfilled.  “All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.  At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.  The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.  And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.  The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.”

Previously, Nebuchadnezzar had just considered God as a Jewish god.  After his experience, he viewed God as the only God, and worshipped him himself, as Daniel 4:37 tells us.  “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”  This prophecy was fulfilled shortly after Nebuchadnezzar defeated Egypt, some twenty years after becoming king. 

An Outline Of History

Nebuchadnezzar had not understood only God can predict the future with any degree of certainty.  He had been ready to kill all the wise men, the soothsayers, psychics and shamans because they were not able to explain his dream to him.  Daniel had asked permission to pray about what it meant, and God had revealed the answer to him.   When he went back to the king, he made it very clear that both the dream and the interpretation came from God, who wanted Nebuchadnezzar to know certain things which were to happen in the future, as Daniel 2:28-30 explains.  “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.  But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.”

Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten what he saw in his dream, so Daniel started by describing the dream so that the king would know he was not just making up a story, in Daniel 2:31-36.  “Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.  This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.  This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.”  As Daniel described the dream, Nebuchadnezzar remembered it and was assured that Daniel might really know what it meant.  It was more than any of the others had been able to do.   

As Daniel explained it there would be a series of world powers in the future.  The first, would be the Babylonian Empire starting with Nebuchadnezzar, as Daniel explained in Daniel 2:37-38.  “Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.  And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.”  The Babylonian Empire stretched from southern Turkey south into Egypt, and east into present day Iran. 

The second world empire would be the Persian Empire, which would include all of the old Babylonian Empire and extend into Afghanistan and southward to Ethiopia, as listed in Daniel 2:39.  The collapse of the Persian Empire would open the way for the Greek Empire, under Alexander the Great, which would extend from around much of the Mediterranean Sea Eastward to northern India and south to include Ethiopian and various colonies along the coast of northern Africa, as listed in Daniel 2:39.  “And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.”

The fourth Empire would be the Roman Empire, and would be the strongest of all, as Daniel 2:40 describes.  “And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.”  The Roman Empire would eventually control the entire area, from northern Africa to England and northern Europe and east to Pakistan and northern India.  Later the Empire would split into an Eastern and a western group, the two legs, and continue until about 500 years after Christ. 

Following the breakup of the Roman Empire, the western or European branch was taken over by the Holy Roman Empire, which continued to play a major role until World War I.  It was based on the old Roman laws, but was never united like the Roman Empire.  The eastern part of the Roman empire was known as the Byzantine Empire, and still used the Roman Empires laws but was gradually taken over by Islamic forces, finally totally controlled by the Ottoman Turks.  After World War I, both the Eastern and Western empires broke up into loosely connected independent states, as described in Daniel 2:41-43.  “And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.  And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.  And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.”

Daniel went on to explain, this last period will end with the Lord’s return to set up his earthly kingdom in Daniel 2:44-45.  “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.”

While this Prophecy does not go into great detail about any of these periods, it does give us a framework for understanding many of the other prophecies.  Daniel 7 and 8 will go into greater detail about the second and third kings, while Daniel 11 gives more detail about what happens during the Roman Empire and after its collapse.  Daniel 9 and 12 deal primarily with events at the end of that last period before the Lord’s return.