(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 Nebuchadnezzar’s advisors are among those Jesus refers to as “those who are outside”—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 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. 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 well-being 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 4:16, 4:17, and 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 Daniel 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 Daniel 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!” | " |
| Daniel 7‣ | Daniel Text | NT Passage | NT Text | Remarks |
| 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. | 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. | God intended the details of Daniel’s vision to be made known to all the saints. The details of Paul’s vision were private—not meant to be shared. | ||
| Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. | Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. | The beast which John sees also arises from the sea—implying an origin from among the Gentile nations. | ||
| " | Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. | " | ||
| " | After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. | Four winds, having global influence, are under the sovereign control of heaven. | ||
| And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. | Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. | The four beasts Daniel sees are part of the composite beast seen later by John. Both arise from the sea, representing the commotion of the Gentile nations. | ||
| 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. 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!’ 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. | Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. | The characteristics of the beast John sees match the first three beasts seen by Daniel. | ||
| 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!’ | Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” | Geopolitical powers are under God’s sovereign control. | ||
| 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. | And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. | Kingdoms and their ruling kings are symbolized by heads of a beast with horns. | ||
| " | Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. | " | ||
| " | So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. | " | ||
| " | But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. | " | ||
| " | The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. | " | ||
| " | And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. | " | ||
| " | 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. | Evil is granted dominion in accord with God’s sovereign purpose. | ||
| " | Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword. | " | ||
| " | So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. | " | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. | " | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. | " | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| 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. | 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 final Gentile kingdom is uniquely destructive and powerful. | ||
| " | And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. | The final kingdom is represented as a head having ten horns. | ||
| " | Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. | " | ||
| " | So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. | " | ||
| " | But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.” | " | ||
| " | The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. | " | ||
| " | And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. | " | ||
| 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. | 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 ruler of the final Gentile kingdom is uniquely boastful in opposition to God. | ||
| " | Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. | " | ||
| " | For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy . . . | Boastfulness will also characterize the generation of the time of the end. | ||
| 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; | His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; | The appearance of the risen Christ is similar to the Ancient of Days. Like the Ancient of Days, Christ is holy and eternal (Micah 5:2; John 1:1; John 8:58). | ||
| " | Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. | " | ||
| " | Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. | " | ||
| " | that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. | " | ||
| " | This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. | " | ||
| " | Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. | The Ancient of Days rules from a heavenly throne. | ||
| 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. | For our God [is] a consuming fire. Heb. 12:29 | God’s perfect holiness consumes sin in judgment. | ||
| " | But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. | " | ||
| " | But the heavens and the earth [which] are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. | " | ||
| " | “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,” (Heb. 12:22). | God is attended by an innumerable company of angels, who stand as witnesses to events of special significance. | ||
| " | And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” | " | ||
| " | Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” | " | ||
| " | Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” | " | ||
| " | saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” | Being omniscient, God remembers all things. Yet divine records are kept in relation to future rewards and judgment. | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. | " | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. | " | ||
| " | For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 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. | The Ancient of Days executes judgment regarding removal of the Antichrist and transferral of global rule to the Son and His people. In contrast, final judgment is by the Son. | ||
| “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. | - | See entry for Daniel 7:8. | ||
| " | Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. | The beast is destroyed at the Second Coming, when the kingdom is given to Jesus and the saints. | ||
| " | And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. | " | ||
| " | 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. (Rev. 19:20‣) | " | ||
| 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. | Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. | Jesus is the Son of Man prophesied in Daniel 7‣. This will be evident to the whole world at His Second Coming. | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” | " | ||
| " | But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” | " | ||
| " | Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. | " | ||
| " | No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. | " | ||
| " | For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. | " | ||
| " | . . . Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God! | " | ||
| " | Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. | Like Yahweh, the departure and return of Jesus is associated with clouds. | ||
| " | Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. | " | ||
| " | Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” | " | ||
| " | Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. | " | ||
| " | Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” | " | ||
| " | Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. | " | ||
| " | And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. | As the divine God-man, Jesus is uniquely qualified to approach the Ancient of Days and to receive dominion, having redeemed mankind and the creation from the curse. | ||
| 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. | Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. | Jesus receives His kingdom in connection with the Second Coming, not the First Coming. See entry for Daniel 7:22. | ||
| " | But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. | " | ||
| " | So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. | " | ||
| " | Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” | " | ||
| " | 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!” | " | ||
| " | And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” | The Son of Man receives authority over all peoples, nations, and languages. | ||
| " | And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” | " | ||
| " | All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” | " | ||
| " | The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. | " | ||
| " | For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. | " | ||
| " | For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 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. | Jesus’ authority as judge requires the Son to be honored just as the Father. It is impossible to bypass the Son and access the Father directly. | ||
| " | 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 has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. | " | ||
| " | And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. | " | ||
| " | because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. | " | ||
| " | in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. | " | ||
| " | But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. | " | ||
| " | For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. | " | ||
| " | I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom | " | ||
| " | Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. | " | ||
| " | Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 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. | " | ||
| " | And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. | " | ||
| " | 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. | The kingdom of God is an eternal kingdom and supplants all other kingdoms. | ||
| " | But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” | " | ||
| " | Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. | " | ||
| " | 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!” | " | ||
| I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. | that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh | Divine revelation can cause anguish for the recipient. | ||
| " | So I went to the angel and said to him, “Give me the little book.” And he said to me, “Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.” | " | ||
| 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 | But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” | A heavenly messenger interprets divine revelation. | ||
| " | Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. | " | ||
| " | Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” | " | ||
| Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. | Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 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?” | Beasts represent kings which rule during the times of the Gentiles. | ||
| " | Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. | A beast arises from the earth (or land). | ||
| But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. | Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. | The saints eventually inherit the earth by possessing the kingdom. Not only do they receive the kingdom, they co-reign. Their reign, like that of the King, is eternal (see entry for Daniel 7:14. | ||
| " | So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” | " | ||
| " | Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: . . .’ | " | ||
| " | Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. | " | ||
| " | They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. | " | ||
| " | And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” | " | ||
| " | Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? | " | ||
| " | Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. | " | ||
| " | This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. | " | ||
| " | And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father; | " | ||
| " | To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. | " | ||
| " | And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. | " | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet | And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. | The final Gentile kingdom is uniquely vicious and destructive. | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. | " | ||
| " | 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?” 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. 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. | " | ||
| " | 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. 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, 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. | " | ||
| 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. | - | See entries for Daniel 7:2, 7:3, 7:6, 7:7, and 7:8. | ||
| I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them | When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. | By God’s sovereign design, and for His glory, the beast is allowed to overcome the saints (Rom. 8:36). | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” | " | ||
| " | I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. | " | ||
| 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. | All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” | Israel rejected her King such that the kingdom offered to Israel at the First Coming is delayed until the Second Coming. See entries for Daniel 7:14 and 7:18. | ||
| " | Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” | " | ||
| " | But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!” | " | ||
| " | And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS | " | ||
| " | Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” | " | ||
| " | Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. | " | ||
| 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.’ | 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. | Unlike it’s predecessors, the fourth kingdom is global in scope. See entries for Daniel 7:3 and 7:7. | ||
| " | 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 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. | - | See entry for Daniel 7:6. | ||
| 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. | 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. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”77 | The saints are given into the hands of the little horn for time, times, and half a time (3 1/2 years, 42 months, 1260 days). See entries for Daniel 7:8 and 7:21. | ||
| " | Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. | " | ||
| " | 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. | " | ||
| " | 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. 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. | " | ||
| But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever. | These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” | The dominion of the little horn is taken away. See entry for Daniel 7:11. | ||
| 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. | - | The saints receive the everlasting kingdom. See entries for Daniel 7:14, 7:18, and 7:22. | ||
| This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart. | But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. | Saints continue to meditate upon what God has revealed. | ||
| " | And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. | " | ||
| " | And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. | " | ||
| " | - | Daniel is troubled by the revelation he has been given. See entry for Daniel 7:15. |
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 (Volume 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 Genesis 11:4 and Jeremiah 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.
52Nestle, Novum Testamentum Graece, 797.
53Ibid.
54Ibid.
55Ibid.
56Ibid.
57Ibid.
58Ibid.
59Ibid.
60Ibid.
61Ibid.
62Ibid.
63Ibid.
64Ibid.
65Ibid.
66Ibid.
67Ibid.
68Ibid.
69Ibid.
70Ibid.
71Ibid.
72Ibid.
73Ibid.
74Ibid.
75Ibid.
76Ibid.
77At the end of the 1260 days, Daniel’s little horn overthrows the two witnesses, gaining global dominion over the saints for the remaining 1260 days of the 7-year Tribulation.
78Ibid.
79Ibid.
80Ibid.
