END TIMES PART 3
DANIEL’S VISION OF THE END TIMES
CHAPTERS 2, 7, 10, 12
In this study, we will be examining the prophet Daniel’s long-range look at the End Times. We will be reviewing select chapters from the book, those dealing specifically with the visions he saw concerning the Last Days.
(For those wanting to know more about the whole book of Daniel, please see the Daniel study in this site.)
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and had deported the survivors to far-off Babylon for 70 years because of their sins as has been foretold by the prophet Jeremiah.
Daniel was quite young, probably in his early teens when the Jews were deported to Babylon, and he and his three friends (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) were being groomed to serve in the king’s court, when the king had a strange dream. Scripture records;
DANIEL 2:1-9
1 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.
2 Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
3 And the king said to them, ‘I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.’
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, ‘O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.’
5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, ‘My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap.
6 However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation.’
7 They answered again and said, ‘Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation.’
8 The king answered and said, ‘I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm:
9 if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation.’
(The ‘second year of his reign’ refers to the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule over Judah, making it about 584 B.C. His actual ascension to the throne occurred in 605 B.C.)
The challenge was a shrewd and brilliant move by Nebuchadnezzar to determine whether his astrologers and ‘wise men’ were indeed mouthpieces for the Babylonian gods as they claimed, or were merely parasites who played on the king’s superstitions.
The men kept asking the king to tell his dream so that they could ‘interpret’ it for him and Nebuchadnezzar knew they were stalling and trying to mislead him. If they were truly in touch with his gods they would be able tell him both the dream and the interpretation of it. Otherwise, as per Babylonian custom, a post would be pulled from their house, sharpened and they would be impaled on it, their body weight eventually driving the point through them. Their house would then be destroyed as an example to others.
DANIEL 2:10-13
10 The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, ‘There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean.
11 It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.’
12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
Nebuchadnezzar was a cruel but shrewd ruler, as shown by this interesting dialogue with his soothsayers (diviners), sorcerers, and Chaldeans (astrologers). He put them to the test with his dream puzzle thereby seeing if they were really servants of the gods that he worshiped, or mere deceivers playing and sponging off of his superstitions. He promises them great wealth and honor if they are able to answer his riddle, and immediate grisly death to them and permanent dishonor to their families if they failed.
Needless to say, that put the priests in a no-win situation to which Nebuchadnezzar responded with a tyrant's rage. His solution? Destroy all of the wise men of Babylon, including those imported from conquered nations.
DANIEL 2:14-16
14 Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon;
15 he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, ‘Why is the decree from the king so urgent?’ Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel.
16 So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation.
The urgency of the king's command was apparently part of the Babylonian (Chaldean) culture and this was well-known by the nations that had dealings with them. As God Himself said through the prophet Habakkuk:
HABAKKUK 1:6
6 For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation which marches through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
One has to really admire Daniel here for his courage. He has literally put his life and the life of his friends on the line, telling the king that he will be able to interpret the dream, making this statement on faith alone, not knowing whether God will grant him the knowledge he needed.
DANIEL 2:17-18
17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions,
18 that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Note: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah prayed for their own lives, not the lives of the other wise men. That was a common mentality of the time, as the heathen sorcerers didn't serve God but served demons, a fact of which the four men were well aware.
DANIEL 2:19-25
19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
20 Daniel answered and said, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.
21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.
23 I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s demand.”
24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”
25 Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
An insight into the nature of the king's captain of the guard is given here, for he brought Daniel before the king "in haste". Apparently he didn't like the decree set forth by his lord, but was bound by his oath of loyalty to the king to carry it out. I also suspect that he liked Daniel and his friends very much, and was loathe to carry out the decree for that reason.
One can only imagine the tension in the court as Daniel stood before the king; Nebuchadnezzar grimly staring into Daniel's eyes, skepticism of Daniel's ability to fulfill his promise plain on his face; the court magicians, soothsayers and astrologers standing in the back of the throne room, shaking and sweating with fear; Arioch watching nervously, fearing that Daniel may fail forcing him to carry out the king's edict and knowing the king's mercurial temper, perhaps forfeiting his own life as well.
DANIEL 2:26-30
26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”
27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.
28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:
29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be.
30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.”
Note that here Daniel gives a subtle rebuke to the king, by telling him that what he had requested was not possible for any human agency to fulfill. But he also gives immediate credit to the One who is able to fulfill the request. And Daniel is careful not to take any credit for himself, even though he indeed could have, but gives God all of the glory and honor, to whom it truly belonged.
(Daniel was called Belteshazzar by the Babylonians; Hananiah was called Shadrach; Mishael was called Meshach; and Azariah was called Abed-nego.)
DANIEL 2:31-36
31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.
32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king.”
I would have given much to be able to see the look on Nebuchadnezzar's face when Daniel told him this!!! There must have been a loud smack as the king's jaw hit the floor. Not only was Daniel able to tell the king his dream, but had also told him what his thoughts were before he went to sleep, which I am certain that Nebuchadnezzar did remember, even though he had forgotten the dream that followed. I can also imagine Arioch, Captain of the Guard seeing the expression on the king's face and hiding a delighted and relieved grin in his beard.
DANIEL 2:37-48
37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory;
38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all; you are this head of gold.
39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.
41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him.
47 The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.”
48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.
This must have been quite a sight to see! The greatest king of the mightiest empire of his time, falling on his face in worship before an imported slave from a conquered country! I can imagine the court priests and astrologers collapsing in relief, Arioch openly grinning in delight, the confusion of the queen at her husband's state, the court officials standing in open-mouthed awe. Quite a picture!
Those familiar with the Bible will note an interesting parallel here between Daniel, and Joseph, the son of Jacob who was sold as a slave into Egypt, and who rose to be second only to Pharaoh in power in the kingdom, just as Daniel became the top court official to Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. In both cases, it was the interpretation of a ruler's dream that catapulted the young men to power, and that only by their absolute and unswerving faith in their God. Would our faith be that strong in the same situations?
DANIEL 2:49
49 Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
In ancient times, high court officials sat in the main gate of the city not only to observe all who came and went, but to hear cases and settle disputes between citizens. This way, citizens could see justice performed and court officials could report daily activities to the king.
This started Daniel’s ministry of prophecy which continued even after Babylon had been conquered by the Persians, as we wll see.
DANIEL 7:1
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.
King Nebuchadnezzar was dead (562 B.C.), and Nabonidus, a usurper to the throne, while being king didn't live in Babylon but chose to live in a distant Arabian oasis. As such Nabonidus' son Belshazzar ruled Babylon (550 - 539 B.C.) in his place as the crown prince.
Thus when Daniel had interpreted the famous writing on the wall, (book of Daniel chapter 5) Belshazzar commanded that Daniel be made the "third ruler of the kingdom." If Belshazzar had truly been king, he would have made Daniel the second ruler of the kingdom as Nebuchadnezzar had done. But since Nabonidus was the legal king, forcing Belshazzar to rule in his father's absence as regent, thus Daniel became the third in line in the chain of command. Truly Scripture pays attention to detail!
And in this chapter we see a parallel of the dreams of both Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar. We will now take a closer look at the meanings of both dreams, and several important differences.
DANIEL 7:2
2 Daniel spoke, saying, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.
When bodies of water like the sea are mentioned in prophecy, it is usually speaking of multitudes of people. In this case, Daniel is seeing the winds of conflicting political change causing tumult among masses of people, very much like what is happening today.
DANIEL 7:3-4
3And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
Here we see the first parallel between the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar's statue and Daniel's beasts.
The lion and the head of gold of the statue are the same, representing Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. As gold is a rich, royal metal, and the lion is a powerful, kingly beast, so is Nebuchadnezzar portrayed here. The wings are representative of the speed in which he conquered the known Earth of his time. The plucked wings represented a time when the king would cease his ruthless conquests.
Nebuchadnezzar had been a brutal, fearsome tyrant before this and had conquered much of the known world with incredible speed, represented by the wings. Thus Daniel saw the winged lion in it's strength, but it had a savage beast's heart.
However, after God drove Nebuchadnezzar insane for seven years because of his vanity and pride (Daniel chapter 4), he then humbled himself before God, acknowledging Him as supreme and proclaiming before his people that his kingship came from God alone, not from his own works as he'd previously boasted. His cruel and bestial heart was changed afterward, as shown by the man's heart being given to him.
After the king's repentance God then added to his glory, and there is no further mention of Nebuchadnezzar ever conquering any more territory. Thus the lion was lifted upright (glorified) a man's heart was given to it (Nebuchadnezzar's repentance and change of heart), and the wings plucked (no further conquering expeditions).
It is interesting to note that excavations of Babylon have uncovered large statues of winged lions with a king's head (probably Nebuchadnezzar's) throughout the city.
DANIEL 7:5
5 "And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: 'Arise, devour much flesh!'
This equates to the chest and arms of silver that Nebuchadnezzar saw on his statue. This kingdom would succeed his, and while glorious, would not attain to the splendor of Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, just as a bear, while powerful, is not as regal as a lion. And history shows that Babylon fell to a coalition of Medes, Elamites and Persians (the three ribs) in 539 B.C. under the command of Cyrus the Great.
Babylon had been considered impregnable, surrounded by massive walls, straddling the Euphrates river, and it's rulers Nabonidus and Belshazzar (son of Nabonidus) had become lax. The night that crown prince Belshazzar saw the writing on the wall (Daniel chapter 5), in a remarkable feat of engineering the Persians diverted the Euphrates river and came up under the walls of Babylon from the riverbed and captured the city from within.
The bear raising itself up on one side represents the fact that the Persians became stronger than the Medes (and Elamites, although not specifically mentioned in Daniel), and conquered (or absorbed) them, creating a unified empire (shown in the book of Daniel chapter 8).
DANIEL 7:6
6 "After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
This parallels the stomach and thighs of bronze of Nebuchadnezzar's statue, but with an interesting twist that Nebuchadnezzar's statue didn't show. The Persian empire came to an end in 331 B.C., when Alexander the Great and the Greek army under his command defeated Darius III, the last king of the Persian empire as prophesied by an angel to Daniel;
DANIEL 11:1-2
1 "Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.
2 And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.
With the future defeat of the Persian empire by the Greeks, Alexander the Great would become the first king of the coming Greek empire. (Persian king Darius III’s defeat by Alexander is also spoken of in detail in the book of Daniel, chapter 8). Alexander is the leopard that Daniel saw in the vision, and again the wings represent the speed in which he and his four generals conquered the known world.
However, Alexander died of pneumonia in 323 B.C. at the age of 33. When asked who would inherit the kingdom, to protect the lives of his wife and infant son he said "Let it be given to the strongest", at which time his four generals each tore a piece of the kingdom for himself (4 heads and 4 wings of the leopard), and causing wars between their descendants that would last for hundreds of years. (A more detailed vision of this is given in Daniel chapter 8).
DANIEL 7:7
7 "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
This fourth kingdom, represented by the legs and feet of iron in Nebuchadnezzar's dream and the dreadful beast seen by Daniel was the Roman Empire which conquered Greece in 146 B.C. A brutal, ruthless, seemingly unstoppable military machine, the Roman juggernaut crushed everything in it's way to establish an empire that lasted from approximately 150 B.C. to 395 A.D., a span of over 500 years, much as iron crushes silver, gold and bronze. (Rome had become a regional superpower after destroying its rival Carthage in 146 B.C. and Rome invaded Greece that same year. At that time it was still a Republic. It wasn't until 27 B.C. that it declared itself as Imperial Rome under Caesar Augustus)
All four empires (Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman) ruled over the tiny nation of Israel (tiny by the standards of the empires that ruled over it), yet Israel outlasted all of them. Granted, Israel was destroyed as a nation by the Romans in 73 A.D., but Israel again exists today as a nation, whereas the old empires are nothing but ruins and notes in history.
...and it had ten horns. Here we have a major change in the visions. While the 10 toes of iron mixed with clay were mentioned on the statue of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, they were not mentioned as a separate entity. Here Daniel sees ten horns which correspond to the 10 toes of the statue.
This future ten-nation confederacy will form the last, world-dominating empire of the Antichrist, and will be the empire that Jesus (the Rock that Nebuchadnezzar saw which smashed the statue) will destroy upon His return as we shall see in a bit.
DANIEL 7:8
8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
Now the prophecy jumps to the far future, or in our case, the near future. In this part of the vision, the toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue and the horns of Daniel's beast come into play. In each case, they are future (present-day to us) remnants of the previous empire (Rome) that had ruled over Israel. Remember this beast incorporated and ruled over all of the territories of the previous empires (Babylonian, Persian, and Greek).
This also indicates that the 10 toes of the statue being comprised of iron and clay will be 7 toes of iron and 3 of clay. The 3 toes of clay will be 3 nations that will be overthrown by the Antichrist when he rises (the little horn). The other 7 nations represented by the 7 toes of iron will strongly support him.
The reason why I know that this is still a future event, is that the empires mentioned in Daniel were only mentioned in Scripture for as long as they affected Israel as a nation (or who affected Judah after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 721 B.C.).
That is why nations like Germany, Russia and England are not mentioned, for while the Nazis did indeed slaughter the Jews wholesale in the Holocaust, the British fought vigorously to keep the Jews out of Palestine during and after WW II and the Russians instigated massive persecution (pogroms) and slaughter of the Jews , they did not affect Israel as an established nation as Israel hadn’t yet become a nation again! Germany was defeated three years before Israel established itself again, the large-scale Russian pogroms died out in 1917 when the Bolsheviks overthrew Czar Nicholas II and the British pulled out of Palestine right after Israel declared itself to be a sovereign nation in 1948.
The ten horns and the ten toes in this vision correspond to nations in Europe that were under Roman domination. Currently numerous other nations are part of the European Union, but were not under Roman domination. Scripture states that there will be ten nations which will fall under the Antichrist’s domination when he takes power. And when three of the European nations resist his control (see the study on WW III, End Times Part 2), they will be taken by force, shown by the three horns being plucked up by the roots, and the toes being partially of iron, and partially of clay. Seven toes of iron, and three of clay. Seven strong rulers, three puppet rulers.
DANIEL 7:9-10
9 "I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
The vision now turns to the Great Judgement of the non-believers that will occur at the end of Jesus' 1,000 year Earthly rule. God the Father (the Ancient of Days) has given authority to Jesus to be the Judge of mankind. As Jesus said;
JOHN 5:22-23
22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
So here it seems that the Father (Ancient of Days) will be a silent witness to the Judgment. The 'thousand thousands' are the redeemed believers, the "ten thousand times ten thousand" standing before Him are those who died in their sins, waiting to be judged. The books will be the book of the lives and works of those being judged, and the Book of Life in which the names of believers are recorded.
DANIEL 7:11-12
11 "I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
This refers to the destruction of the Antichrist (the little horn) and his kingdom. He will be thrown into the Lake of Fire while still alive, as we will see in the study of the End Times Part 5. Here at last is the explanation of the rock that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream, a rock which struck the toes of the statue, and crumbled it to dust. Jesus is the Rock that will put an end to the last empire, that of the Antichrist upon His return.
The nations that formed his kingdom will have their power taken away, but will be allowed to continue to exist for a time afterward, under the control of Jesus and the resurrected saints (us).
DANIEL 7:13-14
13 "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
This shows Jesus (Son of Man) receiving His kingdom from the hand of His Father (Ancient of Days) after He destroys the Antichrist and prepares to rule the Earth. When He returns He will rule over the Earth for 1,000 years, along with the resurrected believers;
REVELATION 20:6
6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
DANIEL 7:15-18
15 "I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:
17 'Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'
Daniel is told the meaning of the beasts. But he is also quickly told that the saints (those who will be resurrected when Jesus returns) will possess the kingdom forever.
DANIEL 7:19-22
19 "Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet;
20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
21 "I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,
22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
This is the first mention of the great persecution that Jesus warned us about in;
MATTHEW 24:21-22
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
Note also, this persecution and destruction will be allowed to continue until Jesus returns to put an end to the reign of terror, and that only after the Ancient of Days (God the Father) takes His seat and gives Jesus permission to destroy the Antichrist and rule His Earthly kingdom. This means that Christians will go through the tribulation, and these events will occur before the Rapture. Keep this in mind, we'll deal more with the Rapture issue later in Part 4 and Part 5 of the End Times studies.
(And before you who believe in the pre or mid-tribulation Rapture get incensed at me, please read through the entire five-part study series on the End Times first. I will be explaining the timing of the ‘Rapture’ throughout the series, and I think you might be surprised at what you find out).
The Antichrist will be allowed to destroy the Christians and Jews who do not bow to him, or receive his Mark.
REVELATION 13:16-18
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Many believe that the "Mark" will be a microchip which will be placed under the skin, but if you read carefully, Scripture says it will be a mark, his name, or the number of his name. It will more than likely be a tattoo, something easily visible to law enforcement. (Remember, the Jews of WWII were tattooed for identification. More on this issue in the End Times Part 5 study). It won’t be a “bar-code” either, as tattoos fade and blur over time and would become illegible.
DANIEL 7:23-25
23 "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces.
24 The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.
25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.
The brutal, ruthless unified Roman Empire finally fell in 395 A.D., and has not risen to power again since that time. And the events described in verse 24 have yet to happen. Some have tried to refer it to the Caesars, but there is no Caesar who overcame three other ruling Caesars anywhere in history. So this refers to a future event.
And here also is the crux of the entire vision. The Antichrist will arise out of the remnants of the old Roman empire, namely 10 nations joined together in a tight Federation. He will overcome three of the nations by force, will rule the entire world and will wage war against the Christians and Jews for three and a half years (time, times, and half a time). At the end of this period, Jesus will return to destroy the kingdom of the Antichrist, and will set up his 1,000 year reign over the Earth.
DANIEL 7:26-27
26 'But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever.
27 Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.'
Again, the promise is given to Christians that the Antichrist and his Satanic kingdom will be destroyed, and the saints of God will be given the kingdom. But ONLY when the Father sets the time for Jesus to return. Like Jesus Himself said;
MATTHEW 24:36
36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
MARK 13:32
32 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
DANIEL 10:1-13
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.
2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks.
3 I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
4 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris,
5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz.
6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.
7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength.
9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands.
11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.
12 Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
(The third year of Cyrus’ rule over Babylon would have been about 536 B.C.)
This mighty angel had been sent immediately in answer to Daniel, but one of Satan's demon princes ruling the Persian empire had stopped him for three full weeks.
Note that in verse 13 the angel makes a difference between the prince of Persia and the kings of Persia. In this verse the kings are the physical kings of Persia, whereas the prince of Persia is referring to the demon ruler over that part of the Earth. Demon rulers will always be referred to as princes, as Satan will allow no other kings besides himself in his kingdom.
The fact that Satan has demon princes over nations, empires and kingdoms was well known to the apostle Paul, for he wrote;
EPHESIANS 6:12
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Principalities are geographical locations ruled by princes. And it wasn't until Michael, one of the chief princes of the angelic host came to help, that the angelic messenger was freed to come to Daniel. This points to the fact that there is much spiritual warfare in global matters that we do not see with human eyes.
And apparently this demon prince was powerful enough that it took an angelic prince to take the messenger's place. And considering the awesome description of the angel that Daniel saw, it gives an idea of the power of the demonic forces we face.
Remember, respect their power, but do not fear them.
As the apostle John reminded us;
I JOHN 4:4
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
DANIEL 10:14
14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come."
This was spoken to tell Daniel that the vision would be for the future (the latter days), and would cover a long period of history, (the vision is for many days to come).
DANIEL 10:15-21
15 When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless.
16 And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, "My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength.
17 For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me."
18 Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me.
19 And he said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!" So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me."
20 Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come.
21 But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince).
Satan seldom sits still. The angel spoke to Daniel that as soon as the demon prince of Persia was defeated, Satan would immediately move in with another demon prince, this one backing Alexander the Great who would destroy the Persian army in 330 B.C. Satan doesn't care a whit about human empires, or who is in power. He wants to rule everything, and men are merely expendable pawns to be used for that purpose.
And note once again, none of the angels that Daniel saw had wings.
In his arrogance during his temptation of Jesus, Satan showed Him all of the kingdoms of the world of that era in a moment of time. In fact, the book of Luke records;
LUKE 4:5-7
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."
Jesus never disputed Satan's claim to own these kingdoms. Jesus knew it was true, for stewardship of the Earth and everything in it had been given to Satan by Adam in the Garden of Eden. (See the study on the fall of Man in this site for more information.)
DANIEL 12:1
1 At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.
During the last seven years of human history, Michael the angelic prince will stand in defense for the Israel and the Christians, and war will break out in Heaven. Satan and his demons will again try to overthrow God, and will be banished from Heaven for good. Satan will make his final stand on Earth (End Times Part 5), and will empower the Antichrist and in the middle of the seven years, the Great Persecution spoken of by Jesus will begin.
The persecution will be so intense, that Jesus said,
MARK 13:19-20
19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.
20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.
The word for "flesh" in verse 20 is the Greek word "sarx" meaning literal flesh. In other words, Jesus said that unless He had cut short Satan's reign of destruction here on earth, He would return to a dead planet. All life would have become extinct. But for the sake of the Christians and Jews, He has determined to cut the days short by returning before Satan can accomplish his goal.
DANIEL 12:2
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
This refers to the coming two resurrections, the first resurrection of the righteous at Jesus' return, and the second resurrection of the damned at the great White Throne Judgement 1,000 years later. We'll see more on this issue in Part 4 and Part 5 of the End Times study.
DANIEL 12:3-4
3 Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
4 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
An interesting turn of phraseology is used in verse 4 that can be interpreted several ways. Knowledge indeed has increased in these last days. Just take a look at the strides technology has taken during this century alone! But knowledge of the End Times prophecies has increased also.
Many of God's prophecies are timed so that the generation for whom they were meant would be granted understanding of what they have to say. Daniel is told that the meaning of his prophecies concerning the future are "sealed", (shrouded, their meaning hidden) until the time of the end.
And those for whom the prophecies are meant will understand them as God pulls the veils away, just as we are seeing now.
DANIEL 12:5-7
5 Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank.
6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?"
7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
"Time, times and a half?" Sound familiar? Three and a half years! Three and a half years are given for the Antichrist to perform his reign of destruction against the Jews and Christians. And just when it seems that there is no hope left, Jesus will return.
MATTHEW 24:44
44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
DANIEL 12:8-10
8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?"
9 And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
I really have to feel sorry for Daniel! I know how frustrated I have been over the years seeking understanding of these prophecies, and the Lord in His mercy and grace has revealed much to me. But there is still much that He has not chosen to show me for reasons known only to Him.
Daniel was told that he was merely to record all of this, but it was not for him to know the meaning of the prophecies. If it had been me, I would have been frustrated no end, jumping up and down, yelling "But God.....!!!!!!"
Note also verse 10. Daniel is told that none of the wicked would understand but the wise would understand. I am not proclaiming myself to be wise, for all I have come to understand of these prophecies has been given to me by God, and is none of my own doing. Therefore I will not claim any credit for any of this, but will give all of the credit and honor to God alone who has granted such knowledge to me and now to you.
But those who are wise will see the truth in the Scriptures, and will understand the times that we live in. They will also be able to discern that the time is getting short, and prepare accordingly.
And for those of you believing in a pre-tribulation rapture, if we aren't going to be here why are we being given all of these warnings of persecution to come? Are we greater than Jesus, that we should escape persecution? Did He ever tell us that we would NOT go through the tribulation? Are we any better than the early Christians who were put to death by the Roman Empire, or the during the 400 years of the Roman Catholic Inquisition?
Nowhere have I found in Scripture that these warnings are for "those who are left behind". Keep this in mind. And the clincher for the timing of the rapture will be found in the study of Revelation ( End Times Part 5 ).
DANIEL 12:11
11 "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
It doesn't say what will happen after this time, but it equates to 3 1/2 years. From the time that the Antichrist sets up an image of himself in the rebuilt Temple and forbids daily sacrifices will be
3 1/2 years, and I suspect that after that time war will be declared against the Antichrist as God gathers the armies of Earth to Armageddon.
DANIEL 12:12
12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
Again, nothing is given concerning the extra 45 days after the original 1,290 days.
I suspect it will take this long for Armageddon to get into full swing, at which time Jesus will return to destroy the Armageddon armies. But this is only speculation.
DANIEL 12:13
13 "But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days."
This is pretty much self-explanatory.
In summary, we have seen Daniel's telescopic look at history, ranging from the time of the empire of Babylon through to the return of Jesus in our near future. Time is becoming extremely short, and many Christians are woefully without understanding of just what is ahead of us, and as such are not prepared.
Remember Jesus' words!
LUKE 21:28-36
28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
29 Then He spoke to them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.
31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
34 "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."
And;
MARK 13:33-37
33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
34 It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.
35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming--in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning--
36 lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"
When we are given knowledge by God, we are responsible before Him for that knowledge and what we do with it! During the time of the prophet Jeremiah, the Jews were warned for 40 years by Jeremiah that king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would destroy the city because of its wickedness if they didn't repent.
They didn't listen and 40 years later Nebuchadnezzar besieged and destroyed Jerusalem as God had promised. Thousands perished of famine (cannibalism was rampant according to Scripture), and disease during the siege, and many thousands more were killed when the Babylonians broke into the city. In the end the survivors were deported to Babylon for 70 years in chains as promised by God.
The prophet Ezekiel had also warned of the Babylonian assault, and God told him;
EZEKIEL 33:1-6
1 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 "Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: 'When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman,
3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people,
4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head.
5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.
6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.'
We have an obligation to tell others God's words and pass on any warnings He gives us. What you do with the information in these End Times studies is now your responsibility. What will you do with it?
And may the Lord open your eyes and hearts to understand what is written here, grant you discernment of the times and prepare you for what is coming!!!
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