1
Daniel the
Prophet
And the Times of the Gentiles
By Edward B. Dennett
B&P
Bibles & Publications
5706 Monkland, Montréal, Québec H4A 1E6
BTP #nnnn
BibleTruthPublishers.com
59 Industrial Road, Addison, IL 60101, U.S.A.
BTP# 14966
3
Daniel the Prophet
4
Contents
Daniel: Preface ................................................................5
Daniel: Introduction ........................................................7
Daniel 1 ......................................................................... 13
Daniel 2 ......................................................................... 23
Daniel 3 ......................................................................... 41
Daniel 4 ......................................................................... 55
Daniel 5 ......................................................................... 71
Daniel 6 ......................................................................... 83
Daniel 7 ......................................................................... 97
Daniel 8 ....................................................................... 123
Daniel 9 ....................................................................... 139
Daniel 10 ..................................................................... 163
Daniel 11 ..................................................................... 175
Daniel 12 ..................................................................... 199
Daniel: Preface
5
56552
Daniel: Preface
It is in the hope of promoting the knowledge of
dispensational truth that this volume is oered to the
Christian reader. It does not claim to be more than a concise
and simple introduction to the study of the contents of the
book of Daniel; and yet enough of detail has been given to
enable the reader, if guided and taught of the Holy Spirit,
to comprehend the character of “the times of the Gentiles,”
of which this portion of the inspired volume especially
treats. Symptoms of the period spoken of by our blessed
Lord are already to be discerned — “men’s hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which
are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). It is therefore of
the utmost importance to understand the nature of the
last days and the course of events on to the appearing of
Christ, as revealed in the infallible word of God. It tends,
Daniel the Prophet
6
moreover, to enhance the appreciation of the heavenly
calling and of the character of Christianity to be instructed
in the purposes which God has formed for the blessing of
His earthly people. When the heart is at leisure from itself,
through being satised with Christ, the Holy Spirit is free
to lead it out into all the circle of God’s interests, whether
as regards the church, His ancient people, or the world.
May He, Himself teach both the reader and the writer
how to hold all the truths He has revealed in their proper
relationships, and in living power in the soul.
Croydon, February, 1893.
Daniel: Introduction
7
56553
Daniel: Introduction
Before entering upon a consideration of the contents of
this book, it is needful to call attention, however briey, to its
special and peculiar character. At the very commencement,
mention is made of the fact that Nebuchadnezzar had
already besieged Jerusalem, and that the Lord had given
Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand,
with part of the vessels of the house of God, and so forth;
and thereon we read that some of the children of Israel,
and of the king’s seed, and of the princes, were captives
in Babylon. ese facts when rightly understood open
out to us the signicance of the whole book. Until now
God’s throne had been at Jerusalem; He dwelt between the
cherubim; and Israel (we speak of the nation according to
the purpose of God) was consequently the center of God’s
ways in the government of the whole earth. (See Deut. 32:7-
Daniel the Prophet
8
9). Israel, as this same scripture tells us, occupied a special
position of favor and blessing, “for the Lord’s portion is
His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.” Because
of their position of blessing and privilege the nation had
special responsibilities. is principle is announced by the
prophet: “You only have I known of all the families of the
earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities”
(Amos 3:2). eir responsibility was according to their
light, and because they were Jehovah’s people; for as such
they were His witnesses (Isa. 43:8-13), and Jerusalem was
His candlestick in the midst of the nations.
When, therefore, Israel became worse than even the
surrounding nations, and the king of Judah made the
inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the
heathen (2Chron. 33:9), the Lord, after many warnings
and much long-suering (2Chron. 36:14-20), executed
the judgment which He had threatened, by the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar, who “burnt the house of God, and brake
down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof
with re, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And
them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to
Babylon” (2Chron. 36:19-20). e dominion of the earth
was from that point forward committed to the king of
Babylon (see Dan. 2:37-38), and it is in the midst of this
new order of things, as a true remnant and seed preserved
of God, that Daniel and his companions are found in the
rst chapter of our prophet.
is position of the remnant in Babylon, subject to
the Gentile power and dominion, aords the key for the
interpretation of the book. For the visions, vouchsafed to
the kings, concern the Gentile powers themselves, in their
successive order, development, and, what may be termed,
Daniel: Introduction
9
their moral phases, going on to complete apostasy; and
those granted to the prophet deal with the same subject,
but, as going down to the end, in the accomplishment of
God’s purposes concerning His beloved people, more in
their bearing upon this issue. e “pleasant land” nally
becomes the center around which all the Gentile activities
and designs gather; and the curtain is lifted to reveal the
future of the chosen nation, in its pathway, because of its sins
and iniquities, and most of all because of its crowning sin in
the rejection of Messiah, through unequaled and unheard
of sorrow and trouble (Dan. 12:1) on to the enjoyment of
its purposed blessing according to the thoughts of God.
All this will be more distinctly seen as we pursue our
studies; but it may now be pointed out that the book is
divided into two equal arts — Daniel 1-6 forming the
rst, and Daniel 7-12 the second part. e rst part is
wholly made up of the visions and actings of the Gentile
monarchs and their subordinate authorities. Daniel and his
companions appear on the scene as having the mind of
God, and as faithful to Him amid all the seduction and
opposition by which they were surrounded. Daniel, like
Joseph in Egypt, is rst brought to the notice of the king
as an interpreter of dreams; and also, like Joseph, he is, as
a consequence, taken into favor, and exalted to the seat of
government. Having obtained from the king the association
of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, with himself in his
exaltation, they become the objects of the envy and enmity
of the princes. e details will be found in their place; but
the two things are interwoven, the character of the Gentile
powers, and the suering condition of the remnant and
their nal deliverance from under the Gentile persecuting
dominion. e second part of the book, commencing
Daniel the Prophet
10
with Daniel 7, contains the prophetic visions, with their
interpretations, received by Daniel; and they embrace the
course, character, and destiny of the Gentile empires, which
followed the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar.
eir various actings are described, especially those of
the third and fourth, in relation to the Holy Land and the
Jewish people; and we have, moreover, the special revelation
made to Daniel of the seventy weeks, as indicative of the
period in which God’s purposes for His earthly people will
be accomplished.
Finally, in the long vista of the future opened up to the
prophet, the Gentile governments are displaced by the Son
of Man to whom there is given “dominion, and glory, and
a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should
serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which
shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14). It is in connection
with His coming to establish His kingdom that Daniel
is told: “At that time thy people shall be delivered, every
one that shall be found written in the book” (Dan. 12:1).
At His rst coming He was cut o (Dan. 9:26), and had
nothing; but though He was rejected and crucied by “His
own” people, He yet, according to the counsels of God,
died for that nation; and it is on the foundation of that
ecacious sacrice that God, after He has, in His righteous
government, punished them for their sins, will act in the
future for the restoration of His beloved, but guilty, people.
Isaiah can thus cry, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people,
saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry
unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity
is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double
for all her sins” (Isa. 40:1-2). e book of Daniel reaches in
Daniel: Introduction
11
prophetic vision to this point; but it does not go beyond.
For the establishment and the glory of the kingdom other
prophets must be consulted. What we have in Daniel is,
as we have already indicated, the course and character of
the Gentile powers, from the destruction of Jerusalem on
to the appearing of Christ, together with the position of
the remnant, and the suerings of the Jewish people, while
the Gentiles possess the dominion, until at last God, in
His faithfulness in pursuance of His purposes, interposes,
and for His own glory works for the rescue and blessing of
His elect earthly people. is blessed consummation is yet
future, and though our calling and portion are heavenly,
and our hope is the coming of the Lord to receive us unto
Himself, and to introduce us into the Father’s house, it is
yet of the utmost importance that we should understand
the nature of “the times of the Gentiles,” and embrace in
our thoughts the whole circle of God’s revealed interests.
It is to aid in this object that we desire to commend to
our readers the earnest study of this part of the inspired
volume.
Daniel the Prophet
12
Daniel 1
13
56554
Daniel 1
Whatever the state of things on the earth God never
leaves Himself without a witness. He may punish His
people on account of their unfaithfulness and their sins,
and He may permit them to be carried into captivity, and
to be enslaved under the power of their enemies, and yet,
in the midst of the darkness by which they are surrounded,
He will rekindle the torch of His truth, in testimony to
Himself and to His faithfulness, and as encouragement to
those who cleave or turn to Him in their sorrows. He will,
moreover, cause those whom He has used to chastise His
people to know that they are still the objects of His care
and love; and that their oppressors, however seemingly
exalted and mighty, are subject and accountable to Him.
e rst three verses of our chapter are the introduction
to the book, and they explain how it had come to pass
Daniel the Prophet
14
that Daniel and his companions are found in connection
with the court of the king of Babylon. e reference, as
may be easily seen by turning to the historical accounts in
2Kings and 2Chronicles, is to the rst siege of Jerusalem
by Nebuchadnezzar. In Chronicles, after the mention of
the accession of Jehoiakim to the throne, through the
instrumentality of Necho, king of Egypt, it says, “Against
him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound
him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar also
carried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon,
and put them in his temple at Babylon” (2Chron. 36:6-7).
But neither here, nor in Kings, is it mentioned that there
were other captives at this time, and it is quite possible that
the short introductory statement of our chapter includes,
in its purport, the subsequent proceedings of the king of
Babylon until Jerusalem was destroyed, and the princes,
and the mighty men of valor, together with the mass of
the people, had been deported to Babylon. (See 2Kings
24:12-16; 25:1-21). It is therefore the general position
which is here dened. e Lord had given Jehoiakim
into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand, and so completely had He
abandoned His house in Jerusalem, that He had permitted
the sacred vessels of the temple, profaned as they were by
the sins of the kings of Judah, to be carried into the land
of Shinar,
1
to the house of Nebuchadnezzar’s god. God’s
candlestick at Jerusalem was thus for the time removed;
and it was judicially removed, because it had ceased to give
forth divine light for guidance and blessing amid the moral
darkness of this world.
1 For the signicance of this statement the reader should consult
Zech. 5.
Daniel 1
15
In the next paragraph (Dan. 1:3-7) the remnant, or
its representation, is introduced. After that Hezekiah
had received the embassy from the king of Babylon and,
gratied by the attention thus shown to him, had exhibited
to them all the treasures of his kingdom, Isaiah was sent
to him with this message: “Hear the word of the Lord of
hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house,
and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this
day, shall be carried to Babylon … And of thy sons that
shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they
take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the
king of Babylon” (Isa. 39:5-7). e opening verses of our
chapter reveal the fulllment of Isaiah’s prediction; but
what we desire to call attention to is that, in fullling
His own word in judgment, God remembered mercy, for
it is out of these very descendants of Hezekiah that He
raised up witnesses for Himself in the midst of Babylon’s
idolatrous corruptions.
In permitting Nebuchadnezzar to carry them away as
captives, God was accomplishing His own purpose; but
Nebuchadnezzar, having obtained power over them, sought
to make them serve his will. e consequence was, that a
conict immediately arose between the thoughts of God
and the thoughts of the king of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar
desired to adorn his palace with those of his captives “in
whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skilful in all
wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding
science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the
king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning
and the tongue of the Chaldeans” (Dan. 1:4). e world is
ever ready to make the people of God its servants, and to
derive light from their knowledge; but it cannot tolerate
Daniel the Prophet
16
them, if they maintain delity to their God in obedience
to His word, and in a holy separation from evil. e king,
therefore, would have these captives to be fed with his own
meat, and to drink of his own wine that, nourished from
his resources for three years, they might at the end thereof
stand in his presence (Dan. 1:5). He would have them, in
one word, to cease being Jews, and to become Chaldeans;
and to mingle with their new religion the light they had
received from the oracles of God. Such is the origin of
philosophy even in Christian times — that philosophy,
against which Paul earnestly warns us as being “after the
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Col. 2:8).
It is in connection with this command of Nebuchadnezzar
that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are brought
into prominence (Dan. 1:6). eir very names, when
understood, proclaimed to whom they belonged,
2
and the
character of their God: and the prince of the eunuchs,
instinctively feeling that such names would not suit his
master’s court, gave them others, all of which were more or
less connected with Babylon’s idols (Dan. 1:7).
e question now raised for Daniel and his companions
was, whether for the sake of the world’s favor and
advancement, they would yield to the king’s command.
e answer had already been given: “Daniel purposed in
his heart that he would not dele himself with the portion
of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank:
therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he
might not dele himself” (Dan. 1:8). As a Jew, obedient to
the word of God, it was impossible for Daniel to eat the
2 Daniel means “God’s judge”; Hananiah, “whom Jehovah
graciously gave”; Mishael, “who (is) as God”; and Azariah,
“whom Jehovah aids.”
Daniel 1
17
food of the Gentiles. Both the fat and the blood of those
animals which were permitted to be eaten, were forbidden;
and it was only of the clean beasts and birds that a Jew was
allowed to partake. (See Lev. 7:22-27, Lev. 11, 22.) Unless,
therefore, Daniel and his companions were prepared to
surrender their faith, and to renounce the word of their
God, they could not accept the royal provision. And there
is another instruction — if an application may be made
to ourselves. e food of the world, that in which man as
man, alienated from God as he is, nds his strength and
sustenance, is ever destructive to the spiritual life of the
Christian; and if he would be a true Nazarite, and walk in
the path of holy separation unto God, he must ever turn
aside from the wine, the joys, of earth. e apostle thus
writes, “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be
lled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18). In the attitude of Daniel
we have then an example for all believers; and the closer it
is followed, the more will they enjoy the conscious favor
and blessing of God, and, as morally dead to things here,
they will the more fully realize their true portion in Christ,
in the place where He is.
We now read, as explanatory of what follows, that “God
had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the
prince of the eunuchs” (Dan. 1:9). Again we are reminded
of the similar case of Joseph. Sold into Egypt, and becoming
an inmate of Potiphar’s house, “he found grace” in his
master’s sight. But, like Daniel, refusing the world’s food
and wine, he, unlike Daniel, was cast into prison, where the
Lord also “gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the
prison.” “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh
even his enemies to be at peace with him”; and hence it
was that the prince of the eunuchs, notwithstanding his
Daniel the Prophet
18
fear of his lord the king, and the possible danger to his
own life, granted through Melzar the request of Daniel,
that he and his companions might be tested for ten days
with pulse to eat and water to drink, instead of the king’s
food and wine. God was with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,
and Azariah, and hence it was that, at the end of the ten
days, “their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in esh
than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s
meat” (Dan. 1:15). God had sustained and prospered His
servants in their path of delity to His will, in keeping
themselves undeled amid the Babylonish seductions and
corruptions by which they were surrounded. Even Melzar
could not gainsay that they had ourished on their simple
regimen, and from then on he gave them pulse.
e reection may be permitted, that there are many
of the people of God who can walk in the narrow path of
devoted discipleship as long as they are in the enjoyment, of
the fellowship of saints, and in the midst of happy spiritual
inuences. But it is sometimes seen that such, when
transported into a worldly circle, are apt to fall in with the
practices and habits of their new society, and thus to lose
their distinctness of walk, even if their testimony be not
altogether extinguished. It is therefore full of refreshment
and encouragement to ponder the spectacle presented by
these four children of Judah. Deprived of all the privileges
of the temple, the temple itself destroyed, themselves
captives at the mercy of a heathen monarch, plied, too,
with every sort of alluring temptation, they maintained the
Nazarite’s place of true separation through obedience to
the word of God. Doubtless it was the faith and energy
of Daniel that acted on his companions, and led them to
follow him in the path of God’s will; but if so, the others
Daniel 1
19
were willing to follow, and all four present a striking proof
of the all-suciency of God’s grace to sustain His servants
in the most unfavorable circumstances that could possibly
be imagined.
e signicant statement follows: “As for these four
children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all
learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all
visions and dreams” (Dan. 1:17). “e secret of the Lord
is with them that fear Him; and He will skew them His
covenant.” is principle ever abides; and it is seen in all
dispensations. It is rst laid down by God Himself in the
familiar words, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
which I do? For I know him, that he will command his
children and his household after him, and they shall keep
the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the
Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken
of him” (Gen. 18:17-19). It appears also in the prayer of the
apostle Paul for the Colossians, “at ye might be lled
with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding” (Col. 1:9). It is abundantly plain, in other
words, that God gave these four “children” knowledge and
skill in all learning and wisdom because of their separation
in heart and life from the deling evils around. It is indeed
ever true, that the nearer we are practically to the Lord,
the more fully He communicates to us of His mind; and
remark, that it is not only what is generally understood
as “His mind,” but it is in all learning and wisdom. e
students of modern days, even Christian students, are too
often betrayed into the thought, that for the acquisition of
human “learning and wisdom” they are dependent upon
their own industry and power. e consequence is, that
the years of their student-life are often marked by spiritual
Daniel the Prophet
20
declension, if not by open backsliding. e example of the
four “children” might well teach another lesson.
3
At the close of the verse Daniel is singled out from his
fellows; for we are told, undoubtedly in view of his special
work and mission, that he had understanding in all visions
and dreams. ereby, too, we are taught, that in all the
circumstances and experiences through which God leads
His people, He is forming them as vessels for His service.
On the human side it was a calamity that had befallen
Daniel; on God’s side, as is plainly revealed, this seeming
calamity was but the instrumentality which He had chosen
to form Daniel for his mission to carry His testimony into
the court of the mighty Gentile monarch — His testimony
concerning the powers which He had allowed to supersede
His own direct government of the earth through Israel, and
through Jerusalem as His dwelling-place and throne. But it
is faith alone that can rise up beyond all secondary causes,
connect everything with the hand of God, and at the same
time peacefully rest in Him, assured of His innite wisdom
and love, and that the issue of all events will be according
to His own perfect will.
e next three verses (Dan. 1:18-20) give the result
before the king of the training to which the four children,
as well as the others selected, had been subjected. All alike
were brought into the royal presence, and Nebuchadnezzar
himself examined the students of his college: he
“communed with them; and among them all was found
none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of
3 e well-known saying of Luther, although he referred to the
Scriptures, might be protably recalled in this connection, “To
have prayed well is to study well.”
Daniel 1
21
wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them,
he found them ten times better than all the magicians
and astrologers that were in all his realm” (Dan. 1:19-20).
ey might each have thus adopted the language of the
Psalmist: “ou through y commandments hast made
me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers: for y
testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the
ancients, because I keep y precepts” (Psa. 119:98-100).
Would that the lesson might be laid to heart by all the
young Christians of the present day!
e chapter closes with the remark, that “Daniel
continued even unto the rst year of king Cyrus.” He lived,
therefore, to see the fall of the colossal empire of which
Nebuchadnezzar was the monarch; he served under Darius
the Mede, and witnessed the advent of Cyrus, of whom
Isaiah had prophesied more than one hundred and fty
years before (see Isa. 44:28; 45:1-3; and more) as the one
who should be instrumental in the restoration of Jerusalem
and the temple. It should, however, be observed that this
last verse is only a general statement that Daniel lived to
see the accession of Cyrus; for in Daniel 10:1 we nd that
he received special revelations from God “in the third year
of Cyrus king of Persia.” How far he may have survived
that date is not mentioned; but the one given makes it
certain that he lived to a good old age, exceeding, at any
rate, the limits of threescore years and ten.
Daniel the Prophet
22
Daniel 2
23
56555
Daniel 2
It is evident that the real subject of the rst part of this
book commences with this chapter. Daniel 1 is prefatory
and introductory, giving, so to speak, the situation, and
displaying a view of the various actors in the following
events, together with their relative positions, while behind
all God is clearly revealed as working all things after the
counsel of His own will. However supreme man may seem
to be, as, for instance, Nebuchadnezzar in his dominion, it
is always to be remembered that God never surrenders the
reins of government. He may control directly or indirectly,
but He does control the smallest as well as the greatest
events that happen on the earth. It was thus by no chance
that Nebuchadnezzar “dreamed dreams” in the second
year of his reign, “wherewith his spirit was troubled, and
his sleep brake from him” (Dan. 2:1). e like thing had
Daniel the Prophet
24
happened, it will be recalled, to Pharaoh, and it was used
to bring Joseph to the notice and succor of the king, and to
be the means, in God’s hand, of constituting him ruler over
all the land of Egypt; and he thus became no mean type of
the rejection and exaltation of Christ in His earthly glory.
In a similar way the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar were the
occasion for the introduction of Daniel to the king, and of
his exaltation as ruler over the whole province of Babylon.
But man must ever come to the end of his own
resources before he is made willing to turn to God for aid
and direction. e king had ascertained for himself that
in all matters of wisdom and understanding the “four
children” were ten times better than all the magicians and
astrologers that were in all his realm; and yet he did not
in his perplexity turn to them for help and counsel. For
we read, “en the king commanded to call the magicians,
and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans,
for to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood
before the king.” All the wise men of his realm, men of
knowledge and experience, all the philosophers and
scientists of the day, were thus assembled to listen to the
commands of Nebuchadnezzar. e king’s request was
simple: he had forgotten his dream, and he desired them
to tell him what it was that he had dreamed, and then to
give its interpretation. Pity might be felt for these men of
wisdom, in being subjected to such an ordeal, did we not
remember that the professors of the occult sciences of that
day claimed to be able to reveal secrets, and to penetrate
into regions hidden from mortal eyes; and, secondly, that
the whole thing was designed of God to bring to naught,
in the eyes of this absolute monarch, the wisdom of the
wise, to take them in their own craftiness, and thus to
Daniel 2
25
pour contempt upon all the pride of man. eir reply
was, “Tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the
interpretation.”
An interpretation might easily be given, one which, if
it concerned future events, might pass unchallenged, for
until the time came for it to be realized no one could say
whether it was true or false. e purpose of God, therefore,
to expose the vanity of their pretended skill and knowledge,
would not then have been accomplished. e king would
not be pacied by their answer; and, on being further urged
by alternate promises of reward and threatenings, they
were driven to confess, “ere is not a man upon the earth
that can show the king’s matter: therefore there is no king,
lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or
astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king
requireth, and there is none other that can show it before
the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with esh”
(Dan. 2:10-11).
e issue raised was thus decided, and the wise men
themselves were compelled, in no dubious language, to
own their incompetency to reveal the king’s secret, and to
declare at the same time that the knowledge required of
them lay outside the domain of man altogether, that the
“gods” alone possessed it. On the side of man the answer
was not so unreasonable; but Nebuchadnezzar, absolute
and imperious monarch as he was, would not suer the
contradiction of his wishes; and, enraged, he commanded
to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. “And the decree
went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they
sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain” (Dan. 2:13).
Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. Daniel had not
been summoned with the astrologers before the king; but,
Daniel the Prophet
26
being included in the public reckoning among the “wise
men,” he was amenable to the king’s decree. is brought
him into notice, and into contact with the ocer charged
with its execution. It was God’s purpose to bring His
witness, in the person of Daniel, before Nebuchadnezzar;
and the king’s forgetfulness of his dream, and his anger at
the failure of his wise men to tell him what it was, were
only the instrumentalities for its accomplishment.
On learning from Arioch the cause of the king’s anger,
and of the decree that had gone forth, “Daniel went in, and
desired of the king that he would give him time, and that
he would show the king the interpretation” (Dan. 2:16).
What, it may be inquired, led Daniel to suppose that this
secret would be communicated to him? e answer is,
Condence in God, and the assurance that, as His glory
was concerned in the matter, as well as the safety of those
who had, through His grace, maintained their faith and
hope in Him amid all the seductions of the Babylonian
court, He would not fail to interpose for their rescue in
this hour of peril. It was, in truth, a supreme moment — a
moment when all the wisdom of the world had confessed
its failure. If, therefore, Daniel could reveal the king’s secret,
God would be publicly magnied before the whole realm.
Daniel’s next step was to go to his house, and make
“the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his
companions: that they would desire mercies of the God of
heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows
should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon”
(Dan. 2:17-18). Counting upon God, Daniel associated
his companions with himself in his supplications. It is the
rst instance of united prayer recorded in scripture; and
the fact that these children of the captivity resorted to it,
Daniel 2
27
discovers to us the secret of their holy and separate walk.
Dependence on God in secret is the means of all power in
life and testimony, and, it may be added, of courage in the
presence of man and of Satan’s power. ese four, on their
knees at such a moment before the God of heaven, present
a wondrous spectacle. ey were but aliens in a strange
land, expatriated for the sins of their nation; and now
they were doomed to a speedy death, unless the forgotten
dream could be recalled and interpreted. But they knew
with whom they had to do, the One who had said in their
own Scriptures, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will
deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me” (Psa. 1:15); and
hence they waited and pleaded before Him “concerning
this secret.” Nor was their condence in vain: God heard
their cry, and the secret was revealed unto Daniel in a night
vision (Dan. 2:19).
It will be remarked that they pray to the God of heaven.
In Israel He was known as the Lord of all the earth (Ex.
8:22; Josh. 3:11; 2Kings 5:15); for indeed He dwelt, and
had His throne, in the midst of His people. But now it
was otherwise; for He had removed His throne’ from
Jerusalem, and committed the sovereignty of the earth to
Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:37, 38); and hence it was with
a true understanding of their own position in relation to
God, that the “four children” addressed Him as the God
of heaven. e time will come when He will once more
resume the title of the God of the earth, and it is His claims
as such that will form the subject of testimony on the part
of the two witnesses in the book of Revelation. (e true
reading in Rev. 11:4 is “the Lord of the earth.”)
e heart of Daniel was lled with thanksgiving at the
revelation to him of the king’s secret; and the character
Daniel the Prophet
28
of his piety, the state of his soul, is seen in that he turned
immediately to God with thanksgiving and praise. When
blessings are communicated there is often a tendency to
fall at once to their enjoyment instead of tracing them
back, as Daniel did, to the heart of God. Verse 19 gives the
general fact of his having blessed God; and then we have, in
Daniel 2:20-23, the exact words in which his thanksgiving
was rendered. First, he ascribes blessing to the name of
God forever and ever. e praise he oers he desires to
be eternal, “from eternity to eternity,” as the due of Him
who had been pleased to reveal Himself to His people. He
then assigns a reason — “Wisdom and might are His.” A
simple utterance, but how profound! For if wisdom and
might are God’s (compare Rev. 5:12), they are nowhere else
to be found, and it is in vain to turn for them to any but
God. Next, he ascribes to God universal sovereignty. “He
changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings,
and setteth up kings.” e potentates of the earth may claim
to exercise absolute power; and men by the force of arms,
or even by political movements, may depose monarchs
and establish governments; but neither the power nor the
wisdom is theirs — they are but the blind instruments of
the divine will. Once recognize with Daniel the sovereignty
of God, and, whatever the character of the times in which
we live, or the menacing aspect of public aairs, we may
rest in perfect peace, knowing, as Nebuchadnezzar had to
confess, that God “doeth according to His will in the army
of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth” (Dan.
4:35). Moreover, Daniel says, “He giveth wisdom unto the
wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.”
is principle is everywhere armed, that there must be a
state of soul to receive from God. e apostle thus prayed,
Daniel 2
29
that the Colossians might be lled with the knowledge of
God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. In
like manner we learn from these words of Daniel, that to
be divinely wise, wise after God’s thoughts (and the fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom), is the condition of
receiving wisdom. To him that hath shall be given, and this
is what Daniel confesses, whether in respect of wisdom or
understanding.
He therefore proceeds, “He revealeth the deep and secret
things: He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light
dwelleth with Him”; for He is a God of omniscience, and
all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with
whom we have to do. (See Psa. 139.) After this celebration
of what God is, in His wisdom, power, and sovereignty,
Daniel oers his thanksgivings for the special mercy he
had received. And in doing so he passes from the address,
“God of heaven,” to the more intimate title, “God of my
fathers”; for the God his fathers had known, and who had
succored them out of their distresses, is the One who had
appeared on his own behalf, and he thanks and praises
Him accordingly, and as the One who had now given him
“wisdom and might.” It is beautiful to notice, lastly, how
he associates his companions with himself. “ou,” he says,
“hast made known unto me now what we desired of ee:
for ou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.”
Together they had sought the help of their God; and Daniel
in full identication with his brethren acknowledges that
the answer they had received was God’s response to their
united cry.
At once “Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king
had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went
and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of
Daniel the Prophet
30
Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show unto
the king the interpretation” (Dan. 2:24). Arioch complied
“in haste” with Daniel’s request; and “the king answered
and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou
able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen,
and the interpretation thereof?” e answer of Daniel is
given in three parts; rst, his explanation of the source and
the object of the revelation of the secret; secondly, the dream
itself; and lastly its interpretation. Daniel commences, in
evident communion with the mind of God, by declaring
the impotence of human wisdom, in accordance with the
words of another prophet, “I will destroy the wisdom of
the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of
the prudent.” Writing thus, as led of the Holy Spirit, the
sentence of death upon the wisdom of the world, Daniel
proceeds to declare the source of the vision. “ere is a
God in heaven that revealeth secrets,” and this was Daniel’s
God and he delighted to exalt Him in the presence of
this — absolute and idolatrous king. He then announces
the object of the dream in respect of Nebuchadnezzar; it
was to make known to him what should be in the latter
days (Dan. 2:28-29). Finally, he disclaims any merit for
himself; he was nothing but the vessel of the forgotten
dream. God had His people in view, the faithful remnant
to which Daniel belonged, in revealing the dream; and He
also purposed that the king should know the thoughts of
his heart. Daniel thus kept himself in the background — a
sure sign of his moral preparedness to bear testimony for
God. e nearer we are to God, the more we lose sight of
ourselves, and the better we are able to apprehend and to
communicate His mind.
Daniel 2
31
After Daniel had explained to the king the source and
object of the revelation of his secret, he proceeded to recall
the dream and to give the interpretation. e language
he employed in describing the dream was as simple as
it was grand. “ou, O king, sawest, and behold a great
image. is great image, whose brightness was excellent,
stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible”
(Dan. 2:31). e details will come before us in considering
the interpretation; but it may be remarked at once that
while the image represents the times of the Gentiles,
from Nebuchadnezzar’s day until the establishment of
the kingdom of Christ, it is yet one image, and that the
image of a man. It is thus, as has been strikingly observed
by another, a representation of “the man of the earth” (see
Psa. 10:18), and the man of the earth, it may be added, as
expressed in government — in all the various phases, as will
afterward be seen, of his corrupt heart and unbridled will.
Man is never, indeed, fully revealed until all restraints are
removed and he has the liberty as well as the inclination
to gratify his own lusts. (See 2ess. 2:6-12). e image,
while a complete image, is yet divided, as to its composition,
into four parts: the head of ne gold; his breast and arms of
silver; his belly and his thighs of brass; and his legs of iron;
his feet part of iron and part of clay. ere is, therefore,
deterioration from the head to the feet, as seen in the
gurative employment of the dierent metals. Finally, the
image was smitten by a stone “cut out without hands,” and
all its several parts were “broken to pieces together, and
became like the cha of the summer threshing-oors; and
the wind carried them away, that no place was found for
them: and the stone that smote the image became a great
mountain, and lled the whole earth” (Dan. 2:34-35).
Daniel the Prophet
32
Such was the dream; and the prophet’s authentic
interpretation follows. e head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar
(Dan. 2:38). Of all the kingdoms that are to span the interval
between the destruction of Jerusalem, and the period of the
establishment of the everlasting dominion of the Son of
Man, that of Babylon, is pre-eminent. e reason is here
given. Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom was a direct gift from
God. As Daniel said, “ou, O king, art a king of kings:
for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power,
and strength, and glory.” is could not be said of any of
the three successive kingdoms. ey come upon the scene
in a providential manner, as permitted of God, for the
government of the earth, and according to His ordering;
but their respective heads were in no sense the direct
depositaries of power, as was Nebuchadnezzar. He was
nearest God in this external sense, and his responsibility
was consequently all the greater.
e character of his kingdom, as described by Daniel,
was remarkable. Nebuchadnezzar was a king of kings — the
supreme monarch, by God’s appointment, over all the kings
of the earth, for God had given him “a kingdom, power, and
strength, and glory” — all of which were wonderful words
as setting forth the majesty and excellency of his position
and dominion. Nor was his authority conned to men; for
“wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the
eld and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine
hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all” (Dan. 2:38).
A comparison has sometimes been drawn between the
place occupied by Adam as head of this creation, and that
here given to the king of Babylon; and it has been well said:
“Although more limited, it is a dominion characterized by
the same features as that of Adam. It diers in that men
Daniel 2
33
are placed under his power; it is more limited, for the sea is
not included in his sovereignty, but it reaches to every place
where the beasts of the eld and the fowls of the heaven
exist.”
4
Taking these various features into consideration, it
is easily comprehended that Nebuchadnezzar should be set
forth as the head of Gold.
5
e next two kingdoms, as denoted by the silver and
the brass, are passed over with the slightest mention in
the interpretation; but in another part of the book they
are plainly stated to be the Medo-Persian and Grecian
kingdoms (Dan. 8:20-21). e fourth kingdom is described
more at large; and happily there is no diculty in its
identication, as all prophetic expositors agree that it is
that of Rome — the four kingdoms being Babylon, Persia,
Greece, and Rome; and these, as will be seen, are to occupy
the whole period of the times of the Gentiles.
e features of the fourth kingdom, as delineated by
Daniel, must be briey considered. Before this is done,
however, its duration must be indicated. It continues
plainly until the kingdom of Christ is established (Dan.
2:44); and hence, to understand this, other scriptures have
to be consulted. Historically, the Roman empire succeeded
that of Greece, and, “strong as iron,” it broke in pieces and
subdued all things. Its might for the time seemed to be
irresistible, and it established its dominion throughout the
greater part of the then known world. All this is matter
of history; but the question arises, If this Roman empire
is to be found in existence on the eve of the appearing of
4 Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, by J. N. Darby, vol. 2, p.
415. New edition.
5 It must be observed that it is not only Nebuchadnezzar
personally that is gured by the head of gold, for the successors
of his own line until Belshazzar are included.
Daniel the Prophet
34
Christ, where is it now, and whence is it again to emerge
into view? It is in the book of Revelation that the answer
to this question is found. at the outward form of this
kingdom has disappeared is only too apparent; to human
eyes it is, in fact, non-existent. In God’s eyes it is but
hidden for the moment, and waiting to spring forth and to
astonish the world by its reappearance. e angel thus said
to John, in interpreting the “mystery of the woman, and
of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads
and ten horns … e seven heads are seven mountains, on
which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: ve
are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and
when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the
beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of
the seven, and goeth into perdition” (Rev. 17:7-11). And
more precisely still. “e beast that thou sawest was, and is
not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into
perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder,
whose names were not written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that
was, and is not, and yet is” (Rev. 17:8). Two things are taught
in these scriptures — rstly, that the “beast” is regarded as the
continuation of that which formerly existed; and, secondly,
that “while of the seven,” he reappears after an interval of
apparent non-existence. Now this “beast” represents the
head of the revived Roman empire in the last days; and
his origin and characteristics, as well as the source of his
throne and authority, are depicted in Revelation 13:1-8;
and if verse 2 in this scripture is compared with Daniel
7:3-6, it will also be seen that this beast is the successor of
the three previous kingdoms, and that as such he combines
Daniel 2
35
all their moral features, as portrayed under the symbols of
the leopard, the lion, and the bear.
e fourth kingdom therefore, the kingdom in power
when our blessed Lord was here on the earth, and by
whose authority, in the person of Pilate, He was adjudged
to be crucied, is that which will once more be established,
and which will continue until smitten by the stone “cut out
without hands.”
In Daniel 2:41-43 Daniel calls attention to a source of
weakness in what was otherwise as “strong as iron”:” And
whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay,
and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there
shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou
sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of
the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom
shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas
thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle
themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave
one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” We see
no reason to doubt a very common interpretation of the
clay, that it represents the mingling of popular, democratic
forms with absolute government, the combination of
absolutism with the popular will, which, as they are
incongruous elements, can never be thoroughly welded
together, and must, in the very attempt at union, become a
source of weakness.
A further idea is given in verse 43, and is thus explained
by another: “e seed of men is, I think, something outside
of that which characterizes the proper strength of the
kingdom … It appears to me that the Barbaric or Teutonic
Daniel the Prophet
36
element is probably here pointed out as added to that
which originally constituted the Roman empire.”
6
at the ten toes are also symbolical may be gathered
from Daniel 7, and also from Revelation 17; but as they
are not explained here the subject may be left until chapter
7 is reached, merely remarking that they set forth the ten
kingdoms which, federated together under one imperial
head, represent the nal form of the Roman empire.
It will now be understood that, under this image, the
various forms of the world-power are sketched from the
days of Nebuchadnezzar down to the time when the Lord
will come, take His sovereignty over the whole earth, and
reign forever and ever. e chart of this world’s history,
onward to the close, thus lies open before the eye of God.
Men may agitate, devise, form and overturn governments,
as they think, in their own power, and according to their
own will; but prophecy teaches that they can only act
within the limits of the divine will for the accomplishment
of what has been purposed. We see, moreover, that human
governments, whatever the eorts of sincere, though
misguided men, must deteriorate until at length, as we are
distinctly told in the Apocalypse, Satan will be the source
and sustainer of the last form of earthly rule. It is well for
us, therefore, when, as taught of the Spirit of God, we
survey the future, to seek grace to maintain the place of
separation outside of all the alarms and confusions of the
world, while waiting for the Lord’s return.
Passing now to verse 44, we learn that “in the days of
these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which
6 ose who desire to pursue the historical investigation of this
statement will nd ample accounts of the eect of the irruption
of the Goths into Italy, and of the capture of the imperial city,
in Gibbon’s Roman Empire and other works.
Daniel 2
37
shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left
to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever”; and this is given,
as Daniel expressly says, as the explanation of the stone,
cut out of the mountain without hands, smiting the image
upon his feet, and breaking them to pieces. e expression,
“in the days of these kings,” is to be noted, especially as
following on verse 43, as giving the fact, elsewhere formally
stated, that the last kingdom of the four will be subdivided
into ten kingdoms; and this also marks the time when the
God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will displace,
rst destroy and then displace, the last form of the Roman
empire. is kingdom set up from heaven is the kingdom
of Christ (see Dan. 7:1-14); and its rst act will be to break
the “image” in pieces, and then, when formally established
in power by Christ Himself, it will enlarge itself, until it
lls the whole earth; and it will have no successor, for it
will stand forever.
In concluding his interpretation, Daniel added two
things — rst, he repeated that the great God had made
known to the king what should come to pass hereafter;
and, secondly, he assures the king of the certainty both of
the dream and of its interpretation. As betted a divine
messenger, he was condent of the truth of his message.
It is precisely in this particular that a revelation from God
diers from what is of man. All that is outside of the Bible,
all that presumes to come into competition with it, and
challenges the ears of men, is but a sea, an unformed mass,
of opinions and reasonings. How welcome therefore to the
soul, wearied in its quest after some stable foundation on
which to rest in view of death and eternity, is the immutable
basis laid for faith in the infallible Scriptures. Daniel’s
Daniel the Prophet
38
message concerned time alone (although it reached
onward to the close of all God’s ways in government on the
earth); but knowing the source whence it came, he could
authoritatively announce that what he had spoken would
be surely fullled.
And Nebuchadnezzar, idolater though he was,
acknowledged, was constrained to acknowledge, the power
of the word. He “fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel,
and commanded that they should oer an oblation and
sweet odors unto him. e king answered unto Daniel, and
said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a
Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest
reveal this secret” (Dan. 2:46-47). ere was no escape for
the king from this conclusion. He only had the dream, and
having had it, he only could test Daniel’s claim for God
to reveal secrets; and hence, when his secret was revealed,
the conclusion was irresistible that Daniel’s God was above
all gods. e confession indeed was remarkable, admitting
as it did the supremacy of God in heaven and on earth,
and also what amounted to His omniscience. Far, however,
as it went, neither Nebuchadnezzar’s conscience nor heart
appears to have been reached. It was but the bowing of his
mind to the evidence oered, just as those in the days of
our Lord who believed in His name when they saw the
miracles which He did (John 2:23). His action, in yielding
homage to Daniel and in commanding an oblation to be
oered to him, as well as his subsequent conduct, is the
proof of this; even though for the moment he proclaimed
in the presence of this court the sovereignty of Daniel’s
God in heaven and on earth.
Lastly, Nebuchadnezzar “made Daniel a great man, and
gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the
Daniel 2
39
whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over
all the wise men of Babylon” (Dan. 2:48). Like Pharaoh,
the king felt that “a man in whom the Spirit of God” was
(Gen. 41:38), would be a valuable assistant in government;
and he consequently promoted him to great honor. Daniel
had neither sought nor asked anything for himself; but
now that he was exalted, he “requested of the king, and he
set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the aairs of
the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the
king.”
In such a way, when the sentence of death had gone
forth against them, did God rescue His servants, and,
working out His own purposes in testimony and blessing,
bring them forth in the full light of the day. ey were of
the captivity of Judah; but now they are made to occupy
the most prominent places in Babylon, for the king exalted
them above all his courtiers and nobles in the direction of
public aairs, while Daniel himself was in a still higher
position, for he “sat in the gate of the king.”
Daniel the Prophet
40
Daniel 3
41
56556
Daniel 3
In Daniel 2 the image which Nebuchadnezzar had seen
in his night-dreams shadowed out, according to Daniel’s
authoritative interpretation, the whole course of the times
of the Gentiles. It is therefore a general picture, but a
picture so distinct in its outline, that no one who gives
himself earnestly to study the subject can possibly mistake
its import. He that runs may read the character of the
kingdoms that bridge the space between the destruction of
Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and the appearing of Christ
in glory. After this general outline, our attention is called,
by the Spirit of God, to what may be termed the moral
characteristics of the Gentile powers, chiey as displayed
in Babylon; but, though displayed there, the several
features are typical or representative of what will be seen
throughout the whole duration of the Gentile sovereignty.
Daniel the Prophet
42
In other words, we are now permitted to see the use which
the Gentiles will make of the power entrusted to them
in responsibility. is is abruptly brought before us in the
opening verse of this chapter: “Nebuchadnezzar the king
made an image of gold, whose height was three-score
cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in
the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon” (Dan. 3:1).
Such is man. Nebuchadnezzar had learned from Daniel,
if he had not known before, that the God of heaven had
given him his universal kingdom, and he had confessed
that Daniel’s God was “a God of gods and a Lord of kings,”
and yet he will use his absolute power to have a god of
his own, to assert his own will over the consciences of his
subjects throughout his vast dominions, and thus to usurp
for himself the place and authority that belonged alone to
the God of heaven. at is, he used the power that God
gave him to deny God and to put himself in the place of
God, although this feature is subsequently expressed in a
still more distinct form.
Such conduct would be wholly inexplicable were we
not acquainted with the subtle motives that animate and
govern the human heart, and did we not remember that
we ourselves have often used the blessings vouchsafed
of God for our own prot and exaltation. In truth,
Nebuchadnezzar might have had strong inducements to
the course delineated in this chapter. His empire must have
been an immense conglomerate, composed of numberless
tongues (see vss. 4-8) and religions, all of which would
tend, politically speaking, to disturb the peace of his
realm.
7
If, therefore, his heterogeneous dominions could be
7 e diculties in the government of India, springing up from
the dierence of religion, will aord an illustration of this.
Daniel 3
43
welded together by a common religion, his empire would
be consolidated and the welfare of his subjects promoted.
Whatever his thoughts, such was the course he adopted,
and he made the magnicent image which he determined
should serve as the deity for “all the people, the nations,
and the languages” that were subject to his authority.
8
e image erected, all the governing authorities
and ocials of his realm were summoned to Babylon,
to be present at “the dedication of the image which
Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up”; and they were all
obedient to the royal command. Assembled “before the
image,” the decree was proclaimed by a herald — “To you
it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that
at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, ute, harp,
sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall
down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar
the king hath set up: and whoso falleth not down and
worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of
a burning ery furnace” (Dan. 3:4-6).
e decree would be easily understood: it was simple
and brief, and the penalty was plain. Nor was there
much, according to human thoughts, required. An act of
prostration before the king’s idol at the appointed moment,
8 It has often been suggested that the image of his dreams formed
the Pattern for his idol. It is certainly remarkable that the one
followed so closely upon the other, and that, as the head of the
one that symbolized his own kingdom was of gold, he should
make his idol of gold. ere might have been a connection in
his mind between the two, but the wonder is, as already seen,
that the impressions made upon his mind by the revelation of
his secret, and by the interpretation Daniel gave him, could
have been so soon eaced. We all know, however, how transient
the deepest feelings are where there is no positive work of the
Holy Spirit in the soul.
Daniel the Prophet
44
and the whole thing was over. But the decree needs a little
examination. It was, as before observed, the intrusion of
man’s will into God’s domain. Obedience to the powers
that be, as may be hereafter more fully explained, is a
sacred duty; but obedience to the powers that be can only
be rendered within the circle of their own lawful authority.
If they step out of this circle, as the rulers in Jerusalem
did when they commanded the apostles not to teach or
to preach in the name of Jesus, they must be told, as Peter
and John answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
Absolute monarch, therefore, as Nebuchadnezzar was, he
stepped outside of his own domain, and claimed for himself
what was due to God alone, when he issued his decree.
Another thing may be remarked. e signal for the
worship of the image was the outburst of all kinds of
music from the nest band in all the king’s dominions. If
religious feelings did not exist, they must be produced by
the sweet and sensuous sounds of harmony. How subtle
the wiles of Satan! for we have really here the history of
all religious music. It appeals to nature, and begets natural
emotions; but in these the Spirit of God has no part, for
they that worship God “must worship Him in spirit and in
truth.” All these expedients do but deceive souls by their
enjoyment of what is natural, and at the same time they
both shut out God and conceal the spiritual condition of
the professed worshippers.
ere was practically entire unanimity in obedience
to the king’s command. ree only, as far as is recorded,
refused to comply with his decree. ese were brought to
the notice of the king by certain Chaldeans, who “came near,
and accused the Jews” (Dan. 3:8). After reciting the king’s
decree, with the accompanying penalty for disobedience,
Daniel 3
45
they proceeded “ere are certain Jews whom thou hast
set over the aairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not
regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the
golden image which thou hast set up” (Dan. 3:12). If the
accusation was subtle, and couched in the form most
likely to arouse the anger of the king, its motive is very
apparent. Jealousy is written plainly upon it. “ere are
certain Jews” — men of an alien race, belonging to a hostile
nation, of those who were brought here as captives, and
those whom thou hast promoted over the heads of thine
own loyal subjects — it is these who have set themselves
up in opposition to thy royal command. Hatred is scarcely
less concealed, for, before charging them with refusing to
worship the king’s image, they say, “ey serve not thy
gods.” e king knew this well from Daniel, and had,
notwithstanding, appointed them to their posts of honor;
but the Chaldeans could not brook the servants of the true
God being thus exalted, and the opportunity had at length
arrived for them to express the enmity of their hearts in
the accusation they now made. Happy was it for Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego that no charge could be brought
against them excepting, as afterward in the case of Daniel,
concerning the law of their God.
If, however, the manner of the accusation was dictated
by jealousy and hatred, it was well calculated to appeal to
the conscience of Nebuchadnezzar. e mention of his
promotion of the three Jews would, it might be supposed,
surely recall to the king’s mind that eventful day when
Daniel had unfolded his secret and its meaning, together
with the confession which Daniel’s words had extorted
from his lips. But if so, all was forgotten in his “rage and
Daniel the Prophet
46
fury” at the men who had dared to disregard his absolute
and imperious will. e knowledge which God had
communicated to Daniel had, in a certain sense, ministered
to the king’s desire, whereas now, faithfulness to God
crossed his will, and taught him that there were some who
believed, and who acted on their belief, that God was, to
use the king’s own words, “a God of gods, and a Lord of
kings.” is was insuerable to the insensate and irritated
monarch, and he commanded that Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abed-nego should be brought. “en they brought
these men before the king” (Dan. 3:13).
Morally speaking, it was a most impressive scene. On
the one hand there was Nebuchadnezzar, the mightiest
monarch the world had ever seen, surrounded with all the
pomp and magnicence of his court and realm; and on the
other, three men of a despised race, whatever the position
they occupied at that moment in the government. And the
question about to be raised was this: Who is the master
of men’s consciences, God or man? Nebuchadnezzar
himself raised it. First, he asked them if the accusation
were true; and it will be observed that he travels outside
his own decree in accepting the additional charge — that
they did not serve the king’s gods — which the Chaldeans
had brought. Next, he gives them a further opportunity of
proving their loyalty when the band of music should once
more break out in exciting strains. If then “ye fall down
and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye
worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst
of a burning ery furnace” (Dan. 3:15). Lastly, carried
beyond all bounds by his rage, he dared to challenge the
interposition of anyone superior to himself, and thereby
to assert his own omnipotence; for he added, “Who is that
Daniel 3
47
God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” is was in
truth a gage of battle, and the conict now commenced
was between Nebuchadnezzar and God.
e answer of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,
quiet and subdued in tone, is sublime in the condence
in God and in His power which it breathes, and in the
calm courage it expresses in their determination to dare all
and to endure all rather than be unfaithful to their God.
ey say, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer
thee in this matter.
9
If it be so, our God whom we serve
is able to deliver us from the burning ery furnace, and
He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not,
be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set
up” (Dan. 3:16-18). As wisdom, divine wisdom, was found
to be with the remnant in the previous chapter, so now
faithfulness, indomitable faithfulness, to God is exhibited.
Grace gave to them both the one and the other, for it was
God who had taken up His servants to display, through
them, His own wisdom and power.
But this answer of the three children of Judah to
Nebuchadnezzar must be examined to understand its
full import. First, then, they declared that they were not
careful, or that it was not necessary, to reply to the king in
“this matter,” meaning, undoubtedly, that as the king had
deed God, it was He alone who could deal with him, and
that they fully counted on His interposition to rebuke his
arrogant and profane presumption, and to vindicate His
own name and supremacy. ey then proceeded calmly to
confess their faith in the power of their God to deliver them
9 Some translate, “It is not necessary to answer thee on this
subject.”
Daniel the Prophet
48
should Nebuchadnezzar carry out his threat of casting
them into the furnace, and their condence that He would
deliver them out of his hand. ey added, moreover, that
should He not deliver them, their determination was xed
not to yield to the king’s command. ey knew whom they
had believed, and that He was able to preserve them from
the king’s fury; but if it were His will, they were ready to die
as martyrs for His name’s sake. As another has observed,
their faith and obedience were as absolute as the will of the
king.
is attitude of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego
denes with exactitude, as already remarked, the true
position of the believer in relation to the powers that be.
Everywhere in the New Testament submission to these
is enjoined, and such is to be the path of the Christian
in the midst of political agitations and confusions. He is
neither to raise questions, nor to examine the lawfulness
of constituted authorities. It is enough for him that they
are in power, and he pursues his way in peace as he renders
the required obedience. But if these authorities, whether
they be emperors, kings, or magistrates, travel outside of
their own province, as Nebuchadnezzar did, and seek to
substitute their will for the word of God, and to impose
that will on the consciences of their subjects — putting
themselves, in fact, in the place of God — then, in very
faithfulness to God, like these three children of the
captivity, and at whatever cost, the believer is bound to
disobey. e limit of his obedience to kings is obedience
to God in obeying them. e moment he is called upon to
disobey God by yielding to a monarch’s demands, he must,
if he would retain a good conscience towards God, refuse
the demanded subjection, even at the cost of life. Such was
Daniel 3
49
the ground taken in this conict between Nebuchadnezzar
and these three subjects of his realm.
is was a new thing to this master of the world. Absolute
in authority over all the kingdoms of the earth, was he to
be atly and publicly disobeyed by three Jews — members
of a nation which he had conquered? Such a thing could
not for one moment be tolerated; and hence he was “full
of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego”; and “he spake,
and commanded that they should heat the furnace one
seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And he
commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to
bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them
into the burning ery furnace.”
A public example must be made of these rebels to the
king’s commands, and a salutary impression produced on
all the representatives of the government. In some measure,
one can understand the wrath of this arbitrary monarch.
He had devised an expedient for securing the unity of the
various races of his dominions, and it seemed likely to be
successful. Not a hand nor a foot was moved against the
project, when suddenly three Jews, and these the special
objects of the king’s favor, were brought before him and
charged with resisting his commands.
10
His entire scheme
was thus imperiled, and hence the ungovernable passion
with which he ordered the rebels to his authority to the
cruelest doom that could possibly be devised.
10 Many speculations have been oered upon the fact of Daniel’s
absence from this scene. at he did not surrender his faith
that he was as faithful as his companions, is attested by his
subsequent history. Why he does not appear in this chapter is
not revealed.
Daniel the Prophet
50
His commands were instantly obeyed, and “because
the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace
exceeding hot, the ame of the re slew those men that
took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.” What
was human life to this willful, raging king? But God will
teach him by the very contrast, that what is death to His
enemies cannot injure those who are under His protection.
(Compare Ex. 14; Mark 16:18). “Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning
ery furnace” — and, their condence in God vindicated,
they were not destroyed. e men who had cast them into
the furnace were overpowered and killed by the scorching
ames; but they themselves though in the midst of the
furnace were unharmed. eir God was able to deliver
them. ere was another thing to ll the mind of the king
with astonishment. He “rose up in haste, and spake, and
said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound
into the midst of the re? ey answered and said unto
the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see
four men loose, walking in the midst of the re, and they
have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of
God” (Dan. 3:24-25). Two miracles thus amazed the king:
the fact of his intended victims being loose and unhurt,
and the presence with them of a supernatural Companion,
whom he designates as “like the Son of God.”
11
Not that
he understood his own speech; but we may conclude that
the Spirit of God, as often in the Scriptures, controlled
him, and made him proclaim the truth. Isaiah had said,
speaking in the name of Jehovah to Israel, “When thou
11 Whether the translation is accepted as it stands, or taken as
“Son of the gods,” the signicance remains. He owns that some
one, more than mortal, is with them in the furnace).
Daniel 3
51
passest through the waters, I will be with thee … when
thou walkest through the re, thou shalt not be burned;
neither shall the ame kindle upon thee” (Isa. 43:2); and
this promise was now fullled to this believing remnant,
as it will be to the remnant of a future day, of which these
three children are a type. Jehovah was with His faithful
servants in the furnace to sustain, to comfort, and to secure
them from harm. Before the very eyes of the king, who
had impotently and impiously dared Him to deliver out of
his hand, He appears, and shielding His servants from the
power of the ames, vindicates their condence in Him,
and their delity to His name. Has He not also said to us,
“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may
boldly say, e Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what
man shall do unto me”? (Heb. 13:5-6).
Nebuchadnezzar had, provoked the conict in
challenging the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
God came in, and silently exhibited His power before the
furious king; and he is conquered! Forgetful of everything
else now but the spectacle before his eyes, insensible even
to his own public humiliation, he, confessing his defeat,
with his whole mien and aspect changed, advanced “to
the mouth of the burning ery furnace, and spake, and
said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of
the most high God, come forth, and come hither. en
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came forth of the
midst of the re” (Dan. 3:26).
It is to be remarked that it is not said that anyone besides
Nebuchadnezzar saw the divine Companion of Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego. His eyes were for the moment
opened to see what was naturally invisible, that he might
learn his own folly in entering upon a conict with the
Daniel the Prophet
52
God of heaven. What patience and longsuering on the
part of God, in the presence of the weak profanity of one of
His own creatures! Happy is it for man, for us all, that He
never allows His purposes to be frustrated by our daring
presumption and rebellion.
e king’s command was now obeyed, and these
“servants of the most high God” came forth; and the truth
of their preservation — the miracle wrought — was veried
by “the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s
counselors,” who were “gathered together,” it would seem,
to examine the reality of this miraculous preservation;
and they “saw these men, upon whose bodies the re had
no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither
were their coats changed, nor the smell of re had passed
on them” (Dan. 3:27). e deliverance was total and
complete, for the re had only been allowed to burn the
bonds wherewith they had been bound: at least they were
seen, notwithstanding they had been bound, walking in
liberty in the company of their Deliverer and Preserver.
Overwhelmed by the undeniable character of the evidence
oered, and owning his own impotence and defeat before
such a God, Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent His
angel, and delivered His servants that trusted in Him, and
have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that
they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own
God” (Dan. 3:28). He thus paid honor to God, who had
rescued His servants from the king’s wrath, and he justied
those who, in delity to “their own God,” had refused to
worship the image which he himself had set up. He made a
decree, moreover, “at every people, nation, and language,
which speak anything amiss against the God of Shadrach,
Daniel 3
53
Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their
houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other
God that can deliver after this sorts” (Dan. 3:29).
All the king’s thoughts and projects were thus utterly
set at naught. e image he had made had been publicly
refused, and as publicly declared to be a false god.
Nebuchadnezzar himself was constrained to confess the
impotence of himself and of his god, and to proclaim
throughout his empire that there was no god like the God
of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. His magnicent
assembly had been in vain as far’ as his own purposes were
concerned. Obsequious subjects came from all parts of his
dominions to accept and to worship the king’s idol: and lo!
even before they dispersed, a trumpet-tongued testimony
was raised to the supremacy of the most High God. God
vindicated His own name, and the faith of His servants,
before all the notabilities of the realm.
One thing more is recorded: “en the king promoted
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province
of Babylon” (Dan. 3:30). e victory vouchsafed was
complete; for not only did God frustrate the designs
of the king, but also those of the jealous and malignant
enemies of His servants. ey had thought to compass the
destruction of these faithful men; but the issue was their
further promotion and exaltation.
So far the record is historical; but is it only historical?
To suppose so would be to miss the main object of the
narrative. e actual facts took place, but these actual facts
were chosen to set forth what will take place in the last
days. As the rst Gentile empire became idolatrous so
will also the last, as we may learn from Revelation 13, and
as God’s faithful remnant was the object of enmity and
Daniel the Prophet
54
persecution under the king of Babylon, so will it be again
under the last head of the Roman empire. (See Rev. 12:13-
17; 13:6-8,15; and more.) But, as we read in this same
book, Daniel’s people, however hot the furnace into which
they shall at that time be cast, “shall be delivered, every
one that shall be found written in the book.” Satan may
be allowed to rage, and to sift the people of God, but not a
hair of their heads can fall without God’s permission. e
history therefore of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is
full of encouragement — especially for the Jewish remnant
in the last days, but also for the saints of God in every age
when surrounded by the res of persecution, when Satan,
as a roaring lion, is seeking whom he may devour. And the
lesson is written large: “God is faithful, who will not suer
you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able
to bear it” (1Cor. 10:13).
Daniel 4
55
56557
Daniel 4
A special character attaches to Daniel 4 from the fact
that it contains a communication or letter, written by
Nebuchadnezzar himself, and addressed to “all people,
nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth.” He had
been favored with many signs from God through Daniel’s
interpretation of his dream in Daniel 2, and in connection
with the deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
from the power of the ames in chapter 3, and, under
the momentary impressions produced, he had confessed
Daniel’s God to be a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and
a Revealer of secrets, and that there was no god that could
deliver as the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
His heart, however, was unchanged; but in the narrative
before us, which again is both historical and prophetical,
we are permitted to see the way in which this idolatrous
Daniel the Prophet
56
king is brought at last to “praise and extol and honor the
King of Heaven” (Dan. 4:37). Read in its connection, there
cannot be a doubt that Nebuchadnezzar really bowed in
conscience and heart to the testimony which reached him
through the prophet Daniel, and that he thus became a
servant of the “Most High.”
e proof of this lies in the royal communication to all
his subjects. He desires that every person in his dominions
should be made acquainted with his “conversion.” e
address of the letter has already been noticed; and this
is followed by a salutation — “Peace be multiplied unto
you” — which in its form is almost apostolic. (Compare
1Peter 1:2). In Daniel 4:2-3 he concisely states the object
he has in addressing his subjects: “I thought it good to show
the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought
toward me”; and then his heart overows in admiration
as he recalls what God had wrought, exclaiming, “How
great are His signs! and how mighty are His wonders! His
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is
from generation to generation.” It is a good thing when the
soul is constrained to confess what God has wrought by
His grace; for, as the apostle teaches, if the heart believes
unto righteousness, it is with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation. It is due to God that confession should be
made, and when made it turns to a testimony for His glory.
Following upon this, he gives his own personal
circumstances at the time when this new message from
God reached him. “I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine
house, and ourishing in my palace” (Dan. 4:4). He had
attained the summit of all human ambition. Monarch of
all the kingdoms of the earth, his authority undisputed,
prosperous in all his undertakings, with nothing to disturb
Daniel 4
57
his tranquility, whether as touching his public or his private
aairs; he was in peace
12
in his house, and ourishing in his
palace. Everything, in a word, went well with this mighty
monarch, so that he might have been, if human prosperity
could have given it, in the enjoyment of perfect happiness.
And he was, it would seem, happy, but without God. It was
from this clear sky, with no premonition of coming trouble,
that God’s warnings suddenly came to arouse the king and
to ll him with apprehensions. “I saw a dream,” he says,
“which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed
and the visions of my head troubled me” (Dan. 4:5).
e dream did not, as on a former occasion, pass away
from his mind; nor did he understand what he had seen,
although he was troubled — troubled as he felt that it
contained something of momentous import for him and
for his kingdom. He therefore at once issued a decree
to bring in all the wise men of Babylon, that they might
make known to him the interpretation of the dream (Dan.
4:6). Having proved their incompetency in Daniel 2, and
having, at the same time, learned that Daniel alone could
unravel his mystery, it may seem strange that Daniel was
not immediately summoned into the king’s presence.
ere is no anity between the natural and the spiritual
man. Saul was glad to avail himself of David’s services
both with his harp and with his sword, and yet he hated
him. In like manner, Nebuchadnezzar had proted by
Daniel’s interpretation; but he could not love the one who
was the representative before him of the God of heaven.
If, therefore, he could do without Daniel, he would; and
12 Such is the translation given by some; and this removes
perhaps the ambiguity of the words “at rest,” as in connection
with his dream and visions they might be thought to mean that
he was resting in sleep).
Daniel the Prophet
58
consequently he rst tried his own wise men. Again their
impotence was manifested. e wisdom of man is conned
to earth; but Nebuchadnezzar’s dream came from heaven.
e subject was one outside of all the thoughts of men,
even though it related to the earth. To understand God’s
things a man must be instructed of God; and this the
wise men of Babylon were not. Foiled in his purpose, the
king tells us, “At the last Daniel came in before me, whose
name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god”
and so forth (Dan. 4:8). e next verse plainly shows that
Nebuchadnezzar had not forgotten Daniel’s ability as an
expounder of secrets, although he could not have known
the source of his inspiration, nor that he was God’s vessel
of the spirit of prophecy. He only sent for him, therefore,
from necessity, inasmuch as in all his dominions there was
no other who could interpret his dream.
Every particular of the dream was fast rooted in the
king’s memory, and he proceeded to repeat it to Daniel. It
falls into three parts; rst, its subject-matter, the tree (Dan.
4:10-12); secondly, the judgment upon the tree (Dan.
4:13-16); and lastly, the object of the judgment executed
(Dan. 4:17). As all these particulars are taken up by Daniel,
we may pass to his interpretation, after noticing, rst, the
eect on Daniel of the king’s recital.
When Nebuchadnezzar had explained to him what he
had seen in the visions of his head in his bed (Dan. 4:10),
“Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for
one hour, and his thoughts troubled him.” e meaning of
the dream was unfolded to his soul as he heard it, and as
he comprehended its import in its application to the king,
lled with amazement, and troubled, he was reluctant, it
would appear, to communicate to him the signicance of
Daniel 4
59
the dream. is was perceived by Nebuchadnezzar, and he
said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation
thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said,
My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the
interpretation thereof to thine enemies” (Dan. 4:19).
It may be questioned whether Daniel, in speaking thus,
having received from God the interpretation of the dream,
maintained the level of his prophetic oce as a messenger
from God; and it will be observed that in the record of this
sentence the name Daniel is dropped. It is for the rst and
only time Belteshazzar — “not Daniel, whose name was
Belteshazzar,” but simply Belteshazzar — who answered
the king. However this may be, Daniel commenced to give
to the king the interpretation of his dream: “e tree that
thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height
reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the
earth; whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much,
and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the
eld dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the
heaven had their habitation: it is thou, O king, that art
grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and
reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the
earth” (Dan. 4:20-22). e gure of a tree to denote men in
their earthly greatness is often used in the prophets.
Ezekiel thus says: “Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in
Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud,
and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick
boughs … All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his
boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the
eld bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt
all great nations,” and so forth (Ezek. 31:3-9). is striking
correspondence helps much to understand the symbology
Daniel the Prophet
60
of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, and enables us to perceive
how apt an illustration it is of exaltation in the government
of the earth, in the far-reaching, wide-spreading, and
sheltering protection it aords to all ranks and conditions
of men. e beasts of the eld and the fowls of heaven are
introduced because both alike had been given into his hand
(see Dan. 2:38); and hence they, as well as the children of
men, are looked upon as subject to, sustained and protected
by, his authority. Well therefore might Daniel say to the
king, “y greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven,
and thy dominion to the end of the earth.”
A dierence between the head of gold in Daniel 2,
and the tree here, in their respective applications, is to
be remarked. Both concern Nebuchadnezzar, as plainly
said; but the former includes his dynasty, inasmuch as it
is not until his dynasty ends that the second of the four
prophetic kingdoms appears. e latter is a symbol of
Nebuchadnezzar himself, as is seen by the judgment
executed; only, it has to be added, that his degradation
is in reality, as may be afterward explained, typical of the
character of the Gentile power in government on to its
supersession at the appearing of Christ to establish His
kingdom.
Having given the application of the symbol, Daniel
continued his interpretation: “And whereas the king saw a
watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and
saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the
stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of
iron and brass, in the tender grass of the eld; and let it be
wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the
beasts of the eld, till seven times pass over him; this is the
interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most
Daniel 4
61
High, which is come upon my lord the king: that they shall
drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the
beasts of the eld, and they shall make thee to eat grass
as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven,
and seven times. shall pass over thee, till thou know that
the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth
it to whomsoever He will. And whereas they commanded
to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be
sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the
heavens do rule” (Dan. 4:23-26).
Nothing could be more precise than this interpretation,
and it is given at length that the reader may perceive how
exact in every detail was the fulllment. It could not be
otherwise, inasmuch as it was, through Daniel, a divine
exposition of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision. It may now be
understood why Daniel was tempted, as the judgment
impending over the king rose up before him, to say, “e
dream be to them that hate thee.” It was only the courage
which the sense of his mission from God imparted that
enabled him thus fearlessly to unroll the scroll of the
king’s future; and it needed courage for the Jewish
captive — prophet to stand before the monarch of the
world, and to depict such an overwhelming disaster. Daniel
himself would appear to have been moved; for he appealed
to the king in words of earnest entreaty, “Wherefore: O
king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break
o thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by
showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening
of thy tranquility.” Like Paul with Felix, Daniel reasoned
with Nebuchadnezzar of righteousness, temperance, and
judgment to come; but we do not read that the king
trembled. e message however had been delivered, and
Daniel the Prophet
62
the appeal made; and the momentous interview between
the prophet and the monarch was ended.
In the next place the history of the fulllment of
Daniel’s interpretation is given. “All this,” he says, “came
upon the king Nebuchadnezzar” (Dan. 4:28); and then
we have the circumstances under which the threatened
judgment was executed. Twelve months had passed, and
there is no record that the king had even been troubled by
the warning he had received. e sky was still clear, with
not a cloud on the distant horizon. is might be a matter
of unspeakable surprise if we did not remember that the
spectacle of sinners unmoved on the eve of eternal woe
greets our eyes every day. Death must come, and judgment
will follow, and yet men are careless and heedless. So
with Nebuchadnezzar; and hence it is that we read that
“at the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of
the kingdom of Babylon.” And what was the subject of
his meditations? His own greatness, power, and majesty.
“e king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that
I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might
of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?” (Dan.
4:30). All this was the glorication of himself, the full-
blown pride of the human heart, begotten of his exaltation
and prosperity — the pride that goeth before destruction.
e source of his power had been communicated to him
(Dan. 2); but this he had entirely forgotten in attributing
all the glory of his kingdom to himself. Surveying the
magnicence of his palace and metropolis, with a heart
swelling with pride and exultation, he ascribed all to the
might of his own power, and declared that it was all for the
honor of his own majesty. God was not in all his thoughts,
nor even his own false gods; his vision was bounded by
Daniel 4
63
himself — himself as the source of all his glory, and himself
as the object of all his works. What an insight into the heart
of man. We are thus allowed to behold the moral condition
of this gigantic tree before it is hewn down according to
the divine decree.
e similarity between this and the parable of the rich
man, whose ground brought forth plentifully, will at once be
recalled. As he congratulated himself upon his prosperity,
purposed to enlarge his barns, and contemplated years of
selsh enjoyment, the judgment went forth, “ou fool,
this night thy soul shall be required of thee” (Luke 12:16-
20). In like manner, as Nebuchadnezzar vented the pride of
his heart in his foolish boasting, even “while the word was
in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying,
O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, e kingdom
is departed from thee”; and then the judgment pronounced
by Daniel is repeated by the voice, and immediately
executed. For “the same hour was the thing fullled upon
Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did
eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of
heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and
his nails like birds’ claws.” When God speaks it is done, and
what He commands ever stands fast.
It is now necessary to inquire into the meaning of this
judgment; and on examination it will be found that it has
a threefold signicance — personal, moral, and prophetical.
First, then, the personal meaning has to be considered. is
lies in the fact that what was inicted upon Nebuchadnezzar
was a direct judgment from God for his personal pride,
for what might be termed his self-deication. e pride
of man is one of the special objects of God’s hatred; and
because of its expression in an extreme form in the king
Daniel the Prophet
64
of Babylon, he fell under God’s judicial hand. ere are
those who endeavor to account for his condition in a
natural way by terming it a special form of madness. Even
so, the question returns, Whence came it? e Biblical
narrative supplies the answer — an answer recorded by the
king himself — that it came from the hand of God as a
just judgment upon Nebuchadnezzar’s overweening pride
and vain-glory. reatened a year before it was inicted,
and space thus having been given for repentance, he has
the very words of Daniel recalled to his mind by a voice
from heaven, at the very moment when the punitive stroke
was about to descend. Entrusted with the government of
the earth, God held him accountable, and punished him
accordingly, and yet in grace, as well as in righteousness,
since the object was to teach him “that the most High
ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever
He will” (Dan. 4:32).
e moral signicance of what befell Nebuchadnezzar
is even, if possible, of more importance. He was driven
from men, became as a beast of the earth, for he ate grass
as oxen, and in his bodily condition was even worse than
the beasts of the eld. All this is but expressive of his moral
state, and of the character of the power he wielded as
dissociated from God. In the language of another: “Power
is reduced to the condition of the beasts that know not
God, and are devoid of man’s understanding. e only
true privilege of man, that which ennobles him, is that
he can look up to God and acknowledge Him. Without
this he looks downward, he cannot suce to himself, he
is degraded … Pride and independence separate man from
God; he becomes a beast, devoid of real intelligence.”
e physical state of this monarch is therefore a moral
Daniel 4
65
picture, and one that should often be pondered, inasmuch
as it reveals man’s condition according to the estimate of
God, when he vaunts his own power, seeks his own glory,
and asserts his own independence. But it goes further
than the king himself; it embraces also the character of
his rule, and of his kingdom. If then the rst kingdom in
man’s hand becomes in Daniel 3 idolatrous, in Daniel 4
it becomes bestial, bestial in the sense of being devoid of
all intelligence as dissevered from God, and as looking
downward, and feeding only upon the motives and objects
of earth. For when man in his exaltation shuts out God
from his thoughts, and makes himself his center and object,
he is morally no better than a beast. As the Psalmist says,
“Man that is in honor, and understandeth not, is like the
beasts that perish” (Psa. 49:20).
ere is lastly the prophetical aspect. “Seven times” were
to pass over the king in his degradation before he should be
restored. It does not say “years,” though possibly the “times”
might be “years,” but “times.” e expression is vague, while
the term “seven” gives it a very precise meaning; that is, a
perfect period, a period — comprising the whole duration
of the times of the Gentiles. We gather, therefore, that all
the four kingdoms — and these, it will be remembered,
embrace the whole period of Gentile rule — will have the
same moral character before God; that the power exercised
in them will be apart from God, and will be wielded for self,
for man, and for earthly objects, without regard to God’s
thoughts, or to responsibility to Him from whom the power
has been derived. is is a very solemn consideration, and
on many accounts. It shows that no improvement in the
governments of the earth is to be expected, and therefore
that it is worse than useless, to say nothing of inconsistency
Daniel the Prophet
66
with his heavenly calling, for the Christian to embark upon
the sea of political agitations, in the hope of securing some
amelioration in the state of things around. It is not for
one moment denied that man’s condition in this world
may be improved by just and benecent laws; but the
question remains, Will any political changes or legislative
enactments alter the moral character either of human
governments or of their subjects? Our chapter, with a host
of other scriptures, proclaims that the character of the rst
kingdom will be repeated in its successors; and it will, as we
know from the book of Revelation, be seen without kings,
said, “Blessed be Abram of the most High God, possessor
of heaven and earth” (Gen. 14:18-19). is plainly teaches,
as also may be gathered from other scriptures, that this is
the title which God will assume in the age to come, when
He will, in very deed, possess the earth as well as heaven. In
addition, therefore, to the signicance of the use of the title
by Nebuchadnezzar, who owned thereby that God, though
He had committed the sovereignty of the earth to him, yet
did according to His will on earth as in heaven, there is
also a prophetic meaning. We have already called attention
to the fact that Nebuchadnezzar’s degradation shadowed
forth the character of Gentile rule on to the end; and now
we learn that it will be through judgment that the nations
will be brought to acknowledge God. We thus read in the
prophet Zephaniah, “My determination is to gather the
nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon
them mine indignation, even all my erce anger: for all the
earth shall be devoured with the re of my jealousy. For
then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they
may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with
one consent” (Dan. 3:8-9).
Daniel 4
67
Daniel had told the king that the kingdom should be
sure unto him; after that he had learned that the heavens
do rule. is prediction was also veried; for he further
adds: “At the same time my reason returned unto me; and
for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness
returned unto me; and my counselors and my lords sought
unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and
excellent majesty was added unto me” (Dan. 4:36). God
thus fullled His own word by the mouth of His servant;
not one jot or tittle was allowed to fall to the ground; and
Nebuchadnezzar joyfully confesses and records the divine
faithfulness. And it is no small encouragement in the
presence of the pride of power everywhere displayed, and
amid all the confusions of earth, to see that God is working
through all for the accomplishment of His own purposes,
and that in the issue all the Gentiles, as well as His ancient
people, will be brought into willing subjection to Christ
when He establishes His kingdom, and extends His sway
throughout the whole earth.
e chapter closes with another note of praise: “Now I
Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of
heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment:
and those that walk in pride He is able to abase” (Dan. 4:37).
Comparing the Nebuchadnezzar who renders this praise
to God with the Nebuchadnezzar who said, as he surveyed
the magnicence of his city, “Is not this great Babylon, that
I have built?” and so forth, we can only exclaim, “What hath
God wrought?” He had indeed shown His power to abase
the one who was walking in pride; — and, more than this,
in abasing him He so eectually changed the heart of the
monarch that he turned submissively to the hand that had
smitten him, and confessed that all God’s works are truth,
Daniel the Prophet
68
and His ways judgment. He thus justied God, a sure and
unmistakable sign of conversion, and as he justied Him
his lips were lled with praise and adoration. It is a lovely
picture of the ways of God both in judgment and in grace.
A word should be added upon the character in which he
here confesses God. He now speaks of Him as the King of
heaven; and this is also evidence of his having been divinely
taught. When Jehovah had His throne in Jerusalem, He
was God of the earth as well as of heaven; but when He
had abandoned His throne there, and had committed
the sovereignty of the world to the Gentile monarch, He
would be known as the God of heaven, and it is to Him
as such that Daniel bore testimony before the king (Dan.
2:37-44). But while God had now assumed this title, He in
no way surrendered either His claims to the earth, or the
present actings of His power in government; for His object
in the judicial stroke that fell upon Nebuchadnezzar was,
as we have seen, to teach him, “that the most High ruleth
in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He
will.” Nebuchadnezzar had confessed this truth; but before
he concludes the account of God’s dealings with himself
he proceeds a step further, and owns Him as the King of
heaven.
It is exceedingly interesting to trace the various stages in
Nebuchadnezzar’s history which led up to this conclusion.
In chapter 2 he confessed to Daniel, “Of a truth it is, that
your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a
revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret”;
in Daniel 3 he decreed that no one, under the extreme
penalties of the law, should speak against the God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, owning that there was
no other god that could “deliver after this sort”; and, lastly,
Daniel 4
69
in our chapter he acknowledges God as the most High,
and as the King of heaven. God thus in His mercy subdued
the proud heart of this mighty potentate, and humbling
him before Him, made him confess His name before all
the inhabitants of his vast empire. If a record of judgment,
it is yet a story of unbounded grace.
Daniel the Prophet
70
Daniel 5
71
56558
Daniel 5
It is of all importance to remind ourselves again and
again, in reading the chapters that form the rst part of
this book, that while they are strictly historical they are
also prophetical; that while they describe characteristics of
the thrones of the Gentiles, to which God entrusted the
sovereignty of the earth after the destruction of Jerusalem,
these characteristics will reappear in the last days. ere are
three things, indeed, which especially have this prophetic
character: the acts of these various monarchs; the judgments
that followed as in the last, and in the present, chapter;
and the deliverance of God’s people as seen in Daniel 3,
and again in the person of Daniel, in Daniel 6. To these
may be added the acknowledgment of the true God by the
Gentiles after their having been judged, as portrayed in the
case of Nebuchadnezzar, and also in that of Darius (Dan.
Daniel the Prophet
72
6), albeit his confession is elicited rather by the display of
God’s Power in succoring His people, as represented by
Daniel, when in the very jaws of destruction.
Coming now to our chapter, a still worse moral feature
of Gentile sovereignty is exhibited. Idolatry and pride
of ower — vain-glory — had marked Nebuchadnezzar;
but Belshazzar is distinguished by the public insolence
of daring impiety, venting itself in open wickedness and
profanity. e occasion for this outburst of iniquity is
described in the rst verse: “Belshazzar the king made
a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine
before the thousand.” It was a night of feasting, revelry,
and unbridled license, when all the evil passions of
man’s corrupt heart were inamed and enticed to their
gratication. For, mark, it was while Belshazzar “tasted the
wine,” that he gave the commandment “to bring the golden
and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar
13
had
taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the
king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might
drink therein” (Dan. 5:2).
Was he intoxicated? With the pride of wicked
presumption certainly; and this was inamed by the wine
which he drank. Indulgence in wine, in the joy which earth
aords, necessarily panders to the heart’s worst desires;
13 e chronology of Nebuchadnezzar’s successors cannot be
accurately determined, but it seems beyond question that
Belshazzar could not have been his son. It is possible that he
might have been his grandson, though this is not certain. e
term “father,” therefore, as is often the case in Scripture, is used
in the sense of progenitor, or forefather. Whatever the exact
relationship he bore to Nebuchadnezzar, he could not have
been very far removed from that monarch, seeing that he was
well acquainted with the judgment that had fallen upon him,
Dan. 5:22.
Daniel 5
73
and the company that surrounded the king reveals that
this instance was no exception to the general rule. Had this
been, however, but an ordinary revel or debauch, whatever
its accompanying licentiousness, no inspired pen would
have recorded it; but the crowning sin of it was the direct
insult which Belshazzar oered to the God of Israel, the
God of heaven. e holy vessels were holy still in God’s
eyes, however polluted they had been by the sins of His
kings and priests, for they had been used in the house where
He had put His name forever, and where His eyes and His
heart should be perpetually (1Kings 9:3). True He had in
judgment suered them to share in the captivity of His
people; but He could not allow them, consistently with all
that He was, and with all that He purposed, to be deled
by the Gentile monarch and his proigate associates. Nor
was it only that the king, and his princes, his wives, and
his concubines, drank in them; but “they drank wine, and
praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron,
of wood, and of stone.” Gods of all degrees were extolled,
and their superiority over the God of Israel insultingly
vaunted; and in so doing they challenged God publicly and
insolently. With such insensate folly and impiety did this
fool-hardy king dare the interposition of the living and
true God.
e answer — for it could not be delayed — was at
hand; almost before the sounds of their idolatrous chants
had died away — “in the same hour came forth ngers of
a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon
the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw
the part of the hand that wrote” (Dan. 5:5). Silently came
these mysterious ngers in answer to the king’s challenge,
silently they wrote their words of doom amid the noise of
Daniel the Prophet
74
revelry and of song, and yet, for an unseen power directed
his eyes, the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. And
what was the eect of the apparition? Surely fortied by
wine, and strong in condence in the omnipotence of his
gods, the king will not be afraid? But even he — wicked
as he was — had a conscience, and he knew of the power
that had driven even Nebuchadnezzar from his throne, and
made him, for a season, like the beasts of the earth; and
conscience now, spite of the king’s surroundings, asserted
its oce, and “the king’s countenance was changed, and his
thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were
loosed, and his knees smote one against another” (Dan.
5:6). What a change! In the midst of his banquet he had
dared to insult the God of heaven, and now, at the sight
of this mysterious hand, fear and dread possessed his soul,
and he trembled from head to foot. He had girded himself
to challenge the omnipotent God; and the moment the
challenge was accepted, before the blow had been struck,
his heart failed him under the awful apprehension of
coming judgment. Who can help him at such a moment?
Instead of humbling himself before the One against whom
he had so grievously sinned, he called to his succor the
astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and by the
proer of municent rewards hoped they might be able
to solve the written words, and thus, as he vainly thought,
give him relief. But the wisdom of this world could not
unravel God’s secrets nor interpret His writing; and these
men of pretended knowledge were as impotent as they had
been proved to be in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. “e
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”
Belshazzar was still more troubled, panic-stricken as he
had been, and even his courtiers were astonished. But God
Daniel 5
75
meant that the king should have the writing explained, only
it must be done by His own chosen vessel. e instrument
was at hand to bring Daniel to Belshazzar’s notice. “e
queen
14
by reason of the words of the king and his lords
came into the banquet house” (Dan. 5:10). She had not
taken part in the wild orgies of this eventful night; but the
rumor of the apparition that had startled the king and his
guests had gone out through the palace and reached her
ears.
She was fully acquainted with what had taken place
in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, as also with the service
Daniel had rendered, and with the place to which he had
been consequently appointed, and she hastened therefore
to the king’s help. “O king,” she said, “live forever: let not thy
thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:
there is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the
holy gods”; and then, after describing what he had proved
himself to be in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, she added,
“Let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation”
(Dan. 5:10-12).
Daniel was at once “brought in before the king. And
the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel,
which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom
the king my father brought out of Jewry?” He had known,
as before remarked, of the services of Daniel, but he had
not cared to know him personally. e impious king had
no desire for acquaintance with the servant of God; and
had only now sent for him in his extremity for help in
the hour of his need. He then told Daniel what he had
14 is could scarcely have been Belshazzar’s wife (see Dan.
5:3); most probably therefore it was the queen-mother, or, as
expressed in modern language, the queen-dowager).
Daniel the Prophet
76
heard of him, and continued “Now if thou canst read the
writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof,
thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold
about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom”
(Dan. 5:14-16).
Daniel was standing before the sovereign of all the
kingdoms of the earth, before an absolute monarch, and
before one who held the power of life and death over all
his subjects (see vs. 19); but Daniel was the servant of the
God, who was the source of Belshazzar’s brief power; and
he, therefore, conscious of his mission, neither feared the
king nor was tempted by his oered rewards. In the calm
condence which, through grace, he possessed in Him
whose servant he was, he “answered and said before the
king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to
another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and
make known to him the interpretation” (Dan. 5:17). It
was a noble preface, betting the messenger of God to
the wicked king; and the reader will not fail to remark
the dierent spirit in which Daniel addressed Belshazzar
from that in which he spoke to Nebuchadnezzar. e latter
was idolatrous, imperious, and had sought to compel his
subjects to worship the idol which he had made; but he had
not gone the length of Belshazzar in his profanity. Daniel
therefore made a distinction, taught as he undoubtedly
was by the Spirit of God, and knowing that the cup of
Belshazzar’s iniquity was now lled up to the brim. But he
will deliver his message, though, rst of all, Belshazzar must
be made to hear how God had dealt with Nebuchadnezzar
in the past, and how that, absolute monarch as he was,
and universal as was his dominion, “when his heart was
lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed
Daniel 5
77
from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.”
Daniel recounted, moreover, the nature of the judgment
that was inicted upon him, and reminded Belshazzar that
all this was “till he knew that the most high God ruled
in the kingdom of men, and that He appointeth over it
whomsoever He will.” ereon he proceeded to deal with
the trembling monarch before him — in severe, but faithful
words: “And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled
thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted up
thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought
the vessels of His house before thee, and thou, and thy
lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in
them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of
brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor
know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose
are all thy ways, hast thou not gloried” (Dan. 5:22-23).
If God was about to smite, He will have the grounds
of His action explained. It is indeed a striking feature in
His ways, especially as recorded in the Old Testament, that
before He acts in judgment, He is careful to state the reasons
of it, that He may be clear when He speaks, and justied
when He judges. (See, for example, 2Chron. 36:11-21).
So here Daniel presented the indictment against the king,
showed him that he had slighted all the warnings of the
past, had sinned against light and knowledge, and that he
had nally lifted up himself against the Lord of heaven,
and had polluted the holy vessels of His house. is shows
plainly the meaning of the king’s action in commanding
these vessels to be brought; that it was no mere wild freak,
while under the heat of wine, but a deliberate and studied
insult against God. Hence it was that Daniel would have
the king to understand, that “the part of the hand” was
Daniel the Prophet
78
sent from God to write on the wall in connection with this
very act (Dan. 5:24). In such a solemn moment there must
be no mistake, and thus he arraigned the king before the
tribunal of God before he expounded the writing.
15
e words were four: MENE, MENE, TEKEL,
UPHARSIN, and we have next Daniel’s authoritative
interpretation.
Before entering upon it, attention may be drawn to
the fact that Daniel does not merely translate the words
which had been written, but he gives out the mind of God
intended to be conveyed. is could not have been done
unless he himself had received a direct communication
from God. e words themselves, if rendered according to
their meaning, are “numbered,” “weighed,” and “divided”;
but no human ingenuity could have discovered their divine
signicance, and it is this which Daniel explains. e rst
word was repeated. e reason for this may be doubtless
found in Joseph’s words to Pharaoh: “And for that the
dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the
thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it
to pass” (Gen. 41:32).
“is,” says Daniel, “is the interpretation of the thing:
MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and nished
it” (Dan. 5:26). In expounding Nebuchadnezzar’s vision
of the great image, Daniel had said to him, “ou art
this head of gold,” and, inasmuch as Babylon was to be
succeeded by the Medo-Persian kingdom, it is evident,
as previously remarked, that Nebuchadnezzar’s dynasty
15 As the writing was in the Chaldaic language, it was not that
the king’s wise men did not understand the words. It was the
connection, application, and interpretation that they could not
unfold. So many separate words would appear to them, being
without the clue, as disjointed and meaningless).
Daniel 5
79
was included in this term, Belshazzar being its last
member. God Himself had committed the sovereignty
of the earth to Nebuchadnezzar in responsibility, and He
alone determined the duration of his kingdom. When
therefore Daniel said to Belshazzar, “God hath numbered
thy kingdom, and nished it,” he meant that, according
to the divine appointment, the termination of Babylon’s
sovereignty had arrived; that its days were numbered, and
were now ended.
e ground of this annunciation is found in the next
verse: “TEKEL; ou art weighed in the balances, and
art found wanting” (Dan. 5:27). If God had committed
the government of the earth to Nebuchadnezzar and his
successors, for the accomplishment of His purposes in His
ways with His people, He held them responsible for the
way in which they fullled their trust. e verdict is now
pronounced upon Belshazzar. Nebuchadnezzar had also
failed, if not to the same extent; but, under chastisement
from God, he had humbled himself, owned Him as the
source of his authority, as the omnipotent Ruler in heaven
and on earth, and had extolled and honored Him as the
King of heaven. Belshazzar, blind to all the teachings of the
past, had more grievously sinned by magnifying his idols
above the God in whose hand his breath was, and had thus
lifted up himself against the Lord of heaven. His probation
was now ended, and Daniel declared to him the result that,
as shown by the mysterious word “Tekel,” weighed in God’s
unerring balances, he was found wanting.
Daniel the Prophet
80
Judgment is contained in the next word, PERES,
16
the
public judgment consequent upon Belshazzar’s failure in
the use of the power entrusted to him in the government of
the earth: “y kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes
and Persians.” e long suering of God towards the “head
of gold” was ended; and hence there is no exhortation to
repentance, nothing but the announcement of the result of
God’s verdict, together with the accompanying judgment.
Altogether “this narrative,” as has been well said, “gives us
the last character of the iniquity of the sovereign power of
the Gentiles, in opposition to the God of Israel, and the
judgment which falls in consequence upon the monarchy
of which Babylon was the head, and to which Babylon had
given its own character.”
Nothing is said as to the eect of this awful interpretation.
With the judgment pronounced God had, save the
execution of the sentence, done with the man who had
arrogantly deed His power. One thing however is added,
and that is Belshazzar’s last act of royalty. He could not,
whatever the attitude of Daniel, allow his public promise
of reward to the interpreter to fall to the ground. Men who
are false to God are often true to one another in their very
selshness. Belshazzar therefore commanded, “and they
clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about
his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that
he should be the third ruler in the kingdom” (Dan. 5:29).
If he believed the interpretation, it is evident that he had
no conception of the rapidly approaching execution of the
sentence he had heard; but “in that night was Belshazzar the
16 Peres is another form of the word Upharsin. e former is the
participle passive, and the latter the participle active of the verb
P’ras, to divide).
Daniel 5
81
king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took
the kingdom, being about three score and two years old”
(Dan. 5:30-31).
God thus judged the rst of the kingdoms of the
Gentiles, and this was the monarchy of Babylon. e
event was of the highest importance historically, and of no
less moment prophetically; for the moral features which
marked Belshazzar’s sovereignty will appear in the future
Babylon spoken of in Revelation. ere it is seen under two
aspects — that of a woman, and that of a city.
17
e moral
character of the former is given in these words: Mystery,
Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations
of the earth; and we read of the ruler whose throne
was derived from Satan, that “he opened his mouth in
blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His
tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven” (See Rev. 17:5;
13:6). Moreover, as to the judgment of Babylon it is said,
“Her plagues shall come in one day, death, and mourning,
and famine”; and so it will happen, for those who bewail
her destruction are represented as saying, “Alas, alas that
great city Babylon, that mighty city for in one hour is thy
judgment come” (Chapter 18:10). is will suce to show
the exactness of, the correspondence, and the prophetical
nature of these historical narratives. (Compare also Jer.
1:35-46; 51:24-64).
A few words should perhaps be said upon the question
of the historical event alluded to when Belshazzar was
thus surprised and slain in his capital. Isaiah is thought to
refer to the capture of Babylon by Cyrus in Isaiah 45:1-
17 For an explanation of these two aspects see e Visions of
John in Patmos, published by A. S. Rouse, 15 & 16, Paternoster
Square).
Daniel the Prophet
82
2; and in Isaiah 47 he speaks expressly of her sudden
destruction (Dan. 5:11-15; see also Isa. 21:1-9). Jeremiah
also prophecies with more detail of the surprise and taking
of Babylon, and that in connection with the Medes (Isa.
51:28-32); and this of the two prophecies would rather
point to the event recorded in our chapter. ere are those
who, in the hopeless confusion of the pretended histories
of the past,
18
seek to establish the identity of Darius with
Cyrus; but the Scripture narrative is clear that Darius took
the kingdom, and that Cyrus is subsequently found in its
possession. And let it not be forgotten that the importance
of the narrative lies in its moral and prophetic instruction;
and happy are they who, with unquestioning condence in
the word of God, have their hearts prepared and opened to
receive its teaching.
18 In proof of this it may be said, that in Smith’s Bible Dictionary
the articles on Babylon, Cyrus, and Darius are made up mainly
of conjecture and of attempts to reconcile the contradictory
statements of the ancient records).
Daniel 6
83
56559
Daniel 6
In this series of historical pictures there are presented,
it will be remembered, the moral features which will
distinguish, in the last days, the last form of Gentile
sovereignty. If Belshazzar, therefore, typied the impiety
that dared to lift itself up against the Lord of heaven,
Darius sets forth the exaltation of man, and indeed, the
substitution of man for God, as an object of worship. is
is by no means altered by the fact that he was betrayed
into taking this position, or that he himself was a man of
an amiable character; for it is still true that he signed the
decree, that whosoever should ask a petition of any god or
man for thirty days, save of himself, should be cast into the
den of lions (Dan. 6:7). It is not what he was in himself,
but what he did, that contains the prophetical instruction;
and it is quite possible that he, who in a future day will
Daniel the Prophet
84
oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God,
or that is worshipped, and who will sit in the temple of
God, and show himself that he is God (2ess. 2:4), will
possess many features which will extort the admiration and
homage of men. When the Lord was upon the earth there
was no beauty in Him that men should desire Him; there
was nothing in Him to commend Him to the natural man;
but, on the other hand, when Antichrist appears on the
scene he will be marked by the features which will attract
the hearts of men as men. Of the world, the world will love
its own; whereas Christ, who was not of the world, was
hated by it. It is just because Darius was naturally a man
of an admirable character that he was tted to shadow out
in this respect this future ruler in his self exaltation and
deication.
e rst three verses of this chapter furnish the
groundwork of what follows, the occasion of the actings
that issued in the casting of Daniel into the lions’ den.
On taking possession of the throne of Babylon, Darius
reorganized the aairs of the kingdom; and he “set over the
kingdom an hundred and twenty princes … and over these
three presidents, of whom Daniel was rst … en this
Daniel was preferred above the presidents And princes,
because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought
to set him over the whole realm” (Dan. 6:1-3). Belshazzar
had, on the eve of the capture of his city, proclaimed Daniel
as the third ruler in the kingdom; Darius promoted him
to the rst place under himself, being God’s instrument in
doing so for the accomplishment of His purposes. Daniel
was no unknown man; and he was hated both as a Jew and
as a true worshipper of the God of heaven. His exaltation
in the government still further provoked the envy and
Daniel 6
85
jealousy of the nobles, the princes, and the presidents over
whom he had been placed. A man of incorruptible delity,
and seeking only to commend himself to God, could not be
loved by men of corrupt and covetous hearts. ey therefore
determined in some way or other to compass his deposition
or destruction; and rst of all they sought to nd occasion
against him concerning the kingdom — concerning his
administration of the government. ere are none so
eagle-eyed as malicious men, so that nothing — whether
in matters of nance or other branches of the aairs of this
vast empire — would escape their notice; “but they could
nd none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful,
neither was there any error or fault found in him” (Dan.
6:4). What a testimony to the probity and uprightness of
this servant of God; and it is all the greater because, as
we read in the next verse, it was a testimony borne by his
enemies. ey knew not that Daniel labored under the eye
of Him who beholds the secrets of the heart, and that it
was the joy of his life to walk in the favor and blessing of
his God.
Foiled in this direction, with the inventiveness which
ever characterizes the evil heart, they chose another ground
of attack. ey said — “these men” (a term seemingly
chosen to express their iniquity) said, “We shall not nd
any occasion against this Daniel, except we nd it against
him concerning the law of his God” (Dan. 6:5). Idolaters
as they all were, and having a sovereign who was also an
idolater, it was easy, they thought, to entangle Daniel in
their net on such a ground. But Darius could scarcely have
been ignorant of what had transpired between Daniel and
Belshazzar, or of the fact that he was a godly Jew; and this
will account for the method adopted by these princes and
Daniel the Prophet
86
presidents. ey did not proceed to charge Daniel with
worshipping his God; in greater subtlety they determined,
rst, to atter the king by oering to him the place of
absolute supremacy — supremacy over heaven as well as
earth — and then to bring Daniel into conict with, as well
as disobedience to, the king.
As inspired of Satan, their project was cleverly devised,
and they sought immediately to put it into execution.
Accordingly they “assembled together to the king, and said
thus unto him, King Darius, live forever”; and they then
informed his majesty that, after due consultation, they
had agreed “to establish a royal statute, and to make a rm
decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or
man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast
into the den of lions” (Dan. 6:7). e only thing wanting to
ensure the validity of the decree was the king’s signature,
and then it could not be changed, “according to the law of
the Medes and Persians, which altereth not” (Dan. 6:8).
e king, attered probably by the homage and subjection
of his nobles in his new dominions, fell at once into the
snare they had woven about his feet, and not pausing
to consider the awful place which he was accepting, a
place belonging to God alone, “signed the writing and
the decree” (Dan. 6:9). Nebuchadnezzar had made an
image, and had commanded his nobles to be present at
its dedication, and to unite in rendering it homage; but
Darius himself now took the place of God, and forbade
any of his subjects for the space of a whole month, whether
in private or in public, to fall down before “any god” but
himself. It was the deication of man, which will, as we
have pointed out, have its counterpart in the last days, and
towards which men are even now proceeding with such
Daniel 6
87
rapid steps. e displacement of God by man is seen even
in Christendom; what wonder then if, after the church
is gone, when the energy of Satan will be unlimited and
unhindered, man publicly and avowedly assumes the place
of God, even with approbation. Such a consummation is
only gradually reached. e steps toward it are silently and
unwittingly trodden; for the minds of men are so prepared
through teachings which in their fruit must bring in this
conclusion, that they will scarcely be astonished when a
man who has won their homage by his earthly wisdom and
power, declares that he is God.
But what of Daniel in the presence of such a decree?
Will he yield obedience to it? Or will he, like his three
companions of the captivity, disregard the king’s
commandment? Who could doubt what his course
would be — seeing how faithfully he had spoken both to
Nebuchadnezzar and to Belshazzar? e fact, moreover,
that, within the circle of his responsibility and allegiance
to his monarch, he had served so well that even his enemies
could not nd matter of accusation, aords a guarantee
that he, a servant of the God of heaven, will be no less
conscientious in that other sphere where God is supreme.
Darius — however he had been entrapped — had stepped
outside of the circle of his authority, and had, in signing this
decree, intruded into God’s circle, where man has neither
right nor place. If Daniel, therefore, would maintain a
good conscience towards God, he had no alternative but to
refuse subjection to the decree that had been issued. When
therefore he “knew that the writing was signed, he went
into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber
toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a
Daniel the Prophet
88
day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did
aforetime” (Dan. 6:10).
What a spectacle! A man of another race, an object
of the envy of the Chaldeans, and enjoying his exaltation
simply by the king’s favor, dares, at all cost, the power of
the whole realm, because he would not be unfaithful to
his God! And observe that there was no ostentation in
the course he pursued. He continued in his usual course;
it was “as he did aforetime.” He might have closed his
windows and escaped observation, but to have done this,
under the circumstances, would have been all one as if he
were respecting the king’s decree. His windows had ever
been open towards Jerusalem, and they must still be kept
so. Daniel, thus morning, noon, and evening, cried to the
Lord “as he did aforetime,” regardless, by the grace of God,
of the consequences of his act.
ere was a reason for his windows being opened
towards Jerusalem. At the dedication of the temple
Solomon had prayed thus concerning the people, should
they be carried away into captivity in the enemy’s land,
far or near: “If they shall bethink themselves in the land
whither they were carried captives … and pray unto ee
toward their land, which ou gavest unto their fathers,
the city which ou hast chosen, and the house which I have
built for y name: then hear ou their prayer and their
supplication in heaven y dwelling place, and maintain
their cause” (1Kings 8:46-49). Daniel was consequently
resting on the sure word of God in thus praying, for the
Lord had said to Solomon, “I have heard thy prayer and
thy supplication, that thou hast made before me” (1Kings
9:3).
Daniel 6
89
Daniel was no “secret disciple”; his habits of prayer
were known, and accordingly his enemies understood how
to discover whether he was, or was not, obedient to the
decree. “ese men assembled, and found Daniel praying
and making supplication before his God” (Dan. 6:11). e
term “these men,” as in verse 5, is again employed (see also
Dan. 6:15,24), doubtless to express the divine estimate of
their wicked conduct. But they had gained their point;
their wicked device, had so far prospered; and, exulting
over their success, “they came near, and spake before the
king concerning the king’s decree” (Dan. 6:12). Had not his
majesty, they inquired, signed the decree? e king replied,
“e thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and
Persians, which altereth not.” Alas! the king was in the
hands of these unscrupulous men. He had accepted their
attery, and in both cases man thought to secure his end
by making intervention and rescue impossible. But God
was not in all his thoughts; and what can man do when he
ventures to ght against God?
at the heart of Darius was not in what was done
has been plainly seen; and now that the deed had been
accomplished, notwithstanding his expressed assurance
that God would deliver Daniel, he was lled with remorse.
He passed the succeeding night fasting, dispensed with his
usual music, his sleep went from him, and, rising early in
the morning, he went in haste unto the den of lions. All his
thoughts were for the time centered on Daniel. “And when
he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice. O
Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou
servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?”
God had not forgotten His servant; and though Daniel
Daniel the Prophet
90
had been exposed to the full display of Satan’s power,
19
he
was not, and could not be, injured, for he was under the
omnipotent protection of the living God. He was therefore
able to reply to the king’s question, after the customary
loyal address, “My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut
the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch
as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before
thee, O king, have I done no hurt” (Dan. 6:22).
It was thus still true that the angel of the Lord camps
around about them that fear Him, and delivers them. It
should be noticed, however, that Daniel claimed that
“innocency” was found in him before God. e lesson is,
that we could not be consciously under God’s protection,
nor could we claim, or rather expect, His succor if we
had not a good conscience in His sight. Before the king
Daniel was as clear as before God; like the apostle, he had a
conscience void of oense both towards God and towards
men; and God, later on, stepped in and, vindicating His
servant, delivered him, like Paul (2Tim. 4:17), from the
mouth of the lion.
e decree having been executed, for the penalty of its
infraction was that the oender should be cast into the
lions’ den, not that he should be killed by the lions, the
king was freed from the meshes of his lords. e law had
been vindicated, and Daniel had suered its punishment.
Darius could therefore, no one forbidding on the ground
of the unchangeable laws of the Medes and Persians,
exercise his prerogative, and command that Daniel should
be taken up out of the den; and being taken up, “no manner
19 It was, of course, an actual den of lions into which Daniel had
been thrown; but we see no reason for departing from the usual
typical signicance of the lion in Scripture.
Daniel 6
91
of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his
God” (Dan. 6:23). e whole secret of his protection and
deliverance is here revealed. Faith, divinely produced in
his soul, brought in God, who shielded His servant from
the malice of his enemies by subduing and restraining the
natural and ravenous instincts of the lions. e apostle,
with Daniel in mind, speaking of the prophets, says, “Who
through faith … stopped the mouths of lions” (Heb. 11:33).
It was one of the victories of faith that should encourage
the people of God to trust in, and to count upon, Him at
all times, remembering that while all things are possible
with God, all things are also possible to him that believeth;
and it is of this wondrous truth that Daniel is here the
exemplication.
e king’s work was not completed with the deliverance
of Daniel. Made fully aware, by what had taken place, of the
enormity of the iniquity of his presidents and princes, he,
in righteous indignation, “commanded, and they brought
those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them
into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives;
and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their
bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den”
(Dan. 6:24). “ese men” thus fell into the pit which their
own hands had digged, and in the snare which they had
laid for Daniel were their own feet taken. In this way God
testied to His servant, and executed judgment upon His
enemies.
A profound impression was made upon Darius by
the events he had witnessed; and he sent a proclamation
throughout the whole of his realm, to the dierent nations
“that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
I make a decree, at in every dominion of my kingdom
Daniel the Prophet
92
men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is
the living God, and steadfast for even, and His kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall
be even unto the end” (Dan. 6:25-26). How far he entered
into the truth of the words he caused to be written is not
revealed. However this might have been, it was no mean
testimony he rendered to God and to His sovereignty. He
went much farther than Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 3. is
monarch contented himself with forbidding his subjects,
under extreme penalties, to speak anything against the
God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Darius
commanded that in all his dominions men should tremble
and fear before the God of Daniel, because He was the
living God, and His kingdom was everlasting. In such a
marvelous way did God make the wrath of man to praise
Him, and the attempt to quench forever the light of His
testimony in Babylon was made the means of kindling it
throughout the whole earth.
At the commencement of this chapter we saw that
Darius, in accepting the place which his counselors oered
him, was a type of the future head of the last form of
Gentile sovereignty who will accept divine honors, and
have his deication enforced upon his subjects (Rev.
13:8-12). e deliverance of Daniel is also typical. He
pregures the remnant, God’s faithful remnant, who will
be found in Jerusalem and in the land during the days of
Antichrist’s fearful sway. rough the machinations of their
enemies they will be cast, as it were, into the lions’ den,
surrounded on all sides by the various displays of Satan’s
power, and their destruction will appear to human eyes to
be imminent and certain. But God will Himself protect
them, and interposing for their release by the appearing of
Daniel 6
93
Christ, will bring upon their enemies the very judgment
which they had designed for His people. is situation of
the remnant, previous to the appearing of Christ in glory,
is often depicted both in the prophets and in the Psalms.
A citation from the latter will make this clear: “My soul,”
says the Psalmist, speaking as the mouthpiece of the Spirit
of Christ in this remnant, “My soul is among lions: and I
lie even among them that are set on re, even the sons of
men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue
a sharp sword.” en turning upward, he cries, “Be ou
exalted, O God, above the heavens; let y glory be above
all the earth,” knowing that when the glory of God is
thus displayed at the appearing of Christ, the time of the
remnant’s deliverance will have arrived.
As indeed he says in a previous verse, “He shall send
from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that
would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy
and His truth.” Yet again, in correspondence with the
prophetic character of Daniel’s deliverance, he says, “ey
have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down:
they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they
are fallen themselves” (Psa. 57). is psalm was written at
least ve hundred years before the time of Daniel; and yet
its resemblance to his experience is so striking as to arrest
the attention of any devout reader of the Scriptures. e
explanation is, that the circumstances of David, which
furnished the occasion for the psalm, as well as those of
Daniel were both alike prophetic of those of the remnant
in the last days.
And it may be remarked again for the help of the younger
students of Scripture, that very few of the narratives of the
Bible are simply historical. As histories they are full of
Daniel the Prophet
94
interest, and aord moral lessons of great value; but they
are also often typical and prophetic. For example, David is a
historical personage, and much instruction can be gleaned
from his life and conduct, instruction which yields both
encouragement and warning. But we have also, in all his
rejection and persecution before ascending the throne, to
view him as a type of Christ when He came to His own and
His own received Him not. So afterward in the kingdom
he presents to us Christ as the King of righteousness, while
Solomon, his son, shadows forth the Messiah as King of
peace. David, moreover, as we know on the authority of the
Apostle Peter (Acts 2:30), was a prophet, and hence it is, as
in the Psalm above referred to, that many of his writings are
descriptive of the future, whether of the position and state
of the remnant or of the blessings and glory of Messiah’s
reign and kingdom. It greatly enhances our interest in the
Scriptures to remember this, and it enables us at the same
time to understand their profound character and God’s
purpose in the special events recorded.
It only remains to point out that Darius’s confession of
Daniel’s God as the living God is also typical, inasmuch
as it pregures the conversion of the Gentiles, consequent
upon the interposition of Jehovah for the rescue of His
people, and for judgment upon their enemies. In Psalm 18
we thus read, after a description of Messiah’s victory over
His foes, “ou hast delivered me from the strivings of the
people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen
[nations]: a people whom I have not known shall serve
me. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the
Daniel 6
95
strangers shall submit themselves unto me.”
20
And again,
“He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, ou liftest me
up above those that rise up against me: ou hast delivered
me from the violent man. erefore will I give thanks unto
ee, O Lord, among the heathen (the nations), and sing
praises unto y name” (Dan. 6:43-44, 48-49). We learn,
therefore, as from all the prophetic writings, that the Lord
will deliver His people through unsparing judgments, and
that, after He has visited His wrath upon their oppressors,
He will establish His throne, and that then all kings will
fall down before Him, and all nations will serve Him.
20 e marginal rendering is more accurate — “shall yield to me
feigned obedience.” Afraid before the display of Messiah’s
power, and apprehensive of the consequences of rebellion,
they will, while still hating Him in their hearts, proer their
allegiance).
Daniel the Prophet
96
Daniel 7
97
56560
Daniel 7
With this chapter we enter upon the second part of
the book. e rst part contains the visions seen by the
monarchs, together with their actings and the actings
of others in relation to Daniel and his companions; and
Daniel is brought upon the scene as the messenger from
God, possessing His mind, to expound authoritatively the
dreams and visions which Nebuchadnezzar had received.
All this we have considered, and now, in this second part,
we have the visions, with their interpretations, which
were vouchsafed to Daniel himself, communications
“which contain not merely general principles, but details
relative to God’s people and the Gentiles who oppressed
them — historical details, though given beforehand
prophetically.” A dierence between these and the ordinary
prophetic communications will at once be noted. It is not
Daniel the Prophet
98
with Daniel, as with the prophets generally, that the word
of the Lord came unto him, or that he spoke as moved by
the Holy Spirit; but he “had a dream and visions of his
head upon his bed,” or, as in chapter 8, “a vision appeared
unto” him. In fact, he was not a messenger to God’s people,
as, for example, Isaiah and Jeremiah were; but, like John
in Patmos, he received revelations of the future for the
guidance of God’s people in all ages. e visions of Daniel
are thus, like those of John, apocalyptic in their nature.
e rst of these is recorded in this chapter, and it took
place “in the rst year of Belshazzar king of Babylon” (Dan.
7:1). We say the rst vision, though, as a matter of fact,
three visions are here given, commencing with verses 2,
7, and 13; and besides these the interpretation, in answer
to his inquiry, is found in verses 17-27. e object of the
chapter would seem to be the fourth Gentile empire, and its
judgment and supersession by the kingdom of the Son of
Man. e three rst empires are introduced, though briey,
and the chapter thus covers, from another point of view, the
same ground as the vision of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel
2. e three visions are all connected and supplementary;
and it will, therefore, help a better understanding of them
if they are considered in the order in which they are
placed, reserving the interpretation until they have been
apprehended in their characteristic outlines.
e subject, then, of the rst vision was four great beasts:
“Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and,
behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great
sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse
one from another” (Dan. 7:2-3). e sea, a mass of waters,
will mean, as often in Scripture (see Rev. 17:1-15) peoples
and nations; and, in the case before us, there is a state of
Daniel 7
99
anarchy and confusion, inasmuch as “the four winds of the
heaven strove upon the great sea.” e winds are various
disturbing inuences, ordered of God in a providential way,
and in judgment, for the accomplishment of His purposes
in the government of the earth. us, in Revelation 7 we
have angels holding back the four winds of the earth from
their judicial mission until the servants of God should have
been sealed in their foreheads. It is the winds of earth there,
because the earth was the object of their visitation; whereas
in Daniel they are the winds of heaven, as indicating the
source whence they were directed to issue.
It was then out of the sea, out of the masses of the
peoples in a state of agitation, if not of chaotic confusion,
that the four beasts were seen to arise. It is not, however, to
be supposed that their rise was simultaneous, for if it is that
they represent, as scarcely any one doubts, the same four
empires as Nebuchadnezzar’s image typies, they appear
successively on the scene; and, indeed, this is indicated by
Daniel in verse 6 (when he says, “After this I beheld, and lo
another”) and also in verse 1. It is but a general statement
in verse 3, but one showing that all these empires came up
into view, and obtained their dominions in the same way;
that they sprang into existence as universal empires at a
time of revolutionary agitation, and were built up upon the
ruins of other kingdoms. All alike are portrayed as beasts,
diering in this from the symbolism of Nebuchadnezzar’s
image. In the image the idea was embodied of the gradual
deterioration of the governmental power in the hands
of the Gentiles, from Nebuchadnezzar (to whom it was
directly committed by God Himself), as the head of gold,
down to the iron and clay in the legs and feet. Here all
alike, while diering in their character, and perhaps in
Daniel the Prophet
100
degrees of excellency, are seen as beasts to show their moral
features, for God being shut out, self, selsh appetites,
earthly aims and earthly motives and objects, cruelty and
rapacity, characterize all these, Gentile kingdoms. What
a revelation, that all the governments of the earth, from
the destruction of Jerusalem until the kingdom of Christ,
should be morally gured as “beasts!”
e rst, that is, Babylon, “was like a lion, and had eagle’s
wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it
was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet
as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it” (Dan. 7:4). Both
these symbols — the lion and the eagle — had been before
used of Babylon (Jer. 4:7; 49:19-22; compared with verse
30), and they speak of majesty and rapidity — rapidity of
march and conquest, both of which especially marked the
kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar. But the prophet beheld a
remarkable change. e wings of the beast were plucked;
it lost the swiftness of execution which had distinguished
it, thus revealing what the empire became in the hands of
Nebuchadnezzar’s eeminate successors. Moreover, the
beast lost its characteristic attitude, was made to stand up
like a man, and received the heart of a man — gures of the
state of weakness to which Babylon was ultimately reduced.
For if a lion is made to stand up, and its whole nature is
changed, it has lost both its power and its grandeur.
e second beast was “like to a bear, and it raised up
itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it
between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise,
devour much esh” (Dan. 7:5). As plainly, if Babylon is
designated by the rst beast, Persia, or rather the Medo-
Persian kingdom, is set forth by the second; for we are
expressly told in Daniel 5 that this kingdom succeeded
Daniel 7
101
that of Babylon, and, in Daniel 8, that it preceded that of
Greece (Dan. 7:20-21). e fact, moreover, is well known
from history. e symbol of a bear will indicate its ferocious
character, and raising itself up on one side calls attention to
the fact that, composed at the outset of the two kingdoms
of the Medes and Persians, one of these — the latter under
Cyrus — obtained the superiority, even if it did not absorb
the other. e remaining feature, having three ribs in its
mouth between its teeth, and the exhortation, “Arise,
devour much esh,” evidently points to the distinguishing
feature of this empire, namely, its rapacity — swallowing
up, devouring, as it were, kingdom after kingdom.
Greece follows — the Grecian kingdom as formed by
the conquests of Alexander. And yet not only as held by
him, for “the beast had also four heads”; and hence, just
as the single head of gold symbolized Nebuchadnezzar
and his dynasty, so the successors of Alexander are seen
in these four heads, the dominion of Alexander being
nally divided after his death into four kingdoms, ruled
over by four of his generals.
21
e two prominent features,
as portrayed by the leopard with the four wings of a fowl
on its back, are agility and speed in execution — features
which, in a remarkable manner, distinguished Alexander
in his wars and conquests. For rapidity and impetuosity he
has probably never been surpassed, and it should be borne
in mind that these traits of the Grecian king were depicted
about two hundred years before he was born. Like Cyrus,
therefore, he was girded for his work, though he knew not
the One who had called him into existence.
21 Two only of these remained in the issue. e Seleucidae had
Syria, and the Ptolemies Egypt. e other two kingdoms,
Greece and race, were soon conquered by the Romans. e
two former, Syria and Egypt, continued until about 50 B.C).
Daniel the Prophet
102
It is in a separate vision that the fourth beast is seen,
and the reason is, as has been stated, that it is the fourth
kingdom which the Spirit of God has specially in view
in this chapter; and on this account the rst three beasts
are only slightly sketched as introductory, and as, with
the fourth, covering the whole period of the times of the
Gentiles.
Daniel was, for the same reason, specially arrested by
the fourth beast, as may be seen from the striking language
he was led to employ. He says: “After this I saw in the night
visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible,
and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it
devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue
with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts
that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the
horns, and, behold, there came up among them another
little horn, before whom there were three of the rst horns
plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes
like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things”
(Dan. 7:7-8). at the Roman Empire is here depicted all
expositors agree, whatever their dierences of opinion as
to the period of the application of parts of the description.
No other interpretation, indeed, is possible, as it is
easily ascertained that the nal successor to Alexander’s
dominion was Rome. We need not now, however, do more
than consider a feature or two of Daniel’s vision of this
empire, seeing that we have an authoritative interpretation
at the end of the chapter.
e prominent characteristic then is strength, resistless
might, striking terror into the hearts of those who beheld
its relentless and pitiless cruelties. As another has written,
“Strength and rapacity, which spare and respect nothing,
Daniel 7
103
appropriating everything, or trampling it under foot without
regard to conscience; such are morally the characteristics of
the fourth beast.”
22
Remark, too, that it was diverse from all
the beasts that were before it; and the explanation of this
may perhaps be found in the book of Revelation, where
we read of this same beast that it “was like unto a leopard,
and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the
mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and
his seat, and great authority” (Rev. 13:2). at is to say, this
beast concentrated in itself all the bestial forms which had
distinguished its three predecessors, and moreover received
its kingdom, in its nal form, directly from the hands of
Satan. Nebuchadnezzar had received his dominion from
God; the revived Roman empire at the close will accept its
power from, and be energized by, Satan. It is the complete
apostasy of human government; for not only will it, beast-
like, derive its motives from, and seek its objects on the
earth, and, in lust of aggrandizement and the gratication
of its own desires and passions, exclude God from all its
designs; but, turning completely round, as completely as
the children of Israel did when they worshipped the golden
calf, it will also become the willing dependent and bond-
slave of Satan. Such will be the issue of all the boasted
progress and enlightenment and of all the political science
of the closing years of the present age. It will be seen, as far
as the ruling powers are concerned, in the dethronement of
God and in the exaltation of Satan to His seat!
It is also important to observe that in this vision of the
fourth empire Daniel sees it as a whole — that is, from its
22 Scarcely anyone doubts that these words should be rendered
“set” or “placed” instead of “cast down.” e Revised Version
gives “placed.”
Daniel the Prophet
104
rise until its termination. Leaving further remark upon this
until the close of the chapter, it may be simply added that
the proof of it lies in the mention of the ten horns and
in the appearance of another little horn with remarkable
power and characteristics of intelligence and speech, and
from the fact that the destruction of this fourth beast is
followed by the introduction of the kingdom of the Son
of Man.
Daniel thus continues the account of what he saw in his
night visions: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down,
23
and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white
as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His
throne was like the ery ame, and His wheels as burning
re. A ery stream issued and came forth from before Him:
thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand
times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was
set, and the books were opened” (Dan. 7:9-10). at the
Ancient of Days is the Eternal God is undoubted, and it is
as evident both from verse 22 and from Revelation 1 that
the Son of Man is the Ancient of Days, the Eternal God.
All judgment has been committed to Him because He is
the Son of Man; and this is plainly declared in the scene
before us to be a session of judgment — not the session of
judgment of the Great White rone in Revelation 20, but
a session for the judgment of the living (for He will judge
the quick, the living, as well as the dead) preparatory to the
establishment of His kingdom (Dan. 7:14). e throne was
like the ery ame, its wheels as burning re, and a ery
stream came forth from before Him; for re is ever a symbol
23 It should be remarked that Daniel saw only the thrones
themselves, whereas John saw them occupied by those that
followed Christ out of heaven.
Daniel 7
105
in Scripture of the holiness of God as applied in judgment.
e myriads of angels also, who serve and wait before Him,
point to the same conclusion, even as we read in Matthew,
in connection with the judgment of the nations, “When
the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy
angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His
glory,” and so forth (Matt. 25:31). e thrones — not the
throne at the end of verse 9, which is that of the Ancient of
Days, but the thrones at the beginning of the verse — are
those found in Revelation 20, “And I saw thrones, and they
sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them” (Dan.
7:4). ese are the thrones occupied by the saints, the
armies in heaven that will follow Christ when He comes
forth for the judgment of our chapter (Rev. 19:11-21). e
apostle could thus write to the Corinthians, “Do ye not
know that the saints shall judge the world?” ey will be
thus associated with Christ in the judgment of the living,
and on this account Daniel beheld thrones in addition to
the one like the ery ame on which the Judge Himself
sat.**
*
e occasion of the judgment, as revealed to the prophet,
is given in the next verse: “I beheld then because of the voice
of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even
till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given
to the burning ame” (Dan. 7:11). e occasion then was
“the great words which the horn spake.” In Revelation 13
it is said of the beast, “ere was given unto him a mouth
speaking great things and blasphemies … and he opened his
mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name,
and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven”; and it
was on account of these blasphemies that the Ancient of
Daniel the Prophet
106
Days came and sat for judgment on His ery throne. By
these daring acts of deance against God the cup of his
iniquity was lled to overowing, and judgment swift and
sure came upon him; for the beast was slain, and his body
consigned to the everlasting ame. (Compare Rev. 19:19-
21.)
en follows the general statement: “As concerning the
rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet
their lives were prolonged for a season and time” (Dan. 7:12).
It must not be supposed that this was in direct sequence to
that which precedes. All four beasts had been exhibited to
Daniel, and now, after having given the judgment of the
last, the vision goes back to tell us what had been done,
not at this session of judgment, but previously in God’s
judicial dealings in His providential government with the
rst three beasts. e dominion and life of the last beast
were “taken away” at the same time. Not so with Babylon,
Persia, and Greece. Babylon continued to exist long after its
subjugation by the Medes and Persians; Persia, shorn of her
former glory, remains until the present day; and Greece has
been once more, in these last years, constituted a kingdom.
e lives of these empires have thus been prolonged for a
season and a time; but when the Roman empire, after its
resuscitation to the astonishment of all beholders, is nally
judged, both it and its head will disappear forever.
Consequent upon the judgment of the fourth beast, is
the vision of the kingdom which will never pass away: “I saw
in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient
of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there
was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that
all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His
Daniel 7
107
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed”
(Dan. 7:13-14). e Ancient of days, as already seen, is the
Son of Man; but in this vision they are distinguished. It is
often so in the Psalms. e Messiah is Jehovah; and yet in
Psalm 110 Jehovah speaks to Adonai: “Sit ou at my right
hand until I make ine enemies y footstool.” It is the
mystery of the divine persons. ey are distinguished in
Daniel’s vision because, as Son of Man, our Lord receives
everything from God. Hence, after He is brought to the
Ancient of days, it says, “ere was given Him a dominion,”
and so forth is shows plainly, both from the title, Son of
Man, and from the fact that He receives His dominion,
that what we have here is His universal kingdom, extending
throughout the whole earth, which He will establish after
His appearing in glory. It is, in one word, the fulllment
of Psalm 8, all things being put under His feet. is vision
therefore is immediately connected with verse 11, and the
order of events will be, rst, the coming of Christ in glory
with His saints; then, His judgment of the beast; after that,
though not specically mentioned here, the establishment
of His throne in Zion; and, lastly, the rod of Jehovah’s
strength will go out from that center (see Psalm 110), and
subdue all people, nations, and languages, that they may
serve Him, who is both the Christ and the Son of Man.
e man of the earth will thus no more oppress forever;
for he will, in the person of the fourth beast, have been
dispossessed and judged; but Christ Himself will rule over
all the nations of the earth, and the cry will be, “Say among
the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be
Daniel the Prophet
108
established that it shall not be moved: He shall judge the
peoples
24
righteously” (Psa. 96:10).
Some of the features of this glorious kingdom will
be seen in the interpretation of the vision; but before
entering upon these, the eect on Daniel of what he had
seen must be noticed. He says, “I Daniel was grieved in
my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my
head troubled me” (Dan. 7:15). It is remarkable that while
he had been enabled, through having been divinely taught,
to explain Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams and visions, he could
not understand his own. No man knows the things of
God but the Spirit of God (1Cor. 2); and therefore unless
He is pleased to communicate the meaning of any divine
revelation, it could never be ascertained. Daniel consequently
was as dependent on God for the interpretation of his own
vision as he had been for Nebuchadnezzar’s. It should
be said, however, that God never sends a message of any
sort, apocalyptic or otherwise, without providing means
for its understanding. Both for Nebuchadnezzar and for
Belshazzar explanations were at hand, as also for Daniel in
this chapter.
But why was the prophet “grieved” and “troubled”? As
a godly Jew he would look for the coming Messiah, with
His reign of peace, prosperity, and blessing; but now the
Spirit of God had opened out before his soul the vista of
the future; and, mysterious to him as much of it would
necessarily be, he could not but perceive that there was a
long pathway of sorrow to be trodden by his people before
their longed-for consummation would be reached. He was
therefore cast down, and desired of “one of them that stood
by” “the truth of all this.” Who these standing by were is
24 So it should be rendered — not “people,” but “peoples.”
Daniel 7
109
not revealed: according to the character of the book they
were probably angels. e one addressed responded at once
to Daniel’s request, and “he told me, and made me know
the interpretation of the things” (Dan. 7:16).
It will be remarked that there are really two
interpretations (a general one in verses 17-18, and then
a more specic one in verses 23-27) in reply to Daniel’s
interrogation concerning the fourth beast. Both of these
must be considered.
In the general interpretation the angel says, “ese great
beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out
of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the
kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever
and ever.” is explanation has been largely anticipated, but
there are two or three points which demand further notice.
e four kings are viewed as representing their several
kingdoms — namely, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome;
and they will therefore, as has been before said, include
their dynasties or successors on to the termination of
their respective empires. In verse 3 these kings, the beasts,
are said to come up from the sea, whereas here they are
described as arising out of the earth. In the former passage
they are viewed, on the occasion of their appearance and of
their acquisition of governmental power, ascending their
thrones out of the surging waves of the people; in this verse
they are seen rather in their origin, “out of the earth,” in
contrast with Him who will come out of heaven to take
His kingly power. ese four then span the whole interval
from the prophet’s day, for Babylon was still in existence,
until the coming of Christ in glory. On this account it is
added, “But the saints of the most High shall take the
Daniel the Prophet
110
kingdom,” and so forth, after which there is no other, for
they will possess it forever and ever.
Who, then, are these “saints of the most High”? e
term “most High” is used in verses 22, 25, 27, besides verse
18; but it should be noticed that, excepting in verse 25,
where the term is used of God Himself as the title He
will be known by in the future, it is in the plural; and
that consequently the exact rendering is the saints of
the “high places.” And it is scarcely questioned that the
term “heavenly places” in Ephesians is derived from this
expression in Daniel. It need hardly be said, that a far
larger meaning as owing from the truth of that epistle,
which unfolds the eternal counsels of God for the glory
of His beloved Son and for the blessing of the saints in
Him, is to be attached to these words in Ephesians than
in Daniel; but their import in both places is the same
in this respect — that they speak of a heavenly sphere, a
sphere outside of this world, to which certain saints belong.
Who then, the question may be repeated, are the saints
so described? In the larger and more general sense they
comprise, as may easily be gathered from the epistle to the
Ephesians, all believers from Pentecost to the coming of
Christ, all who are united to Christ by the Holy Spirit,
and therefore compose His body. But such an anticipation
and revelation of the “mystery” (Eph. 3:3) could scarcely
be expected in the prophet Daniel. While, however, they
might be in the mind of the Spirit; for they that suer
with Christ will reign with Him, and hence they must not
be excluded by the Christian reader, another class must be
sought for, to whom the description will apply. If now we
turn for a moment to Revelation 20, we shall see that there
are two classes who are added to the rst resurrection, those
Daniel 7
111
who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the
word of God, and those (for so it should be read) who had
not worshipped the beast (the fourth beast of our chapter),
neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned
with Christ a thousand years (Dan. 7:4). During the
terrible times of the “little horn’s” domination these saints
had refused to acknowledge his power, for they owned and
worshipped the God of heaven, confessing that His was
the kingdom both in heaven and on earth, and that the
heavens did rule, and hence they, in view of what awaited
them and of the special honor to be accorded to them, are
also termed “saints of the high places.” ough on earth
they belonged to heaven, for instead of being preserved for
earthly blessings under the reign of their glorious Messiah,
the brighter portion awaited them of reigning with Him
in the kingdom. And it is to these that special reference
is made in our verse, although the general statement may
include all the heavenly saints, when it says, that the saints
of the high places shall take the kingdom, and so forth.
Daniel then proceeded to inquire more particularly
concerning the fourth beast; and it will be observed that,
while he repeats what he had seen, as given in verses 7-8,
he adds two things not before mentioned. In verses 21-
22 he says, “I beheld, and the same horn made war with
the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient
of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the
most High; and the time came that the saints possessed
the kingdom.” e explanation of these additions will
come in when considering the authoritative interpretation
given to Daniel; but attention is now called to them as an
illustration of the fact that there are no mere repetitions
Daniel the Prophet
112
in Scripture. e connection, or the object, is dierent, or,
as here, the interest is enhanced by a further revelation, so
that no scripture, which seems the same as another, should
ever be lightly passed over. e fact of a seeming repetition
should invite all the closer study to receive the fresh light
communicated.
We pass now to the angelic exposition of the vision of
the fourth beast. Having already pointed out in verses 7-8
that the Roman empire is symbolized by the fourth beast,
it is only necessary to dwell upon the special characteristics
here explained. First, it is said that this kingdom “shall
be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole
earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces” (Dan.
7:23). ose who are acquainted with history will confess
that a more accurate description of the Roman empire,
in its character, progress, and dominion, could not have
been conveyed. It was dierent from all its predecessors
in the nature of its government, combining, as it did, the
utmost absolutism with democratic forms, mingling thus
the iron and the clay of Nebuchadnezzar’s image. By its
irresistible arms it acquired almost universal dominion,
devoured the whole earth, and subdued and broke to pieces
nations on every hand. ese statements apply to its rise
and zenith — especially to the period of the Consuls and
the Caesars.
Next, we are told, that “the ten horns out of this
kingdom are ten kings that shall arise” (Dan. 7:24). is
is really the crucial point in the interpretation, for the
question arises, inasmuch as verse 23 refers undoubtedly
to the past, whether these ten kings are past or future.
ere are those who contend entirely for what is termed
the historical interpretation, and maintain that the
Daniel 7
113
prophecy has thus been fullled.
25
e fatal objection to
this theory lies in the fact that this fourth kingdom having
been judged, is immediately succeeded and displaced by
the kingdom of the Son of Man (Dan. 7:13-14,26-27;
compare also Dan. 2:43-44). For what event in the past,
it may well be inquired, could answer, even in the smallest
degree, to that spoken of in the above scriptures? It is
only indeed by spiritualizing the kingdom of the Son of
Man, and interpreting it as Christianity, that any show of
evidence in support of such a theory can be obtained. But
even so, what is there in the public course of Christianity
that corresponds with the predicted universal dominion
of the Son of Man, before whom all kings will fall down,
and whom all nations will serve? If such an explanation
could be accepted, any possible view might be read into
the words of Scripture. But this is not the way of the Spirit
of God. He speaks clearly and denitely, and when He
uses the term the “Son of Man,” and describes the extent
and glory of His kingdom, and this as following upon the
governments of the earth, it may be easily ascertained by
the unbiassed student of Scripture that He refers neither to
the church nor to Christianity, but to the kingdom which
Christ will establish in this world in a future day, when He
will return with His saints in glory.
25 To cite a representative interpreter of this school, Mr. Elliott
says that the ten kings are found in the “Anglo-Saxons, Franks,
Allemans, Burgundians, Visigoths, Suevi, Vandals, Heruli,
Bavarians, Ostrogoths, ten in all”; and he labors thereon to
prove “the connection of those ten early barbaric kingdoms
with the bishops of Rome as their ecclesiastical and spiritual
head; agreeably with the Apocalyptic symbol of the ten horns,
sprouting from the Beast’s eighth head.” Horoe Apocalypticoe,
vol. 3, pp. 124-134, fourth edition.
Daniel the Prophet
114
Accepting this view all is plain, and we thus understand
that in this divine communication received by Daniel,
the Roman empire is seen as a whole, from the time of
its establishment on to its resuscitation, as explained in
Revelation 17:10-13,
26
and its destruction at the appearing
of the Lord. ere is, on this account, a large interval of
time between verses 23-24, only it should be remembered,
that if verse 23 portrays the Roman empire in its pristine
energy and strength, the same features will reappear in its
nal form; and hence that the portraiture, as is often the
case in scripture, is both historical and prophetic.
ese ten kings are then future, and they point to the
peculiar form of the last phase of the fourth kingdom, that
there will be ten kingdoms in Western Europe confederated
under one imperial head. is fact is shadowed out in the
ten toes of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw, and is plainly
stated in the Apocalypse (Rev. 17:12-13). Insisting on
this as the mind of the scripture before us, it can well be
conceived that in the past there have been adumbrations
of this nal fulllment; but the mistake is to claim
these foreshadowings as the fulllment itself, instead of
regarding them as nger-posts by the way to indicate the
consummation intended.
Not only will there be these ten kings, but “another shall
rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the rst, and
he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words
against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the
most High,
27
and think to change times and laws: and they
shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the
26 See, e Visions of John in Patmos, p. 224, for a further
elucidation of this subject).
27 Here again the word is in plural, and it should be rendered as
in verse 18, “high places.”
Daniel 7
115
dividing of time” (Dan. 7:24-25). is is the little horn of
verses 8 and 20-21; but is entirely distinct, as will afterward
be explained, from the little horn in Daniel 8:9. e horn
of our chapter is in connection with the Roman empire in
the west of Europe, where the ten kings will exercise their
sovereignty within the boundaries, speaking generally,
of the ancient Roman empire in Europe;
28
whereas the
horn of Daniel 8 will have his seat in Syria, and is often
mentioned in scripture as the king of the north.
Several particulars of the little horn of our chapter
should be noted in order to his identication. First of
all he arises after the ten kings, and he is dierent from
these,
29
though in what respect he is distinguished from
them is not stated. Secondly it is said that “he shall subdue
three kings,” that is, three out of the ten who are on the
scene when he arises. In the next place it is evident that
he acquires the power of the whole empire, for it is “his
dominion” that is taken away when the judgment sits.
Lastly, the very same things are ascribed to him in verse 25
as are imputed to the rst beast of Revelation 13 in verses
5-7. e conclusion therefore is irresistible that the little
horn is no less a personage than the head of the revived
Roman empire in Western Europe in the last days; and this
conclusion is still further strengthened by the statement in
Revelation 17, that the ten kings “have one mind, and shall
give their power and strength unto the beast” (Dan. 7:13).
28 e reader can easily trace these boundaries in any Scripture
Atlas, or in most Bibles that contain maps, and he will then
perceive the meaning of the term “western Europe.” Germany,
Scandinavia, and European Russia were never within the
territory of the empire.
29 e words “the rst” (Dan. 7:24) are plural, and hence refer to
the ten kings).
Daniel the Prophet
116
e little horn thus arises after the formation of the ten
kingdoms, and having subdued three of these, whether by
military prowess or other means, the other seven are led in
conjunction with the three subdued kingdoms to unite in
one vast confederation, of which the little horn becomes
the imperial head. If Revelation 13:1-8, and chapter 17 are
read in this connection the whole position of the little horn
will be more clearly apprehended.
30
His moral character is presented next to us in the words,
“And he shall speak great words against the most High”
(Dan. 7:25). Not only is his carnal mind, as is the case
with every unregenerate man, enmity against God, but in
his mad impiety he also dares to take the ground of open
deance. (Compare Rev. 13:5-6). As a consequence — for
he that hates God must also hate His people — he will
“wear out the saints of the high places” (he “made war with
the saints, and prevailed against them,” verse 21) in his
presumptuous eort to destroy the name of God from o
the face of the earth. (See Rev. 13:7; 14:12-13). God will
thus allow the patience of His earthly people to be tested;
for as yet they will not know that Jesus of Nazareth is their
promised Messiah. ey will cry to the God of their fathers,
and turn to Him for succor, as we nd in the psalms that
30 If the little horn of this chapter foreshadows the head of the
revived Roman empire in the last days, it should be remembered
that the Antichrist will be existent at the same time, that he
will be associated with the Roman head, will exercise “all the
power of the rst beast before him,” and will cause “the earth
and them which dwell therein to worship the beast whose
deadly wound was healed,” as well as induce them to make an
image “to” him to be worshipped (Rev. 13). He will be thus in
every way morally identied with the western beast, and hence
it is that, as his prophet, he will share in the same doom (Rev.
19:20).
Daniel 7
117
treat of this period; but it is not until the Lord appears
from heaven that they will look upon Him whom they had
pierced, and have their eyes open to discern, like omas,
that the once crucied Jesus is their Lord and their God.
is enables us to understand why He allows them to fall
at this time, for their chastisement and purication, into
the hands of their enemy. But though their enemy, as the
instrument of Satan, may sift them, not one single grain of
wheat shall fall to the ground. is were impossible, for, to
cite another illustration, the hairs of their head will all be
numbered.
e next clause of verse 25 reveals plainly who these
saints are. is little horn will “think to change times
and laws: and they shall be given into his hand.” At this
period the Jewish temple will have been rebuilt, though
in unbelief; and in connection with it the ordinances of
the law and the various feasts will have been established.
ese are the “times and laws” which this king will think
to change, that is, to abrogate, because their very existence,
whatever the state of the people who observe them, will
constitute a testimony to the existence of God, and this
will be insupportable to one who desires to occupy for
himself the place of God. And he will succeed in their
abolition; for they (not the saints, but the times and laws)
“will be given into his hand.” Antiochus Epiphanes, as he
is known in history, and of whom we shall nd traces in
chapter 11, did the same thing, and profaned the temple;
and his exploits will be repeated, in a still more terrible way,
by this little horn at the time of the end. But He who will
allow His people to be cast into the burning ery furnace
of persecution, will determine the limit of the power of
the enemy: it will only be for a time and times, and the
Daniel the Prophet
118
dividing of time, the 1260 days, the forty-two months,
the three years and a half of the book of Revelation. Our
Lord speaks of the commencement of this period when,
citing from Daniel, He says, “When ye therefore shall see
the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand) then let them which be in Judaea ee into the
mountains” and so forth (Matt. 24:15; Dan. 12:11; compare
Dan. 9:27).
At the termination of this allotted period “the judgment
shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume
and to destroy it unto the end” (Dan. 7:26). As this session
of judgment had been fully revealed to the prophet, the
interpretation only gives this passing reference to it. It is a
judgment conducted by the Ancient of days from His ery
throne, with all His attendant majesty, accompanied by His
myriads of angels (Dan. 7:9-10); and we learn moreover,
and this also proves that the Ancient of days is the Son of
Man, that the saints who come with Christ, the heavenly
saints, will be associated with Him in the judgment (Dan.
7:22; compare Psa. 149:6-9) of that day, when God will
take public and formal cognizance of the acts and words
of this daring enemy. It is for this purpose that the books
will be opened (Dan. 7:10), the books that will contain the
infallible records of this impious sinner’s deeds, and the
sentence will be passed according to the requirements of
the glory of Him who will sit on His holy throne.
e execution of the sentence is thus recorded: “And they
shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it
unto the end” (Dan. 7:26). Adding to this description what
we nd in verse 11, it will be seen what the judgment was
on his person, though, strictly speaking, only the “body” of
Daniel 7
119
the beast is there spoken of. e “great words which the
horn spake” are, however, mentioned as the occasion of
the judgment. Turning for a moment to Revelation 19, we
nd some supplementary information. In connection with
the same judgment, we read that both the beast and the
false prophet were cast alive into a lake of re burning with
brimstone. (Dan. 7:20). Deprived of his dominion, having,
like Belshazzar, been weighed in the balances and found
wanting, he suers with the false prophet the vengeance
of eternal re, and will be cast alive into it. e prayer of
David is thus fullled: “Let God arise, let His enemies be
scattered: let them also that hate Him ee before Him. As
smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth
before the re, so let the wicked perish at the presence of
God”; or, as he says in another place, “Let death seize upon
them, and let them go down quick [living] into hell: for
wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them” (Psa.
68:1-2; 4:15).
Judgment having been passed upon the little horn,
and his dominion having been taken away, consumed and
destroyed unto the end, “the kingdom and dominion, and
the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,
shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High
[“high places”], whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey Him” (Dan. 7:27).
is is the kingdom of the Son of Man which, consequent
upon the judgment and removal of the last of the four
world empires, is established upon earth. In verses 13-
14 we have His investiture. As Son of Man, He receives
the kingdom from the Ancient of days. Already we see
Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the
suering of death, crowned with glory and honor. In the
Daniel the Prophet
120
scene before us all things are given into His hands, to be
put in subjection under Him; for He must reign until all
enemies are put under His feet. In verse 27, however, it
is “the people of the saints of the high places” who are
brought into prominence, and who are said to have the
kingdom given to them. Yet it is not apart from Christ, as
at the end of the verse it says, “Whose” (that is, Christ’s)
“kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions
shall serve and obey HIM.” It is His kingdom, only He is
pleased in His grace to associate with Himself “the people
of the saints of the high places.” Who then are these? As
already pointed out in verse 18, “the saints of the high
places” are said to take the kingdom; and in verse 22 “the
saints” possess it, while here it is “the people of the saints
of the high places.” ere is a reason for this term. It means
the Jews; and they, are thus denominated as being, during
the millennial kingdom, connected with, if not dependent
upon, the saints of the high places. e latter reign with
Christ; through the former Christ will subdue the nations,
and exercise His sovereignty over the earth; for “the Lord
shall send the rod of y strength out of Zion rule ou in
the midst of ine enemies” (Psa. 110:2. See also Jeremiah
51:19-21; Isa. 60:10-16).
ere are then three classes specied in this chapter.
“e saints of the high places,” in verse 22, would seem to
be the heavenly saints; in verse 18 the same term, while
not excluding the heavenly saints, refers especially to the
saints on earth during the domination of the little horn,
who look up to God, and acknowledge Him as the God
of heaven, and as the only source of authority, whether in
heaven or upon earth. ey are regarded on this account
as belonging to heaven, and, as we learn from Revelation
Daniel 7
121
20, will ultimately participate in the rst resurrection, and
reign with Christ a thousand years. Lastly, the people
of the saints of the high places are earthly saints, God’s
ancient people, who in the mercy and faithfulness of their
God, brought through all their trials and sorrows, will at
length possess the kingdom and dominion on earth under
the reign of their exalted and gloried Messiah.
e conclusion of these visions and their interpretation
is now reached; but the prophet adds, “As for me Daniel,
my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance
changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart” (Dan.
7:28). If it is an unspeakable honor to be made the
depositary of divine thoughts, the vessel must suer, and
the more so because the time for their communication had
not yet arrived. At this period Daniel was in the midst of all
the splendor and magnicence of the empire of Babylon,
whose authority extended to the ends of the earth, and
whose stability was unquestioned. But the scroll of the
future had been unrolled before his astonished gaze, and he
saw in the long vista that stretched far away into the coming
centuries, a succession of wars, conicts, tyrannies, and
oppressions before He who had retired from His throne at
Jerusalem would interpose, bestow the sovereignty of the
earth upon the Subject of all Jewish hopes, and re-establish
His beloved people in blessing under Messiah’s peaceful
and glorious reign. Daniel had indeed seen the visions of
God, but they had brought death into his own soul, and
thereby he was divinely qualied to be the channel of these
divine revelations. (Compare 2Cor. 4:7-18).
Daniel the Prophet
122
Daniel 8
123
56561
Daniel 8
Two changes mark the commencement of this chapter.
From Daniel 2:4 to the end of Daniel 7 the language
employed is Chaldee; from verse 1 of this chapter to the
end of the book it is Hebrew. While the Spirit of God was
unfolding things connected with the Gentile monarchs and
their actings, present and future, together with the character
and course of their several kingdoms, He used the tongue
of the country in which Daniel dwelt; but the moment
He begins to treat of their actings in relation to the land
and to the sanctuary, He returns to the sacred language.
31
Secondly, the scene is changed. Until now Daniel had
been in Babylon; here, “in the third year of the reign of
king Belshazzar,” when the vision of this chapter appeared
unto him, he was “at Shushan in the palace, which is in the
31 We say “returns,” because Daniel 1 through 2:3 is in Hebrew).
Daniel the Prophet
124
province of Elam,” a country adjacent to Persian territory,
and which seems afterward to have become a Persian
province. It was here “by the river of Ulai” that Daniel “saw
in a vision.” “en,” he says, “I lifted up mine eyes, and saw,
and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had
two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher
than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram
pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that
no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any
that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to
his will, and became great” (Dan. 8:2-4). is is a symbolic
description of “the kings of Media and Persia”
32
(Dan.
8:20); and it represents the dual character of that empire,
composed as it was of Media and Persia (see chapter 5:28;
6:8); and the fact, in that the horn that came up last was
higher than the other, that the Persian part of the kingdom
ultimately gained the ascendancy. Darius the Mede was
thus succeeded by Cyrus the Persian; and the ram pushing
westward, northward, and southward, invincible in its
conquests, and doing “according to his will,” exhibits this
kingdom in the zenith of its power and aggrandizement,
and probably during the reign of Cyrus. e rapacity of
this empire in its career of victorious conict was pointed
out when considering Daniel 7:5. is was the second of
the four Gentile kingdoms, and consequently the successor
of Babylon.
Daniel next relates what he further saw in these words:
“And as I was considering, behold, an he-goat came from
the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the
ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes”
32 It is said that a ram was used as an emblem of their kingdom
by the Persians themselves, and a goat by the Macedonians
Daniel 8
125
(Dan. 8:5). e goat sets forth “the king of Grecia,” the king
being here, as often, the expression of the sovereignty or
kingdom; and, consequently, the “notable horn” stands for
the Alexander whose martial genius, courage, and victories,
have been so largely celebrated in history. e rapidity of
his movements, which was a conspicuous feature in his
campaigns, is strikingly described in the vision: “An he-
goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth,
and touched not the ground.” In about ten years he
conquered almost all the kingdoms of the then known
world. In verses 6-7 we have the attack of Alexander upon
Persia guratively described; and yet, though the language
is symbolic, a more accurate description of his conquest
could not have been conveyed. e goat “came to the ram
that had two horns … and ran unto him in the fury of his
power.” Again: “And I saw him come close unto the ram,
and he was moved with choler against him, and smote
the ram, and brake his two horns” (Dan. 8:6-7). e very
words used express a specially hostile feeling on the part
of Persia’s assailant; and this was the case, for Greece had
never forgotten the invasion of their country by the Persian
hordes, and they burned to revenge themselves upon their
enemy. No less graphically is the utter powerlessness of
Persia in the presence of her foe portrayed: “ere was no
power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him
down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was
none that could deliver the ram out of his hand” (Dan. 8:7).
In fact the duration of the Persian empire had, by God’s
appointment, reached its termination; and the kingdom
which He had destined to succeed it was now to obtain the
supremacy. e battles of Issus and Arbela are among the
decisive battles of the world, and they were decisive because
Daniel the Prophet
126
God was using Alexander “the Great” to accomplish His
purposes in respect of the government of the earth.
e object of the mention of Persia and Greece, and of
these two only, in this place is well stated in the following
words: “e two empires of Persia and Greece, or of the
East, which succeeded that of Babylon under which the
prophecy was given, are only introduced to point out the
countries in which these events are to take place, and to
bring them before us in their historical order. e Persian
empire is overthrown by the king of Greece, whose empire
is afterward divided into four kingdoms, from one of
which a power arises that forms the main subject of the
prophecy.”
33
is last sentence will be explained by the two
following verses: “erefore the he-goat waxed very great:
and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and
for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of
heaven. And out of one of them came forth a little horn,
which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward
the east, and toward the pleasant land” (Dan. 8:8-9). A long
stretch of history is compressed into this compendious
statement, which contains, however, all the points aecting
the prophetic subject of the chapter. First, the fact of the
establishment of the Grecian kingdom is given; then the
death of Alexander in the midst of his triumphs — “when
he was strong”; — the subsequent partition of his empire
between four of his generals; and nally the rise out of one
of these of “a little horn, which waxed exceeding great.”
Leaving the reader, if he so desire, to pursue the
examination of the history, it will suce to here state,
that the four kingdoms, as pointed out in Daniel 7, into
33 Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, by J. N. Darby, vol. 2, p.
438. New edition, revised).
Daniel 8
127
which Alexander’s empire was ultimately divided, were
Syria, Egypt, Greece, and race. e two latter soon
succumbed to the advancing Roman power; but the two
former continued until about 50 B.C. e one out of which
the little horn arose was Syria, and for reasons which will
appear in the course of the prophecy, this little horn was
the king known as Antiochus Epiphanes. It will therefore
be seen, if what was said of the little horn of Daniel 7 is
remembered, that the two little horns are entirely distinct;
that the one of Daniel 7, which subdues three kings, and
nally wields the whole power of the empire, belongs to
the west. It is the dominion of the revived Roman empire
which he possesses. e little horn of Daniel 8, has his seat
and throne in Syria, and it is on this account that he becomes
such a remarkable foreshadowing of the personage so often
mentioned in the prophetic scriptures as the Assyrian, and
as the king of the north.
34
is little horn extended his kingdom, “waxed exceeding
great toward the south,” that is, toward Egypt, which is
always so denominated as being south of Palestine; “toward
the east,” that is, toward Parthia and Armenia, and so
forth; and “toward the pleasant land,” that is, Palestine. All
these again are well-known facts of history, and the various
campaigns of this notorious king in these several countries
are given in historical records.
35
34 See, for example, Isa. 10:24; 14:25; 31:8; Mic. 5:5; Dan.
11:6,8).
35 His actings in respect of the pleasant land are narrated in
1 Maccabees, which, though no part of Sacred Scripture, is
judged to be accurate in the main. is remark will not apply to
the other books of the Maccabees, except perhaps in measure
to the second book.
Daniel the Prophet
128
It is in the next three verses that his doings in respect
of the “pleasant land” are found, the doings, indeed,
to which our attention is specially directed as of great
prophetic importance: “And it waxed great, even to the
host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of
the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them” (Dan.
8:10). e rst thing necessary for the understanding of
this description is to ascertain the import of the “host of
heaven.” at the sun, moon, and stars are indicated by
this term is seen in one of the Psalms: “By the word of
the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them
by the breath of His mouth” (Psa. 33:6); and it is as plain
from the Scriptures that the sun, moon, and stars represent,
symbolically, ruling authorities — the sun supreme, the
moon derivative, and the stars subordinate authorities. is
symbolic signicance is drawn from the actual functions
assigned to the heavenly luminaries. In Genesis we read,
“And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule
the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [He made] the
stars also” (chap. 1:16); and in Psalm 136 it says, “To Him
that made great lights … the sun to rule by day … the moon
and stars to rule by night” (Dan. 8:7-9). In accordance with
the emblematical meaning thus drawn, we have the sun,
moon, and stars introduced in Revelation 12:1, and the
stars in verse 4.
36
e conclusion, therefore, may be safely drawn, that
the “host of heaven” in our Scripture is gurative of some
ruling authorities. Who then are they? e references in
the following verse point, without doubt, to Jerusalem as
the place where they existed at the time indicated; that is,
36 For an exposition of these Scriptures see e Visions of John
at Patmos. A. S. Rouse, London.
Daniel 8
129
a period after Persia had been conquered by Greece. It is
indispensable to bear this in mind, because, as we learn
from Ezra and Nehemiah, the temple and the holy city
had been rebuilt during the sovereignty of Persia. e
temple services were organized at the period spoken of,
whatever the state of the people and the corruption into
which they had fallen; and provision had been made in
measure for their government according to Jewish customs
and forms. e “host of heaven” will thus signify those who
held the place of authority in the Jewish polity, those who
occupied, by whatever means, positions of responsibility in
the government of the Jewish people. Stars are employed, it
will be remembered, in Revelation 1-3, as emblems of those
who have the place of rule in the church, the assembly;
and in like manner, the host of heaven designates those to
whom rule was entrusted at this epoch in the midst of the
Jews.
What we learn then from our scripture is that this little
horn, Antiochus Epiphanes (and that he did so is a matter
of history), assailed the ruling powers among the Jews,
cast down some of dierent grades, “stamped” upon them,
and subjected them to every species of ill-treatment and
degradation, even to destruction.
e next verse carries us further, and gives us more
details; but it should be carefully observed that from the
beginning of verse 11 to the word “transgression” in verse
12 is an explanatory parenthesis, so that the clause after
this word is connected with the end of verse 10. is may
be readily perceived if it is noticed that in the parenthesis
“he” is employed, whereas after it the neuter pronoun “it” is
again used (agreeing with “horn”) as found in verses 9-10.
Taking now the parenthesis, we read, “Yea, he magnied
Daniel the Prophet
130
himself even to the prince, of the host [that is, the prince
of the host of heaven], and by, him the daily sacrice was
taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
And an host was given him against the daily sacrice by
reason of transgression” (Dan. 8:11-12). e change from
“it” to “he,” which has been pointed out, would seem, it
has been suggested, to show that it was the king in person
who so acted — the king gured by the little horn — and
this suggestion commends itself from the fact that the
little horn might be expressive, though in a general way,
of the power of the kingdom. We gather then that such
was the daring of this king that he ventured openly and
avowedly to set himself in opposition to Him who was
no less than Jehovah. In profession, at least, the Jewish
rulers were God’s servants; and their Prince, the One they
waited for, whatever their carnal expectations, was Israel’s
God, the One who afterward appeared in this world as
Jehovah — Jesus to save His people from their sins.
e next clause is obscure, but most agree that it should
be rendered, “and from him [not by him] the daily sacrice
was taken away.” is means that it was taken away from
Jehovah, that it was, in fact, suppressed it does not say by
whom, though the context points very plainly to the little
horn, the king himself. e beginning of the next verse
reveals also that, whatever the wickedness of the agent,
he was but an instrument in the hands of God for the
chastisement of those who were in the place of His people,
for this wicked king was allowed to succeed in his designs
against the daily sacrice “by reason of transgression.”
Moreover, “the place of His sanctuary was cast down.”
For the time all Jewish rites and sacrices were abolished,
and Zion, the holy mountain, was deled by the Gentile
Daniel 8
131
oppressor.
37
In addition to this the little horn (for now the
connection with verse 10 is resumed) “cast down the truth
to the ground; and it practiced, and prospered.” Together
with the abolition of the daily sacrices, and the profanation
and destruction of the sanctuary, the truth, as Isaiah speaks,
was fallen in the streets, “cast down” by the violence of the
enemy; and this wicked power practiced — practiced by
subtleties, plans, and schemes — and prospered.
38
At this point of the vision Daniel “heard one saint
speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint
which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning
the daily sacrice, and the transgression of desolation, to
give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under
foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three
hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (Dan.
8:13-14). Passing by the question for the present (as it
must come before us in examining the interpretation),
whether this period of time named in the answer of the
angel has any prophetic signicance, it will be enough now
to perceive that it must have had a historical application.
e sacrice was taken away, the place of the sanctuary was
deled, “cast down,” by the personage denominated as the
little horn; the temple was cleansed again after a certain
time by the Maccabees, and the sacrices were restored, so
that there is no necessary connection between this period
and those named of a dierent duration in Daniel 12.
e prophet was not content with the vision itself, but
he “sought for the meaning.” e desire of his heart was
approved of God, for He delights in communicating His
37 See for the history of these particulars 1 Maccabees 1.
38 Psa. 79 may be read as a commentary upon the state of things
at this time in Jerusalem.
Daniel the Prophet
132
mind to the seeking soul; and hence no sooner did the
prophet wish to know the meaning of the vision than the
interpreter was at hand. He says, “Behold, there stood before
me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice
between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel,
make this man to understand the vision” (Dan. 8:15-16).
Gabriel, obedient to the command he had received, came
near where Daniel stood. Afraid in the presence of his
angelic visitant, the prophet fell upon his face; but Gabriel
“said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time
of the end shall be the vision.” Daniel, overcome, was in a
deep sleep on his face toward the ground; “but he touched
me, and set me upright” (Dan. 8:17-18). Gabriel thus
imparted understanding and strength to enable him to
receive the interpretation of the vision. e title “Son of
man” is also given him, the signicance of which may be
gathered from the following remarks upon the same title as
bestowed on Ezekiel. It is “a title that suited the testimony
of a God who spoke outside His people, as being no longer
in their midst; but, on the contrary, was judging them
from the throne of His sovereignty. It is Christ’s own title,
looked at as rejected and outside of Israel, although He
never ceases to think of the blessing of the people in grace.
is puts the prophet in connection with the position of
Christ Himself.”
39
Before proceeding with the explanation of the vision,
it will be for prot to again state distinctly the relation
of a divine interpretation to the thing interpreted. e
interpretation never connes itself to the matter to be
explained, but adds whatever may be necessary to bring
out the mind of God in the thing communicated. A simple
39 Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, vol. 2, pp. 370-1.
Daniel 8
133
illustration from John 14 will unfold the principle. When
the Lord had spoken of manifesting Himself to the one who
had His commandments and kept them, Judas inquired as
to how He could manifest Himself to His own, and not
to the world. In the answer to this question our Lord goes
much beyond (at least in explaining its import) what He
had before said. Instead of manifesting Himself, we have
“WE [the Father and the Son] will come unto him, and
make our abode with him.” All this unquestionably lay in
His rst statement, but it would not have been apprehended
unless He had explained it. And in the interpretation of
a prophetic vision additions and applications are made in
order to bring out its divine meaning — a meaning which
otherwise would have been hidden.
So is it here. What Daniel saw was fullled, historically,
in Antiochus Epiphanes during the time of the Maccabees;
but we now learn from Gabriel’s interpretation that this
historical fulllment was also prophetical of another
fulllment, and hence that the full realization of what is
described will be after the rapture of the Church, when
the Jews will be once more in their own land.
40
us in the
very rst words of the angel he says, “At the time of the
end shall be the vision”; and again, “Behold, I will make
thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation:
for at the time appointed the end shall be” (Dan. 8:17,19).
ere is a remarkable proof in the prophet Isaiah, that the
period here spoken of refers to the last days — a passage in
which he speaks of the Assyrian, or the king of the north,
of whom “the little horn,” Antiochus Epiphanes, is such
40 Dr. Arnold, of Rugby, in a volume of published discourses,
called special attention to this prophetical principle, that a
fulllment became, in God’s hand, the shadow of a deeper
fulllment).
Daniel the Prophet
134
a striking gure: “erefore thus saith the Lord God of
hosts, O My people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of
the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift
up his sta against thee, after the manner of Egypt. For yet
a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and Mine
anger in their destruction” (Dan. 10:24-25).
at this scripture applies to the future may be seen
from the fact that the apostle Paul so uses the immediate
context (Rom. 9:28); and this was the important point
for Daniel to understand, that the vision had to do with
the accomplishment, through sorrows and tribulation,
of God’s purposes of blessing for His beloved people. It
is true that Antiochus had not yet arisen; but with this
authentic unfolding of the vision, it would be impossible
for any one acquainted with it to suppose, however closely
Antiochus might resemble him, that he was the personage
here delineated, unless the issue of his advent had been the
restoration and blessing of the chosen nation.
Seeing then that the fulllment of this vision is yet
future, the details of the angelic interpretation may now
be considered. Since, however, in dealing with the vision
itself, many of these have been necessarily anticipated,
it will suce to show their bearing and connection. In
Daniel 8:20-23 we have it authoritatively stated that the
two kingdoms gured by the ram and the goat (Dan.
8:3-7) are Persia and Greece, and it will be recalled that
the introduction of these two kingdoms in this chapter is
merely to show the quarter whence the little horn is to arise.
Greece succeeds Persia in the world-empire; the notable
horn of Greece, Alexander the Great, is broken, and “four
kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his
power.” ese kingdoms have already been specied; but
Daniel 8
135
the angel adds one particular, that they will not be in the
power of their predecessor. en, leaping over the interval
from the existence of these four kingdoms to “the time
of the end” (Dan. 8:17), for at that period the Assyrian,
the king of the north, will have appeared, and will exercise
his sovereignty in the same regions as the little horn of
verses 9-10, Gabriel proceeds: “And in the latter time of
their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the
full, a king of erce countenance, and understanding dark
sentences, shall stand up” (Dan. 8:23). is is the personal
description of the antagonist of Israel in the last days, the
one of whom Isaiah so often speaks as the Assyrian.
41
Pride and cruelty seem to mark his appearance; and a kind
of supernatural wisdom (understanding dark sentences),
enabling him to penetrate into the meaning of mysterious
forms of speech, will give him ascendancy over the minds
of men, and especially over the Jewish mind in alienation
from God. In himself he is not to be a powerful king, for
if mighty, it will not be “by his own power”; that is, he
41 It may be interesting to recall, in proof that the Assyrian is
a future enemy, what has been often noticed, that Assyria
historically succumbed to Babylon, whereas prophetically the
Assyrian is, after the restoration of Israel to their own land,
their last external adversary.
Daniel the Prophet
136
will be sustained in his realm by a mightier potentate than
himself.
42
Next, the actions of this erce king are described: “He
shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice,
and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” e
location of this king, it must not be forgotten, like that of
his prototype, will be in Syria, in the north of Palestine, and
hence his designation in this book (Dan. 11) as the king of
the north; and thus, being on the borders of, he will wax
exceeding great towards, the pleasant land, as we learn from
verse 9. is explains the statement of our verse concerning
his deadly hostility to the Jews. As another has written,
“He will make great havoc, will prosper and practice,
destroying the mighty, or a great multitude of persons, and
especially ‘the people of the holy ones”; that is, the Jews
(Dan. 7:27). He is subtle, and his craftiness is successful.
He will magnify himself in his heart, and will destroy many
by means of a false and religious security.” Altogether it is a
fearful portraiture of one who will be an apt tool of Satan,
and yet at the same time an instrument in the hand of God
for the chastisement of the ungodly Jews. He will be a man
of resolute will, rened cruelty, one practiced in designing
craftiness, a master of occult knowledge, and one of such
determined purpose that he will allow nothing to stand in
42 Two things are often put together in connection with this
statement, namely, that the seat of the sovereignty of this king
will be in Asiatic Turkey; and, secondly, that Russia, as plainly
shown in Ezekiel 38 and 39, will be the nal enemy of Israel,
after their establishment in the land in blessing under their
Messiah. e deduction is then made that the power behind
this king of the north will be Russia. It may be so, but where
Scripture does not speak positively, a conjecture can only be
accepted as a possibility.
Daniel 8
137
the way of the execution of his own selsh designs; for all
his object will be his own aggrandizement and exaltation.
Such will be one of the powerful enemies of the Jews, after
they have been restored to their own land, and have rebuilt
the temple, while still in unbelief, before the appearing of
their Messiah in glory.
But his career of prosperity will be his ruin. Deceived
by his own successes and lifted up in heart, he will venture
also to “stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall
be broken without hand.” e fact only is stated that this
earthly monarch will dare to be the open antagonist to
Him who will soon assert His title as King of kings and
Lord of lords, and that in some way, “without hand,” he will
meet with instant destruction. e same event is probably
alluded to in chapter 11, where it says that “he shall come
to his end, and none shall help him” (Dan. 8:45); and as
the occasion of his being in the “pleasant land,” when
punishment thus overtakes him, is there given with some
detail, it will be more suitable to defer further remarks until
this passage is reached.
Gabriel nally arms the truth of the vision which
Daniel had received, and commands him to shut it up,
“for it shall be for many days.” Under the burden of these
divine communications Daniel fainted, and was sick
certain days (Dan. 8:27). e vessel was strained by the
contents, portending so much of sorrow and tribulation,
which had been poured into it, and for a time was disabled.
“Afterward,” he says, “I rose up, and did the king’s business”
(ever faithful to his earthly master); “and I was astonished
at the vision, but none understood it.” Who were the “none”
is not explained, although we may be sure that they were of
Daniel’s companions in captivity. Even the people of God
Daniel the Prophet
138
do not listen willingly to the prophet of coming sorrows,
while the prophet of smooth things, ever nds a ready ear.
Hence it is that a soul who is in the secret of the divine
mind must be content to be unappreciated and to walk
alone.
Daniel 9
139
56562
Daniel 9
Daniel appears in a new character in this chapter. Up to
now we have seen him as the recipient in dierent ways of
divine and prophetic communications; we now behold him
discovering the mind of God from studying the Scriptures,
and as an intercessor for God’s chosen people. How long
an interval had elapsed between this and the preceding
chapters cannot be ascertained, since we know not the
duration of Belshazzar’s reign. Belshazzar, on account of
his impiety, had forfeited his life under the just judgment of
God, and “Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the
Medes … was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans”;
and the events of this chapter took place “in the rst year
of his reign” (Dan. 9:1-2).
Two things evidently distinguished Daniel: an intense
love for the place where God’s honor had dwelt; and an
Daniel the Prophet
140
undying aection for God’s people. He might truly have
been the mouthpiece of his fellow-captives in the well-
known psalm, the authorship of which is not revealed, “If
I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her
cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave
to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above
my chief joy” (Psa. 137:5-6). It was doubtless this love
for Jerusalem that led him to the writings of Jeremiah, to
ascertain how long it was to remain in desolation; and he
says, giving the result of his study, “I Daniel understood
by books the number of the years, whereof the word of
the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would
accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem”
(Dan. 9:2; Jer. 25:11; 29:10).
e eect of this discovery on Daniel was, in his
unquenchable love for his people, to lead him to identify
himself with their state, to confess their sins, and to
intercede for their forgiveness and restoration; for he well
knew that there must rst be a work wrought in their souls
to qualify them for returning to their own land and to their
city. It is only where divine aections for the people of God
exist in the heart, as so markedly exemplied both in Moses
and in Paul, as well as in Daniel and in Ezra, that there can
be power in intercession on their behalf. And may it not
be suggested as present instruction that the urgent need
of today is that of intercessors? Of holy men and women,
who, divinely taught and lled with the Spirit, shall be
enabled, like Epaphras, to labor fervently for the saints in
prayer? And if we ourselves, through lack of zeal for God’s
glory, and of love for His people, cannot be intercessors, we
may at least pray that such may be raised up throughout
the whole church of God in every part of the world.
Daniel 9
141
Before considering Daniel’s prayer it may be helpful to
observe what has been elsewhere pointed out,
43
that the
intercession of the prophet is one of three links in God’s
ways for the accomplishment of His purposes in respect
of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was commissioned to prophecy
of her desolation for seventy years on account of her
transgressions; Daniel was stirred up by the Spirit of God
to pray for her restoration; and nally Cyrus was raised
up, “that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah
might be fullled,” to issue a proclamation concerning the
rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 1). God Himself must have
the glory of all His work, and He will not permit any of
His servants to claim the credit of that which His own
power has executed.
It will not be necessary to make more than a few
brief remarks upon the prayer, as its intention, character,
and purport are easily apprehended. It should be noted,
however, rst of all, that Daniel’s own state of soul was in
correspondence with his confessions and prayers. He says,
“I set my face unto the Lord God to seek by prayer and
supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes” (Dan.
9:3). It is only as we ourselves are truly humbled before
God that we can humble ourselves for His people. rough
grace, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we must put
ourselves morally into the circumstances of those whose
case we desire to present to God. e state of the people
required prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth,
and ashes, and the prophet as one of them, understanding
their condition, took this ground in the presence of God.
e Lord Himself was the perfect example of this, as when
43 In Ezra, or, Restoration from Babylon.
Daniel the Prophet
142
seen in the Psalms confessing His people’s sins.
44
Nothing
indeed more plainly exhibits the Spirit of Christ than this
complete identication with the sorrowful condition of
God’s people through their sins. It is thus that saints may
bear one another’s burdens, and fulll the law of Him who
was the great burden-bearer.
e two prominent features of Daniel’s supplications
are confession and the justication of God in what He
had done in His dealings with His people. In the address
to God in verse 4, he lays the basis for justifying God.
He says, “O Lord,
45
the great and dreadful God, keeping
the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to
them that keep His commandments.” God could not fail
in keeping His covenant with His people, and hence the
conduct of the people themselves must have been the cause
of all the chastisement by which they had been overtaken.
And it is this sinful conduct which Daniel now proceeded
to specify. “We,” he says, “have sinned, and have committed
iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even
by departing from y precepts and from y judgments”
(Dan. 9:5). He oers no palliation of, nor does he seek to
extenuate, the enormity of the guilt of his people; but in
every variety of expression makes the fullest confession
of their manifold transgressions. ey had aggravated
their sin, moreover, by refusing to listen to the prophets
whom God, in His longsuering and tender mercy, had
sent to their kings, their princes, their fathers, and to
all the people of the land (Dan. 9:6). e guilt lay alike
upon every class. As a consequence, and this Daniel owns,
44 See as an example of this Psa. 69:5.
45 e reader may observe the change from “Jehovah, my God”
in the rst line of the verse to “Adonai” in line three.
Daniel 9
143
righteousness in His ways with His people, belonged to
the Lord, but confusion of face “to the men of Judah, and
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are
near, and that are far o, through all the countries whither
ou halt driven them, because of their trespass that they
have trespassed against ee” (Dan. 9:7).
is particularity of confession, taking nothing for
granted as already known in the presence of God, may
be well commended to us for imitation. It is an infallible
sign of the “true heart,” of uprightness of soul before God,
and hence of a real work of the Holy Spirit in the heart
and conscience. But if confusion of face, as Daniel again
confesses (Dan. 9:8), belonged to every class of the people
because of their sins, “to the Lord our God,” he proceeds
to say, “belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have
rebelled against Him,” though they had not obeyed His
voice through the prophets, and though all Israel had
transgressed the law of the Lord their God, and had
therefore fallen under the curse and penalty of their sins, as
had been written in the law of Moses the servant of God
(Dan. 9:9-11). Daniel in that one sentence, “To the Lord
our God belong mercies and forgivenesses,” had reached the
only foundation on which he could rest in his intercession.
Had he known only the law, he could not have hoped to be
heard; but he knew the Lord his God also in the measure
of grace in which He had been revealed both to Moses (Ex.
34:6-7), to David, and to Solomon in connection with the
building of the temple on Mount Zion, which was from
then on to be known as the expression of royal grace. (See
1Chron. 21; 2Chron. 6:36-39). It was therefore on God
as known in grace that the prophet depended; and it is only
Daniel the Prophet
144
as grace is known that the heart is enabled to unburden its
sins and sorrows in the presence of God.
Daniel will hide nothing, and hence he further says
that, while God had only conrmed His words in bringing
upon His people so great an evil (and there was never a
greater under the whole heaven than that which had been
done upon Jerusalem); and while the evil came upon them
exactly as written in the law of Moses, “yet,” he says, “made
we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might
turn from our iniquities, and understand y truth” (Dan.
9:12-13). e result of all this evil conduct is now stated:
“erefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and
brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in
all His works which He doeth for we obeyed not His voice”
(Dan. 9:14). Yet again he mentions another aggravation of
their guilt — it was against Him who had redeemed them
with a mighty hand out of the land of Egypt, and had
gotten Himself renown, that they had sinned and done
wickedly (Dan. 9:15). Daniel went thus to the very bottom,
and viewed all the sins of his people in the light of God’s
holiness, justifying God, and, owning that the judgment
which had overtaken Jerusalem, Judah, Israel, kings, princes,
and people, was but their righteous due. It is therefore a
pattern confession for all time, whether for saints or for
sinners, only remembering that grace is now still further
known, (see 1John 2:1-2; 1John 1:9); but if further known
this is an additional incentive for thoroughness and open-
heartedness in confession.
Having confessed the sins and iniquities of his people,
Daniel, in the next place, turns to intercession. e form
of it is much to be observed. Daniel had fully owned the
righteousness of God in the chastisement of His people,
Daniel 9
145
and now he appeals to the Lord according to all His
righteousness, to turn away His anger and His fury from
His city Jerusalem, His holy mountain; and he further
pleads that Jerusalem and Jehovah’s people, because of
their sins and iniquities, were now “a reproach to all that
are about us.” e prophet was entitled to plead the Lord’s
righteousness, for Jehovah had put His NAME in the
sanctuary built by Solomon; He had moreover accepted
Solomon’s prayer at its dedication, and He had thus bound
Himself to hear the prayers of His people, when humbled
before Him by reason of their sins. (See also Deut. 30).
Daniel, therefore, in this plea counted on all that Jehovah
was as revealed to Israel, and upon His delity to His
own word. Nothing gives the soul so much courage as the
apprehension of God’s righteousness, or so completely sets
it at liberty in God’s presence. It is very touching also to
see the way in which Daniel uses the term, “y people.”
In fact God had written Lo-ammi (“not My people”) on
Israel, but faith would re-establish the link, and hence it
refuses the terra of reproach.
e sanctuary in all its desolation is next, presented;
and the ground of his prayer and supplications that God
would cause His face to shine upon His sanctuary, is, “for
the Lord’s sake,” a ground of appeal which could not, be
refused. In Daniel 9:18 the subject of his petition is “our
desolations, and the city which is called by y name,” and
for this he urges yet another plea: “We do not present our
supplications before ee for our righteousnesses, but for
y great mercies.”
ese then are the three pleas Daniel urges before the
Lord — His righteousness, His own sake, and His mercies;
and having laid these out in His presence, he gathers up
Daniel the Prophet
146
all his desires and pours them forth in one last earnest
entreaty: “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken
and do; defer not, for ine own sake, O my God: for y
city and y people are called by y name” Here was the
secret of his strength; he was concerned most of all for the
name of his God, and for His interests in His sanctuary,
His city, and His people. He has not one single thing to
ask for himself, or even for his companions in captivity;
but his whole heart goes out in supplication for the honor
of the name of his God, and for the interests of God upon
the earth. It is a prayer, therefore, which might well be
often studied by those who desire, in any measure, to be
in fellowship with God’s heart concerning the sorrowful
condition of His church in the world.
Before Daniel had ended his supplications the answer
to his cries was received — in so far as concerned the
revelation of the mind of God touching the subjects of his
prayer. He says: “And whiles 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 for
the holy mountain of my God; yea, whiles I was speaking
in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the
vision at the beginning, being caused to y swiftly, touched
me about the time of the evening oblation” (Dan. 9:20-
21). Two remarks may be made before proceeding: rst,
to remind ourselves anew that God’s ear is ever open
to the prayers of His people. As John wrote, “If we ask
anything according to His will, He heareth us,” and it was
so in this case. Daniel was in the secret of God’s mind,
and God delighted in His servant’s supplications, every
word of which ascended up before Him as sweet incense;
for, in truth, they were His own desires which had been
Daniel 9
147
begotten in His servant’s heart. Secondly, it was at the
time of the evening oblation that Gabriel arrived and
“touched” Daniel. e evening oblation was the perpetual
burnt oering — appointed to be presented morning and
evening continually. e temple having been destroyed, it
could no longer be oered; but Daniel was before God in
the virtue of it; that is, he identied himself in spirit with
all its sweet fragrance, as constituting his own acceptance,
and the ecacy of his prayers. (Compare 1Sam. 7:9-10;
2Kings 3:20). So is it with our prayers now when, through
faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we rest wholly
and entirely upon what Christ is, and upon all the virtue of
His sacrice, before God.
Gabriel came, rst of all, to give Daniel “skill and
understanding” (Dan. 9:22); and, moreover, told him “at
the beginning of thy supplications the commandment
came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art
greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and
consider the vision” (Dan. 9:23). e revelation about to
be made would need divine intelligence to comprehend it,
and this it was that God rst imparted, through Gabriel,
to His servant. He would have Daniel also know that He
had read the desires of his heart, and had, at the beginning
of his supplications, given commandment for Gabriel’s
mission; and in His precious grace, to encourage Daniel’s
heart, He would also have him informed that he was
greatly beloved — beloved, like the disciple whom Jesus
loved, as being in the intimacy of the Lord’s mind and
aections, and thus enabled to receive the impartation of
divine secrets. For it is ever true that the nearer we are to
the Lord the more fully He can open out His mind to
us. Hence Gabriel adds, “erefore understand the matter,
Daniel the Prophet
148
and consider the vision.” e qualications were possessed;
divine intelligence and a heart in communion with God;
and Daniel, thus endowed through grace, was in a position
to comprehend the revelation he was about to receive.
is brings us to the most dicult part of the book,
or at least to one made dicult through speculation and
controversy, namely, the subject of the
SEVENTY WEEKS.
Some preliminary observations will pave the way for its
consideration. It is then of the utmost moment to note that
the revelation of God’s purpose goes a long way beyond
the prophet’s prayer. Jeremiah had said, “us saith the
Lord, at after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon
I will visit you, and perform My good word toward you,
in causing you to return to this place” (Jer. 29:10; see also
Jer. 25:11-14). It was these scriptures which Daniel had
discovered, and on which he had based his intercession,
becoming, as possessing the mind of God, a mediator.
Hence it is that, as often observed, he does not go back to
God’s unconditional covenant with the patriarchs, on the
ground of which, in virtue of the death of Christ, He will
nally re-establish His people in the land in blessing under
the reign of Christ (see Lev. 26:40-45), but only to the
revelation God had made of Himself, and to the promises
He gave, to Moses in Exodus 34.
46
What Daniel sought in
his supplications was the fulllment of the promise made
through Jeremiah, and, as led of the Spirit of God, he took
the appropriate ground for this in the presence of God. But
in the communication made through Gabriel, it is revealed
46 In Exodus 32 Moses did go back to the promise made to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when it was a question of God’s
utterly consuming His people and making of Moses a nation
to take their place.
Daniel 9
149
to him that God had still larger thoughts of blessing for
His people, which would be surely fullled at the end of
the seventy weeks.
It must also be borne in mind that this revelation
entirely concerns the Jewish people and Jerusalem. It is
strange indeed that this should need to be insisted upon,
considering the language employed; but the tendency is so
persistent in some quarters to explain away, by spiritualizing,
the scriptures which have in view the future restoration of
the chosen nation, that it becomes necessary to arm and
to hold fast their manifest application. Gabriel thus says to
Daniel, “y people,” and “thy holy city.” Even a child, if he
know but the elements of the New Testament, understands
that Christians have no holy city upon earth. And should
it be contended that it is the heavenly city, new Jerusalem,
which is here indicated, it might well be inquired, When
were its walls thrown down, so as to need rebuilding? No,
the city prayed for is the city of which Gabriel speaks, as
is evident from verse 25 and consequently Daniel’s people
are the Jews, and his city is the earthly Jerusalem. Remark
also that, though Daniel had said to the Lord, “y people”
and “y city” Jerusalem, Gabriel says to him, “thy people”
and “thy city.” (Compare the intercession of Moses in Ex.
32-34.) e link with Jehovah had been broken by Israel’s
sin, and Lo-ammi (not My people), as before explained,
had been pronounced over them; and from that time, until
the appearing of Christ and the restoration of His people,
the term “my people” is never used.
47
47 Hence it is never found in Ezra and Nehemiah; but when
the Lord once more returns to Zion, He again takes it up. See
Zech. 8:7-8; 13:9; Hos. 2:23.
Daniel the Prophet
150
Another thing to determine is the meaning of the
expression “weeks” — seventy weeks. From familiarity
with the term “weeks,” and its common use, it might be
supposed that a period of seven days was meant; and there
have been expositors who have insisted on this theory.
e answer is simple and irrefragable. e date of the
commencement of the seventy weeks is laid down with
the utmost precision (Dan. 9:25); and starting from this
date, was there, it may well be inquired, if seventy weeks
of days are signied, any fulllment of this prediction
within the period named? Nay; has there even yet been the
accomplishment of Gabriel’s revelation? If not, it is proved
beyond all question, for those who believe in the plenary
inspiration of the Scriptures, that “weeks” in this passage
are not weeks of days. e following quotations from one
whose intimate acquaintance with the Hebrew language
none would question, will be helpful in the understanding
of the term. He says: “e word itself is strictly, something
divided into, or consisting of, seven parts — a heptad, a
hebdomad.” Again, “Daniel had made inquiry about seventy
years of the captivity in Babylon. e answer speaks also of
seventy periods, which in our English translation are called
weeks. e word, however, does not necessarily mean seven
days, but a period of seven parts; of course, it is much more
often used in speaking of a week than anything else, because
nothing is so often mentioned as a week which is similarly
divided. e Hebrews, however, used a septenary scale as
to time just as habitually as we should reckon by tens; the
sabbatical years, the jubilees, all tended to give this thought
a permanent place in their minds. e denomination is here
to be taken from the subject of Daniel’s prayer. He prayed
about years, he is answered about periods of seven years;
Daniel 9
151
that is, the recurrence of sabbatical years.” (S, P. Tregelles,
LL.D).
Having shown that weeks in this scripture signify
periods of seven years, our next inquiry must be concerning
the date of their commencement. It is stated by Gabriel to
be “from the going forth of the commandment to restore
and to build Jerusalem” (Dan. 9:25). In the book of Ezra we
have a decree by Cyrus, and another by Artaxerxes in the
seventh year of his reign; but both of these are concerning
the house of God in Jerusalem, and hence neither satises
the terms mentioned by Gabriel. Passing on however
to Nehemiah, we nd that, “in the twentieth year of
Artaxerxes,” he issued letters, in response to Nehemiah’s
request, commissioning him to go unto Judah, unto the city
of his fathers’ sepulchers, that he might build it (Dan. 2).
Here then is the date referred to by Gabriel, and, as there
is no other such “commandment” as to the restoration and
building of Jerusalem in any part of scripture, the point of
time is xed and certain.
Another question arises as to whether the year in the
world’s history of this “commandment” can be ascertained.
48
Without going into the details of the investigation, which
can easily be pursued if desired, it may be stated that the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes is believed to coincide, as
48 e following fact, borrowed from Dr. Tregelles, may be
interesting to some readers. Archbishop Ussher’s chronology
is that adopted in our own English Bibles, and it seems that
he paid very special attention to the date of Artaxerxes’ reign.
“About a hundred and fty years ago” (nearer two hundred
now) Dr. Tregelles says, “Bishop Lloyd undertook to ax
Archbishop Ussher’s dates to our English Bibles; but, in this
instance, he made a considerable alteration, and substituted
another date of his own, so as to adapt the reign of Artaxerxes
to his own theory”!
Daniel the Prophet
152
nearly as possible, with 454 or 455 B.C. e application
of this date will be seen in considering the several parts of
Gabriel’s communication.
Taking then verse 24, we have the statement that
“seventy weeks (490 years) are determined upon thy people
and upon thy holy city, to nish the transgression, and to
make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity,
and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the
vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (or, the
holy of holies). All these expressions look plainly onward
to the full re-establishment of Daniel’s people and city in
blessing. e transgression will be ended, the transgression
for which they have been scattered, Jerusalem having
now “received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins,”
their iniquity will be pardoned (Isa. 40:2), everlasting
righteousness, God’s righteousness, will be brought in (Isa.
51:4-8), visions and prophecies will be closed up forever
(see Zech. 13), and the holy of holies will once more be set
apart, sanctied according to the requirements of the glory
of Him who will again dwell there. (See Ex. 40:9).
In the next verse (25th) the period of seventy weeks is
divided: “Know therefore and understand, that from the
going forth of the commandment to restore and to build
Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks,
and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built
again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” e seventy
weeks are thus divided into three portions — seven weeks,
threescore and two weeks, and one week. e rst portion
undoubtedly comprises the period occupied in rebuilding
Jerusalem and the wall, for the end of the verse expressly
speaks of the “troublous,” or “strait of,” times during which
this was performed. In the book of Nehemiah some account
Daniel 9
153
is given of the obstacles and opposition which Nehemiah
and his builders had to encounter.
Next we have sixty-two weeks, which reach “unto” the
Messiah, the Prince. at is, adding the forty-nine years
occupied in the restoration of the city, there would be
four hundred and eighty-three years until Christ. It must
be carefully observed that the expression is general, that
neither the birth of Christ, His anointing for His mission,
nor His death is specied. It simply says, “unto” Messiah,
the Prince. Some taking the date of the commandment to
restore and build Jerusalem as 454 or 455 B.C., calculate
that the 483 years, included in the sixty-nine weeks,
terminated with the death of Christ.
49
Had the Messiah
been received, the Jewish nation would, as we know, have
been at once established in the kingdom; and even, had
He been received by the nation after the crucixion, the
49 is calculation takes, what indeed is now commonly accepted,
the year 4 B.C. for the birth of Christ and consequently 29
A.D. for His crucixion. But nothing whatever is gained by
this attempt at numerical accuracy; and we cannot but believe
that the expression “unto Messiah the Prince” is indenite, for
the reason that the Messiah, as here foretold, would be rejected
by those to whom He came. It may be mentioned that some,
holding that the sixty-nine weeks end with the birth of Christ,
regard the rst half of the seventieth week as fullled in the
ministry of the Baptist, and its second half in the ministry of
our Lord, but that, owing to the rejection of Christ this week
is canceled, and therefore remains to be gone over again. We
see no Scriptural ground whatever for this opinion, for in no
possible way can the ministry of John be extended to three
years and a half. Another view, for which there is much more
to be said, is that the Lord’s ministry embraces the rst half of
the seventieth week, and hence that only the remaining half is
yet to be fullled. is view will be more properly discussed in
connection with verses 26-27.
Daniel the Prophet
154
times of refreshing, as Peter distinctly declares, would
have come from the presence of the Lord; and He would
have sent Jesus Christ to His people (Acts 3:19-21). But
God foreknew all, and hence, after naming the sixty-two
weeks, says, “And after
50
threescore and two weeks shall
Messiah be cut o, and [marginal rendering] shall have
nothing” (Dan. 9:26). It should be noticed that it does not
say immediately after, only “after,” leaving room, we cannot
doubt, for the half week of the Lord’s ministry.
Be that however as it may, the facts mentioned are
divinely given, and are therefore indisputable, namely, that
sixty-two weeks, dating from the restoration of Jerusalem,
ran on till Christ; and that, “after” the termination of this
period, He, being rejected, was cut o, and had nothing;
for the kingdom and its glory were as a consequence
postponed, and, together with it, the fulllment of the last
portion of the seventy weeks. is will be more clearly seen
as we follow the scripture.
In connection then with Messiah’s being cut o, it is
said: “And the people of the prince that shall come shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall
be with a ood, and unto the end of the war desolations
are determined.”
51
(Dan. 9:26). e most careful attention
must be given to the exact words used in this scripture
if we are to understand their import, and it may help to
their elucidation if we recall one or two facts to our minds.
We have seen then, in the earlier chapters, that the fourth
kingdom, the successor to that of Greece, which is to
complete the times of the Gentiles, is Rome; and we have
50 e article should here be inserted, namely, after the sixty-two
weeks.
51 Another translation of the last clause is, “And until the end
[there is] war [even] that which is determined for desolations.”
Daniel 9
155
also seen that this has no earthly successor, that it will, in
fact, be displaced by the kingdom of the Son of Man; and
consequently that, though to outward eyes the Western
Roman empire may appear to have passed away forever, it
will, according to the teaching of Scripture, be revived (see
Rev. 13 and 17), and will assume the form of ten kingdoms,
confederated under one imperial head — the little horn of
Daniel 7, or the rst beast of Revelation 13. Moreover,
it was in the time of the fourth empire, as a well-known
fact in history, and testied to in the Scriptures, that the
Lord Jesus came into this world, and that it was at Rome’s
tribunal, with Pilate as judge, that He was sentenced to
the death of the cross. ese facts have a most important
bearing upon the statements of our scripture.
Remark then, rst, that it does not say that a prince
shall come and destroy the city and the sanctuary, but that
the people of the prince that shall come shall do so. In other
words, “the prince that shall come” applies to the future,
and is indeed, as will be seen in the next verse, the imperial
head of the revived Roman empire in the last days. e
“people” are identied with him because they are Romans,
of the same kingdom that is yet to reappear, and of which
this prince will be the leader and the chief. What we have
then, in this passage, is the destruction of Jerusalem by
the Romans after the death of Christ as God’s judgment
upon the Jews for their rejection and crucixion of their
Messiah. Our Lord Himself often spoke of this sorrowful
event, and always connected it with His own rejection.
(See Matt. 22:7; Luke 19:41-44).
e fearful character of this judgment is pointed out in
the closing words of the verse — “e end thereof shall be
with a ood, and,” adopting the alternative translation given,
Daniel the Prophet
156
“until the end,” there will be wars for the accomplishment
of God’s will in the desolations of the holy city; for, as the
Lord Himself said, “ey [the Jews] shall fall by the edge
of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations:
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until
the times of the Gentiles be fullled” (Luke 21:24; see also
Rev. 11:2).
It is now apparent why the last of the seventy weeks is
separated from the previous sixty-two. Within one week
(seven years) when Christ came, the seventy weeks spoken
of by Gabriel had run their course; and had the Jews but
received Jesus of Nazareth as their promised Messiah, He
would have at once established His kingdom, and brought
in all the blessings spoken of in verse 24; but they knew not
the time of their visitation. As a consequence the course
of the seventy weeks has been interrupted, and God does
not count time while His ancient people on earth are out
of their inheritance, and scattered over the globe. ere is
therefore a blank, so to speak, in Jewish history, an interval
during which the nation, though still watched over, has
no recognized relationship with God.
52
But, blessed be
His name, “through their fall salvation is come unto the
Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy” (Rom. 11:11).
For it has pleased God, in the depth of the riches both of
His wisdom and of His knowledge, to use this very interval
for the unfolding and accomplishment of His eternal
counsels in Christ concerning the saints who are to be joint
heirs with Christ, and to form His body and His bride. It is
precisely this interval, wherein time is not reckoned, which
52 e bond between God and Israel is maintained during this
period through the faith of the remnant, as exemplied in the
rst part of this book in Daniel and his companions).
Daniel 9
157
forms the church-period; and when this — the acceptable
year of the Lord — is ended, God will again put forth His
power for the blessing of the chosen earthly people; and
then they will sing with overowing hearts, “O give thanks
unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth
forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He
hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered
them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west,
from the north, and from the south” (Psa. 107:1-3).
It will be perceived that an immense interval is to be
interposed between verses 26 and 27; that verse 26 refers
to the death of Christ and God’s judgment upon Jerusalem
some thirty years after, while verse 27 passes on to a time
after the church-period is closed, when the Jews, though
in unbelief, will be again in their own land. Should anyone
regard this interpretation as forced, he may be reminded
that such instances are common in the prophetic scriptures.
Peter, for example, in citing from Psalm 34, says, “e face of
the Lord is against them that do evil,” but he does not add,
what is found in the Psalm, “to cut o the remembrance of
them from the earth,” for the reason that since God is now
acting in grace, while it is ever true that His face is against
them that do evil, He will not cut such o from the earth
until the kingdom of Christ is established. In other words,
the whole of the present period, the day of grace, has to be
inserted between the two clauses of the same verse.
53
53 For another remarkable illustration of the same thing the
reader may compare Luke 4:18-19, with the place in Isaiah
whence the words are taken. He will discover that the Lord
did not cite “And the day of vengeance of our God,” because
in fact that day would not come until after the “acceptable
year” — that is, the whole period of grace — had run its course).
Daniel the Prophet
158
We may now proceed to consider the opening statement
of verse 27, “And he shall conrm the [rather a] covenant
with many [really the many] for one week.” e rst
thing to be decided in this statement is as to who is the
person who makes a covenant with the many. Adopting
the English translation, “the covenant,” some have hastily
concluded that it is Christ Himself, omitting to notice that
the covenant mentioned is only made for seven years. It is
now, however, admitted on all hands that the words should
be rendered a covenant, and this at once shows that it
could not be the Messiah. Indeed the proper antecedent of
the pronoun “he” is the prince that shall come; and it is to
this personage that the reference is made. What is asserted
therefore is, that the future head of the revived Roman
empire will make a covenant with “the many,” that is, with
the mass or majority of the Jews, who at that time will be
again in their own land; for the mention of the sacrice
and the oblation puts it beyond doubt that Jerusalem is in
question, and that the temple has been rebuilt. is prince
will then enter into an alliance with the Jews, with all of
them save the godly remnant, professedly as befriending
their cause, and as protecting them from their adversaries.
And it should be well observed that the term of this
covenant is one week — that is, for the seventieth week,
as we judge, in respect of the unbelieving Jews. Faith may
accept the Lord’s ministry, when on earth, as the rst half of
this last week, and go on to the time when the prince breaks
his covenant with the Jews for the commencement of the
last half; but for unbelief the seventieth week is the week
for which this covenant is made. Other scriptures allude to
this covenant. We thus read in Isaiah 28, “Wherefore hear
the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people
Daniel 9
159
which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made
a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement;
when the overowing scourge shall pass through, it shall
not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and
under falsehood have we hid ourselves,” and so forth (Isa.
28:14-15). It would appear therefore that it will be the
fear of another adversary, “the overowing scourge” (who
is no less a personage than the Assyrian, or the king of the
north), which will drive these “scornful men” into the arms
of the imperial head of the Roman empire. It must also be
remembered, as will be seen when Daniel 11 is reached,
that the Antichrist will at this time have his seat and sway
in Jerusalem, and that he will act as the “prophet,” the false
prophet to the prince of the empire (Rev. 13). It will thus
be, as led by him, that in fear of their terrible adversary, the
Assyrian, they will accept the treaty of alliance proposed by
the head of the Roman Empire.
At the outset, as we have seen in Isaiah, all will promise
well, and the Jews will delude themselves with the thought
that they have secured themselves from all possible danger.
Shutting God out, they will lean upon the arm of the
most powerful monarch of the world. Of whom therefore
should they be afraid? But the very one in whom they trust
becomes their enemy; for, false to his own covenant, “in the
midst of the week” (that is, at the end of, three years and
a half) “he shall cause the sacrice and oblation to cease,”
and more than this, for (we now give what most competent
students of Scripture accept as the true sense or rendering
of what follows) “on account of the protection
54
of idols there
54 e word translated “protection” is literally “wing”; but every
reader of the Bible knows that “wing” is continually a symbol
of protection).
Daniel the Prophet
160
is a desolator, and until the consummation that is determined
there shall be poured [judgment] upon the desolate.” Without
attempting to unravel the intricacies of this admittedly
dicult passage, it may be armed that its general sense is
quite plain, inasmuch as there is light from other scriptures
to guide us as to it.
Not only will this Roman prince cause the daily sacrices
to be removed, but in addition to his own image erected
by Antichrist, which will be endowed with seemingly
miraculous powers (Rev. 13), the Antichrist himself, as we
learn from 2essalonians 2, will as God sit in the temple
of God, showing himself that he is God (Dan. 9:11). e
Lord Himself refers to this awful fact in Matthew 24,
where He speaks of the abomination of desolation, spoken
of by Daniel the prophet, as to be set up in the holy place,
referring to Daniel 12:11.
e situation then will be thus: e Jews at this time
will have returned to their own land, and, though in
unbelief as to the mass, they will have rebuilt the temple
and restored the temple services. Antichrist, according to
the Lord’s prediction, having come in his own name, will
be received as their king; and, under his leadership, when
threatened by the power of the Assyrian, they will enter
into a covenant, and make a treaty, with the head of the
western empire. is prince breaks his covenant, as we have
seen, and “in the midst of the week” abolishes the temple
services; and, with daring profanity, the Antichrist, as his
prophet, causes an image of himself to be erected in the
holy of holies, and demands that divine honors should be
rendered to himself instead of to Jehovah.
We have repeated these facts because that, from this
point, the setting up of the abomination of desolation
Daniel 9
161
in the holy place, commences the last half of the seventieth
prophetic week. is is the beginning of the “time and
times and the dividing of time” of Daniel 7:25, and of
the forty-two months, or the 1260 days of the book of
Revelation, that is of the three years and a half-the last
half of the seventieth week. It is of this period our blessed
Lord speaks in Matthew 24 as a time of unequaled sorrow,
saying, “en shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there
should no esh be saved” (Matt. 24:21-22); for it is during
these days that the trumpet judgments, and “the vials of
the wrath of God,” of which we read in Revelation, are
poured out on the earth.
It is to these judgments, as aecting Jerusalem and the
Jews that allusion is made in the verse in Daniel which we
are considering.
First, then, it says, according to the amended translation
given: “On account of the protection of idols there
is a desolator.” e desolator here is undoubtedly the
“overowing scourge” of Isaiah 28; for, as before seen, the
Jews are led by antichrist to form a treaty with the head
of the Roman empire to protect themselves from their
northern adversary; and the “scornful men, that rule this
people which is in Jerusalem,” boast of their security.
But, says the prophet, “your covenant with death shall be
disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand;
when the overowing scourge shall pass through, then ye
shall be trodden down by it” (Isa. 28:18; see also vss. 19-
22). In fact, God uses the Assyrian as a rod to break the
guilty people to pieces, twice guilty — in rejecting Christ
Daniel the Prophet
162
and in again accepting idolatry after the house had been
swept and garnished.
ere is yet more, for “until the consummation that
is determined, there shall be poured [judgment] on the
desolate.”
55
Commencing then with the overowing
scourge the Jews will be the objects of unceasing
judgment, and Jerusalem will be given up to the fury, of
her oppressors. As another has said, “e consummation
that is determined” is an expression constantly used for
the last judgments that shall fall upon the Jews. (See Isa.
10:22; 28:22). As these will come before us towards the
close of the book, further consideration of them now may
be deferred, only remarking that at the close of this night
of tribulation their Messiah will appear, and “will destroy
in this mountain (Zion) the face of the covering cast over
all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He
will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will
wipe away tears from o all faces; and the rebuke of His
people shall He take away from o all the earth: for the
Lord hath spoken it” (Isa. 25:7-8).
55 ere has been much discussion as to whether this word
“desolate” should not be translated “desolator.” It is admitted
that it will bear both meanings, although the former is the
more common rendering. Whichever is adopted the sense
remains much the same, excepting that, if “desolate” is retained,
Jerusalem is signied, whereas if “desolator” be preferred her
adversary is indicated. e meaning in either case is that from
the time mentioned increasing judgment will be poured out
until “the consummation that is determined.”
Daniel 10
163
56563
Daniel 10
It is apparent to the most casual reader that the last three
chapters of this book form, so to speak, but one prophecy.
It deals, however, with dierent eras and personages,
traverses many spheres of action, but it does not proceed
consecutively; for after reaching down to a certain point,
with a historical description of machinations and conicts
between the king of the north and the king of the south,
it suddenly passes on to the time of the end, and brings
before us the “willful king,” the antichrist, together with
his wicked doings (Dan. 11:36; and more) and his conicts
with his adversaries. e last chapter is entirely taken
up with the Jews, having especially in view the faithful
remnant, the “time of trouble” through which they will
pass during the last days of Gentile rule, and their glorious
deliverance.
Daniel the Prophet
164
e chapter now before us is occupied mainly with
the circumstances under which Daniel received these
last communications; and with respect to these it has
been — well observed, “that in both cases (Daniel 9 and
Daniel 10-12) the revelation given to Daniel, as to his
people, is in reply to his exercises of heart in intercession
or fasting; [whereas] the revelations in Daniel 7-8 as to
the western or eastern destroying powers are not. ey
are given when God pleases. ese were in the time of
Belshazzar; the two former after Babylon was taken.”
56
e date of the vision is given in verse 1. It was in the
third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, the king who succeeded,
it will be remembered, Darius the Mede, during whose
reign Daniel was cast into the den of lions. As ‘expressly
said, the thing revealed was “true, but the time appointed”
(appointed for the fulllment of all the events, or of the
last of them, which had been unfolded in the prophetic
vision) “was long; and he understood the thing, and had
understanding of the vision.” If God thus used the prophet
as a vessel for the revelation of the future, He also gave him
to understand what was revealed.
*
e circumstances under which the vision was
vouchsafed are next given: “In those days I Daniel was
mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither
dame esh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint
myself at all, till three whole weeks were fullled” (Dan.
10:2-3). e subject of his sorrow and fasting is not
stated; but as we know from the previous chapter that the
condition of his people and of the holy city lay heavily upon
56 Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, by J. N. Darby, vol. 2 p. 12.
New edition. Revised.
Daniel 10
165
his heart, we may well conclude that his mourning here
was on account of the same thing, and the more certainly
in that it led to a revelation of the future deliverance of
his people. For our own instruction, two observations may
be made: First, that he who most completely identies
himself with the sorrows of God’s people is most in
fellowship with the heart of God for them (compare Isa.
53:4-5); and, secondly, that if we would have the mind of
God communicated to us we must be in a state of soul
to receive it. What greater mistake can be made than to
suppose that we can enter into God’s secrets without a
moral preparedness of heart, or to think that it is possible
to understand divine things merely through hearing or
reading, or because we have ranged ourselves round certain
leaders of God’s people, and enthusiastically uphold their
teachings? Humiliation and fasting were Daniel’s means
of receiving these revelations; and so now, it is only when
we are morally outside of things here — outside of the
gratication of the senses and of the joys of earth, having
throughly chastened ourselves, through the application of
the cross, in the presence of God — that the Spirit of God
enlightens the eyes of our hearts to comprehend God’s
mind and will. ese two verses, therefore, may be regarded
as most important, containing as they do the means by
which Daniel was prepared to hear and to understand the
divine voice.
Other particulars concerning time and place are added:
“And in the four and twentieth day of the rst month, as I
Daniel the Prophet
166
was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel
57
; then
I lifted up mine eyes, and looked” (Dan. 10:4-5). At this
date, then, and at this place, the vision of “a certain man”
is granted to him, and the various features of his dress and
appearance are described. He was clothed in ne linen; his
loins were girded with ne gold of Uphaz; his body also
was like the beryl; his face as the appearance of lightning;
his eyes as lamps of re; his arms and his feet like in color
to polished brass; and the voice of his words like the voice
of a multitude (Dan. 10:5-6).
Who, then, was this heavenly visitant? at there are
many resemblances to the appearance of the one “like
the Son of Man,” whom John saw in Patmos, is at once
perceived; but there are also dierences, and there is the
absence of some of the most striking characteristics that
John records. It is by no means certain, therefore, that
this is a divine personage. Indeed, if it is the same speaker
throughout this chapter, it could not be, since he speaks of
being hindered in his mission by “the prince of Persia” for
one and twenty days.
58
e eect upon Daniel and his companions, the men
that were with him, of whom we read here for the rst
57 is river is only mentioned by name in one other place (Gen.
2:14). It is generally identied, both from geographical and
etymological considerations, with the Tigris. If this is correct,
Daniel would have to cross it on his journeys to Shushan (Dan.
8:2) from Babylon.
58 Some have supposed that it is a divine person in verses 5-9, and
an angel from verse 10. is seems a little forced, although there
are traits in verses 5-9 that might suggest that it was more than
an angel. Nothing, however, depends upon the interpretation,
and the question may therefore be left undecided.
Daniel 10
167
time,
59
combines in some particulars the eects produced
on Paul’s attendants when on his way to Damascus, as the
light from heaven, beyond the brightness of the midday
sun, shone round about him; and those produced on John
when he saw, while at Patmos, the vision of the Son of
Man. Daniel’s companions, like those of Paul, were afraid,
and so great was the “quaking” that fell upon them that
they ed to hide themselves; and Daniel himself, like John,
fell down as dead before the celestial messenger. He says,
“ere remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was
turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the
voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face,
and my face toward the ground” (Dan. 10:8-9). It would
seem impossible, from many instances in Scripture, for
man in nature to hold converse with heavenly beings when
surrounded with the majesty and excellency that pertain to
their existence; and hence it is necessary to be like Paul,
whether in the body or out of the body he knew not, or
like John “in the Spirit,” rapt outside of his ordinary mode
of being, in order to become the recipient of heavenly
secrets. ree things were bestowed upon Daniel before
the angel proceeded with his communication: First, “An
hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon
the palms of my hands.” Divine strength was imparted to
him. Secondly, he receives the assurance that he was “a
man greatly beloved,” an object of the divine aections;
and, together with this, and indeed in the power of it, he
is commanded to understand the words spoken to him,
59 is would seem to point to the conclusion that Daniel was
at this time on a journey, and that the men were his personal
attendants.
Daniel the Prophet
168
and to stand upright; for, said the angel, “Unto thee am
I now sent” (Dan. 10:11). en, lastly, he is set at liberty.
In response to the command to stand upright, he “stood
trembling. en said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel.” He was
thus calmed in the presence of the heavenly messenger, his
fears having been dissipated, and so qualied to become the
depositary of the angel’s message. e angel then revealed
to him that he had come in answer to his prayer: “From the
rst day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and
to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard,
and I am come for thy words” (Dan. 10:12). What gracious
encouragement is thus ministered to the intercessors in all
ages for the people of God. ey may be alone in the midst
of the prevailing confusion and corruption; they may even
have their names cast out as evil by professing Christians,
and by real believers; but their cries are heard by God, and
He will sustain them by the assurances of His love, comfort
them by the consolations which He alone can minister, and
in due time answer their prayers.
But, as the angel goes on to inform the prophet, there
may be, no, there will be, antagonistic forces at work to
hinder the divine response to the supplications of His
servants; and hereby is revealed to us one of the profoundest
mysteries of the spiritual world. “e prince of the kingdom
of Persia,” the angel informs Daniel, “withstood me one and
twenty days” (Dan. 10:13); that is, during the whole time
of Daniel’s fasting and prayer. e words of the prophet
were heard “from the rst day”; and the angel was sent, but
this “prince of the kingdom of Persia “in some way or other
interposed an obstacle for the period of three weeks. While
careful not to go beyond what is written, nor to penetrate
Daniel 10
169
into what is not revealed, a few words will be required for
the elucidation of this mysterious revelation.
In the rst place, it must be observed that “the prince of
the kingdom of Persia” is an angel; for Michael, termed in
the same verse “one of the chief princes,” and in Daniel 12
“the great prince” in connection with Israel, is known, on
the authority of Jude, to be the archangel. If so, inasmuch
as this “prince” of Persia is seen here acting in opposition
to the mind of God, he is a bad angel, in fact, one of Satan’s
princes. is will help us to understand what we nd often
mentioned in the New Testament, namely, that there are
good principalities and powers (Eph. 1:21; Col. 1:16; 2:10;
1Peter 3:22), and bad principalities and powers (Rom.
8:38; Eph. 6:12, and more). It would seem, therefore, that
Satan has imitated the kingdom of God,
60
and formed
his gradations of rank and power according to the divine
model. Having therefore seen that God had appointed the
archangel Michael to watch over the interests of Israel in
His providential government, Satan sent one of his angels
to care for his interests in Persia, which at this time held
the sovereignty of the earth, and consequently to frustrate,
wherever possible, the activities of God upon the earth. In
how far this mode of operation may continue during the
day of grace we are not distinctly informed. We do nd,
however, that the Lord, during His sojourn on the earth,
referred to the angels of little children, that Peter was
delivered from prison through the instrumentality of an
angel, that angels are “sent forth to minister for them who
shall be heirs of salvation”; and it is plain from Daniel 12
that Michael’s oce continues to the end. And in regard
60 We use the term “kingdom of God” in this place as expressive
of the whole sphere of God’s authority and rule.
Daniel the Prophet
170
to evil spirits or angels, we learn from Ephesians that their
activities and energy are ceaseless (see Eph. 2:2; 6:12)
against the children of God. Moreover Paul, in writing to
the essalonians, says expressly, “Wherefore we would
have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan
hindered us” (1ess. 2:18). We have, therefore, to count,
when walking in God’s ways and doing His will, upon
the incessant and malevolent opposition of the Evil One
through his emissaries; and it is to our loss when we forget
this character of the enemy of God and of our souls, for we
forget with it our need of being clothed with the panoply
of God, and of constant vigilance against Satan’s devices.
It is an encouragement, however, to learn from this
scripture that we are not left to ourselves; for if Satan’s
prince was seeking to hinder the answer to Daniel’s
supplications, Michael, one of God’s chief princes, came
to help His messenger; and he “remained there with the
kings of Persia,” victorious, through Michael’s succor, over
the wicked agent who had daringly thrust himself between
the command of God and its execution.
e next verse (14th) aords the key to the
communication about to be made. e angel says, “Now
I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy
people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.”
Much of what he is about to impart relates, as we shall see,
to what took place during the time of the third kingdom,
the time of Alexander’s successors; but even this is given
such prominence because of its typical foreshadowings.
e object of the angel’s communication was to make the
prophet know what should befall his people in the latter
days; and unless this is borne in mind, it is impossible to
read aright these prophetic, intimations. It is from want of
Daniel 10
171
attention to such words as these, which open out to us the
import of the prophecy, that so many mistakes have been
made.
Daniel once again is overcome by the revelations made
to him concerning the conicts in the spiritual world in
connection with his people. He set his face toward the
ground, and he became dumb (Dan. 10:15). But if the
human vessel was too weak in itself to utter the thoughts
that arose in his heart, divine help was at hand.
“One like the similitude of the sons of men touched my
lips: then I opened my mouth, and spoke, and said unto him
that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows
are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.”
Both his strength and his breath, as he proceeds to say,
had departed. e vessel, as said before, could scarcely bear
the strain of the contents of the vision; and in this way the
Lord would teach His servant his utter weakness, that he
might learn that His strength is made perfect in weakness.
Hence, as soon as Daniel owned that no more strength
remained in him, “there came again and touched me one
like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, and
said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be
strong, yea, be strong” (Dan. 10:18-19). is is exceedingly
beautiful, showing us that the Lord expects nothing from
us, except looking to Him, and even for that He will give
the power. Strength, the sense of His love, calm, peace, yea,
and double strength, are all bestowed on Daniel to qualify
him for the service to which he was called. Who, indeed,
ever goeth to warfare at his own charges? No; He who calls,
equips, and sustains; and the servant has only to learn how
to avail himself of what is provided. e eect on Daniel
Daniel the Prophet
172
was immediate; he “was strengthened, and said, Let my
lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me” (Dan. 10:19).
e last two verses need attentive examination to
understand their force and bearing. After the angel had
asked, “Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee?” he
continued, “and now will I return to ght with the prince of
Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia
shall come. But I will show thee that which is noted in
the scripture of truth” (Dan. 10:20-21). If we understand
rightly, the last clause means that before the angel goes
forth against the prince of Persia, he will communicate to
Daniel his message, the contents, that is, of Daniel 11-12.
is makes all plain. en, if the prince of Persia signies
a Satanic angel, as already explained, so will also the prince
of Grecia, although we are not told for what purpose he
will appear on the scene, excepting that we know it must
be in hostility to God’s people. e reason of the special
antagonism of “the prince of Persia” may be easily discerned.
Persia was the kingdom in power at this moment, and
consequently held the people of God in captivity. As
inuenced by Satan’s prince, apart from natural reasons,
Persia would be the enemy of Daniel and his people,
whatever the toleration of its rule. It would be interested
in retaining them in subjection; and remembering this,
one can the better understand the necessity of the conict
of which the angel speaks. Before, however, he departed,
he would communicate, by divine, direction, the history
of the future with its issue in the full accomplishment of
God’s purposes for His earthly people. And then he adds,
Daniel 10
173
“ere is none that holdeth with me in these things
61
but
Michael your prince” (Dan. 10:21). Satan was thus even
then, though it had not yet been demonstrated, the god
of the world; and his angels had supreme inuence with
the various governments that swayed the nations, so that
on earth there was not one to stand by and assist this angel
in his conict with Satan’s agents, excepting the archangel
that cared for, in the way of providential government, the
interests of the elect nation.
61 Some translate “against them,” that is, against the “prince” of
Persia and the “prince” of Grecia. If the rendering “in these
things” be retained, the meaning will be the objects for which
the angel was contending.
Daniel the Prophet
174
Daniel 11
175
56564
Daniel 11
As before observed, chapters form one continuous
revelation or prophecy; and it will be seen that the whole
of Daniel 10, together with the rst verse of Daniel 11, is
introductory, containing the account of the circumstances
under which the revelation was made, and the exercises of
the prophet which God used to produce his moral tness
to receive these divine unfoldings of the future. Down to
the end of verse 35, it may be repeated, we have a narrative
of events which were to take place in connection with the
kingdoms into which “Grecia” was divided after the death
of Alexander the Great; and these are chosen because
they bring before us two monarchs, the king of the North,
and the king of the South (so denominated because of
the geographical position of their respective territories
in relation to the “glorious land”), who are themselves
Daniel the Prophet
176
foreshadowings of the adversaries of the Jews in the last
days. eir actings, as here described, have now long since
passed away; but their prophetic signicance remains, or
they would have no possible interest for the reader, except
in so far as they reveal the divine prescience, as also God’s
care over His people, even while, as a people, they are
unfaithful to Him and to His word.
In the rst verse a remarkable revelation is made.
Everyone must be struck, in reading Daniel 6, with the
earnestness of Darius in espousing Daniel’s cause, and in
seeking his deliverance from the devices of his enemies. e
secret of this is now discovered, illustrating the fact that
God holds the hearts of all men in His hands, and turns
them whithersoever He will in pursuance of His purposes.
“Also I,” said the angel to Daniel, “in the rst year of Darius
the Mede, even I, stood to conrm and to strengthen him.”
Darius knew it not; but the fact is now made known that
there was a divine inuence secretly working to conrm
him in a certain course, and to strengthen him against
those who were plotting against God’s witness in the king’s
court. Well may we learn from this to look away from all
secondary causes, and to rest in the assurance that God is
silently working towards His proposed end through all the
apparent confusion of human designs, and in the face of all
the demonstrated power of the enemy.
e next three verses (Dan. 11:2-4) give a brief outline
of those near events which would form the foundation
of the subsequent developments which the Spirit of God
was about to trace. First, four kings of Persia were yet to
arise; “the fourth shall be far richer than they all.” ree of
these (the rst three) are mentioned in Ezra 4, Ahasuerus,
Daniel 11
177
Artaxerxes, and Darius.
62
e fourth was the famous Xerxes,
who, “by his strength through his riches,” stirred up “all
against the realm of Grecia.” e overwhelming defeat of
his motley host, and the subsequent invasion and conquest
of his kingdom by Alexander — facts well known to every
reader of history, and alluded to in Daniel 8:7 — are here
passed over, and Alexander, as a “mighty king,” is at once
introduced — one “that shall rule with great dominion, and
do according to his will” (Dan. 11:3).
We are next told, that “when he shall stand up, his
kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the
four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according
to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall
be plucked up, even for others beside those” (Dan. 11:4).
e devout believer in the inspired word of God will not
need to be told that this is an accurate description in every
particular of what took place on the death of Alexander — so
accurate, indeed, that the unbeliever can only account for
it by maintaining that it was written subsequently to the
event! e ingenuity of indelity to escape the evidence
that God has spoken to man in His word, and that the
future all lies before his gaze, is simply astounding. e
suppositions of unbelief are readily received and circulated
as facts; but the verities of the divine record are rejected
with contempt. And who is the loser? Surely the man who,
in the pride of his fancied self-suciency, shuts his eyes
against the light. e light shineth in darkness, and the
darkness comprehends it not.
62 is is not, it should be remarked, Darius the Mede of verse
1, but Darius Hystaspes, as he is known in history. Ahasuerus
and Artaxerxes are supposed to be the monarchs designated by
profane writers as Cambyses and Smerdis).
Daniel the Prophet
178
To return, it is well known (the facts have been before
stated) that on the death of this “mighty king,” after various
contentions and conicts, his kingdom was “divided
toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity,”
but by four of his generals. Two of these kingdoms soon
disappeared; and two remained until about 50 B.C.,
63
and
these are the two under the appellations of the “king of the
south” and the “king of the north” that are found in this
narrative.
64
One thing must be borne in mind in following
the narrative, and that is that the king of the north and the
king of the south do not always designate the same persons.
ey are titles (like Pharaoh, for example), and thus apply
to all the monarchs of the same line. If, therefore, one king
of the north have died, his successor will bear the same
designation. is will be readily understood.
e rst of these monarchs, to which our attention is
directed, is the king of the south — that is Egypt, as seen
from verse 8. He is characterized by strength; but there is
another “strong above him,”
65
and “his dominion shall be a
great dominion” (Dan. 11:5).
e monarchs are now in their places, south and north
of Palestine; and next we have a record of their relationships
63 To speak more accurately, the Syrian kingdom only continued
until 65 B.C., but that of Egypt was not extinguished until 51
B.C.
64 ese represent the two famous dynasties of the Ptolemies
(Egypt), and the Seleucidae (Syria). For a chronological table
of the respective monarchs of these dynasties see Elliott’s
Horoe Apocalypticoe, vol. 4, p. 57. Fourth edition.
65 It is not necessary to discuss the translation; it will suce to
state that in the opinion of most this sentence applies to the
king of the north; and that we have here the founders of their
respective dynasties, namely, Ptolemy and Seleucus, two of the
four who succeeded to Alexander’s kingdom.
Daniel 11
179
and conicts. It will not be necessary, however, to consider
these in all their details: it will suce to indicate the outline
of the occurrences here presented.
66
We read in verse 6 that “in the end of years they shall
join themselves together; for the king’s daughter of the
south shall come to the king of the north to make an
agreement,” and so forth. is was strictly fullled; for on a
quarrel having ensued between the immediate successors of
the rst Greek kings of Syria and Egypt, amity was sought
to be restored by the king of Egypt giving his daughter
(Berenice) in marriage to the king of the north. But, as
it is here said, “she shall not retain the power of the arm;
neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given
up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he
that strengthened her in these times,” so it happened; for
this queen (Berenice), together with her husband (the king
of the north), her son, and her attendants, were murdered;
and in this way the devised means of amity became the
ground of future dissensions and conicts.
67
e next three
verses (7-9) give the description of the avenging of the
murder of Berenice by one out of a branch of her “roots,”
another king of the south, who invaded Syria, entered “into
the fortress of the king of the north,” and prevailed (Dan.
11:7). In fact his victory was complete, and he extended his
conquests as far as Antioch, and eastwards to Babylon, and
66 If the reader desire to study the details he can consult the
histories of the period, especially 1 Maccabees, the articles
in Smith’s Bible Dictionary under the headings of Syria,
Alexander, Seleucus, Antiochus, Ptolemy, Josephus, and
others).
67 For the authority of these statements see Elliott’s Hone
Apocalypticoe, vol. 4, pp. 59 and following. (4th edition), and
Smith’s Bible Dictionary, under the title Ptolemy.
Daniel the Prophet
180
returned to Egypt in triumph with great spoil of gods and
treasures, as recounted in verse 8. “So the king of the south
shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own
land” (Dan. 11:9).
68
It is plain from the context that the term “his sons,”
in verse 10, applies to the successors of the king of the
north who had been overcome by Ptolemy III; and in fact
the two next kings of the north
69
did attack Egypt with
large forces, but were unsuccessful; and the latter of the
two suered a most disastrous defeat, according to the
prediction in verse 11, “the multitude [the army of the king
of the north] shall be given into his hand” (into the hand
of the king of the south — Egypt). But, as we read in verse
12, the king of Egypt did not prot by his victory,
70
for
his heart was lifted up, and although he cast down many
ten thousands, he was not strengthened by it. e reason is
given in verse 13, which tells us that “the king of the north
shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the
former, and shall certainly come after certain years with
a great army and with much riches” (Dan. 11:13). Many
others also shall “stand up against the king of the south”;
and in addition to these another class is named, “the
robbers of thy people” (that is, of Daniel’s people), who are
said to “exalt themselves to establish the vision,” to verify
the divine word, “but they shall fall” (Dan. 11:14).
68 e name of this king of the south was Ptolemy III, known
also by the title Euergetes (Benefactor), which he either
assumed or received.
69 ese were, rst, Seleueus Geraunus, who only reigned a year
or two and, secondly, his brother and successor, Antiochus the
Great).
70 e battle by which this victory was won is known by the name
of Raphia, and the king who won it was Ptolemy Philopator
Daniel 11
181
All this, it is almost needless to remark, exactly happened;
for Antiochus the Great, and Philip III of Macedonia,
formed a league, with others, against Egypt, and many
of the Jewish insurrectionists and professed patriots, “the
robbers of thy people,” threw o, at the same time, their
allegiance to Egypt. e issue of this combination against
the king of the south is stated in the next verse (Dan.
11:15). Antiochus and his allies conquered “the most
fenced cities,” took possession of the whole of Judea, and
decisively defeated the Egyptian army. “He did therefore
according to his own will, and none was able to stand before
him” (Dan. 11:16); and thereon it is said, “He shall stand in
the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.”
e glorious land is Palestine, and the allusion is to some
action of the king of the north in respect of the Holy Land.
It is maintained by some that the word “consumed” should
be “perfected”; and it seems established that the king of the
north on this occasion did act as a friend to the Jews, and
assisted in the completion or beautifying of the temple.
is however is of little moment, but the circumstance
serves to call attention to the special object of the
narration of the conicts of these rival sovereigns. ey
are given in such detail because of their bearing upon the Jews
and the glorious land. is will be understood when the
geographical position of Palestine in relation to Syria and
Egypt is recalled. It lay between them, and consequently
formed the highway of approach from either country. e
armies of the two hostile countries were therefore, in their
mutual invasions, continually marching through the land;
and, moreover, Judea was possessed by the monarch who
for the moment was victorious. Palestine was thus largely
the battle-eld, as constituting the outpost of the territory
Daniel the Prophet
182
of both kingdoms. God could not be indierent to this as
aecting the welfare of His poor people who had returned
from Babylon; and hence it is that the Spirit of God has
caused the account of all these wars to be recorded. It shows
us the intensity of God’s love for His people, whatever
their state; and teaches us likewise that He regards the
movement of nations as aecting their interests.
e next section (Dan. 11:7-19) contains the subsequent
doings of this king of the north, and the account of his
death. First of all he meditated another attack on Egypt;
but, changing his mind, he formed an alliance with the
king of the south, giving him his daughter to wife, in order
to secure his own inuence in the Egyptian court. What is
meant by “corrupting her” is, that he desired her to act in his
own interests rather than in those of her husband; but she,
in this respect a true woman, slave to her husband. Having,
as he supposed, made all secure in Egypt by the marriage,
he proceeded, according to a design that he had formed, to
attack “the isles” — the isles of Greece — and took many;
and here his career of victory ended. “A prince” appeared on
the scene, a Roman commander, for the Roman Republic
was in alliance with Greece, and attacked and defeated him
in two decisive battles, and compelled him to cede to his
victors the western half of his empire, besides imposing
upon him the payment of an immense tribute.
71
In order
to obtain the means of paying this tribute the king of the
north made an expedition against a rich temple, and was
killed while attempting to plunder it; according to the
prediction “He shall stumble and fall, and not be found”
(Dan. 11:19).
71 See Smith’s Bible Dictionary, vol. 1, p. 74).
Daniel 11
183
His successor, “a raiser of taxes” (Dan. 11:20), seeking to
raise the Roman tribute, plundered the temple at Jerusalem,
and, “within few days,” he was destroyed, “neither in anger,
nor in battle,” the very man he had employed to despoil the
temple being the instrument of his assassination.
We arrive now at the advent of a monarch, yet “a vile
person” (Dan. 11:21), who has been specially chosen as the
type of the Assyrian, or the king of the north, of the last
days. It is for this reason that his career is given with such
detail, occupying the whole paragraph contained in verses
21-35. is “vile person” is known in history as Antiochus
Epiphanes, and he commenced his reign about 175 B.C. He
was not given “the honor of the kingdom,” for he was not
the rightful heir; but “he shall come in peaceably, and obtain
the kingdom by atteries,” and he fullled this description
to the letter. Having established himself in the kingdom,
his various actings are narrated, his successes, deceit, and
increasing strength, the enlargement of his territory, and
his reckless prodigality (Dan. 11:22-24). en, like his
predecessors, he proceeded on an expedition against the
king of the south, and, aided by treachery in his enemy’s
court and camp, he utterly defeated him.
72
A treaty would
seem to be formed according to verse 27, both sovereigns,
under the mask of friendship, concealing treachery in their
hearts — “they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.”
Having settled his aairs for the moment with the king of
Egypt, he returned to his kingdom “with great riches”; and
72 It is said that he made four expeditions against Egypt, in the
years B.C. 171, 170, 169, 168, but two only are mentioned in
the sacred narrative, unless indeed three are found in verse 29,
and these are evidently chosen because of the consequences in
regard to the Jews.
Daniel the Prophet
184
now his enmity against the “holy covenant,” that is against
the Jewish religion, the covenant of God with His people,
was in some way manifested; “and” it is added, “he shall do
[exploits], and return to his own land” (Dan. 11:28). It is
said that on his homeward march he attacked Jerusalem,
massacred thousands of its inhabitants, and profaned the
temple, because of the insurrection of the Jews on a false
report of his death.
73
In the following verse (29) we read that “at the time
appointed he shall return, and come toward the south.” By
“the time appointed,” as we understand, is meant, as stated
in verse 27, the time xed by God for the termination of
the deceitful alliance which this monarch had made with
the king of the south. It was not to prosper, and accordingly
Antiochus, in deance of his treaty obligations, returned
in hostility towards his ally; “but,” as Daniel was told,
“it shall not be as the former or as the latter.” On these
previous occasions he had prospered in his designs; but
now another power steps forward (the power that was
soon, as the fourth prophetic kingdom, to succeed to that
of “Grecia” in the government of the world) and checks
his victorious career. “For the ships of Chittim shall come
against him” (Dan. 11:30), the ships of Italy, which is the
country designated in Scripture as Chittim, a eet, in fact,
of the Roman republic. Forbidden by the Roman consul to
pursue his objects in Egypt, and impotent in the presence
of such an enemy, he was compelled to return. His state of
mind consequent upon having his prey snatched from his
grasp is thus described: “erefore he shall be grieved, and
return, and have indignation against the holy covenant”
(Dan. 11:30).
73 See 1 Maccabees 1:21-24.
Daniel 11
185
We have now reached the main object of the foregoing
recital of what are now historical facts, related by the
angel long before they occurred, demonstrating, it may
once more be armed, both the presence of God and the
character of inspiration. It is the habit of the present day
to seek among ancient ruins and antique inscriptions and
tablets for conrmation of the Bible records. It seems to
be forgotten that God is not dependent on man for the
authentication of the revelation He has made, and that if
the word of God is not its own witness (see John 3:33)
no amount of human evidence will establish it as such in
the soul. Besides, the facts adduced, and the translations
made from ancient cylinders and monuments assume a
very dierent aspect and importance according to the
views of the various interpreters. But accepting the Bible
as the veritable word of God, and maintaining therefore
its absolute “inerrancy” (to borrow a new theological term)
where there is no dispute as to readings or translation, we
have an infallible guide, a trustworthy standard of appeal,
and thus the certainty that the events predicted must have
a real and actual fulllment, and that the historical facts
recorded are given with the most truthful accuracy. It is
of all moment, if we would understand the divine records
that we should begin with an undoubting faith in the
infallibility of Scripture.
From the middle of verse 30 to the end of verse 35 we
have the account of the actings of Antiochus in Jerusalem
and the glorious land — actings so diabolical, when
estimated according to God, that, as has been observed
more than once, he is selected as a type of the powerful
enemy of Israel in the last days; and perhaps even more than
their last enemy the Assyrian, for he seems to concenter
Daniel the Prophet
186
in himself almost every element of hostility and profanity
that will be found in the two beasts of Revelation 13 as
well as in the king of the north.
We are told in the rst place that he shall “have
indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do”; that
is, we apprehend, that he acted according to his indignation
against the Jews and the holy covenant. Moreover, he
had an understanding (“intelligence”) with the apostate
Jews. e account of his doings may be gleaned from 1, 2
Maccabees, whence it is to be gathered that he resolutely
set himself to work to heathenize the Jews, and indeed, like
Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 3, to unify his dominions by
compelling all his subjects to worship the same false gods.
at he largely succeeded among the Jews is seen from this
prophetic narrative. Apostates are specied in verses 30
and 32.
In pursuance of his objects the temple would of necessity
be in his way, and call forth his deadliest hostility; and verse
31 describes his conduct in regard to it. It says, “And arms
shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary
of strength, and shall take away the daily [sacrice], and
they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate”
(Dan. 11:31). is is referred to in 1 Maccabees in the
following words: “e king had sent letters by messengers
unto Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, that they should
follow the strange laws of the land, and forbid burnt
oerings and sacrices and drink oerings in the temple;
and that they should profane the sabbaths and festival
days: and pollute the sanctuary and holy people: set up
altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrice swine’s
esh, and unclean beasts … to the end they might forget
the law, and change all the ordinances.” And further we
Daniel 11
187
read that on “the fteenth day of the month Casleu, in the
hundred forty and fth year, they set up the abomination
of desolation upon the altar”; and that on “the ve and
twentieth day of the month they did sacrice upon the idol
altar, which was upon the altar of God” (Chapter 1:44-59).
From other sources we learn that the worship Antiochus
enjoined in the place of that of the God of heaven, Jehovah,
was that of Jupiter Olympius.
ese facts will enable the reader to understand verse
30, and the fearful character of the doings, the profanity
and wickedness, of this king of the north; and also the
suerings entailed by his conduct upon those of the Jews
who remained faithful to their God and to His word. Some,
“such as do wickedly against the covenant,” he corrupted by
atteries; but God preserved a faithful remnant, and these
knowing their God, were strong, and did exploits (Dan.
11:32). In the next verse a smaller class are introduced to our
notice — “they that understand among the people.” us
there were, we apprehend, three classes of Jews; rst, the
mass who were corrupted by atteries; secondly, the faithful
remnant, who refused to renounce their observance of the
law of their God; and lastly, some among the remnant who,
as taught of God, were able to instruct them in the word,
and to encourage them in the path of delity, whatever the
persecution to which they might be subjected. is class is
again mentioned in Daniel 12:3, and those who compose
it are termed “the Maschilim.” It was against this class,
those who were publicly identied with God’s testimony
on the earth, that Satan’s enmity was specially directed;
and, as a consequence, the angel says, “Yet they shall fall
by the sword, and by ame, by captivity, and by spoil, many
days” (Dan. 11:33). e reader of Revelation will recall the
Daniel the Prophet
188
similar experiences there recorded. (See Rev. 11; 12:17; 13;
14:12-13; and more).
But they are not left wholly in the hands of the enemy,
for “when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little
help: but many shall cleave to them with atteries” (Dan.
11:34). It could scarcely be otherwise than that, in this
prophetic narration, there should be a very distinct allusion
to the uprising, and valiant resistance of the Maccabees
against the cruelties and profanity of their oppressor. For
there was, at least at the commencement of their rebellion,
undoubted zeal for God, for His temple and for His law;
and the success vouchsafed to them was great. For years
they stemmed the tide of the whole power of the king of
the north, and maintained, through victory after victory,
their just and holy cause. All this is now a matter of history,
and it is only recalled here as explanatory of the last clause
of Daniel 11:34 — “Many shall cleave to them with
atteries” — for subsequently to the reign of Antiochus,
when Syria was torn asunder by faction and intestine
discords, the Maccabean leaders were as often courted as
threatened.
But the reader may be reminded that while this is
history, it is not only history. Antiochus himself, as again
and again pointed out, is a typical personage, and many
of the events connected with his reign, and especially his
actings in Jerusalem, are typical, so that many of these
things will be reproduced at the close. Two illustrations of
this may be oered. Antiochus caused “the abomination
that maketh desolate” to be set up in the temple; in Daniel
12:11 we learn that this act will be repeated in a future
day. Consequently our Lord quotes from Daniel 12 in
Matthew 24 because He is there speaking of what had not
Daniel 11
189
yet taken place. If this distinction had been more accurately
observed, fewer mistakes would have been made in the
interpretation of these prophetic scriptures. en again
take verse 35, where we read that God will allow “some
of them of understanding” to fall to try the faith and “to
purge” the remnant, and “to make them white, even to the
time of the end,” and so forth; the very language used shows
that what took place then is given as a sample of a similar
thing in the last days. us in Revelation 14, after the
annunciation of judgment upon those who shall worship
the beast and his image, and so forth, the remnant are
described; and it is then the command comes from heaven,
“Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord” (Rev.
14:9-13; compare Rev. 13:5-15). If, therefore, anyone has
been tempted to inquire, while reading this chapter, What
advantage is there in these historical details? e answer
is, that God has allowed things to be rehearsed, as it were,
in preparation for what will be seen in the time of the end.
ere are very few purely historical events in Scripture for
the reason we have given, that the histories recorded are in
themselves typical and prophetical. It is an immense thing,
an immense help to the study of the Scriptures, when this
principle is understood.
74
We pass now to another section of the chapter, for there
is a break between verses 35-36. Up to verse 35 we have,
in prophetic form, a relation of what, though future in
Daniel’s day, has now long since been accomplished; from
verse 36 we have the account of what is entirely future. e
proof of this, it may be at once said, lies in two sentences.
74 It should also be borne in mind that these revelations were for
the guidance and comfort of the Jews during the time of these
wars between Syria and Egypt, as well as for the instruction of
the godly remnant in the last days.
Daniel the Prophet
190
In verse 36 we read that the king “shall prosper till the
indignation be accomplished”; and in verse 40 we are told
that the event there given is “at the time of the end.” It has
already been observed, as to the former expression, that it
is used in Isaiah of God’s last indignation, by means of
the Assyrian, against His people in the land before the
appearing of Christ. If the reader attentively considers
Isaiah 10:20-25; 28:16-22, he cannot fail to be convinced
of the truth of this interpretation. e latter expression,
“the time of the end,” may be thought to be more general,
because it is also found in verse 35; but even with regard
to the use of it there, the typical signicance of what is
related must be borne in mind. Another thing will appear
as we proceed, namely, the correspondence of the king here
described with the “man of sin,” or the antichrist of the
New Testament. On these grounds we cannot doubt that
an immense interval lies between verses 35-36, and this
conclusion will be further strengthened by many of the
events found in this closing section of the chapter.
e characteristics and doings of “the king” are given
with some particularity. First of all it is said, “e king
shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself,
and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak
marvelous things against the God of gods,” and so forth
(Dan. 11:36). e appellation of the “willful king” is derived
from this scripture, expressive of the fact here stated, that
his own will is his only law. He will be the incarnation
and manifestation of all that is evil in man. Adam in
the garden of Eden fell through disobedience, doing his
own will instead of God’s, and through the desire, at the
temptation of Satan, to exalt himself; and these two things
will reach their further expression in this willful king,
Daniel 11
191
who will claim, in the height of his presumptuous folly,
to suce for himself, to be both independent of God and
absolute in power. He will be consequently the perfect
contrast, morally, to Christ, who, being in the form of God,
did not think it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied
Himself, and having taken upon Him the form of a servant,
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. is man will assert his superiority
over every god, and will moreover speak marvelous things
against the God of gods. is last feature savors of what in
Daniel 7 and in Revelation 13 is ascribed to the imperial
head of the revived Roman empire; but it must be borne
in mind that this king — king to the Jews, who will receive
him as their Messiah — coming as he will in his own name,
acts as the prophet, the false prophet, to this monarch, and
exercises all this monarch’s power in his presence (Rev.
13:12), and that it is he who will do great wonders, so that
he will make re come down from heaven on the earth in
the sight of men in support of his claims. So great will be
the unhindered display of Satanic power in this fearful era
that men, being under a strong delusion, will believe a lie:
that they all might be damned (judged) who believed not
the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
If we turn for a moment to 2essalonians 2 we shall see
that the advent of this “man of sin,” this “son of perdition,”
will not be until after the church has been caught away from
the earth at the coming of the Lord. It says plainly, “And
now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed
in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only he who now letteth (the Holy Spirit in the church, as
we understand the passage) [will let], until he be taken out
of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed,” and so
Daniel the Prophet
192
forth (Dan. 11:6-7). Earlier in the chapter (Dan. 11:4) the
description of this “man of sin” corresponds most strikingly
with what is given in verse 36. It says, “Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God.” It is impossible to read,
the two scriptures without coming to the conclusion that
they refer to one and the same person, and that both alike
treat of him in his relation to the Jews. e apostle John
presents him to us in his relation to Christianity, when he
writes, “He is the
75
Antichrist, that denieth the Father and
the Son” (1John 2:22).
We also learn that he will prosper until the indignation
is accomplished, and so forth God will allow him to have
his own way for the moment; but when the indignation is
accomplished in His chastisement of the guilty nation for
the rejection of Christ, at the end of the three years and a
half so often spoken of in the Apocalypse, the Lord will
appear from heaven and consume this wicked one with the
spirit of His mouth, and destroy him with the brightness
of His coming. (2ess. 2:8; Rev. 19:20).
Following the prophetic narrative, we learn, in the next
place, that Antichrist will be an apostate Jew; he will not
“regard the God of his fathers,” nor, moreover, “the desire
of women, nor regard any god,” for the reason already
given, that “he shall magnify himself above all.” is, we
judge, refers to his own state of mind; but as men, speaking
generally, must have some kind of religion, he will introduce
a god for their acceptance — “the god of forces: and a god
whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and
75 e article is in the text, though not given in the Authorized
Version.
Daniel 11
193
silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. us
shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god,
whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory” (Dan.
11:38-39). Entirely indel and atheistic himself, he will,
in order to satisfy the cravings of the people, promote
the worship of an idol — the image, it is to be concluded,
that he himself will cause to be made to the beast which
had the wound by a sword and did live — the head, that
is, of the western Roman Empire in its last revived form.
Concerning this we read in Revelation that “the king” of
this chapter in Daniel, the beast in Revelation who “had
two horns like a lamb, and … spake as a dragon” (for they
are one and the same person), “had power to give life
(breath) unto the image of the beast, that the image of the
beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would
not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Rev.
13:15).
76
Endowed as this “willful king” will be with such
Satanic art and power, it is easily understood how readily
he will obtain ascendancy over the minds of men, and
succeed in subduing them to his will for the execution of
his diabolical designs. It is of this period the apostle speaks
when he says that God will send upon men, because they
received not the love of the truth that they might be saved,
a strong delusion that they should believe a lie (2ess.
2:10-11).
e last clause of verse 39 is not so clear. It reads: “And
he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide
the land for gain.” Its purport has been generally taken to
signify that he will promote his own followers to places
76 To prevent confusion, it must again be recalled that, in
addition to the image which Antichrist will make and cause to
be worshipped throughout the Roman Empire, he will himself
sit as a god in the temple at Jerusalem.
Daniel the Prophet
194
of honor and rule, and apportion the land either for his
own personal prot or as rewards for faithful service,
devotedness to his interests. e term “the land” settles
beyond doubt the sphere of this king’s inuence and
activity; for it always, as far as we know, describes the land
of promise. is in Scripture language is emphatically the
land; and consequently it bears out the conclusion arrived
at before, that Jerusalem and Palestine is the seat of the
willful king’s power, and thus that he is the Antichrist.
Now that the Antichrist has been portrayed in his moral
characteristics, the Spirit of God, through the angel, passes
on to describe the actings — mainly of the king of the
north, though the king of the south is also mentioned. Two
or three introductory observations will aid the reader in the
study of this part of our scripture. He will now see, from
the fact mentioned in verse 40, the reason of the detailed
accounts of the conicts between the kings of the north and
south in the earlier part of the chapter. It is simply because
of the relationship of these two sovereigns to the Jews and
to “the land,” and because of their typical and prophetical
character in reference to the end. To understand what took
place in these conicts in the past is the qualication for
the understanding of what will take place in the future.
With this is connected a very important thing, which is
revealed in the prophetic scriptures. e kings of the south
and north appear in verse 40, and it is “at the time of the
end”; Edom, Moab, and Ammon are named in verse 41 as
existing at the same period; and it may be gathered from
many other scriptures that when the Jews are once more in
their own land, the nations that formerly surrounded them,
and were in proximate relationship with them, will re-
appear in their old places. “When the Most High divided
Daniel 11
195
to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the
sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people [peoples]
according to the number of the children of Israel” (Deut.
32:8). When therefore Israel again occupies its place, the
bounds of the peoples will be restored according to their
divine and original determination. To perceive this, as
revealed in the Scripture, is to possess the key of a large
portion of prophecy.
77
To return to our subject, we are told that the “willful
king,” will, at the time of the end, be attacked by the king
of the south; and that this will bring his adversary, the king
of the north, into the eld, who will “come against him like
a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with
many ships” (Dan. 11:40). At this period the king of the
north, strong, “but not by his own power” (Dan. 8:24), will
combine both military and naval forces in his expedition,
and will apparently be successful in all his projects. It is not
precisely stated what will be the issue of his campaign in
Palestine; but we gather from Daniel 8 that he will “destroy
the mighty and the holy people” (Dan. 11:24), and here
we learn that he “shall enter into the countries, and shall
overow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious
land, and many countries shall be overthrown” (Dan. 11:40-
77 It may be interesting to some to state that there are four words
used in the Old Testament for people and peoples — one always
in the singular, either “the people” or “my people” for Israel;
another in the plural to indicate the heathen or nations who
are in contrast with Israel as the people of God — Israel is once
so designated to mark its guilt in Psalm 43:1; another for the
peoples and nations in general on the earth, the various races
of mankind; and lastly one for “the nations, viewed, I think,
in connection with Israel restored, and taken into relationship
with Jehovah.” (See e Synopsis, by J. N. Darby, vol. 2, pp. 84-
85).
Daniel the Prophet
196
41). Doubtless this is the overowing scourge, of which
Isaiah speaks, as passing through the land, and treading
down the “scornful men that rule this people which is in
Jerusalem” (Isa. 28:14-22).
en, as a wonderful conrmation of the truth and
unity of all Scripture, we are told, “But these shall escape
out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of
the children of Ammon” (Dan. 11:41). If we turn to Isaish
11, we nd the explanation. It says, speaking of the time
after both Judah and Israel have been restored, “ey shall
lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children
of Ammon shall obey them” (Isa. 11:14). God’s judgment
upon these three nations is to be executed by Israel; and on
this account the Assyrian, the king of the north, will not
be permitted to touch them; but they will escape out of his
hand.
If however these nations elude his vengeance, he will
carry his successes into other countries, and especially into
Egypt. “e land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall
have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and
over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and
the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” But it would not be
according to the divine purpose that he should go further,
or even consolidate his conquests in these southern regions.
As the blind instrument of God’s will, he may overcome all
the forces brought against him, and enrich himself with
the treasures of Egypt, and thus be the executor of God’s
judgment upon that country. But, his work done, he must
return, and “tidings out of the east and out of the north
shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury
to destroy, and utterly to make away many” (Dan. 11:44).
Evidently news of approaching enemies from the east, the
Daniel 11
197
east of Syria, and it may be of domestic foes, as the north
points to his own country, will reach him; and he, ushed
at the moment with his successes, will start, condent in
his own power, and “with great fury,” to deal with his foes.
It is as he is marching homewards that he will, as the
next verse informs us, “plant the tabernacles of his palace
between the seas
78
in the glorious holy mountain” (Dan.
11:45). Like his type, Antiochus Epiphanes, he makes
Jerusalem and the land the rst object of his hostility on his
return from Egypt; and then it is added, “Yet he shall come
to his end, and none shall help him.” Of the circumstances
of the termination of his career we are not told; the simple
fact is recorded that, in connection with his hostility
against the glorious holy mountain, his end is reached, and
he dies under the judgment of God. In Daniel 8 we read
that the little horn, who undoubtedly is the king of the
north, will “stand up against the Prince of princes; but he
shall be broken without hand” (Dan. 11:25). If this refers
to the same event, as appears probable, we have in both
scriptures the destruction of the prophetic Assyrian by the
Lord Himself, and hence he is broken “without hand,” that
is, without human instrumentality, and moreover, “none
shall help him.” For, as we learn from Isaiah, “the Lord, the
Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high
ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall
be humbled” (Daniel 10:38). Whether this event must be
placed before or after the destruction of the beast and of
the false prophet can only be determined by a careful study
of the prophetic scriptures. If Zechariah 14 gives the nal
78 If this rendering be accepted it will mean the Mediterranean,
or Great Sea, and the Dead Sea; but there are those who
understand the expression to mean, “between Jerusalem and
the Sea.”
Daniel the Prophet
198
assault of Jerusalem it must be placed unquestionably after
the Lord has cast the beast and antichrist alive into the
lake of re. (See also Mic. 5:4-5.)
It may be well to add that the end of the “willful
king,” the antichrist, is not here given — that is found in
Revelation 19 where he is described as the false prophet.
Here it is the end of the king of the north, one of the most
formidable enemies of the Jews in the last days — during
the time of their unequaled sorrows. ey will be beset on
every hand; for in addition to the Assyrian (the king of
the north), there will be the rst beast of Revelation 13
(the imperial head of the western empire) and his ally the
antichrist, as well as the king of the south mentioned in
verse 40 of our chapter. is will enable us to understand
the language of the Spirit of Christ in Psalm 118, “All
nations compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord
will I destroy them. ey compassed me about; yea, they
compassed me about: but in the name of the Lord I will
destroy them. ey compassed me about like bees; they are
quenched as the re of thorns: for in the name of the Lord
I will destroy them” (Psa. 118:10-12).
Daniel 12
199
56565
Daniel 12
In reference to the queson discussed at the close of the
previous chapter as to whether or not the end of the king of
the north in verse 45 is the nal judgment upon the Assyrian,
light is thrown upon it by the rst verse of this chapter. The
words, “And at that me shall Michael stand up,” will refer
to the period of the events described in Daniel 11:36-45,
because they are followed by the statement that “there shall
be a me of trouble” — the period of unspeakable sorrow for
the Jews in the land before the appearing of Christ. Then it is
said, “At that me thy people shall be delivered,” that is, as
we know from other scriptures, at the close of the tribulaon,
and therefore aer the destrucon of both Anchrist and the
Assyrian. There are three important things contained in this
opening verse. The rst is the acon of Michael. We learned
from Daniel 10:21 that this exalted intelligence had a special
connecon with the Jews in the ordering of God’s providenal
Daniel the Prophet
200
government, and that he was consequently termed by the
angel, when speaking to Daniel, “Michael your prince.” Now
we gather, whatever his special funcons up to this period,
that, at the moment indicated by the rst words of Daniel
12:1, he begins to act in a more energec way, interposing
with power on behalf of the naon entrusted to his care. Have
we any means of discovering what the parcular acon was,
as signied by the words, “At that me shall Michael stand
up”? Turning to Revelaon 12 we read, “And there was war in
heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and
the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither
was their place found any more in heaven. And the great
dragon … was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him.” And thereon there was a loud outburst of joy
in heaven because “the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God night and day” (Dan.
12:7-10). This we cannot doubt is the commencement of the
acvity of the archangel, when he shall stand up for Daniel’s
people.
This conclusion is sustained by the fact that the unparalleled
me of trouble follows, and this harmonizes with what we nd
in Revelaon: “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the
sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short me.” And in
the very next verse we read: “And when the dragon saw that
he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman [Israel]
which brought forth the man child [Christ]” (Rev. 12:12-13).
Remark, moreover, as having a disnct bearing on the subject,
that the woman is endowed with power to escape from his
enmity, and is “nourished for a me, and mes, and half a
me, from the face of the serpent”; and also that, when the
dragon was foiled in his aempt to destroy the woman, he
was wroth with her, “and went to make war with the remnant
of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have
Daniel 12
201
the tesmony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:14-17).
If this interpretaon is correct, the next clause of the verse
is at once understood. It says: “And there shall be a me of
trouble, such as never was since there was a naon even to
that same me.” There are two other remarkable allusions
to this same period of sorrow and tribulaon. In Jeremiah
we read, “For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of
trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see
whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see
every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail,
and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the me of Jacob’s
trouble; but he shall be saved out of it” (Jer. 30:5-7). And the
next verse describes his deliverance by the Lord Himself, just
as in Daniel the me of trouble is followed by deliverance.
Our Lord has also spoken of this period as follows: “For then
shall be great tribulaon, such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this me, no, nor ever shall be. And except
those days should be shortened, there should no esh be
saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened”
(Ma. 24:21-22). To prevent all possibility of mistake as to
the period of this tribulaon, the Lord expressly connects
it with the seng up of the “abominaon of desolaon,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet … in the holy place.” It will
be remembered, from what was said of the seveneth week,
when considering Daniel 9, that this occurrence takes place in
the middle of that week.
This me of trouble therefore is its last half — the me and
mes and the dividing of me of Daniel 7:25; the me, mes,
and an half of verse 7 of this chapter; and the 1,260 days,
or forty-two months of Revelaon. Satan is the insgator of
the trouble; but his agents, as we learn elsewhere, will be
the two great enemies of the faithful remnant among the
Jews, the two beasts of Revelaon 13, and their enemy from
Daniel the Prophet
202
without, the Assyrian. But while Satan is the prime mover of
all the sorrow through which Daniel’s people will have to pass,
it — must be borne in mind that God uses it as His judicial rod
to punish His people for their crowning sin in the rejecon
of their Messiah. Restored to their land, aer the capvity in
Babylon, Christ came in the fullness of me, and was born in
Bethlehem, according to the predicon of their prophets, and
His forerunner, John the Bapst, proclaimed His advent; but
when He came to His own, His own received Him not; they
refused and rejected Him, even going so far as to say, “We
have no king but Cesar,” and to accept the guilt of His death,
crying, “His blood be on us, and on our children.” God could
not but chasse the guilty naon, and this “me of trouble”
is the period during which His rod, whatever the instruments,
will fall in successive and ever heavier strokes unl “the
indignaon be accomplished.”
But in the midst of wrath He will remember mercy, for unless
those days should be shortened, as we have seen, there
should no esh be saved, but for the elect’s sake those days
shall be shortened; and hence it is that we read at the close
of verse 1: “And at that me thy people shall be delivered,
every one that shall be found wrien in the book.” The period
indicated is, of course, at the close of the “me of trouble.”
As indeed we gather from other prophets, it will be at the
moment when all hope will seem to have departed, just when
the jaws of the roaring lion are about to close upon his prey,
that the Lord will suddenly appear for the succor and rescue
of His poor and aicted people. (See Zech. 12-14; Isa. 25-26;
and more).
It is interesng to note the disncon here made between
the mass of the naon and the elect remnant. It is not all
who are delivered, but “every one that shall be found wrien
in the book.” It is very clear therefore that God has His elect
amongst His earthly people, as well as that His heavenly
Daniel 12
203
people are the objects of His eternal choice in Christ. They
are menoned, too, in Revelaon, where, aer the account
of the blasphemous conduct of the rst beast of Revelaon
13, we read, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship
him, whose names are not wrien in the book of life of the
Lamb slain
79
from the foundaon of the world.” God therefore
from the foundaon of the world, not before it as in the case
of the heavenly saints (Eph. 1:4), had chosen this remnant,
who should prove their elecon by refusing to worship the
image of the beast (compare 1 Thess. 1:4-5); and it is of these
the angel says that they shall be delivered. Some indeed may
seal their delity with martyrdom, but, if so, they will obtain
a beer deliverance, for they will be reserved for heavenly
blessing, parcipang in the rst resurrecon; but whether
thus, or whether, like the 144000 on Mount Zion, they are
brought through the me of trouble, all alike will be redeemed
from the hand of their enemies through the faithfulness and
power of their God.
The next verse (Dan. 12:2) is more comprehensive “And
many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
some to everlasng life, and some to shame and everlasng
contempt.” It should be borne in mind that during the “me
of trouble” only two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, are in the
land; the remaining ten will be lost, as they are now, among
the naons; and it is to these that this verse refers. Aer
the Lord has appeared and succored the faithful remnant in
Judah and Jerusalem (Zech. 12), He will establish His throne
in Mount Zion, and thereaer He will recover His lost people,
as we read in the prophet Ezekiel: “And I will bring you out
from the people [peoples], and will gather you out of the
countries wherein ye are scaered … And I will bring you into
79 is is better rendered “Whose names had not been written
from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the slain
Lamb.”
Daniel the Prophet
204
the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you
face to face … And I will purge out from among you the rebels
and them that transgress against Me … And ye shall know that
I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel,
into the country for the which I lied up Mine hand to give it
to your fathers” (Ezek. 20:33-42).
Now this passage treats enrely of Israel — that is, the ten
tribes as disnguished from the Jews (the two tribes); and it
will be seen, if it is aenvely considered, that it speaks of
two classes — one who will be brought back to the land for
blessing, and the other who will be judged in the wilderness.
It is of these same two classes that verse 2 speaks. Both alike
are regarded as sleeping in the dust of the earth while lost
and scaered among the naons; but when the Lord “shall
send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet” to gather
“His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to
the other” (Ma. 24:31), all alike will be awakened; some,
as we here read, to everlasng life, and some to shame and
everlasng contempt. The same contrast is found in the
judgment of the living naons, of whom some shall go-away
into everlasng punishment, and some into life eternal (Ma.
25:31). This last scripture is important as showing that the
saints during the millennium will enjoy eternal life, if not
of the same character as that which Chrisans possess, yet
according to the revelaon God will make of Himself to His
people of that dispensaon. It will be the “life for evermore”
of which David speaks in Psalm 133 as characterizing
millennial blessedness.
Some however may inquire whether this verse (Dan. 12:2)
does not rather speak of resurrecon. Two consideraons will,
we judge, show that it does not; and that the interpretaon
given is according to the teaching of scripture. In the rst
place, the gure of “awaking” is constantly employed in
a moral sense in the Old Testament (see Isa. 51:17; 51:1;
Daniel 12
205
and more); and even in the New Testament it is used in a
most striking way. The apostle, for example, wring to the
Ephesians, says, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from
the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Eph. 5:14); and no
one could doubt the gurave sense in this passage. Secondly,
the prophet Ezekiel uses the gure of resurrecon plainly in
the sense of a naonal revival. We say “plainly,” because the
applicaon, which the prophet himself makes, shows, beyond
queson, what was intended. (See Ezek. 37:1-14).
What we gather therefore is, that God, in some special and
extraordinary way, will arouse His scaered people from the
lethargy into which they have fallen, and will kindle once more
within their hearts the expectaon of the fulllment of the
prophec promises concerning their restoraon and blessing
under their Messiah. But, together with the re-awakening
of their naonal hopes, God will purge out the rebels from
among them, preparatory to their restoraon, so that it will be
literally true that some will awake to everlasng life, and some
to shame and everlasng contempt.
The third verse speaks of the class, we apprehend, menoned
in the previous chapter (Dan. 12:33); only here it may be that
they are divided into two classes — those who are wise, and
those who turn many to righteousness, or, as some prefer
to render it, those who instruct the many in righteousness.
Adopng this rendering, it will point back to the energec
tesmony God raised up in the midst of the Jews during the
last half week, when Satan’s power was demonstrated without
let or hindrance. Even then there will be those, chosen and
sustained by God, who, undaunted by the terrors of the mes,
will courageously maintain the authority of God’s word, and
unweariedly seek to bring “the many” under its inuence
and power. In the establishment of the kingdom, whatever
their suerings, or even martyrdom, on account of their
tesmony, their past service will be recognized, and they will
Daniel the Prophet
206
occupy a special place. Those that are wise, having possessed
God’s mind, and having been endowed with divine wisdom,
shall shine as the brightness of the rmament; they will be
conspicuously displayed as in the enjoyment of the special
favor of God; and they that instruct the many in righteousness
[shall shine] as the stars forever and ever; they shall be
assigned a place of authority and light-giving throughout the
duraon of the kingdom. (Compare Luke 19:15-19).
The revelaon through Daniel’s celesal visitant is now
completed, and he receives the command: “But thou, O
Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the me
of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased” (Dan. 12:4). It has oen been noced, in contrast
with this instrucon to Daniel, that John, at the close of the
book of Revelaon, is directed not to seal “the sayings of the
prophecy of this book,” and the reason given is that “the me
is at hand” (Rev. 22:10). This explains the dierence between
the posions occupied by Daniel and John.
The me was not at hand for Daniel, and thus his book was
to be sealed to the me of the end. If it is asked how it is
that we possess the means for the understanding of that
which was to be sealed “to the me of the end,” the answer
is that this period has arrived for Chrisans. Paul speaks of
the “last days,” and John of the “last me” (2 Tim. 3:1; 1 John
2:18). The death of Christ indeed, which took place “in the
consummaon of the ages,” inaugurated the me of the
end; and hence for those who are Chrisans, possessing the
Holy Spirit, there is nothing concealed (John 16:13; 1 John
2:20). Through the Spirit of God therefore, “the me of the
end” having arrived, Daniel’s book is unsealed; and if we fail
to apprehend what was communicated to him, it is either
because we are not in the state of soul which gives the
opened ear and enre subjecon to the divine word (see Isa.
1:4-5), or because we have not given serious aenon to what
Daniel 12
207
has been revealed.
The statement that many shall run to and fro, and knowledge
shall be increased, would seem to give the characteriscs
of the period from the days of Daniel unl “the me of the
end.” How true it is of the present moment; and unl the Lord
comes it will be ever more fully exemplied.
From verse 5 we have the conclusion of Daniel’s prophec
visions. He is sll by the river Hiddekel; and he tells us, “Then
I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one
on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that
side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed
in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long
shall it be to the end of these wonders?” (Dan. 12:5-6). The
answer explains the queson. The man clothed in ne linen
“held up his right hand and his le hand unto heaven, and
sware by Him that liveth forever that it shall be for a me,
mes, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to
scaer the power of the holy people, all these things shall be
nished” (Dan. 12:7). From the introducon of the familiar
period, “me, mes, and an half,” that is, the last half week,
we understand that the queson referred to the duraon of
the “me of trouble” menoned in verse 1; and the answer
states that it is limited to three years and a half, or 1260
days. The laer part of the answer states also, that when
God has collected His scaered people, having accomplished
His purposes in their dispersion,
80
all these things shall be
nished. Two things are thus revealed: that the period of
tribulaon shall not extend beyond the half-week; and that,
at the close of it, having succored His people already in
the land, God will assemble His outcast people from all the
quarters where they have been dispersed. These two things
are conrmed by a divine oath — one of the two immutable
80 is, as we understand it, is the force of this somewhat dicult
sentence.
Daniel the Prophet
208
things in which it is impossible for God to lie, for a comparison
of this scripture with Revelaon 10:5-7 will surely lead to the
conclusion that He who uers this oath is more than man.
Daniel heard, and understood not; and then said, “O my Lord,
what shall be the end of these things?” He is reminded that
“the words are closed up and sealed ll the me of the end”;
and then a further communicaon is made: “Many shall be
puried, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do
wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand; but the
wise shall understand” (Dan. 12:10). It is evident that the
reference is sll to the “me of trouble in the last half week;
and what we learn is, that the Lord will take up the sorrows
and trials of that me and use them as needful discipline
for those that wait on Him — His faithful remnant amid the
wickedness and apostasy by which they will be surrounded.
Whatever their suerings, therefore, “many shall be puried,
and made white, and tried.” It is on this principle God ever
acts, even as the apostle teaches that God chastens us “for
our prot, that we might be partakers of His holiness” (Heb.
12:10). But if God thus purges His people from their dross, the
wicked — the wicked, we apprehend, among the Jews “shall
do wickedly.” They will, under the leadership of Anchrist, sin
with a high hand, throw o all restraint, and fall into open and
avowed apostasy.
The last part of the verse alludes to verse 8, where Daniel
says he understood not; and in it we have a principle of
abiding importance. It gives us the indispensable condion
of understanding divine things as revealed in God’s word. It
says, “None of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall
understand.” There may be the plainest of tesmonies, but if
the heart, alienated from God, is bent upon wickedness, it will
not comprehend it. What is purest light to God’s people will
be densest darkness to the sinners amongst the naon. The
wise only will understand; and let it be forever remembered
Daniel 12
209
that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, that
Christ in this present me is the only wisdom of His people.
It had been well if this had been remembered, especially
now, when the Scriptures of truth are being assailed with
persistency, not to say virulence, by men of learning and
intellectual power. “The things of God knoweth no man, but
the Spirit of God.” And again, “The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto
him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned” (1 Cor. 2:11-14). None therefore but the wise, the
spiritually wise, can in any dispensaon enter into the mind of
God, however plainly it may be revealed in His word.
It is on the basis of this principle, in answer to Daniel’s
queson, “O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
(Dan. 12:8) that the “man clothed in linen” makes further
revelaons to the prophet. He now tells him in most express
language that “from the me that the daily sacrice shall be
taken away, and the abominaon that maketh desolate set
up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days”
(Dan. 12:11). It is this scripture our Lord cites in Mahew 24
so far as the seng up of the abominaon of desolaon is
concerned; and from Daniel 9:27 we have gathered that these
things will take place in the middle of the seveneth week;
and if so, there will remain only 1,260 days for these prophec
weeks to run their course. But here we have an addion of
thirty days. Is it possible to explain the reason of this? Nothing
certain can be said; only it is clear, from many references both
in this book and in Revelaon, that the 1,260 days x the
duraon of the “me of trouble,” which will be ended by the
appearing of Christ. At His coming in glory the beast and the
false prophet are taken and cast alive into the lake of re (Rev.
19), and He will go forth and ght against the naons that will
at that me be besieging Jerusalem. There are several great
events therefore to follow the terminaon of the last half
Daniel the Prophet
210
week preparatory to the establishment of Messiah’s throne in
Zion; and it is possible that this is the reason for the addional
thirty days. There is, however, in verse 12, a further forty-ve
days: “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand
three hundred and ve and thirty days.” From the very form
in which this extra period is introduced, it evidently points
to the full establishment of blessing in the ordering of the
kingdom. We may cite on this point the words of a well-known
student of the Scriptures: “I have thought it possible that this
computaon may arise from this. An intercalary month to the
1,260 days, or three years and a half, and then 45 days, if the
years were ecclesiascal years, would bring up to the feast
of tabernacles but I oer no judgment on it. At any rate, the
statement is clear that then the sanctuary of God is cleansed
in Jerusalem.”
81
If the reader will turn to Levicus 23 he
will understand the purport of the remark as to the feast of
tabernacles, as he will perceive that it is the last of the cycle
of feasts — a feast which was intended to celebrate Israel’s
rest, and possession of the land, aer their wanderings in the
wilderness; a feast, therefore, which as yet, according to the
teaching of Hebrews 3-4, has had no complete fulllment.
It awaits its realizaon, according to the thoughts of God,
unl the true Solomon, aer He has, as the true David,
executed judgment upon His enemies, shall give rest to His
people, when with joy they will draw water out of the wells of
salvaon (Isa. 11:3; compare John 7:37).
But Daniel does not enter upon this scene of millennial
joy. He is occupied with the mes of the Genles up to the
deliverance of his people. It was reserved for other prophets
to speak of the establishment of the kingdom and of the
81 It is clear, from Dan. 9:24, that the period includes the
anointing of the most Holy. If therefore the three years and a
half, 1260 days, determine the duration of the time of trouble,
there might be a further period for the introduction of the full
blessing thus indicated.
Daniel 12
211
blessings of Messiah’s reign.
82
And now with one last word to the prophet the book is ended.
Vessel of the divine mind as to the mes of the Genles, and
the deliverance of his people, his work is done, and he is now
bidden to rere from the scene: “Go thou thy way ll the end
be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the
days” (Dan. 12:13). Rest was to follow on the compleon of
his labors, and he would have his own special place in the
kingdom at the end of the days. Our Lord Himself said, “Many
shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven”
(Ma. 8:11); and Daniel will share in the glories of that day.
Now one of the spirits of just men made perfect, he will then
parcipate in the rst resurrecon, and, returning with all the
risen saints with Christ in glory, he will stand in his lot, occupy
the special place assigned him, in the kingdom of Him, whom
he had seen in the night visions as the Son of Man coming in
the clouds of heaven.
Courtesy of BibleTruthPublishers.com. Most likely this text
has not been proofread. Any suggestions for spelling or punctuation
82 It is remarkable how few are the scriptures that treat of the
actual blessings of the reign of Christ. Among the Psalms, for
example, it is only Psalm 72 and Psalm 145 that do so. ere are
many more that deal with His coming, and with the joy of His
people in His reception, but they stop short of the millennial
reign itself. Neither does Isaiah, who the most frequently
alludes prophetically to the coming glories of Immanuel’s rule,
go much further.
