Road To Armageddon – 7.2 – Daniel 7 – Daniel’s Vision And Interpretation Of The Four Beasts

Daniel’s Vision Of Four Beasts

Road To Armageddon – 7.2 – Daniel 7 – Daniel’s Vision And Interpretation Of The Four Beasts

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of Daniel 2 (Road To Armageddon 7.1) and Daniel’s Vision of Daniel 7 discuss the same four world empires.

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A Glimpse Of Armageddon – The Sixth Bowl Judgment – Will you be there – if so, in which capacity? This is an honest question, which demands a serious response.

Revelation 16:12 New King James Version (NKJV)

Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

Revelation 16:13-14 New King James Version (NKJV)

13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Study note. Biblegateway.com. MacArthur Study Bible note.

16:13 three unclean spirits. A common NT designation for demons (cf. Matt. 12:43; Mark 1:23; Luke 8:29). These are especially vile, powerful, and deceitful (v. 14). like frogs. This figure further emphasizes their vileness. Frogs were unclean animals according to OT dietary laws (Lev. 11:10, 11, 41). Persian mythology viewed them as plague-inducing creatures. The demons are thus described as slimy, cold-blooded, loathsome beings. the dragon…the beast…the false prophet.The “unholy trinity,” composed of Satan (the dragon; see note on 12:3), the Antichrist (the beast; see note on 11:7), and Antichrist’s associate (the false prophet; see note on 13:11), spew out this plague.

16:14 signs. These are supernatural wonders (cf. 13:12–15) designed to deceive (cf. 19:20; 1 Kin. 22:20–23; Mark 13:22) the kings into invading Palestine. Their impact will be so great that the unclean spirits are able to induce the kings to make the journey to Palestine in spite of their sores, the intense heat, drought, and darkness. kings of the earth. No longer just the eastern confederacy, but now all the world begins to gather in Palestine for the final, climactic battle (Ps. 2:2, 3; Joel 3:2–4; Zech. 14:1–3). the battle of that great day of God Almighty.The Battle of Armageddon (v. 16). It is the great war with God and Christ (see notes on 2 Thess. 1:7–10; cf. Joel 2:11; 3:2, 4). The war will end when Christ arrives (19:17–20).

Daniel 7:1-14 New King James Version (NKJV)

Vision of the Four Beasts

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.
2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’
6 “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
Vision of the Ancient of Days
9 “I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened.
11 “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.

Study note. Biblegateway.com. MacArthur Study Bible note.

7:1 first year. This represented a flashback to 553 B.C., 14 years before the feast of 5:1–3. Chapters 7, 8 occur after chap. 4, but before chap. 5. The dream of Dan. 7 moves far beyond Daniel’s day to the coming of Israel’s king to end all Gentile kingdoms and to establish His eternal kingdom (7:13, 14, 27; cf. 2:35, 45).

7:2 Great Sea. This superlative refers to the Mediterranean, much greater in size than other bodies of water in that area of the world. Here this “sea” is used to represent nations and peoples (cf. Dan. 7:3, 17; Rev. 13:1).

7:3 four…beasts. These beasts represent the same empires as the individual parts of the image in chap. 2. Christ the King, the Son of Man from heaven (vv. 13, 14), corresponds to the Stone in 2:35, 45.

7:4 lion…wings. The vicious, powerful, swift king of beasts represents Babylon. Winged lions guarded the gates of the royal palaces of Babylon. Daniel’s contemporaries, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Habakkuk, used animals to describe Nebuchadnezzar.

7:5 a bear. This is Medo-Persia, with the greater “side” being Persia and “ribs” referring to vanquished nations.

7:6 a leopard. This represents Greece with its fleetness in conquest under Alexander the Great (born in 356 B.C.). He ruled from Europe to Africa to India. The “four heads” represent the 4 generals who divided the kingdom after Alexander’s death at age 33 (323 B.C.). They ruled Macedonia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt (cf. 8:8).

7:7 fourth beast. No such animal exists; rather this is a unique beast pointing to the Roman Empire, already represented by iron in 2:40, devastating in conquest. Roman dominion fell apart in A.D. 476, yet it lived on in a divided status (Europe), but will be revived and return to great unified strength near Christ’s second coming. Then it will be comprised of the 10 parts under kings (vv. 7, 24), as well as an 11th king, the Antichrist (vv. 8, 24; 2 Thess. 2:3–10; Rev. 13:1–10).

7:8 another horn. This describes the rise of Antichrist (cf. v. 20). This beast is human (“eyes like a man” and a “mouth speaking”) and is proud (cf. Rev. 13:5, 6).

7:9, 10 I watched. Daniel’s vision flashes forward to the divine throne from which judgment will come on the fourth kingdom (cf. Rev. 20:11–15).

7:11, 12 the beast was slain. Reference is to the fourth beast (i.e., the Roman sphere), headed up by the “little horn” or Antichrist (vv. 7, 24). He will be destroyed at Christ’s second coming (cf. Rev. 19:20; 20:10); cf. the smashing by the Stone, Dan. 2:35, 45.

7:12 rest of the beasts. These are the 3 earlier beasts (empires of chaps. 2, 7). Each successively lost its chief dominance when it was conquered in history. Yet each was amalgamated into the empire that gained ascendancy, and survived in its descendants. As the second advent draws near, all 3 empires in their descendants will be a part of the Roman phase in its final form (Rev. 13:2). Survival will not be possible for the final and revived phase of the fourth empire after Christ’s second coming, for catastrophic devastation (cf. 2:35) will utterly destroy it, and Christ’s kingdom will replace it.

7:13, 14 Son of Man. The Messiah (cf. 9:26), Christ is meant; He often designated Himself by this phrase (Matt. 16:26; 19:28; 26:64). “The clouds of heaven” are seen again in Rev. 1:7. Here He is distinct from the Ancient of Days, or Eternal One, the Father, who will coronate Him for the kingdom (2:44). The picture of old age is not that of being feeble, rather it highlights eternality and divine wisdom to judge (cf. 7:9, 10).

7:13, 14 Son of Man. The Messiah (cf. 9:26), Christ is meant; He often designated Himself by this phrase (Matt. 16:26; 19:28; 26:64). “The clouds of heaven” are seen again in Rev. 1:7. Here He is distinct from the Ancient of Days, or Eternal One, the Father, who will coronate Him for the kingdom (2:44). The picture of old age is not that of being feeble, rather it highlights eternality and divine wisdom to judge (cf. 7:9, 10).

Daniel 7:15-28 New King James Version (NKJV)

Daniel’s Visions Interpreted

15 “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
19 “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; 20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
21 “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
23 “Thus he said:
‘The fourth beast shall be
A fourth kingdom on earth,
Which shall be different from all other kingdoms,
And shall devour the whole earth,
Trample it and break it in pieces.
24 The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.
25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time.
26 ‘But the court shall be seated,
And they shall take away his dominion,
To consume and destroy it forever.
27 Then the kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
28 “This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.”

Study note. Biblegateway.com. MacArthur Study Bible note.

7:17 beasts…four. These empires depicted by the lion, bear, leopard, and bizarre animal (vv. 3–7) are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The “kings” are the most notable leaders over these empires, such as Nebuchadnezzar (2:37, 38), Cyrus, Alexander the Great, and finally the “little horn” (Antichrist)

7:18, 22, 27 saints. These who trusted God possess the kingdom headed up by the Son of Man, the Messiah, of vv. 13, 14. All serve Him in vv. 14 and 27, the latter verse clarifying that the one served is actually God the Most High. Just as the 4 Gentile empires have individuals as kings (cf. 2:38; 7:8; 8:8), so the final kingdom has Christ as King.

7:20 the other horn. The 11th horn (ruler and his realm) is small and less powerful before its big rise (v. 8). Early in the future tribulation period, it (he) grows to be “larger” or more powerful than any of the horns (rulers) in the group.

7:22 Ancient of Days. Refers to God the Eternal One, who confers the messianic kingdom on the Son to rule at His second coming and following (7:13, 14). Judgment is against the Antichrist, Satan who empowers him (Rev. 13:4; 20:1–3), and the unsaved who are not allowed into the kingdom at its outset, but are destroyed and await the final, Great White Throne resurrection and judgment (Rev. 20:11–15). saints to possess the kingdom. Believers enter the kingdom in its earthly, millennial phase (Rev. 20:1–4) following Christ’s second coming (Matt. 25:34), having eternal life that continues into the eternal state (Rev. 21, 22) after the thousand years.

7:25 time and times and half a time. This obviously refers to the 3½ years which are the last half of the 7 year period of Antichrist’s power (cf. 9:27), continuing on to Christ’s second coming as the Judgment Stone (2:35, 45) and glorious Son of Man (7:13, 14). Cf. Rev. 11:2, 3; 12:14; 13:5 for reference to this same period.

7:26 the court. God will have His court session to judge sinners and sin (vv. 9, 10). He will remove the Antichrist’s rule, and destroy him and his empire in eternal, conscious hell (Rev. 19:20; 20:10).

Notes from Scofield Study Bible:

Summary Of The World Empires

First world empire: Babylon (7:4; 2:37-38)
Second world empire: Medo-Persia (7:5; 2:39; 8:20)
Third world empire: Greece (7:6; 2:39; 8:21-22; 10:20; 11:2-4)
Fourth world empire: Rome (7:7,23-24; 2:40-43; 9:26)
Rome:final form of fourth world empire; the ten horns and the little horn (7:8; 24-27). Note on vs 14:
1. Verses 13-14 are identical with Rev 5:1-7, and precede the fulfillment of Daniel 2:34-35.
2. Vs 13-14 and Rev 5:1-7 describe the establishment of the Son of Man and Son of David with the Kingdom authority, while Dan 2:34-35 describes the crushing blow (see Armageddon, Rev 16:13-16; 19:17, note), which destroys Gentile world power, thus clearing the way for the actual setting up of the Kingdom of Heaven. Verses 34-35 and Rev 19:19-21 describe the same event.

Ancient of Days (7:9). Here, and in vs 13-14, “Ancient Of Days” refers to God The Father, and has equal application to Christ, e.g. vs 22; Revelation 1:8, 13-18. Compare Psalm 45:6, 93:2; Micah 5:2; Habakkuk 1:12

Scene in heaven before the coming of the Son of man (7:13-15; Rev 5:1-14).

Saints of the Most High (7:18)

Satan’s blasphemous leader (7:23-28).

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You Are My Hiding Place

You Are My Hiding Place

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Psalm 32:7

New International Version
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

English Standard Version
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

New American Standard Bible
You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

King James Bible
Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You are my hiding place; You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyful shouts of deliverance. Selah
You Are My Hiding Place

Hickory Grove Baptist Church

(North Campus)~ Charlotte NC

Blog Category – Intimacy

Creation And Sabbath…”In the beginning God created heaven and earth.” Apollo 8 Message

Creation And Sabbath…”In the beginning God created heaven and earth.” Apollo 8 Message

As a young airman, I was on duty the Christmas Eve night that the crew of Apollo 8 read the Genesis account of creation while it was orbiting the moon and looking downward to the Earth. At our duty station, we were looking at the eastern seaboard of the USA through our radar scopes and watching for inbound aircraft that may, or may not, be friendly to our nation. Russia, and the Soviet Union, were serious threats to the free world, of which America was the unannounced, but recognized leader. Americans were very proud to be Americans. President John Kennedy made it a priority to put a man on the moon, as he made it part of his speech to a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961. While the three astronauts took turns reading from the Bible no one was making charges of “separation of church and state.” And, regardless of what liberal politicians and activists may try to do, God will never be separated from His creation or His Sabbath.

In about eight hours in my time zone, the Lord’s Sabbath will begin at sundown and will last until Saturday evening at sundown. Jews, and others, will greet each other with the words, “Shabbat Shalom” which means “Sabbath peace” or “peaceful Sabbath.” Just as I was awestruck by watching Apollo 8 on the television sets in our radar room, I am even more awestruck each time that I am able to wake up while the sky is still dark and watch a repeat performance of “and evening and morning”.. were the first day, second day, third day, fourth day, fifth day, sixth day…. and then God rested; he blessed it and sanctified it.” God set the seventh day apart; He made it holy.

I am “blown away” each day that I am able to wake up during the early morning darkness and watch “darkness becoming dawn; and dawn becoming daylight; and daylight becoming dusk; and dusk becoming darkness;” and the whole thing starting all over again; then, I realize, “How Great Thou Art!”

The intelligent design of God’s creation is easily seen in the smallest elements of His creation. Consider the following information. Some terms are repeated for emphasis. Various internet studies are provided.

Genesis 1-2: Action words of God’s creative and intelligent design.

Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons

Key Concepts

Atoms are made of extremely tiny particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons.
Protons and neutrons are in the center of the atom, making up the nucleus.
Electrons surround the nucleus.
Protons have a positive charge.
Electrons have a negative charge.
The charge on the proton and electron are exactly the same size but opposite.
Neutrons have no charge.
Since opposite charges attract, protons and electrons attract each other.

What is an atom? What are atoms made of?

Atoms are the basic building blocks of ordinary matter. Atoms can join together to form molecules, which in turn form most of the objects around you.

Atoms and Molecules

The basic building blocks of the “normal” matter that we see in the Universe are atoms, and combinations of atoms that we call molecules. We first consider atoms and then molecules. However, we shall see that although “normal matter” is composed of atoms and molecules, most of the matter in the Universe is not in the form of atoms or molecules, but rather in the form of a plasma. We discuss plasmas in the next section.

Cells Are Made From a Few Types of Atoms

The cell (from Latin cella, meaning “small room”) is the basic structural, functional, and biological unit of all known living organisms. Cells are the smallest unit of life that can replicate independently, and are often called the “building blocks of life”. The study of cells is called cell biology.

Singling out cells: The stuff of life

Your cells perform many important functions without which you wouldn’t be able to go about your business. While you breathe, your cells exchange the bad air for the good air. While you eat, cells produce the enzymes (proteins that speed up a chemical reaction) that digest the food and convert the nutrients into a useable form of energy. In short, your cells are like tiny motors that keep you running.

What is Plasma?

Plasma is often called the “Fourth State of Matter,” the other three being solid, liquid and gas. A plasma is a distinct state of matter containing a significant number of electrically charged particles, a number sufficient to affect its electrical properties and behavior. In addition to being important in many aspects of our daily lives, plasmas are estimated to constitute more than 99 percent of the visible universe.

Lightning In an ordinary gas each atom contains an equal number of positive and negative charges; the positive charges in the nucleus are surrounded by an equal number of negatively charged electrons, and each atom is electrically “neutral.” A gas becomes a plasma when the addition of heat or other energy causes a significant number of atoms to release some or all of their electrons. The remaining parts of those atoms are left with a positive charge, and the detached negative electrons are free to move about. Those atoms and the resulting electrically charged gas are said to be “ionized.” When enough atoms are ionized to significantly affect the electrical characteristics of the gas, it is a plasma.

What is plasma?

Plasma is the fourth state of matter. Many places teach that there are three states of matter; solid, liquid and gas, but there are actually four. The fourth is plasma. To put it very simply, a plasma is an ionized gas, a gas into which sufficient energy is provided to free electrons from atoms or molecules and to allow both species, ions and electrons, to coexist. The funny thing about that is, that as far as we know, plasmas are the most common state of matter in the universe. They are even common here on earth. A plasma is a gas that has been energized to the point that some of the electrons break free from, but travel with, their nucleus.

What is DNA?

DNA is basically a long molecule that contains coded instructions for the cells. Everything the cells do is coded somehow in DNA – which cells should grow and when, which cells should die and when, which cells should make hair and what color it should be. Our DNA is inherited from our parents. We resemble our parents simply because our bodies were formed using DNA to guide the process – the DNA we inherited from them.

We may resemble our parents, but we are never exactly like them. This is because each child gets only some of the DNA each parent carries. About half our DNA comes from our mother, and half comes from our father. Which pieces we get is basically random, and each child gets a different subset of the parents’ DNA. Thus, siblings may have the same parents, but they usually do not have exactly the same DNA (except for identical twins).

No accident could have made possible the interactive working of the above identified items that were created by God, who is truly the Great Physicist. (Explosions don’t create “order;” they create “disorder.”)

In today’s world, we can’t make all of the airplanes land, busses stop, hospitals close, for a 24 hour period, (you get the idea) for a worldwide Sabbath rest… We can’t say that we will make Tuesday our Sabbath; it’s the Lord’s Sabbath. We can’t measure off the boundaries of the seventh day and hire an excavator to dig it up and move it to “the third day,” or “fourth day.” The seventh day is, has always been, and always will be, the Lord’s Sabbath. God made the Sabbath a sign between Him and the Jews (Gen 31:17), who were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and not the descendants of Ishmael. Gentiles of the world can benefit from the Lord’s Sabbath by recognizing its holiness, and giving honor and praise to God who created all things in the world.

The following information is provided for additional support of this post.

Apollo 8 Data

Crew: Frank Borman, Commander; William A. Anders, Lunar Module Pilot; James A. Lovell Jr., Command Module Pilot.

Mission Highlights: Apollo 8 launched from Cape Kennedy on Dec. 21, 1968. During a telecast on Christmas Eve, the crew read verses from the first chapter of Genesis and wished viewers, “Good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you – all of you on the good Earth.”

Orbit: Altitude: 118.82 miles; Orbits: 10 revolutions; Duration: six days, three hours, 42 seconds; Distance: 579,606.9 miles.

Landing: Dec. 27, 1968; 10:52 a.m. EST; Pacific Ocean; Recovery Ship: USS Yorktown

The Creation

Genesis 1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 5 And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
8 And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Creation of Man and Woman

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Let’s consider the six days of creation, and the seventh day which we know as “The Sabbath,” or better, “The Lord’s Sabbath.” Consider the discussion that is provided by “got.Questions.org.”

Question: “What does it mean that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath?”

Answer: The phrase “the Lord of the Sabbath” is found in Matthew 12:8,Mark 2:28, and Luke 6:5. In all three instances Jesus is referring to Himself as the Lord of the Sabbath or, as Mark records it, “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). In these verses, Jesus is proclaiming that He is the One who exercises authority even over the rules and regulations that govern the Sabbath day.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/Lord-of-the-Sabbath.html#ixzz3fnx3s5CX

Exodus 16:22-23 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Sabbath Observed

22 Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 then he said to them, “This is what the Lord meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.”

It is important to know that the Sabbath was given as a special sign between God and the people of Israel, who are the descendants of Shem. Shem was one of the sons of Noah, through whom the Jews became “God’s Chosen People.” (Study the ancestry that is shown from Genesis 10:1 through Genesis 12:3.)

Exodus 31:16-17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

16 So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ 17 It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever;

Deuteronomy 7:6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

Exodus 20:11 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.”

Exodus 24:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

“The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.”

John Chapter 3 – The Deity Of Christ

John Chapter 3 – The Deity Of Christ

John 3 New King James Version (NKJV)

The New Birth

1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? 11 Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison.
25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”
27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Scripture Notes.

3:1–21 The story of Jesus and Nicodemus reinforces John’s themes that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God (apologetic) and that He came to offer salvation to men (evangelistic). John 2:23, 24 actually serves as the introduction to Nicodemus’ story, since chap. 3 constitutes tangible evidence of Jesus’ ability to know men’s hearts and thereby also demonstrates Jesus’ deity. Jesus also presented God’s plan of salvation to Nicodemus, showing that He was God’s messenger, whose redemptive work brings about the promised salvation to His people (v. 14). The chapter may be divided into two sections: 1) Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus (vv. 1–10); and 2) Jesus’ discourse on God’s plan of salvation (vv. 11–21).

3:1–10 This section on Jesus’ dialogue with Nicodemus may be divided into 3 sections: 1) Nicodemus’ inquiry of Jesus (vv. 1–3); 2) Jesus’ insight into Nicodemus (vv. 4–8); and 3) Jesus’ indictment of Nicodemus (vv. 9, 10).

3:1 Pharisees. See note on Matt. 3:7. The word “Pharisee” most likely comes from a Heb. word meaning “to separate” and therefore probably means “separated ones.” They were not separatists in the sense of isolationists but in the puritanical sense, i.e., they were highly zealous for ritual and religious purity according to the Mosaic law as well as their own traditions that they added to the OT legislation. Although their origin is unknown, they seem to have arisen as an offshoot from the “Hasidim” or “pious ones” during the Maccabean era. They were generally from the Jewish middle class and mostly consisted of laity (business men) rather than priests or Levites. They represented the orthodox core of Judaism and very strongly influenced the common people of Israel. According to Josephus, 6,000 existed at the time of Herod the Great. Jesus condemned them for their hyper-concentration on externalizing religion (rules and regulations) rather than inward spiritual transformation (vv. 3, 7). Nicodemus. Although Nicodemus was a Pharisee, his name was Gr. in origin and means “victor over the people.” He was a prominent Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin (“a ruler of the Jews”). Nothing is known about his family background. He eventually came to believe in Jesus (7:50–52), risking his own life and reputation by helping to give Jesus’ body a decent burial (19:38–42). a ruler of the Jews. This is a reference to the Sanhedrin (see note on Matt. 26:59), the main ruling body of the Jews in Palestine. It was the Jewish “supreme court” or ruling council of the time and arose most likely during the Persian period. In NT times, the Sanhedrin was composed of the High-Priest (president), chief priests, elders (family heads), and scribes for a total of 71 people. The method of appointment was both hereditary and political. It executed both civil and criminal jurisdiction according to Jewish law. However, capital punishment cases required the sanction of the Roman procurator (18:30–32). After A.D. 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin was abolished and replaced by the Beth Din (court of Judgment) that was composed of scribes whose decisions had only moral and religious authority.

3:2 came to Jesus by night. While some have thought that Nicodemus’ visit at night was somehow figurative of the spiritual darkness of his heart (cf. 1:5; 9:4; 11:10; 13:30) or that he decided to come at this time because he could take more time with Jesus and be unhurried in conversation, perhaps the most logical explanation lies in the fact that, as a ruler of the Jews, Nicodemus was afraid of the implications of associating openly in conversation with Jesus. He chose night in order to have a clandestine meeting with Jesus rather than risk disfavor with his fellow Pharisees among whom Jesus was generally unpopular.

3:3 born again. The phrase lit. means “born from above.” Jesus answered a question that Nicodemus does not even ask. He read Nicodemus’ heart and came to the very core of his problem, i.e., the need for spiritual transformation or regeneration produced by the Holy Spirit. New birth is an act of God whereby eternal life is imparted to the believer (2 Cor. 5:17; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:3; 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18). Chapter 1:12, 13 indicates that “born again” also carries the idea “to become children of God” through trust in the name of the incarnate Word. cannot see the kingdom of God. In context, this is primarily a reference to participation in the millennial kingdom at the end of the age, fervently anticipated by the Pharisees and other Jews. Since the Pharisees were supernaturalists, they naturally and eagerly expected the coming of the prophesied resurrection of the saints and institution of the messianic kingdom (Is. 11:1–16; Dan. 12:2). Their problem was that they thought that mere physical lineage and keeping of religious externals qualified them for entrance into the kingdom rather than the needed spiritual transformation which Jesus emphasized (cf. 8:33–39; Gal. 6:15). The coming of the kingdom at the end of the age can be described as the “regeneration” of the world (Matt. 19:28) but regeneration of the individual is required before the end of the world in order to enter the kingdom.

3:4 A teacher himself, Nicodemus understood the rabbinical method of using figurative language to teach spiritual truth, and he was merely picking up Jesus’ symbolism.

3:5 born of water and the Spirit. Jesus referred not to literal water here but to the need for “cleansing” (e.g., Ezek. 36:24–27). When water is used figuratively in the OT, it habitually refers to renewal or spiritual cleansing, especially when used in conjunction with “spirit” (Num. 19:17–19; Ps. 51:9, 10; Is. 32:15; 44:3–5; 55:1–3; Jer. 2:13; Joel 2:28, 29). Thus, Jesus made reference to the spiritual washing or purification of the soul, accomplished by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God at the moment of salvation (cf. Eph. 5:26; Titus 3:5), required for belonging to His kingdom.

3:8 The wind blows where it wishes. Jesus’ point was that just as the wind cannot be controlled or understood by human beings but its effects can be witnessed, so also it is with the Holy Spirit. He cannot be controlled or understood, but the proof of His work is apparent. Where the Spirit works, there is undeniable and unmistakable evidence.

3:10 the teacher. The use of the definite article “the” indicates that Nicodemus was a renowned master-teacher in the nation of Israel, an established religious authority par excellence. He enjoyed a high standing among the rabbis or teachers of his day. Jesus’ reply emphasized the spiritual bankruptcy of the nation at that time, since even one of the greatest of Jewish teachers did not recognize this teaching on spiritual cleansing and transformation based clearly in the OT (cf. v. 5). The net effect is to show that externals of religion may have a deadening effect on one’s spiritual perception.

3:11–21 The focus of these verses turns away from Nicodemus and centers on Jesus’ discourse regarding the true meaning of salvation. The key word in these verses is “believe,” used 7 times. The new birth must be appropriated by an act of faith. While vv. 1–10 center on the divine initiative in salvation, vv. 11–21 emphasize the human reaction to the work of God in regeneration. In vv. 11–21, the section may be divided into 3 parts: 1) the problem of unbelief (vv. 11, 12); 2) the answer to unbelief (vv. 13–17); and 3) the results of unbelief (vv. 18–21).

3:11, 12 Jesus focused on the idea that unbelief is the cause of ignorance. At heart, Nicodemus’ failure to understand Jesus’ words centered not so much in his intellect but in his failure to believe Jesus’ witness.

3:11 you do not receive Our witness. The plural “you” here refers back to the “we” of v. 2, where Nicodemus was speaking as a representative of his nation Israel (“we know”). Jesus replied in v. 11 with “you” indicating that Nicodemus’ unbelief was typical of the nation as a collective whole.

3:13 No one has ascended to heaven. This verse contradicts other religious systems’ claims to special revelation from God. Jesus insisted that no one has ascended to heaven in such a way as to return and talk about heavenly things (cf. 2 Cor. 12:1–4). Only He had His permanent abode in heaven prior to His incarnation and, therefore, only He has the true knowledge regarding heavenly wisdom (cf. Prov. 30:4).

3:14 so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Cf. 8:28; 12:32, 34; 18:31, 32. This is a veiled prediction of Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus referred to the story of Num. 21:5–9 where the Israelite people who looked at the serpent lifted up by Moses were healed. The point of this illustration or analogy is in the “lifted up.” Just as Moses lifted up the snake on the pole so that all who looked upon it might live physically, those who look to Christ, who was “lifted up” on the cross, will live spiritually and eternally.

3:15 eternal life. This is the first of 10 references to “eternal life” in John’s gospel. The same Gr. word is translated 8 times as “everlasting life.” The two expressions appear in the NT nearly 50 times. Eternal life refers not only to eternal quantity but divine quality of life. It means lit. “life of the age to come” and refers therefore to resurrection and heavenly existence in perfect glory and holiness. This life for believers in the Lord Jesus is experienced before heaven is reached. This “eternal life” is in essence nothing less than participation in the eternal life of the Living Word, Jesus Christ. It is the life of God in every believer, yet not fully manifest until the resurrection (Rom. 8:19–23; Phil. 3:20, 21).

3:16 For God so loved the world. The Son’s mission is bound up in the supreme love of God for the evil, sinful “world” of humanity (cf. 6:32, 51; 12:47; see notes on 1:9; Matt. 5:44, 45) that is in rebellion against Him. The word “so” emphasizes the intensity or greatness of His love. The Father gave His unique and beloved Son to die on behalf of sinful men (see note on 2 Cor. 5:21). everlasting life. See note on v. 15; cf. 17:3; 1 John 5:20.

3:18 believed in the name. This phrase (lit. “to believe into the name”) means more than mere intellectual assent to the claims of the gospel. It includes trust and commitment to Christ as Lord and Savior which results in receiving a new nature (v. 7) which produces a change in heart and obedience to the Lord (see note on 2:23, 24).

3:22–36 This section constitutes John the Baptist’s last testimony in this gospel regarding Christ. As his ministry faded away, Jesus’ ministry moved to the forefront. In spite of the fact that John the Baptist received widespread fame in Israel and was generally accepted by the common people of the land as well as those who were social outcasts, his testimony regarding Jesus was rejected, especially by the leaders of Israel (cf. Matt. 3:5–10; Luke 7:29).

3:22 into the land of Judea. While the previous episode with Nicodemus took place in Jerusalem (2:23), which was part of Judea, the phrase here means that Jesus went out into the rural areas of that region. baptized. Chapter 4:2 specifically says that Jesus did not personally baptize but that His disciples carried on this work.

3:23 Aenon near Salim. The exact location of this reference is disputed. The phrase may refer to either Salim near Shechem or Salim that is 6 mi. S of Beth Shean. Both are in the region of Samaria. Aenon is a transliterated Heb. word meaning “springs,” and both of these possible sites have plenty of water (“much water there”).

3:24 John had not yet been thrown into prison. This provides another indication that John supplemented the synoptic gospels by providing additional information that helps further understanding of the movements of John the Baptist and Jesus (see Introduction). In Matthew and Mark, Christ’s temptation is followed by John’s imprisonment. With this phrase, John the apostle fills in the slot between Jesus’ baptism and temptation and the Baptist’s imprisonment.

3:25 there arose a dispute. The dispute probably concerned the relation of the baptismal ministries of John and Jesus to the Jews’ purification practices alluded to in 2:6. The real underlying impetus, however, centered in the concern of John’s disciples that Jesus was in competition with him.

3:25–36 This section may be divided into 3 parts which highlight the significance of what was occurring in relationship to John’s and Jesus’ ministry: 1) John the Baptist constituted the end of the old age (vv. 25–29); 2) the transition to Jesus’ ministry (v. 30); and 3) Jesus’ ministry as constituting the beginning of the new age (vv. 31–36). Instead of jealousy, John exhibited humble faithfulness to the superiority of Jesus’ person and ministry.

3:26 all are coming to Him. The potential conflict between John and Jesus was heightened by the fact that both were engaged in ministry in close proximity to one another. Because baptism is mentioned in v. 22, Jesus may have been close to Jericho near the fords of the Jordan, while John was a short distance N baptizing at Aenon. John’s followers were especially disturbed by the fact that so many were flocking to Jesus whereas formerly they had come to John.

3:27 given to him from heaven. This verse emphasizes God’s sovereign authority in granting ministry opportunity (cf. 1 Cor. 4:7; 15:10).

3:29 bridegroom…friend of the bridegroom. John conveyed his understanding of his own role through the use of a parable. The “friend of the bridegroom” was the ancient equivalent of the best man who organized the details and presided over the Judean wedding (Galilean weddings were somewhat different). This friend found his greatest joy in watching the ceremony proceed without problems. Most likely, John was also alluding to OT passages where faithful Israel is depicted as the bride of the Lord (Is. 62:4, 5; Jer. 2:2; Hos. 2:16–20).

3:31–36 In these verses, John the Baptist gave 5 reasons for Christ’s superiority to him: 1) Christ had a heavenly origin (v. 31); 2) Christ knew what was true by firsthand experience (v. 32); 3) Christ’s testimony always agreed with God (v. 33); 4) Christ experienced the Holy Spirit in an unlimited manner (v. 34); and 5) Christ was supreme because the Father sovereignly had granted that status to Him (v. 35).

3:31, 32 above all. These verses bring together several of the themes from the entire chapter. From the immediate context, John explained why Jesus the incarnate word must become greater, i.e., He alone is “from above” (heavenly origin) and therefore “above all.” The Gr. term “above all” recalls v. 3 where the new birth “from above” can only be experienced by faith in the One who is “from above.” In contrast, all others are “of the earth” signifying finitude and limitation. In the immediate context, John the Baptist had to become less (v. 30) because he was “of the earth” and belonged to the earth. Although he called for repentance and baptism, John could not reveal heaven’s counsel like Jesus, the God-Man.

3:34 the Spirit by measure. God gave the Spirit to the Son without limits (1:32, 33; Is. 11:2; 42:1; 61:1).

3:36 This constitutes a fitting climax to the chapter. John the Baptist laid out two alternatives, genuine faith and defiant disobedience, thereby bringing to the forefront the threat of looming judgment. As John faded from the forefront, he offered an invitation to faith in the Son and clearly expressed the ultimate consequence of failure to believe, i.e., “the wrath of God.”

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Matthew Chapter 2 -The Deity Of Christ

Matthew Chapter 2 – The Deity Of Christ

Matthew 2 New King James Version (NKJV)

Wise Men from the East

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

The Flight into Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Massacre of the Innocents
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

The Home in Nazareth

19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Scripture Notes.

2:1 Bethlehem. A small village on the southern outskirts of Jerusalem. Hebrew scholars in Jesus’ day clearly expected Bethlehem to be the birthplace of the Messiah (cf. Mic. 5:2; John 7:42). in the days of Herod the king. This refers to Herod the Great, the first of several important rulers from the Herodian dynasty who are named in Scripture. This Herod, founder of the famous line, ruled from 37–4 B.C. He is thought to have been Idumean, a descendant of the Edomites, offspring of Esau. Herod was ruthless and cunning. He loved opulence and grand building projects, and many of the most magnificent ruins that can be seen in modern Israel date back to the days of Herod the Great. His most famous project was the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem (see note on 24:1). That project alone took several decades and was not completed until long after Herod’s death (cf. John 2:20). See note on v. 22. wise men from the East. The number of wise men is not given. The traditional notion that there were 3 stems from the number of gifts they brought. These were not kings, but Magi, magicians or astrologers—possibly Zoroastrian wise men from Persia whose knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures could be traced back to the time of Daniel (cf. Dan. 5:11).
2:2 saying. This present participle conveys the idea of continuous action. It suggests they went around the city questioning everyone they met. star. This could not have been a supernova or a conjunction of planets, as some modern theories suggest, because of the way the star moved and settled over one place (cf. v. 9). It is more likely a supernatural reality similar to the Shekinah that guided the Israelites in the days of Moses (Ex. 13:21).
2:4 chief priests. These were the temple hierarchy. They were mostly Sadducees (see note on 3:7). scribes. Primarily Pharisees, i.e., authorities on Jewish law. Sometimes they are referred to as “lawyers” (see note on Luke 10:25). They were professional scholars whose specialty was explaining the application of the law. They knew exactly where the Messiah was to be born (v. 5), but lacked the faith to accompany the Magi to the place where He was.
2:6 This ancient prophecy from Mic. 5:2 was written in the eighth century B.C. The original prophecy, not quoted in full by Matthew, declared the deity of Israel’s Messiah: “Out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel. This portion of Matthew’s quote actually seems to be a reference to God’s words to David when Israel’s kingdom was originally established (2 Sam. 5:2; 1 Chr. 11:2). The Gr. word for “ruler” evokes the image of strong, even stern, leadership. “Shepherd” emphasizes tender care. Christ’s rule involves both (cf. Rev. 12:5).
2:8 that I may come and worship Him. Herod actually wanted to kill the Child (vv. 13–18), whom he saw as a potential threat to his throne.
2:11 into the house. By the time the wise men arrived, Mary and Joseph were situated in a house, not a stable (cf. Luke 2:7). the young Child with Mary His mother. Whenever Matthew mentions Mary in connection with her Child, Christ is always given first place (cf. vv. 13, 14, 20, 21). gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gifts suitable for a king (cf. Is. 60:6). The fact that Gentiles would offer such worship had prophetic significance as well (Ps. 72:10).
2:12, 13 in a dream. See note on 1:20.
2:15 the death of Herod. Recent scholarship sets this date at 4 B.C. It is probable that the stay in Egypt was very brief—perhaps no more than a few weeks. Out of Egypt. This quotation is from Hos. 11:1 (see note there), which speaks of God’s leading Israel out of Egypt in the Exodus. Matthew suggests that Israel’s sojourn in Egypt was a pictorial prophecy, rather than a specific verbal one such as v. 6; cf. 1:23. These are called “types” and all are always fulfilled in Christ, and identified clearly by the NT writers. Another example of a type is found in John 3:14. See note on v. 17.
2:16 put to death all the male children. Herod’s act is all the more heinous in light of his full knowledge that the Lord’s Anointed One was the target of his murderous plot.
2:17 fulfilled. See note on v. 15. Again, this prophecy is in the form of a type. Verse 18 quotes Jer. 31:15 (see note there), which speaks of all Israel’s mourning at the time of the Babylonian captivity (ca. 586 B.C.). That wailing prefigured the wailing over Herod’s massacre.
2:19 in a dream. See note on 1:20.
2:22 Archelaus. Herod’s kingdom was divided 3 ways and given to his sons: Archelaus ruled Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; Herod Philip II ruled the regions N of Galilee (Luke 3:1); and Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea (Luke 3:1). History records that Archelaus was so brutal and ineffective that he was deposed by Rome after a short reign and replaced with a governor appointed by Rome. Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of Judea. Herod Antipas is the main Herod in the gospel accounts. He was the one who had John the Baptist put to death (14:1–12), and examined Christ on the eve of the crucifixion (Luke 23:7–12).
2:23 “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Nazareth, an obscure town 70 mi. N of Jerusalem, was a place of lowly reputation, and nowhere mentioned in the OT. Some have suggested that “Nazarene” is a reference to the Heb. word for branch in Is. 11:1. Others point out that Matthew’s statement that “prophets” had made this prediction may be a reference to verbal prophecies nowhere recorded in the OT. A still more likely explanation is that Matthew is using “Nazarene” as a synonym for someone who is despised or detestable—for that was how people from the region were often characterized (cf. John 1:46). If that is the case, the prophecies Matthew has in mind would include Ps. 22:6–8; Is. 49:7; 53:3.

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Scripture notes were taken from The MacArthur Study Bible notes that are contained in Biblegateway.com

Road To Armageddon – 7.1 – Daniel 1, 2 – Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Statue Of Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Road To Armageddon – 7.1 – Daniel – 1, 2 – Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

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A Glimpse Of Armageddon – The Sixth Bowl Judgment – Will you be there – if so, in which capacity? This is an honest question, which demands a serious response.

Revelation 16:12 New King James Version (NKJV)

Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.

Study note. Biblegateway.com. MacArthur Study Bible note.

16:12 Euphrates. Called “the great river” 5 times in Scripture (cf. 9:14; Gen. 15:18; Deut. 1:7; Josh. 1:4), it flows some 1,800 mi. from its source on the slopes of Mt. Ararat to the Persian Gulf (see note on 9:14). It forms the eastern boundary of the land God promised to Israel (Gen. 15:18; Deut. 1:7; 11:24; Josh. 1:4). With its flow already reduced by the prolonged drought and intensified heat, God supernaturally will dry it up to make way for the eastern confederacy to reach Palestine (Is. 11:15). the kings from the east. God providentially draws these kings and their armies in order to destroy them in the battle of Armageddon (v. 14). Their reason for coming may be to rebel against Antichrist, whose failure to alleviate the world’s suffering will no doubt erode his popularity. Or, this may be a final act of rabid anti-Semitism intent on destroying Israel, perhaps in retaliation for the plagues sent by her God. Since the sun may have melted the ice caps on Ararat, flooding the valley of the Euphrates as the river overflows its banks and bridges, the land will be swamped. God will have to dry it up miraculously for the eastern army to get to Armageddon.

Daniel In Babylon. Daniel Chapter 1.

Daniel 1:1 New King James Version (NKJV)

1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

1:1 third year. 606–605 B.C. It was the third year by Babylonian dating, which did not count a king’s initial (accession) year, but began with the following year. So the “third year” is in harmony with the same year labeled as “fourth” by the Judean system of dating (cf. Jer. 46:2). Jehoiakim. Son of Josiah who ruled (ca. 609–597 B.C.) when Nebuchadnezzar first plundered Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar. Son of Nabopolassar who ruled Babylon (ca. 605–562 B.C.). (MacArthur note).

Daniel was in the first of three deportations; this was about 605 B.C. Daniel was deported about 8 years before Ezekiel. (See Jer 25:1-14 about the 70 years of exile of the Jews into Babylon). (Scofield Study Bible note).

Daniel 1:21 New King James Version (NKJV)

21 Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.

1:21 first year. Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. His third year, in 10:1, is the latest historical year that Daniel mentions (cf. Ezra 1:1—2:1). (MacArthur Study note).

Daniel was to see the return of the remnant of Judah at the end of the 70 years (Jer 25:11-12; 29:10). He actually lived beyond the first year of Cyrus, (Daniel 10:1; 6:28). (Scofield Study Bible note).

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream. Daniel Chapter 2.

Daniel 2:1-3 New King James Version (NKJV)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

1 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. 2 Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.”

2:1 dreams. In the time of revelation, God spoke through the interpretation of dreams that He induced (cf. v. 29). (MacArthur).

Daniel 2:19 New King James Version (NKJV)

19 Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Daniel 2:31-35 New King James Version (NKJV)(The Dream – The Great Image)

31 “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:36-38 New King James Version (NKJV). First World Empire: Babylon (Gold). (7:4)

36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold.

Daniel 2:39 New King James Version (NKJV). Second And Third World Empires. Second: Medo-Persia (Silver). (7:5; 8:20) Third: Greece (Bronze). (7:6; 8:21)

39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.

39. MacArthur note. inferior. This probably means “lower”(lit. earthward) on the image of a man as Daniel guides Nebuchadnezzar’s thoughts downward on the body from his own empire (the head) to the one that would succeed it. Medo-Persia, though lacking the glory of Babylon (silver, as compared to gold), was not inferior in strength to Babylon when its day of power came; it actually conquered Babylon (7:5). Also, in the case of Greece; bronze is less glorious (valuable) than silver, but stronger.

39. MacArthur note. rule over all the earth. Alexander the Great became the ruler of the world, including Israel, from Europe to Egypt to India.

Daniel 2:40-43 New King James Version (NKJV) Fourth World Empire: Rome (Iron) (7:7; 9:26).

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.

40. MacArthur note. strong as iron. The metal fittingly represents the Roman Empire which would be characterized by the description predicted. It did have armies in iron armor, known as the Iron Legions of Rome, and it had strength and invincibility.

41. Mac Arthur Note. toes. Ten toes represent the same kings as the 10 horns in 7:24. They will rule in the final time of the Gentile empire, which Christ destroys in violent abruptness at His second coming.

41-43. MacArthur note. clay … iron. The iron in the ten toes (kings) represents the Roman Empire in its revived form, prior to the second coming of Christ, as having iron-like strength for conquest (Rev 13: 4-5). But the clay “mixed in” depicts that the union (federation) of kings and nations would have fatal flaws of human weakness, so that it is inherently vulnerable.

Daniel 2:44-45 New King James Version (NKJV) Christ’s Kingdom To Be Established On Earth (Matt 3:2: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”)

44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

44. MacArthur note. stand forever/endure forever. God’s kingdom ruled by Messiah is the final rule, never to be replaced. It has a millennial phase and an external future, but it is the same king who rules both.

45. MacArthur note. stone … mountain. The stone is Messiah (Ps 118:22-23; Isa 28:16; Rom 9:33; 1 Pet 2:6; Luke 20:18). The mountain pictures God’s all-transcending government that looms over weak earthly powers (Dan 4:17, 25; Pa 47:8; 103:19; 145:13; Rev 17:9). Messiah is “cut out” of this sovereign realm by God, which accords with the Son of Man coming (Dan 7:13-14); “without hands” denotes that the Messiah comes from God and is not of human origin or power (the same idea in 8:25). The virgin birth and the resurrection, as well as the second coming, could be encompassed in this reference to supernatural origin.

2:36–45 we will tell the interpretation. Five empires in succession would rule over Israel, here pictured by parts of a statue (body). In Dan. 7, the same empires are represented by 4 great beasts. These empires are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the later revived Rome, each one differentiated from the previous, as indicated by the declining quality of the metal. A stone picturing Christ (Luke 20:18) at His second coming (as the Son of Man also does in Dan. 7:13, 14) will destroy the fourth empire in its final phase with catastrophic suddenness (2:34, 35, 44, 45). Christ’s total shattering of Gentile power will result in the establishment of His millennial kingdom, the ultimate empire, and then continuing on eternally (2:44; 7:27). (MacArthur)

Other Times – Times Of The Gentiles – Jacob’s Trouble/Distress

There are other times that need to be understood, in the context of times of world empires and events that lead to Christ’s Kingdom, which is also known as the “Kingdom Of God, Kingdom of Heaven, the millennium, the millennial reign of Christ.”

Times Of The Gentiles.

My note. The four world empires have been discussed, as well as the Kingdom of Christ in the Millennium. Still, there is the time that exists between the discussed Roman Empire and the Millennium, that needs to be considered. Such a time is known in Scripture as “The Times Of The Gentiles.” Gentiles are considered to be all nations, except the Jews. It is a time in history, current time and the future, when neither the Jews, nor the church of Christ, has spiritual control of the world. Only, when the second coming of Christ occurs, will the unbelieving Gentile nations lose their grip of control on the world. (Zechariah 14:1-15; Matthew 24:29-31; Revelation 19:11-21) (See below, for more “Times Of The Gentiles”)

Easton’s Bible Dictionary – Gentiles

(Hebrews, usually in plural, goyim), meaning in general all nations except the Jews.

Luke 21:24 New King James Version (NKJV)

24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

21:24 the times of the Gentiles. This expression is unique to Luke. It identifies the era from Israel’s captivity (ca. 586 B.C. to Babylon; cf. 2 Kin. 25) to her restoration in the kingdom (Rev. 20:1–6). It has been a time during which, in accord with God’s purpose, Gentiles have dominated or threatened Jerusalem. (MacArthur)

Jacob’s Trouble/Jacob’s Distress – The Tribulation.

Jeremiah 30:7 New King James Version (NKJV)

7 Alas! For that day is great,
So that none is like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble,
But he shall be saved out of it.

30:7 time of Jacob’s trouble. This period of unprecedented difficulty for Israel, as the verse defines, is set in a context of Israel’s final restoration. It is best equated with the time of tribulation (cf. vv. 8, 9) just before Christ’s Second Advent, mentioned elsewhere (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21, 22) and described in detail by Rev. 6–19.

The Revived Roman Empire, as discussed in Daniel 2:40-43

Additional information is provided on the great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, as follows.

Scofield Reference notes: verses 31- 44, as follows.

Verse 31

great image

The monarchy-vision. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, as interpreted by Daniel, gives the course and end of “the times of the Gentiles” Luke 21:24. (See Scofield “Revelation 16:19”) that is, of Gentile world-empire. The four metals composing the image are explained as symbolizing Daniel 2:38-40 four empires, not necessarily possessing the inhabited earth, but able to do so (Daniel 2:38), and fulfilled in Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece (under Alexander), and Rome. The latter power is seen divided, first into two (the legs), fulfilled in the Eastern and Western Roman empires, and then into ten (the toes) See Scofield “Daniel 7:26. As a whole, the image gives the imposing outward greatness and splendour of the Gentile world-power.

The smiting Stone Daniel 2:34; Daniel 2:35 destroys the Gentile world-system (in its final form) by a sudden and irremediable blow, not by the gradual processes of conversion and assimilation; and then, and not before, does the Stone become a mountain which fills “the whole earth.” (Cf. Daniel 7:26; Daniel 7:27). Such a destruction of the Gentile monarchy-system did not occur at the first advent of Christ. On the contrary, He was put to death by the sentence of an officer of the fourth empire, which was then at the zenith of its power. Since the crucifixion the Roman empire has followed the course marked out in the vision, but Gentile world dominion still continues, and the crushing blow is still suspended. The detail of the end-time is given in Daniel 7:1-28, and Revelation 13-19. It is important to see

(1) that Gentile world-power is to end in a sudden catastrophic judgment (see “Armageddon,” Revelation 16:14; Revelation 19:21).
(2) that it is immediately followed by the kingdom of heaven, and that the God of the heavens does not set up His kingdom till after the destruction of the Gentile world- system. It is noteworthy that Gentile world-dominion begins and ends with a great image. Daniel 2:31; Revelation 13:14; Revelation 13:15.

Verse 35

mountain

A mountain is one of the bibical symbols of a kingdom. (See Scofield “Isaiah 2:2”).

Verse 38

wheresoever the children

This is universal dominion. It was never fully realized, but power was given for it.

Verse 41

but there shall be

From the “head of gold” (Daniel 2:38) to the “iron” of the “fourth kingdom” (Rome) there is deterioration in fineness, but increase of strength (Daniel 2:40). Then comes the deterioration of the “fourth kingdom” in that very quality, strength.

(1) Deterioration by division: The kingdom is divided into two, the legs (Eastern and Western empires), and these are again divided into kingdoms, the number of which when the Stone smites the image will be ten toes, Daniel 2:42; cf. Daniel 7:23; Daniel 7:24.
(2) Deterioration by admixture; the iron of the Roman imperium mixed with the clay of the popular will, fickle and easily moulded.

This is precisely what has come to pass in the constitutional monarchies which, the Republic of France and the despotism of Turkey, cover the sphere of ancient Roman rule.

Verse 44

and in the days

The passage fixes authoritatively the time relative to other predicted events, when the kingdom of the heavens will be set up. It will be “in the days of those kings,” i.e. the days of the ten kings (cf. Daniel 7:24-27 symbolized by the toes of the image. That condition did not exist at the advent of Messiah, nor was it even possible until the dissolution of the Roman empire, and the rise of the present national world system. See “Kingdom (O.T.)”; Genesis 1:26; Zechariah 12:8 “Kingdom (N.T.)”; Luke 1:31-33; 1 Corinthians 15:28, (See Scofield “Matthew 3:2”) note (defining “kingdom of heaven”). Daniel 2:45 repeats the method by which the kingdom will be set up. (Cf) See Scofield “Daniel 2:31”; Psalms 2:5; Psalms 2:6; Zechariah 14:1-8; Zechariah 14:9.

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Road To Armageddon – 7 – Daniel’s Prophetic Outline

Road To Armageddon – 7 – Daniel’s Prophetic Outline

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A Glimpse Of Armageddon – The Sixth Bowl Judgment – Will you be there – if so, in which capacity? This is an honest question, which demands a serious response.

Revelation 16:12-16 New King James Version (NKJV)

Sixth Bowl: Euphrates Dried Up

12 Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared. 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

16 And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.

The prophetic outline to the book of Daniel

Daniel 2 (Read verses and MacArthur Study Bible Notes. Everybody should own a MacArthur Study Bible.)

Ten Toes – Revived Roman Empire – The Kingdom to come before Messiah

2:36–45 we will tell the interpretation. Five empires in succession would rule over Israel, Machere pictured by parts of a statue (body). In Dan. 7, the same empires are represented by 4 great beasts. These empires are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the later revived Rome (cf. Introduction: Background and Setting), each one differentiated from the previous as indicated by the declining quality of the metal. A stone picturing Christ (Luke 20:18) at His second coming (as the Son of Man also does in Dan. 7:13, 14) will destroy the fourth empire in its final phase with catastrophic suddenness (2:34, 35, 44, 45). Christ’s total shattering of Gentile power will result in the establishment of His millennial kingdom, the ultimate empire, and then continuing on eternally (2:44; 7:27).

2:39 inferior. This probably means “lower” (lit. “earthward”) on the image of a man as Daniel guides Nebuchadnezzar’s thoughts downward on the body from his own empire (the head) to the one that would succeed it. Medo-Persia, though lacking the glory of Babylon (silver as compared to gold), was not inferior in strength to Babylon when its day of power came; it actually conquered Babylon (7:5). Also in the case of Greece, bronze is less glorious (valuable) than silver, but stronger. rule over all the earth. Alexander the Great became the ruler of the world, including Israel, from Europe to Egypt to India.

2:40 strong as iron. This metal fittingly represents the Roman Empire which would be characterized by the description predicted. It did have armies in iron armor known as the Iron Legions of Rome, and it had strength and invincibility.

2:41 toes. Ten toes represent the same kings as the 10 horns in 7:24. They will rule in the final time of the Gentile empire, which Christ destroys in violent abruptness at His second coming.

2:41–43 clay and…iron. The iron in the 10 toes (kings) represents the Roman Empire in its revived form, prior to the second coming of Christ, as having iron-like strength for conquest (cf. Rev. 13:4, 5). But the clay mixed in depicts that the union (federation) of kings and nations would have fatal flaws of human weakness, so that it is inherently vulnerable.

2:44 stand forever. God’s kingdom ruled by Messiah is the final rule, never to be replaced. It has a millennial phase and an eternal future, but it is the same king who rules both.

2:45 stone…mountain. The stone is Messiah (cf. Ps. 118:22,23; Is. 28:16; Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6; esp. Luke 20:18). The mountain pictures God’s all-transcending government that looms over weak earthly powers (4:17, 25; Ps. 47:8; 103:19; 145:13;Rev. 17:9). Messiah is “cut out” of this sovereign realm by God, which accords with the Son of Man coming (7:13, 14); “without hands” denotes that the Messiah comes from God and is not of human origin or power (cf. the same idea in 8:25). The virgin birth and the resurrection, as well as the second coming, could be encompassed in this reference to supernatural origin.

Daniel 7 (Read Verses and Mac Arthur Study Bible Notes)

Ten Horns – Old Roman Empire – Revived Roman Empire

Little Horn – Anti-Christ – Man Of Lawlessness – Satan’s Blasphemous Leader

7:1 first year. This represented a flashback to 553 B.C., 14 years before the feast of 5:1–3. Chapters 7, 8 occur after chap. 4, but before chap. 5. The dream of Dan. 7 moves far beyond Daniel’s day to the coming of Israel’s king to end all Gentile kingdoms and to establish His eternal kingdom (7:13, 14, 27; cf.2:35, 45).

7:3 four…beasts. These beasts represent the same empires as the individual parts of the image in chap. 2. Christ the King, the Son of Man from heaven (vv. 13, 14), corresponds to the Stone in 2:35, 45.

7:7 fourth beast. No such animal exists; rather this is a unique beast pointing to the Roman Empire, already represented by iron in 2:40, devastating in conquest. Roman dominion fell apart in A.D. 476, yet it lived on in a divided status (Europe), but will be revived and return to great unified strength near Christ’s second coming. Then it will be comprised of the 10 parts under kings (vv. 7, 24), as well as an 11th king, the Antichrist (vv. 8, 24; 2 Thes. 2:3–10; Rev. 13:1–10).

7:11, 12 the beast was slain. Reference is to the fourth beast (i.e., the Roman sphere), headed up by the “little horn” or Antichrist (vv. 7, 24). He will be destroyed at Christ’s second coming (cf. Rev. 19:20; 20:10); cf. the smashing by the Stone,Dan. 2:35, 45.

7:12 rest of the beasts. These are the 3 earlier beasts (empires of chaps. 2, 7). Each successively lost its chief dominance when it was conquered in history. Yet each was amalgamated into the empire that gained ascendancy, and survived in its descendants. As the second advent draws near, all 3 empires in their descendants will be a part of the Roman phase in its final form (Rev. 13:2). Survival will not be possible for the final and revived phase of the fourth empire after Christ’s second coming, for catastrophic devastation (cf. 2:35) will utterly destroy it, and Christ’s kingdom will replace it.

7:13, 14 Son of Man. The Messiah (cf. 9:26), Christ is meant; He often designated Himself by this phrase (Matt. 16:26; 19:28;26:64). “The clouds of heaven” are seen again in Rev. 1:7. Here He is distinct from the Ancient of Days, or Eternal One, the Father, who will coronate Him for the kingdom (2:44). The picture of old age is not that of being feeble, rather it highlights eternality and divine wisdom to judge (cf. 7:9, 10).

7:13, 14 Son of Man. The Messiah (cf. 9:26), Christ is meant; He often designated Himself by this phrase (Matt. 16:26; 19:28;26:64). “The clouds of heaven” are seen again in Rev. 1:7. Here He is distinct from the Ancient of Days, or Eternal One, the Father, who will coronate Him for the kingdom (2:44). The picture of old age is not that of being feeble, rather it highlights eternality and divine wisdom to judge (cf. 7:9, 10).

7:18, 22, 27 saints. These who trusted God possess the kingdom headed up by the Son of Man, the Messiah, of vv. 13,14. All serve Him in vv. 14 and 27, the latter verse clarifying that the one served is actually God the Most High. Just as the 4 Gentile empires have individuals as kings (cf. 2:38; 7:8; 8:8), so the final kingdom has Christ as King.

7:18 the Most High. God is referred to in this book as above all gods (2:47; 3:29; 4:35), as He was for Melchizedek and Abraham (Gen. 14:19, 20, 22) as well as Naaman (2 Kin. 5:17).

7:19 fourth beast…different. This may refer to the empire’s far greater diversity than previous empires, and its breadth of conquest (v. 24). It branches out into two great divisions (cf. “legs,” 2:33, 40), then near the end into 10 horns (a confederacy of 10 nations), and even an 11th horn (Antichrist’s kingdom) lasting until Christ’s second coming.

7:25 time and times and half a time. This obviously refers to the 3½ years which are the last half of the 7 year period of Antichrist’s power (cf. 9:27), continuing on to Christ’s second coming as the Judgment Stone (2:35, 45) and glorious Son of Man (7:13, 14). Cf. Rev. 11:2, 3; 12:14; 13:5 for reference to this same period.

7:26 the court. God will have His court session to judge sinners and sin (vv. 9, 10). He will remove the Antichrist’s rule, and destroy him and his empire in eternal, conscious hell (Rev. 19:20;20:10).

7:27 the kingdom…given to…the saints. God’s kingdom in both earthly (Rev. 20:4) and heavenly phases (Rev. 21:27; 22:3,4, 14).

Daniel 9 (Read verses and MacArthur Study Bible notes)

Rapture Of The Church

Tribulation – Revelation 4:2-19:10 (Be sure to see a detailed discussion of the tribulation in the following post)

2nd Seal Judgment

Second Coming Of Christ

9:2 seventy years. Daniel’s study of “the books” (OT scrolls) focused on the years prophesied for the captivity by Jeremiah in Jer. 25:11, 12 and 29:10. Since the end of that span was near, he prayed for God’s next move on behalf of Israel. Cf. 2 Chr. 36:21, where it is indicated that the 70 years of exile were intended to restore the Sabbath rests that Israel had ignored for so many years (cf. Lev. 25:4, 5; 26:34–43).

9:11 the curse. This refers to the judgment that God brought, as promised, for Israel’s disobedience in the Land (Lev. 26:21–42; Deut. 28:15–68). This is in contrast to the blessings associated with faith and obedience (Lev. 26:3–20; Deut. 28:1–14). God had given the promise that even in a time of judgment, if Israel would confess their sin, He would bring blessing again (Lev. 26:40–42).

9:24–26 Seventy weeks…from…until. These are weeks of years, whereas weeks of days are described in a different way (10:2, 3). The time spans from the Persian Artaxerxes’ decree to rebuild Jerusalem, ca. 445 B.C. (Neh. 2:1–8), to the Messiah’s kingdom. This panorama includes: 1) 7 weeks or 49 years, possibly closing Nehemiah’s career in the rebuilding of the “street and wall,” as well as the end of the ministry of Malachi and the close of the OT; 2) 62 weeks or 434 more years for a total of 483 years to the first advent of Messiah. This was fulfilled at the triumphal entry on 9 Nisan, A.D. 30 (see notes on Matt. 21:1–9). The Messiah will be “cut off,” (a common reference to death); and 3) the final 7 years or 70th week of the time of Antichrist (cf.v. 27). Roman people, from whom the Antichrist will come, will “destroy the city” of Jerusalem and its temple in A.D. 70.

NOTE: The following verse (24th) explains the reason for the tribulation, which leads to the Battle Of Armageddon. It is very important for God’s people to understand the reason for the tribulation, and why it does not apply to the born again people of God. All of this prophecy is God’s plan. God is not merely an onlooker. He is the designer and orchestrator of the greatest tribulation that the world has ever experienced, and will ever experience (Matt 24:21).

9:24. This highly complex and startlingly accurate prophecy answers Daniel’s prayer, not with reference to near history, but by giving the future of Israel in the final end of the age. God promises 2 sets of 3 accomplishments each. First, those related to sin are: 1) finish the transgression, i.e., restrain sin and Israel’s in particular in its long trend of apostasy, as in v. 11; 2)make an end of sins, i.e., to judge it with finality (cf. Heb. 9:26); and 3) make reconciliation for iniquity, signifies to furnish the actual basis of covering sin by full atonement, the blood of the crucified Messiah who is “cut off” (v. 26), which affects the first two realities (cf. the fountain, Zech. 13:1).

Second, those accomplishments related to righteousness are: 1)bring in…righteousness, the eternal righteousness of Daniel’s people in their great change from centuries of apostasy; 2) seal up vision…, i.e., no more revelation is needed and God will bring these anticipations to completion by their fulfillment in Israel’s blessing as a nation; and 3) anoint the Most Holy,consecrate the Holy Place in a temple of the future that will be the center of worship in the millennial kingdom (cf. Ezek. 40–48). Clearly this must be understood to sweep to the end of Gentile power and the time of Antichrist right before Christ’s return. Summing up, the first 3 are fulfilled in principle at Christ’s first coming, in full at His return. The last 3 complete the plan at His Second Advent.

NOTE: The events of the 70th week Of Daniel (the Tribulation) are explained in the next verse (27th).

9:27 Then. This is clearly the end of the age, the Second Advent judgment, because the bringing in of righteousness did not occur 7 years after the death of the Messiah, nor did the destruction of Jerusalem fit the 7 year period (occurring 37 years later). This is the future 7 year period which ends with sin’s final judgment and Christ’s reign of righteousness; i.e., the return of Christ and the establishment of His rule. These 7 years constitute the 70th week of Daniel. he shall confirm. “He” is the last-mentioned prince (v. 26), leader of the Roman sphere (cf. chaps. 2 and 7), the Antichrist who comes in the latter days. The time is in the future tribulation period of “one week,” i.e., the final 7 years of v. 24. He confirms (lit., causes to prevail) a 7 year covenant, his own pact with Israel for what will turn out actually to be for a shorter time. The leader in this covenant is the “little horn” of 7:7, 8, 20, 21,24–26, and the evil leader of NT prophecy (Mark 13:14; 2 Thes. 2:3–10; Rev. 13:1–10). That he is in the future, even after Christ’s First Advent, is shown by 1) Matt. 24:15; 2) by the time references that match (7:25; Rev. 11:2, 3; 12:14; 13:5); and 3) by the end here extending to the Second Advent, matching the duration elsewhere mentioned in Daniel (2:35, 45; 7:15ff.; 12:1–3) and Rev. 11:2; 12:14; 13:5. middle of the week. This is the halfway point of the 70th week of years, i.e., 7 years leading to Christ’s second coming. The Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel (v. 27a), which has resumed its ancient sacrificial system. Three and a half years of tribulation remain, agreeing with the time in other Scriptures (7:25; Rev. 11:2, 3; 12:14; 13:5, called “Great Tribulation,” cf. Matt. 24:21) as God’s wrath intensifies. abominations…one who makes desolate. The Antichrist will cause abomination against Jewish religion. This violation will desolate or ruin what Jews regard as sacred, namely their holy temple and the honoring of God’s presence there (cf. 1 Kin. 9:3; 2 Thes. 2:4). Jesus refers directly to this text in His Olivet discourse (Matt. 24:15). See note on 11:31. the consummation. God permits this tribulation under the Antichrist’s persecutions and ultimately triumphs, achieving judgment of the sin and sinners in Israel (12:7) and in the world (cf. Jer. 25:31). This includes the Antichrist (11:45; Rev. 19:20), and all who deserve judgment (9:24; Matt. 13:41–43).

Chapters 11 and 12 will be discussed in the next post, and will include a deeper study of the tribulation.

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Road To Armageddon – 6 – The Major Prophetic Passages Of Daniel

Road To Armageddon – 6 – The Major Prophetic Passages Of Daniel

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The Four Major Prophetic Passages Of Daniel – Chapters 2, 7, 9, 11

The Scofield Study Bible Provides The Outline For This Post (606 B.C.- 534 B.C.)

Daniel 2: Nebuchadnezzar’s Vision

Daniel 2:31-35: King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

31 “You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. 32 The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.34 You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:36-45 – The Interpretation

Daniel 2:36-38 – The First World Empire. Babylon Under Nebuchadnezzar (Re: Dan 7:4)

The Interpretation—Babylon the First Kingdom

36 “This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; 38 and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.

Daniel 2:39 – Second And Third World Empires: Medo-Persia (Re: 7:5; 8:20) and Greece (Re 7:6; 8:21)

Medo-Persia and Greece

39 After you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth.

Daniel 2:40-43 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Rome

40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. 41 In that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with common clay. 42 As the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. 43 And in that you saw the iron mixed with common clay, they will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, even as iron does not combine with pottery.

Daniel 2:44-45 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Divine Kingdom/Messianic Kingdom

44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

Daniel Chapter 7 – Daniel’s Vision Of The Four Beasts

Daniel 7:1-3 – The Dream (Re: 2:31-43)

Vision of the Four Beasts

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.2 Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.

Daniel 7:4 – First World Empire: Babylon (Re:2:37-38)

4 The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.

Daniel 7:5 – Second World Empire: Medo-Persia (Re: 2:39; 8:20)

5 And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’

Daniel 7:6 – Third World Empire: Greece (Re:2:39; 8:21-22; 10:20; 11:2-4)

6 After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.

Daniel 7:7 – Fourth World Empire: Rome (Re:2:23-24; 2:40-43; 9:26)

7 After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

Daniel 7:8 – Rome: Final Form Of Fourth World Empire; The Ten Kings And The Little Horn (Re:2:24-27; See Scofield Note on 2:14)

8 While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.

Daniel 7:9-12: The Coming Of The Son Of Man (Re:2:9-14; Mt 24:27-30; Mt 25:31-34; Rev 19:11-21)

The Ancient of Days Reigns

9 “I kept looking
Until thrones were set up,
And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His vesture was like white snow
And the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne was ablaze with flames,
Its wheels were a burning fire.
10 “A river of fire was flowing
And coming out from before Him;
Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;
The court sat,
And the books were opened.
11 Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.
Daniel 7:13-14: Scene In Heaven Before Coming Of Son Of Man (Re:Rev 5:1-14)

The Son of Man Presented

13 “I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
14 “And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:15-22: The Interpretation Of Beast Vision

The Vision Interpreted

15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. 16 I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. 18 But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’
19 “Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, 20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates. 21 I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.

Daniel 7:23-28: Satan’s Blasphemous Leader

23 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. 24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time,times, and half a time. 26 But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’

28 “At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

Daniel 9: Daniel’s Prayer, And The Prophecy Of The Seventy Weeks

Daniel 9:1-2: The Vision Of The Seventy Weeks (Re: 9:1-27)

Daniel’s Prayer for His People

1 in the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

Daniel 9:3-19: Daniel’s Confession And Prayer

3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and loving kindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.
7 “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8 Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him. 12 Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.
15 “And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. 16 O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Daniel 9:20-27: The Seventy Weeks Of Years

Gabriel Brings an Answer

20 Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.

Seventy Weeks and the Messiah

24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25 So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

Daniel 11: From Darius To The Man Of Lawlessness (Re 11:1-12:13)

Daniel 11:1-20

Conflicts to Come

1 “In the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a protection for him. 2 And now I will tell you the truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole empire against the realm of Greece. 3 And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and do as he pleases. 4 But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four points of the compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, for his sovereignty will be uprooted and given to others besides them.
5 “Then the king of the South will grow strong, along with one of his princes who will gain ascendancy over him and obtain dominion; his domain will be a great dominion indeed. 6 After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to carry out a peaceful arrangement. But she will not retain her position of power, nor will he remain with his power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who sired her as well as he who supported her in those times.7 But one of the descendants of her line will arise in his place, and he will come against their army and enter the fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and display great strength. 8 Also their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold he will take into captivity to Egypt, and he on his part will refrain from attacking the king of the North for some years. 9 Then the latter will enter the realm of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.
10 “His sons will mobilize and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and overflow and pass through, that he may again wage war up to his very fortress. 11 The king of the South will be enraged and go forth and fight with the king of the North. Then the latter will raise a great multitude, but that multitude will be given into the hand of the former. 12 When the multitude is carried away, his heart will be lifted up, and he will cause tens of thousands to fall; yet he will not prevail. 13 For the king of the North will again raise a greater multitude than the former, and after an interval of some years he will press on with a great army and much equipment.
14 “Now in those times many will rise up against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they will fall down.15 Then the king of the North will come, cast up a siege ramp and capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand. 16 But he who comes against him will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand him; he will also stay for a time in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He will set his face to come with the power of his whole kingdom, bringing with him a proposal of peace which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it. But she will not take a stand for him or be on his side.18 Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his scorn against him; moreover, he will repay him for his scorn. 19 So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be found no more.
20 “Then in his place one will arise who will send an oppressor through the Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be shattered, though not in anger nor in battle.

Daniel 11:21-35: Antiochus Epiphanes, The Syrian King Who Will Hurt Israel

21 In his place a despicable person will arise, on whom the honor of kingship has not been conferred, but he will come in a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue. 22 The overflowing forces will be flooded away before him and shattered, and also the prince of the covenant. 23 After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people. 24 In a time of tranquility he will enter the richest parts of the realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers never did, nor his ancestors; he will distribute plunder, booty and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 He will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him.26 Those who eat his choice food will destroy him, and his army will overflow, but many will fall down slain. 27 As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil, and they will speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the end is still to come at the appointed time. 28 Then he will return to his land with much plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.
29 “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. 30 For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. 32 By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. 33 Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days. 34 Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy. 35 Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

Daniel 11:36-45: Prophecy Concerning His Willful King

36 “Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all. 38 But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures. 39 He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.
40 “At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. 41 He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. 42 Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels.44 But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

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John Chapter 2 – Intimacy Of Worship

Click onto any blue letter, number or symbol to view the videos and text on the blog.

As you watch the opening video, let the worship of our Lord Jesus “wash over you.”

In this chapter there is the discussion of the first of two temple cleansings by Jesus.

Key Verse: John 2:24 (G. Campbell Morgan, 1863-1945)

John 2:24 New International Version (NIV)

24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

John 2 New American Standard Bible (NASB) (Scriptures taken from BibleGateway.com)

Miracle at Cana

1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus *said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 6 Now there were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. 7 Jesus *said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He *said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him. 9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the bridegroom, 10 and *said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

12 After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

First Passover—Cleansing the Temple

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?”19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

(Chapter 2 notes follow, and are taken from the Reformation Study Bible. Everyone should own a Reformation Study Bible.)

2:1–11 Jesus’ first sign: turning water into wine at Cana. This miracle signifies the transformation of the old order (symbolized by the stone water jars used for ceremonial washing, v. 6) into the new (the wine standing for eternal life in God’s kingdom) through Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). See Is. 25:6–9 for the background image of salvation as a banquet.

2:3 wine. This is the normal term employed in the New Testament for the fermented drink. Paul uses it when he says, “do not get drunk with wine” (Eph. 5:18).

2:4 Woman. This is a respectful way of addressing a woman within that culture and is the way Jesus normally addresses women (4:21; 8:10).

what does this have to do with me. Jesus answers Mary’s request, not because she is His mother, but as part of His work as the Messiah. This indicates that Mary’s special role as Jesus’ mother gives her no authority to intervene in Christ’s messianic career—a strong argument against offering prayer to Mary.

My hour. Usually Jesus’ “hour” refers to the time of His suffering and death (12:27). Here Jesus is asserting that He and not Mary must determine the timetable of His earthly ministry.

2:11 manifested his glory. The theme of Christ’s glory had already been introduced (1:14 note). In the Old Testament, God manifested His glory in a variety of miraculous events, and John’s comment indicates that he wants his readers to recognize Jesus’ deity.

And his disciples believed in him. See also v. 23 and 20:31, where John’s purpose for writing the book is disclosed.

2:12–23 Jesus is the final and full expression of what was only a shadow in the Old Testament (Heb. 10:1). Here He indicates that God is present in Him. The temple in Jerusalem could be destroyed, but not the temple that Jesus would rebuild in three days, His own body that was to be raised from the dead. John’s record of the temple cleansing immediately after the miracle at Cana (vv. 1–11 note) offers an important key to the whole of Jesus’ ministry. In these events are signaled replacement of the old order (water of ceremonial cleansing, Herod’s temple) with the new (the wine of salvation, Is. 25:6–9; the risen Lamb as the new temple, Rev. 21:22).

Matthew, Mark, and Luke report a cleansing of the temple in the week of Jesus’ crucifixion. In spite of some similarities, these are best viewed as different incidents (Mark 11:15 note). It is noteworthy that Jesus’ statement about destroying the temple, which John alone records (v. 19), probably was the basis for the accusation by the false witnesses (Matt. 26:61; Mark 14:58), and again for the taunting comment of some spectators at the crucifixion (Matt. 27:40; Mark 15:29). The first three Gospels confirm the historical character of John’s narrative. An echo of the same thought is found in the accusation against Stephen (Acts 6:14).

2:12 his brothers. See Matt. 12:46.

2:15 a whip of cords. Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Mal. 3:1–4. He comes suddenly to the temple and purifies the sons of Levi, as a demonstration of His zeal for God and for keeping God’s ordinances holy.

2:20 forty-six years. The sentence itself does not indicate whether the temple was finished or was still under construction after these years of building. The first century Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities, 15.380) says that the temple was begun in the eighteenth year of Herod the Great (around 19 b.c.) and was not completed until the reign of Herod Agrippa (a.d. 63), indicating that construction was still continuing in Jesus’ time.

will you raise it up in three days. The Jews (and the disciples,v. 22) misunderstand Jesus’ ambiguous statement. Such initial misunderstanding is common in John’s Gospel (e.g., 3:4; 6:52). Those who “receive” Jesus (1:12) are led on to full understanding, but those who reject Him remain at the level of complete misunderstanding (1:5).

2:22 his disciples remembered. During His final instruction of the disciples before His arrest, Jesus promised that what He had taught them would be brought to their remembrance by the Holy Spirit (14:25, 26). The ability to predict events otherwise unknowable is evidence of divine authority. This applies to the prophecies of the Old Testament and to the predictions made by Jesus, especially about His resurrection.

2:23 believed in his name. In biblical times the “name” summed up a person’s character, activity, and place in God’s purpose. The faith of those mentioned here remained superficial, however, because they came to it only because “they saw the signs” (see Introduction: Interpretive Difficulties). For that reason, Jesus “did not entrust himself to them” (v. 24).

2:24, 25 Although Jesus did not exercise divine omniscience in the days of His flesh (11:34; Mark 13:32), He often displayed supernatural knowledge, important for His redemptive work, that indicated the divine endorsement of His claims and mission (1:48; Matt. 9:4; 17:27; Mark 11:2–4; 14:13–16).

Matthew Chapter 1 – The Deity Of Christ

Matthew Chapter 1

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. 4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king.
David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. 8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. 9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. 11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. 14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. 15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. 16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

Christ Born of Mary

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Commentary. Notes from Biblegateway.com; MacArthur Study Bible notes.

1:1 book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This phrase is viewed by some as Matthew’s title for the entire gospel. The Gr. phrase translated “book of the genealogy” is exactly the same phrase used in Gen. 5:1 in the LXX. Jesus Christ. The Hebrew Jeshua means “the Lord is Salvation.” Christos means “anointed one” and is the exact equivalent of the Heb. word for “Messiah” (Dan. 9:25). Son of David. A messianic title used as such in only the synoptic gospels (see notes on 22:42, 45). Son of Abraham.Takes His royal lineage all the way back to the nation’s inception in the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1–3).

1:2 For a comparison of this genealogy and the one given by Luke, see note on Luke 3:23–38.

1:3 Tamar. It is unusual for women to be named in genealogies. Matthew names 5: “Tamar” was a Canaanite woman who posed as a prostitute to seduce Judah (Gen. 38:13–30). “Rahab” (v. 5) was a Gentile and a prostitute (Josh. 2:1). “Ruth” (v. 5) was a Moabite woman (Ruth 1:3) and a worshiper of idols. “Bathsheba” (“Uriah’s wife,” v. 6) committed adultery with David (2 Sam. 11). And “Mary” (v. 16) bore the stigma of pregnancy outside of wedlock. Each of these women is an object lesson about the workings of divine grace.

1:5, 6 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab…and Jesse begot David the king. This is not an exhaustive genealogy. Several additional generations must have elapsed between Rahab (in Joshua’s time) and David (v. 6)—nearly 4 centuries later. Matthew’s genealogy (like most of the biblical ones) sometimes skips over several generations between well known characters in order to abbreviate the listing.

1:8 Joram begot Uzziah. Cf. 1 Chr. 3:10–12. Matthew skips over Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah, going directly from Joram to Uzziah (Azariah)—using a kind of genealogical shorthand. He seems to do this intentionally in order to make a symmetrical 3-fold division in v. 17.

1:11 Josiah begot Jeconiah. Again, Matthew skips a generation between Josiah and Jeconiah (cf. 1 Chr. 3:14–16). Jeconiah is also called Jehoiachin (2 Kin. 24:6; 2 Chr. 36:8) and sometimes Coniah (Jer. 22:24). Jeconiah’s presence in this genealogy presents an interesting dilemma. A curse on him forbade any of his descendants from the throne of David forever (Jer. 22:30). Since Jesus was heir through Joseph to the royal line of descent, but not an actual son of Joseph and thus not a physical descendant through this line, the curse bypassed him.

1:12 Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. See 1 Chr. 3:17–19, where Zerubbabel is said to be the offspring of Pedaiah, Shealtiel’s brother. Elsewhere in the OT, Zerubbabel is always called the son of Shealtiel. (e.g., Hag. 1:1; Ezra 3:2; Neh. 12:1). Possibly Shealtiel adopted his nephew (see note on Hag. 2:23). Zerubbabel is the last character in Matthew’s list who appears in any of the OT genealogies.

1:16 Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus.This is the only entry in the entire genealogy where the word “begot” is not used—including those where whole generations were skipped. The pronoun “whom” is sing., referring to Mary alone. The unusual way in which this final entry is phrased underscores the fact that Jesus was not Joseph’s literal offspring. The genealogy nonetheless establishes His claim to the throne of David as Joseph’s legal heir.

1:17 fourteen generations. The significance of the number 14 is not clear, but Matthew’s attention to numbers—a distinctly Hebrew characteristic—is evident throughout the gospel. The systematic ordering may be an aid for memorization. Note that Matthew counts Jeconiah in both the third and fourth groups, representing both the last generation before the Babylonian captivity and the first generation after.

1:18 betrothed. Jewish betrothal was as binding as modern marriage. A divorce was necessary to terminate the betrothal (v. 19) and the betrothed couple were regarded legally as husband and wife (v. 19)—although physical union had not yet taken place. See note on Luke 2:5. with child of the Holy Spirit. See vv. 20, 23; Luke 1:26–35.

1:19 Joseph…being a just man…was minded to put her away secretly. Stoning was the legal prescription for this sort of adultery (Deut. 22:23, 24). Joseph’s righteousness meant he was also merciful; thus he did not intend to make Mary “a public example.” The phrase “a just man” is a Hebraism suggesting that he was a true believer in God who had thereby been declared righteous, and who carefully obeyed the law (see Gen. 6:9). To “put her away” would be to obtain a legal divorce (19:8, 9; Deut. 24:1), which according to the Jewish custom was necessary in order to dissolve a betrothal (see note on v. 18).

1:20 an angel of the Lord. This is one of only a few such angelic visitations in the NT, most of which are associated with Christ’s birth. For others, see 28:2; Acts 5:19; 8:26; 10:3; 12:7–10; 27:23; Rev. 1:1. in a dream. As if to underscore the supernatural character of Christ’s advent, Matthew’s narrative of the event describes 5 such revelatory dreams: v. 20; 2:12, 13, 19, 22. Here the angel told Joseph he was to take Mary into his own home.

1:21 Jesus. See v. 25; Luke 1:31. The name actually means “Savior” (see note on v. 1).

1:22 that it might be fulfilled. Matthew points out fulfillments of OT prophecies no less than a dozen times (cf. 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:14, 35; 21:4; 26:54–56; 27:9, 35). He quotes from the OT more than 60 times, more frequently than any other NT writer, except Paul in Romans.

1:23 virgin. Scholars sometimes dispute whether the Hebrew term in Is. 7:14 means “virgin” or “maiden.” Matthew is quoting here from the LXX which uses the unambiguous Gr. term for “virgin” (see note on Is. 7:14). Thus Matthew, writing under the Spirit’s inspiration, ends all doubt about the meaning of the word in Is. 7:14. Immanuel. Cf. Is. 8:8, 10.

1:24 took to him his wife. See note on Luke 2:5.

1:25 know her. A euphemism for sexual intercourse. See Gen. 4:1, 17, 25; 38:26; Judg. 11:39.

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The scripture text was taken from Biblegateway.com

The translation of the text is from The New King James Version.

Scripture notes were taken from The MacArthur Study Bible notes that are contained in Biblegateway.com

God’s Plan For The Ages – 5 – Daniel 6-12 – God’s Prophetic Plan For The End Times

God’s prophetic plan for the end times laid out in the book of Daniel chapters 6-12

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Background Of Daniel (Scofield Study Bible)

The book of Daniel, like Revelation in the New Testament, is called an apocalypse, as are Isaiah 24-27 (the Isaiah Apocalypse) and the visions of Zechariah. “Apocalypse” means “unveiling.” Apocalyptic writing may use many forms and symbols.

The author of this book, Daniel, whose name means “God is my judge, was taken in his youth to Babylon in the first deportation under Nebuchadnezzar. His life extended to at least 530 B.C.

Daniel is a book of kings and kingdoms, of thrones and dominions. While including a number of historical records, it embodies prophecies of the sequence of kingdoms in “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24; see Revelation 16:19, note), and portrays the end of this period. It voices the only prophecy in the Old Testament (9:24-27) that sets the time of the Messiah’s first advent.

The book of Daniel shows the timeline of The Gentiles. The book of Ezekiel shows the timeline Of The Jews.

Scofield Outline Of Daniel – Chapters 6-12

Timeline 538 – 534 B.C.

Daniel’s Vision of “The Four Beasts.” (Daniel 7)

The dream (Daniel 7:1-3)

First world empire: Babylon (Daniel 7:4)

Second world empire: Medo-Persia (Daniel 7:5)

Third world empire: Greece (Daniel 7:6)

Fourth world empire: Rome (Daniel 7:7)

Rome: final form of fourth world empire: the ten kings and the little horn (Daniel 7:8)

The vision of the coming of the Son of Man in glory: (Daniel 7:9-12; Matthew 24:27-30; 25:31-34; Revelation 19:11-21)

Scene in Heaven before the coming of the Son of Man (Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 5:1-4)

The interpretation of the beast vision (Daniel 7:-22)

Satan’s blasphemous leader (Daniel 7:23-28)

The Prophecy of the Defeat of the Persians by the Greeks, and the Desecration of the Temple. (Daniel 8)

The vision of the ram and the goat (Daniel 8:1-8)

The little horn (Daniel 8:9-14)

The interpretation of the vision (Daniel 8:15-19)

The identify of the ram (Daniel 8:20)

The goat and his successors (Daniel 8:21-22)

The king of bold face (Daniel 8:23-27)

Daniel’s Prayer and the Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9)

The vision of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9:1-2)

Daniel’s confession and prayer (Daniel 9:3-19)

The seventy weeks of years (Daniel 9:20-27)

Daniel’s Final Vision (Daniel 10-12)

The vision of the Glory of God (Daniel 10:1-9)

Conflict: holy and unholy angels (Daniel 10:10-21)

From Darius to the man of lawlessness (Daniel 11:1-20)

Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian king who will hurt Israel (Daniel 11:21-35)

Prophecy concerning the willful king (Daniel 11:35-45)

The great tribulation (Daniel 12:1)

The resurrections (Daniel 12:2-3)

God’s last message to Daniel (Daniel 12:4-13)

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