hapter 8: Daniel has another vision in the
third
year of the reign of king Belshazzar. He sees himself in the palace
of Shushan, in the province of Elam near the river of Ulai. Beside
the river stood a ram with two horns, but another, higher horn rose.
The ram pushes west, north and south and conquors all other beasts
before him. He does as he will and his power and arrogance
grows.
Suddenly, a he-goat comes from the west. He seems to
cover the whole earth and his feet do not touch the ground. This goat
had a horn between his eyes and approached the ram which stood near
the river. He attacks the ram and breaks his two horns. The ram is
powerless against the goat and he is trampled under his feet.
The
goat grows strong and the great horn is broken. In it's place grew
four horns toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of the four
grows another small horn which grows exceedingly
great toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious
land.
It
grew so large it cast down some stars and host of heaven to the
ground and trampled them. It continued to grow until it overwhelmed
the prince of the host and knocked over the burnt offerings and cast
down the sanctuary. Even truth is cast down to the ground. The holy
ones wonder how long this can go on, And
he said unto me, "Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and
mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
Gabriel
speaks to Daniel to help him understand what he has seen. He tells
him these are visions the end times. He says that the ram with two
horns are the kings of Media and Persia. The he-goat is the king of
Greece. The great horn between his eyes is the first king. The broken
horn which four grew back represents four
kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not with his power.
Toward the end of the kingdoms days a
king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall
stand up. This king will
be a destroyer of the mighty and the holy. His arrogance will kill
many and he will attempt to stand against the Prince of Princes but
will finally be broken.
Daniel knows these visions are of
some future time. He faints and is sick for a several days, but
recovers and returns to doing the kings business. "I
wondered at the vision, but none understood it."
Chapter
9: In the first year of
Darius's reign over the Chaldeans,
Daniel is
familiar with the prophecy of Jeremiah and knows the Hebrews' seventy
year period of exile is coming to an end. He is fasting and praying
for the forgiveness for the sins of Israel and a return to Jerusalem.
While he prays, Gabriel returns to him to bring wisdom and
understanding.
He tells him that seventy weeks of exile will
be required to atone for the transgressions of Israel and to
make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint
the most Holy.
He
reveals that the length of time from the commandment to build and
restore Jerusalem until the arrival of the anointed one, the Prince,
would be seven weeks and the city would be rebuilt in sixty-two
weeks, even in troublesome times. After sixty two weeks the
anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing. The people will
destroy the city and the
sanctuary. Wars will rage
until the end comes with a flood.
He will make a firm promise
to many which will last one week. During that week, there will be no
sacrifices or obligations and on
the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and
even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured
out upon the desolate.
Chapter
10: In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia Daniel has another
vision during a time of mourning and fasting. On the twenty fourth
day he is beside the river Hiddekel and saw a
man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with pure gold of
Uphaz: his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the
appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches, and his
arms and his feet like unto burnished brass, and the voice of his
words like the voice of a multitude.
Then
men with Daniel did not see the vision, but they were
afraid so they ran away, leaving Daniel alone. He is told he will
fight the prince of Persia and after he leaves, the prince of Greece
will come. The archangel Michael will help them prevail.
Chapter
11: Daniel is told there will be three more kings of Persia. The
fourth will be far richer than the others and grow strong and stir up
trouble against Greece. A later king will rule with great dominion.
His kingdom will be broken but not his family and they will return to
power. The daughter of the king of the south will marry the king of
the north. She and her family will perish, but from her, a son will
be born who will rise up and prevail against the king of the north
and carry away their gods and vessels to Egypt.
Generations
of kings of the north and south wage war. Kingdoms earned through
battle, flattery and corruption rise and fall. And
as for both these kings, their hearts shall be to do mischief, and
they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall not prosper.
The king of the north defeats the south and forsakes the holy
covenant. He profanes the sanctuary, removes the offerings and sets
up a false god. Despite his wickedness, the people know their God is
strong and will perform miracles.
There is a long period of
trial and cleansing until the appointed time. The kings of the north
and south gather their great armies for battle. The north will arrive
like a whirlwind and conquer many countries, including Egypt, Libya,
Ethiopia and the
glorious land. But he
will not prevail against Edom, Moab or Ammon.
This
mighty
northern king hears rumors from the east and north that trouble him
so he sets out with his armies. His plan fails however, And he
shall plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious
holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
Chapter
12: During that time there will be great trouble, such as never
seen
before, but His people, who are written in the book, will be
delivered. Many of the dead will rise. Some to everlasting life,
others to everlasting shame and contempt.
Daniel is told to "shut up
the words,
and
seal the book, even to the time of the end."
He sees two men on either sides of the river. One man, clothed in
linen, asks the other how long shall it be before the end of these
wonders? The other raises his hands to heaven and swears it
shall be for a time, times, and a half, and after they have
finished breaking up the
power of the holy
people.
Daniel asks "What
shall be the issue of these things?"
He is told to go his way "for
the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end.
The godly will continue to purify themselves and the wicked will be
wicked. He is told that from the time the burnt-offerings are removed
and the false god installed in the sanctuary, there
shall be a thousand and two hundred and ninety days...But go thou thy
way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and shalt
stand in thy lot, at the end of the days."
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