Daniel 12

This month we have been looking at The Book of Daniel verse-by-verse. This week we have been covering the last installment of Daniel's continual vision. In these previous posts we have seen the angel gave Daniel a more detailed description of the events from Daniel's time that were yet to come for God's people and God's city.

Today, we will conclude this series by looking at the last chapter of The Book of Daniel. The angel was still speaking...


DANIEL 12
"1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."

The angel stated that Michael will stand up and bring The Tribulation to an end. The dispensation of the Law will be brought to an end with "many of them that" were dead being judged.

Notice, the angel Michael was mentioned in Revelation 12:

"7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels;
8 And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.
10 And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death."

What I'm about to state is opinion and I'm willing to consider I am wrong AND want to hear other explanations that are supported with scripture: I believe the angel in Revelation 20 was Michael. Here was the passage from Revelation 20:

"1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
3 and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished. This is the first resurrection." (Revelation 20:1-5)

Here is more opinion:
"I believe the Millennium takes place AFTER Daniel 12:3 because God is ONLY focused on His people and His city when He spoke with Daniel AND the angel told Daniel that "many of them that" were dead get judged...NOT "all of them that"...just like in Revelation 20:1-5 which takes place after The Tribulation and before the Millennium."

By the way, the angel Michael was also mentioned in Jude:

"9 But Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."

Moses led God's people to the land God wanted them to have. It looked as if Michael truly is the prince of God's people.

Back to Daniel 12...

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

Since Daniel 12:3 was the end of the dispensation of the Law, there was nothing more for the angel to tell Daniel. This ended the angel's presentation to Daniel.

The time of the end was distinguished by:
-many running to and fro
-knowledge being increased

I have always heard others explain the meaning of this verse as "the time of the end will have many people able to travel at great speeds and there will be an explosion of knowledge".

If we imagine ourselves living at Daniel's time, what would our current time look like relative to these two measures?

Could Daniel have imagined the mobility and speed at which MANY are able to travel today?

Could Daniel have imagined the increase in knowledge that we are experiencing today?

If we aren't at the time of the end, how much more do people have to go to and fro AND knowledge to be increased before we are at the time of the end?

"5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on the brink of the river on this side, and the other on the brink of the river on that side.
6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished."

Now the angels were talking to each other...this was a HUGE point. By the way...

A time was one year.
A times was two years.

So a time, times, and a half equaled 3 1/2 years...or half The Tribulation. The Anti-Christ has 3 1/2 years from the time he attempts to set himself up as God until he is defeated.

"8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my lord, what shall be the issue of these things?
9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end.
10 Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but they that are wise shall understand."

Notice, Daniel didn't understand what the angels said TO EACH OTHER...this conversation was NOT meant for Daniel. That was WHY when Daniel asked for understanding, he didn't get an explanation.

If the angel had told Daniel the WHAT and not given Daniel a WHY or HOW, we would have known the angel was NOT from God. (We are going to be covering this subtle tool beginning on Monday...)

Technically, the angel still gave Daniel a WHY: the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end. This message was meant for the people who live at the time of the end AND are wise!

So, UNDERSTANDING of "God's sealed up information" is available in our time to the wise. Said another way, people who say we can't UNDERSTAND God's "mysteries" are really stating they are NOT wise.

"11 And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand and two hundred and ninety days.
12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days."

I believe this was stating that there are 1,290 days from the time the burnt offering ceases until the end of the dispensation...when the list from the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible is accomplished.

Then, 45 days later those who continue are blessed! I have a lot of opinions about THAT, but they have to wait for our study on the Millennium. For now, I will say that these prophecies were meant for people who live at a time when the Holy Spirit is not inside people, so God's direction has to be objective...down to specific numbers of days. Remember, the nations are judged and God has to set up the dispensation of the Millennium, so this may take 45 days.

"13 But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and shalt stand in thy lot, at the end of the days."

Daniel's ministry was done.


SUMMARY
This is my favorite book of the Bible because it had EVERYTHING in it: history, miracles, Doctrine, great stories, supernatural interactions (saving angels, dreams, revelatory angels, fighting angels), prophecy...it was a New Testament book that was placed squarely in the Old Testament. In fact, The Book of Daniel makes some people so uncomfortable, they argue The Book of Daniel wasn't factual.

The Book of Daniel consisted of twelve chapters.

The first six chapters documented the events of the FIRST THREE HEATHEN kings put over God's people. During this time, Daniel was able to get COMPLETE SPIRITUAL protection in a heathen nation. Daniel did this by purposing in his heart NOT to be defiled. Daniel had a process and didn't act in his own strength...he ALWAYS waited on God...and God worked on the Leaders.

The second half of The Book of Daniel turned from history to prophecy because Daniel FIRST focused on helping others, then pointing them to God.

During the last six chapters, Daniel received more detailed explanation of his continual vision concerning the events that will occur throughout the dispensation of the Law to God's people and God's city.

In fact, during this time, Daniel received the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible. To that end, understanding The Book of Daniel is critical to people who want to bring about God's Will on earth as it is in heaven...

Ultimately, EVERYTHING in The Book of Daniel followed the model: Understanding foundational Doctrine was the CAUSE, and miracles and revelation through spiritual manifestations were the EFFECTS.

The people who focus on the "signs and wonders" in The Book of Daniel are ONLY seeing half the benefit...and it was ONLY the effects. If a person TRULY wanted to have the "signs and wonders" today that occurred in Daniel's time, they would first focus on understanding foundational Doctrine.

Notice, the entire book was written according to this model: six chapters of understanding foundational Doctrine and six chapters of miracles and revelation through spiritual manifestations.

However, the first six chapters were written the SAME way WITHIN each chapter: The majority of verses dealt with understanding foundational Doctrine and the minority of verses dealt with miracles and revelation through spiritual manifestations.

FURTHERMORE, the last six chapters were written the SAME way WITHIN each chapter. However, this time it was: The minority of verses dealt with understanding foundational Doctrine and the majority of verses dealt with miracles and revelation through spiritual manifestations.

Notice, this would also mean that BEFORE we see "signs and wonders" in the church today, we will FIRST need to see the church understand foundational Doctrine...which means being able to explain the WHY and HOW behind foundational Doctrine, not just the WHAT.

Daniel was able to do this because he was a scientist: He focused on the HOW and WHY instead of the WHAT...

Next month we will look at the difference between the WHAT, the HOW, and the WHY.

Next Post

Daniel 11:36-45

This month, we are looking at The Book of Daniel verse-by-verse. In the previous posts, we covered the beginning of the angel's last installment of Daniel's continual vision. Here is a summary of what we covered:

The first fourteen verses of Daniel 11 covered the time of Alexander the Great up until Antiochus Epiphanes.

God could NOW give more details about this time period because the first two steps of the continual vision had occurred: Nebuchadnezzar and Darius/Cyrus. God knew more of the CAUSES and could explain the EFFECTS.

For more explanation on how prophecy works, please look at the following links:
Prophecy Introduction
Simple Prophecy
Complex Prophecy

Daniel 11:15-35 documented the details of Antiochus Epiphanes.

Today, we will see the next verse jumped to the last earthly king...The Anti-Christ.


BACKGROUND
If we put all of the portions of the continual vision together, this was when the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible would fit...between Daniel 11:35 and Daniel 11:36.

"24 Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times.
26 And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: 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 even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined.
27 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate." (Daniel 9:24-27)

Verse 24 showed the objective of the entire continual vision.

Verses 25 and 26 covered the time through Antiochus Epiphanes until the break in the dispensation of the Law.

Verse 27 covered the re-establishment of the dispensation of the Law for seven years in order to accomplish the objective...which brought us up to a more specific description of the last earthly king...


DANIEL 11:36-45
"36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done."

This king is like no other king before him because he does his own will and speaks against God. However, the angel was letting Daniel know that God will be in charge of this time.

"37 Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all."

This king will attempt to make himself God. This was not Antiochus Epiphanes because he put a statute of Zeus in the temple. Remember this passage from 2 Thessalonians 2 concerning The Anti-Christ?

"1 Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;
2 to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand;
3 let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,
4 he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

Paul was specifically stating The Anti-Christ will exalt himself as God by sitting in the temple of God and presenting himself as God!

To some, verse 37 indicated The Anti-Christ will be Jewish and asexual/homosexual. Others believe the "desire of women" was wanting to birth the Messiah, so The Anti-Christ doesn't want to see the True Messiah.

If The Anti-Christ is Jewish, I believe he will come from the tribe of Dan. Here is what Jacob prophesied over Dan just before he died:

"16 Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a serpent in the way, An adder in the path, That biteth the horse's heels, So that his rider falleth backward.
18 I have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah." (Genesis 49:16-18)

In Revelation 7, the tribes that make up the 144,000 were identified:

"4 And I heard the number of them that were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
5 Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand;
6 Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand;
7 Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand;
8 Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand." (Revelation 7:4-8)

Dan was not present...Manasseh (Joseph's son) took his place.

Back to Daniel 11...

"38 But in his place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
39 And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whosoever acknowledgeth him he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price."

The Anti-Christ will hold power with great might and riches.

This was where the prophecy in Daniel 8 that gave explanation about The Anti-Christ would be placed:

"23 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.
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and do his pleasure; and he shall destroy the mighty ones and the holy people.
25 And through his policy he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and in their security shall he destroy many: he shall also stand up against the prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand." (Daniel 8:23-25)

The rest of Daniel 11 gave details concerning the Final Conflict...

"40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south contend with him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through."

Here was a passage from Isaiah:

"25 Therefore is the anger of Jehovah kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them; and the mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth; and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly.
27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
28 whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses' hoofs shall be accounted as flint, and their wheels as a whirlwind:
29 their roaring shall be like a lioness, they shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and carry it away safe, and there shall be none to deliver.
30 And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened in the clouds thereof." (Isaiah 5:25-30)

Here was another passage. This one was from Joel...

"1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of Jehovah cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
2 a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, as the dawn spread upon the mountains; a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after them, even to the years of many generations.
3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and none hath escaped them.
4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so do they run.
5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of the mountains do they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
6 At their presence the peoples are in anguish; all faces are waxed pale.
7 They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war; and they march every one on his ways, and they break not their ranks.
8 Neither doth one thrust another; they march every one in his path; and they burst through the weapons, and break not off their course.
9 They leap upon the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in at the windows like a thief.
10 The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 And Jehovah uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for he is strong that executeth his word; for the day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel 2:1-11)

Finally, here was one from Zephaniah:

"14 The great day of Jehovah is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of Jehovah; the mighty man crieth there bitterly.
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16 a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.
17 And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he will make an end, yea, a terrible end, of all them that dwell in the land." (Zephaniah 1:14-18)

Back to Daniel 11...

"41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps."

Israel (glorious land) will be taken over by The Anti-Christ. Here was a passage from Ezekiel...

"23 And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they trespassed against me, and I hid my face from them: so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they fell all of them by the sword.
24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions did I unto them; and I hid my face from them.
25 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Now will I bring back the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name.
26 And they shall bear their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they shall dwell securely in their land, and none shall make them afraid;
27 when I have brought them back from the peoples, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations.
28 And they shall know that I am Jehovah their God, in that I caused them to go into captivity among the nations, and have gathered them unto their own land; and I will leave none of them any more there;
29 neither will I hide my face any more from them; for I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord Jehovah." (Ezekiel 39:23-29)

Notice, Edom and Moab are from Esau. Ammon is from Lot. Amalekites (Lot) are missing. (When people go through the Bible I tell them to follow those four nations. They are all created from disobedience and they constantly torment Israel THROUGHOUT the Bible. The Amalekites are the only ones who don't make it to the end of the Bible.)

Back to Daniel 11...

"44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; and he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many.
45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him."

People believe the east was China and the north was Russia with this being Armageddon. Here were some other passages:

"19 And Jehovah answered and said unto his people, Behold, I will send you grain, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations;
20 but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its forepart into the eastern sea, and its hinder part into the western sea; and its stench shall come up, and its ill savor shall come up, because it hath done great things." (Joel 2:19-20)

Here was a passage from Habakkuk.

"2 O Jehovah, I have heard the report of thee, and am afraid: O Jehovah, revive thy work in the midst of the years; In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman, And the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of his praise.
4 And his brightness was as the light; He had rays coming forth from his hand; And there was the hiding of his power.
5 Before him went the pestilence, And fiery bolts went forth at his feet.
6 He stood, and measured the earth; He beheld, and drove asunder the nations; And the eternal mountains were scattered; The everlasting hills did bow; His goings were as of old.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; The curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
8 Was Jehovah displeased with the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers, Or thy wrath against the sea, That thou didst ride upon thy horses, Upon thy chariots of salvation?
9 Thy bow was made quite bare; The oaths to the tribes were a sure word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw thee, and were afraid; The tempest of waters passed by; The deep uttered its voice, And lifted up its hands on high.
11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation, At the light of thine arrows as they went, At the shining of thy glittering spear.
12 Thou didst march though the land in indignation; Thou didst thresh the nations in anger.
13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, For the salvation of thine anointed; Thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked man, Laying bare the foundation even unto the neck. Selah.
14 Thou didst pierce with his own staves the head of his warriors: They came as a whirlwind to scatter me; Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.
15 Thou didst tread the sea with thy horses, The heap of mighty waters.
16 I heard, and my body trembled, My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entereth into my bones, and I tremble in my place; Because I must wait quietly for the day of trouble, For the coming up of the people that invadeth us." (Habakkuk 3:2-16)

Finally, here was a passage from Isaiah...

"1 For Jehovah will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the sojourner shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
2 And the peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of Jehovah for servants and for handmaids: and they shall take them captive whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
3 And it shall come to pass in the day that Jehovah shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve,
4 that thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
5 Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of the rulers;
6 that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.
7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.
8 Yea, the fir-trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid low, no hewer is come up against us.
9 Sheol from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
10 All they shall answer and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
11 Thy pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and worms cover thee.
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O day-star, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, that didst lay low the nations!
13 And thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of congregation, in the uttermost parts of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit.
16 They that see thee shall gaze at thee, they shall consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;
17 that made the world as a wilderness, and overthrew the cities thereof; that let not loose his prisoners to their home?
18 All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, every one in his own house.
19 But thou art cast forth away from thy sepulchre like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain, that are thrust through with the sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a dead body trodden under foot.
20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, thou hast slain thy people; the seed of evil-doers shall not be named for ever.
21 Prepare ye slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers, that they rise not up, and possess the earth, and fill the face of the world with cities.
22 And I will rise up against them, saith Jehovah of hosts, and cut off from Babylon name and remnant, and son and son's son, saith Jehovah.
23 I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith Jehovah of hosts.
24 Jehovah of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
25 that I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulder.
26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
27 For Jehovah of hosts hath purposed, and who shall annul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:1-27)


SUMMARY
Daniel chapter 11 documented the final installment of Daniel's continual vision. It gave us a more detailed description of the events from Daniel's time that were yet to come for God's people and God's city.

Tomorrow, we will conclude this series by looking at the last chapter of The Book of Daniel

Next Post

Daniel 11:15-35

This month, we are looking at The Book of Daniel verse-by-verse. In the previous post, we covered the beginning of the angel's last installment of Daniel's continual vision. Here is a summary of what we covered:

The first fourteen verses of Daniel 11 covered the time of Alexander the Great up until Antiochus Epiphanes.

God could NOW give more details about this time period because the first two steps of the continual vision had occurred: Nebuchadnezzar and Darius/Cyrus. God knew more of the CAUSES and could explain the EFFECTS.

For more explanation on how prophecy works, please look at the following links:
Prophecy Introduction
Simple Prophecy
Complex Prophecy

Daniel was getting a more detailed explanation of the events between #3. Alexander the Great and #4. Antiochus Epiphanes.

Today, we will cover #4. Antiochus Epiphanes.


DANIEL 11:15-35
"15 So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mound, and take a well-fortified city: and the forces of the south shall not stand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to stand."
16 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, and in his hand shall be destruction.
17 And he shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him equitable conditions; and he shall perform them: and he shall give him the daughter of women, to corrupt her; but she shall not stand, neither be for him."

The king of the south was Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The king of the north was Antiochus III. Antiochus III gave his daughter Cleopatra I to Ptolemy V, in hopes of permanent influence in Egypt. Antiochus III took control of Palestine c. 200 B.C.

"18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; yea, moreover, he shall cause his reproach to turn upon him."

Antioch III came against the Roman Empire. The Roman general (Lucius Cornelius) humbled him (191 B.C.) at Thermopylae and again at Magnesia (190 B.C.).

"19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found."

Subsequently, Antiochus III was forced to focus within his own lands to stop his underlings from declaring themselves independent rulers. Antiochus III was known as Antiochus the Great.

"20 Then shall stand up in his place one that shall cause an exactor to pass through the glory of the kingdom; but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle."

Selecus Philopator IV (Antiochus' eldest son) succeeded his father Antiocus III (the Great). Seleucus IV died by being poisoned by Heliodorus...not by battle nor an internal mob.

The rest of today's passage (Daniel 11:21-35) covered the rise and rule of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He was the Seleucid king who reigned from 175-164 B.C. Basically, Daniel covered the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes to power, his conflicts with Egypt (i.e., the king of the South), and his hostilities towards Israel (glorious land).

"21 And in his place shall stand up a contemptible person, to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in time of security, and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
22 And the overwhelming forces shall be overwhelmed from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.
23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.
24 In time of security shall he come even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them prey, and spoil, and substance: yea, he shall devise his devices against the strongholds, even for a time."

Antiochus was the third son of Antiochus III the Great. Antiochus ousted his brother's (Seleucus IV) murderer (Heliodorus) and took over the kingdom (not given the honor of the kingdom) even though Demetrius (the son of Seleucus IV) was the rightful successor.

Antiochus Epiphanes was a horrible person. He was called by many "Antiochus Epimanes" (i.e., the madman) instead of his preferred name "Epiphanes" (i.e., God Manifest). He won over the kings of Pergamus through flattery, while the Syrians gave in without a fight.

"25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he shall not stand; for they shall devise devices against him.
26 Yea, they that eat of his dainties shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain.
27 And as for both these kings, their hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall not prosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
28 Then shall he return into his land with great substance; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do his pleasure, and return to his own land."

This section documented Antiochus Epiphanes' many Egyptian conflicts.

"29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come into the south; but it shall not be in the latter time as it was in the former.
30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and shall do his pleasure: he shall even return, and have regard unto them that forsake the holy covenant."

This documented Antiochus Ephiphanes beginning to come against Israel during his conflicts with Egypt.

"31 And forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt-offering, and they shall set up the abomination that maketh desolate."

Antiochus Epiphanes took control of Jerusalem and the temple. As stated in previous posts (and The Sequel), he turned the temple into a gymnasium. Israel had now completely rejected God...

"32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he pervert by flatteries; but the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
33 And they that are wise among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil, many days.
34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall join themselves unto them with flatteries."

This section described the Maccabean Revolt...which was later documented in the Apocrypha (I Maccabees 1).

"35 And some of them that are wise shall fall, to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed."

These events would eventually result in the refinement and purification of God's people (through Jesus)...even to the time of the end.


SUMMARY
Daniel 11:15-35 documented the details of: 4. Antiochus Epiphanes.

Tomorrow, we will see the next verse jumped to the time of the end... 5. The Anti-Christ.

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Daniel 11:1-14

This month we are looking at The Book of Daniel verse-by-verse. In the previous post, we covered Daniel 10. Here is the summary:

Daniel described in detail the events that led to him receiving the final installment of his continual vision concerning God's people and God's city.

Everything about this description implied the message was POWERFUL and the resistance to this message was POWERFUL.

Today, we will look at a what the angel had to say about the vision...


DANIEL 11:1-14
"1 And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him."

The angel was talking...another story structure!

The angel ended the previous chapter saying that he and Michael (Daniel's prince!) were the only two working for Daniel. So, the angel was stating that he supported Michael in the first year of Darius...which was the same time Daniel received the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible. It sounded like A LOT happened in the spiritual realm during Darius' first year!

Before we find out what the angel said, let's review the continual vision Daniel had been having. Here were the kings in order:

1. Nebuchadnezzar
2. Darius and Cyrus
3. Alexander the Great
4. Antiochus Epiphanes
5. Anti-Christ

This explanation from the angel was taking place after #1 (Nebuchadnezzar) and during #2: Darius and Cyrus.

"2 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 when he is waxed strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.
3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion wherewith he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides these."

Clearly this was #3. Alexander the Great. His kingdom was divided into four parts...

1) Seleucus I - Syria
2) Cassander - Macedonia (Greece).
3) Lysimachus - Thracia (between Greece and Turkey).
4) Ptolemy I - Egypt.

"5 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."

It looked like this vision was giving more explanation concerning the time between #3 and #4...the rest of this post is essentially a history lesson.

The king of the south was Ptolemy I (Egypt). His "prince" that was stronger was Seleucus who took over Syria (north). (Remember, Antiochus Epiphanes came from the Seleucus' portion of Alexander's empire.)

"6 And at the end of years they shall join themselves together; and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the strength of her 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 those times."

Years later, the king of the south was Ptolemy II Philadelphus. His daughter was Berenice II. At this time, the king of the north was Antiochus II Theos.

Two years after the marriage, Berenice's father (Ptolemy Philadelphus) died. Antiochus II Theos restored Laodice (former wife) and put away Berenice. Antiochus II Theos was then poisoned by Laodice. Berenice fled with her children to Daphne where she was killed.

"7 But out of a shoot from her roots shall one stand up in his place, who shall come unto the army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail.
8 And also their gods, with their molten images, and with their goodly vessels of silver and of gold, shall he carry captive into Egypt; and he shall refrain some years from the king of the north."

Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III Euregetes was now the king of the south and he came with an army. The king of the north was now Seleucus II Kallinikos, son of Laodice. He was defeated in Egypt later. Seleucus II lost to Ptolemy III...who put Seleucus' mother, Laodice, to death.

"9 And he shall come into the realm of the king of the south, but he shall return into his own land."

"He" in this verse was the king of the north and was Seleucus II, son of the deceased Laodice. Seleucus II sought revenge for Ptolemy III killing his mother.

According to Gill's commentary: "Justin says that he fitted out a great fleet, which was destroyed by a violent storm; and after this he raised a great army to recover his dominion, but was defeated by Ptolemy, and fled in great terror and trembling to Antioch".

"10 And his sons shall war, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall come on, and overflow, and pass through; and they shall return and war, even to his fortress."

Seleucus III Ceraunus and Antiochus III the Great were the sons of the king of the north.

"11 And the king of the south shall be moved with anger, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north; and he shall set forth a great multitude, and the multitude shall be given into his hand.
12 And the multitude shall be lifted up, and his heart shall be exalted; and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail."

The king of the south was Ptolemy IV Philopator. The king of the north was Antiochus III, the Great. Ptolemy IV defeated the much larger army of Antiochus III at the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC.

"13 And the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former; and he shall come on at the end of the times, even of years, with a great army and with much substance."

The king of the north was still Antiochus III. The king of the south was Ptolemy V Epiphanes. Antiochus III gave his daughter Cleopatra I to Ptolemy V, in hopes of permanent influence in Egypt.

"14 And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the children of the violent among thy people shall lift themselves up to establish the vision; but they shall fall."

At this time, many of the Egyptians began rebelling against the ruling Grecian family and began rioting and defying them. The "vision" that was established was from Daniel 8 and Daniel 9.


SUMMARY
The first fourteen verses of Daniel 11 covered the time of Alexander the Great up until Antiochus Epiphanes.

God could NOW give more details about this time period because the first two steps of the continual vision had occurred: Nebuchadnezzar and Darius/Cyrus. God knew more of the CAUSES and could explain the EFFECTS.

For more explanation on how prophecy works, please look at the following links:
Prophecy Introduction
Simple Prophecy
Complex Prophecy

Daniel was getting a more detailed explanation of the events between #3. Alexander the Great and #4. Antiochus Epiphanes.

Tomorrow, we will cover #4. Antiochus Epiphanes.

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Daniel 10

This month we are looking at The Book of Daniel verse-by-verse. In the previous three posts, we covered the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible: Daniel 9. Here is the summary...

Clearly, Daniel's "70 weeks" was the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible...it even explained when prophecy will cease (be sealed up)!

It had CRITICAL applications to people who lived in the fifth Dispensation before Christ's crucifixion.

It had CRITICAL applications to people who live in the current Dispensation as well as people who will live during The Tribulation (completion of fifth Dispensation).

NONE of this would have happened without Daniel praying in God's OWN place and his prayer resulted in the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible.

What could possibly happen next? What OUGHT to happen next? Were there more "spiritual warfare" applications?

Today, we will see how the enemy responded to Daniel getting the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible...and we will spend the entire week looking at the final "installment" of the CONNECTED vision Daniel got about God's people and God's city.


DANIEL 10
"1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, even a great warfare: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision."

This vision was connected to the previous visions. In fact, it was the final explanation of the connected vision Daniel continually got throughout his time in Babylon.

This vision came after all the other visions Daniel had described. This vision came during a time when Daniel had tremendous favor with the kings (Darius and Cyrus). The explanation of the events connected with Daniel receiving this vision took up the last three chapters of The Book of Daniel.

Today we will cover the first of these three chapters which was completely focused on introducing the second of the three chapters (where the angel spoke about the vision). Again, Daniel was a scientist. There was a process to his receiving of these spiritual manifestations. There was ALWAYS a cause with Daniel...

"2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks.
3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled."

The cause was that Daniel was mourning and went on a "pleasant bread" fast. He did not have any "comfort foods".

"4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel,
5 I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz:
6 his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches, and his arms and his feet like unto burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude."

After twenty-one days, Daniel was by the Tigris River and saw an angel.

"7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves."

Here is some spiritual manifestation Doctrine: It is possible to be the only person in a group to see a spiritual manifestation!

The others with Daniel did not see the angel, but they felt a great quaking and hid themselves. So, Daniel was alone...

"8 So I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me; for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength."

The vision was so overpowering AND convicting that Daniel lost his strength and saw himself as corrupted.

"9 Yet heard I the voice of his words; and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I fallen into a deep sleep on my face, with my face toward the ground."

When Daniel heard the angel's WORDS, it put him in a deep sleep with his face to the ground...

"10 And, behold, a hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands."

The angel touched him and got Daniel up "on all fours".

"11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, thou man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright; for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling."

The angel told Daniel to stand upright and that he (the angel) was specifically sent to Daniel. Daniel stated that he obeyed by standing, but he was still trembling. Clearly, this was an overpowering and important vision!

"12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand, and to humble thyself before thy God, thy words were heard: and I am come for thy words' sake."

There was A LOT in this sentence!

Daniel set in his heart to understand...this was a cause. Remember, what this meant was that Daniel TRULY desired to understand and the effect of this was it was put in his heart.

Daniel humbled himself before God...this was a cause. Remember, grace resists the proud, but is given to the humble. Daniel denied his flesh "pleasant bread" and focused on God for twenty-one days. Fasting isn't ONLY denying the flesh. It also involves focusing on God. In fact, true fasting intentionally talks and/or prays to God EVERY TIME the flesh complains about being denied! This is humbling the flesh...this is focusing on God...this is humbling yourself before God!

Daniel's WORDS were heard...this was a cause. Daniel was speaking WORDS to God. Whether he was praying or talking to God, Daniel was EXPRESSING his WORDS! Daniel was stating his will. In fact, the angel stated he came for Daniel's WORDS' sake! WORDS are important...they can create...they can destroy.

The angel came to Daniel from the FIRST DAY that Daniel did all of this. Daniel did this twenty-one days earlier. In the previous chapter, Gabriel showed up DURING Daniel's WORDS! Gabriel showed up within less than 16 verses. This angel took TWENTY-ONE DAYS! What took him so long?

"13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia."

WOW!!!

The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood this POWERFUL angel for twenty-one days! In fact, it took a chief prince named Michael to help this angel overcome the prince of the kingdom of Persia! (Notice that Gabriel's and Michael's names both end in "-el"...from "Elohim".)

Clearly, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was a spiritual being, otherwise there was a physical being that was more powerful than this angel who ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMED Daniel...who we all know had been tested throughout his (Daniel's) life and was an example to us.

Where was the prince of the kingdom of Persia in the previous chapter?

It looks to me like the enemy didn't think there was a reason to heavily guard this region UNTIL Daniel received the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible. THEN, the enemy put spiritual guards over the area that Daniel inhabited. This is just a thought that may be wrong, but is it possible Daniel was mourning BECAUSE he hadn't received any understanding concerning his vision since the first year of Darius?

Next month we will look at spiritual warfare. For now, know that the Bible stated there are levels of authority in the spirit realm over the earth. This passage showed that an angel could not get to Daniel for twenty-one days because another spirit opposed him and the angel ended up requiring help from an angel named Michael.

I believe the increase in spiritual oppression was in response to Daniel being prosperous/favored AND having previously received the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible.

"14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days; for the vision is yet for many days:
15 and when he had spoken unto me according to these words, I set my face toward the ground, and was dumb."

The angel concluded his introduction by stating that he had come to make Daniel understand what will happen to the Israelites in the latter days. This was the conclusion to Daniel's continual vision!

Daniel stated that when he heard this entire introduction, he was so overwhelmed by the WORDS that he put his face to the ground and was speechless! Clearly, this was what Daniel was mourning over...not having gotten any more understanding concerning his continual vision!

"16 And, behold, one in the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by reason of the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I retain no strength.
17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither was there breath left in me."

Daniel stated that he could only speak once the angel touched his lips. Then Daniel confirmed that the vision was the cause of his mourning...and lack of strength...and lack of speech.

"18 Then there touched me again one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me."

Again, it took the touch from an angel for Daniel to be able to continue this dialogue. I believe this detailed explanation was meant to establish the supreme importance of what Daniel was about to hear.

"19 And he said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he spake unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me."

The angel spoke WORDS to Daniel TWICE to "be strong"...and Daniel was not only strong, but stated the cause of his strength was the angel. Daniel was a scientist all the way to the end of his life...

"20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I go forth, lo, the prince of Greece shall come.
21 But I will tell thee that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me against these, but Michael your prince."

The angel confirmed that Daniel understood all the background before he gave Daniel understanding of the vision.

First, the angel asked if Daniel truly knew WHY the angel had come to him. The angel also threw in that he would have to fight his way OUT of this region!

I like this comment because it not only showed the angel wanted Daniel to know ALL the background before giving understanding on the vision, but it almost looked as if the angel wanted Daniel to appreciate his role in bringing this understanding to Daniel...it showed some of the personality of the angel. In fact, the second point continued in this direction...

The angel told Daniel that ONLY he and Michael were fighting this battle. So, the angel also lets Daniel know he OUGHT to appreciate Michael. In fact, he called Michael "your prince"!


SUMMARY
Daniel described in detail the events that led to him receiving the final installment of his continual vision concerning God's people and God's city.

Everything about this description implied the message was POWERFUL and the resistance to this message was POWERFUL.

Tomorrow, we will look at what the angel had to say about the vision...

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Daniel 9:24-27

This month we are looking at The Book of Daniel verse-by-verse. In the previous post, we covered what was said and occurred between Daniel and Gabriel while Daniel was praying. We ended yesterday's post with:

Daniel was praying and Gabriel showed up to tell Daniel to "understand the vision"...hmmmm.

Gabriel was talking about the vision that he had been helping Daniel understand "at the beginning". These chapters were CONNECTED...don't interpret one chapter without understanding all the chapters that came before it!

Today, we will look at the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible...

WARNING: Today's topic is one of those "emotional" topics...a topic they may trigger your amygdala. To that end, I'm going to address each verse with three separate sub-headings. First, we will cover what was factually stated. Second, I will offer some background information that will help YOU take what was stated further. Third, I will offer the key conclusion from the verse. If you don't agree with anything I've stated, that is okay. This is prophecy and open to interpretation. If you would like to offer a different point of view, I encourage you to post in the comments section.

Today's topic is emotional because it is important. I believe it is a mistake to dismiss today's topic by thinking it isn't a critical topic. I believe this is the GREATEST PROPHECY that is recorded in the Bible. ALL intelligent discussions concerning the end times begin with the following passage of The Book of Daniel.

Gabriel had stated that he had come to give Daniel wisdom and understanding. It was now time to hear what Gabriel came to Daniel to say:


DANIEL 9:24-27
"24 Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy."


WHAT THIS SAYS
Gabriel said that "seventy weeks" were given to "thy people and upon thy holy city" to:
-finish transgression
-make an end of sins
-make reconciliation for iniquity
-bring in everlasting righteousness
-seal up vision and prophecy
-anoint the most holy

Everything about this message was focused on the Jews (God's people) and Jerusalem (God's city). Remember, Daniel prayed in God's OWN place about how God's people and God's city deserved to be cursed like God stated through Jeremiah. Daniel also knew that God would restore His people and His city...and Daniel's prayer was encouraging God to do it now so that God could reach nations outside of Israel.

This verse was telling Daniel that God's people and God's city had 490 years to accomplish all that God intended for them to accomplish once the prophecy of God's city being built was declared. The symbolism was that God's people and God's city would be cursed 70 years...and then they would get 70 "seven's of years" to bring about God's Plan to reach out to other nations.


BACKGROUND
In The Sequel, we saw how God's Plan could only be implemented once all the other possible plans were proven to be flawed. There were seven possible plans (Dispensations) other than God's...we are currently in the sixth Dispensation. The Millennium is the seventh Dispensation.

In The Sequel, we saw that The Millennium (seventh Dispensation) is a Sabbath from the devil...he is locked up.

Once all of these Dispensations are proven to be flawed, God can bring about His Plan...the eighth and final Dispensation.

Gabriel was speaking to Daniel about the Jews and Jerusalem. Gabriel was speaking SPECIFICALLY about the fifth Dispensation: God's people and God's city. Gabriel was stating that the people of the fifth Dispensation had an objective (the list) and a deadline (seventy weeks). So, Gabriel was speaking DURING the time of the fifth Dispensation AND Gabriel was telling the people of the fifth Dispensation WHEN their Dispensation would be over.


KEY CONCLUSION: This list has NOT been achieved today.

There are a lot of people who want to say these seventy weeks have been completed in order to justify their point of view. In order to do this, they have to come up with a rationalization why this list IS completed OR why it didn't (and won't) get completed. This is the FIRST opportunity for someone reading this prophecy to get sidetracked. If you believe this list has been achieved or you don't think God intended for it to get achieved, please give your reasons in the comments section.


"25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times."


WHAT THIS SAID
Gabriel was stating the BEGINNING of the last 490 years of the fifth Dispensation occurs when the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem is given. Gabriel was stating there would be 483 years between the commandment to rebuild God's city and the anointed one...the Christ.


BACKGROUND
This prophecy occurred around 538 BC. The commandment to build rebuild Jerusalem occurred around 446 BC. The Sequel covers this "trigger event" in detail from the perspective of Zerubbabel. Here was the story from Nehemiah's perspective:

"1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it came to pass in the month Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
2 that Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, that were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem." (Nehemiah 1:1-2, ASV)

Notice, The Book of Nehemiah began with Nehemiah in Shushan the palace...like Daniel was in Daniel 8 (previous chapter). The second chapter of The Book of Nehemiah began:

"1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2 And the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid.
3 And I said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
6 And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time." (Nehemiah 2:1-6, ASV)

Nehemiah began to build the wall after getting this command from the king around 445 BC. In rough terms, 483 years after this command is around 38 AD.


KEY CONCLUSION: The trigger event for the beginning of the countdown to the end of the fifth Dispensation occurred about 483 years before Christ was crucified.


"26 And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: 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 even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined."


WHAT THIS SAID
The anointed one will be cut off at the end of the sixty-nine weeks from the trigger event. Then the temple and God's city will be destroyed AGAIN. The end shall be with a flood with war and desolations occurring unto the flood.


BACKGROUND
This verse benefited people of the fifth Dispensation by stating the year in which the Messiah was cut off. Not only did Daniel give a time period for the Messiah, but he also reinforced that the Messiah would be cut off. THIS WAS HUGE ALL BY ITSELF!

If this was all there was to this prophecy, it would have been big enough to be considered the GREATEST PROPHECY in the Bible.

The Jews (and Pharisees) could have known Jesus was the Messiah by "understanding books"!

God didn't change a Dispensation without a warning. Each Dispensation demonstrated God's Ethics WITHIN the Dispensation. The principles that are true in EVERY Dispensation demonstrate God's Morals. It would be NOT Right and NOT Just for God to change the Plan AND NOT warn people of the coming change. God ALWAYS warns people about the change in Dispensations.

God didn't "trick" anyone into crucifying Jesus. The incompetence of the Pharisees due to not knowing God's Word was a CAUSE to Jesus getting crucified. God could ONLY have Jesus get crucified during a time that God's people were led by incompetent leaders, otherwise, they would have never crucified Jesus.

Remember, we saw Jesus spoke about "Daniel the prophet". So, the people living during Jesus' time had access to this information from Daniel! What is the response today from "Rabbinical experts"? They do NOT recognize Daniel as a prophet!...even though he gave the prophecy (this one) that signified when prophecy will come to an end!...at the end of the seventy weeks prophecy will be "sealed up".

As for the New Testament importance, here was what Jesus said to God's people about when the end would come:

"6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places.
8 But all these things are the beginning of travail.
9 Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray.
12 And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold.
13 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:6-14, ASV)

The next verse was when Jesus mentioned "Daniel the prophet".

Notice, so far, this explanation only covered sixty-nine of the seventy weeks. There was one more week left for the Jews and Jerusalem.


KEY CONCLUSION: This verse told God's people WHEN their Messiah would appear AND that their Messiah would be cut off! This ALONE would make this the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible.


"27 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate."

WHAT THIS SAYS
The last seven years of the fifth Dispensation will involve the last earthly king making a covenant for seven years but will change the sacrifice and the oblation to cease after 3 1/2 years. Then the end will come.


BACKGROUND
Remember, Gabriel told Daniel to "understand the vision". Daniel had been having visions about the latter times when a king with a fierce countenance would oppose the prince of princes and lose. That the rock cut out without hands would destroy this last king and bring in an everlasting kingdom that would fill the whole earth.

This verse explained the events of the last seven year period. However, this seven year period was DISCONNECTED from the first 483 years...it was not consecutive.

Notice, when the seventy weeks are over a lot of things from the list happen with "finality" or in an "everlasting" way...things that do NOT exist now.

The Dispensation of the Law is NOT over until the last seven years...until the last "week". However, we know the Dispensation of the Law is NOT CURRENTLY in place AND has already existed.

So, this verse was meant for us AND the people of the fifth Dispensation. This verse syncs up with the seven year period known as The Tribulation in John's Book of Revelation. The beast will make a peace treaty for seven years, but in the middle of this seven year period, he will require people to worship the image he sets up.

Notice the phrase "full end". We saw this in Daniel 8:23: "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." This was the verse where we left open the option that Gabriel could be talking about Antiochus Epiphanes or the Anti-Christ or both. Now it looked like Gabriel at the very least was talking about the Anti-Christ.

Let's look at the next thing Jesus said in the gospel according to Matthew. Remember, Jesus was speaking long after Antiochus Epiphanes had existed. Also, the previous passage synced up with the previous verse (26) from Daniel 9. Let's see if the continuation of Jesus' words synced up with the current verse (27) from Daniel 9:

"15 When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth understand),
16 then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains:
17 let him that is on the housetop not go down to take out things that are in his house:
18 and let him that is in the field not return back to take his cloak.
19 But woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days!
20 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a sabbath:
21 for then shall be great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be."

It not only agreed, Jesus was referencing Daniel 9:27!!!!!
-abomination of desolation
-standing in the holy place
-great tribulation
-worst time on earth EVER!


KEY CONCLUSION: Daniel got more information concerning his continual vision about the king that will stand up in the latter times.


Notice also that Daniel prayed a pray in God's place for God's benefit. Daniel told God to cease from His wrath and anger in order to God to be able to reach nations outside of Israel. God's response through the angel was to tell Daniel God would cease from his wrath and anger giving Israel 490 years to complete the dispensation. However, this 490 years would be interrupted. WE NOW KNOW the interruption was our dispensation: the Dispensation of Grace where God reached out to the people outside of Israel through Grace via the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

HUGE POINT: Daniel's pray allowed God to cease from completely equalling out justice on Israel for the time being and graft in our dispensation.

EXPLANATION: At the beginning of this chapter, God was responding to Israel through Justice and would have kept responding until all of the Justice was exhausted. Daniel's prayer allowed God to CEASE from exhausting the Justice against Israel that He had accumulated. Instead, God retained that Justice (some of which will allow Him to respond during the Tribulation) and build up Israel in order to reach the Gentiles and temporarily bring in the sixth Dispensation which will result in Him accumulating even more Justice to bring about His Ultimate Will (eighth Dispensation).


SUMMARY
Clearly, this is the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible...it even explained when prophecy would cease (be sealed up)!

It had CRITICAL applications to people who lived in the fifth Dispensation before Christ's crucifixion.

It has CRITICAL applications to people who live in the current Dispensation as well as people who will live during The Tribulation (completion of fifth Dispensation).

NONE of this would have happened without Daniel praying in God's OWN place and his prayer resulted in the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible.

What could possibly happen next? What OUGHT to happen next? Were there more "spiritual warfare" applications?

On Monday, we will see how the enemy responded to Daniel getting the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible...and we will spend the entire week looking at the final "installment" of the CONNECTED vision Daniel got about God's people and God's city.

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Daniel 9:20-23

This month we are covering The Book of Daniel verse-by-verse. In the previous post, we covered what I have called, "the most UN-appreciated event in the Bible": Daniel's prayer. Daniel's prayer was different than every other prayer in the Bible. Here is what we found:

Daniel asked God's anger and wrath to be turned away from God's city (Jerusalem) BECAUSE God's city and people were making a bad name for God among the rest of the known world! Daniel was actually praying IN GOD'S PLACE...He was telling God how to use the value God had received through Justice BECAUSE of the sins of God's people! Daniel was telling God how ceasing from His anger and wrath would benefit God: it would help Him reach the nations outside of Israel.

WOW!!!!!! Daniel was actually referencing the Justice due to God and then making a request FOR GOD...USING GOD'S JUSTICE!!!!!

Daniel had prayed in God's OWN place...

Was God going to curse Daniel?

Was God going to ignore Daniel?

Was God going to bless Daniel?

If God were to deliver a HUGELY critical revelation to Daniel, do you think people would realize that it was an EFFECT of Daniel's prayer? Do you think people would spend massive hours studying Daniel's prayer? Do you think people would spend the majority of their time discussing HOW Daniel got this revelation? Or do you think they would spend the majority of their time discussing WHAT God revealed to Daniel and NEVER explain in detail Daniel's Prayer?

Daniel prayed in God's OWN place...

Today we will look at God's response.


DANIEL 1:20-23
"20 And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God;"

Daniel then explained that the following events occurred WHILE he was speaking, and praying, and confessing, etc. Remember this point: everything that followed happened BEFORE he finished his prayer.

"21 yea, while I was speaking in prayer, 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."

Again, one sentence and A LOT of information from Daniel...

Gabriel appeared to Daniel and Daniel said it was the same person as he had seen in the vision "at the beginning". ALL of these visions were CONNECTED! Gabriel was going through a process to bring information to Daniel. It was almost as if Daniel continued to "qualify" to get more information.

Gabriel was "being caused to fly swiftly". If you wonder where the Bible stated that angels fly...here was one place. Secondly, Gabriel flew swiftly...we already know: he made it from wherever he was to Daniel DURING the time it took Daniel to pray. Thirdly, Gabriel was CAUSED to fly swiftly...by Daniel's prayer. What would have happened if Gabriel had taken more time and Daniel had prayed more? Is it possible Daniel was on a roll and would have CAUSED other things to happen if he had continued praying?

Gabriel touched Daniel. Besides what we've previously stated about touching angels, did Gabriel touch Daniel so that Daniel would stop praying? What other purpose could the angel have had for touching Daniel?

"22 And he instructed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding."

The angel's purpose was to give Daniel wisdom and understanding! Daniel's prayer caused Daniel to get wisdom and understanding. Was it because Daniel stated at the beginning of this chapter that he had understood by books?

Was Daniel trusted with MORE wisdom and understanding because he already demonstrated wisdom and understanding? Or did his wisdom and understanding cause him to pray an amazing (and rarely studied) prayer...and the prayer caused Gabriel to give Daniel more wisdom and understanding?

"23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision."

There was A LOT in this sentence...

At the BEGINNING of Daniel's prayer, the order was given for Gabriel to go to Daniel. So it DID take ONLY 15-16 verses for Gabriel to make it from wherever he was to Daniel!

Gabriel stated Daniel was "greatly beloved".

Taking these two points together, we can see the answer to "How is God going to respond to Daniel praying in God's OWN place?" was "Daniel was going to get blessed with wisdom and understanding".

The following is a pet peeve of mine, so bear with me for a second...

Imagine finding a fully functioning and stocked printing press that printed government endorsed hundred dollar bills. Next to the printing press is a one hundred dollar bill. If you could ONLY take one item, which would you take: the printing press or the one hundred dollar bill?

Tomorrow we are going to cover the four verses that Gabriel told Daniel. It was the GREATEST PROPHECY in the Bible! There was NO OTHER prophecy that served as a greater foundation for other key prophecy AND covered both the Old and New Testaments. In fact, next week we will see what the enemy's response was to Daniel receiving this GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible. Tomorrow we will look at how CRITICAL was the information that Daniel received. For now, the point is this:

Daniel prayed the most unique prayer in the entire Bible and it resulted in the Greatest Prophecy given to man.

The prayer was the CAUSE.

The prophecy was the EFFECT.

Which one OUGHT to be valued MORE: the CAUSE or the EFFECT? the prayer or the prophecy? the printing press or the hundred dollar bill?

For some reason we have valued the prophecy more than the prayer. EVERY intelligent person who speaks about end times HAS to BEGIN with the prophecy Daniel received because of this prayer. VOLUMES have been written about this prophecy...this hundred dollar bill.

However, try to find someone who will focus on the CAUSE of this prophecy. Find an explanation about Daniel's prayer. Look at how much people write about "the printing press" and how much they write about "the hundred dollar bill".

If you were looking for a way to bring about signs and wonders in the church AND you believed prayer was the key, which prayer would you study? I would think it would be the prayer that brought about the GREATEST REVELATION recorded in the Bible, but for some reason, THAT prayer is the LEAST discussed and appreciated event in the entire Bible.

Gabriel's last words before giving Daniel this HUGE revelation was for Daniel to "understand the vision".

What vision?

Daniel was praying and Gabriel showed up to tell Daniel to "understand the vision"...hmmmm.

Gabriel was talking about the vision that he had been helping Daniel understand "at the beginning". These chapters were CONNECTED...don't interpret one chapter without understanding all the chapters that came before it!

Tomorrow, we will look at the GREATEST PROPHECY recorded in the Bible...

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Daniel 9:1-19

This month we are looking at The Book of Daniel verse-by-verse. In the previous post, we covered the third vision in Daniel Chapter 8.

The angels brought Daniel understanding about everything except the king that will rise in the latter times. While they gave a description, it appeared Daniel did not understand the 2600 days and the specifics about this last earthly king that loses his power at the hands of the prince of princes. However, each time Daniel had a vision about Israel's future, he got more understanding concerning the critical aspects of the vision.

For the rest of this week, we will look at the most critical chapter in The Book of Daniel...and it was probably NOT for the REASON that you think...


DANIEL 9:1-19
"1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans,"

Darius was Esther's husband. (Check out this link for more information: Esther 1-3.)

Notice, this story was taking place after the third vision. Also, this story took place after the first part of the vision came to pass...the Medes conquered Babylon.

"2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years."

There was a lot in this verse...

First, Daniel "understood by books"...the cause of EVERYTHING in this chapter was Daniel understood by books...by SENTENCES...by WORDS. If you want to see spiritual manifestations, you need to first be able to UNDERSTAND by WORDS...by SENTENCES...by books. You need to have sound foundational Doctrine. In fact, the point can be made that Daniel was TRUSTED with the following revelation BECAUSE he was able to understand by books...by SENTENCES...by WORDS.

Second, Daniel saw his vision begin to come to pass! Daniel's already great faith would have been increased. Daniel was still growing in faith! It would make sense for him to begin to look at how other visions came to pass...to continue to grow. What was Daniel looking at?

"11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith Jehovah, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it desolate for ever." (Jeremiah 25:11, 12)

"10 For thus saith Jehovah, After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." (Jeremiah 29:10)

Daniel was saying that he understood the time God had appointed for desolations to be visited on Jerusalem: seventy years. Daniel also understood that there was a promise in these verses for God to cause His people to return to Jerusalem...

"3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes."

Daniel stated that he intentionally set out to find the second half of this promise...through prayer...through SENTENCES...through WORDS.

What followed was the most complex prayer in the Bible!

As we have seen on this blog, prayer is the most difficult Doctrine because it seems easy but actually involves God's Nature, God's Will, Justice, and Free Will. People think they know what prayer is until they have to write it down and then answer a couple of questions:

-Why do we have to pray?

-Can we change God's Will?

-Can we change God's Mind?

-What determines whether God does or doesn't answer a prayer?

-Are there limits to what we can pray about?

This is one of the reasons pastors and national leaders won't speak with me in public...they are afraid I will expose their lack of understanding when it comes to prayer. If you think you or your pastor has a non-contradictory understanding of prayer, answer the above questions in a non-contradictory manner.

In "Modeling God", I gave a non-contradictory explanation for prayer. Considering how many religious leaders claim the answer to all our problems is PRAYER, why wouldn't people embrace a sound foundational explanation for this most critical Doctrine?

I have gone through every prayer in the Bible. All of the prayers that God answered followed the same four-step structure:

1. Recognized the prayer was to God

2. Built faith through referencing something God had done either through understanding or experience

3. Referenced Justice

4. Made a request

When a person prayed ANY OTHER WAY, it was NOT "prayer" according to the Bible!!!!

Here are links that will help you UNDERSTAND this foundational Doctrine:
What is Prayer?
Prayer Overview
Group Prayer

Here are older links on prayer:
Prayer and Witchcraft
Prayer Structure
Prayer Example
Accessing Spiritual Value
Hindering Prayers
Praying For Others To Get Saved
House of Prayer
David's "Wrong Prayer"
Jabez's Prayer

If you don't UNDERSTAND prayer, you will NOT appreciate Daniel's prayer.

Last month's Series covered what I believe was the most under-appreciated event recorded in the Bible: The Last Supper. I believe it was one of the five most important events recorded in the Bible, yet it usually doesn't make most peoples' Top Twenty. Today, we are covering what I believe to be the most UN-appreciated event recorded in the Bible!

Daniel's prayer is NOT appreciated AT ALL...first because people don't understand prayer (so pastors won't go into detail on the Doctrine of prayer from the pulpit) and second because this prayer was at the "PhD Level". NO ONE else in the Bible attempted a prayer like this...and our ability to appreciate it depends on first understanding prayer.

Take a second and ask yourself when was the last time you heard someone teach about Daniel's prayer. In fact, if you feel up to it, stop reading this blog right now and read Daniel 9:4-19 in your Bible and see what you think about this prayer before reading my explanation...

"4 And I prayed unto Jehovah my God, and made confession, and said, Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments,
5 we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from thy precepts and from thine ordinances;
6 neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, that spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land."

Verse 4 addressed the first two steps: addressed God and built faith through understanding and experience.

Verses 5 and 6 appeared to reference Justice...however, it referenced how Israel was on the wrong side of Justice!

Normally, praying people reference how they are on the right side of Justice before they make a request. The basic prayer sounds something like this: God, you have done great things, so you are able to do my request. I'm on the right side of Justice and I state my will that I want you to equal out this Justice now in order to give me a value or take a value away from the person who wronged me.

Daniel appeared to be doing this backwards: he referenced Justice in order to prove Israel DIDN'T deserve a request. What was going on here?

"7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of face, 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.
8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him;
10 neither have we obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets."

Wow! Daniel continued using causality to explain why Israel was getting EXACTLY what it deserved. How was Daniel going to make a request? Was Daniel going to make a request? Without a request, this was NOT a prayer...

"11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even turning aside, that they should not obey thy voice: therefore hath the curse been poured out upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God; for we have sinned against him."

Wow! Daniel just used causality to state ALL Israel deserved the curse that they were currently experiencing.

Imagine praying this prayer in front of people at church! Imagine praying this prayer over someone who asked you to pray for them! Imagine if someone chose to pray like Daniel for their church! ("Dear God, I know that you can do all things. This church has deserved the tough times you have chosen to bestow upon her through Justice. We have repeatedly sinned and disobeyed your voice. In fact, last month, we...")

"12 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."

This was an interesting sentence. Daniel just jumped back to the faith building step by referencing something that God did.

WHAT was the thing that God did? Answer: Everything Daniel referenced in what appeared to be the "Justice" section of his prayer!

Daniel seemed to be telling God that the curse Israel had received was Right and Just...and therefore came from God! It was almost like Daniel ACTUALLY had been in Step 2 (faith building) this ENTIRE time! In fact, Daniel almost seemed to be telling God He didn't have to continue to curse Israel because Justice had been equaled out!

"13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet have we not entreated the favor of Jehovah our God, that we should turn from our iniquities, and have discernment in thy truth."

Here Daniel referenced God's Word (understanding) to build his faith that God would remove the evil if the people entreated God, turned from their iniquities, and had discernment in God's truth!...which was what Daniel had been doing since the beginning of this chapter! How could Daniel make a request?

"14 Therefore hath Jehovah watched over the evil, and brought it upon us; for Jehovah our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth, and we have not obeyed his voice."

There was a lot of Doctrine in this one sentence! I'm going to go over a few highlights, but know Daniel was flexing his foundational Doctrinal muscle in this ONE SENTENCE!

Daniel stated that God is Righteous in ALL His works which He does...AND God watched over evil and brought it upon Israel through Justice for not obeying His Voice. God is Right and Just.

God is Right in His Nature...He will create in the Long Term. However, God can destroy in the short-term in response to Justice...and the goal of the short-term destruction is to equal out Justice and make it possible to create in the Long Term.

The "evil" God brings is NOT from His Nature, but is a response to Justice. Because God is Just, He has to have the ability to destroy (punish) in the short-term, otherwise, He would not be able to equal out Justice, so this ability to destroy is an EFFECT of God being Just. This ability to destroy (punish) in the short-term is NOT in His Nature...it is NOT a CAUSE of God.

Daniel was EXTREMELY sound in his foundational Doctrine...If Daniel had misplaced one WORD or used one wrong WORD, this SENTENCE would have been wrong. Notice, prayer consists of SENTENCES...and WORDS...the same thing that books are made of...Can a person pray well if they can't understand by books?

"15 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."

Again, Daniel referenced the Word of God to build his faith that God would grant his request. However, this verse addressed Justice...God was able (through Justice) to use the Israelites in the past to get renown for Himself, so God deserved to get renown "this day" as well!

It looked like EVERYTHING up to this verse was ACTUALLY Step 1 and 2: addressed God and built faith. This (verse 15) was the verse that introduced Justice, but it was God who was on the right side of Justice!...NOT Daniel...NOT Israel.

It was time to formally make the request...

"16 O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, let thine anger and thy wrath, I pray thee, 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 round about us."

Daniel asked God's anger and wrath to be turned away from God's city (Jerusalem) BECAUSE God's city and people were making a bad name for God among the rest of the known world! Daniel's request was that in order for God to accomplish His Purpose during that dispensation (reach the world through the Law), punishing Israel would actually prevent this objective from happening. Daniel was stating that turning from His anger and wrath would be to God's benefit.

Daniel was actually praying IN GOD'S PLACE...He was telling God how to use the value God had received through Justice BECAUSE of the sins of God's people!

WOW!!!!!! Daniel was actually referencing the Justice due to God and then making a request FOR GOD...USING GOD'S JUSTICE!!!!!

Daniel was praying IN GOD'S PLACE!!!!

WHY did Daniel pray IN GOD'S PLACE?

Was it because he had ULTIMATE UNDERSTANDING of foundational Doctrine?

Was it because he was "GUTSY"?

Was it because he was being disobedient and/or ignorant?

Can you think of another person in the Bible who prayed IN PLACE OF GOD?

Do you believe Daniel was praying in God's place? Let's continue...

"17 Now therefore, O our God, hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.
18 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 righteousness, but for thy great mercies' sake.
19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name."

Verse 17 asked God to reverse the desolation FOR THE LORD'S SAKE!

Verse 18 asked God to hear and see how HIS city had been destroyed and fix it FOR GOD'S GREAT MERCIES' SAKE!

Verse 19 asked God to forgive and carry out this request FOR GOD'S OWN SAKE!

Daniel was using God's value to request a value for God! Daniel just prayed a prayer in God's OWN place!!!

I know of pastors who state the key to bringing about "signs and wonders" in the church is PRAYER.

What do these pastors mean by "prayer"? Do they believe there is a right and a wrong way to pray? Are they sure they are praying the "right way"? How would they prove this?

What is the KEY to praying the "right way"?

Prayer is made up of SENTENCES...and SENTENCES are made up of WORDS. Can these pastors define "prayer" in a non-contradictory manner that agreed with the Bible?


CRITICAL QUESTION
Do you believe the effectiveness of a prayer depends on the ability of the person praying to UNDERSTAND the WORDS they use?...the SENTENCES they use?...the DOCTRINE they believe?...after all, our beliefs are made up of WORDS and SENTENCES...our thoughts are made up of WORDS and SENTENCES.

Why would a pastor believe prayer APART FROM SOUND DOCTRINE AND DEFINITIONS would result in "signs and wonders"?

Daniel had prayed in God's OWN place...

Was God going to curse Daniel?

Was God going to ignore Daniel?

Was God going to bless Daniel?

If God were to deliver a HUGELY critical revelation to Daniel, do you think people would realize that it was an EFFECT of Daniel's prayer? Do you think people would spend massive hours studying Daniel's prayer? Do you think people would spend the majority of their time discussing HOW Daniel got this revelation? Or do you think they would spend the majority of their time discussing WHAT God revealed to Daniel and NEVER explain in detail Daniel's Prayer?

Daniel prayed in God's OWN place...

Tomorrow we will look at God's response.

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