Christian
Churches of God
No. F027
Commentary on Daniel: Introduction
(Edition 1.0 20200926-20200926)
This is an introduction to
the Biblical Commentary on Daniel issued at the time of the captivity.
Christian
Churches of God
E-mail: secretary@ccg.org
(Copyright © 2020 Wade Cox)
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Commentary on Daniel:
Introduction
Book
Overview
Author
and Time of Writing
The book of the
prophet Daniel (hebr. = my God is judge) owes its name to the main character.
Daniel writes of himself in the third person throughout the first part of the
book. From chapter 7:28 onwards, in the second part, he writes of himself in
the first person. In chapter 7:1 Daniel tells us how he wrote down the dream
that was revealed to him. In chap. 12:4 he is asked to shut up the words and
seal the book. This text relates to the entire prophecies of the Twelve Chapters
given to him.
It deals with the world empires which were to rule the
world's history from after Jerusalem's destruction up to Christ's appearing
before the millennium. This period is called the "times of the
Gentiles" in the NT (Luke 21:24).
Yahovah could no longer publicly accept His earthly people Israel or Judah
respectively. He punished it through the captivity in Babylon and the
destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. He had left His habitation the temple
(Ezekiel 10:4;
Ezekiel 10:18;
Ezekiel 11:23).
The Most High God, the Elyon, possessor of the heavens and earth (Genesis 14:19),
dwelt in the heavens.
Bullinger notes that: “in the book of Daniel God is called ‘the
God of heaven’ four times (chap. 2:18.19.37.44), ‘King of heaven’ once (chap.
4:37) and once ‘Lord of heaven’ (chap. 5:23). During this time of His indirect
government God puts the authority over the earth into the hands of heathen
nations until His Blessed One, the Lord Jesus, shall take over the government as
glorified Son of Man.”
Daniel gives a prophetic overview on the times of the
Gentiles. The work has six stories and four dream visions. It is the first
apocalyptic work which details the events concerning Israel and Judah to the
time of the end and the arrival of the Messiah who arrives with the loyal Host
as described in chapter 12 which covers an extended period of both First and
Second Resurrections.
Many of the sceptics try to downplay the absolute importance
of the prophecy because they do not understand its historical and prophetic
outcome over the Seven Times or 2520 years of the Babylonian systems and the
Time of the Gentiles that stretched from the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BCE to
the commencement of the Last Eighty years of the time of Jacob’s Trouble from
1916 in WWI to the end of the time of the Gentiles in 1996 (cf. The Fall of Egypt: The
Prophecy of Pharaoh’s Broken Arms (No. 036) and The Fall of
Egypt Part II: The Wars of the End (No. 036_2)). The last thirty years of the Beast Power covers the period
from 1997 to 2027 which will see the nations reduced to subjugation under the
Beast and then the Messiah (cf. The Last Thirty Years: the
Final Struggle (No. 219)).
The prophecies are of great historical importance and are simply not understood
by those not of the elect or the prophets of God and the understanding was
locked up until these last days.
Daniel belonged to those Jews who had been led away captive
to Babylon at the first siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in the year 605 BC
following the Battle of Carchemish (cf. Fall of Jerusalem to
Babylon (No. 250B)) (compare Daniel 1:1-2
with 2Kings 24:1
and 2Chronicles 36:6-7).
Bullinger states that “by this Isaiah's prophecy to King Hezekiah was fulfilled
which was spoken of around 100 years before Daniel's time. This prophecy said
that the descendants of Judah's king would become servants of the king of
Babylon (compare Daniel 1:3
with Isa. 39:5-7).
Daniel was one of those nobles and descendants of the Jewish royalty who were
destined to serve at the Babylonian court after profound training. He was
probably not more than 15 to 20 years old at his imprisonment.
Daniel and his three friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah
were exemplary in their heathen surroundings by their believing determination.
The first six chapters of the book describe their - and especially Daniel's -
faithfulness in the most varied circumstances of life.”
Under Nebuchadnezzar Daniel served as regent over the whole
province of Babylon and was chief of the governors over all the wise of Babylon
(Daniel 2:48).
After Nebuchadnezzar's death we hear of Daniel again during the time of
Belshazzar only. Belshazzar was Nabonidas’ son and reigned during his father's
absence as vice-king. At that time Daniel was an old man already.
After the conquest of Babylon through Darius the Mede (Bullinger
thinks he was probably Gubaru or Gobryas in the year 539/538 BC). Daniel was
appointed as one of the three presidents set over 120 satraps of the kingdom of
the Medes and Persians (Daniel 6:2-3).
The last indication of a date is the 3rd year of king Cyrus
of Persia in Daniel 10:1
which was the year 536/35 BC. Bullinger agrees that Daniel must have been
around 85 to 90 years of age when he wrote down his last visions.
Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel who went into the Babylonian
captivity in 597 BC (around eight years later than Daniel). Ezekiel mentions
Daniel three times in his book (Ezekiel 14:14;
Ezekiel 14:20;
Ezekiel 28:3).
His work on the Fall of Egypt was to further
develop Daniel’s work (cf. Fall of Egypt
above).
Bullinger also notes in his commentary that “Daniel knew
Jeremiah's writings whose service had begun already some years before the
Babylonians started to attack Jerusalem. While studying the book of Jeremiah
Daniel came to the conclusion that the announced 70-years-captivity would come
to a soon end (Daniel 9:2).”
The Lord Jesus in his Olivet discourse spoke of the
profanation of the temple through the Antichrist explicitly mentions Daniel the
prophet (Matthew 24:15;
compare with Daniel 11:31;
Daniel 12:11).
The Lord refers to Daniel 7:13
in Matthew 24:30;
Matthew 26:64
as well.
While Daniel is not mentioned especially in Hebrews 11 among
the heroes of faith of the OT the words of verse 33 "who stopped the
mouths of lions" surely refers to Daniel who was spared in the lion's den
(Daniel 6).
The book of Daniel has been the object of unbelieving
criticism for ages. Bullinger also notes that the first attacks go back to the “heathen
New Platonist, Porphyrius of Tyre (3rd century AC). Porphyrius designates the
book of Daniel as the work of a Jew of the 2nd century BC. The modern critics
hold similar opinions. In fact many uneducated critics try to tie the Bible
origins to the Second Century in spite of the Elephantine and other translated
texts.” Bullinger is also of the view
that “the reasons mentioned against Daniel's authorship are pretended
historical inaccuracies, linguistic details and the ‘theology’ of Daniel. The
main reason for criticism however is no doubt the fact that Daniel prophesied
historical events with absolute precision (as did Isaiah). For Daniel has in
detail described the Syro-Egyptian fights of the time of the Maccabees among
other events (Daniel 11:1-35).
This is simply impossible - say the critics. They say a book with such details
must have been written only after these events.”
Bullinger was also mistakenly taken in by the false
translation of Daniel 9:25 in the Receptus/KJV as referring to the Messiah
which it does not. It refers to two anointed ones who are Nehemiah, after seven
weeks of years and James, the brother of Christ, after another 62 weeks of
years in the 69th week at 63/4 CE before the destruction of the
Temple as prophesied in 70 CE (cf. The Sign of Jonah and the
History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 013)).
Those of the faith usually agree that Daniel wrote on the
still future (the last of which are now unfolding) events of the time of the
end before the second coming of Christ. In accordance with his promise through Amos
the prophet: "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he reveals his
secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).
Purpose
of Writing
In the Hebrew Bible the book of Daniel does not belong to
the prophets but to the "writings" (hebr. ketubim), which is
the third and last part of the OT. There the book is placed between Esther and
Ezra.
A large part of the book is written in Aramaic (chapters 2:4
- 7:28). Aramaic was the official language of the Babylonians and Persians.
Daniel’s work related to the end of the age and prophesied
the rebuilding of the Temple and its ultimate destruction as prophesied in
Chapter 9 and the dispersion to chapter 11. For that reason it was placed just
before Ezra and after Esther.
The Book spans Twelve chapters and covers the world false
religious system under the Empires of the Babylonians.
Chapter 1
deals with the captivity and the rise of Nebuchadnezzar.
Chapter 2
provides the outline of the empires that cover the sequence of:
Chapter 3
deals with the erection of and establishment of idols and false worship that
was to come from this system. This was to be established so that the chosen of
God would be tested and proven under the false systems and the capacity of God
to deliver His Chosen was demonstrated through the fiery furnace and also with
the lion’s den. He showed that His Host was sent to accompany them in the
trials they would follow.
Chapter 4
deals with the establishment of the elect in the eyes of the rulers in the
system and that they were forced to acknowledge the power of the One True God.
In this chapter we see the prophecy of the Seven times in the cutting down of
the tree and the binding of the stump. The Seven times is of a dual prophecy of
seven years of Nebuchadnezzar or Seven times which is 2520 years (see below re
chapter 4). At the end of the period of the empires reason is restored to
mankind and the millennial system of the Seventh Thousand year period is
established and the Temple rebuilt (cf. The Golden Jubilee (No.
300)) and after that we will reign for evermore (cf. The City of God (No. 180)).
Chapter 5
skips on to deal with Belshazzar the son of the last Neo-Babylonian ruler who
was viceroy in his absence on extended religious devotions. The state banquet
used the utensils taken to Babylon in chapter 1:2 from the Temple of God (see
also Ezra 1:7-11) and involved God’s punishment in the sacrileges conducted.
This was to serve as warning to the religious systems set up from Babylon and
which passed on into the various successive empires. By these aspects they were
to be judged and condemned and their empires taken from them and given to those
more worthy. In the end none are counted worthy and Messiah is sent to take
over the world religions and establish them under the Laws of God as we see at
the end.
Chapter 6
deals with the first change to the Medes and Persians. When this happened it
was set up to trap anyone that worshipped other than the system that they had
established in order to punish anyone that served the One True God and other than
as they dictated. Laws of the Medes and Persians could not be changed and thus
clemency was prevented in this application. Daniel was caught up in this matter
as he prayed three times a day (v. 13).
By the visible salvation of Daniel in the Lion’s Den those who sought to
kill Daniel and his people were themselves taken and killed as they sought to
kill Daniel and as indeed the following empires and their leaders were also
killed and dealt with in the subsequent judgment. It was by these trials that the power of the
One True God was established. In this way Daniel was also established in the
reigns of Darius (the Mede) and Cyrus the Persian.
Chapter 7
starts from 554 BCE in the First Year of Belshazzar son of Nabonidas when he
became viceroy. Daniel was given a dream
concerning the four beasts, the fourth with ten horns and it made war with the
saints and sought to eradicate them; and the son of man was placed before the
Ancient of Days. This was the end of the Kingdoms and speaks of the Kingdom of
the One True God under the Messiah and the saints which is the end result of
the matter (v. 27-28) This text connects the First Section to the Second
section and with chapter 12 (cf. Ch. 7 below).
Chapter 8
deals with the next vision of Daniel given in 552 BCE which was the 24th
year of God’s Calendar (No. 156).
It is placed at U’lai (v. 2) which is the River Eulaeus (fn.
to Oxford An. RSV).
This was the prophecy of the passage of power from
Medo-Persia, the Ram, to the he-goat of Greece. It was this prophecy that was
shown to Alexander the Great when he went to Jerusalem and he then offered
sacrifice to God there through the Temple Priesthood.
The prophecy shows that he was to be killed and then the
four horns that came up from him referred to the four generals that succeeded
him.
The prophecy then deals with the desecration of the
sanctuary that was overthrown from Antiochus Epiphanes, who elevated himself
against God (11:36) and was broken (2 Macc. 9:5) and on to the destruction of
the Temple in 70 CE, as foretold in chapter 9, and the doing away with the
daily sacrifice until the coming of the Messiah. This relates to the 2300
evenings and mornings or years as foretold in verse 14 (see ch. 8 below).
The prophecy ends showing that the final monarch shall be
given power over the world and the saints and he shall be there and move
against the Messiah when he comes to establish the millennial Kingdom of
God. He and the world systems both
governmental and religious are then overthrown.
Chapter 9
is listed in the First Year of Darius the Mede sons of Ahasuerus, which means
Xerxes. Some scholars assume this was a
mythical king rather than look at the history and simply accept the fact that
the timing is back to the first year that the Medes under Darius took over
Chaldea with and for Cyrus the Persian who was his nephew. The vision was thus arranged in this order to
explain the sequence of the prophecy rather than the order in which they were
given.
The chapter deals with the reasons and explains why Judah
and Israel were dispersed in all directions. It was because they would not keep
the Commandments of God and listen to the servants of God, the prophets, and
that remained so then, and until the
final sequence of the last of the wars of the end (cf. vv 1-19).
God then gives understanding of the Seventy weeks of years
for the rebuilding of the Temple and its destruction in 70 CE. Academics who do
not believe in the power and prophecy of God simply cannot deal with the power
and sheer accuracy of these prophecies given in the end of the Seventh Century
and beginning of the Sixth Century BCE covering over 2500 years as we will see
below. The reason is because these false teachers simply refuse to accept that
they are being punished for failing to keep the Commandments of God as given to
Moses and the prophets through the mouth of the being that became Jesus Christ
(Acts 7:30-44; 1 Cor. 10:4).
Chapter 10 then
jumps to the third year of Cyrus the Persian. In this year Daniel was given a
complete vision of the Last Days from then to the end of the age and the Coming
of the Messiah as we see in chapter
12:13. This chapter is the prologue
to the vision.
In this chapter we see that the elohim that was the prince
of Persia stood against this being and Michael, who was left to deal with him.
This being returned and he and Michael dealt with him further.
Chapter 11
then goes on to deal with the sequence of the prophecy up until the last days
which is covered in 11:40-45. The sequence in chapter 10 and 11 refer to the
kings of the North and South which are the conflicts that follow the period of
the Fall of the Temple dealt with in chapter 9
Chapter 12
then goes on to deal with Michael that has charge over the Chosen people. This
aspect of the prophecy deals with the final conflict with the Antichrist system
and the virtual destruction of the nations. The text deals with the deliverance
of the Saints under the Messiah and the resurrections. Revelation chapter 20 explains this text in
its divisions (see Ch. 12 below). This text was to be shut up until the last
days and explained under Jeremiah 4:15-27.
Bibliography:
New Oxford Annotated Bible RSV (Oxford and New York).
Ethelbert W Bullinger; Commentary
on Daniel.
Ford, Desmond. How
Long, O Lord?: An Introduction to the Book of Daniel. iUniverse. Kindle
Edition.
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