Daniel

Exeter Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian Church in America (PCA)

pastor@exeterpca.org ● (603) 772-7475 ● 73 Winter St., Exeter, NH 03833

"Nourishing the Soul in the Hope of the Resurrection"

			*Daniel*
Chapter 1	Prayer	Devotional		Chapter 7	Prayer	Devotional
Chapter 2	Prayer	Devotional		Chapter 8	Prayer	Devotional
Chapter 3	Prayer	Devotional		Chapter 9	Prayer	Devotional
Chapter 4	Prayer	Devotional		Chapter 10	Prayer	Devotional
Chapter 5	Prayer	Devotional		Chapter 11	Prayer	Devotional
Chapter 6	Prayer	Devotional		Chapter 12	Prayer	Devotional

Daniel 1

Glorious and Sovereign Lord, make Your plans for Your people shine forth in brightest colors in our darkest days. When our prospects appear very bleak, You remain a bountiful Provider of every good gift. You can still care for Your children though they are strangers in a strange land. We are strengthened by Your Word and refreshed by Your Spirit. When it would appear that we would fade away in a time of trouble, You are able to do amazing things. You can give Your servants health, wisdom, learning, grace, diligence, and many other blessings. When we lack everything else, there is no greater gift than Your presence among us. Be with us day by day, and bless Your church in wonderful ways as we live in the midst of this fading world. Glorify Your Name through the provision of help that could only have come from You.

return to top

Daniel 2

Father God, You are sovereign over both our waking and sleeping. You are aware of every detail of history and have a full understanding of all that is yet to come. This is not merely a knowledge of the future, for You have decreed all things that will come to pass. You are God, and there is no other. In various times and places You have chosen to reveal a small portion of Your great knowledge to Your servants the prophets. You gave them revelations in visions, events, and in words. You blessed them with a greater knowledge of who You are, and revealed deep and hidden things about the past, present, and future according to Your holy will. You never said more then You intended. You never spoke incorrectly. Your Word is perfect. You can make a slave the most important man in a mighty empire when You choose to reveal mysteries through a humble son of Adam. The truth that You speak through Your servants is various but it is also entirely unified. It tells us that You ordain the rising and falling of kings and kingdoms. Beyond all of the powers of men, and all of their authority, You have brought about the coming of the kingdom of Your Son. This kingdom shall never end. You inaugurated this new kingdom during the time of a very impressive empire among men. That empire is now long gone, but Your kingdom continues to this day. It is on the offensive through numerous struggles, and even the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. You are a Revealer of mysteries, now wonderfully contained in written revelation. Your Scripture is a living Word that daily brings the breath of life to Your people in Your church.

return to top

Daniel 3

Great God and King, the rulers of this world are so easily carried away with their grandeur. We do not face their exact temptations, and we pray for them that You will grant them a new humility through recognition of Your greatness and glory. We will not worship the rulers of this world. We will submit to lawful authority, and we will attempt to serve You by living in an orderly way, but we will only worship You. Neither will we serve false gods, though we may face the persecution of powerful men. Surely You will either deliver us from that persecution, or will deliver us through death into Your glorious presence. In all the difficulties that we may face, we trust that the Son of God is with us, according to His solemn promise. The fire of men is nothing compared to the eternal fire that Your enemies will face. Forgive us for our sins against You, O God. There is no other God who is able to rescue us, for Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.

return to top

Daniel 4

O Father, You reveal the truth to people according to Your great plan. You have shown amazing signs and wonders, and You have humbled the hearts of the proudest men. Your prophets have spoken to us a Word from You. We have heard things that we never could have known. Many of these things have touched on important matters that have changed our lives. We have learned that You have created the heavens and the earth. We have been told that even a sparrow does not fall to the ground unless You have decreed this. We have heard the message of our abundant redemption through Jesus Christ. We have found the way to every spiritual blessing through Your Son. You have spoken to us sure words about our eternal security. There is a King who is far above all the rulers of this world, and we have heard of Him and have eagerly received Him. There is a way for us to worship You through this great King. We know that our sins are forgiven. We have learned that heaven rules. We have been shown the way of righteousness. All of this is a great help to us in our lives. We are so thankful for Your servants who have brought us the Word of truth. Through this wonderful blessing of a godly message, we have been kept from great foolishness and pride. You have rescued us from all kinds of dangerous thinking and behavior. May we use all that we are and all that we have for Your purposes. May we extol You forever, for You are able to bring low all those who walk in pride, and to lift up all those who walk humbly with You.

return to top

Daniel 5

O God, we have a better King than even the best rulers of the earth. Not every ruler on earth is one of the best among men. Some are exceedingly wicked, foolish, and oppressive. They come for a season and then they are gone. The time comes when they discover that their days are numbered. They learn that they have been found wanting, and their authority is taken from them. Father, how are we to submit to wicked kings? We know that we must worship You only. We cannot do those things that would be against Your commandments just to have peace with those who are powerful. We cannot avoid duties to You just to have safety among those who would demand our absolute devotion. Though these leaders may have the power to kill, they cannot cast us into hell. We will not fear them above You. Father, help us to be faithful stewards of any authority we have been granted during our brief lives. May we use what You have given us to honor You, for we know that we may be called to account for our lives even this very day.

return to top

Daniel 6

Father God, You place Your servants in all kinds of strategic positions in surprising places. May we be faithful in our time. In every opportunity for obedience, surely we should expect that opposition may arise. Keep us turning to You in prayer. May we be moved by what You want more than anything else in our lives. You are able to deliver us even from the dens of lions. You know our enemies, seen and unseen. You surely can send Your angel to shut the mouths of many lions. Pick us up out of dangerous snares of trial and temptation at just the right time. There is no other God like You. Why would we fear men and ignore You? Your kingdom shall never be destroyed. Your dominion is from everlasting to everlasting. Grant us success and joy in Your service now and forever.

return to top

Daniel 7

Lord God, a day is coming that will signal the end of this current age and the beginning of the age to come. On that day Your Son will come on clouds of glory. Until then we will bring the message of Jesus Christ everywhere as You open doors for the gospel and give Your servants both desire and strength for the task ahead. Thank You for the great gift of Your Son. His Kingdom shall never be destroyed. We enjoy many blessings of the age to come even now, but we long for the revealing of the fullness of Your Son’s dominion. You have spoken to Your prophets about great things concerning men and nations. You also revealed to them good news about the coming of Your Son. He first came in humble service, but He shall return in judgment and glory. We believe Your Word, and we long for the appearing of Jesus Christ. Save us, O God!

return to top

Daniel 8

God of Glory, You have given us hope in the midst of challenging days that so many face in this current evil age. We are often quite perplexed. We do not know how to interpret the events all around us. You surely are the sovereign Lord over all things. One great land reaches the end of its time. In its place comes a mighty empire that will exist for Your purposes. You rule over men and angels. You could lay out for us the future of all things from the current moment until the return of Your Son. Nonetheless it is not Your will that we should know all the details of Your future acts of providence. Such knowledge would be too much for us. Help us to rise up from our beds each morning and to be about the business of our great King Jesus Christ. We will do well to serve Him always, and to wait for His return with joy and expectation.

return to top

Daniel 9

Lord God, hear us when we cry out to You. You know the facts about our sin. You are perfectly righteous, but Your church has committed treachery against You. You have mercy and forgiveness which we need so desperately, for we have sinned against both Your Law and Your grace. We have sinned against Your Law because we have ignored Your commandments. We have sinned against Your grace. We have been given so much and have responded as if Your gifts to us were small. Please incline Your ear to us again and see that Your church is in great need. Please hear us and forgive us. Do this for Your own glory, for we are Your people for whom Your Son shed His precious blood. We know that we are greatly loved by You. We have been granted a holy union with Your Son, who is the King and Head of Your church. Grant to us Your salvation now, and sanctify Your church.

return to top

Daniel 10

Father God, there are troubling things all around us that we do not understand. Our comfort is that You not only understand all things, but You also have planned all things, and know where all things are heading. We are able to stand only because You are in charge. The earthly days of the Old Testament prophets are long gone. They now live above where Your Son is at Your right hand. They once longed to understand the visions and messages that had come to them. Now they see Your Son and live with Your people who have been perfected in holiness. We thank You for the coming of Jesus Christ, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. We have been granted increased clarity about Your eternal plan through these great events. Yet there is so much that we do not know, and so much that we do not comprehend. Your prophets of old trusted You when they spoke of great things little by little and in various ways. Help us to keep our eyes focused upon Your Son who has spoken so wonderfully to us in His life, death, and resurrection. Help us to trust You with our lives even when we do not understand.

return to top

Daniel 11

Sovereign Lord, You are the Lord of men and angels. You rule over our families and churches. You send us help from on high to confirm and strengthen us. You also correct us when we wander from Your way. Nations rise and fall according to Your plan, but Your church shall move forward in the strength of our Messiah King. He will have a great victory against all false gods and hypocrisy. You will bring low the pride of men. You will use all of the resources in Your hands in order to accomplish Your purposes. Even with all the strength of men in their arsenals, no armies among men can stand against You. You have sent forth Your gospel to every land near and far, and Your Word is winning a great victory as Your Spirit works powerfully over the centuries. Throughout this age there is much suffering alongside the great victories of faith. Men make their plans for grandeur, but they shall not stand. Armies are swept away, and even the strongest men face the end of their days. For centuries men and nations have set themselves against Your covenant people. They would insult Your Name, and destroy Your people, but You give help to Your beloved children. Though we stumble, You have a plan for the coming age that will certainly be accomplished. You will magnify Your own Name, and You will easily defeat the proudest foes. No enemy that expects to destroy You, Your gospel, or Your people will be able to see the fullness of their evil desires accomplished. They shall all come to their end, and there will be none to help them. You are the everlasting God, and You will be praised forever and ever.

return to top

Daniel 12

Lord God Almighty, carry Your people through the great tribulation that will come against the earth. Help us in the day of rebellion and apostasy. Guard us from the wrath of the most powerful adversaries. We do not know the day or the hour of the times that are coming. We do know You. We know Your Son. We know that He will surely have a great victory and vindication when He returns. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of Your Holy Name.

Many of the historical and prophetic books of the Bible tell us the sad story of the rebellion of Israel and Judah and the way that God used the Assyrians and later the Babylonians in His plan of discipline against His people. This happened over a long period of time, ending with the destruction of the city of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Shortly before this time, during the reign of Jehoiakim one of the sons of Josiah, the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. Daniel tells us what the other prophets note: God did this. The Lord gave the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

What is different about Daniel’s prophecy when compared with other biblical books is the great note of victory in the midst of the worst of times in the history of God’s people. We are treated to six memorable stories in the beginning of this book followed by intriguing visions that make up the second half of the book. The opening accounts have proven to be greatly encouraging to the people of God over many centuries, showing us the way of faith in the midst of persecution, and revealing in the plainest terms the absolute sovereignty of God over men and nations.

Daniel and his three companions were among the best and the brightest who were taken among the early exiles to Babylon. They were to be trained in the literature and language of the Chaldeans and prepared to serve the king. They were given new names. It is quite a thing to assume the authority to rename a person. The Lord renamed Abram and Jacob. Jesus gave Peter a new name. Later the resurrected Christ changed Saul’s name to Paul. It is a way of asserting complete sovereignty over a person. These young men, together with many others from other lands conquered by the Babylonians, were to think of themselves as the vassals of the king. They were to submit to him without question.

Submission to lawful authority is an important Christian virtue but it has its limits. No one is free to submit to man when such submission necessitates rebellion against God. As it turns out, there are many opportunities for lawful and good submission to rulers in many varied settings. Occasionally a genuine problem of conscience may arise where a man is being forced to sin against God in order to obey a superior. This is where submission to kings must end, whatever the consequences may be of this disobedience.

The particular test of conscience that is recorded in Daniel 1 had to do with the provisions of food and drink designed for the strengthening of these young men for the king’s service. Daniel was determined to refuse the meat and drink of the king, since he had concluded that to eat and drink these things would be to defile himself. Therefore he wisely led the way for the four men in securing permission for a test of a different diet, one which proved satisfactory to all. Here we have a man who is respectful in his rejection of the plan of the king and his servants. They do submit, but in such a way where they can have a good conscience before God.

These men were far superior to others around them, and that was evident even to those who were not part of the people of faith. They conducted themselves with great integrity in the land of their captivity, and this behavior was a credit to the Lord whom they obeyed above the most powerful earthly king. The result is that Daniel served for a long time as a faithful official and advisor to pagan kings, and did this in a way that was completely consistent with his utter loyalty to God above them all.

The Christ who atoned for our sins on the cross understood the importance of submission to lawful authority and the preeminence of the Word of God above any laws of men. He was able to submit to His parents perfectly as a young boy, though they could not fully understand Him. He obeyed the Law of Moses, paid taxes, and in every detail of His life chose obedience. Above all earthly powers He was obedient to His Father. Anything less than this would have meant a rejection of the way of the cross. His death was His greatest act of obedience. His courage is a great inspiration to us in our own walk of faith, but His obedience is much more than inspirational. It is the source of our eternal life.

There are many people who are willing to try to interpret your dream if you will only tell them the dream first. They may even claim to have the authoritative interpretation or even to speak for God Himself. Who will agree to tell you your dream without hearing some of the facts? Who can know what goes on in the heart of another person while that person is sleeping? Think of the kind of exhaustive knowledge that is necessary in order to accomplish this task. God alone has this kind of knowledge, but He is free to reveal this to someone according to His own will.

The wise men of the Babylonians knew they were in trouble when the king would not reveal his dream to them. They said, “No one can show it to the king except the gods.” The king, for his part, was unwilling to hear them unless they could tell him his dream. He did not want the interpretation of men, but the truth from the gods. He reasoned that the only way that he could have access to the truth would be to receive the interpretation from a man who could reveal his knowledge of secret realms by telling him his dream first. If the gods had revealed the king’s dream to such a man, then would it not be reasonable to assume that they would also give the true interpretation of the troubling dream through the same man?

The king was serious in his demand. In fact he announced his plan to have all the wise men put to death. None of them seemed to have the knowledge of the secrets of men’s hearts that he desired. When Daniel found out the king’s plan of destruction, he sought an opportunity to speak to the king and to give him the dream and the interpretation. His companions prayed to God, and the Lord revealed the mystery to Daniel. It was not the case that Daniel had the capacity within himself to know the unknowable. This information came from God.

The response of Daniel to this gift was one of praise. He blessed the God of heaven. He extolled His great attributes of eternal wisdom and might. He recognized the Lord as the One who alone does wondrous things. He rules in the skies and in the affairs of men high and low. He is Light, and He understands the things that happen in darkness. Daniel thanked God for giving him wisdom and might from on high. The knowledge that Daniel received would save many lives, and he was grateful.

When Daniel met King Nebuchadnezzar, he reiterated what the other wise men had said to the king. It was true that no man could know the thing that the king requested. But he went on to say what they could not say. “There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” God had told Daniel things about the future, things that had become known through a dream to a pagan king. This alone is very intriguing. In the Lord’s providence, Nebuchadnezzar was given the dream and Daniel alone was given the supernatural knowledge to interpret it. God was setting up His servant Daniel to be exalted in the land of his captivity.

The dream of the king was very revealing. It spoke of kingdoms to come in the succeeding empires leading to the time of the Romans so many hundreds of years into the future. During that empire, the Lord would raise up a different sort of kingdom that would never be destroyed. This kingdom was represented in the dream as having an unusual beginning. A stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image in the king’s dream and reduced it all to rubble. Then that stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. The interpretation is especially clear to us now. In the days to come, God Himself would establish a great kingdom through one great Stone. In the days of the Roman Empire, God sent His own Son as the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. He came preaching and teaching the message of a new kingdom that would never pass away. That kingdom would be different than the kingdoms of the world, and would be greatly victorious.

Daniel received wisdom and power as a gift from the God who possessed them by His nature. Jesus was different. He possessed these attributes within Himself just as much as His Father possessed the same attributes. Jesus, in His divine nature, would not have needed anyone to tell Him the dream of any King, for He knew what was in a man. He knows us, and He has brought us into His all-surpassing kingdom. His greatness is far above all the kings and kingdoms of the earth, and He has shown his love for His subjects by dying for our sins.

The absolute ruler of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar. Despite the fact that we have a record of a positive interaction from the previous chapter between Daniel and the king regarding the king’s dream, there is no recognition here of any benefit from that interchange. The king demands absolute obedience from these men who are exiles from Judah. This absolute obedience included their religious practices. If they want to live, they must do what they are told. They are told to worship an image, a significant violation of the Law of God. This they will not do.

The behavior of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego becomes a matter for the consideration of the king through a report of Chaldeans who accuse them concerning this matter. The contention is that these particular Judean exiles simply will not obey the king’s directive to fall down and to worship this golden image at a given signal. The broader point is also made that these men do not serve the Babylonian gods. This is something of a surprise for two reasons. First, in every other way these men do seem to be submissive to the king. It would not have been that difficult for them to fake obedience to this directive, but they refuse to do so. Second, the history of God’s people has been full of false worship. It is surprising to think that these men might actually have been willing to obey the Lord on this matter when so many of their ancestors have made the free choice to worship false gods without the excuse of any outside compulsion. This is worthy of further examination. Could it be that God’s servants have become examples of faithfulness in the most unlikely place for their obedience to him, in the seat of Babylonian power?

These three brave men are not intimidated by these threats. They profess their faith in the Lord’s power to deliver them, but then they say something that is shockingly faithful, and that should be inspiring to all of us. “But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Even if the Lord determines to let them be destroyed by the king, they will still refuse to violate His commandments. This is a statement of loyalty and love that goes beyond the fact of what God will do for them in answer to their immediate plea. This is the kind of commitment that Christ would show to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane as written in Luke 22:42, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” There is a commitment here that is far beyond the immediate comfort of the one who makes the petition. In the case of Jesus Christ, this kind of commitment was necessary if the victory of the cross was to be secured by the Messiah.

The king was infuriated by this response. He took every effort to insure that he would be the victor in this contest. The men were bound. The furnace was especially hot, so much so that some of the servants of the king lost there lives just from bringing the Hebrew exiles close to their doom. Yet when the critical moment finally came, these three men were not destroyed. Instead, they were joined by a fourth man who seemed to be a divine savior. The men who had been cast into the furnace were safe and unbound. They were not hurt.

When Christ came to die for us, He did not need the help of men in starting the community of the faithful. He did what He did, not because of the power of men, but in spite of it. We who now proclaim the message of His cross have no interest in the coercive force of rulers to aid us in our efforts to preach the good news of Christ’s kingdom. We will resolve to obey the Lord even if the full force of the power of any state is against us. As our Savior was true to His mission when He was a victim of Roman injustice, we trust that He will use us, even if we face the hatred from men that our King once faced. Our God is able to deliver us. Even if he allows us to die at the hands of unjust men, we will not worship anyone except the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not a common occurrence in the Scriptures for the Lord to allow His story to be told by someone who is outside the covenant community of His people. Daniel 4 is one of those times when the Lord and His prophets seem to step aside for a moment and God expresses His sovereignty through the words of one of the rulers of the earth. In this case the man is the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar, and the story that He tells is specifically about the sovereignty of God over even the most powerful rulers. What better way to make that point than to use such a man to tell the story! The message here takes the form of a letter from the king to all the peoples of the earth. He has a story to tell, a lesson that he has learned through a devastating series of events in his life. The events described brought him to admit that Daniel’s God, who the king calls the Most High God, has dominion over all places and all generations.

Everything began with a very alarming dream which only Daniel could interpret to the king’s satisfaction. The vision was about a great tree that reached to heaven and could be seen throughout the earth. The language that the king uses to describe it is the language from other Biblical passages about the tree that is associated with God’s kingdom. This is a tree of some authority and power. In the dream someone comes from heaven and makes an announcement commanding that the tree be chopped down. The stump will remain. The language then becomes personal, not referring to a tree, but to a man, who will be brought low, so low that he will be given the mind of a beast. All of this is presented as certain and purposeful, “to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.”

The letter goes on to describe the interaction between the king and Daniel, who is commanded to give the right interpretation. Why did others not give the interpretation? Isn’t the meaning of it fairly plain? The details of timing and some specifics could reasonably be in question, but isn’t the basic theme of a great ruler being radically humbled very evident? Perhaps the other wise men did not want to give the interpretation in part because they were afraid of the king’s reaction to such a message. In any case, Daniel is greatly troubled, but he does give the interpretation. Ho does so with sadness, respect, and boldness. This great king will be made to eat grass like an ox for seven periods of unspecified time until the Lord accomplishes His desired purpose.

This was not the end of the story. As expected the purpose of the Lord was accomplished. The king’s reason returned to him after the appointed time. He blessed God and acknowledged His eternal sovereignty and dominion. He noted that all the inhabitants of the earth were as nothing compared to their Maker, and that God does whatever He wants to do. The king’s former glory was restored, and he praised the King of heaven, who does everything according to what is right and just, and who humbles the proud.

The story of Christ is the story of God with us. By His divine nature He has always been and will always be above the most powerful kings of the earth. Yet He never needed to be taught a lesson in order to be made humble. He took upon Himself a human nature in His incarnation, and lived in perfect humility. We, on the other hand, who have no reason to exalt ourselves in pride, have often done so, particularly in our relationship with God. Every time we have ever decided that our way was the right way and a better way than the path of Christ, we have been proud in our estimation of our own wisdom and have acted as if we had sovereign authority over the affairs of our lives.

What should amaze us more than anything is that Christ took the discipline upon himself that we deserved in our pride. He did not have to eat grass like an ox for seven times. He did not lose His reason or His speech. He faced something much worse than what King Nebuchadnezzar faced. He took our eternal punishment upon Himself on the cross. He faced death and the grave for three days, and then rose again in glory. The message of this victory over sin has been published far and wide in His letter of love to His subjects. This is our great King. He is sovereign. He is the Most High God and the Savior of sinners. He rules over the affairs of men for the glory of His name and for our good.

Belshazzar made a serious mistake in his use of the power that he had been granted. Perhaps we can imagine the kind of temptations that will come upon a person who thinks of himself as largely unaccountable, and who is regularly treated as the supreme authority in any community. The extent of our fall in Adam is such that none of us would be particularly safe under those conditions – not only because of the potential of danger that we face from others, but especially because of our own unguarded depravity.

This king chose to celebrate with a thousand of his lords. His mistake was in his choice of vessels for his drinking. He gave the order that the holy vessels that had been taken from the Lord’s temple would be brought to him, so that these could be used for this celebration by the lords of Babylon and the king’s wives and concubines. As they drank together they praised the gods of their imagination that are no gods at all. There is a God of creation and providence who has made all things and who rules over men everywhere. He grants them whatever achievements or setbacks He has ordained for His own purposes. There are no gods of elements, and the things that men make out of the elements are not gods at all.

The true God normally does not write things directly on a wall, but He can do that, and He did do that on that fateful day. Naturally the sight of the Hand of the Lord, and the experience of receiving an unknown message in this way was greatly alarming to the king. He was overwhelmed by fear. He shouted out franticly for help that he hoped to receive from the group of wise men that were supposed to interpret such things. He promised them great rewards if they could read and interpret the writing. None of them could do it. On the advice of the queen, Daniel was called for, and a great reward was offered to him if only he could do what the advisors had failed to do. Daniel was recognized as one who had “the spirit of the gods” in him, allowing him to bridge the unbridgeable gap, and to interpret the words of heaven for men on earth.

Daniel’s response was instructive. Many years had apparently passed since the events in the earlier chapters in this book. At least one change of power had taken place in Babylon, and perhaps more than one, since the word “father” can be used loosely in describing an earlier generation that may not be immediately prior to the current day. We do not hear the same tone of admiration for Belshazzar that Daniel had once used in speaking with Nebuchadnezzar. There is still a respect of office perhaps, but an interesting unwillingness to take any rewards from this king. What follows is a clear rebuke. Belshazzar has not learned the lessons that he should have learned from the experiences of Nebuchadnezzar described in the previous chapter. Specifically, his use of the Lord’s vessels in such a disrespectful way is a horrible show of pride that was the point of the discipline that the earlier king had received when he was given the mind of a beast for some period of time. This man had worshipped false gods using sacred vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem, but he had not honored the real God who gives breath to the king. This is what Daniel told the great Belshazzar.

He also revealed to him the meaning of the writing on the wall. It turns out that reading and interpreting this message correctly was not an easy task, since the words all had double meanings, all capable of being read as both verbs and nouns. Even after reading them correctly the interpretation was not at all self-evident. Any message that would be given would have to be tested by unfolding events. The words as nouns meant, “Mina, mina, shekel, half-shekel.” As verbs they meant, “Numbered, numbered, weighed, divided.” Daniel chose the verbal meaning and interpreted it to mean that this man’s days were numbered. He had been weighed by God and found wanting. His kingdom would be divided and taken from him. The truth of the message was proven that very night with the success of Darius the Mede and the death of Belshazzar.

The story of this man’s death vindicated the message of Daniel, and said nothing good about the man himself. Why did Belshazzar live? Why did he die? What was his existence about? Like Lot’s wife, his life is remembered not for imitation, but as a warning. For all of us it is a stubborn fact that our days are numbered. It is also true that if we are to be weighed on the only scale that matters, we will surely be found wanting. Anything that we think we have can be justly taken from us by God. The scale for measuring a life is God’s scale, not the horizontal comparisons that we make among men when we try to convince ourselves that we measure up. By God’s scale we deserve not only physical death, but even the eternal punishment of hell.

Our great King and Savior came to be measured. A debt had to be paid out in the currency of heaven, and only He could do this. The reason is that when His life was measured on the divine scale there was absolutely nothing that was wanting in it. For this reason, by God’s justice, nothing could have ever been taken away from Him. His death had to be His own willing giving up of Himself for us. This He has done, and now He lives forever as our worthy eternal King. It is our great privilege not only to serve Him, but to worship Him forever.

Daniel was a man of great insight and ability. This is not just an observation about his natural gifts. It was recognized that he was a man who had a spiritual discernment that came from beyond him. Because this was known by king Darius, Daniel was distinguished above other royal advisors. In this way his story is reminiscent of the patriarch Joseph, who did well no matter where he was placed, whether in the home of an Egyptian official, in the king’s prison, or in service to Pharaoh himself. Joseph’s story tells us that this kind of favor with God and man does not rule out suffering. In Daniel 6 we read of an episode of tremendous betrayal and trouble, but also of divine deliverance more powerful than the plots of evil men.

Daniel’s advancement had not escaped the attention of the many advisors to the king. When we read of them taking counsel together for the destruction of Daniel we remember the religious leaders at the time of Jesus, and their efforts to counteract the popularity of the Messiah, and even to have him turned over to the Gentiles in order to kill him. In the case of Daniel, his adversaries knew that they could not credibly accuse him of incompetence or wrongdoing. Their only hope was to create some conflict between the Law of Daniel’s God and some edict of the king. Their plan was to have the king prohibit the petition of any god or even any other man but the king for thirty days upon pain of death.

We are not told why the king agreed to such a decree, but he did. Daniel’s response to all of this was intriguing. He kept on doing what he had apparently been doing for some time according to a well-developed habit of spiritual discipline. Three times per day he went to his knees and prayed toward Jerusalem, thanking God and bringing his petitions before the Lord. What he did was courageous. It was not showy, but it was visible. He was not hiding from those who would be his accusers. He did not have to change his behavior at all. He did what he believed he was called to do, and he knew that it would be theirs to take the next step. He would not be intimidated.

The story of the care of Darius for Daniel is moving. He wanted him to live, and he did live. He wanted to have a voice answer him when he cried out in anguish as he came near the lion’s den, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then he heard the words that his soul loved: “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths.” He was alive! We are told that he was alive because he was blameless before God and man, but how can a man be blameless?

We know the end of Daniel’s story, and we know the end of the story of his enemies who wanted him dead. This does not answer our question about blamelessness. Daniel came into this world with the stain of Adam’s sin. He was a truly great man, but like Joseph, Samuel, Ruth, Mary, and a handful of other truly great Bible heroes, he needed a Savior to come so that before the judgment seat of God he could be acknowledged as fully blameless because of the perfect blamelessness of Jesus Christ. The answer is in Daniel’s God, the one he prayed to when praying meant facing death by wild beasts.

When Pilate said about Jesus, “I find no guilt in him,” he could not have understood how true his words were. His enemies took counsel together against Jesus out of envy. They wanted to see him dead. They thought that they had succeeded in their plans, but Jesus was not dying on a cross because of their clever scheme. He went to the cross because of his willing agreement to the plan of our sovereign God that the Lord’s beloved people might be counted as blameless. Jesus did not lose his battle on the cross. It was through the cross and the resurrection that He won His great victory. He did this so that we would live forever.

Today we are still in an age where it could be said of us that we are in harm’s way. If we are faithful to God more than men, those who have the power of the sword may determine to use it against us. We do not choose to enter a den of lions, but that den may find us. Christ has warned us that what people have done to Him, who is our great King, they will also do to us, who seek to serve Him as His faithful subjects. God can deliver you out of the mouth of a lion, but that is actually a small matter compared to what He has already done for you through His beloved Son. Because of Jesus Christ, though we die, we shall live. This is better than any health or prosperity that might be ours for a brief moment. Follow the King who died on the cross for you. Live forever.

With the benefit of parallel passages in this and other books, and with the perspective of those who have been born after the coming of the Messiah, there need be little doubt what these four beasts stand for. They have in common with one another that they came against God’s Old Covenant people. It is fitting that they are pictured as rising up out of the tumultuous sea of the world, for ultimately they speak of the empires of this world. Yet they are distinct regimes that are easily guessed today. The lion seems to stand for Babylon. The bear is the empire of the Medes and the Persians. After them come the Greeks symbolized here as a leopard, and the final horrifying beast stands for the Romans. If we are wrong in any of these identifications, that is not particularly central to the point of the chapter, since God is not exalting the power of the world here, but His own sovereignty over even the most powerful empires of men.

All of these powers are vicious in their treatment of God’s people. It is important to consider that our hope is not for the best governing power that history presents as reasonable. Our hope is for the kingdom of God that the Lord has established through Christ, a kingdom that will have a perfect fulfillment far above any other power to which it could be compared. Each of these beasts has unusual and frightening elements that are not comforting to the people of God, but the final beast is definitely the worst. When such a vicious power is given authority over the covenant people of God, the only comfort that we can have is that it is our loving God who is giving them this authority, and it is clearly only for a time.

There is a little horn mentioned in connection with the final beast that seems to be more of a person than some phase in the life of a kingdom. This horn has the eyes of a man and a mouth that makes proud boasts. This could easily stand for the antichrist figure that we hear of in other biblical texts, either the plural generic antichrists that will arise at various points throughout the current age, or the specific singular one who will gain strength during the time immediately prior to the return of Christ and the full establishment of the Lord’s great kingdom.

This great kingdom of God is associated with the judgment of the final beast and with the coming of the Son of Man in clouds of glory. For this reason the final kingdom must be more than just the Roman Empire per se, but all the powers of this world that this great empire of men represented. The Son of Man who is the key to the Kingdom of God is presented before the Ancient of Days as one who is approved. The contrast between Him and the powers that came before Him could not be greater. The eternal God gives to our great Mediator Jesus Christ all dominion and glory and a world-wide kingdom that will not be destroyed. All of the other kingdoms will surely perish, though they may seem to last for some period of time during this age.

The authoritative interpretation of this vision tells us that there is a connection between this Son of Man and the saints of the Most High who are His people, for He is given a kingdom, and they receive this kingdom as well. We are also given a sense of the turmoil of this age with the first appearance of this new kingdom of God. There will clearly be a period of some kind of warfare where this beast will battle against the church, even seeming to prevail over them at least for a time. Whatever success these powers of the world or one evil center of authority will seem to have, they will be judged by God Most High, and His saints will inherit the earth in Christ our King.

These facts of vividly-portrayed prophecy amounting to many future centuries of covenant life and spiritual warfare were quite overwhelming to Daniel. We live in an age when Christ has already come, but not as the Son of Man on clouds of glory; at least not yet. Instead He first came as Isaiah’s Suffering Servant and as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The battle of this age is a plain fact according to Daniel’s dream. It is important for us to know that that battle eventually comes to an end. It is not enough for us to believe in the Suffering Servant. We need to know that He who has risen from the dead is coming on the clouds of glory to bring about the judgment of the world and to receive the Kingdom together with us, a prize that He so richly deserves.

Daniel had a vision in the first year of Belshazzar which is preserved for us in the previous chapter. That vision contained four animals coming up out of the sea. Two years later he had a second vision that was closely related to the first and to the four-part statue dream of Nebuchadnezzar from chapter two. It is important to interpret these dreams together in order to get the best understanding of the specific meanings of the images that God used to communicate His message regarding the future centuries that would arise. However, it is even more important to recognize that while the Lord was saying specific things about specific powers among men, this does not preclude that He was also saying something even bigger than that. For example, the legs of iron in chapter 2 and the horrifying horned beast of chapter 7 are apparently both pictures of the Roman Empire. They have one level of their fulfillment in the regime that replaced the Greeks after the second century BC, but these images also mean more that that. They stand for some system of world power that goes beyond flesh and blood as the New Testament use of the idea of the beast makes clear.

The vision in Daniel 8 is not a four-part story, but a two-part story that helps us to understand the middle stages in the earlier four-part stories. Here the story is about a ram and a goat. The ram charges to the west, north, and south. The ram was clearly in charge of the whole region. There was no greater power, no other ally for a lesser power to turn to who could offer a credible challenge to the ram. Then along came the goat flying in from the west, and he destroyed the ram’s horns of power. Now it was the turn for the goat to be exceedingly great. Yet the day of the goat’s defeat is on the horizon of the vision. There is mention of a little horn that comes from the goat which grew exceedingly great, a horn that seems to attack the covenant community in the place that is called “the glorious land.” This horn is said to grow great “even to the host of heaven.” Here we have the sense of some evil that is beyond the powers of men. In any case, there is specific mention of the disruption of the worship practices of the covenant community, though perhaps only for a limited and defined period of time. It is helpful to consider that God is revealing these events to his prophet hundreds of years before they would take place. Even though we may wonder about the specific meanings of messages such as this, we cannot miss the fact that God is presented here as sovereign over it all.

Daniel wanted to understand this vision, and an angel was instructed to make him understand the vision. Even the angel’s appearance was frightening to the prophet. That messenger spoke of this as something connected to the “time of the end.” This expression is ambiguous. We are not told how to interpret these words, yet we are given a sense that a power far beyond us does understand the whole of it. These events were overwhelming to Daniel. He fell into a deep sleep, but was made to stand up. An explanation is given to him, yet by the end of the chapter we read that Daniel is troubled, and that he does not understand. There are things here that seem to defy explanation. Nonetheless, we are given an extraordinarily clear identification of the ram and its horns as the kings of Media and Persia, and the goat as Greece.

The angel goes on to reveal the coming of a “king of bold face” who will bring fearful destruction upon the people of God. This antichrist-like figure refers to a one who ruled prior to the birth of Christ, but also points forward and beyond the world that we see to a battle that is bigger than anything that men alone can accomplish. This evil entity will destroy many and will rise up against the Lord, and will ultimately be defeated by the power of God. Daniel was laid low by what he saw, but was soon up and about the king’s business. Nonetheless, he was deeply troubled, and he admitted readily that he did not understand the vision.

How would the church fare if we were under attack from one of the great powers of history? It is frightening to consider having to face the opposition of a powerful leader who has armies at his command and who is firmly against God, His Word, and His worship. Yet beyond men and armies, there are other powers that are even more disturbing. How can we deal with fallen angels that we cannot see? What is the relationship between powerful men that we can see and those angelic adversaries that we cannot see? We are not told. Like Daniel we do not understand.

It is enough for us to know that the God-Man Jesus Christ has full authority over men and angels. The One who cast out a legion of demons from a man and sent them into a herd of pigs is still in charge of the affairs of all His creatures, seen and unseen. When Peter cut the ear of the servant of the high priest, Jesus remarked that He had access to legions of angels. Clearly He could have avoided arrest if that had been His intention, but He was resolute in moving toward the cross for the accomplishment of our redemption. Here was one who had authority over kings and angels, yet he seemed to be their prisoner. This great Son of God was a willing victim according to the larger purposes of our glorious God. He understood what He was doing. We can trust Him with things that we do not understand. He is full of power and love. It will be our great privilege to be with Him forever. We are invited to know Him who knows things that would only make us sick and confused. We are invited to love Him who knew perfectly well what He was doing, and who loved us to the end.

He spoke to God with an acknowledgement of the Lord’s greatness and righteousness and with confession of the sins of the people. The exile to Babylon was not a result of something lacking in God, but a long-expected discipline of the Lord’s people for their sin, for they had not been true to the Word. Earlier prophets had spoken to those in authority and to the people at large both in the northern and southern kingdoms, but the Lord’s people had not listened to them. Daniel confesses the treachery of the people, but he also confesses that mercy and forgiveness belong to God.

This trouble that has come upon Israel and Judah should not have been a surprise, since Moses had warned them so many centuries before about the chastisement that would come upon the people if they did not obey the Lord. What had taken place was not simply the result of anonymous geopolitical movements from economic or military disadvantages of Israel compared to the empires from the north and east. The God of Israel had patiently warned them over many centuries, and had finally brought upon them the calamity that He had promised. What is amazing, and what we have seen previously in the account of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, is that even after all of this happened, the people did not really turn to God and repent. Nonetheless the mercy of God remains a delightfully steadfast fact. Daniel calls upon the Lord with a confident expectation that this discipline was to be for a given period of time. If the Lord dealt with us only according to the Law, there could never be any hope for us, but with God there is abundant mercy.

Daniel’s plea is based on the Lord’s own Name, and His love for Jerusalem and for the Lord’s sanctuary which was now desolate. He cries out to God based upon the Lord’s own Word and a secure understanding of the character of our Maker and Defender. He cannot plead the righteousness of the people, for they have not been righteous, but He can ask God to act for His own Name’s sake, and to do what is consistent with His own sure promises. Why would the Lord even continue to care for those who were obviously disobedient? The reason is that the city and the people are somehow united to the Lord, just as the church of Jesus Christ today bears the Name of the Son of God.

Though the words spoken to Daniel are supposed to give insight and understanding, as with the prior chapter, this does not mean that the prophet is given a full understanding of what is being spoken or that these words are simple or straight-forward. What we should be able to see is that the sovereign Lord has the future in His own hand. He will finish transgression. He will put an end to sin. He will atone for iniquity. He will bring in everlasting righteousness. He will complete special revelation, and he will anoint a most holy place with his presence. This will not take place without much suffering and opposition, but it is obvious from words that are otherwise quite challenging, that the mercy and righteousness of the Lord will be victorious.

Beyond everything else we should see here a Man greater than Daniel who made loud cries and supplications to God and was heard. We are told in Hebrews 5:7 that He was heard because of His reverence. By His one sacrifice He has accomplished all of the hopes of every prophetic revelation. We see in His own life, death, and resurrection the beginning of the new resurrection life that will come when the Lord returns. Now we long for an end to all transgression, iniquity, and sin. We have this already in Christ because He has atoned for our sins through the cross, but when He returns He will bring in the perfect kingdom of everlasting righteousness. He will anoint His church as the most holy place, and we will enter into the joy of the fullest eternal communion with our God and His people.

The final three chapters in Daniel contain the last vision and interpretation of this prophetic book. In some of the previous visions, the prophet had indicated that he did not understand the visions that he saw or even the explanatory words that he heard. While we learn in chapter twelve that the timing and the outcome of the events referred to here remain mysterious to Daniel, we begin this section with a strong statement that the prophet understood the word and the vision. When we come to difficult apocalyptic sections of the Scriptures, it is not our goal to guess at possible interpretations, as if we cannot be satisfied until we have understood everything. Instead, we want to understand what the Lord has for us to understand, and we want to have peace and trust regarding all of it. Too often we argue about those aspects of a passage that seem beyond our comprehension, and we do not give sufficient attention to the amazing things in a text that are very clear and very important.

Even though there were important things that Daniel understood concerning the final vision of this book, this does not mean that the experience of receiving this revelation was an easy one. Daniel saw an impressive-looking and very frightening angel. Though his friends saw no one, they must have sensed something, since they were overcome with a great trembling and they ran away to hide. Daniel was left alone and he had no strength left in him. The appearance, the voice, the feeling of this angelic messenger was too much to bear. Then the angel touched him, and picked him up, but he was still on his hands and knees trembling.

Despite the sights and sounds associated with this heavenly visitor, the message that he began to speak was very comforting. Daniel was greatly loved by God, and the Lord had heard His request and had set in motion certain events in response to Daniel’s prayer. These are not small points. In the turmoil of world events and the personal challenges of even a calm life, we can take some comfort in the truth of what our status is with God. Through Jesus Christ we are called sons of God and referred to as the beloved of the Lord. We are also told to pray without ceasing and are encouraged in this duty by the fact that we have bold access to God through the mediation of our Savior.

What follows now is not easy for us to wrap our minds around since it speaks of realms of existence that are simply beyond our normal frame of reference. Whatever difficulties we may have in understanding the finer points of what is said here and in the next two chapters, there are certain things that are obvious. God is involved in the affairs of men and nations. This is something that we learned in the events of Daniel’s life recorded in the earliest chapters of the book. There is a strong connection between those memorable and inspiring stories and the apocalyptic visions that we are looking at now. They both teach the absolute sovereignty of God. Furthermore, there seems to be some connection between specific beings in heavenly realms and events among particular people groups and nations here below. It should not surprise us that this would be hard for us to consider. We have a hard time understanding the life of even one soul. How are we to consider the society of angels and then the relationship between the societies of men and that of angels? What we should see is that God is above all of these things and controls them, and it is for this reason that He can send us a sure message about the future.

The final thing we can glean from this passage is that the Lord is able to give us the strength necessary to respect and value the reality of spiritual life. We can go beyond simply being overwhelmed by the facts of heaven. We can be strong and of good courage as it relates to these matters because the Lord is able to strengthen us in our own souls. The affairs of Persia and Greece are not beyond His portfolio, and He can use powerful angelic beings with actual names to fight other angelic beings and humans who are beyond us. We can have peace in our souls because the Lord God has a book of truth, and what is inscribed in that book will surely happen.

The events of our own lives would be plenty of trouble for us without hearing about Persia, Greece, Gabriel, or Michael. Our souls need to be strengthened from above. Our friend, Jesus Christ, the Lord of Hosts, is completely on our side, and through His Spirit He is more than at our side. He is actually inside us, which is exactly what we need. Because of this soul-strengthening divine presence we can do much more than we might think we can do, for God is at work within us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure.

This reality of soul encouragement is one of the many benefits that our Savior has won for us through His death. It is important to realize that we are supposed to ask for the blessings of the Holy Spirit, rather than simply to presume that we already have them. The Lord, before He took His seat at the Father’s right hand, told us that we should ask Him for help, that our joy might be full. There is probably no reason for us to be entirely and forever incapacitated by things that are beyond us. God is stronger than kings and angels, and He is in us for our greater comfort and for our more fruitful service in His glorious Kingdom.

We continue with this final vision in Daniel which includes chapters 10 through 12. In this eleventh chapter an unidentified heavenly speaker refers to another heavenly power called “Michael.” We find it very hard to comprehend heavenly powers, particularly their impact on the affairs of men. It does seem that the speaker may be superior to Michael, since this speaker is said to have stood up to confirm and strengthen Michael. It seems likely that the messenger is speaking for God Himself, who is the Lord of the heavenly host and the Ruler over all times and places.

The first twenty verses of this chapter are a detailed account of events that would occur over the next three or four centuries in the Persian, Greek, Egyptian, and Roman empires. This is more than simply identifying that the Greeks will be the power that comes against the Persians as we saw in an earlier chapter. Here we have information on the number of rulers in each dynasty, the marriage alliances that will be made, their military campaigns, and their victories and defeats. Even to hear these many items revealed is more than we can hold together in our minds. We have to start making diagrams and use all of our capacities to think about these few sentences of information presented to us here. Consider the greatness of the wisdom and knowledge of God. He decrees all his creatures and all their actions. The only way for any messenger, heavenly or earthly, to know the things listed definitively in these verses is to receive a message from the One who works out all things according to the counsel of His own will.

There had been and would continue to be a great variety of rulers and nations who would flex their muscles in this strategic place of conflict between larger empires. Why does God have so much to say about this one figure from history, Antiochus IV, a man that few beyond biblical commentators would have any interest in at all today? We do well to remember the connection between men and angels that we see in these final chapters of this book. A strange proud figure like Antiochus IV does not stand by himself, and he stands for more than himself. He is an important expression of the antichrist spirit that would come again at various points throughout the current age and will one day find an ultimate expression prior to the return of the Lord. We learn more about that antichrist spirit by the actions of this one man two centuries prior to our Lord’s public ministry. He is a contemptible person who surprisingly slithers into power through flattery. His arsenal of strength seems to go beyond obvious military assets. Somehow he is able to have victory over the might of his enemies. Alliances with him will mean nothing, for he is a liar. Though he has surprising power, it is not unlimited, and it is only for a time. We especially see here that he sets his heart and uses his power against the holy covenant.

In today’s language, the antichrist spirit hates God’s church. He will fool many who forsake the work and worship of the Lord’s church. In his determination to destroy the Lord’s living temple, he will bring about some great abomination in God’s eyes that will trigger the Lord’s defense of His suffering people through God’s mighty power which can easily overwhelm every enemy. There will yet remain a remnant that knows God and stands firm in the truth. That remnant will take action. More than that, the God who knows all these things will take action to save us. There will be a great power to the antichrist’s flattery and deceit. He will have many allies and will seem invincible for a time, but he will reach too far. He will do this when he exalts himself and magnifies himself above every god. Despite this enemy’s persuasiveness and his worldly and spiritual powers, he will never overturn the decree of God. He shall come to his end, with no one to help him.

God has a Son. He is our one Messiah. We have no need for false gods, and no good can come to us from false messiahs. The antichrist spirit showed here in Daniel came in the figure of Antiochus IV, and he would do that again many times. The language describing this one figure would be picked up by Jesus and the Apostle Paul to describe the troubles that would come in the New Testament era. Antiochus IV would not be the last man who would try to set himself up as a god and would express surprising power and a venomous hatred of everything connected with the true God.

Despite the frightening physical and spiritual reality of the antichrist presence, we are more than comforted by our remembrance that there is a true God in heaven. He has fully accepted the sacrifice of His only Son on our behalf. This Son, our true Messiah, will only let an antichrist figure go so far. Abominations of all kinds take place all the time, but there is an abomination that causes desolation. There is also a disgrace that some power of evil might like to achieve that will be more than our Lord will allow. He knows how to cut short the time of any tribulation, and He will send the Lord Jesus Christ again to rescue His beloved church. He will surely overthrow every power that stands against Him and us. This great Jesus is on our side.

The Book of Daniel is easily split into two sections. The first six chapters recount the story of six events that the Jewish exile Daniel and his companions faced during the time of their service under various rulers. The remaining six chapters contain apocalyptic visions. This brief summary of the book might give the wrong impression that there is little connection between these two sections. That is not the case. Both parts of the book have the same theme: the sovereignty of Almighty God as He moves His people through suffering toward the greatest ultimate victory. Also there are apocalyptic elements in the events in the first six chapters, and there are historical elements in the apocalyptic passages in the second part of the book. We have now come to the final chapter in this second section. It seems appropriate that it would deal with images of that ultimate victory that will come to us through the sovereign power of the Lord.

Along the way we have heard of one “Michael” who is a powerful spiritual being associated with the covenant people of God. We are told in this chapter that He has charge over Daniel’s people. Though Michael shall arise at some point called “that time,” this does not signal immediate painless success. Instead we are told to expect a great time of trouble beyond anyone’s frame of reference. God’s elect people whose names are in His book will be delivered from that trouble. Those whose bodies rest in the grave will be brought back to life. There will be a separation of some who are destined for everlasting life and others destined for everlasting contempt. Those who have served the Lord with wisdom and have turned many to the way of righteousness are particularly noted. All of this goes beyond the days of Antiochus IV or even the Roman Empire. When we are so clearly referring to the general resurrection of the dead can we be talking about anything less than the dividing line between this age and the age to come?

Daniel is told to seal the book until the time of the end. There is something here that will not be revealed, at least at this time. Meanwhile Daniel hears an angelic conversation questioning how long it will be until these wonders take place. An answer is given, but the unit of measurement used is a “time” and the remaining words of description here do not resolve our comprehension difficulties. Though the answer is given in a very solemn way, indicating that the time is sure, there is no adequate explanation of what is being said. Even Daniel, who has been given great gifts by God of interpreting dreams and symbols, is unable to understand the timing and outcome of these things that have been spoken to him. When he asks for more information, he is told to go his way, since the further understanding of these words that he seeks will only become obvious when they are finally fulfilled. They are said to be sealed “until the time of the end.”

Until then, the people of God should do what we are always told to do. We are not cracking the code of a mystery novel. We are hearing the clear word of God and devoting ourselves to following our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. We need to purify ourselves, remove the blemishes of sin, and understand the will of the Lord to sanctify His whole church. This is what we can understand, and it is what we are supposed to do as God gives us grace. We do not know more than this. Even though we are told of a period of trouble amounting to 1,290 days between the end of the Old Testament sacrificial system and the final time of crisis at some future moment, and even though we read of some kind of vindication after 1,335 days, anyone who gives an authoritative interpretation of these numbers is surely only guessing.

return to top