The Flow of Prophecy in the Bible #2

Survey of the Book of Daniel

Fred R. Coulter—December 4, 2021

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services! Here we are, time is marching on every week, every Sabbath, every Passover and Holy Days. All important!

Let's take a large view. We know that all of this started before the ages of time! Paul writes of that twice.

In the flow of events, what chapter in the Bible takes us from before the creation of the world to nearly the end-time? Rev.12 shows the flow of things before the beginning of time!

Revelation 12:1: "Then… [does not mean in chronological sequence here; this means at the time, or as John was watching then] …there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and having the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

That is a symbolic depiction of God's plan before the beginning of time, and before the rebellion of the angels. It comes right down to and blends into the rebellion of the angels, but…

Verse 2: "And being with child…" Everything concerning Jesus Christ was planned before the foundation of the world!

"…she cried in travail, and was in pain to deliver. And another sign was seen in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns on his heads; and his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth…." (vs 2-4).

This tells you that God created the heavens and then the angels and then the earth. So, when they rebelled it's just like it says concerning Satan, 'I will rise about the clouds and become like the Most High.' They were on the earth and cast back down to the earth. Then it leaps way ahead:

"…And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to deliver, so that he might devour her child when she gave birth" (v 4).

It jumps from God's plan depicted by the woman, and that's also a type of Israel, then the woman becomes the literal Mary who gave birth to the One Who became Jesus.

This is how God hides the prophecies and the meaning of them. It's easy for us as human beings to expect things to flow along in a chronological way. That's how we think! So, this is getting right down to the birth of Christ.

Verse 5: "And she gave birth to a man Child, Who was to shepherd all the nations… [that can only be Christ] …with a rod of iron; and her Child was caught up to God and His Throne. … [the resurrection] …And the woman…" (vs 5-6).

Now it switches to becoming the Church! It's not the same woman all the way through. That's how God hides the prophecies.

"…escaped into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there for a thousand two hundred and sixty days" (v 6)—1260 years!

Now it jumps way ahead to our time and beyond our time.

Verse 7: "And there was war in heaven… [that is yet to happen] …Michael and his angels warred against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels warred. But they did not prevail, neither was their place found any more in heaven" (vs 7-8). They didn't have any place to go into heaven!

When that happens, this is probably the point—speculation—where the Tribulation begins. There's going to be a little prelude for it, and that is for those few who escape and go to a place of safety. Satan is going to go after them, but God will protect them!

For all of you hard-core Protestants out there, you're going to be real disappointed when you think that 'the rapture' is coming and you aren't lifted off the ground. You can't jump or leap or fly. You're going to have to conclude that you were lied to!

Let's understand that the flow of prophecy in the Bible comes in three streams. All of them come together in the book of Revelation.

• Do you know what those three streams are that come all the way through the Bible?
• What is the stream of prophecy that starts first in the Garden of Eden?

The Streams of Prophecy

• The Prophecy of the Messiah because of the sin of Adam and Eve

That stream, of the Messiah, flows all the way through and is joined by the two other streams.

• Begins with Abraham and his physical descendants

When we're looking at prophecy and things here in the Bible, let's understand that God has them all figured out from the beginning to the end. Isn't that what Jesus said? I'm Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the Ending!

Gen. 15—here is a prophecy and a covenant by God starting with the physical descent from Abraham who was Isaac. At this point, the two streams flow together!

• Stream #1 is the Messiah
• Stream #2 is the physical descendants of Abraham, the promised seed Isaac, a type of Christ!

So, we find the promise given here:

Genesis 15:5: "And He [the Lord] brought him [Abraham] outside and said, 'Look now toward the heavens… [Where did we start in Rev. 12? The heavens!] …and number the stars—if you are able to count them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your seed be.'"

Look at how God started out! With two old people—I suppose that 90 and 100 was not terribly old at that time—but God does the impossible! He takes a husband and wife who not able to have children all during the time they were married up until the time that God said that Isaac would be born. To them, the promise was given coupled with the promise of the Messiah.

That stream flows through the children of Israel, the ten tribes of Israel, then Judah and it's still flows with all 12 tribes all together coming down to the end.

But God, to show how much He was putting into this, prophesied of His own death through the sacrifice that He had Abraham line up for Him. That was a special sacrifice that is called a maledictory oath, which is a covenant oath. Remember that a covenant is not like a testament. In the book of Hebrews they translate it wrong by calling it a 'testament.' It's not! A last will and testament can be changed at any time up to the point that the person is ready to die.

A covenant is different! You make the promise, you seal it with a sacrifice. So important was this sacrifice with the heifer, ram and turtledove and so forth, they were cut down the middle and a path between them was made for God to walk. When He walked through it, Abraham was as if he were dead, dark deep darkness came upon him. Then there was the smoking furnace and the burning lamp that walked between.

That was showing that God walked between them and nothing was left but the ashes of those sacrifices all burned up. Abraham woke up and saw that; talk about being convinced.

These two streams flow together all the way down through other prophecies and then the third steam starts in the book of Daniel. Before we get there, in Isa. 9 you're going to see an example of how God hides things, but are determined to be understood at a later date. I want you to think as we read this that you are a Jew and you have the Law and the Prophets and the Writings. But up to this time you had just the Law, some of the Prophets.

Now Isaiah, who gave all kinds of prophecies concerning many, many different things involving all three steams. Let's examine Isa. 9 from the point of view of not having the New Testament. Not having any knowledge about Christ and how He came.

Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given… [a physical baby] …and the government shall be upon His shoulders…"

• When is that going to be? Obviously, not when He was an infant!
• It's not going to be until when?
• When is the Government of God coming with the Kingdom of God?
• Who is the King? Jesus Christ at His second coming!

He didn't claim to be a king in His first coming!

This is how God gives prophecies. Some go back and then leap forward, then come back and come in between.

"…and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (v 6). Wait a minute!

• How can a physical human being be called God?
• What did the Jews think of it when they heard that He was supposed to be the King of the Jews?
• What did they say? Blaspheme!
• How He going to be "…The Everlasting Father…"?
• When will Jesus be an Everlasting Father?

This doesn't refer to God the Father!

After the marriage of the Church, then you have husband and wife. When does that take place? On the Sea of Glass after the first resurrection and before we all come back to the earth.

All those who come into the Kingdom of God through conversion, during the Millennium, will be the offspring of Jesus and His wife—Father and Mother! Look at all the divergence of time that is involved in just this one verse.

Verse 7: "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and over His Kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with righteousness from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this."

There it is! There's the stream: the Messiah, Israel, Judah, the Kingdom of God coming on earth. All of that coming together this one verse! Think about how difficult this is to understand without the knowledge of the Holy Days, and without the knowledge of the flow of the streams of Prophecy!

We know what happened with Israel. They came out of Egypt and given the Law, and they eventually got into the 'promised land' and they were ruled by judges (read that in Joshua, Judges, 1st & 2nd Samuel, 1st & 2nd Kings)

Then we come down to the time of the splitting of the Kingdom—ten northern tribes going north, and the Judah, the priests and a few of the others, still in Judah.

But the prophecies pertaining to them still go on in the stream of prophecy; sometimes without knowing very much about it. You can tie many, many more prophecies into it.

When we come to the book of Daniel, here is where things are developed. All of these flows of prophecy start virtually a speck of dust, very small. Here's how it is, starting with Babylon. Isn't that interesting?

God dealt with the king through dreams and prayer by Daniel. You know that King Nebuchadnezzar had dream/vision of a man: head of gold, chest of silver, then bronze, iron, and iron and clay. Nebuchadnezzar told all the prognosticators and astrologers to tell him what his dream was and what it means.

Talk about an impossible thing! They said, 'Tell us the dream and we'll give you the interpretation.' But Nebuchadnezzar said 'No, you tell me the dream and the interpretation, and if you don't you're dead men!'

So, word got back to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego because they were within the group of the 'wise men.' They got together and prayed to God and ask God to reveal it. Their names before they were called Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego:

Daniel 2:17: "Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might pray for the mercies of God in heaven concerning this secret… [they didn't know] …that Daniel and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon" (vs 17-18).

Now, here's where the stream of the Gentile nations come into the flow of prophecy. It's very interesting that it comes at a time that it is verifiable that these kingdoms did exist.

• it didn't start with the nations of the world until this time
• it didn't start in the Garden of Eden
• it didn't start right after the Flood

Here's where everything grows and expands. From this time forward, all of these major prophecies end up in the same place: that's the setting up of the Kingdom of God when Jesus Christ returns!

Verse 19: "Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and sets up kings.… [that's quite a statement] …He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals the deep and secret things…'" (vs 19-22).

This is why when we understand prophecy, we must go to the Scriptures. We can't be injecting our ideas in it.

"…He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him. I thank You, and praise You, O God of my fathers, Who has given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we desired of You, for You have made known to us the king's matter'" (vs 22-23).

Then Nebuchadnezzar called Arioch, captain over the 'wise men.' We will do an overview of the book of Daniel and see the flow of prophecy with Babylon. There will be those three streams, which will all come together just before, right at and after the return of Christ.

(break@27:44)

Let's understand that the Bible is the only book in the world to tell us everything we need to know—not all the detailed facts, but the overview of it—about:

• creation
• human beings
• what God is doing
• how He's doing it

These prophecies that we're looking at now go back pretty close to 2800 years ago. They're going to take place exactly as God has said. That's quite a book!

Daniel 2:25: "Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel in before the king…"

The king didn't really believe that Daniel was going to be able to tell him what the dream was, and the interpretation.

Verse 26: "The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, 'Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?' Daniel answered before the king and said, 'The secret which the king has demanded cannot be shown to the king by the wise men, the enchanters, the astrologers or the magicians'" (vs 26-27).

That includes all the great intellectual people of every generation down through time. For everybody's information, all the philosophy of the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans came from, initially, Babylon; from these very men that Daniel said could not let the king know the dream and what it is.

Daniel then began to explain to Nebuchadnezzar what it was. It was much like people today, they:

• don't believe in God
• don't understand God
• don't want anything to do with God

Yet, they want to know what's going to happen!

Then Daniel began explaining to Nebuchadnezzar what it was:

Verse 28: "But there is a God in heaven Who reveals secrets and makes known to King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days…."

• When did the latter days begin? We often wonder!

Since a thousand years is as a day, and a day as a thousand years to God:

• What are the latter days?

We are looking at 2800 years, the way God thinks that's a little over 2-1/2 days. So, from this prophecy it stretches all the way forward to the return of Christ and the setting up of the Kingdom. This one chapter; this one vision! That's quite an amazing thing! It's quite clearly known!

"…Your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed are these: As for you, O king, while upon your bed your thoughts came to you of what should come to pass hereafter. And He Who reveals secrets makes known to you what shall come to pass" (vs 28-29)

Here's another key that we all need to remember: Daniel did not say:

I want you know that God raised me up specially to tell you, because I am important!

He didn't say that; notice what he did say:

Verse 30: "But as for me… [Daniel says] …this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living man, but so that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart."

God did it! There's a whole lesson involved in this: Everything that we have and are comes from God! Every bit of it! Just one day think about everything that you need for the day, and think about your breath, your sight, your food, your thoughts. All of that is because of God. That's what's so important.

It's not a matter that you are giving up your identity by understanding this. It's a matter of recognizing that your identity comes from God! God made the whole earth and everything that's here for all human beings. That's an amazing thing! Think about it! That's the attitude that Daniel had.

Verse 31: "You, O king, looked—and behold, a great image! That great image, whose brightness was surpassing, stood before you. And its form was awesome. This image's head was of fine gold; his breast and his arms were of silver; his belly and his thighs were of bronze; his legs were of iron; his feet were part of iron and part of clay. You watched until a stone was cut out without hands that struck the image upon its feet, which were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces" (vs 31-34).

Verse 35: "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken in pieces together. And they became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors. And the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them was found…."

That's really quite a statement. How thorough is the earth going to be purged of this system, which we know is under Satan the devil? Nothing! That which is great with men is nothing with God!

"…And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (v 35). That's the Kingdom of God! Then Daniel gives the interpretation:

Verse 37 "You, O king, are a king of kings, for the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wherever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all. You are this head of gold" (vs 37-38).

Everything with the major empires of the world come from this. Even later on when we come to the empires of the Mongols and so forth, they all come out of this system.

Verse 39: "And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and beats down all things, and as the iron that crushes all these, shall it break in pieces and crush. And whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters' clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided. But there shall be in it the strength of the iron, because you saw 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" (vs 39-43).

Then Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar exactly where this is going to end. I want you to think about all the destruction mentioned in the book of Revelation, especially the one verse that says, 'After the seventh, and last, plague is poured out, all the cities of the earth fell.' Think about how much destruction is coming! That's' a lot of destruction.

The next time you see an aerial shot from a plane or whatever showing a city with all the rising buildings and everything like that, it's all coming to an end!  

Verse 43: "And whereas you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mix themselves with the seed of men. But they shall not cling to one another, even as iron does not combine with clay. And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven shall set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed…." (vs 43-44).

In this one chapter, the outline of the flow of prophecy goes from Nebuchadnezzar to the setting up of the Kingdom of God on earth.

There are a lot more details to fill in as we go along. Here is a statement in advance of what the rest of the book of Revelation is going to tell us. As you know, there are many details that come along.

"…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 the dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure" (vs 44-45).

So much so that the king worshipped Daniel! The king doesn't worship anybody but himself, and maybe the image that he makes. So, this is an amazing thing that happened.

• Daniel 3 talks about the image that he made and commanded all men to bow down to it. But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego wouldn't do it. God spared them even though they were thrown into the flames of fire.

Dan. 4 is where Nebuchadnezzar has a confrontation with God through having insanity for seven years. This is from Nebuchadnezzar himself! This becomes an important thing.

Daniel 4:1: "Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth… [I don't think he understood how prophetic that this was] …'Peace be multiplied to you. It seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. 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'" (vs 1-3).

That's quite an introduction. Think about it! Then he went on to say that he got all lifted up in vanity, looked at the great city of Babylon and said, 'Oh, all of this I have made.' Then an angel struck Nebuchadnezzar insane! He had to be led out and put in the pasture with the cattle. For seven years Nebuchadnezzar ate grass.

But his kingdom was preserved for him, probably by Daniel, and after seven years Nebuchadnezzar received his sanity back again. Notice what this did to him:

Verse 34: "And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him Who lives forever, for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing… [this was to humble him] …and He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay His hand, or say to Him, 'What are You doing?'" (vs 34-35).

Verse 36: "At that time my reason returned to me. And the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me…."

Verse 37: "Now, I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are Truth and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to abase."

• Daniel 5—the demise of the Babylon of Daniel. It was conquered by the Medes and the Persians.

Notice that every one of these chapters ends up in the same place, the setting up of the Kingdom of God!

Note the chart: Appendix Y (The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version): A Chart Showing the Prophecies of Reign of Gentile Kingdoms. Use as a study guide. This shows all the kingdoms listed in the book of Daniel and how the flow of prophecy comes down in time.

Dan. 7 is a repeat and magnification of Dan. 2, but carries it a lot further than the end of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar. Here's another vision given to Daniel:

Daniel 7:1: "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed. Then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters."

Here we have quite a detailed flow of how the kingdoms would come, listed exactly as we find in Dan. 2, only differently, bringing out the different characteristics and how they are going to be.

Verse 2: "Daniel spoke and said, 'In my vision by night I was looking, and behold, the four winds of the heavens were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings. I watched until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on its feet like a man. And a man's heart was given to it" (vs 2-4).

That's what we just read in Dan. 4 about Nebuchadnezzar. When his sanity returned to him, he was more like a man.

Verse 5: And behold another beast, a second, like a bear. And it raised itself up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And this was said to it: 'Arise, eat up much flesh.'"

All of these are coming in sequence. Daniel is not told what they are, yet. The rest of the chapter will do that.

Verse 6: "After this I saw, and lo, another beast, like a leopard, which had four wings of a bird on its back. The beast also had four heads and dominion was given to it. After this I looked in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, frightening and terrifying, and exceedingly strong. And it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the rest with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts before it; and it had ten horns" (vs 6-7).

Now we're getting into something that identifies closely to the things in the book of Revelation.

Verse 8: "As I was considering the horns, behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before whom three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. I watched until thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days sat…" (vs 8-9).

Where is this? The end! Every one of these that we're looking at in the flow of prophecy all end up in the same place, at the end!

"…Whose raiment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. His Throne was like flames of fire, and its wheels like burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court sat and the books were opened" (vs 9-10).

That's interesting! We find this very close to what we read in Rev. 4 & 5. Notice that the books were written!

• What do we find Rev. 5?
• What was it?
• Seven scrolls written and sealed!

God has it written down! Let's see something that we need to identify with, with what God does. Since He's the First and the Law, the Beginning and the Ending:

Daniel 10:21—the angel Gabriel speaking to Daniel: "But I will show you that which is written in the Scripture of Truth…."

We've mentioned this before, but it's interesting to understand: all of this is written down in heaven above!

Sidebar:

(KJV) Matthew 15:19 "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven…"

This is the correct translation: (FV) Matthew 16:19: "And I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and whatever you may bind on the earth will have already been bound in heaven…"

Where do you suppose that's written and bound? In the Scripture of Truth in heaven! So, whenever a decision is to be made by those who are serving the brethren in the Church, it must be based on the Word of God. Not "…whatsoever…" you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. That's the reverse!

No man tells God what to do! Which it would be if they made a decree and God would have to follow it.

It's the other way around! The decree has already been decided and those who are serving the brethren to the know the answer must search the Scriptures, because it's already been bound in heaven.

"…and whatever you may loose on the earth will have already been loosed in heaven" (v 19). That's the way it is in the Greek, and it can't be the way the Catholics have it.

So, when we read in Dan. 10 about the Scripture of Truth, that's already in heaven, all the things that we have in the Bible are there. We have to follow what God has given to us!

Daniel 7:11: "Then I was looking because of the voice of the boastful words, which the horn spoke.…"

That's probably a prophecy of the Catholic Church! They boast. Have you ever read what the popes say about themselves? They can bind and loose kings and emperors, and anything they want to bind or loose! They write of themselves that this is the power of God. One pope said, 'So, what am I to make of myself.' Found in the Foxe's Book of Martyrs! 'What am I to make of myself? I'm God!' That's the most boastful that one can be!

"…I watched until the beast was slain, and his body was destroyed and given to the burning flame. And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away. Yet, their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw visions in the night and, behold, One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven…" (vs 11-13).

Sound like a little New Testament. He's going to come, every eye will see Him! He'll be in the clouds.

"…and came to the Ancient of Days [the Father] and they brought Him near before Him. And dominion and glory was given to Him, 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" (vs 13-14).

Quite a statement! This is talking about the setting up of the Kingdom of God on the earth.

Let's see what this one is going to be and how he will speak back to God!

Verse 25: "And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High… [reference to those in the Church] …and think to change the set times and the laws…."

• Sabbath
• Passover
• Holy Days

The very thing they reject and replace with pagan counterfeits, shows that they're from Satan the devil and not from God.

"…And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time. But the judgment shall sit…" (vs 25-26).

Here again, where are we? The flow of prophecy right onto the return of Christ, the setting up of the Kingdom! See how many things come to this place when we come through prophecy.

"…and his dominion shall be taken away to be consumed and to be destroyed unto the end. And 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…" (vs 26-27).

That is people made perfect through the first resurrection! When we read a lot of these prophecies, we have to go to other places and prophecies to fit in the details that go with this. All of these are outlines.

"'…Whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom. And all kingdoms shall serve and obey Him.' Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts troubled me greatly, and my countenance changed. But I kept the matter in my heart'"(vs 27-28). Then he wrote it down!

Dan. 8 is further advancing the prophecies of Dan. 2; they all stride in together. This is a prophecy of the king of Greece, and Persia and Media.

Daniel 8:15: "And it came to pass when I, even I, Daniel, had seen the vision and sought to understand it, then, behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called and said, 'Gabriel, make this one understand the vision.' So, he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was terrified and fell upon my face. But he said to me, 'Understand, O son of man, for the vision is for the time of the end'" (vs 15-17)—going forward!

Verse18: "Now, as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep, my face toward the ground. But he touched me and set me upright. And he said, 'Behold, I will make you know what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation, because it belongs to the appointed time of the end. The ram which you saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia…. [Now it gets direct] …And the shaggy goat is the king of Greece…."(vs 18-21).

What happened with the fall of Babylon. The Persians and the Medes, Cyrus and Darius, captured Babylon. Then the Media and Persian Empire reigned for 300 years. Then came Alexander the Great. (you will find all of this in the chart)

"…And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. Now, that being broken, then four stood up in its place; four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not with its power" (vs 21-22).

That's what happened! Notice that it goes forward right to the end and talks about the Beast Power of the book of Revelation.

Verse 23: "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have come to the full, a king, fierce of countenance and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. … [by the power of Satan] …And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power. And he shall destroy marvelously, and shall prosper and do his own will, and destroy the mighty and the Holy people" (vs 23-24).

That has to do with Israel and with the Church, both.That's why right now all of the things are being set for the last beast to come. The world is going to be given over to occultism, satanism and demons. The more evil there is, the more demons that will come out of prison and cause trouble.

Verse 25: "And also through his cunning he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand.… [witchcraft and various forms of occultism] …And he shall magnify himself in his heart, and in time of security shall destroy many…."

It says in Rev. 6 that there will be peace. So, this is projection forward to that. 

"…He also shall stand up against the Prince of princes [Christ] …." (v 25).

This is the beast (Rev. 17, 19) fighting against Christ and the return of the saints.

"…But he shall be broken without a human hand" (v 25).

Christ gives the word and all their flesh falls off their skeletons. How is that for defeating an army? You don't have to lift a sword. Just speak the word, which is the Sword of Truth from Christ and the army is demolished. Then we know that in the book of Revelation it says that 'the beast and the false prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire.'

Verse 26: "And the vision of the evening and the morning, which was told is true. But you shall shut up the vision, for it belongs to many days to come."

Verse 27: "And I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick certain days. Afterward I rose up and did the king's business. And I was astounded at the vision but did not understand it."

It's a tremendous thing that all of these things were prophesied long ago. All that time! Just think about how many before the New Testament or Revelation was even written, wanted to understand these things.

When is the end days? You hear 'the latter days' and the 'end-times'! Well, the more that we can see that we can understand from the Word of God, the more that we know that we are in the latter days and getting close to the last of the last days.

Scriptural References:

• Revelation 12:1-8
• Genesis 15:5
• Isaiah 9:6-7
• Daniel 2:17-23, 25-35, 37-45
• Daniel 4:1-3, 34-37
• Daniel 7:1-10
• Daniel 10:21
• Matthew 16:19
• Daniel 7:11-14, 25-28
• Daniel 8:15-27

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Daniel 2:24; 3; 5
• Revelation 4-6

Also referenced:

Chart: Appendix Y (The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version): A Chart Showing the Prophecies of Reign of Gentile Kingdoms

Book: Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Foxe

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 12/8/10

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