hapter
4: Nebuchadnezzar
has another troubling dream which
his cadre of soothsayers and magicians cannot interpret. Finally
Daniel is brought before the king and he tells him of his dream.
The King sees a huge tree, which seemed to reach as
high as heaven and filled the ends of the earth. Animals and birds
made their homes there and the great tree provided food for all. The
king sees a watcher and a
holy one come down from
heaven and command that the tree be cut down, Nevertheless
leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron
and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with
the dew of heaven.
Daniel is
shocked and unable to speak for a moment. Finally he explains to the
king that he is the mighty tree which will be cut down. He will lose
his mind and wander the fields, eating grass like an oxen with the
heart and mind of an animal. This madness will last until seven
times pass over him (seven years), and he realizes that the Most
High ruleth in
the
kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The tree stump
left in the ground means he
will be restored to his
kingdom after he has learned his lesson that
the heavens do rule...this is the will of
the watchers and the holy ones.
Daniel
advises
him to behave righteously and show mercy to the poor in hopes that he
may forestall this terrible fate. But a year later as the king was
walking through Babylon, he bragged that he had built this great
city by the might of
my power and for the glory of my majesty. As the words were in his
mouth, God struck
him mad and he was
driven from the world of men. He spent seven years eating grass and
wandering with the beasts.
Finally, his senses
returned to him and he
raised his eyes to heaven and praised the everlasting God. His power
and kingdom is restored to him and declares, "Now
I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of
heaven; for
all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those that walk in
pride he is able to abase."
Chapter
5: King Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar throws a
great
party
for a thousand of his lords. He commands that the vessels which were
taken from the house of God in Jerusalem brought out and the king and
his lords, his wives and his concubines, drank from them and they
raised a toast to the gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron,
of wood, and of stone.
Suddenly a hand appeared and wrote a
strange message on the wall of the king's palace. The king was
terrified and called for his soothsayers and enchanters. The king
offered wealth and a position, third highest in the kingdom, for any
who could reveal their meaning. None could interpret the writing on the
wall. The queen told the king of Daniel who had served
Nebuchadnezzar, his father. He had been of high renown as the
greatest interpreter of dreams and that the spirit dwelt within him.
Daniel is brought before the king and offered wealth
and power if he can explain the meaning of the words. Daniel says he
has no interest in the wealth or power but will read the message for
the king. He reads: "MENE,
MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN." This is the interpretation of the thing: "MENE;
God hath numbered thy kingdom, and brought it to an end; TEKEL; thou
art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; thy
kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians."
The
king rewarded Daniel as he had promised, but that night the king was
killed and the kingdom was received by Darius the Mede.
Chapter
6: Darius gave Daniel a high ranking position in his kingdom and
Daniel was promoted to rule over the whole realm. Some of the other
kings men were jealous of Daniel and tried to find some fault with
him but because of his faithfulness, no error could be found. But they
knew of his devotion to his god and devised a plan to use it against
him.
Some counselors
convinced the king to sign a decree
that
for one month, no man could pray to any god or petition any man but
to Darius, the king. Daniel refused to obey, and with his windows
open wide, prayed three times a day, facing Jerusalem.
The
conspirators complained to the king that Daniel was breaking the
kings law and must be punished. The king wanted to protect Daniel,
but the lords insisted the kings law could not be changed. So,
reluctantly, the king ordered Daniel to be locked into a den of lions
overnight. As they rolled a heavy stone over the mouth of the den and
it was sealed, the king remarked, "Thy
God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee."
Heavy
hearted, the king returned to his palace and passed the troubled
night without sleeping. He rose early and hurried to the lions' den
and called out to Daniel, "O
Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest
continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?"
and Daniel answered, "My God hath
sent his angel, and hath shut
the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me."
Daniel
is brought out of the lions den, unharmed and the king ordered that
the men who had accused him, and their families be thrown into the
den of lions. They are all killed. Darius writes a letter to all
peoples of the earth saying, "I
make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and
fear before the God of Daniel; for he is the living God, and stedfast
for ever, And his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed; and his
dominion shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and
he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath
delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."
Chapter
7: During king Belshazzar's first year, Daniel had a
vision
which he
wrote down: Daniel sees the four winds of heaven blow upon the great
sea. He sees four beasts rise up from the sea. The first was
like a lion with eagles wings. The wings were plucked and it stood on
two feet and became a man with a man's heart.
The second
beast looked like a bear, raised up on one side. In his mouth were
three rib bones. It is told, "Arise,
devour much flesh."
The third beast looked like a leopard which had four wings and four
heads and dominion was given to it. The fourth beast was terrible and
powerful with iron teeth that devoured all and stamped the residue
with his feet. It also had ten horns.
Daniel
studies the horns and sees a small horn which forces out three others
by the roots. The small horn had eyes like a man and a mouth which
spoke great things. Thrones were brought out and an ancient one sat.
His clothes and hair were pure white and his throne was of flames
with wheels of buring fire and thousands
of thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand
stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
The beast is
slain, it's body destroyed and burned. The rest of the beasts lost
their power but lived for a
season and a time.
Then,
Daniel sees coming with the clouds of heaven, one like the son of
man, as in the ancient days, And
there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the
peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that
which shall not be destroyed.
Daniel
is troubled and asks the truth concerning all he has seen. He is told
the four beasts are four kings which shall arise out of the earth.
But they will lose their kingdoms to the Saints of the Most High who
will possess the kingdom forever and ever.
Daniel asks about
the fourth beast, which was different from all the others. Which had
the iron teeth and nails of brass. He asked about the little horn
with eyes and mouth which spoke great things and which three horns
fell out before it.
Daniel is told that the fourth beast is a
fourth kingdom on the earth which is different from the other
kingdoms. It will devour the whole earth and tread it down and break
it into pieces. The ten horns represent ten kings which will rise
from this kingdom and another will rise after them, different from
the rest and will establish three kings. He will speak against God
and wear out the saints. He will seek to change the times and the
laws. And they shall be
given into his hand until a time and times and half a time (three and a half years). But in the end, his kingdom will be
destroyed and he will be judged. and
the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under
the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the
Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions
shall serve and obey him.
Daniel
is changed after this vision and although troubled, keeps the matter in
his heart.
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