(Work in progress.)
(Work in progress.)
| Daniel 1‣ | Daniel Text | NT Passage | NT Text | Remarks |
| “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. | Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. | The period of testing for the church of Smyrna matches that of Daniel’s request to be tested while forgoing the king’s food. Rather than Revelation referring to Daniel, they both reflect a similar use of the number five (the number of provision). “Although perhaps more subtle than other biblical numerology, five appears to be associated with the idea of provision [and] fullness”4. The doubling of five to form ten may denote the combined idea of witness (two) and provision (five).5 |
| Daniel 2‣ | Daniel Text | NT Passage | NT Text | Remarks |
| He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. | But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. | Natural knowledge, common to all men, cannot obtain information hidden with God. Only those in relationship with God have spiritual knowledge which is discerned and revealed by God’s Holy Spirit. | ||
| 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. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets . . .” | And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’ ” | The wise men, astrologers, magicians, and soothsayers cannot provide information which only God reveals because they have no relationship with God. Nor will He provide what they seek since He is opposed to the occult (and humanist sophistry).8 The advisors which Nebuchadnezzar had sought information from where those which Jesus refers to as “those who are outside” and therefore excluded from the special revelation and understanding needed to answer the king’s inquiry. | ||
| 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: | Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. | Nebuchadnezzar was used as a chosen vessel through which God revealed information concerning the period of history culminating in the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth at the return of Jesus. The portion of the book of Revelation given through John which concerns “the things which will take place after this” has the same historic period in view and augments the information given to Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted by Daniel. (This is made clear by the many allusions and references from the book of Revelation to various chapters in Daniel shown below.) | ||
| Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. | Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, interpreted by Daniel, concerns many of the same topics as the revelation which the angel shows John in the book of Revelation. John’s vantage point, following upon the first advent of Messiah is closer to the time of fulfillment. | |||
| 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. | After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” | Nebuchadnezzar is given revelation-in-advance concerning history subsequent to his time concerning the end of his kingdom and those which will follow. John is given revelation-in-advance concerning history following upon the age of the church (following upon Revelation 2‣ and 3‣). | ||
| 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. | And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. | The stone cut out without hands in Daniel represents the Messianic kingdom headed by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus explains that he is the “precious corner-stone” worthy of trust as mentioned in the Old Testament (e.g., Isa. 8:14; 28:16). Individuals will fall into one of two categories based on their response to Him: 1) the humble who will fall on the stone—giving up their pride and trusting in Christ; 2) the proud will reject Christ in their self-righteousness, eventually to be “crushed” in judgment (Rev. 20:12-15‣). This latter group constitutes the kingdom of man (the four different metals of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue) in whatever age they live. In the same way all the man-made kingdoms are destroyed, those who remain in those kingdoms are eternally lost. | ||
| Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death | This pair of verses is thought by some to be related. [Ibid.]. This indicates an amillennial or postmillennial belief that the action of the stone striking the image occurred at the cross (the first advent of Messiah). There is considerable evidence that this is not so—that the stone does not strike until the second advent. See When Does the Stone Strike? | |||
| 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. | For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. | In a passage which concerns the resurrection of believers, Paul describes an important eschatological sequence. First, Christ was resurrected. Second, His own are resurrected at His coming (the Rapture). Third, at the end (the Second Coming) all competing rule is put to an end. This establishes that the stone did not strike Nebuchadnezzar’s image at the cross, but will do so at the Second Coming. | ||
| Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” | When the seventh angel of Revelation sounds, the proleptic statement is made that the kingdoms of this world have been (de jure) transferred to the authority of Jesus. This is so certain it is pronounced in advance. It does not actually occur (de facto) until the seven bowls of wrath within the seventh trumpet are completed and Jesus returns at the second advent. Once again, we find evidence that the stone did not strike at the first advent in association with the crosswork of Jesus. | |||
| And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. | The stone cut out without hands in Daniel represents the Messianic kingdom headed by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus explains that he is the “precious corner-stone” worthy of trust as mentioned in the Old Testament (e.g., Isa. 8:14; 28:16). Individuals will fall into one of two categories based on their response to Him: 1) the humble who will fall on the stone—giving up their pride and trusting in Christ; 2) the proud will reject Christ in their self-righteousness, eventually to be “crushed” in judgment (Rev. 20:12-15‣). This latter group constitutes the kingdom of man (the four different metals of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue) in whatever age they live. In the same way all the man-made kingdoms are destroyed, those who remain in those kingdoms are eternally lost. | |||
| Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder. | ||||
| 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. | And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. | Both Daniel and Jesus are making known what will come to pass in the distant future. The violence associated with Daniel’s passage is due to the return of Jesus to overthrow the kingdoms of the world. The related NT passages describe ongoing conflict which characterizes the history of the kingdoms of the world which should not be interpreted as an indication that the end is near. | ||
| But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. | ||||
| But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately. | ||||
| The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John | In both passages, God gives revelation through an intermediary for the benefit of all God’s people. | |||
| After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” | ||||
| Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. | ||||
| But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you. | Secrets of unbelieving Nebuchadnezzar’s heart were revealed to Daniel. This impressed Nebuchadnezzar such that he was led to recognize the divine origin of Daniel’s knowledge resulting in Nebuchadnezzar’s spontaneous worship. This is similar to what Paul predicts would happen when an unbeliever encountered prophecy within the NT church. |
| Daniel 3‣ | Daniel Text | NT Passage | NT Text | Remarks |
| Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. | And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. | The first and last Gentile kingdoms during the Times of the Gentiles both erect images honoring their god/leader. | ||
| 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 six hundred and sixty-six. | The sexagesimal-based dimensions of the image erected by Nebuchadnezzar incorporate the number of man (six), the basis of the number of the beast. | |||
| Then a herald cried aloud: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages . . .” | And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” | The multinational character of Nebuchadnezzar’s realm prefigures the global dominion of the Antichrist. | ||
| that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up | He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. | The first and last Gentile kingdoms during the Times of the Gentiles require worship of their respective images. | ||
| and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. | He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. | Those who refuse to worship the image are threatened with death. | ||
| Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” | Those who refuse worship to the image erected by Nebuchadnezzar are threatened with suffering in a fiery furnace. Those who offer worship to the image of the beast suffer punishment in the lake of fire. | |||
| Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. | The destiny of those who refuse to worship the image erected by Nebuchadnezzar becomes the destiny of the beast and the false prophet: being cast alive into fiery judgment. | |||
| So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. | So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” | The majority within each kingdom worship the image. | ||
| And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. | ||||
| So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. | ||||
| Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. | ||||
| Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. | When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. . . . And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ . . . Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ | Those of Jewish descent are at risk of destruction within the Gentile kingdom. | ||
| Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. | ||||
| And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: | ||||
| Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. | ||||
| There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up. | All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. | |||
| And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. | ||||
| Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands? | So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” | The ruler of the Gentile kingdom is considered omnipotent. | ||
| He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. | Those who refuse to worship the image are threatened with death. | |||
| And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. | Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. | The destiny of those who refuse to worship the image erected by Nebuchadnezzar becomes the destiny of the beast and the false prophet: being cast alive into fiery judgment. | ||
| And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. | And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. | By faith, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego quenched the violence of fire. | ||
| “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” | So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” | The fourth individual may have been the preincarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ. | ||
| And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” | ||||
| And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God. | ||||
| concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. | ||||
| Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!” | I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. | Whether by life or death, God’s people offer themselves in the service of God. | ||
| For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. | ||||
| according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. | ||||
| Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. | ||||
| And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. | God’s people maintain their faithful testimony in the face of death. | |||
| an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there” | An angel of God delivers his people from danger. | |||
| And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” | ||||
| For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve | ||||
| Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. | And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. | Those who refuse to worship the image are promoted. |
| Daniel 4‣ | Daniel Text | NT Passage | NT Text | Remarks |
| Nebuchadnezzar the king, To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. | It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. | Both the first and last kingdoms during the Times of the Gentiles are given global dominion by God. | ||
| How great are His signs, And how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation. | And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. | God’s kingdom is everlasting. | ||
| He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. | ||||
| But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” | ||||
| for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. | ||||
| and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. | ||||
| Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” | ||||
| There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. | ||||
| I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. | And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” | Reliance upon earthly position and wealth rather than knowing God. | ||
| For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. | The perception of peace, shortly to interrupted by distress. | |||
| And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. | ||||
| I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. | While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” | God warns Gentile rulers by means of a dream.29 | ||
| Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in, and I told them the dream; but they did not make known to me its interpretation. | Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. | Secular wise men may understand the wisdom of this world, but are unable to discern the things of God. | ||
| Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation. | for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. | Only the Holy Spirit can provide prophetic understanding and prediction. | ||
| These were the visions of my head while on my bed: “I was looking, and behold, A tree in the midst of the earth, And its height was great. The tree grew and became strong; Its height reached to the heavens, And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. Its leaves were lovely, Its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, And all flesh was fed from it.” | Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” | A large tree where birds dwell symbolizes growth of a government or movement wherein men find habitation.31 | ||
| It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade. | ||||
| It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches. | ||||
| The tree grew and became strong; Its height reached to the heavens, And it could be seen to the ends of all the earth. | And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. | Cities which had been highly favored, but which would eventually be judged for their pride. | ||
| And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. | ||||
| Its leaves were lovely, Its fruit abundant, And in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, The birds of the heavens dwelt in its branches, And all flesh was fed from it. | He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. | The symbol of a tree represents the provision of Babylon, reminiscent of the provision of the tree of life as found in God’s kingdom. | ||
| In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. | ||||
| Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. | ||||
| I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven. | And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.” | An angel is sent down from heaven on a mission from God.34 | ||
| Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth | ||||
| Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. | ||||
| I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. | ||||
| After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. | ||||
| Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. | ||||
| He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts get out from under it, And the birds from its branches.’ | And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. | A tree is judged by God. | ||
| Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. | ||||
| And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His disciples heard it. . . . And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” | ||||
| And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” | ||||
| Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ | ||||
| Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field. Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, And let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth. | Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved. For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth.” And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the LORD of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah.” | God preserves a remnant for the purpose of future restoration. | ||
| But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. | ||||
| Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him. | 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 six hundred and sixty-six. | A man takes on the nature of a beast.35 | ||
| “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”36 | The first and last rulers during the Times of the Gentiles behave like beasts for a period of seven years.37 | |||
| “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”38 | ||||
| But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.39 | ||||
| And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.40 | ||||
| But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.41 | ||||
| And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.42 | ||||
| This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men. | He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. | Mighty ones can be put down by God and lowly ones exalted in their stead. Power to rule ultimately comes from God. | ||
| Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” | ||||
| But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. | ||||
| This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now you, Belteshazzar, declare its interpretation, since all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able, for the Spirit of the Holy God is in you. | Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. | Secular wise men may understand the wisdom of this world, but are unable to discern the things of God. | ||
| for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. | Only the Holy Spirit can provide prophetic understanding and prediction. | |||
| Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. So the king spoke, and said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream concern those who hate you, and its interpretation concern your enemies!” | Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. | Daniel was genuinely concerned for the wellbeing of king Nebuchadnezzar. | ||
| The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home— | - | See entry for Dan. 4:10-12. | ||
| it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth. | For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. | The phrase “reaching to heaven” indicates global influence and the attainment of notoriety in heaven. | ||
| But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. | The extent of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom is akin to the global influence of the gospel calling people into God’s kingdom. | |||
| For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ | ||||
| And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” | ||||
| After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands | ||||
| Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people | ||||
| But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.” | The extent of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom is akin to the general revelation of God in the heavens. | |||
| It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. | Both first and last kingdoms during the Times of the Gentiles have global dominion. | |||
| And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’ | - | See entries for Dan. 4:13, 4:14, 4:15, and 4:16. | ||
| They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses. | - | See entries for Dan. 4:16 and 4:17. | ||
| And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules. | I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you” | God’s chastisement leads to repentance. See entry for Dan. 4:15. | ||
| Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity. | And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” | Leaders reject correction by messengers from God. | ||
| All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. | And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” | Babylon is judged because of her sin. | ||
| At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. | Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. | God allows time for repentance before bringing judgment. | ||
| The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” | And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” | Powerful men trust in their own achievements without acknowledging God as provider. | ||
| For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. | “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall” (Pr. 16:18). | |||
| And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. | The first and last rulers during the Times of the Gentiles are known for making prideful (great) statements. | |||
| While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!” | As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” | The voice of God falls from heaven in judgment. | ||
| Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. . . . The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ . . . The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city . . . For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster . . . cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’ | Divine judgment falls suddenly and unexpectedly at the apex of Babylon’s power and influence. | |||
| And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” | - | See entries for Dan. 4:16 and 4:17. | ||
| And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. | And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, . . .” | After a period of disobedience and chastisement, right thinking is regained.45 See entry for Dan. 4:3. | ||
| For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. | Sanity is a gift from God. | |||
| Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. | Praise is offered to the eternal God. | |||
| Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. | ||||
| who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. | ||||
| Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” | ||||
| All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?” | You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?” But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” | God is not subject to His creatures or their counsel. | ||
| For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. | ||||
| Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? | The armies in heaven do God’s will. | |||
| And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. | ||||
| At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. | But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. | Material needs are met when Godly priorities are maintained. See entry for Dan. 4:15. | ||
| Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down. | But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” | God resists the proud. See entry for Dan. 4:17, see commentary on Daniel 4:37. | ||
| Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time |
| Daniel 5‣ | Daniel Text | NT Passage | NT Text | Remarks |
| They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. | But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. | Idolatry continues throughout the Times of the Gentiles. Like those living in the first kingdom of the Times of the Gentiles, those who live in the last kingdom of the Times of the Gentiles give honor to false Gods rather than the Living God. | ||
| In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. | ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. | Judgment suddenly falls in the midst of good times. | ||
| For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. | ||||
| This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. | The finger of God writes on stone in judgment of the character of men (cf. Ex. 24:12; 31:18; 32:16; 34:1, 28; Deu. 5:22; 9:10; 10:4; Jer. 17:13). | |||
| And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. | The written evaluation of men by God results in condemnation. | |||
| And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. | ||||
| There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father-your father the king-made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. | Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian [language], “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” | Evidence of God working through believers is misinterpreted through a pagan world view. | ||
| True wisdom, insight, and revelation find their source in God. See entry for Dan. 5:14. | ||||
| Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation. | True wisdom, insight, and revelation find their source in God. See entry for Dan. 5:14. | |||
| I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. | At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. | True wisdom, insight, and revelation find their source in God (Gen. 41:38-39; Num. 27:18; Isa. 47:12-13). | ||
| Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. | ||||
| But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. | ||||
| However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. | ||||
| But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. | ||||
| It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. | ||||
| that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him | ||||
| how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: | ||||
| But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. | ||||
| And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. | True wisdom, insight, and revelation find their source in God. See entry for Dan. 5:14. | |||
| Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation.” | And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!” | An attempt to purchase spiritual service from a man of God by the promise of monetary reward. | ||
| And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. | Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” | God has placed the power of capital punishment in the hands of governing authorities. | ||
| Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. . . . For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. | ||||
| But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. | He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. | As God pleases, He displaces the powerful and prideful from their positions of influence. | ||
| I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. | " | |||
| but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. | Hardening due to sin is deceptive, especially the sin of pride. Those affected are often unaware of their condition. | |||
| Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. | See entries for Dan. 4:16, 4:17, and Dan. 5:20. | |||
| And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. | But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. | Men praise dead idols and refuse to worship the true and Living God. | ||
| Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.” | Mankind’s every breath is dependent upon the moment-by-moment sustenance of the Living God. | |||
| And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things [are] naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we [must give] account. | Unlike dead idols, the Living God sees all things. | |||
| He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. | The ultimate idol is living or life-like, having the ability to speak (see commentary on Revelation 13:15‣). | |||
| Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. | Idols are lifeless and without power.46 | |||
| TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; | But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. | No man will be found adequate before a Holy God unless clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Job 29:14; Ps. 132:9; Isa. 59:17; 61:10; Jer. 23:6; Rom. 3:21-26; 10:3; 2Cor. 5:21; Php. 3:9). | ||
| each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. | Even those who are righteous in Christ have their works measured by God.47 | |||
| Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. | ||||
| PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. | Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” | A powerful kingdom is suddenly brought to an end according to the will of God. | ||
| That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. | But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. | Pleasures and great wealth prove to be transient in the light of eternity. |
| Daniel 6‣ | Daniel Text | NT Passage | NT Text | Remarks |
| Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. | Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ | Daniel’s excellent spirit manifested, in part, by his Scripturally-based work ethic and consistent pattern of service. A similar work-ethic is evident in the life of the Apostle Paul. Our work ethic is an important part of our witness before unbelievers. | ||
| " | . . . But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. | " | ||
| " | But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. | " | ||
| So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.” | Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, . . . | Believers are to live in a way which appears blameless and harmless. This allows us to shine as lights within an unbelieving culture. Accusations against God’s people on the basis of their disobedience of authority should be rare—only in cases where secular law contravenes higher law (the “law of Daniel’s God”). | ||
| " | Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. | " | ||
| " | Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. | " | ||
| " | Beloved, I beg [you] as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by [your] good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and [for the] praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— | " | ||
| " | But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. | " | ||
| " | But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. | |||
| All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. | He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. | A law requires ultimate allegiance be given to a man in the place of God. | ||
| Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. | If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. | Daniel knowingly disobeyed the law so as not to break God’s higher law. The Apostles did likewise. This is a requirement for all believers in all times and places. Therefore, it becomes incumbent upon us to be knowledgeable of God’s law and to carefully discern when we are called to disobey parents or a secular authority. See Higher Law. Down through history, numerous believers will pay the ultimate price following this principle (Ps. 44:22; Rom. 8:36). | ||
| " | And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. | " | ||
| " | And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! | " | ||
| " | And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.” | " | ||
| " | . . . “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” | " | ||
| " | And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. | " | ||
| " | Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. | " | ||
| " | And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. | " | ||
| " | And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. | " | ||
| " | And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. | " | ||
| Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. | Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. | Ongoing prayer is important in the life of every believer. | ||
| " | And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? | " | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer | " | ||
| " | praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints | " | ||
| " | Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. | " | ||
| " | Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving | " | ||
| " | Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. | " | ||
| " | I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day | " | ||
| So they answered and said before the king, “That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.” | - | See entries for Dan. 6:10. | ||
| So the king gave the command, and they brought Daniel and cast him into the den of lions. But the king spoke, saying to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” | - | See entry for Dan. 6:10. | ||
| Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed. | “Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. | Both Daniel and Jesus were placed within secure stone enclosures with the expectation they would never been seen again. | ||
| My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you. | But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. | Paul compares preservation from enemies of the gospel with God’s preservation of Daniel in the lion’s den. | ||
| " | And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” | God sends an angel to deliver his saints. | ||
| " | For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ | " | ||
| " | Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? | " | ||
| Then the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God. | And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” | The faith of the individual elicits God’s response. | ||
| " | So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” | " | ||
| " | Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” | " | ||
| " | Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” | " | ||
| " | And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” | " | ||
| " | Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” | " | ||
| " | And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions | " | ||
| And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions-them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den. | Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but [rather] give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance [is] Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. | Daniel had no need to avenge himself upon his enemies since justice was served by Darius according to sovereignty of God. | ||
| I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. | But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him | God is to be feared. | ||
| " | Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. | " | ||
| " | A devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. | " | ||
| " | But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. | " | ||
| " | Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” | " | ||
| " | Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” | God is living | ||
| " | But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. | " | ||
| " | But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” | " | ||
| " | Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. | " | ||
| " | But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. | " | ||
| " | . . . “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them” | " | ||
| " | And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God. | " | ||
| " | clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. | " | ||
| " | And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” | " | ||
| " | but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. | " | ||
| " | For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. | " | ||
| " | Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. | " | ||
| " | Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God | " | ||
| " | how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? | " | ||
| " | It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. | " | ||
| " | But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels | " | ||
| " | Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea | " | ||
| " | And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. | God’s kingdom is the one which will never end. | ||
| " | But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.” | " | ||
| " | for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. | " | ||
| " | Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become [the kingdoms] of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” | " |
Notes
1Image adapted from a public domain image in the Open Clip Art Library and hereby placed in the public domain.
2For related passages from elsewhere in the OT, see [Jerome Smith, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992)].
3Eberhard Nestle, Erwin Nestle, and Kurt Aland et al., Novum Testamentum Graece, 27. Aufl (Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1993), 797.
4Anthony C. Garland, A Testimony of Jesus Christ : A Commentary on the Book of Revelation, Vol. 1 (Rev. 1-14) (Camano Island, WA: SpiritAndTruth.org, 2004), 2.7.5.3.4.
5For additional uses of ten in the OT which may have this connotation, see Gen. 31:7, Gen. 31:41; Num. 14:22; Ne. 4:12; Job 19:3. “The number ten is sometimes used in the OT as an ideal number of completeness. Cf. Dan. 1:20‣; Zec. 8:23; Rev 2:10‣.”—New English Translation : NET Bible, 1st ed (Dallas, TX: Biblical Studies Press, 1998, 2006), Dan. 1:14.
6Nestle, Novum Testamentum Graece, 797.
7Ibid.
8Concerning God’s opposition to occult practices: Ex. 22:18; Lev. 19:26, 31; 20:6, 27; Deu. 18:10; 1S. 15:23; 28:3, 9; 2K. 17:17; 21:6; 23:24; 1Chr. 10:13; 2Chr. 33:6; Isa. 8:19; 19:3; 44:25; Eze. 12:24; 13:7, 9; 13:18-23; Zec. 10:2; Mal. 3:2-5; Acts 16:16; Gal. 5:20; Rev. 18:23‣; 21:8‣; 22:15‣.
9Ibid.
10Ibid.
11Ibid.
12Ibid.
13Ibid.
14Ibid.
15Ibid.
16Ibid.
17Ibid.
18Ibid.
19Ibid.
20Ibid.
21Ibid.
22Ibid.
23Ibid.
24Ibid.
25Ibid.
26Ibid.
27Ibid.
28Ibid.
29Old Testament passages where God warns Gentiles by means of a dream: Gen. 20:3; 31:24; Dan. 2:28‣; 4:5‣.
30Ibid.
31The proximity of the mustard seed parable to the parable of the sower (Mat. 13:3-8) and the parable of the leaven (Mat. 13:33) has caused some interpreters to understand the symbolism in Matthew as an indication that sinful agents will infiltrate the growing kingdom of heaven. In the parable of the sower the birds are said to represent “the wicked one” who snatches away an understanding of the gospel (Mat. 13:19). Leaven typically has negative connotations within Scripture (Ex. 12:15; Ex. 12:19; Ex. 13:7; Ex. 23:18; Ex. 34:25; Amos 4:5; Mat. 13:33; Mat. 16:6-12; Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1; Luke 13:20; 1Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9).
32Ibid.
33Ibid.
34In the Daniel passage, the sending of the angel was only beheld in a vision.
35NT references to the beastly man called Antichrist include John 5:43; 2Th. 2:3-9; 1Jn. 2:18; Rev. 11:7‣; Rev. 13:2-4‣, 11-18‣; 14:9‣, 11‣; 15:2‣; 16:2‣, 10‣, 13‣; 17:3‣, 7-17‣; 19:19-20‣; 20:4‣, 10‣.
36The flight of the Judeans prophesied by Jesus appears to coincide with the flight of the woman in Revelation 12:13-14‣, where she is protected for a period lasting 3.5 years.
37Regarding the duration of “seven times,” see Daniel 4:16.
38The flight of the Judeans prophesied by Jesus appears to coincide with the flight of the woman in Revelation 12:13-14‣, where she is protected for a period lasting 3.5 years.
39Half of the Tribulation, a period spanning 84 months (seven years).
40Half of the Tribulation, a period spanning 2520 days (seven 360-day years).
41Half of the Tribulation, a period spanning seven “times” (years).
42Half of the Tribulation, a period spanning 84 months (seven years). Although the beast only wields absolute power during the last half of the Tribulation (the Great Tribulation, Mat. 24:15-21; Rev. 7:14‣ cf. Rev. 2:22‣), his earlier signing of a covenant with Israel marks the beginning of the final seven year period (Dan. 9:27‣ cf. Rev. 6:2‣).
43See also Gen. 11:4 and Jer. 51:9.
44Ibid.
45Reminiscent of Nebuchadnezzar, the prodigal son had been living practically like a beast.
46Although the idols themselves are powerless, the demonic influences behind them are not: Lev. 17:7; Deu. 32:17; 2Chr. 11:15; Ps. 106:37; Rev. 9:20‣.
47Thankfully, the measurement of their works provides a basis for reward or lack thereof since their salvation is assured by their faith in Christ.
48Ibid.
49Ibid.
50Ibid.
51 The Oxford Cyclopedic Concordance (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1947), 243.
