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Christian Media

Communiqué

DOMINOES

Part IV

 

 

 

 

 

As we've been probing the LORD's methodology in revealing things to come to His flock, we can also learn something from the Scriptures concerning the times when He does not intend to provide a clear understanding of future events. Perhaps the stellar example of this is found in the prophet Daniel's writings. 

Daniel is an extraordinary figure, as most would see him as having been the recipient of stunningly broad prophecies, but few would recognize the occasions when understanding of future events eluded him, and our allegorical "Dominoes" blocked his perception.

We might begin by summarizing what he did see accurately.

In the Ninth Chapter of his epic book, Daniel says the future of the Jewish captivity in Babylon was revealed to him, by the agency of prophetic "books."

"I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem" (Daniel 9:2).

Daniel calculated the length of the Jewish captivity to Babylon, of which he was himself an integral part, so he knew approximately when the captivity was coming to a close. It's interesting to note this understanding is said to have occurred "in the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus" (Daniel 9:1). 

This means the famous episode when the handwriting on the wall – that occurred on the night of the fall of Babylon -- came about before the "first year" of Darius. Since Darius ruled the Persian Union, with this information, we can piece together a chronology of Daniel's understanding.

In that account, Belshazzar the king of Babylon, summoned Daniel to interpret the mysterious handwriting that appeared on the wall during a large party. It was obvious that Daniel understood the circumstances in which the Jews were still in bondage to Babylon. It was further known by the prophet that the king was unworthy of ruling the great empire of Babylon, and Daniel could perceive that under Belshazzar's leadership, it was only a matter of time before Babylon fell.

Daniel was also aware of the second prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar – Belshazzar's grandfather – in which many years earlier, Daniel had interpreted a great misfortune would befall the king and the kingdom. 

Thus, when he was called by Belshazzar to interpret a mysterious supernatural sign, Daniel would have suspected the time had come for Babylon's recompense. Furthermore, Daniel's revelations appear to be cumulative, as in interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream, it involved the pride and arrogance of the king (as well as the same culture in the kingdom), and how God had previously intervened in Babylon's affairs.

That episode is the one where Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind for a period, but the LORD restored the king after a very humbling experience. Daniel certainly knew that Babylon would eventually fall, as an earlier prophetic dream had showed him that Babylon would be succeeded by an "inferior" kingdom. Thus, Daniel was cognizant that the caliber of Babylon's kingdom under Belshazzar had deteriorated to the degree that it was plausible that a lesser kingdom could conquer Babylon. 

"And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee" (Daniel 2:39).    

As Daniel entered the scene of the large party of Belshazzar, since he was from one of the royal families in Jerusalem, he would have recognized that the lords and ladies of Babylon were drinking out of the sacred vessels which were taken from the temple, when Nebuchadnezzar attacked it some seventy years earlier.

Accordingly, Daniel had no respect whatsoever for Belshazzar, and in recounting the tale of how Nebuchadnezzar had repented before the LORD, he let at least part of his contempt show as he recounted the story of Nebuchadnezzar's judgment to the king.

"Thou, his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart though thou knewest all this: but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee" (Daniel 5:22, 23).

It is self evident that Belshazzar was a weak king, in that he did not punish Daniel for his condescending statements:

"Thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in [Jerusalem's temple vessels] and hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified" (Daniel 5:23).

Daniel was also aware of the proximate threat of the Persian Union, as he mentioned the empire before the city was invaded.

"Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians" (Daniel 2:28).

Although this was well before the rise of the Grecian kingdom under Alexander the Great (and obviously the Roman Empire symbolized by the iron legs of Daniel chapter 2), because of yet another vision, Daniel knew that at some point Greece would also become a major power. This vision occurred in the third year of the reign of Belshazzar – well after Nebuchadnezzar's famous dream of four successive kingdoms – so Daniel would have perceived that Greece would become the third empire after the Persian Union seen in Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic dream.

In that vision, the text indicates that Daniel was aware of the Persian Union, and he saw imagery that communicated the king of Greece would conquer the Persians.

"I lifted up mine eyes and saw…a ram which had two horns [and] an he goat came from the West…and smote the ram, and brake his two horns" (Daniel 8:3, 5, 7).

At this stage of Daniel's prophetic gifting, we see a familiar stage in the sequence, as it is clear from the accounts in Daniel that he prayed to the God of heaven on a regular basis.

"And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man" (Daniel 8:15). 

This is the same occurrence that we saw in Part III of Dominoes, when we examined the vision the Apostle Peter experienced. The "trance" began, and Peter saw the imagery the Lord wanted him to see. Then, just like Daniel, Peter "sought [the Lord] for the meaning."

"Now, while Peter [was perplexed as to] what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold [the Lord intervened to make him understand]" (Acts 10:17).

In Daniel's episode, which is recorded in Chapter 8 of the book of Daniel, the Lord dispatched the angel Gabriel to make Daniel understand.

"And I heard a man's voice…which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision" (Daniel 8:16).   

The text leaves no doubt at this point, as it specifically identifies the union of the Medes and the Persians, as well as the forthcoming Grecian power in the Scriptures themselves.  

"The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia" (Daniel 8:20, 21).

Even though the fullness of the Grecian era is beyond earthly Daniel's life expectancy, he does know that after the fourth kingdom imaged in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, God would intervene in human history once again, and establish the kingdom of God.

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44).

In what is perhaps the most stunning prophecy in the book of Daniel, we learn that this kingdom which God will set up "in the days of [the four kingdoms described in Chapter 2]," there are amazing details about the "Messiah the Prince" (Daniel 9:25). For example, when He arrives, in his time he will finish the transgression of [Daniel's] people, make an end of sins, and bring in everlasting righteousness.

Even though He will be "cut off," He will confirm that the LORD's covenant is still with Israel, which will cause the Old Testament system of sacrifice to come to an end. Having said that, it is singularly amazing that the False Prophets of our time have deviously reversed the roles, and now routinely claim this entire passage (in Daniel chapter 9) applies to the so called Antichrist!

In the beginning of this essay, I noted that in addition to studying how God reveals prophecy, it is also important to study the occasions when prophetic truth eludes the understanding of the prophets.

This is particularly crucial in the case of shockingly astute prophets like Daniel. We might ask ourselves, since Daniel understood the details of the major kingdoms of the world (identifying them in the text), and discerned the fall of Babylon, to say nothing of His astonishing portrait of the Messiah – including the details of his life, ministry, and the results of His death centuries before the fact – how is it that he was singularly silent concerning the identities of the kingdoms of the end times?

But the truth of the matter of how the identity of the final beast kingdom and the end of the age was not revealed by Daniel will have to keep until the next installment of the Dominoes series in the Christian Media Communique.

 

-- James Lloyd

To Be Continued