DANIEL REVEALS THE GRAND SWEEP OF WORLD HISTORY WITH ACCURACY
The book of Daniel reveals details of world events many centuries before they happened. Daniel could not have known any of these details without God's inspiration. This book verifies the authenticity of the Bible. This book was so important that the adversary of God and mankind tried to block the information from reaching the prophet. Note the tale of awesome spiritual warfare involved in His bringing these prophetic messages to this beloved prophet.
Daniel 10:12-14 NKJV 12 ... "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself... and I have come because of your words. 13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, … with the kings of Persia. 14 "Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days,...
Imagine that a powerful angel of God was blocked by high level demonic rulers of the pagan kingdoms for three weeks. The angel locked in titanic spiritual warfare, and had to be rescued by the arch angel that stands for the people of Israel. The demonic world was determined to block this message. Why? Daniel asked when would Israel's banishment end and he repented officially for the people. God had to send an arch angel to break thru the spiritual blockade and answer his request.
Daniel 9:20-21 NKJV 20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel,...before the LORD my God... 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning...reached me...
The restoration of Israel and the coming of the Messiah is such a vital issue that God's adversaries tried mightily to block this information from reaching us and being included in the prophets book.
SEVENTY WEEKS PROPHECY IS ONE OF MANY DEMONSTRATIONS OF ACCURACY
God gave the prophet Daniel the awesome seventy weeks prophecy which confirms the return of Judah to Jerusalem and the first and second coming of Jesus the Messiah.
Daniel 9:24-25 NKJV 24 "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince,... and sixty-two weeks;...
Daniel 10:11 NKJV 11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you,...for I have now been sent to you...
Daniel was crying out to God for his people while in Babylonian captivity. He begged for mercy for he knew the people deserved their banishment. Daniel was deeply loved and esteemed by God and had a special role. Daniel would be the key to understanding prophecy, so much so that the adversary tried hard to block this information. Daniel realized by reading Jeremiah 29:10 that the captivity of Judah would last 70 years, Daniel took it upon himself to pray for God's mercy to lift the captivity. See II Chron 7:14. 70 X 7= 490. The principle of a day equals a year can be seen in Eze 4:6. But the last week was cutoff in the middle. So we have 69 X 7 = 483 years.
The decree to return from captivity was given in 457 B.C. If we subtract 457 B.C. from 483 we get 26 A.D. We then add one year for the year zero and get the year 27 A.D. This is the year Jesus started his ministry. Then add in the 3 and half years for the last week and we get his crucifixion 31 A.D.
Matthew 24:14-15 NKJV 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand),
Jesus says know that the return of the Messiah is near when the Temple is abominated again. Some would say, but there is no Temple today. Remember no Temple existed when Daniel made his prediction as well. He predicted that the Persians would decree the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple and they did as he foresaw by divine revelation. See Dan 9:27.
WHAT DANIEL'S DETAILS OF THREE WORLD EMPIRES AND THE IRON MONSTER REVEAL
Chapters seven of this inspired book goes into dramatic details regarding the empires to come. It reveals the first detailed vision of the future, and chapter eight the second detailed vision; chapter ten and eleven the third and most detailed visions.
Daniel 7:1-3 NKJV 1 In the first year of Belshazzar King of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions …."I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 "And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
The chief deity of Babylon was Marduk the god of gold. The Medo-Persian empire was slower than the winged lion of Babylon. It was slow, ponderous and powerful like a bear.
| WORLD RULING EMPIRE | THE BEAST | CHARACTERISTICS |
| BABYLON | WINGED LION | MOBILE AND STRONG |
| MEDO-PERSIAN | BEAR | SLOW & STRONG |
| GREEK | WINGED LEOPARD | LIGHTENING LIKE SPEED |
| ROMAN | IRON MONSTER | CRUSHES ALL OPPOSITION |
| HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE AT END OF THE AGE | MONSTER WITH IRON AND CLAY FEET | TEN HORNS & BLASPHEMOUS ONE LEADER |
DANIEL MAKES CLEAR HOWEVER THAT IN THE END GOODNESS AND THE MESSIAH WILL REIGN.
Daniel 7:13-14 NKJV 13...One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near...Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, ... should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Whichshall not be destroyed.
The only empire that will last forever is the glorious kingdom of God - in the end goodness wins!
Daniel 7:4-5 NKJV 4 "The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 5 "And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said...'Arise, devour much flesh!'
The three ribs being devoured by the bear, the second beast, are the Persians defeating the Egyptian Empire which was consequential but also the Lydians and Neo-Babylonians.
Daniel 7:7-8 NKJV 7 "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge IRON TEETH; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 "I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one,...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.
The fourth beast was dreadful and scary beyond that of even lions and bears. It was different, the Holy Roman Empire lasted much much longer than any of the others. The Holy Roman Empire continued thru most of Europe's history. It still exists in a way- thru the Treaty of Rome which gave us the EU, which is still a present factor in the world. Also Paul references the pompous little horn of Daniel which is to come.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NKJV 3 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, 4 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.
Secular critics of the Bible especially all accurate details in chapter 11 are forced to either admit divine revelations or that the book of Daniel is a counterfeit. How could such a counterfeit be done, they cannot explain ? Further, Daniel also foresaw the dividing of the Roman Empire into two legs, the East and West. This divide came fourteen centuries later and cannot be explained- even by the best counterfeit theories.
The Bible is proven to be the inspired words of God, period! Pray for deeper understanding of it!
