Ezek. 2:9-10; Dan. 12:4,9; Rev. 5:1-10, The Scroll is Opened

This may or may not be an essential question, but I find a significant lesson on the sufficiency of Christ in this question: is the book of Rev. 5:1 the same as the one Daniel sealed up in Dan. 12? 

To be honest (always a good idea), few of my favorite commentators think they are the same.  Several want to identify the Revelation scroll as a will, since in Rome wills were sealed with seven seals.  In answer I would say that Revelation is not about what Christ will receive but rather how He receives it.  “It does not record the description of what Christ will inherit, but rather how He will regain His rightful inheritance” (John MacArthur, Because the Time is Near, p118). 

MacArthur goes on to say that it is the same book as in Ezek. 2:9-10, since it is written on both sides.  Ezekiel writes that it is a book of lamentations and mourning and woe.  That could fit quite a bit of Rev. 6-22, although Revelation is ultimately a book of victory and glory.  Besides, Ezekiel is commanded to eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel (Ezek. 3:1).  Ezekiel’s scroll is the message of his ministry.  The scroll of Rev. 5 has not been opened, and cannot be opened, until the appearance of the Lamb that had been slain Who redeemed us to God by His blood.  I don’t think they are the same scrolls.

But what about the scroll Daniel sealed up?  Here are some things to consider.

·       Daniel was told to seal the book until the time of the end.  Is there any other place in Scripture where we are told that Daniel’s book was opened?  That is not a compelling argument, but it is a place to start. 

·       Daniel’s last vision (Dan. 10-12) spoke in detail of Israel’s troubles from Daniel’s time until the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, who was connected with the future Antichrist.  Then Daniel gave a very general description of what is still future, in terms of a time of much travel and increased knowledge, and then that there would be a resurrection.  Daniel is told of the 3 1/2 years (of which he was also told in Dan. 9:24-27) and then, without explanation, of an additional 45 days.  Rev. 6-18 is a very detailed description of the 3 1/2 years and their culmination in the return of Christ (Rev. 19).  Then Revelation also becomes very general, giving quick overviews of the Millennial Reign, end-time judgments and the new Jerusalem (Rev. 20-22).  I can see that Revelation picks up where Daniel left off.

·       I believe Revelation is also very clear about the connection of the seven-sealed scroll with Israel.  The scroll doesn’t appear until after Rev. l-3, which speak of the things that were and the things which are (Rev. 1:19).  In other words, it speaks of the Church.  The seven-sealed scroll can only be opened by the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David … the Lamb.  All of these, of course, are titles of Christ rooted in the Old Testament.  The promise of God that all Israel will be saved is given in Rev. 12. 

All the scrolls (Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation) are about the mystery of God, the promise of the Father to give the Son the nations as an inheritance, and to rule over them from David’s throne.  I believe it is proper to say that the entire Bible is about the mystery of God.  When Christ is exalted, then the humble of Israel and the Nations are also exalted, with Him! 

But here’s the significant lesson on the sufficiency of Christ: it cannot happen until there is One who is qualified to open the book, One who is the true Redeemer.  Without redemption the nations are not fit to be the inheritance of the Son of God.  Hallelujah!  There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God’s own Son! 

Daniel 12, The Book is Sealed!

 The explanation of Daniel’s vision continues in Ch. 12, but becomes more general. 

·       12:1: It speaks of a time when Michael stands up to deliver Israel.

o   First, there will be a time of great trouble, but then Israel will be delivered.

o   “Every one who is found written in the book” indicates that Israel will experience salvation.  The “book” with names and their salvation is also predicted in Mal. 3:16-18.

·       12:2-3: Then will come the resurrection, when those raised to everlasting life will shine like the stars forever.

You can see how this is lacking in the same detail as Dan. 11.  It is not that the detail is not there, because Daniel is told to shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end (v4).  Two other angels appear, and one asks how long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be, referring to what was revealed in v1-3 (v5-6).  The answer from the One we believe is Christ (cf. Dan. 10:5-6) is that it will take a time, times and half a time (3 1/2 years or 1,260 days).

It is quite interesting, that between the day Daniel sealed the book and the time of the end there is an era described like this: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.  That phrase describes the age in which we live, the time between the first and second appearances of Christ.  Daniel pleads for more information but is told he will hear no more (12:8-9).  But he is told that, during the time in between, many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand (12:10).  In other words, Daniel is assured, that while there will continue to be difficulties for his people, there is the hope that many will experience salvation.  That also fits this age.

The words from Christ conclude with something mysterious.  He refers to an extra 30 days (1290, v11) beyond the time, times and half a time and then to an additional 45 days (1335, v12).  What can this mean?  Many have thought about this, including myself.  We can assume that from the day of Christ’s return to the establishment of His earthly kingdom there will be some time.  But my thought is that we don’t know and don’t need to know what happens in this time.  The Lord simply says that the blessing comes to those who wait until then.  There will be an end; that is what Daniel’s people need to know.

I have no doubt that this sealed book is the one given to the resurrected Lamb of God in heaven in Rev. 4-5.  The book of Revelation reveals the end of the story for Daniel and his people; it completes the six purposes of Dan. 9:24. It describes in detail the time of great trouble and Israel’s salvation (Dan. 12:1-3).  But it is sealed until One who is worthy to open the book appears.  That One is, of course, the Lamb of God who gave His life to make reconciliation for iniquity (Dan. 9:24; Rev. 5:1-7).

Daniel is told to go his way till the end.  As for Daniel, he will rest, a beautiful picture of the death of the saints.  And in the resurrection, he will arise to his inheritance at the end of the days.  Daniel, like all the other people of faith before the cross of Christ, did not see nor receive the promise (Heb. 11:39-40).  But by faith in Christ we have received the promise of the New Covenant.  The word to us is also to “go our way,” and as we go we must make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:19-20). 

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:1-2).

Dan. 11:21-40, Precision Prophecies fr. the Sovereign God (2)

 ·       11:5-20: prophecies concerning Kings of the North (Syria) and South (Egypt).

o   11:9: Failed invasion of Egypt by Calinicus of Syria (fleet lost in a storm).

o   11:10: Invasion of Egypt by Calinicus and Antiochus the Great (218BC).  Ptolemy Philopater did not resist them.

o   11:11-12: Attack the next year by Philopater, defeating Antiochus’ immense army at Raphis, but not pressing his advantage.

o   11:13-16: Antiochus’ raises larger army in 203BC, invades Egypt with help of rebellious Jews, who help him establish himself in Jerusalem.

o   11:17: Unsuccessful attempt by Antiochus to gain all of Egypt through a treaty involving the marriage of his daughter Cleopatra to Ptolemy.

o   11:18-19: Antiochus takes island off the coast of Asia Minor, only to be defeated by Roman commander Scipio in 190BC. Antiochus returns to Syria and dies trying to plunder the temple of Belus in Elymais.

o   11:20: Antiochus succeeded by Seleucus Philopater, a raiser of taxes, who died being poisoned by his tax collector (not in battle or anger).

·       11:21-35: prophecies concerning Antiochus Epiphanes.

o   11:21: Rise of Antiochus Epiphanes (youngest son), seized power by trickery.

o   11:22-24: Defeat of his nephew Ptolemy Philometer, by AE, who feigned friendship, came to Egypt and was successful with a small army.

o   11:25: Defeat of Ptolemy Physcon, whose great army was broken by treason.

o   11:26-27: AE’s alliance with Philometer against Ptolemy Euergetes II, failed because it was built on lies.

o   11:28: Atrocities against Israel as AE returned home from defeat in Egypt.

o   11:29-30: Another attempt by AE against Egypt, and the insistence of Rome that he stop his wars, and the resulting trashing of Israel again.

o   11:31: Persecution of Jews by AE, and his demand they worship the gods of Greece; all sacrifices stopped, temple was polluted by sacrifice of swine flesh.

o   11:32: Attempt of righteous Jews to withstand, notable under the Maccabees.

o   11:33-35: Continuing persecution for many days, until the time of the end.

·       11:36-39: prophecies concerning the Antichrist.  This fits AE and his brutal oppression of Israel.  But since it is the time of the end, we take it that the vision now moves to the Antichrist who, in essence, becomes a greater oppressor.  Both were willful, self-exalting, blasphemous, not regarding any “god” nor “the desire of women” (which may refer to Messiah).  He will be successful for a time.

·       11:40-45: prophecies concerning the war leading to Armageddon.  This war is not “Armageddon” but, as described in Ezek. 38-39, brings armies of earth to Israel.  A northern confederation invades Israel, moving against a southern confederation, only to hear news from the east (perhaps the advance of another army, Rev. 16:12).

Psalm 128

As we noted in our study of Psalm 127, these two Pilgrim Songs speak to the everyday life of the Pilgrim.  Even in David’s time it was not required that one live constantly in Jerusalem, somewhere close to the Ark of the Covenant, in order to have a meaningful relationship with God.  The Tabernacle/Temple and the altar and ark were powerful in terms of men’s ability to know God and to walk humbly before Him.  But note that, as in 127, so in 128: a man can be blessed by God both at work (128:2: the labor of your hands) and at home (128:3: in the very heart of your house). 

It is good to remember this.  A relationship with God has ALWAYS been a matter of the heart, even in Old Testament days when there was so much emphasis on a place of worship and articles of worship (such as the ark, the altars, etc.).  God’s blessing comes on the man who fears the Lord (v1,4).  Whether we do that or not will be evident in our lives, but it is not brought about by what is evident.  As James put it, submission to God and drawing ever closer to God (i.e. through pilgrimage) is the prerequisite to cleansing our hands and purifying our hearts (James 4:7-10).  In the Law of Moses, given in Deuteronomy before the people entered the land, all the commands and laws were preceded by what Jesus confessed to be the greatest commandment: to love God with ALL your heart, soul and strength (Deut. 6:5).

What does this say about today’s Psalm?  It tells us that making pilgrimage (drawing near to God) is essential for us to experience what we often call the good life.  There are wonderful blessings here which many people forfeit in their lives.  What a blessing to be happy at work, not to be frustrated all the time with management or production.  What a blessing to enjoy your family rather than to be in a constant den of contention and grumpiness and disrespect.  What a blessing to be happy in society, regardless of the current direction the government is taking us. 

These are not just automatic blessings.  They comes to the one who fears God.  Again, this is a heart issue that results in actions, words and attitudes.  To fear God is to acknowledge Him in all things.  It is to believe that He is not only real but that you are accountable to Him.  It is not being afraid of God, although that will happen when we know that our lives are a contradiction of Him.  When we live the life of a practical atheist (living as if there were no God), that is fearful.  But remember the truth of Scripture that is given countless times: The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish (Ps., 1:6; cf. Ps. 37:18-20; Prov. 4:18-19, etc.) 

The fear of the Lord brings great joy to those who seek and follow Him.  Pilgrimage is a blessing in this life as well as in the one to come!

Dan. 11:2-20, Precision Prophecies fr. the Sovereign God (1)

 Daniel 11:2-12:4 contains the prophecy associated with Daniel’s vision.  In Dan. 12:4 the prophet is told to shut and seal the book until the time of the end.  He asks for more information (what shall be the end of these things, v8) but is denied, other than to be given a general description of the last days and some unexplained blessing.  (I have no doubt that Daniel’s sealed book is the same one of Rev. 5-6 which only Jesus, the Lamb of God, is worthy to open.  We will discuss this in a later post.)

There is a specific division in the prophecy of 11:2-12:4, found in 11:35, which speaks of the time of the end.  Up until that point the prophecy is very detailed and concerns events that occurred from Daniel’s time until the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164 BC).  We referred to Antiochus earlier, in Dan. 8, as significant because he is a “type” (preview) of the antichrist of the last days. 

Because of the nature of our posts, we are going to make some summary statements about what is prophesied.  But if you are interested in the detailed fulfillment, we assure you these can be found in numerous places.  I first read of these “precise predictions” in the writings of Herbert Leupold, a Lutheran scholar.  Albert Barnes speaks of them, and gives strong answers to the critics.  These and other commentaries are listed in our bibliography.

Finally, speaking of critics, let us say again as we have already: the problem of the critics comes down to a belief that the details are unnecessary to the point, and thus conclude it is the writing of someone after 164BC.  They think it unusual that God would give such detail, that it is unlike other prophecies.  In fact, there are many Biblical predictions that contain “details”.  This is not that unusual, only that this prophecy is longer than most prophecies.  The bottom line is this: the record says this is prediction, not historical record; and, as John Walvoord put it, If (God) is (omniscient), revelation may be just as detailed as God elects to make it; and detailed prophecy becomes no more difficult or incredible than broad predictions (p253).

Now, let us begin our journey through Daniel 11-12.

·       11:1-2: prophecies concerning Persia.  Predicts 3 more kings, including a wealthy king (Xerxes) who unsuccessfully invaded Greece.

·       11:3-4: prophecies concerning Greece.  Predicts rise of Alexander the Great, then the division to 4 successors.

·       11:5-20: prophecies concerning Kings of the North (Syria) and South (Egypt).

o   11:5: Rise in Syria of Seleucus Nicator, a prince of Ptolemy Lagus (Egypt).

o   11:6: The alliance between Egypt and Syria, and death of a daughter (Bernice) of the Egyptian king.

o   11:7-8: Revenge by Bernice’s brother (Ptolemy Euergetes), conquering Syria and bringing great riches back to Egypt.

Daniel 10:10-11:1; James 4:7-8, War in the Heavens

 Daniel had a vision of Jesus.  The hand that touched him was not Jesus but was an angel sent to speak with Daniel.  This messenger was delayed in coming to Daniel because of resistance in the heavens.  He (the angel) was helped by the archangel Michael (one of the chief princes, v13), whom he refers to as your prince (v21).  Michael is the chief angel who stands for the people of Israel. 

The resistance came from the prince of the kingdom of Persia (v13).  The angel tried to come to Daniel from the first day he began to pray for understanding, but it took three weeks for the angel to get through the opposition.  This might seem strange, but it is something very real.  Demons are the unseen power behind the kings of this earth.  Eph. 6:12 describes demons as “world-rulers” (Greek kosmokratos).  You see similar scenes in Ezek. 28:1-10,11-19 with “the King of Tyre” and Isaiah 14:4-23 with “the King of Babylon.”

Just who is Satan?  He is the prince of the power (authority) of the air (Eph. 2:2) the ruler of this world (John 12:31).  He is the god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4), Beelzebub (lit. lord of the dung; Matt. 12:24), and with him are various “gods” (2 Ki. 17:30-31; 1 Ki. 11:1-8).  These “gods” are, in fact, demons according to 1 Cor. 10:14-22.  The great power of these demons is seen in 2 Ki. 3:21-27 and Rev. 16:12-16.  God is fulfilling His promise to His Son (Psa. 2:6-9); Satan is doing all he can to hinder it.  Christ’s exaltation is what this vision is about, as with the other prophecies of Daniel.

Scripture also speaks of the angels who serve God as an “army.”  Elisha knew he was protected by an unseen host of heaven (2 Ki. 6:15-17).  Angels are among the host that accompanies Christ in His return (Rev. 19:11-19).  You may remember that each of the seven churches of Rev. 2-3 had an angel who served Christ.

God is the Sovereign Lord.  We say that not only to remind us of the One who guarantees the outcome.  He is also the one who gives Satan and his hordes their authority. Satan has authority to deceive, tempt and to rule this world.  As he is the prince of the power of the air, the battle is being waged between heaven and earth.  That is why the angel was delayed when coming to earth from heaven to speak with Daniel.

What does this mean to us?  Should we fear Satan?  No! We are to fear God only (Mt. 10:28).  Are we to go about rebuking Satan, telling him where he can go?  No!  Even Michael didn’t rebuke Satan (Jude 8-10).  Prayer is the key.  That is what Daniel was doing when all this took place.  The great “spiritual warfare passage” (Eph. 6:10-20) ends by calling us to pray (v18-20).  We pray because the bottom line is our obsession with God, not with Satan or demons or even angels.  James 4:7-8 is clear: Submit to God, resist the Devil, draw near to God!  We know one thing Daniel didn’t know.  Jesus, through His resurrection, has disarmed Satan and his thugs (Col. 2:14-15).  Hold fast to the end; be faithful for the Lord reigns!

Daniel 10:1-3; Deut. 18:18-22, Daniel’s Vision was True

Once upon a time I had an Encyclopedia Britannica.  The actual books. In Vol. 20, p484, it spoke of a French physician and astrologer, whose obscure and enigmatic predictions have been interpreted by some as foretelling future events.  “Although his predictions were often wrong, Nostradamus’ reputation as the greatest Renaissance seer appears unshakeable.”

I read another book, by Erika Cheetham, titled The Further Prophecies of Nostradamus: 1985 and Beyond.  She called Nostradamus “the King among the Prophets” (p25).  He wasn’t perfect but was good enough to be taken seriously (p27).  Not all who study him come to the same conclusions (p27).  The source of his prophecies was some “faculty for precognition” (p212).  Other students of Nostradamus indeed concluded his success depended on reading back into his words the record of events after they occurred.  Often his predictions were contradictory, and obscure as to what event he was talking about.  In the end you had to say, his predictions were so obscure they were of no use.  Indeed, the worst kind of prophet is one who is often right but sometimes wrong; he is worthless.

In the Bible, two truths ruled the prophets: God was the source of their message; the message had to be perfect.  His predictions had to be true, completely, precisely (Deut. 13:1-5; 18:18-22).  As the prophet Micaiah said, As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that will I speak (1 Ki. 22:14).  After telling Ahab he would die in battle, he added, If you indeed return safely, the Lord has not spoken by me (22:28).

Daniel 10:1 says, the message was true, but the appointed time was long.  Sometimes, when a prophecy is not soon fulfilled, people begin to doubt its truthfulness.  Peter warned us that scoffers in the last days would doubt that Jesus would return, since all things continue as they have for ages and ages (2 Peter 3:1-9).  That is a destructive and deadly heresy.  Jesus will return!  Daniel is telling us that the prophesy of Ch. 11-12 will require a long time for complete fulfillment.  What is amazing is that most of Ch. 11 predicts events that have already occurred, during the historical period between Malachi and Matthew.  The precision of those predictions gives added encouragement to trust God for what is still future.

Many claim Daniel’s “prophecy” was actually a “record” of events, written many years after Daniel.  This is a denial of what the passage says.  Their argument is that the prophecy is so precise that it must have been written later.  In other words, they doubt that the omnipresent, omniscient God can know the future with such detail.  People who doubt God in this way will soon begin to have doubts about a greater miracle, the resurrection of Christ.  We assume God’s greatness.  As the Bible says, we believe Daniel had this vision in the 3rd year of Cyrus, king of Persia.

The message was true! Amen!!

Daniel 10:1-9, Daniel’s Vision of Jesus

 Daniel received a message from the Lord in the third year of Cyrus, King of Persia.  This would be two years after it was decreed by Cyrus that the Jews could return to Jerusalem and the area of Judea.  One obvious question is, “why didn’t Daniel return to Jerusalem when permission was granted?”  Some think it was because of his age.  That may be true, but I think a better answer is that his governmental position allowed him the opportunity to serve the Lord and his people.  So he stayed.

Daniel was grieving and fasting again (v2-3).  Why?  I believe it is because of what had happened in Jerusalem.  Here is a timeline of events.

·       Ezra 1:1-4: the decree to rebuild was granted (536BC).

·       Ezra 1:5: there is much enthusiasm.  In the 7^th month the altar is set on its base, they celebrate the feast of tabernacles, and resume daily sacrifices (Ezra 3:1-7).

·       Ezra 3:8-13: In the 2^nd month, 2^nd year they laid the temple foundation  (535BC).

·       Ezra 4:1-5: There were hindrances to the work, including legal maneuvering by neighbors who did not want to see the Jews succeed.

·       Ezra 4:23-24: The work stopped.

·       The next year, 534BC, Daniel is praying and receives the vision of Dan. 10-12.

·       The work on the temple does not begin again for 15 years (Ezra 5:2).

Why is Daniel grieving and fasting?  Because the work stopped.  It stopped because the people became preoccupied with building their own houses to deal with the issues (Haggai 1:1-6).  God raised up the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to stir up the people.  Haggai’s message was, “Consider your ways (Hag. 1:7)!”  Daniel grieved the lukewarm attitude of the people and their lack of zeal for the Lord’s work.

It seems clear that the “man” Daniel saw (10:5-6) is the same “Man” who speaks to the Apostle John in Rev. 1:12-18.  Note the amazing similarities.

Daniel 10:5-6	Revelation 1:12-18
Man Dressed in linen Waist girded with a gold belt Body like beryl Face like lightening Eyes as flaming torches Arms and feet polished bronze Voice as a tumult Daniel fell at His feet	Like a son of man Dressed in a robe to His feet Gird about with a golden girdle   Face like the sun in its strength Eyes flames of fire Feet burnished bronze Voice as many waters John fell at His feet

The vision begins with a vision of God, in Christ.  Daniel’s response is perfect.  He bows in worship.  We hear the Lord speak only when we are in a receiving position, one of humble worship.

Daniel 9:20-27, The Seventy Weeks of Daniel (2)

God has given Daniel the picture of His completed work concerning Israel (your people) and Jerusalem (your holy city).  Now, in 9:25-27, God reveals to Daniel mile-markers along the way, over the 490 years (70 weeks of years).

First, there is a period of 483 years (seven weeks plus sixty-two weeks), beginning with the command to restore and build Jerusalem and ending with Messiah the Prince.  The command to restore Jerusalem is generally placed between 444-454BC, and the death of Christ around 32AD, a period of 483 years.  (See the Bibliography for additional information on this confirmation of precise fulfillment.)  Jerusalem will be built, street and wall (plaza and moat), even in troublesome times.  From Daniel's time until Christ’s time, the times were constantly troublesome.

After the sixty-two weeks (i.e. after 483 years, with 49 years or seven weeks followed by 434 years or 62 weeks) Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself.  What a great description of the cross.  Jesus was cut off, and it was because of those for whom He died. 

Gabriel then refers to the people of the prince who is to come.  This refers to Rome, the last of the four coming empires.  The “prince” is the horn that speaks pompous words against the Most High and persecutes the saints of the Most High (Dan. 7:25).  He is also the sinister king of Dan. 8:23-25).  His people will destroy Jerusalem, which Rome did in 70AD, an end that certainly came with a flood of destruction. 

The next line says, till the end of the war desolations are determined.  Undoubtedly Daniel would have been perplexed at this.  As Peter said, the prophets struggled to understand the glory and sufferings of Messiah (1 Pt. 1:10-12).  The Messiah came.  But then is cut off.  After that the city is destroyed, and desolations continue.  Daniel might have wondered, “where are the glories of Messiah and His reign?”  From our perspective, we even know that the period of “desolations” is over 2000 years, so far.

The answer is that there is still one week, seven years left.  We know this as “the tribulation period” or “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7).  The Roman prince will make a seven-year covenant “with many,” perhaps many in Israel or with others including Israel.  But in the middle of the week he will end the temple-worship in Jerusalem and will make desolations brought about by abominations.  Jesus referred to this in Mt. 24:15 as the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet. 

Interestingly, that concludes Gabriel’s words to Daniel.  By the end of the 70^th week all the prophecies will be fulfilled.  But we do not get the story as to how this happens.  What do we know?   We know Daniel is trusting in the Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him (Dan. 9:4).  Daniel trusts the faithful God!  May we do the same in these troublesome days.

Daniel 9:20-27, The 70 Weeks of Daniel (1)

 God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer came quickly, and yet with a significant delay.  The angel Gabriel came with the answer while he was still praying.  That’s fast.  But what Gabriel brought was a revelation of God’s plan that would extend for 490 years, and then some.  At that time all God’s plans for Israel would be fulfilled. 

“Gabriel” means “man or mighty one of God.”  He appeared twice to Daniel (8:16 and here), and also to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist (Lk. 1:19), and Mary, the mother of Jesus (Lk. 1:26).  He described himself as one who stands in the presence of God (Lk. 1:19).  He was significant in the angelic host.  He comes here because this is an important prophecy in terms of the timing of the fulfillment of God’s promise to His Son in Psalm 2.

Dan. 9:24 says, Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city.  The term “weeks” actually refers to “units of seven.”  It is not the normal word for “weeks.”  I believe you will easily see why this refers to “seventy periods of seven years.”  What happens in these 490 years has to do with Daniel’s people and holy city.  In other words, it involves Israel and Jerusalem.  In that sense, Daniel’s prayer was answered.  But Daniel was thinking about a return to the land in the time of the Medes and Persians.  God’s answer took Daniel all the way through to the salvation of the nation and the exaltation of a King on David’s throne.

There are six purposes to be accomplished during this time.  As is common in Jewish poetry, it appears that the six are actually three couplets.

·       To finish transgression, to make an end of sins.  Remember, this refers to Israel, Daniel’s people.  It indicates an end of the sins of the nation that regularly brought on them God’s judgment.  Some day Israel will be faithful to God.

·       To make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness.  The reconciliation must refer to the cross of Christ.  Everlasting righteousness refers to the establishment of His Kingdom when He brings in righteousness and peace.

·       To seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.  The first phrase indicates the fulfillment of all the prophecies related to the Father’s exaltation of His Son.  Some take the “Most Holy” as referring to Messiah when He is anointed and set on His throne.  He is “the Holy One” (Mk. 1:24; Acts 3:14).  But this exact phrase appears numerous times in the OT and always refers to the temple or to aspects of the temple.  We take it to refer to the worship that is established in the time of Jesus’ Millennial reign (cf. Isa. 2:1-4; Ezek. 41-45, e.g. 44:13; 45:3).

Daniel lives in the area of Chaldea, far removed from the Promised Land.  He may wonder if God is done with his people.  But of course, He is not.  Gabriel speaks of God’s faithful completion of all the promises made regarding Israel and Jerusalem.  These will be fulfilled!  There is more to uncover tomorrow.

Psalm 127

Psalms 127 and 128 are Songs of Ascents (we call them Pilgrim Songs, songs to encourage people as they make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem).  And they are Psalms about the family.  You may be a little surprised that this collection of 15 Songs would include family themes.  But if you think about it, it makes sense.

·        Pilgrimage in Bible times usually was a family trip.  Remember, for example, how Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, went annually to Jerusalem for Passover (Lk. 2:41-42).  So you’re thinking about family as you travel; it’s good to meditate on Songs that make sense of family.

·        Even though our pilgrimage is ultimately personal, we are always traveling through life having grown up in a family, and to a great extent, we are who we are by virtue of the home setting in which we were raised. 

Psalm 127 has some major truths related to family.  1) Too much work is a waste.  2) Children are special.  3) Large families are not a sin.  But certainly the primary issue in this Psalm is that, whatever we are building (career, family) is empty if God is not in it.

There are many stories in the Bible that illustrate this.  One that comes to my mind often is the man who built a great farming enterprise and was ready to expand it when, suddenly, he died (Luke 12:13-21).  The lesson from our Lord was that we need to set our hearts on eternity, laying up treasure in heaven.  That’s another way of saying: “Make sure God is in it!”

How can we make sure that our building projects, including the development of our families, have God at the center?  It’s not simply a matter of 1-2-3 and you have it.  But the Bible does tell us how men of God did just this.  Consider and apply.

·        1 Chron. 22:19: Seek God first about what you are interested in building.  Don’t be in a hurry to get started without consulting the Architect.

·        Neh. 2:18: Strengthen your hands for the work.  In other words, get the skills, learn what you should know, as you set out on the project.

·        Psalm 51:18: Pray! Pray! Pray!  Ask God to be the Builder; commit yourself to seeking Him and following His plan throughout the life of the project.

·        Matt. 7:24-27; 1 Cor. 3:12: Lay a solid foundation.  In all the projects of our lives as believers in Christ, the Savior should be that foundation!  Everything we are involved in is part of the construction of a holy temple in His honor.

·        Acts 20:28: Not just at the beginning but regularly bring the word of grace into the life of your project. 

The bottom line is that the Pilgrim knows that his goal is not to be found in what he builds but what God builds.  For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 2:10,16).  Build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ!

Daniel 9:3-19, A Prayer of Confession (2)

 For meditation purposes, add the following to things you see in Daniel’s prayer.

·       9:3-4a: Consider Daniel’s attitude.  There is deep humility and there is sorrow or grief over sin.  The first two Beatitudes are blessings on the poor in spirit and on those who mourn (Mt. 5:3-4).

·       9:4b: Daniel begins with words that are familiar to God.  They are God’s own words, spoken from Mt. Sinai in the giving of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:6).  Daniel reminds God of His promised faithfulness; he reminds himself that this promise was extended to those who love God and keep His commandments.  Daniel also refers to God as great and awesome (i.e. to be feared).  Daniel is saying that truth about God has been learned after the seventy years!  Throughout the prayer he refers to God’s faithfulness (v12), righteousness (v7,14,16), compassion and forgiveness (v9,18), previous deliverance (v15), and His glory (v15).

·       Not only does Daniel’s prayer show a great knowledge of God; it displays a great understanding of sin.  Note these different general and specific references to sin.

o   Sin (v5,15,16): missing the mark.

o   Iniquity (v5,16): perversity, moral evil; emphasizes the resulting guilt.

o   Wickedness (v5,15): the evil nature, general badness.

o   Rebellion (v5,9): resistance or defiance to authority.

o   Turning aside from God’s commands (v5).  Sin takes us off the narrow path.

o   Failure to heed the prophets (v6).  God graciously warned through His prophets, including Moses, v13; (cf. Deut. 28:15-68; Deut. 32, the Song of Moses).

o   Unfaithfulness to God (v7).  He keeps His word; in sin, we do not keep ours.

o   Sin against God (v8,11).

o   Disobeying God’s voice (v10,11,14).

o   Failure to seek His favor (v13).  In sin, we step out in our own strength.

·       Daniel offers no excuse, rationalization, or mitigating circumstances.  Thus, he is able to come to the critical point in confession: O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face (v7).  You are not to blame Lord; we are! 

·       What is Daniel’s hope that God will hear and forgive?  There is much hope.  There is God’s specific promise of seventy years (v2).  There is the covenant with Abraham (v4).  There is the previous deliverance from Egypt (v15).  He pleads the character of God, including mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and righteousness (v9, 16,18).  And Daniel makes the glory of God the ultimate basis for prayer: for Your name, Your city, the people of Your name (v19).

Let us learn.  Difficult times in our lives must be seen through the lens of Scripture and must lead us to a deeper knowledge of and relationship with our Lord. 

Dan. 9:1-2, 1 Kings 8:46-53, A Prayer of Confession (1)

 During the captivity in Babylon the Jews added two days of fasting to their religious calendar, in the 5th and 7th months.  After the return, and after the second temple was built, some of them came to the prophet Zechariah and asked if they should continue those times of fasting.  God’s first question, through the prophet, was to ask, when you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me – for Me (Zech. 7:5)? 

That is a question that must be asked when any religious activity is prescribed for everyone to perform.  Was your heart really in it?  When you mourned, was it for your sins?  Were you willing to identify and confess, your sins?  Did you really come to agree, that you were to blame for the judgment of seventy years?  Or did you maintain that God was unfair or unrighteous in pouring out His fury?

What is before us is a prayer of Daniel, prayed at the end of the seventy years, when he knew it was about time for God to fulfill His word and bring the people back to the land.  Jeremiah had made this clear: after seventy years God would punish their captors and deliver them (2 Chr. 36:21; Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10).  It is a perfect prayer of confession.  It is prayed by a man whom God Himself placed alongside Noah and Job as the most righteous men who ever lived (Ezek. 14:14,20).  We know it is a prayer that comes from someone whose heart is genuine before God.

It is around 536BC, seventy years from the time of the first carrying away of people from Jerusalem to Babylon in 606BC.  Daniel knows the promised time of return is near.  So, he prays that God will be merciful and not delay in bringing them back to the land (v19).  Why?  Why would he pray for something God has promised? 

·       First, what else should he pray for?  This is the classic illustration of praying God’s word back to Him.  You can do no better in prayer than to pray for the will of God.  Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).

·       But Dan. 9:13 gives us another reason for this prayer.  Daniel, realizing the time for return is near, also knows that after seventy years the people have not come to grips with the point of the captivity.  They have not acknowledged their sin and God’s righteousness: yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth (v13).  Daniel is not just praying personally; he is praying for and in the place of the Nation!  He is doing as Solomon said at the temple dedication: when they are taken captive, and in their captivity, they turn to you and pray and confess their sin, then hear and forgive and bring them back (1 Kings 8:46-53). 

There is so much we can learn from this prayer.  LORD, teach us to pray!

Daniel 8:15-27, A Vision of the Antichrist

 Daniel sought an interpretation of his vision.  A “man”, whom many believe to be Christ, instructed the angel Gabriel to go to Daniel.  The involvement of Gabriel (Dan. 8-9), who spoke to Mary and to Joseph at the time of the incarnation, indicates the vision of Daniel is of great significance.  Here is what Gabriel said.

·       8:17-19: First, the vision sees the time of the end, the latter time of the indignation.  This “time” has to do with the “times of the Gentiles,” the time introduced in the first two visions (Dan. 2,7), that revealed the Gentile empires that would rule over God’s people Israel.  Israel is in a time of shame, not being the privileged nation God intended.  That time will continue until the Son receives the eternal kingdom from the Ancient of Days (Dan. 7:13-14,27).

·       8:20-22: The ram with two horns is Medo-Persia.  One horn was greater than the other as Persia was greater than the Medes.  It was true: this empire never looked to the east to conquer.  The male goat is Greece and their first king Alexander.  The four horns are Alexanders four generals, to whom the four parts of his empire were divided after his death: Cassander (Macedonia), Ptolemy (Egypt, Southern Syria) whose foremost general Seleucus would become ruler of Palestine), Lysimachus (Thrace) and Antigonus (Mediterranean to central Asia).

·       8:23-25: This passage speaks of a king … having fierce features who will destroy the mighty, and also the holy people … and shall exalt himself in his heart … and even rise against the Prince of princes.  This description matches that of the horn that speaks pompous words in Dan. 7:20,24-25.  He is said to arise in the latter time of the 4-part kingdom of Greece, thus bringing to mind Antiochus Epiphanes who was such a king that brought terrible affliction upon the Jews.  He exalted himself as high as God, causing the daily sacrifices to stop (8:11).  This went on from the murder of the high priest in 171 BC, until the death of Antiochus in 164 BC, a period of 2300 days (8:14). He caused deceit to prosper, making Hellenistic philosophy supreme over Judaism in Jerusalem.  The gymnasium became prominent, as in Hellenism.  The temple was desecrated with, among other things, swine being sacrificed, “the abomination of desolation.”

·       8:26: Gabriel tells Daniel to seal up the vision; the vision is certain. But his last words are important: it refers to many days in the future.  That phrase indicates that this vision goes beyond the time of Antiochus, to a further future.  This “double fulfillment” will be explained in greater detail in the vision of Dan. 10-12 where we will see that Antiochus is a prediction of the Antichrist of the last days.

Daniel is troubled, likely because of the trouble the vision predicts for Israel as well as for Messiah, the Prince of princes.  Like Jeremiah, who wept over the destruction of Jerusalem, so Daniel also loved the people of God (Israel) and longed for the day when God would fulfill His word to Abraham!

Daniel 8:1-16, Daniel, Meet Gabriel!

 We come to another vision of Daniel, two years after the previous vision of the four beasts.  These visions, in some ways, build on each other. 

·       In Dan. 2 the LORD reveals the four empires under which Israel would serve and suffer, until the establishment of the eternal kingdom of Christ. 

·       In Dan. 7 Daniel sees the same four empires and the Kingdom of Christ, with added emphasis on the future version of the Roman empire, with the ten nations and then one horn that becomes prominent. 

·       In this vision (Ch. 8) the LORD reveals to Daniel details about the Greek empire and a particular king who arises in that time, and who prefigures the “man of sin” who will be significant in the last days, in the time of Christ’s return. 

·       One more vision, in Ch. 10-12, will give even greater detail concerning this king, both in the time between Malachi and Matthew and in the last days.

We encourage you to take the time to read and study these revelations through Daniel.  Just because they are “eschatology” and considered by some to be too hard to understand, many people miss the tremendous encouragement to be gained from realizing that our God truly is in control of where history is headed.  God will exalt His Son to the throne of David in Zion, and will give Him the nations as an inheritance (Psa. 2:6-9).  God graciously gives His people these revelations so that we can see just how strong He is in keeping His word.  We do not believe these are that hard to understand: in today’s passage, the angel Gabriel (how cool is that; we meet the angel who spoke with Mary) explains the symbols of Daniel’s vision.

We want to say something about the historical and geographical items in 8:1-2.  Dates and places are regularly part of Scripture.  They remind us that the story of the Bible, of Christ’s exaltation, takes place in real times and real places.  The Bible is not a book of myths.  The holy writings of other religions of Daniel’s time were full of myths, made up stories to describe “gods” that are not real.  The myths are required because these beings cannot do great things; they can’t do anything.  But in the Bible, the stories are real because the God of the Bible is real.  He is the “Creator of heaven and earth” and the Sovereign God whose plans and purposes cannot be thwarted.

Daniel was in Shushan (or Susa), one of the capitals of the empire, in the southern area of Elam.  Susa was the setting for the story of Esther.  In the vision Daniel sees a ram with two horns (v3-4) that is successfully attacked by a male goat with one notable horn (v5-7).  The large horn on the goat then is broken and replaced by four smaller horns (v8).  One of the four horns produces a small horn that makes life difficult in the Glorious Land for a period of time (v9-14).   Daniel seeks for an explanation, and a “man” instructs the angel Gabriel to do this for Daniel (v15-16).  We will hear this explanation in our next post.