DANIEL - A Verse by VERSE BIBLE STUDY

Daniel 6:24-24.........
"Then was the king exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. 24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den."
Who do YOU think was happier........Daniel or the King???

The KING. Daniel was never worried to begin with!

Now......can you imagine the party that was going on all night long. I think it was probably like the party the demons threw the night Jesus was placed in the Tomb. Everyone....and demons dancing around shouting WE GOT HIM. HE IS DEAD! HE IS DEAD.
I am positive that the same song was sung in the Kings palace that night.

OOOPS...........Sunrise brings a problem for these people! However......."What goes around, comes around"!

Sounds a lot like........"What soever man sew, so shall he also read" doesn't it?????

What about Matthew 7:2........
" For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again."

There is a VERY IMPORTANT lesson here in this to see and learn and remember!!!!!

It is that when Daniel had served his sentence in the Lions den, IT WAS A DEATH SENTENCE!
HOWEVER, HE DID NOT DIE! HE SHOULD HAVE DIED, HE WAS PREPARED TO DIE, AND EVERYONE IN THE CITY SEPECTED HIM TO DIE, BUT HE DID NOT DIE!!!!!!!

That means from this point on according to the law of the Medes and Persianshe could not be executed for any reason. The law had been satisfied! Daniel had paid the penalty for breaking a Persian Law so when he came out alive the law had been satisfied. His dept had been paid once and for all forever.

This is EXACTLT what Jesus Christ did for YOU when He died on the cross. I believe also that He told Daniel the very same thing.
Jesus paid the price that the Law demanded for sin...DEATH. In the eyes of God, Christ stood in YOUR place so that now as a believer in Christ YOU are not guilty!

The king, having seen the power of God with his own eyes, just like his grandfather, acknowledged the God of Daniel.
 
Daniel 7:1-3.........
"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. 2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another."

The book od Daniel has 12 chapters and they are divided into TWO sections. The first SIX deal with Daniel's personal history as God's prophet during the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian.

As stated in the last chapter, beginning with chapter SEVEN give an account of a series of visions which God Gave to Daniel. They are ALL prophetic and contain aa moving and graphic and comprehensive picture of the history of man from the time of Daniel until the setting up of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth at the return of Christ in the Revelation.

It is impossible for anyone to understand the Revelation without a working knowledge of the book of Daniel.

Actually, and we will see this in the last chapter of Daniel, the Revelation is the "UNFOLDING" of the book of Daniel.

So then, the book of Daniel is God's Plan for the Ages told in advance revealed through Daniel.

Chapter SEVEN will give us THREE visions.

Notice the "GREAT SEA". The word SEA is used ofetn to refer to the great number of people. It can also mean the Mediterranean Sea and in this case that is its meaning.

In the next verse we see..."Came up from the sea" which is a reference to the GENILE POPULATION. This is because primarily the fact that the 4 (four) great beasts came up from the sea were Gentile nations. Those FOUR oppressed Israel.

History confirms that there were FOUR Gentile Empires that would rule the world and oppress Israel and each one was centered in or around the Mediterranean Sea. Again........Daniel was looking forward in time and history looks back at the same time.

Daniels vision actually concerns the very same kingdoms that were listed in chapter TWO, but now he gives more additioal information. Chapter TWO pictures the Gentile Kingdoms from man's point of view, great and beautiful with strong metals.

Chapter SEVEN pictures these Kingdoms from God's point of view, and they appear as "wild beasts". It is an accepted point of view that we even see used today. Today we say that the EAGLE is the symbol for America. The LION is the symbol for England. The BEAR is the symbol associated with Russia.

The word........"WINDS" is used to show war and strife. In the book of the Revelation we see "WINDS" used several times to explain the judgment of God.
 
Daniel 7:4............
"The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it."

This first beast of Daniel's vision is Babylon. Babylon is pictured as a LION.

Some has said that the eagle's wings portray Nabonidus and Belshazzar.
Others have said that the "wings" here refer to the insanity that overcame Nebuchadnezzar when he acted like an animal and had feathers like an eagle.

Babylon is the first empire in Daniel's vision BUT it is actually the THIRD (3) Empire to oppress Israel.
#1. was Egypt.
#2. was Assyria.

Note here, the purpose of Daniel's book is to inform the world of the "COMING" Empires and not to record history concerning past history.
Daniel was a Prophet..........not a historian and Egypt and Assyria were history at this point.
 
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR THOUGHTS OR COMMENST AS THE LORD LEADS YOU TO DO SO.

A good Bible study has input, feedback and questions and I encourage you to participate.......NOT ARGUE, PARTICIPATE!
 
Daniel 7:5
"And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh."
The second beast didn’t have the majestic bearing of either the lion or the eagle. A bear is slower, stronger, and more crushing than a lion – and this bear had a voracious appetite for conquest (Arise, devour much flesh!).

The bear represented the Medo-Persian Empire, succeeding the Babylonian Empire. In this partnership between the Medes and the Persians, the Persians dominated the relationship. Most think the three ribs represent their three great military conquests:
#1. Babylon,
#2. Egypt and
#3. Lydia.

The slow, crushing armies of the Medo-Persian Empire were well known. They simply overwhelmed their opponents with superior size and strength. “The Medes and Persians are compared to a bear on account of their cruelty and thirst after blood, a bear being a most voracious and cruel animal.” (Clarke Commentary)

Arise, devour much flesh:
“The command to arise and devour much flesh indicates the extreme cruelties often practiced by the Persians, and the wide extent of their conquests.” (Ironside)

Liberal commentators have a vested interest in identifying the bear with only the Median state, and not the combined Medo-Persian Empire. They assign the third beast to the Persian Empire, and the fourth to Alexander’s Greek Empire, so as to remove (even for a second century author) any element of predictive prophecy. Their analysis doesn’t fit. There are many good reasons why the second kingdom could not be exclusively the Median kingdom.

· The Median kingdom did not follow the Babylonian in historical sequence, but was contemporary with it, even rising to strength before the Neo-Babylonian period.

· The Median kingdom never had a world position ranking with the Persian, Grecian or Babylonian Empires.

· The motivation for the interpretation is solely to remove any reference to Rome – and to divinely predictive prophecy.
 
Daniel 7:6............
" 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."

The leopard was known for its sudden, unexpected attacks. This one was especially swift (with four wings), and clever (having four heads),
and the leopard springs upon its prey.

The 3rd beast is very unusual in its looks. This beast represents the Grecian Empire of Alexander the Great. His army was swift and strong.
In twelve years he conquered most of Europe, and all Asia.

He had FOUR (4) generals who assumed command when Alexander died at the age of 32.

#1. Ptolemy.
#2. Seleucus.
#3. Cassander.
#4. Lysimacus.

But how could Daniel know that the next world empire would be like a leopard in its rise and prominence, and that it would be divided into four parts? This shows a plain principle: God knows the future, and reveals certain details of the future through His prophets. It shows that God lives outside our time domain and can see the future as well as the past. He sees the whole parade of human history, not just the part passing in front of a single spectator.

The proof of fulfilled prophecy is exceptionally persuasive; no wonder Peter says in 2 Peter 1:19......
" We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts".
 
Daniel 7:7............
"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."

"After this" = the FOUTH kingdom that would follow the THIRD.

The FOUTH would be the ROMAN EMPIRE.

The fourth beast was indescribable, and uniquely horrific in its power and conquest.

It is Different… it had ten horns:
In the ancient world horns expressed the power and fearsomeness of an animal. This fourth beast was so strong it had ten horns.

Different people picture this in different ways. Some suggest that the ten horns were actually two five-pointed antlers, rather than ten separate horns. I do not know if that makes any difference in the scope of all this, probably not.

In historical fulfillment, the fourth beast represents the Roman Empire, which was the largest, strongest, most unified and enduring of them all.

There is an unmistakable correspondence between these horns and the ten toes of the dream image in chapter 2, and the mention of iron in the teeth suggests the legs and toes of iron in that image.

The 10 horn then represent the 10 kingdoms in the "Latter Days" which will be the Old Roman Empire. HORNS symbolize kings and refers to authority. The TEN horns and the "Little Horn" are the REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE and the Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ will be the LITTLE HORN and will over throw THREE of the TEN horns and the others will then submit to him. This LITTLE HORN will be a human man!
 
Daniel 7:9-10............
"I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;
A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened."

The scene now shifts to heaven and the Throne Room of God is revealed. If you go to the book of the Revelation and read chapters FOUR and FIVE you will see the same thing!

I know and realize that many, many people swear by the KJV and I read it as well. However, The King James Version poorly translates this as thrones were cast down. The New King James Version corrected this and indicates that the thrones were established.

When the Apostle John saw heaven, he also saw thrones, but he also saw those who sat on those thrones –------
the 24 elders described in Revelation 4:4. If you would like to, go to the REVELATION Study under the "Doctrine" of this web site (CFS) heading and you can see what is posted on WHO these 24 Elders may be.

Daniel made no mention of these elders. WHY is that???? perhaps
It may be because the 24 elders represent the church, and the church was an unrevealed mystery to Old Testament saints.

"And the Ancient of Days was seated":
The Ancient of Days is obviously God, but there is debate as to if He is specifically God the Father or God the Son.
Most believe it is God the Father, and the white garments and white hair stress the eternal character of God the Father.
I would also be one who thinks this is the Father of Creation and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We can talk about that when whe get to verse #13 a little more.

Remember, it is important to understand that “We ought not to imagine God in his essence to be like any appearance to his own Prophet and other holy fathers". Whatever Daniel wrote down is what his mind comprehended according to man’s comprehension, to whom God wished to give some signs of his presence. In actuality, God is beyound our ability to describe.

"His throne was a fiery flame":
This was a brilliant manifestation of God’s splendor and the fierce heat of His judgment. There seems to be something lava-like in the stream of fire pouring from the throne; it was like a river of vast destructive power. This is PICTURE language as Daniel is trying to describe something that he can not describe.

Isaiah 66:15-16 describes the judgment of God in terms of fire:......
" For behold, the LORD will come with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword the LORD will judge all flesh; and the slain of the LORD shall be many."

"Its wheels a burning fire":
Many commentators say that in the ancient eastern world royal thrones were often on wheels. Yet it is just as likely that they represent the endless activity of God or restless energy.

"A thousand thousands ministered to Him":
This describes the innumerable company of angels surrounding the throne of God.

"Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him":
This describes humanity standing before God in judgment.

"Court was seated, and the books were opened":
The Bible describes several books before God, and any of these or combination of these could be meant.

· The book of the living (Psalm 69:28).

· The book of remembrance (Malachi 3:16).

· The Book of Life (Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12 & 22:19.)
 
Daniel 7:11-12..........
" 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. 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time."
"Thrones were cast down" = means that they were placed or set in place.

The Ancient of Days is the Eternal Triune God and He has determined the coming judgment. Notice the heavenly host that surround God. Angels are very important in the plan of God. He has used them to deliver His message, and help man and to bring judgment. Angels are mentioned all through the Scriptures but seem to be manily focused in THREE theaters............
#1. The time of Moses which was the giving of the Law.
#2. The time of Jesus which was the coming of Grace.
#3. The time of the Last Days which is the day of judgment.

Now if you want to get into some serious debates with older Christians, tell them that angels do not have an earthly ministry today. YES....
someone will say that I am a heretic! Then they will quote Hebrews 1:14...........
"Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation"? SEE, right there it says we have GUARDIAN ANGELS!

1st of all YOU are not an HEIR to salvation. An HEIR is someone who has something "coming to them". As a Christian YOU already have salvation. It is the JEWS to whom God made the HEIRS of salvation. Jesus did not come to save GENTILES!!!!!!!!!
He came to the house of Israel to save the Jews. They rejected Him and killed Him so the Father then turned to the Gentiles and formed THE CHURCH, a Mystery in the Old Test.

Secondly, we must read the entire passage and the preceding verse and we do that we can clearly see that verse #14 is a "comparative argument" that Christ is above all the angels and it does NOT teach that we have a guardian angel.

I am always shocked at the number of Christians who have never considered this. They just take it for granted without any study at all.
I would encourage anyone who approaches this subject to do it with care and compassion as again, it is not one of those "Essentials" to our salvation.

Now, to further my comments, what was it that Jesus said when He was to assend to heaven in John 14:16............
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you AN ANGEL, that he may abide with you for ever".

Is that what it says???? NO! It literally says .........
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever".

The HE Jesus is speaking of as the COMFORTER is the 3rd Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit who is God.

Matthew 15 goes on to tell us that the Holy Spirit will reprove the world, glorify the Son, convict men of sin and show men the truth.

You see, for hundreds of years, we have listened to those who are excited about the Lord, happy to serve Him but in fact are ignorant of the Word of God. Because of that we today live in a vacuum of ignorance where people will accept just about anything told to them.

You see, if YOU believe that you have a guardian angel YOU have bought into that trap. NO where in the Bible is that found.

The Bible never tells us that each person has their own guardian angel. God is the one who protects us — not angels (Psalm 91:1-16). It is not healthy for believers to trust in angels for protection nor is it wise for believers to become obsessed with angels.
 
Daniel 7:13-14.............
"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

So here we have the answer to the question posed in verse #9 as to who it was the Ancient of Days was, the Father or the Son.
Now we know because the SON has come to the FATHER.

The SON walks up to the Ancient of Days, the eternal God on his fiery throne. The SON is presented before God so that God can examine and evaluate Him. God clearly approves of His Son, because He gives Him dominion, Glory and a kingdom. All rulership, praise, and the entire earth are given to this king. This is of course the CHRIST, the MESSIAH the SON of the living God!

This new king is unlike any king who came before Him. While the first three beasts rose and fell in power, this new king will rule over an everlasting dominion which will not pass away. Unlike the fourth beast, which was destroyed, this new King’s kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. This kingdom corresponds to the stone that was cut out of the mountain without hands in Chapter 2 (Daniel 2:34-45).
The stone crushed the kingdoms of men represented by the statue and filled the entire earth. This indicates that the seasons of history will pass directly from the Roman era to the Kingdom of God.

The Son of Man is the final king over the earth. His kingdom will last forever. He is, of course, Jesus Christ. Jesus quotes Daniel 7 and applies it to Himself. He does this while on trial, declaring Himself the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One (God), and “the Son of Man,” who will be seen “sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:61-62).

This king will be a son of man because HE is someone who will come in human form, yet arrive with the clouds of heaven (v. 13), attaching heavenliness and deity to Him. This combination of man and God is only found in the person of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God and of Man. Jesus claimed it Himself, and the mirrored imagery between Daniel 7 and Revelation confirm that this is Christ coming into the glory of His kingdom. It is also explained here (“all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints,” v. 27) and elsewhere that believers who suffer for Him will co-rule over the kingdom (2 Timothy 2:12, Rom. 8:17 & Rev. 3:21).

It is the final kingdom with the final King. It will not pass away. It will be enduring. Unlike the kingdoms that come before it, it will not be destroyed. The kingdom of Jesus will never be conquered, nor crushed.
 
Daniel 7:15-16............
"I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things."

Daniel saw all this, and in more detail than he describes for us. He did not really understand all that he saw, and was troubled because of his lack of understanding.

I find it very interesting that IN A VISION, Daniel is able to talk with one of those standing by him in this spiritual realm. There is NO way to know who that is. It could be an angel of the highest order say Gaberial or Michael or maybe even the Holy Spirit.

"Grieved in my spirit within my body":
This shows that our spirit indeed dwells within the body. It is true that the spirit is more important than the body (1 Timothy 4:8), but the state of the body generally has an effect on the state of the spirit.

Clarke's commentary says that the phrase my spirit within my body has the sense of “within its sheath or scabbard.” From this, Clarke says: “Which I think proves......
1. That the human spirit is different from the body.
2. That it has a proper subsistence independently of the body, which is only its sheath for a certain time.
3. That the spirit may exist independently of the body, as the sword does independently of its sheath.”
 
Daniel 7:17-18..................
"Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. “But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.”

Whoever the "ONE" was that Daniel spoke to wasted NO time in giving him the answer.
The divine interpretation of the dream shows that this vision covers the same material as Nebuchadnezzar’s vision in Daniel 2D, which also described the rise of four empires, which are succeeded by the kingdom of God.

Yet Daniel’s vision was different, seeing the kingdoms from God’s perspective, not man’s. Nebuchadnezzar saw the present and future world empires in the form of a stately and noble statue of a man. Here God showed how He regarded them: as ferocious and wild animals who devour and conquer without conscience.

Again, those FOUR kingdoms were............
#1. Nebuchadazzar as the king of Babylon.
#2. Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian as they ruled the Medo-Persian Empire.
#3. Alexander the Great who ruled Greece.
#4. The Roman Empire.

When man writes his own history, there is often much self-congratulation and man seems to be on the verge of paradise. When God writes human history, a different vision is presented.

It should be noted that Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah in Rev. 5:5. Yet He primarily represents Himself not as a ferocious animal but as a lamb (Rev. 5:5-6 & 8-10).

"The saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom":
When the day of the fourth beast is over, then God’s people receive the kingdom. Yet we know the Roman Empire is long gone – and it doesn’t seem that the saints have received the kingdom. That speaks to the theological position of a "REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE".

This is what prompts many to look for some kind of restoration of the Roman Empire in the last days, one that will literally fulfill the prophecy of the ten horns and the little horn as well.

"Shall receive the kingdom":
The saints receive the kingdom. God gives them the kingdom at the return of Jesus. They do not gain dominion over all these earthly kingdoms before the return of Jesus.

That right there dismisses the root of the false teaching of REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY that says the church has replaced the nation of Israel. NO!!!! The JEWS are God's covenant people and it is the JEWS who were promised the Promised Land. The NINTH and last world Empire is of course the Kingdom of God and it replaces the LITTLE HORN.

The "SAINTS" here in view in this verse are Daniel's people, the Jews. The Jews, again were promised the LAND and the church was promised the PEARLY WHITE city called New Jerusalem. The church has not and will not replace the nation of Israel!

However........notice that Daniel has not been given the total interpretation as of yet.
 
Daniel 7:19-20.......
"Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows."

I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast:
Daniel, having been told the truth in verse 17 about the 4th beast, wants to know the truth about him. There was much interest in all these four beasts, but Daniel was especially interested in the fourth, most terrible beast – and especially about its conspicuous horn.
This beast is the OLD Roman Empire. The 10 horns are the 10 kingdoms out of the 4th kingdom of Daniel's vision. the OLD Roman territory. TEN new kingdoms will rise and be the REVISED ROMAN EMPIRE in the last days of the coming anti-Christ.

Exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze:
The fourth beast interested Daniel because of its great destructive power, because of the conspicuous horn, and because of its fight against God’s people (the same horn was making war against the saints).

If this horn represents the Antichrist, and he fights against the saints, it does not necessarily mean that the church will be on earth as a target of the Antichrist during the tribulation. We can say, “Not necessarily,” because saints can indicate the church or a Jewish remnant in the tribulation.
 
Daniel 7:21-22................
"I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."
These verses deal with the coming Tribulation period. The antichrist will make war in an effort to kill the Jews and any who come to Christ. He will try to kill all those who seek to serve God.

"Saints" = Old Test Jews, Daniel's people.

The same little horn is the antichrist and he will prevail until the 2nd Coming of Christ.

There is some debate among scholars regarding whether the title Ancient of Days refers to God the Father or God the Son in these passages. Daniel 7:13 is clearly referring to God the Father since the "son of man" comes before Him. Because some see Daniel 7:22 as referring to Jesus returning in judgment, the Ancient of Days is here often viewed as a reference to Jesus. In either case, Ancient of Days refers to Deity, emphasizing the idea that the Lord is eternal. Further, Daniel's prophecies predict a future day when the Lord will return to provide a perfect final judgment.
 
Daniel 7:23...............
"Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces."
The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth:
"This initial description of the fourth beast fits well with the Roman Empire of ancient history. It did devour the whole civilized earth, and dominate it completely for about a thousand years."

This is the Old Roman Empire.
 
Daniel 7:24............
"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings."
The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom:
These ten kings do not have a literal fulfillment in the Roman Empire of history. If they are literal, they are still in the future. The only way to say this has been fulfilled is to spiritualize this prophecy and take away its plain sense.

Since there are ten toes (Daniel 2) and ten horns (Daniel 7 and Rev. 13 & 17) associated with the rule of this final world ruler, there is no good reason to spiritualize what God has said in at least four different places.

SPIRITUALIZATION = when the interpretation of Scripture is limited only by the imagination of the reader. This is to say, the meaning is not truly limited at all. It can mean whatever the receiver perceives it to mean and is often defined by outside authorities like tradition or popularity.

The same spiritualizing problems apply if one believes that this is fulfilled in the early church and the passing of the Roman Empire (unlike Calvin who saw fulfillment before the first advent of Jesus).

"ANOTHER" (verse 24b) = the 11th horn which is also called the "little horn" or in fact the Anti-Christ.

Could the A/C be alive today????? I for one believe that he is! The ONLY thing left to happen in the Prophetic PLan of God is the Rapture of the church.

The conspicuous horn must be the Antichrist, arising out of some group of ten nations that is in some way part of a restored Roman Empire.
 
Daniel 7:25...........
" And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."

“To wear out the saints means to harass them continually so that life becomes a wretched existence.”

The Bible predicts does not predict a peace-loving world ruler for the last days. We can expect nothing more than greedy commercialism and political imperialism under the most beastly and barbaric type of warfare.

Shall intend to change times and law:
This little horn will intend to change times and law perhaps as at the French Revolution, where radicals wanted to institute a ten-day work week, and declared 1792 (the year of the Revolution) as year 1.

Seventh-Day Adventists have historically taught that it was the Papacy which “changed the times and law” by moving the Lord’s day from Saturday to Sunday. Some traditional Seventh-Day Adventists therefore regard Sunday worship as the sign of the Antichrist.

Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time:
This is THREE and ONE HALF YEARS (3 1/2) The power of the little horn over the saints is limited. It will last for three-and-one-half years (time and times and half a time). This phrase is used in Revelation (11:2-3, 12:6 and 13:5) to refer to half of the last seven-year period of man’s rule on this earth (the seventieth week of Daniel).
 
Daniel 7:26-28..........
"But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
27 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.
28 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."

Notice verse #26....."THEY = The TRINITY!"

All THREE were involved in Creation and ALL THREE were involved in the Incarnation, ALL Three were involved in the Crucifixion and ALL THREE will be involved in the 2ndComing.

Again, we see that Daniel is troubled as he was before and does not understand. God will not keep Daniel in the dark as we will see in chapter #8.

In concluding this chapter, I just want to draw your attention to the last words of the chapter. We have seen that the Antichrist will be persecuting the saints on earth and doing his best to lead a total rebellion against God and His anointed - the Messiah Jesus in the last days. We have also seen that the time will come for judgement as the court in Heaven sits and the books are opened. At this time all authority will be given to Jesus who will take complete control of this earth when He comes.

But look also at who is given sovereignty, power and the greatness of the kingdoms at this time... It says above that this will be 'handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High'.



What a privilege that is! Does it not create a greater desire in you to live for Christ now? What about if things become more difficult to live as a Christian in the future? Will you still take your stand to serve and live for Jesus? Remember that as Daniel thought about what he saw he says he was 'deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale.' He was visible shaken. The things that Daniel saw that will come upon the earth are alarming. They are full on. Whether you believe in a Pre, Mid or Post Tribulation rapture, doesn't change the fact that difficult times lay ahead for Christians. We need to bear this in mind.
 
Daniel 8:1-2...........
"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."

The vision recorded by Daniel in this chapter was Prophetic when He wrote it, but since then has been fulfilled.

This vision takes place TWO years after the vision of chapter #7. While each vision is complete in itself, additional information reveals a more thorough picture of the whole. This vision is recorded in Hebrew whereas the part beginning with chapter 2:2 through 7:28 is in Caldean.

Chapter 8 to the end of the book is in Hebrew because it deals with the JEWS and Jerusalem, the Temple and the antichrist during the "Tribulation Period".
 
Daniel 8:3-4..........
"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. 4 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".

This vision develops further the transition between the rising Persian Empire and the developing of the Grecian Empire under Alexander the Great.

The RAM represents the Medo-Persian Empire and their king is Darius.

The king of Persia is Cyrus.

The TWO horns are these TWO kings and the latter (Persia) develops after the former grows to be the stronger of the two. The Medes and Persians conquered the west, north and south and no one could stand before them.
 
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