BOOK OF DANIEL

BOOK OF DANIEL

Daniel chapter 1

The book of Daniel is the only book in the Old Testament written mostly in Aramaic. As we will see later, a chapter is written by Nebuchadnezzar, making it the only chapter of the Old Testament written not only by a non-Jew but also by someone who did not believe in the One God; we will see the significance of this.

The book of Daniel can be divided into two parts: In the first chapters we follow some events from the life of Daniel and the analysis of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams and then the prophecies of Daniel follow. Part of the prophecies concern historical events related to Babylon and subsequent empires. Part relates to the coming of the Messiah and historical events in regards to more modern times and to the events of Revelation. Most events and prophecies relate to dreams and their interpretation while the personality of Nebuchadnezzar parallels to the “false” Messiah / Antichrist revelation.

Usually in our questions about the future of mankind we focus on the events of the book of Revelation but prophecies relevant to these events exist also in other books of the Bible and especially in the book of Daniel. To some, Revelation and the book of Daniel are equally important for their prophetic value.

Before we move on to the analysis of the book, we will begin with a question we often hear: why did Christ, the Messiah, had to suffer and be tormented ?

There are three hypotheses: the first theory appeared historically in the first century AD and was developed by agnostics who separate matter (body) from spirit and argued that since Christ (as all humans) was composed of matter and spirit, being in constant fight to release the spirit from the weaknesses of matter. Thus, the world/humanity is in a constant struggle between spirit and matter and the spirit must be freed from matter and its limitations. We find similar theories in Greek philosophers. According to this theory, the Messiah must be someone who manages to free the spirit from matter, in the case of Christ to overcome death and be resurrected. This theory creates a concept about the world where matter is not something compatible with God and must be eliminated. But this theory was refuted, especially after the Council of Nicaea in 400 where it was decided that the creation of the world by God was also material and therefore was aimed at connecting matter with spirit. In the same way, the Council rejected the “humanistic” approach, that the entry of the Holy Spirit into the human Messiah was trying to overcome over body and matter. Despite the fact that such theories were refuted, supporters of similar concepts, still exist today.

The second theory, which is mainly supported by Protestantism, is the theory of the administration of justice by God. According to this theory there is on the one hand God and on the other the sin/evil which causes His wrath and what can eliminate God’s wrath and bring “justice” is a sacrifice of blood, as sacrifices in the past, in the Old Testament, accomplished. The Holy Temple in the past had turned into a huge slaughterhouse where blood was constantly flowing from the sacrifices. People then believed that this would bring about a balance between sin/evil and God. This theory wants God to demand justice and punishment, ending with the sacrifice of the Son as the one who will eventually overcome all other sucrtrifies and bring eternal justice and balance. According to this theory, there can be no balance, no forgiveness without sacrifice. Similar acts are found historically in other cultures, such as the Mesopotamians and the Greeks, as for instance in the example of the sacrifice of Ifigenia that was required to appease the gods. The evolution of this theory today, sees God as a great judge who demands sacrifices or punishment of mankind. This is a very “old fashioned religious” approach of God that misses the main point of Jesus’ sacrifice, which was the ultimate expression of love. It is more appropriate to think that the party who actually needed the sacrifices was not God, but man to calm/clean his consciousness in relation to the Creator. According to this view, in fact God is imprisoned in his own justice and cannot be freed from the demand for justice unless through some ransom. In this way, the divine justice and the justice of the universe becomes the more prominent and central element and the infinite love of God, less.

The third theory claims that Christ had to be humanized and sacrificed in order to achieve the exact opposite than the humanists believe, NOT to release the spirit from the prison of the body, but to raise the matter to a Godly/spiritual level. To transform the body into a spiritual tool. Christ had to clothe God’s spirit in a human body. The sacrifice of Christ took place not only as a proof of God’s absolute love but also to highlight the value of the body as a spiritual element and necessary in the relationship between God and man. 

This is the central concept in Orthodox Christianity and seems to relate more to God’s love plan and the purpose of creation. God cannot be “imprisoned” in His own justice and does not need blood sacrifices. It’s all out of love and with an understanding of the human conscience, that could not have been freed in any other way.

In some versions of the book of Daniel there is an additional chapter preceding the first chapter of the book, describing the story of Susanna with Daniel, who intervened and saved her. While there is no connection to the content of the rest of the book, the story of Susanna seems to refer to an important event from Daniel’s past and as an example of his wisdom and righteousness, by which Daniel gained a great reputation among the people (Susana A- p. 64).

Now, let’s go to the core part of the first chapter. In this chapter, Daniel is captured by Nebuchadnezzar along with other young men in Babylon (something reminiscent of the child omen of the Ottoman Empire). In addition to Daniel, three other young people are mentioned who were taken to Babylon, and were forced to receive new names. Daniel was renamed Belshazzar, a name derived from the Babylonian god Beel. 

The conquest of Jerusalem marks the beginning of it’s captivity by the “infidels” (pagans), beginning with the Babylonians, and followed by other empires which are mentioned later in the book of prophecies, such as the Roman and Greek empires and to date, according to some analysts, the European Union (see Chapter 2 and Chapter 5).

So, in the first chapter, Daniel and his friends will pass their first test of faith. They demonstrate their strong faith and devotion by refusing to eat food offered to them there, which was considered forbidden according to the Jewish law. Not only do they refuse but they also dare to place some kind of bet with the authorities. They will prove to them that the path of their faith will have better results. The importance here is not based on the value of the “diet”, but symbolically on the value of their faith.

We live in a modern Babylon today. Consider the laws and various obligations derived and imposed from atheistic authorities in our daily lives, having nowadays the prominent example of the restrictive measures related to the corona-virus pandemic. Those who persist in the path of faith are ridiculed. The significance of our possible refusal to comply with a measure is not related to the correctness or not of the value of the measure. The refusal should not be based on challenging the measures but on our belief in other laws and measures that will bring about a solution to the current problem. Commitment to the principles of faith is required. 

What is the difference between having faith to God vs trusting other sources of guidance and authority ? The Apostle Paul advises us to avoid bad intercourse and certainly does not refer only to thieves or murderers. It refers to the consolidation and brotherhood of those who want to live and act on the basis of faith and their spiritual isolation from what is happening in the world and it’s mainstream concepts, distancing from those who live “earthly” and not spiritually. (1 Corinthians 15:33).

From this adventure of Daniel we do not come to learn about the advantages of a certain “diet” that will pave the way for our salvation ! (some have mistakenly developed a concept of a spiritual diet, “Daniel’s diet”). What we should learn here is the value of adhering to the essence of faith and not to formal and external rules. Such adherence to faith will result in the greatest reward as we will see later in the following chapters of the book. This “diet” has value only as a means of the expression of the faith of Daniel; any other type of fasting for God could be similar.  Every fast is important as a means of faith, it has nothing to do with the specific type of food. Such fast matters only to the ones who keep it as a means of approaching God, as a small sacrifice. For each individual such “sacrifice” may be different. It may be a matter of food fasting or other sacrifice, as the sacrifice of our “time” for prayer or studying the word of God.

Daniel’s small revolution on this subject was more symbolic. He does not revolt against everything. They have taken him from Jerusalem, they have changed his name, but we still watch him accepting this fate and living harmoniously in Babylon until his old age. He only shows “disobedience” to the system and laws when issues related to “observance of God’s law” are raised. For Daniel in such cases of contradiction, the spiritual laws overrule the laws of the world. Similarly, we will see later on, in chapter 6, Daniel became unlawful when he was forced to stop praying. Daniel does not try to advocate by shouting arguments or to convince the others logically, about his choice. He does not do out to the streets, he does not organize a revolution. Confident about his choice and his faith, he will convince the authorities and the people by the results of his acts ! At the end of this trial period, he will be healthier than the others and in good shape despite fasting. 

As for Nebuchadnezzar, much more difficult than conquering Jerusalem and capturing its inhabitants was to enforce his new culture and to change or distort the spirit of the conquered nations. This is what is happening also in today’s society. Nowadays, the aspiring rulers do not always have the form of a physical conqueror, but rather of a system that fights for the enslavement of our spirit and for the control of people’s conscience. For this, it uses the old classical ways of law enforcement, spreading fear, etc.

The world’s system is threatened only by individuals who believe and follow another “legal system”, the spiritual laws and the belief in the absolute sovereignty of God and not on earthly powers. Our resistance does not demand a revolution, it does not demand shouts, noise, violence. The resistance is internal and on a spiritual level. The result of our “fasting” trial will be what will convince the others (or at least make them think…). But for this we should ACT and let the world see the results of our faith! Otherwise, this is just theories and empty words… The spiritual revolution takes place silently, internally, with the help of God. And the results will be the best proof !

Daniel chapter 2

21/1/2021

We are in about 560 BC, when Jerusalem falls under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar while at the same time the prophet Jeremiah seems to have lived. Jeremiah, like most prophets, was against any king who disobeyed God’s laws. In Jeremiah chapter 29 we see him arguing that this is the destiny of Israel, that somehow they will have to go through this period of exile and enslavement (defining even the specific timeline) and advises them to show obedience until God returns them to free Jerusalem. This exhortation was in contrast to the order of the King of Israel who incited the people to resistance and revolution. So Daniel and the rest of the Jews remained slaves in Babylon for about 70 years until its fall and the domination of the Persians. Daniel and a part of his people resisted laws and prohibitions that offend issues of faith such as the issue of food in the previous chapter. Making a projection here in corresponding modern situations, we see people resisting various forms of power such as fight against globalization, against global warming, etc. According to Jeremiah’s urges, such forms of resistance are not needed, but we must be revolutionaries (internal revolution) only when it comes to issues that concern our faith; then our resistance has in essence the blessing and support of God ! We see a similar example in the letter to the Romans by the apostle Paul (“..resist no to the authorities but obey them..”).

In the current chapter, Nebuchadnezzar sees a dream and not only asks his advisors to interpret it but also asks to guess WHAT WAS the dream that he saw, something that is essentially humanly impossible. Daniel prays and asks God to reveal the dream to him while at the same time he asks Nebuchadnezzar not to punish the wise men who failed to guess it. Two acts that show the humbleness/humility of Daniel. He does not appear as the “wise man”, he clearly declares that the revelation of the dream and its interpretation is the work of God and he does not appear arrogantly towards the other sages of the Kingdom.

The dream describes a statue whose head is made of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the abdomen and thighs of copper and the legs part of iron and part of clay. Then a stone is cut from a mountain “without being touched by a human hand”, it strikes the statue which is torn to pieces and the stone that hit the statue becomes a big mountain that covers the whole earth. Daniel interprets and explains to Nebuchadnezzar that the golden head is Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom, which will be followed by another kingdom made of silver, not so strong, then comes a third kingdom of copper and after this, a fourth that will be as strong as iron but which will also be crushed. The fact that it consists of a mixture of iron and clay shows that this kingdom will be divided, into strong and weak parts, and that it will consist of a mixture of peoples who will not really unite with each other. The stone symbolizes the Messiah and the kingdom of God that will be established after these four kingdoms by crushing them.

There are many different interpretations of this dream of Nebuchadnezzar. What everyone agrees on at first is that this dream is a prophecy concerning events that start from that time until today. Also, pretty much everyone, agrees that the head of gold is the kingdom of Babylon which will be crushed by the less powerful Persians and will be followed by the kingdom of Greece of Alexander the Great. More interesting however, and here there are even more different interpretations, is the fourth kingdom, which is represented by the mixture of iron and clay and which is destroyed in the end “not by human hand”. Trying to summarize these various interpretations, here we seem to start from the Roman Empire which had “two legs” (Eastern and Western empires) and was divided then ending up in the European Union with the mixture of peoples. Some even see the number of the first ten Member States of the EUC resembled by the ten toes of the statue. The stone that will crush this kingdom without a human hand, certainly represents the coming of the Messiah and the supremacy of the kingdom of God. This interpretation is supported by other references in the Old Testament such as Deuteronomy 32: 4: For he is a rock, perfect are his works, and his ways are all righteousness. God is faithful and without injustice, God is upright and just. In Samuel 1: 2: “There is no saint like the Lord; for there is none other than you; neither is there any rock like our God.” In “Samuel 2” 22, 2-3: “The Lord is my stone, and my fortress, and my deliverer; God is my rock; in him will I trust; my shield, and the support of salvation. my high tower, and my refuge, my savior; thou hast delivered me from iniquity”.

We see similar parallels in the New Testament, too: In Corinthians 1: 10, 3-4 “and they all ate the same stench of spiritual food and all the same pome pneumatically on the basis of stone following the spiritual follow-up of stone and not stone of Christ“

Going one step further we can consider Jesus as the stone cut off from the tree of Judaism !

In this last fourth kingdom, there are additional interpretations: Clay and iron coexist but in essence do not mix. Here we can see what is happening today in the modern world where the spiritual part of man coexists but has almost no connection with his material world. There is a kind of confusion in man as to how it is right to walk in life, either based on his spiritual beliefs or following the logic and rules of the materialistic world. On the one hand we have the “clay” the spiritual world, malleable and creative and on the other, the matter, hard and rigid matter. In this confusion today, the modern western society, not knowing where to rely to cope with the everyday problems or disasters of the world, such as in the recent case of the corona virus pandemic. This example is even more representative given that the clay is there and weakens the iron.

But the most optimistic message in this story, is Daniel himself. In essence, the one who decides and has the power is Daniel, the “insignificant” slave and not Nebuchadnezzar! The one who moves the threads is Daniel as the representative of God (Similarly to Joseph in Egypt) and even going “against all the system of the world !”

So let us not be distracted today by the various situations and difficultes/challenges in the world, nor be affected by the image of things that the system presents to us and NOT accept the solutions that they propose to us. Let us listen to the messages that God sent us many years ago and look for the real Godly/spiritual solutions, mimicking examples like Daniel’s.

Daniel Chapter 3

29-1-2021

In this chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar feels that he is so powerful, that he makes himself “God”! So, he issued an order that all people must, when hearing a special sound/music, bow down to a huge picture/image of him (or a kind of statue), which the king has placed in the center of the city. The ways that Nebuchadnezzar uses to enforce his order include threats and intimidation … these are the usual ways of enforcement that the authorities use. In general, it seems that here is no other way to impose laws on people, but, in a rigid way. In our case it is not just a matter of obeying the laws, but of forcing people to accept the leader as the sole source of authority, up to a divine level.

Unlike human laws, God’s laws are not in such a pattern of coercion. God gives “laws” that are for the good of the world and the spiritual salvation of men, and not to satisfy His ego… God’s laws are full of love, compassion, and forgiveness (as opposed to human laws, which have no forgiveness).

Daniel’s three friends refused to bow to the image and politely said that they could not obey this law, since they could not betray their God. Nebuchadnezzar is unable to get such an answer (there are no exceptions in such laws, especially when they are imposed by such cruel dictators) and therefore, sends them to the “burning fiery furnace.” Because they seem too confident in their faith and say they do not care if they die (they actually say something interesting: we are sure our God can free us even from such a furnace, but even if he does not, we have no problem dying for Him and for our faith in His name). Their confidence further irritated the king who instructed to increase the firepower 7 times. So much so, that the scratchers that took care of the fireplace were burned to death as they approached to increase the fire.

Although in the modern world, there are not really such “images” that we must bow to, similar things certainly happen nowadays, in a different way. We “bow” and even in our free will (!), to other things of the material world, such as money, fame, sports teams, trademarks, patterns of behavior … etc. Very few people today oppose this dependence on the materialistic symbols and patterns that world leaders accustom us to. Our situation today is not very different … Modern Nebuchadnezzar is the system of the materialistic world, the whole modern world …

The king ascends to a high place to have a better view and suddenly sees these Hebrew people, walking around in the fire (dancing and singing to God) and nothing happens to them … not only that, but a fourth person looking like a “Son of God” appears with them inside the fireplace ! Most commentators claim that this fourth figure symbolizes (or was) Jesus himself. Others, claim to be an angel of God.

We too are today under “fire” in our daily life, seeking the presence of God to free us from the troubles. But, as we see in the present story, God did not free His believers from ״torture” ! He did not prevent this “trial”. We too, are often left in the “fire” of problems … apparently, we have to go through fire in life. This process distills, purifies us and elevates our spiritual level.

Not only did nothing hapen to these 3 people (Mishikh, Shidrach, and Avdango), but even their clothes were not damaged, and they did not smell of fire! Their hairs, too, were not damaged at all ! The king was very impressed and praised God. He even glorified God, but only as the God of Mishikh, Shidrach, and Avdango(and not his God). God is still a stranger to him and irrelevant in his life, even though he appreciates the power of the God of these people … Nebuchadnezzar issues an instruction that anyone who harms this God of the Jews, will be cruelly killed.

But there is still a huge difference between appreciating God (or fearing Him), and humiliating yourself and accepting Him as your God, to whom you are committed. To whom you confess your sins, and receive His “hand” and mercy, and forgiveness of sins through the Messiah.

What exactly is “believing in God”? Just to accept and appreciate Him ? This is really not enough and not significant. After all, even (as it is written in the Scriptures) Satan and the demons also know the existence of God and tremble from Him. But they do not accept Him as an authority to guide their lives. We need to give our heart to God !

Many people say, “Somewhere in me I believe in God and also go to church orto the synagogue.” So, I’m fine, I’m a “good” person. There is no “intermediate state” in faith. Either we give our whole hearts and lives to God or not. The trials in our lives will test our position, through “the way of fire.”

In our lifes, either regarding our connections with the people around us, or in a situation of a possible marriage between people, many say that: “I met someone and he / she is” okay “, a good person …”. “So, I’m having good partnership with him/her or even going to get married”. There are no such compromises withGod. There are no “soft” or “light” believers … so, we have to be careful when deciding with whom we want to share our lives.

An interesting and important question that arises in this chapter, is: Where exactly was Daniel ? Did he dodge ? He is not really getting into a situation where he had to deal with the dilemma, to choose between bowing to the image of the king, or being sent to the burning kiln. It could be that he had been somewhere else in the country, or far from the events, in a certain assigned mission. It may also be that God kept him away, in another way. Sometimes there are situations that God allows us to “dodge” and escape from difficult situations.

Nebuchadnezzar, the great king, although he greatly valued Daniel (especially after interpreting his dream), but was not really convinced or believed in the God of Daniel. In the New Testament the apostle Paul (in the Epistle to the Corinthians) writes: “I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was taken to the seventh heaven and heard things that must not be revealed … of which I can be proud, of myself not..only of my weaknesses..”. God “gave” Paul, a certain disease from which he suffered all the time. According to Paul’s approach, God allowed this, so that he would not be proud, especially after the spiritual experience in which God raised him. He claims that this is how God kept him from pride.

Apostle Paul performed many miracles, so much so that the Greeks began to consider him as God, and to think that he was the incarnation of one of their gods. In such a situation, there is a spiritual danger that God’s people will feel arrogant, and their ego may rise.

Nebuchadnezzar’s ego swelled when he heard Daniel’s interpretation of the statue he saw in his dream, when Daniel said that he was the strongest king, and those who would come after him would be weaker. But the process that Saul describes and that prevented his pride, did not happen to Nebuchadnezzar …

A question that arises from the chapter on our lives, is: Is it permissible – spiritually – sometimes to not obey the laws of this world ? It seems so, but only when they are directly contrary to our very faith or when directed against God.

Some additional points of the chapter:

It is very interesting, that God sometimes reveales Himself to the Gentiles as well (and in this case, what aGentile …., the leader of the atheistic world). Moreover, even the angel of God appears to the king ! (Only Nebuchadnezzar saw the angel and not the whole crowd). God is trying to give to all people, even the great rulers, a chance to discover Him and to guide them. This emphasizes the “universality” of God towards all. Despite this, and despite the fact that the king is very “impressed” by God, he does not really change his life or accept Him in his heart. 

Here, there is a good answer to the claim of some people in our modern world, who say, “If God had appeared in front of me here, or if He had performed some great miracle in front of my eyes, I would have believed and accepted him.” Not true. Nebuchadnezzar’s example proves this. Nebuchadnezzar was impressed, enthusiastic, but did not accept God, despite all the trials and revelations he had. After a while, he forgot everything … In the parable of Jesus about Eleazar who died and ascended to heaven, some of the people who were in hell asked him to go back and warn their relatives, because if anyone came from the world of the dead, they would probably be persuaded and correct their way. Jesus says that it will not help. If someone is not convinced of what exists already in the Scriptures and what the prophets said, he will not be convinced even if he sees a person who has returned from the dead. Even the Jews who were present to al the magnificent presence of God at Mount Sinai, in just 30 days, forgot, and built themselves a golden calf…

Jesus also, after rising from the dead, told his disciple Thomas who wanted to see the signs of the crucifixion, in order to believe: “You have seen and therefore have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and believed.”

Another interesting point in this chapter: Nebuchadnezzar did not pay much attention, and could not notice who did not keep his command out of the millions of inhabitants in his kingdom. There were people who “reported” to him … ithis is the human nature … after all, what would they care if there were some that quietly, did not bow to the image ? But the people who saw Daniel’s friends refusing, said in their hearts, “Why are we suckers ?”. These Jews are playing it, smarter ‘? Even today, this is how the world behaves … for example in the matter of the corona virus vaccine that we are experiencing today. People behave this way towards those who do not want to be vaccinated for their own reasons …

The two prophets who lived at that time, and who guided the Jewish people were, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. They did not always have a similar attitude when it came to the recommended behavior towards the Babylonian government. Ezekiel was more radical and was against compromise and submission to the king.The Jews asked him if it was OK to disobey the order. After all, this is considered a “life-saving situation”. But, according to Judaism, “life-saving situation” is not valid in 3 situations: when it comes to incest, blasphemy or killing. And this was indeed a real blasphemy. According to Jewish tradition, the people asked Ezekiel if (when they refused the king’s command) God would save them, and the Prophet prayed and gave them a negative answer ! Therefore, since they received no “confidence” from the prophet, they replied to the king that they did not care if they will die for God’s name. This teaches that in life one has to take a “death decision” (as was the case with the Greek soldiers in ancient Sparta). When you take a death decision, only then, do you win and accept life …

Very important in this chapter is the description of the fourth person as Son of God ! Therefore, when the religious people despise Jesus as the “Son of God” and say that such a thing is not possible and this constitutes blasphemy, here is an example (one of many) that God can appear in materialistic incarnation or even in a human form! God is omnipowerful and can do everything!

Daniel chapter 4

4/2/2021

In addition to the importance of the analysis of this chapter, the controversy over the author of the chapter is worth mentioning. In some translations the chapter begins with verse 4-1 “I Nebuchadnezzar”, introducing Nebuchadnezzar as the author, essentially attributing a chapter of the Hebrew Bible to a non-Jew (this means that chapter 3 contains  34 verses and chapter 3, 37 verses). In other translations the chapter begins with the last verses of chapter 3 (31-34) suggesting that someone else is quoting Nebuchadnezzar (in this case, chapter 3 has 30 verses and chapter 4, 37).

In this chapter Nebuchadnezzar describes a second dream and asks again Daniel’s help to interpret it. Although the sages and magicians of his Kingdom failed to help him with his previous dream and the one who managed to interpret the dream was Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar seems to forget and again approaches first various sages to help him. As it turns out, he not only forgot who managed to interpret his first dream, but he also forgot its interpretation and warnings. He again uses his familiar methods, despite the signs from his previous experience, again ignores the presence of God and seeks answers to human logic and wisdom. This is similar to what most people do today. They seek answers from experts, philosophers, astrologers and even the internet, leaving God as their last resort. The concept of God in essence does not even exist in people like Navuchadnesher, who despite his previous personal experience and the message that received from God in his previous dream, he and his people remain away from the one and all-powerful God.

In this case, unlike the first dream, Nebuchadnezzar remembers the dream. His requirement is much simpler, he only asks for the interpretation and not to guess the dream itself, as in the previous case. But the wise men he has called are unable to interpret the dream. They are either unable to interpet or prefer not to say what they see, which is quite obvious. Here, Daniel is not presented as the only one capable, but he is also the only one who is not afraid to reveal to the ruler Nebuchadnezzar his impending fall in a very humiliating way.

Nebuchadnezzar, without faith and knowledge of the true God, seems to “suspect” something. He gave Daniel the name of Belshazzar, which comes from the name of one of Babylonian gods, Bel, in order to empower his own religion. But inside gimself, he recognizes that in Daniel there is the true spirit of the Gods such that there is no unsolved mystery for him. He recognizes somewhere the difference of this “other God” and his omnipotence. But for him this “other God” is not something different from the gods that he knew until then. Maybe this God of Daniel is more potent and gives more power to his faithful followers, than his own gods and the magicians and sages of his Kingdom. It is not that he believed in Daniel’s God but in a way admired this other God.

Nebuchadnezzar describes his dream in which he saw a tree that corresponds to his dynasty under which everyone is prosperous. Daniel explains not only that Navuchadnesher’s kingdom will come to an end but also that seven years of humiliation await him. He will live like a wild animal, he will lose every human elements and all of his logical thinking.  In modern Medicine, “werewolf” is a form of psychotic disorder in which the sufferer thinks he has been transformed into a wolf or into any other animal, having “an illusory delusion of possession”. In Western countries, the term “werewolf” commonly used as a synonym for “zoanthropy” or “therianthropy”.

The Greek test reads: “Ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀλλοιωθήσεται, καὶ καρδία θηρίου δοθήσεται αὐτῷ” (4:13). In the Aramaic text the word corresponding to “soul” is used. In the Jewish religious tradition it is believed that there is a soul in every being but on a different level. The lowest level of “soul” is in the material, in the “atoms” (In chemistry and physics, the atom is the smallest particle of a chemical element that retains the chemical properties of the element in the sense that remains unchanged during the evolution of a chemical phenomenon). Soul is at a somewhat higher level in plants and even higher in animals, where there is a certain degree of emotions and logical thinking. The fighest level of the soul is in humans, who possess the unique capacity of speech and intellect. According to the Jewish tradition, Jewish people have an even higher quality/level of soul. Such concept sounds spiritually unjust and doesn’t fit with the Christian view.

After the coming of Jesus and according to the teachings of the New Testament, what differentiates man from all other creatures, is not only the different level of soul but the “spirit”, the divine spirit that God has infused into man. This is the third element of human’s “trinity (body, soul and spirit). The soul carries the potential for emotions and intellect (similarly with other animals, but at a higher and more sophisticated degree). It is the spirit that differentiates man.

In this chapter we see some suspicion of this differentiation. Nebuchadnezzar first recognizes a divine spirit in Daniel (4: 5, ὃς πνεῦμα Θεου γιον ἐν ἑαυτῷ ῷχει) and then Nebuchadnezzar’s soul will “fall” to a lower level, the soul of the animals. (4:13). In essence, Nebuchadnezzar is deprived of the “spirit” and ends up at the spiritual level of the “soul” of the animals.

This happens today in the modern world, when most of humans prefer to ignore the (divine) “spirit” and end up using only their basic instincts, emotions and the “animal soul”. The example of Nebuchadnezzar is extreme, but it depicts exactly this proccess. «Ο  άνθρωπος εν τιμή ων ου συνήκε, παρασυνεβλήθη τοις κτήνεσι τοις ανοήτοις και ομοιώθη αυτοίς», “A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish” (Psalms 49, 20). When we silence (or ignore) the “spirit” we end up at an animal level. Today, many are proud to believe that we are nothing more than an evolution of apes, underestimating completely the value of “spirit”. Man is not a relative of animals but something special and unique among all creatures. This element of the spirit is that when removed from Nebuchadnezzar, caused him to behave like an “animal”. When does Nebuchadnezzar return to his human nature ? “νῦν οὖν ἐγὼ Ναβουχοδονόσορ αἰνῶ καὶ ὑπερυψῶ”. When literally and metaphorically he turned his eyes to the sky.

The case of Nebuchadnezzar is the first case in the sipitual history where a non-Jew, a pagan, recognizes and believes in One God. To Him who can “humiliate those who are proud“.

Daniel chapter 5

12/2/2021

“The inscription on the wall”

We find this expression in various languages ​​and traditions, without knowing that it comes from the Holy Bible. There are many interpretations in different languages, but ​​always with the same basic message: ‘’We ignore the signs that were written in the wall, that are obvious in front of our eyes and if we had taken them into account we might have prevented many horrible events in our lives’’.

It is astonishing to realize how many messages from the book of Daniel, (spiritual, didactical and prophetical), that can be well applied in modern times.

One could say that the book of Daniel alone would be enough to summarize the most important messages of the Old and New Testaments until the Book of Revelation.

The book begins with Balthasar organizing a magnificent banquet (for some an “orgy”..) while they are under siege by the Medes. The siege seems to have lasted about two years and the Babylonians were in a kind of confinement that could be compared to today’s quarantine. The Babylonians were confident and proud of the security of their city. Babylon was surrounded by a wall that was so wide that two chariots could pass by, at the same time. It was impenetrable to their view ! They were sure enough to celebrate while they were under siege but also arrogant to a degree that Balthasar asked to bring the utensils that his ancestors had removed from the Jewish Temple and drink from the “holy cups” ! These people preferred to enjoy the objects instead of honoring the Creator ! They suddenly see a hand out of nowhere writing on the wall. Since no-one understands what was going and what was the writing in the unknown language (Aramaic ?), they remembered Daniel, the wise Jew who helped his ancestor Nebuchadnezzar to interpret his dreams. Here we already realize that the Nebuchadnezzar’s lesson about arrogance, and his subsequent fall, had been forgotten. And this, despite the fact that most of the participants had lived and witnessed what happened with Nebuchadnezzar and knew the interpretations, the prophecies and the warnings that were given by Daniel at that time. Daniel explains what the message says: “you were measured, weighed and found missing and your kingdom will be divided and fall into the hands of others, the Persians”. Here we must refer to the interpretation of the first dream of Nebuchadnezzar where several decades ago Daniel told the king that his kingdom will fall into the hands of another empire, the Persians. This prophecy of Daniel is now fulfilled.

What was the sin of Belshazzar? In essence, he commits four sins with a single act: 

1. arrogance in front of his enemies, 
2. arrogance concerning the lesson of the past about the history of Nebuchadnezzar, 
3. disrespect to the divine utensils and consequently to everything divine. Materialism in its worst form. Every form of idolatry “deifies” something, a being, an object. Here Belshazzar shows that his trust and faith and worship are clearly directed to wealth and gold. And finally, 
4. trial to redeem Daniel with wealth and positions. While he needs Daniel to interpret the writing, while he knows the events in the past and Daniel’s relationship with his one God, Belshazzar brings the whole issue to a level of redemption, where again wealth and matter will be what is needed to get out from the difficult position. Arrogance, lack of faith and respect for the Divine, faith only in matter.

What is God doing here ? He could send his message in one of His known ways: sending for instance an angel, or speaking through a dream. But God prefers here to do something different and “scary” for all those arrogant people who were celebrating. He writes a message in a language that is unfamiliar to them and especially such that they will NEED the faithful servant of God, Daniel (who was diametrically opposite to their beliefs), to provide them the interpretation. Think for a while and you will surely find many similar examples in your own life. Examples where an enemy, someone who causes you difficulties in life, is in need, and specifically in such problem, that the only one who can help is you ! Think how many times, there was a need in your environment, such that you were the one who could provide the solution, becoming thus ESSENTIAL or even stand out from the crowd. How many times God brought you to situations that made you become necessary and important, as Daniel in this occasion. It represents a common method, used often by God in our lives. To bring those around in such a need that only one of His servants is the essential and unique one who can offer the solution. God does this, not in order to make us stand out, but to use us as a means to demonstrate to the world His greatness and the power and gifts that those who follow Him, can have.

Balthasar, in spite of his arrogance and complete lack of any “hollyness” or faith, somewhere inside him, understands that what is written on the wall is not for good. And this is the reason that he is panicking. The writing could be anything. But his inner voice (what we call “gut feeling”) warns him. Every “atheist” has somewhere inside the fear of God inprinted. As it is mentioned in Apostole Paul’s letter to the Romans, every human being has within him the instinct of knowing the existence of God. Every human being has the inside (“build in”) knowledge of good and evil. There is no need to tell us that stealing, for example, is bad. It is an inner perception (Romans 1: 18-23). Everyone has a “little God” inside, imprinted in his consciousness. That is why the omnipotent king feels that something is wrong, that there is a message on the wall about him and that this is a bad message. He feels it without having any faith to any God. We may well say that there are actually no atheist people in the world. Every human being has in him the knowledge of the existence of God, the perception of good and evil, and the sense of warnings when something bad is to come. No lessons are needed for the existence of God.

Was the old grandmother who suggested bringing Daniel the only one who remembered the stories of Navuchadnezzar ? Was she the only one who had realized the uniqueness and the important role of Daniel ? It seems not. In the years of the wandering and madness of Nebuchadnezzar, his people did not intervene and waited patiently for his return, because they had probably believed in the prophecy of Daniel. Nevertheless, the first reaction of the king to the scary event of the writing in the wall, was to call the wise magicians. He used only his logical thinking. Something similar to what we do today. When we face a crisis, either personal or general, in the world, we turn first to logical solutions or to the “experts”. As individuals, as groups or governments, we seek the solution to the problems first in our logic or in the experts’ opinions, although we know (as they knew then in Babylon) that in fact, wordly wisdom is not sufficient for the big problems of the world and usually fails to provide radical solutions. Only then, when we are already desperate after all our human efforts, we invoke God or His “Daniels”.

God had given Nebuchadnezzar time to see and accept the true God until the fulfillment of the prophecy. He also gave the opportunity to those around him and his descendants to learn from what happened to him. So, we too must learn from the past but also from what is already mentioned in the scriptures. It is preferable to learn through study and not through the difficult way of personal experience.

Now few words about Babylon. We find Babylon in several parts of the scripture (about 300). Babylon is mentioned more times than even Jerusalem ! At the beginning of the Bible we have the story of the tower of Babel. There, people decided that they do not need God, they made their own laws and they believed they have the all the power sin their hands.

In the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation we meet Babylon again, mentioned 144 times ! In Revelation, the meaning of Babylon seems to be mostly metaphoric and there are various interpretations for it. Some claim that it represents the modern world, or America, ‘ others that it is about materialism or politics, etc).

In any case, Babylon always represents life of arrogance, abundance and materialism, lawlessness and lack of faith in God. In Revelation (17:18) we see the fall of Babylon representing the fall of the non-spiritual, evil and materialistic world. The fall of Babylon occurs within one day (!), symbolizing the future abrupt fall of the modern world, its political and monetary system and its immorality. It is noteworthy that while Babylon seems to relate to the western world, Babylon appears also connected with “East” and therefore, it may as well be related also to modern religions (Islam, Christianity, Judaism ?) which have mixed true spirituality with politics, materialism and earthly targets. 

Today we see and feel the danger of such “falling” of the modern systems of our world. We more and more realize the very delicate balance of our world and the many ways by which everything can be destroyed, “in one day”. A possible stock market crash, a pause in the internet can bring everything down like dominoes. We indeed live in modern Babylon and the “writing is on the wall”…

Daniel chapter 5 (additions)

The events of Daniel 7-8 happened before the events of this chapter. It seems that they were arranged this way to make the first part of Daniel’s book historical and the last part prophetic.

Belshazzar was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel 5:11, the queen did call Nebuchadnezzar the father of Belshazzar, but this was often done to grandchildren. The term “son” designated grandson too. Also, the way Daniel 5:11 referred to Nebuchadnezzar being Belshazzar’s father may be an Old English way of saying grandfather. But Jeremiah 27:7 clearly stated that all nations would serve Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and his son’s son.

Josephus says there were actually three kings between Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. Evilmerodach was the son of Nebuchadnezzar and is mentioned in 2 Kings 25:27 and Jeremiah 52:31. He reigned two years. Then Evilmerodach’s brother-in-law, Neriglissar, slew him and reigned four years and was succeeded by his son, Laborosoarchod, who only reigned nine months. Then Belshazzar, the son of Evilmerodach and grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, took the throne for seventeen years (Adam Clarke’s Commentary).

Smith’s Bible Dictionary says Nebuchadnezzar reigned forty-three years and died at the age of eighty-three or eighty-four. Daniel was taken captive from Jerusalem in the first year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (Jeremiah 25:1). So, adding the reigns of his succeeding kings (Evilmerodach: two years, Neriglissar: four years, Laborosoarchod: nine months, and Belshazzar: seventeen years) to the forty-three years of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign would mean Daniel served in the courts of Babylon at least sixty-seven years. Since the end of Jeremiah’s seventy years took place at the end of Darius’ reign or the first year of Cyrus’ reign (Daniel 9:2), then this was probably closer to seventy years that Daniel had been serving Babylonian kings. We don’t know how old Daniel was at the time he was taken captive, but with seventy years of service to the Babylonian court, he would have certainly been very young at the time he was taken captive.

Secular history reveals that Babylon had been under siege for two years by the Persians at this time. But Babylon was so strongly fortified and had over twenty years’ provision within its walls that Belshazzar was arrogant and cavalier about the whole thing (Matthew Henry’s Commentary).

Why would Belshazzar single out the vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem? Why not the vessels from one of the other many temples of the nations the Babylonians had conquered? It’s for the same reason that people don’t curse by the name of Buddha or Mohammed. It’s because, in their hearts, people know what the truth is and Who the real God is (see my notes at Romans 1:18-20). People like this are kicking against the pricks that the Holy Spirit is giving them (see my note at Acts 9:5). Belshazzar knew all the miraculous things the true God had done with his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:22). Yet he chose to rebel against all the Lord had revealed to him. This is just a continuation of his rebellion.

This was done in total defiance of the God of the Hebrews. See my note at Daniel 5:2. These vessels had been dedicated to the service of the God of Israel, but now they were used in a drunken orgy.

As clearly stated in Revelation 9:20, none of these gods can see or hear or walk. These gods don’t exist except in the minds of ungodly men.

It’s interesting that the Lord used a hand and writing instead of an angel with a drawn sword or some other manifestation. Surely one of the reasons for this was because Daniel was the only man who could read the writing. This promoted Daniel and very clearly gave a rebuke to Belshazzar and all this drunken party as to who the real God was.

The loins were the seat of strength. The Aramaic word “CHARATS,” which was translated “loins” here, means “in the sense of vigor; the loin (as the seat of strength)” (Strong’s Concordance). This is saying that his thoughts that troubled him caused all his strength to leave him. This resulted in so much fear hitting him that his knees knocked together. The Bible in Basic English says, “Then the colour went from the king’s face, and he was troubled by his thoughts; strength went from his body, and his knees were shaking.” How quickly the king went from arrogance to terror!

I believe when men stand before God in the final judgment, it will be much worse than this. All their arrogance and mockery of God will be gone, and there will be nothing but much wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; and 25:30).

The Lord certainly could have written this message in a language that was known to the king and his servants. One of the reasons for doing it this way was to promote Daniel and make a definite link between the impending judgment and the king’s flagrant sacrilege against the God of Israel shown in this chapter. This also showed the superior wisdom of Daniel, God’s servant, over all the other servants of the king.

Notice that the king cried aloud for all these people to come in and read the message to him. I think this is stressing his fear described in Daniel 5:6. He dispensed with all propriety and was just screaming out in fear.

This is a replay of Daniel 2:27 and 4:7. These “wise” men weren’t very wise. They had never been able to interpret any of God’s communications. Yet they remained in the king’s court even though they were useless.

Why was Belshazzar troubled? This could have been some positive message. But this reflects the fact that in our hearts, we all know when we are doing wrong (see my notes at Romans 1:18-20). Belshazzar had purposely defied the true and living God. He was emboldened by the wine and all the yes-men around him. But he knew the truth in his heart.

People say by their words and their actions that they have no conviction of God in their hearts, but that’s not what God’s Word says. Romans 1:18-20 reveals that God has placed an intuitive knowledge of right and wrong on the inside of every person. They know of His existence, even understanding His eternal power and Godhead. They are without excuse.

That’s the reason ungodly people don’t like to be still. When they get still, this God-installed homing device starts going off (Psalms 46:10), and they know they need God. Those who are unwilling to commit to God do everything they can to avoid that knowledge, but it is there. This is what happened to Belshazzar. He knew he was sinning against God, and when a supernatural manifestation came, he suspected it was judgment against him.

This is supposed by scholars to be the queen-mother, either the widow of Nebuchadnezzar or Evilmerodach. If this was the widow of Nebuchadnezzar, her name would have been Amiyt, daughter of Astyages, sister of Darius the Mede, and aunt of Cyrus, the Persian. If this was Evilmerodach’s widow, her name was Nitocris.

If this were the widow of Nebuchadnezzar who spoke so highly of Daniel, then this might cast some light on how the kingdom operated during the seven years Nebuchadnezzar was insane. Possibly this queen revered God’s Word through Daniel, and they held the kingdom for him as Daniel’s prophecy foretold (see my note at Daniel 4:36).

The queen remembered Daniel. Belshazzar could and should have too. One of Belshazzar’s mistakes was forsaking the wisdom of his elders.

The awkward wording of this verse may be a way of designating Nebuchadnezzar as Belshazzar’s grandfather instead of his father.

Notice she didn’t say that maybe Daniel could interpret this writing. She had faith that Daniel would do it. I believe there were many people in Nebuchadnezzar’s service who became believers because of the miraculous things God did through Daniel, just like this queen.

Daniel’s Babylonian name, Belteshazzar, means “favored by Bel,” and King Belshazzar’s name means “prince of Bel” (Smith’s Bible Dictionary). Belshazzar was a prince of Bel, but not all princes have favor. Daniel was favored and, therefore, more honored than the king.

Daniel was a very famous and influential man in Babylon, yet Belshazzar didn’t know him. This is like what Peter said about those who scoffed at the second coming of Jesus–this is willing ignorance (2 Peter 3:5). Belshazzar had chosen not to know Daniel. He was all wrapped up in himself and didn’t feel like he needed anyone else until this happened.

Daniel would have been at least in his eighties at this time. See my note at Daniel 5:1.

Notice that all of the accolades given to Daniel were about the Spirit of God indwelling him. He hadn’t taken any of the credit for the miracles he performed (Daniel 2:27-30), and it showed in the things others said about him.

These wise men had failed many times before, and yet they were Belshazzar’s first choice for help. Why do men repeatedly turn to things that don’t help? It’s because they don’t want to believe in the Lord and only turn to Him when all else fails.

Belshazzar thought Daniel was as base as he was. He offered him money and position. That’s what motivated him, and he thought Daniel would be swayed by bribes like he was. That’s why Daniel was wise, and Belshazzar was a fool (Psalms 14:1 and 53:1).

Belshazzar didn’t have anything that Daniel wanted. I’m sure this amazed Belshazzar. He probably thought everyone was as carnal as he was. But if they had been, this writing would never have been interpreted. The true riches in life can’t be bought with prestige or money. Daniel was the richer of the two. Daniel’s righteousness had caused him to outlive five of the Babylonian kings, and he would prosper in the reigns of Darius and Cyrus too (Daniel 6:1-2 and 28).

Daniel makes special mention of the fact that the Most High God is the one who gave Nebuchadnezzar his kingdom and authority. I’m sure this is not how Belshazzar viewed this, but it was absolutely true. Nebuchadnezzar came to realize this (Daniel 4:25, 32, and 37).

Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest ruler that had ever reigned on the earth up until that time. And all his power and majesty came from the Lord. The Lord taught Nebuchadnezzar that the hard way (Daniel 4), and Belshazzar knew it (Daniel 5:22). But he had hardened himself in pride and was now suffering the judgment of the Lord.

What a graphic illustration of Proverbs 16:18. Pride is Satan’s biggest inroad to our lives. It lies at the root of all our grief (see my note at John 14:28).

Notice the wording of this verse. It says Nebuchadnezzar was driven from the sons of men and he was fed grass. This implies that others were there observing and/or feeding King Nebuchadnezzar while he was going through this. Apparently, the prophecy of Daniel carried weight with someone in the kingdom, and they believed Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom would be restored unto him exactly as Daniel prophesied (Daniel 4:25-27). Therefore, they kept it for him (see my note at Daniel 5:10).

The purpose of all his hardship was to teach Nebuchadnezzar that God was the one in control. Here, we see that Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, was learning the same lesson. How much better if he had learned this at his grandfather’s expense.

Belshazzar knew all the things that happened to Nebuchadnezzar, yet he didn’t learn anything by it. What a shame. Those who ignore history are bound to repeat it. We need to learn by other’s mistakes. This is one great reason to study God’s Word. All the things written in it are for our learning so we might learn through the way God has dealt with others (1 Corinthians 10:6 and 11).

How bold was Daniel! Here he was, rebuking the king who had power to kill him. But Daniel was fearless. The righteous are bold as a lion, but the wicked flee when no one is pursuing (Proverbs 28:1). This was a man who feared God only (Proverbs 29:25).

The previous verses describe Belshazzar’s total disregard for the God of Israel. But all it took was a hand writing on the wall to totally destroy his arrogance. God knows how to bring the pride of man to nothing (Daniel 4:37).

The word “MENE” means “numbered” (Strong’s Concordance). The repetition of this word means it was established and would not change (Genesis 41:32).

The word “TEKEL” means “weighed” (Strong’s Concordance). Belshazzar thought he was important and all his yes-men around him probably reinforced that perception, but they were all wrong. God weighed him on His scales and he was worth nothing.

The word “PERES” can mean “split up” (Strong’s Concordance).

This was one of Belshazzar’s last acts as king. Darius the Mede took the kingdom that very night (Daniel 5:30-31). I’m sure Darius and Cyrus heard of the miraculous events of this evening, and that may be why they promoted Daniel to a great position of authority in their kingdom.

This prophecy about Cyrus, king of the Medes and Persians, was 210 years before his conquest of Babylon (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible). Adam Clarke said in his commentary that there were two huge leaved gates at Babylon that were swung open for Cyrus the night he conquered Belshazzar (Daniel 5).

These gates guarded the water course that Cyrus used to assault Babylon. This water course diverted some of the waters of the Euphrates into the city of Babylon. Cyrus had this channel blocked and diverted the water back to the Euphrates leaving the riverbed dry and an inroad to the city. But had the gates remained closed, Cyrus would have been defeated.

But after Belshazzar saw the hand writing on the wall, he was in such shock (“loose the loins,” this verse) that he gave an imprudent order to open the gates so he could see what was happening. The Lord prophesied all of this hundreds of years in advance. See my notes at Isaiah 44:27 and Daniel 5:31.

There is some confusion among historians about who this was. History records that Cyrus conquered Babylon, while this verse says Darius did it. Therefore, some have thought Darius was just another name for Cyrus. However, Daniel referred to Cyrus and Darius together in one verse (Daniel 6:28), as did Ezra (Ezra 4:5 and 6:14). Therefore, these two names couldn’t have been referring to the same person. Many scholars deal with this by saying there were three different rulers called Darius.

Some scholars have suggested that Darius was whom historians call Cyaxares, son of Astyages (Daniel called him “Darius the son of Ahasuerus,” Daniel 9:1), and the maternal uncle of Cyrus. Darius was leader of the Medes, while Cyrus was the king of the Persians. They were confederate against Belshazzar, and after Darius took the city, he gave the control of it to his nephew Cyrus (see my note at Daniel 1:1).

Daniel chapter 6

18/2/2021

In this chapter we will see a great example of a struggle between the forces of the spiritual world and the earthly world.

We have seen similar examples in the previous chapters – such as the example of fasting in the first chapter, the example of the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in the second chapter.

Here, too, we see Daniel “rebelling,” but as we have seen in previous examples, he rebels only when it comes to matters essential to his faith. Here the king Darius sets a law that forbids prayer (or any ask for help) to any “other” god except from the King and Daniel violates this law and provocatively appears to pray in public. Remember that the king Darius had recognized the unique powers and wisdom of Daniel and put him in the palace as one of his central advisers. We see this “pattern” repeated so many times in the Holy Scriptures, where the people of God are always put miraculously in key positions and have a say in the decisions of each administration or political authority. At the same time, however, the human “natural” response appears repeatedly, producing envy and enmity from those around the people who seem to be “in favor” of the authorities or in high esteem. The other courtiers therefore persuade Darius to make such a law, that “the favored Daniel” will surely violate, hoping to get him out of the way. Before we further analyze the example of Daniel, consider how many similar examples we have throughout history and in the modern world. Holders of power and authority always have to deal with the dirty wars by the opponents and the easiest method is to seek to find and accuse God’s people about something illegal or immoral, often not hesitating to set traps to them. But since in the case of Daniel there was nothing thatbthey could find to accuse him, they found the “perfect trap” for him. What was his “weak” point ? Of course they did not expect him to steal or outlaw but yes they knew that he would revolt if they touch on the issue of his faith. On the other side, they use in parallel, the corresponding weak point of Darius which is the power and the submission of the people. They present this law as good for him, a method classic in such cases. Courtiers of all kinds when they want to lure someone into their plans, will first look for the weaknesses of the victim and then will present their plan as something that will be for the general good and for the reinforcement, of the leader’s position and power. Daniel does not even think twice, does not even try to hide, does not behave diplomatically (or politically correctly). He is clear and straightforward no matter who is facing or confronting him, as he has done in the past. He even prays with kneeling, in public view, facing Jerusalem (until today in both Christianity and Judaism and in Islam there is a specific direction in which the praying person turns while kneeling; however, while this indeed was the pattern of Jewish prayer, the kneeling was removed over the years due to its resemblance with the prayer patterns of the other two monotheistic religions). One might think that here Daniel is not only honest but also somewhat provocative and arrogant. Christ came to teach us to pray silently in a “closed room”. But it is important to understand that this was the way of prayer at these times and if Daniel would do it in a different way, such as closed somewhere and secretly this might have been even more provocative and show cunning and not sincerity. Daniel knew what we must never forget. When we do something based on, and for the sake of our faith, God will be there to protect us. And yes, he wanted to show that. To show it to the rest of his fellow believers in order to strengthen their faith and to give the example of how they themselves should behave against the new “measures”. Does it remind us of anything in the modern world ?

Darius, as we have seen, respected Daniel but had no other choice. He should condemn him and send him to the den with the lions. Of course, insight himself, he did not feel comfortable with his decision, and it is natural that he was troubled in the night and could not sleep, but the most important thing is that he believed and told Daniel that he hoped that his God will save him. He hoped and -in a way- he “prayed” for it through his faith. After Daniel comes out alive from the den, he does not do it in a triumphant and victorious style, but humble, wishing eternal life to the king (as was appropriate to talk to the king) -without any anger- and explaining that he was innocent to the king. Despite the great miracle and the victory of his faith that learned a big lesson to all the opponents, Daniel did not show any arrogance or egoism. 

What is the role that the lions play here ? Why is man afraid of animals and especially wild ones ? In the book of Genesis, man was created and given the authority to be the leader over all other living creatures. But along the way, after the original sin, man lost his spirituality, lost the “spirit” that connected him directly with God, and subsequently lost his authority over the animals, falling lower in the pyramid of creation closer to the level of soul of the other creatures. When man got out of paradise lost his power that was given to him over the nature. Daniel, when confronted with the lions he ruled over the wild animals, restoring the order in the relationship between man and the animal kingdom as was defined by the creator. He manages to do this because of his faith. 

Finally, we can see in this chapter the meaning of the scripture “they fell into the pit they dug”. Those who organized the whole conspiracy ended up themselves in the den with the lions. This is the spiritual course of things. Those who try to chase God’s people, thy not only lose the battle but they also fall into the pit that they themselves burst, ending up in a punishment worse than the evil they tried to cause. They set a trap for me; my soul was in danger of falling; they dug a pit in front of me, they themselves fell into it. (Psalms 57, 6) Daniel managed through his faith to survive vicroriously, by his true and pure faith. Moreover, through his humbleness he managed to gain the respect of those around him and their recognition of the importance of his faith. Let us always remember the example of Daniel. If we operate with faith, but also humbleness, in the end we will surely be winners but we will also manage to show a living example to those around us and a reason for them to follow God’s way. This is the best preaching, with our lives !

God seeks in the world his “Daniels” to open with Him the way for His kingdom !

DANIEL chapter 6 (additions)

1. It was in the first year of this Darius’ reign that Daniel got a revelation of Jeremiah’s seventy years of captivity (Daniel 9:2) and the seventy weeks of years for the total desolation of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24). At that time, the Angel Gabriel appeared to him and gave him his understanding (Daniel 9:21). And this was Daniel’s second encounter with Gabriel (Daniel 8:16). Historians say that this Darius only reigned two years, so the instance of Daniel being cast into the den of lions had to be close to these other events. When Daniel said the Lord had sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths, it’s possible this might have been Gabriel.
2. It’s interesting that Darius would take a Jew and place him in this position of authority, especially since Daniel had just been promoted to the third-highest position in the Babylonian kingdom on the night of its destruction (Daniel 5:29). Surely, Darius heard about the hand that wrote on the wall and Daniel’s interpretation of the writing. He was wise to take a man who had been so accurately used of God for many years (Daniel had served in the Babylonian court for over sixty-five years at this time [see my note at Daniel 5:1]) and put him in leadership.
3. Darius had put Daniel in a position where he was one of three presidents just below himself, but Daniel had proven himself to be so wise, faithful, and honest (traits that were in short supply among the other presidents) that Darius was thinking of making Daniel ruler, second only to himself. What a great testimony of Daniel’s integrity and capabilities, even when he was over the age of eighty (see my note at Daniel 5:1). The word excellent was translated from the Hebrew word yattiyr, which means “preeminent.” The word preeminent is defined as “superior to or notable above all others; outstanding” (American Heritage Dictionary). Godly promotion doesn’t come to those who are average (Psalms 75:6-7).
4. This was caused by nothing but envy (see my note at James 3:16) and pride.

What a great testimony of Daniel’s integrity. There were no skeletons in his closet. He was a man who had served in politics for nearly seventy years, and no one could bring a single accusation against him. This should serve as an example to anyone who desires to rise in government but thinks they have to compromise their integrity to do that. It was Daniel’s integrity that promoted him (Psalms 75:6-7).

5. What a wonderful compliment! We should pray that this is what men will say about us.
6. The phrase “live for ever” was a common way of greeting the king (Daniel 2:4, 3:9, and 5:10). But everything was not as it appeared. They were going to flatter Darius, and through that flattery, manipulate him into signing a decree against Daniel. We need to beware of those who flatter us(Psalms 5:9 and Proverbs 29:5).
7. There were things that Darius did that would indicate he was a wise man. He put Daniel in a position of leadership (Daniel 6:2) and thought to exalt him over the whole kingdom (Daniel 6:3). But this action defies logic. This was arrogance to the max. A humble man would have never fallen for such an act as this. Darius was, in effect, proclaiming himself God for thirty days.
8. This shows the foolishness of making laws that cannot be changed under any circumstances.
9. Darius is to be blamed for not seeing what these men were up to. If he had observed an excellent spirit in Daniel (Daniel 6:3), then he knew Daniel’s commitment to the Lord would never let him compromise his devotion to his God regardless of the consequences. He also should have seen or suspected these men’s envy of Daniel. This is not good leadership, and it provides a lesson for all of us in leadership. We need to be careful of why someone under us is asking us to enact certain policies.
10. This verse makes special mention of the fact that Daniel knew of the decree, yet he prayed as he always did, with his windows open for the world to see what he was doing. Daniel was a fearless man! He had been exhibiting his complete commitment to the Lord and lack of fear of man for about seventy years. This wasn’t his first time trusting God.

This passage also gives an insight into Daniel’s relationship with the Lord. He prayed three times each day to the Lord. He knelt down on his knees, which symbolized his humility before God, and he prayed toward Jerusalem. Daniel had been taken captive from Jerusalem when he was a very young man. He was now in his eighties and had spent nearly seven decades serving in the Babylonian courts. Yet he had never forgotten who he really was, and this showed where his heart really was.

Notice the special mention of Daniel’s giving of thanks. Daniel was a captive in a foreign land, which he never forgot, but he was thankful. Sure, there had been numerous evils and problems in his life. He had been made a eunuch involuntarily (Daniel 1:3-4). Yet he focused on the good and praised God for His goodness. Goodness and mercy follow every one of us. That’s not all that follows us, but goodness and mercy are always there. It’s our choice what we focus on. (Psalms 23:6).

This gives scriptural precedent for believers to violate the laws of government if those laws command us to violate our commitments to God. The three Hebrew children did the same thing in Daniel 3:16-25. Daniel could have hidden and prayed, and God would have heard him. But Daniel violated the king’s command in a very public way that he knew would put him at odds with the law. He did this as a protest against an ungodly law and as a public display of his devotion to God. Many would like to have the testimony Daniel had of being delivered from the mouths of the lions (Daniel 6:16-23), but few would do what Daniel did that brought him to that place.

11. These men knew Daniel’s devotion to God. That’s why they tricked Darius into signing this decree. They knew Daniel was more committed to God than he was his own life (Acts 20:24). But they didn’t realize how powerful Daniel’s God was and how powerful Daniel’s commitment to Him was. They probably wrote this off as just religious superstition with no true application to reality, as many people do today. They were about to find out how wrong they were, and they would pay with their own lives (Daniel 6:24).
12. These men had laid a trap for Daniel–a trap that they were about to be taken in themselves (Psalms 57:6 and 141:9-10).
13. Daniel didn’t despise Darius, and Darius knew it. It’s just that Daniel worshiped only the Most High God and Darius wasn’t Him. This is a classic example of how we are to submit to those over us in government, but that doesn’t mean we are supposed to obey any ungodly commandment (1 Peter 2:13-15).
14. At least Darius had more wisdom than what Nebuchadnezzar had when the three Hebrew children didn’t obey his command to worship his image (Daniel 3:13-20). Darius humbled himself and knew it was his command that was wrong, not Daniel.
15. It’s amazing what envy will do to people. Daniel was a good, honest man, and yet they were driven to hate him because he was going to be promoted over them. So they hatched this plan and then forced the king to enforce the punishment, even though they knew he hated it. Even if God had not delivered Daniel, the king was now angry at them, and they would have suffered for that anyway. Proverbs 16:14 shows these were not wise men.
16. Even the king had to obey the stupid law he had made. This shows we need to seriously consider the consequences before we commit to anything (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7). Darius didn’t just have Daniel thrown into the lion’s den. He faced Daniel and tried to encourage him that his God would deliver him. Daniel got even the unbelievers believing in the power of his God.

There is no mention that Daniel said a word. If the king couldn’t stop this, then nothing Daniel could have said would have stopped it. Plus, I believe it would have been inconsistent with a man of faith like Daniel to beg or plead for mercy. Surely Daniel showed as much faith as his three friends had many years before, when Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:14-18).

17. I see this den of lions as built into the ground with the opening being on the top. That’s where this stone was placed. When those who accused Daniel were thrown in the den, the lions tore them in pieces before they fell to the ground (Daniel 6:24), supporting the idea that they were thrown in from the top.

The seal that was placed on the stone must have been to verify that no one had opened it. What was the benefit of that? Apparently, Darius felt like these princes who had set Daniel up were more dangerous than the lions. He didn’t want them trying to kill Daniel if the lions didn’t do their job.

These lords’ signets were on there too. That means Darius couldn’t have come and saved Daniel and then resealed the tomb with his signet. The lords wouldn’t have allowed that. They would have noticed if the new seal didn’t bear their insignia. Just as with the seal on the tomb of Jesus (see my note at Matthew 27:64), these measures only stood to confirm and verify God’s miracle.

18. It’s obvious from Darius’ actions that he was heartsick over what he had done. He knew Daniel was innocent, and he felt totally responsible. He implored the Lord on Daniel’s behalf.

What an impact Daniel made on the mightiest man on earth at that time. All of this happened because a young Hebrew lad had committed himself to his God and had served him faithfully for nearly seventy years (see my note at Daniel 5:1). If Daniel could do this, we can do this. God hasn’t changed; He just doesn’t have many Daniels to represent Him.

19. If Darius had feared the worst had happened to Daniel, he wouldn’t have rushed to the den early in the morning. He would have dreaded going to see the results. The fact that he went very early to the den and called out to Daniel, expressed his hope, if not belief, that God had delivered Daniel.
20. Only God and Daniel know what it was like to spend the night in this den of lions. It had to have been hours that Daniel was in there. Daniel said the Lord sent an angel to close the lions’ mouths. We don’t know if Daniel saw this angel or if he just witnessed the results and suspected it was an angel. Daniel did see Gabriel around this time (Daniel 8:16; 9:1, and 21), so it’s possible that Daniel saw this angel.
21. We can imagine this was an awesome scene that made the angels shout. After being shut up in a den of lions all night, Daniel was unhurt. Hallelujah! What an awesome God we serve.
22. It’s possible that this angel was Gabriel. 

Daniel stated his innocence, but he didn’t rail on the king. Daniel knew that Darius had been duped into doing this. There wasn’t any anger in Daniel’s voice. Indeed, those who get angry when they are persecuted for righteousness’ sake wouldn’t have experienced the deliverance Daniel did. The wrath of man doesn’t work the righteousness of God (James 1:20).

This illustrates the mastery of God over His animal creation. If we need protection from any animal, it’s available (Mark 16:18).

23. This was definitely a happy king and a happy Daniel. Yet it doesn’t seem that Daniel was surprised that he had survived. Those who would be shocked to see miraculous displays of God’s power like this don’t see them (see my note at Mark 6:52). All of this happened because Daniel believed.
24. These men who conspired against Daniel prescribed their own punishment (Luke 6:38 and Galatians 6:7). They reaped what they sowed, with interest. And their actions affected their wives and children too.

Let this serve as a warning to all who would persecute God’s people. Because of the long-suffering of our Lord in the New Testament, we might not see instantaneous judgment like this in this lifetime. But a time is coming when all people will stand before God, and the Lord will set the record straight. The Lord takes the persecution of His people very personally (Acts 9:4).

Notice that the lions ate all of them before they even hit the ground. This removes any doubt that these weren’t vicious animals or that the reason they didn’t eat Daniel was because they were not hungry. It was nothing short of a great miracle that Daniel was preserved.

And remember that all of this happened very early in the morning (Daniel 6:19). These lords had probably been up celebrating Daniel’s defeat the night before. They were probably sound asleep. They were awakened and dragged to the pit and thrown in, in their “jammies.”

25. This terrible situation turned around to be another great testimony for the Lord. But you can’t have a testimony without a test. If Daniel had compromised out of fear of punishment, this whole episode would have been different. If we want great testimonies, we have to be faithful through the tests. This was now a testimony to our great God, which went throughout the entire Persian Empire.
26. What a miracle. A pagan king is extolling the greatness of the true God. This happened with Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:47; 3:28-29; and 4:2-3, 34-37), and although it isn’t written that his grandson Belshazzar extolled God after the handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5:5-6), it seems that this happened, even if through gritted teeth. Certainly, Belshazzar’s actions, showing his fear of the Lord, revealed he knew God was superior to him. Now Darius is praising the Lord, and later Cyrus does the same. Therefore, the Lord revealed Himself over nearly seventy-five years of time through the four mightiest rulers of those days. The whole world knew of these exploits. These people had a clear witness if they had a heart to receive it.
27. All of these mighty acts of the Lord happened because of His servants who stood faithful in the face of fierce opposition. The Lord only moves through people (see my note at Ephesians 3:20). God is able and willing to display His supernatural power today too. He just needs people to flow through. The question isn’t, “Where is the God of Daniel?” The real question is, “Where are the Daniels of God?” As New Testament believers, we all have more authority and power than Daniel had. We just aren’t using what we have as well as Daniel used what he had.
28. The last verse of Daniel 5 (Daniel 5:31) and then all of this chapter show that Darius ruled right after the death of. The Family Bible Notes Commentary says that Darius ruled for two years until his death, and then Cyrus, Darius’ nephew, took the throne. Scripture shows that Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus’ reign (Daniel 1:21).

However, there are scriptures that clearly show Darius ruling after Cyrus (Ezra 4:5 and 6:1-3). The most common explanation is that a number of Persian kings were named Darius (examples: A Darius was the son of Ahasuerus [Daniel 9:1], and Darius the son of Hystaspes [also called Darius the Persian – Nehemiah 12:22] ruled during Ezra’s lifetime [Ezra 4:5 and 6:1-3, see my note at Daniel 11:2]). The Darius spoken of in Daniel 5 and 6 is the first Darius (Darius the son of Ahasuerus [Daniel 9:1]) who, with the help of Cyrus, conquered Babylon. He reigned for two years, during which time Daniel was thrown in the lions’ den (Daniel 6). This is the same Darius spoken of in Daniel 9:1.

The wording of this verse has led some to believe that Darius and Cyrus were co-regents for a while.

DANIEL chapter 7

25/2/2021

Daniel’s first vision

Daniel sees four beasts coming out of the sea.

A lion with eagle wings

A bear with pieces of three ribs between the teeth

A leopard with four bird wings and four heads

A beast with ten horns and an eleventh smaller among them

At the end of the vision “The Old of Days” dressed on a white garment will sit on His throne. The throne is from fire flames with fire wheels and a fire river flows in front of it, while millions of crowds serve him. He will kill the fourth beast, while the power will have already been removed from the others. Even more interesting is what follows: Someone who looks like a Man comes in front of the premises and He is given all power and all the peoples and languages and nationalities will serve Him. His Kingdom will be eternal.

The interpretation is given to Daniel by an angel: the four beasts represent four kingdoms which will dominate, but they will fall in the end and the power will be given eternally to the people of the highest.

Before we start the analysis for this prophecy we should remember some general rules about “prophecies” . The prophecies are usually repeated in different variations and reinforced. In the dream of Navuhadneser, the separation of the four parts of the statue, symbolize the four kingdoms which we see here to appear as four beasts that again represent four kingdoms. Here in chapter 7, it appears that the fourth kingdom has ten horns, similar to the ten fingers on the legs of the statue in the fourth piece, in the dream of Navouhadneser. In most prophecies the symbols remain stable, e.g., the beasts always represent kingdoms/powers, and the water always represents the people.

The four beasts come out of the “sea”, emerging from the people, from mankind. The sea has been tribulated by four “winds”, representing disasters that occur like wars, earthquakes, economic crisis, etc.

In this prophecy like in others, there are many different interpretations. Summarizing the predominant ones:

The first beast represents Babylon, the second Persia, the third Greece and the fourth the Roman Empire. The second beast and fourth beast have prevailed over others: the second one has twisted four but also in the case of the fourth there is a battle between the “ten and one”. If indeed the fourth beast represents the Roman Empire, then what could be the importance of the ten countries that will fight with the one smaller ?

The first beast emerges from the sea, it has the form of a lion, the king of animals while having eagle wings, the king of birds. The wings were distracted and then it was held in its legs, “as a human”. Easily this beast is parallelized with Babylon, the kingdom above all other at the time and Navouhadneser that only when he lost his “wings”, his power, he gained back his human logic.

The second beast is a bear, “half-standing”. One side is more elevated than the other. Indeed, the Kingdom of Babylon succeeded the Medo-Persian Empire that we know was unequal with the Persians to prevail at the end. The bear had three eaten ribs in its mouth. Historically the Persian Empire conquered three other kingdoms: Babylon, Lydia and Egypt.

The third beast is a leopard with four bird wings and four heads. Wings in prophecies usually represent “speed”. These were the Greeks, which in a few years had conquered half of the known then world !

After the death of Alexander the Great, battles followed between its four generals for the succession and the Empire was divided to four (Egypt, Syria, Pergamon and Macedonia).

The fourth beast, the most awesome and terrible one of all, standing on the two legs, had ten horns and between them, a smaller one grew having human eyes and an arrogant mouth, which uprooted three of the larger horns.

He had iron teeth similar to the statue of the Dream of Navuhadneser, representing the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was originally divided into two and then the different precursor European states were created (about ten). Other interpreters are explaining this in more modern times, as the first ten European Union nations.

The small horn that grew, replaced the three of the pre-existing larger horns. This smallest eleventh horn, appeared after the four previous kingdoms and has human eyes, and a human mouth that speaks arrogantly and destroys three of the pre-existing larger horns.

(Here we have three states that were either totally destroyed or disappeared after the appearance of the smallest, eleventh, horn). This horn will talk against God, will challenge God’s people and abolish the festivals and the laws ruling the people for three and a half years. After this period its power will be removed and eventually be delivered to the people of the highest God for His Eternal Kingdom. The fall of this power will mean the end of times and the development of the Kingdom of God.

The concept of time in the prophecies is a huge issue for discussion. What we can shortly say but what we can soon say, is that time represents “periods” and not years. That is, a couple of years, can correspond to periods of variable duration. Some attribute to each period, 365 years (one prophetic day equals to one calendar year). According to this view, the three and a half periods represent 1270 years. If we consider the fourth beast as the Roman Empire and the  smaller horn that follows the Byzantium (in particular the introduction of Christianity as a formal religion of the state by emperor Constantine), then 1270 years passed from that time (the establishment of the Byzantine) till Napoleon and the French Revolution (from) and the “separation” of religion from politics.

Another feature of prophecies is that the events they predict, start from the period disclosed by each prophecy may expand to a very large depth of future time.

Chronologically, this chapter should be placed before the previous one since the event takes place before the sixth chapter (before Daniel in the den of lions and before the fall of Babylon and the incident with Valstashar and the inscription on the wall and the arrival of the Persians).

It is also worth mentioning here that many of these prophecies appear repeatedly both the old and the New Testament.

At the end of the prophecy we see him who looks like a Man who represents the Messiah. In the Old Testament, such mention of a human Son of God appears 78 times !

The sea, which, as we mentioned symbolizes the people/humanity, appears also in the Book of Revelation (eg, Chapter 14). In this Book, similarly to Daniel’s Book, the beasts asymbolize governments (eg, 13 “a beast with ten horns coming out from the sea).

In other cases, however, things are much more complicated as for instance  the case of the interpretation of the number of the beast, 666. If you search for interpretations on this number in the Internet, you will find yourself in front of 51 million entries !

The common in Daniel’s prophecies and many other prophecies is that they focus only on the bad forecasts. We usually do not focus on the good end and on the eventual development of the Eternal Kingdom of God and we consider as necessity all the prophesized events and disasters. We do not even think of the possibility that these prophecies may represent warnings that give us the opportunity to prevent or avoid these events ! For some, the Kingdom of God will not otherwise occur, unless all these catastrophic events will first happen. And unfortunately, the believing world deals mainly with all the evils that are expected to come (as simple viewers of television serials, who just wait to see the rest of the prophesies fulfilled or justwondering about “which chapter” are we now….). Most of the believers do not fight or think that they can change any of the prophesized future…

Is it logical that God WANTS that all these disasters will happen to humanity ? Is ti possible that God doesn’t want that people will fight and pray for the avoidance of the disasters ? If yes, then why He sent His Messiah, Jesus ? His death and resurrection didn’t change anything ?

Summarizing we can see that in all prophecies there are common motifs: all refer to the same reasons that cause suffering and punishments: arrogance, selfish human power and man’s withdrawal from the spiritual world and from God. Obviously some of these prophecies have already been fulfilled. 

When we know that God in the end wants to build His Kingdom of Love shouldn’t we start thinking that there is another way ? A way that may stop the current flow of events, prevent events and enter the eternal Kingdom of God ! Let’s look at our personal role and responsibility in such scenario instead of simply be viewers of the history, waiting the fulfillment of the prophecies because “what is written is written and has to happen”….Especially nowadays that we see all the terrible events and developments in front of our eyes we have the opportunity and choice to change the direction of our thinking and faith and contribute to a revolutionary change of the flow of things !

Daniel chapters 8 and 9

4/3/2021

Daniel’s second vision

Daniel lived at the same time as Ezekiel and Jeremiah.

He lived in Babylon for about 70 years under the captivity of Nebuchadnezzar but managed to become important and necessary in the palace without compromising or betraying his faith. We have seen him in the previous chapters revolt calmly and wisely and disobey the laws, when the issue of faith aroseת , using his faith as an instrument of salvation for himself and his fellow Jewish rivals, such as in the incident with his friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego) in the furnace and with him in the den of lions. We wonder where such “Daniels” are today ?!..

From the seventh chapter to the end, the prophetic part of the book of Daniel appears. In the ninth chapter, we have for the first time in the Bible the appearance (by name) of the angel Gabriel, who gives Daniel the prophecies for the future of his people. Daniel asked God to reveal him the future, because he had already begun to worry after the seventy years of slavery that Jeremiah had prophesied had passed and yet Israel had not yet returned to Jerusalem.

In the seventh chapter we saw the first vision of Daniel, where he describes all the empires that will follow the Babylonians, up to the Greek rule, with prophetic references that according to interpretations reach our own modern days, especially regarding the interpretation of the fourth empire. The symbolisms and interpretations are the same in the eighth chapter with references again to the empires that will follow, including the Greek one. In this chapter, Daniel sees in his vision a ram with two unequal horns, one larger than the other, attacking West, North and South and no one could resist him. Then a goat with a horn appears, which manages to exterminate the ram, destroying its two horns and prevailing.

Then one horn of the goat is destroyed, and in its place grew four new horns, towards the four points of the horizon. One of them grew too large in the direction of the south, the east and the forces of the “sky”. This “horn” will be defeated by the “forces of the sky” and the people will be liberated. Daniel asks in his vision how long the captivity will continue ” How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?”, and the answer is: ‘ two thousand three hundred days ”. In the end he asks to learn the interpretation of the vision and Archangel Gabriel explains: The ram is the kingdoms of the Medes and the Persians. The goat is the kingdom of the Greeks from which will emerge four smaller and weaker in relation to the first mighty horn. But at the end of these times, “when the sins of the apostate Jews are full”,  a powerful cunning king will appear who will act with deceit and arrogance and who will bring fear and disasters.

The interpretation of the vision is given by Gabriel and is quite clear, except for two points: who is this last king, and what exactly the two thousand three hundred days and nights mean. Before we try to explain this, let’s take a look on how ninth chapter begins. Daniel prays intensely after studying the scriptures and especially regarding the “desolation of Jerusalem for seventy years” in Jeremiah’s prophecy. Gabriel appears again to give him the interpretation. “From the day of the beginning of the rebuilding of Jerusalem until the coming of the Messiah, there will be” seven weeks “and” seventy-two weeks “. After the first seven weeks, the Jewish captives will return to Jerusalem, and the holy city will be rebuilt. After sixty-two weeks (weeks of years and not od days (!), according to the interpretation of the Hebrew text), Christ will be killed and the city and its inhabitants will be destroyed again and will fall into captivity. During a “week” (7 years), Christ will make a new covenant. In the middle of this period of 7 years, the old sacrifices will be finally put to an end. (‘’ 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate”).

Let’s start with the seventy “weeks”. This period is divided into the first 69 “weeks” and the one last “week”. In the scripture and according to prophet Ezekiel, one “day” equals a year (Ezekiel 4: 6). Therefore, the first period of 69 weeks, translates to 483 years. The year does not refer to the year that we know today and lasts 365 days. Our calendar in its current form is used after the 1st AD. Century and called Gregorian calendar. The Jewish calendar includes 12 months of 29-30 days, based on the rotation of the moon, so it differs from the Gregorian by about 11 days, something that is corrected by adding a 13th month every 3-4 years. Also looking at the Old Testament we see that the year included 360 days since a biblical month consisted of 30 days. So, we have 483 biblical years of 360 days corresponding to 476 solar years and 25 days.

The 70 (yearly) weeks period period, starts from the day of the beginning of the “reconstruction of Jerusalem”. This is historically placed in 445 BC. in the decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah, by which the Jewish were allowed to return back to Jerusalem and rebuild the city’s wall. Two, additional (and similar) decrees may also be related to this event: one, from Cyrus in 538 BC which allowed the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, and a second by Artaxerxes in 458 BC to Ezra, which allowed Jews to return and operate their Temple. But, both of them, do not refer to the reconstruction of the Jerusalem and its walls.

So, placing the beginning of the seven weeks in 445 BC and adding the 476 years we reach exactly the years of Jesus Christ and even more specifically (as analyzed in more detail by some scholars), the exact time of His entry to Jerusalem, before His crucifiction.

The last week, the seventieth week, is a special period, that is placed chronologically (according to most of the scholars) to the years of the second coming of the Messiah, and the years of the reign of the Antichrist. This tribulation period finally ends, and the beginning of the kingdom of God, follows.

The two thousand three hundred days and nights that appear in the Hebrew text correspond to one thousand one hundred and fifty days (two “days and nights”, represent one full day). This period corresponds to the duration of the persecution of Antiochus IV (and the “Anti-Christ” in the future), whom we will meet again in the eleventh chapter (“the abomination of desolation”).

Daniel chapters 10 and 11

11/3/2021

In the tenth chapter Daniel fasts for “21 days” which may correspond to normal days, or years (if we use the same “translation” of days to years as in the previous case of the “weeks” of years in the eight chapter). After fasting, he sees a vision, where a man in linen clothes and a golded belt, speaks to him. His voice sounds like  ” the voice of a crowd”. First, this “man” explains that he was 21 days late because he found resistance from the Archangel of the Kingdom of Persia, but finally managed to escape, with the help of the Archangel Michael. After saying what he had to say, “the leader of the Greeks will come again to continue fighting against the Archangel of Persia”. This angel says to Daniel: three more kings will reign in Persia and then a fourth one, who will be even more wealthy than the others. This king will turn against the Greeks. Then, an omnipotent leader will appear among the Greeks but at the peak of his omnipotence, he will be crushed and his kingdom will be scattered “in the four winds”, and not in his descendants. He then explains who these four successors will be and what will happen to them. The angel says that the king of the south will come in war against the king of the north, and that their descendants will inter-marry, giving many details about all the battles that will follow and their end. Finally, the king who will prevail, ” will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation there”.  Here, too, various details of the battles are given, but facts and analysts easily end up identifying this last king as Antiochus Epiphanes. We saw a similar interpretation that refers to Antiochus in the ninth chapter, where, he appears again as a cunning and ungodly king who will set up the abomination of desolation. Antiochus will be called the “enemy of the people”. Historically, he dominated after 167 BC. According to historical references, Antiochus did terrible and blasphemous things, such as putting a statue of Zeus in the Temple or sacrificing pigs (animals that were forbidden in the Temple, according to the Jewish law), there.

The facts are narrated by the Archangel with such precision that they even describe Cleopatra and her wedding in Egypt by the king “with the aim of deserting the enemy country” (but without being able to achieve this goal). The angel describes even the events that seem to be related to the Maccabean revolution and gives astonishing details about the battles until the fall of this king, when “the wrath of God will have broken out”.

Daniel chapter 12

18/3/2021

In the twelfth chapter the Angel continues to speak to Daniel about the end of times. He reveals that these years will be so hard as never seen before in history. However,  those whose names are written in the book of God will be saved. Those who died will be resurrected and live forever. Daniel then, sees two men asking if these events will ever take place. 

Initially, the Angel says that three and a half years will pass. The three and a half years correspond to about 1260 “days” (biblical), exactly as it is written in “Revelation”, which is the period from the beginning of the supremacy of this last omnipotent “leader”, the Antichrist, who may even make a peace agreement with Israel, until he shows his true face, breaking the agreements he made and doing an absolutely blasphemous act (the placement -really or metaphorically- of the “abomination of desolation where it should not be”, obviously in the Temple of God) . The Angel says specifically: “start counting 1290 days from the time when the daily sacrifice will be abolished and the abomination of desolation will be set up”, acts which, as we have said, are attributed to Antiochus IV. but also (mainly), to the days of the final dictator, the Antichrist. Symbolically, this act of his may have to do with the desecration of every believer and sanctuary, with the attempt to turn himself into a spiritual leader and “Messiah”, with the desecration of spirituality through political power, undoing every notion of God.

As for the second period of three and a half years (the period when the Antichrist will present his cruel face, persecuting every faith and every believer in God) the angel states that one thousand two hundred and ninety days will pass (and not 1260 as in the first period) and immediately after that: “Blessed are those who will be after one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days”. What can this difference of thirty, plus forty-five days symbolize ? No one is sure. Many analysts interpret it as symbolizing the period of Israel’s reconstruction after the tragic events and catastrophes, after the fall of the Antichrist, and also the period of the first judgment of the nations. After these 1345 days comes the end and the Kingdom of God is established and the elected who will be saved and will remain, enter to it !.

Some groups of believers, such as Protestants, believe that they themselves will not participate in this end. According to them, the “rapture” will precede them (God will take them away) and they will meet Christ in the Kingdom of heaven.

Before we look at the interpretation of these times let us recall the four periods we saw in the previous chapters, such as described in the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision in chapter 2 and the four monsters in the vision of Daniel, in chapter seven. The first period corresponds to Babylon, the second to the Persian Empire, the third to Greece. The fourth is attributed to the Roman Empire, but it probably extends to the present days and the “end of times” and the coming of the Kingdom of God. Let us recall two more facts here: First, that Christ himself refers to the prophecy of Daniel and reveals himself as the Messiah, and second, that a similar prophecy appears in Revelation, where we see the events divided into eight periods. There, Apostle John seems to go a little further back and a little further in the future, adding before Babylon, Egypt and the Syrians and finally two other periods attributed to the modern western world (either Europe or America), and the period of the end of days.

But beyond the interpretation of dreams, visions and prophecies, the book of Daniel leads us to some other thoughts. We see in all the chapters of this book, omnipotent kings who on the one hand may have tormented their people but on the other had built great and rich empires, giving the people an image of security and prosperity of their empire. But what did they all had in common? Blasphemy against God and arrogance, which eventually led to their dramatic fall. In the description of the end of days, in the book of Revelation, such an absolute ruler reappears. Are there such kings/rulers today ? It seems that there are indeed ! They may often appear with an “angelic face”, as our saviors in matters of peace and security, in financial matters, in science and even in social welfare. 

Maybe such modern “authorities” are not necessarily actual “persons”  but “institutions”, “wordly systems” that have the power to rule our lives and to make people need them. They control and modify our lives, “for our own good”, to “protect us” and eventually  become “necessary” to us.  These worldly systems (either individuals or institutions) aim to abolish the element of faith and any spirituality in our lives, to distort our inner need for spiritual salvation and to distract us from our real needs. They gradually transform us by slandering/defaming our faith and our contact and communication with God. The whole system of this world tries to dissolve the vision of the Kingdom of God, which is actually the only real and radical solution for all our problems and needs and will make all the present powers and systems of the world, useless !

We are in a great danger nowadays, with our constant submission to the wordly systems and the new laws, rules, patterns of life, that are imposed continuously on us.  With all these, we are slowly been transformed, without even noticing it ! And then, the fulfillment of the prophecies of the book of Revelation and of the hard times of the Antichrist reign, become inevitable. Let’s stop this flow of events and block/abolish the plans of Devil by the power of God and the Holy Spirit, striving for the Kingdom of God and asking and fighting that His kingdom will come in our days ! Preventing and abolishing the plans of the Antichrist !