DANIEL S FIRST THREE KINGDOMS

Transcription

1 DANIEL S FIRST THREE KINGDOMS EXPLAINING THE BOOK OF DANIEL June 2015 Rian Cilliers

2 DANIEL S FIRST THREE KINGDOMS CONTENT Page no PREFACE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1. The Babylonian kingdom in Dan 2 & King Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold 6 3. Selectiveness in noting the Babylonians The Medo-Persian kingdom in Dan 2 & The Medo-Persian kingdom in Dan The Medo-Persian kingdom in Dan Selectiveness in noting the Medo-Persians The Grecian kingdom in Dan 2 & The Grecian kingdom in Dan 8 & Splitting the Grecian kingdom into four Selectiveness in noting the Grecians The creation of 2 poles for the 4 th kingdom The impact of the Grecians on the Jews 49 51

3 DANIEL S FIRST THREE KINGDOMS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY God's solution to fallen man is to establish God's spiritual kingdom of heaven right here on earth. God's kingdom was Christ's good news message He continually proclaimed while walking the earth (Matt 3:1, 2; 4:17; 10:5-7). Christ established this kingdom about 2000 years ago when He died on the cross. God's kingdom of heaven was always here on the earth even before Christ came to the earth, as God and angels operate in the lives of man from the beginning here on the earth. Yet, there was a wall, a barrier, between man's soul and the kingdom of heaven. That barrier was always man's ruling soul and the acts it generated against God, called sins. Christ died on the cross for the sins of mankind, thus removing the barrier between man's soul and the kingdom of heaven. The relationship between man and God was restored again. "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luk 17:21) became a reality for followers of Christ. God announced through Daniel the establishment of His kingdom of heaven here on earth. It is Christ's kingdom that will never be destroyed (Dan 2:44). Four earthly kingdoms, which Daniel and king Nebuchadnezzar saw in dreams, would precede this event. These 4 earthly kingdoms were the Babylonian kingdom, the Medo- Persian kingdom, the Grecian kingdom, and the Fourth kingdom which never had a name. The whole Book of Daniel deals with the same framework of 4 earthly kingdoms, and during the time of the fourth earthly kingdom God sets up His own kingdom on earth. This Volume focuses on the first three of these 4 earthly kingdoms. The fulfilment of prophecies about these 3 kingdoms, recorded in four visions in each of Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8 and are dealt with in detail. Daniel experienced the first 2 of these 3 earthly kingdoms in his life-time on earth. The prophecies of Daniel concerning these 4 earthly kingdoms have already been fulfilled, and their fulfilment is described in detail in this Volume. The forming of structures which led to the commencement of the Fourth Kingdom out of the Grecian Kingdom is also briefly noted at the end this Volume.

4 2 1. THE BABYLONIAN KINGDOM IN DAN 2 & 7 The first kingdom in this long season of four earthly kingdoms is the Babylonian kingdom before God, judges and establishes His kingdom on earth for ever and ever. This chapter briefly focuses on explaining and elaborating on prophetic utterances in Daniel chapters 2 and 7 dealing with the Babylonian kingdom. This chapter briefly presents the prophecies about the Babylonian kingdom in Daniel, as well as more details of the fulfilment of those prophecies. The prophecies relating to the Babylonian kingdom in the Book of Daniel are the following: Dan 2:32, 35, 37, 38, 44, 45 Dan 7:2, 3, 4, 12, 17 DETAILS OF THE FIRST KING IN DANIEL CHAPTER 2 The first detail reflected in the Book of Daniel of the first king and his kingdom was in 605 BC in the second year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, when Daniel was about 15 years old and King Nebuchadnezzar 25 years old. It occurred when both King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel saw the dream of a great statue with: The head of the statue was made of pure gold,. (Dan 2:32). The interpretation of the first kingdom of gold was as follows: You, O king, are the king of the [earthly] kings, to whom the God of heavens has given the kingdom, the power, and the might and the glory. And wherever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens He has given into your hand and has made you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold. (Dan 2:37, 38). Daniel was here specifically talking to King Nebuchadnezzar II (630 BC 562 BC), king of Babylon. God did not consider all of the kings of the Babylonian kingdom as the head of gold. God only noted to King Nebuchadnezzar II You are that head of gold. (Dan 2: 38). King Nebuchadnezzar II was the main king of the Babylonian kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar II was 24 years old in 606 BC when he became king and conquered Jerusalem for the first time. Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem 3 times (606 BC, 589 BC and 587 BC), and the third time destroyed it completely together with the temple which Solomon has built. King Nebuchadnezzar was 43 years old when he destroyed Jerusalem and the temple of Solomon. God used King Nebuchadnezzar to remove the Jews away from their idols, such as the city of Jerusalem and the temple, and from their sins, in order to heal them. To do this, God had to remove the Jews out of their comfort zone and to become more dependent on God. The Jews had to be sent into exile, into captivity. Nebuchadnezzar died at the age of 68 years. He reigned for 45 years, from 606 BC to about 562 BC. Nebuchadnezzar II married Amytis of Media ( BCE) and so secured an alliance between the Medes and the Babylonians (Amytis being the daughter or granddaughter of Cyaxerxes, the king of the Medes). Nebuchadnezzar II had the Hanging Gardens of Babylon built for her to remind her of her homeland in Media.

5 3 Nebuchadnezzar II spent the tolls he collected and the taxes he gathered in creating a city, Babylon, which, he hoped, would be recognized as a wonder of the world. The walls of Babylon and, in particular, the Ishtar gate, were indeed considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In the forty-three years of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar II made the most of the time employing a vast army of slave labour to surround his city with walls about 40 feet high and so thick that chariot races were conducted around the tops and which stretched ninety kilometres in length, encircling an area of five hundred square kilometres. The bricks of the walls were faced with a bright blue and bore the inscription, I am Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. THE SIZE OF THE BABYLONIAN KINGDOM God s vision of King Nebuchadnezzar at the age of 25 was And wherever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens He has given into your hand and has made you to rule over them all.. (Dan 2:38). God s vision of King Nebuchadnezzar later on confirmed this. The vision was of a tree which grew large and strong, with its top touching the sky, visible to the whole earth You O king, are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth (Dan 4:20, 22). In relation to the then known world, king Nebuchadnezzar was considered a great king. The prophecies in Daniel 2:38 and Daniel 4:20, 22 are in the context of the then known world surrounding the Jews. History has shown that the Babylonian kingdom at the end of the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar in 562 BC, when his kingdom was at its peak (Dan 4:36), was about 0,5 million square kilometres, which is about 0,3% of the total land area on the earth s surface of about 149 million square kilometres. DETAILS OF THE FIRST KING IN DANIEL CHAPTER 7 The second detail reflected in the Book of Daniel of the first kingdom was Daniel s vision of the 4 beasts which he received in 550 BC, in the first year of King Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, when Daniel was about 70 years old. This was 55 years after the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar reflected in Daniel chapter 2. At that stage, King Nebuchadnezzar was already 12 years in the grave. Daniel had already experienced all of the events of King Nebuchadnezzar erecting a golden statue whom all peoples had to worship (Daniel chapter 3), and King Nebuchadnezzar being driven away from people, eating grass like an animal (Daniel chapter 4). In the vision of the 4 beasts reflected in Daniel chapter 7, Daniel saw more detailed characteristics of the 4 main kings of the 4 kingdoms before God would set up His own kingdom on earth. The first beast was that of King Nebuchadnezzar, who already passed away 12 years ago. After 55 years, God reminds Daniel of the dream of the great statue, and that King Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold of this great statue. The first (beast) was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. (Dan 7:4). King Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom are here representing the strength of the king of the beasts of prey, the lion, with the swiftness of the royal bird, the eagle. This was true as Nebuchadnezzar on 3 separate occasions were prepared that his army travel the 1600 kilometres from Babylon to Jerusalem without sophisticated logistical support and backup lines in terms of food etc, conquer Jerusalem, a city highly protected by its walls, and return the same distance of 1600 kilometres back to Babylon.

6 4 Other prophets also compared King Nebuchadnezzar with the lion (Jer 4:7; 49:19; 50:17, 44) and with the eagle (Jer 49:22; Ezek 17:3, 12). The king s army was also compared with the eagle (Jer 4:13; Hab 1:8) owing to the rapid advances and rapidity of conquests. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. (Dan 7:4). This represents the fate which overtook king Nebuchadnezzar, taking away his wild savage, own strength, beastly approaches and pride, reducing him to the level of the beasts of the field for a season of 7 years. God chastised king Nebuchadnezzar by allowing him to eat grass like an animal for 7 years. After this period, God restored him as king. Daniel had already witnessed in his life how God dealt with king Nebuchadnezzar, who thought that he was the head of gold, and therefore made for himself a statue of gold which everyone had to bow down to. But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposited from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like cattle (Dan 5:20, 21). Daniel had already witnessed how God had removed wisdom from a person who is a child of God, but who acts ungodly. Daniel had already seen how God dealt with the character of King Nebuchadnezzar, humbling him. At least 10 years of the reign of 45 years of king Nebuchadnezzar dealt with God chastising him in the way God did, reported in Daniel chapter 4. King Nebuchadnezzar was first warned in a dream, which Daniel interpreted for the king. Then 12 months later (Dan 4:29), or 1 year later, at a moment of pride in the heart of the king, the period of 7 times (Dan 4:25) (7 years) took effect immediately. After these 8 years, a period was given to the king to restore his former glory and even to surpass his former glory. I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before (Dan 4:36). Therefore, Its wings were torn off (Dan 7:4) does not imply that the ability of the kingdom s army was restricted by other kingdoms starting to possess some of the lands of the Babylonian kingdom, because king Nebuchadnezzar experienced a much larger blessing on his kingdom after his sanity returned to him, as he himself declared: I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before (Dan 4:36). King Nebuchadnezzar was restored to human dignity when he humbled himself under the hand of God. and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. (Dan 7:4). The man spoken of here is the way God created man for the soul to be able to sense through both spirit and body. After King Nebuchadnezzar s chastisement, the king praised God (Dan 4:34, 35). King Nebuchadnezzar s spirit eventually reigned. His spirit was no longer suppressed by his ruling flesh. He operated in the priority order of spirit first, soul second, body last the priority order in which God created man. Through this ordeal, God confirmed of King Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold, and God has given the kingdom of heaven to him as well You, O king (Nebuchadnezzar), are king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom... (Dan 2:37). God has shown His love for King Nebuchadnezzar by chastising him, making him like an animal, to humble him like Christ is humble in order to transform Nebuchadnezzar into the image of Christ. God purified King Nebuchadnezzar just as man purifies gold by placing the gold in a furnace. King Nebuchadnezzar was placed in a spiritual furnace in hell. That which came out at the other end of this tribulation was pure gold, to such an extent that King Nebuchadnezzar wrote the Word of God in the whole chapter of Daniel chapter 4. Nebuchadnezzar prophesied in the truths imparted by the Holy Spirit: His (God s) kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. (Dan 4:3). The king realised that God s kingdom of heaven

7 5 already existed and was already powerful when God gave him the dream that God intends setting up His kingdom on earth, when God saved the 3 Jews from the king s furnace, and when God dictated that the king will eat grass like an animal for 7 years. God s kingdom already existed at that stage and Daniel and his 3 friends tapped into God s kingdom of heaven at that stage already. The king also realised that God s kingdom is not from the earthly world at that stage it is from the spirit domain. The king realised, from the interpretation of the dream of the great statue, that a time is coming in which God intends extending His kingdom and setting it up on earth as well. Nebuchadnezzar had a death experience death of his flesh, after which God raised him up from death. The death of his flesh led to his spirit being freed, allowing his spirit to rule his flesh in dependence of the Holy Spirit. Nebuchadnezzar operated in the priority order of Holy Spirit first, his spirit second, his soul third and his body last, instead of operating on earth with a ruling flesh and a deadened spirit. Nebuchadnezzar moved from glory to glory. Christ raised Nebuchadnezzar up out of the earth so that he was no longer earthly but a man whose soul was able to operate through both his spirit (alive to God) and his body the way God created His image, man. 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). God wanted King Nebuchadnezzar to taste more of the heavenly kingdom, of his spiritual inheritance to which he was entitled, while the king lived on the earth. All of these details merely confirm that God has made King Nebuchadnezzar a child of the most High God.

8 6 2. KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR AS THE HEAD OF GOLD This chapter briefly focuses on King Nebuchadnezzar considered by God as the head of God in the vision of the statue in Daniel chapter 2. THE HEAD OF GOLD God considered King Nebuchadnezzar II as the head of gold in the dream of the great image reflected in Daniel chapter 2: You are that head of gold. (Dan 2: 38). Two external factors contributed to God considering King Nebuchadnezzar II as the head of gold. THE KING RULED ALONE AND SUPREME The first external factor why King Nebuchadnezzar s rule and court was gold in God s eyes was because he ruled alone and supreme, just as Christ the Messiah would. Nebuchadnezzar did not rule as the Medo-Persian kingdom consisting of a divided kingdom of 2 kings; one of Media and one of Persia. Nebuchadnezzar also did not rule as the latter part of the Grecian kingdom of Alexander the Great which were subdivided into 4 kingdoms (Dan 8: 8, 22; 11:4), with kings competing with each other. Even worse was the fourth kingdom with its 10 kings and of which it was clearly stated it shall be a divided kingdom. (Dan 2:41). Even within the Babylonian kingdom, subsequent kings were not as prominent as King Nebuchadnezzar. For example, Belshazzar, his son, did not rule alone. This is why Daniel was promoted to the third highest position as ruler by Belshazzar (Dan 5:7, 29), and not the second highest position. This merely confirms that the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar within the Babylonian kingdom was gold in God s eyes. THE KING ALWAYS HAD ADVISORS The second external factor why King Nebuchadnezzar s rule was considered gold in God s eyes is because he surrounded himself with wise men and constantly called on them for advice (Dan 2:2; 4:6). He had a measure of humbleness within him, not making decisions on his own without consulting and obtaining advice. THE KING VALUED MESSAGES FROM THE SPIRIT WORLD However, most of all, Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold, because he valued the spirit world the world of dreams and visions, taking a lot of effort to obtain clarity concerning the interpretation of a dream. He placed importance on the spirit realm. He was open towards hearing the words of God, to hear from the spirit realm, from the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven, and messages from the kingdom of heaven, is accessed through man considering in faith dreams as important. The soul access the kingdom of heaven through man s spirit. Man s soul sees through the spirit s eyes a dream, just as man s soul is able to see through the body a picture in the physical realm. Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel had experiences of this. In contrast, at the time of Christ, rulers have placed little importance on dreams. For example, God was unable to get through to Pontius Pilate because of the hardness of his heart. He did not receive a dream, because God knew he would just reject it as a nightmare or that he ate something bad the previous day. Therefore God targeted his wife. While Pilate was sitting on

9 7 the judge s seat, his wife sent him this message: Don t have anything to do with that innocent man (Christ), for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him. (Matt 27:19). God was even directly pointing to Christ in her dream, with no symbolisms to be sorted out. She knew it dealt with the prisoner Jesus Christ. Yet, Pontius Pilate did not listen to his wife. In contrast, King Nebuchadnezzar considered it important to listen to the messages coming from the spiritual kingdom of heaven, and make a lot of effort to understand the symbolisms in his dreams. This is the same attitude each Christian s soul ought to have as well for each soul to be able to hear and see from God through man s spirit. Then God would also consider man as gold. THE KING EXPERIENCED THE KINGDOM OF GOD When Jesus Christ came, He, John the Baptist and the disciples of Christ preached the same message: John the Baptist preached Repent.for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt 3:1, 2). Then Jesus preached: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near (Matt 4:17). Then Jesus sent out His 12 disciples with the following instructions:.. preach this message: The kingdom of heaven is near (Matt 10:5 7). Then Jesus send out the 70 disciples with the same message.tell them, The kingdom of God is near you. (Luk 10:9). This message was preached to ordinary human beings, to inform them that they would be able to access this kingdom of heaven while they live on the earth, from the time that Christ would die on the cross. Man s soul can access God s kingdom of heaven through man s spirit. King Nebuchadnezzar already had experience of this. King Nebuchadnezzar experienced Christ, the Word of God (John 1:1, 14), through the dream he had, because a picture (such as a dream) is equivalent to a thousand words. The dream came from God, and Christ is the Word of God. God gave the kingdom of heaven to Nebuchadnezzar already from the age of 25 years when he received the dream of the great image. Daniel prophesied that the God of heaven has given the kingdom (of heaven) (Dan 2:37) to King Nebuchadnezzar. When King Nebuchadnezzar later in his life had the dream of the huge tree, God s interpretation of the dream to Daniel was that Nebuchadnezzar s greatness had reached unto heaven (Dan 4:22), namely God s kingdom of heaven. That is because Nebuchadnezzar valued messages through his spirit as important. Nebuchadnezzar was even prepared to kill all of his wise men because they were not able to interpret his dream. King Nebuchadnezzar was also fortunate in his time to have seen Christ through his spirit in the fiery furnace after he erected the great golden statue: He (Nebuchadnezzar) said, Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods. (Dan 3:25). Only King Nebuchadnezzar could see the fourth person walking in the fire, because the king s spirit was alive to God he was a child of God. (Christ graciously reveals to Nebuchadnezzar that he had made a mistake in erecting this statue, which was a most humbling experience for Nebuchadnezzar, who had to acknowledge in front of everybody that he did wrong.) The other people around the fire could not see Christ, because their spirits were deadened. Daniel experienced the same later on in his life when he saw Christ I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hide themselves. (Dan 10:7) King Nebuchadnezzar seeing Christ through his spirit in the fiery furnace was a vision. A dream and a vision is exactly the same. Both are pictures seen by man s soul through the eyes of man s spirit. Within a dream, man s body sleeps, while within a vision, man s body is awake. Man s spirit is awake 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, just as God, who is spirit never sleeps. King Nebuchadnezzar also saw in a second dream an angel from God through his spirit: In my visions I saw while lying in my bed, I looked, and there before me was a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven. (Dan 4:13).

10 8 King Nebuchadnezzar as a child of God saw more in the spirit realm than most Christians living on the earth have seen, where-as the kingdom of heaven is accessible to all Christians while they live on earth! King Nebuchadnezzar not only received the revelation of God preparing to establish His kingdom of heaven on earth after 4 earthly kingdoms have passed. Most of all, King Nebuchadnezzar had the profound revelation given by the Holy Spirit to him of God s spiritual kingdom of heaven, which Christ came to preach and establish on earth more than 600 years later. His (God s) kingdom is an eternal kingdom: his dominion endures from generation to generation. (Dan 4:3). Furthermore, Nebuchadnezzar declared: His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. (Dan 4:34). Nebuchadnezzar knew that tremendous powers flow from this kingdom He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven (Dan 4:35), which is the same powers that flowed constantly through Christ, healing people and driving out demons. It is from this kingdom which born-again Christians are able to harness power to overcome. Yet many Christians do not even believe that this power is available to them now on earth. THE KING EXPERIENCED STABILITY IN HIS KINGDOM The most significant characteristic of why King Nebuchadnezzar s reign was considered gold in God s eyes is that, when God drove the king out from his people and he became insane (Dan 4:33) for a period, all the wise men of Babylon (Dan 4:6) he brought before him to interpret the dream (Dan 4:6) were prepared to abide by what God has prophesied over the king through Daniel, namely: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign.the command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. (Dan 4:25, 26). The period of seven times (Dan 4:25, 32) refers to 7 years, just as the period of a time, times and half a time (Dan 7:25) refers to 3,5 years. For 7 years his court would rule without the presence of their king, and without overthrowing his kingship. God s tribulation on the king would be for a temporary period of 7 years. The king s subordinates still continued to respect the king, even though he was insane. They remained loyal to him. They did not try to topple and overthrow his reign. Just as God is invisible, and yet man honours God, in like manner the whole court of Nebuchadnezzar still continued to honour the king even though he was not visible on the throne. God sustained his palace and gave it back to him after 7 years as He has prophesied. The king could again be restored afterwards in his position as king. At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honour and splendour were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became greater than before. (Dan 4:36). The more the rulers had to perform and present themselves respectable and worthy in their own strength every moment of the day in front of their subordinates in order to stay in an authority position, the less value the material with which the kingdom is represented within the great image which King Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream at the age of 25 years. Nebuchadnezzar is not considered the head of gold because he managed to implement systems to keep his kingdom going for 7 years while he became like a beast. When it happened it happened suddenly. Immediately what had be said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled (Dan 4:33). No, Nebuchadnezzar was gold because he went to great lengths to understand what has been seen and heard through his spirit. He understood that man s spirit has senses, which is able to see and hear in the spirit realm as well.

11 9 THE KING WROTE A CHAPTER IN THE BIBLE Most significant is that King Nebuchadnezzar wrote the whole of Daniel chapter 4 in dependence of God which had been taken up in the Bible as the Word of God. King Nebuchadnezzar was a prophet in own right. Daniel chapter 4 starts with King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world. Peace be multiplied to you! It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. (Dan 4:1, 2). Through King Nebuchadnezzar, God s Word protruded and was spread throughout his kingdom. King Nebuchadnezzar was a missionary for God more than any other missionary in the world could ever dream to become. King Nebuchadnezzar knew that the kingdom of heaven consists of peace, as he starts his story with Peace be multiplied to you (Dan 4:1). This is the language of the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven constitute of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). King Nebuchadnezzar was described in the vision in Daniel chapter 7 by the image of a beast which was like a lion, and had eagle's wings (Dan 7:4). Both of these properties are 2 of the 4 properties which Christ has, as described in Revelation chapter 4. In the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures.. The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. (Rev 4:6, 7). Many scriptures refer to Christ s mind been able to enter heaven while walking the earth in a physical body. This ability of Christ is represented by the image of a flying eagle, roaring high in heaven. Now King Nebuchadnezzar also had similar abilities, for God portrayed him as having eagle s wings (Dan 7:4). This does not imply that those wings were always flying as Christ is portrayed as a flying eagle (Rev 4:7). However, King Nebuchadnezzar had his events in his life where he experienced something of God s kingdom of heaven. God eventually moulded King Nebuchadnezzar into the third of four characteristics of Christ noted in Rev 4:7, namely the third living creature had a face like a man (Rev 4:7). This is true, because Daniel s vision in Daniel chapter 7 saw King Nebuchadnezzar as God dealing with the beast in a certain way: I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it. (Dan 7:4). This refers to a person been able to operate to both heaven and earth, to both the spiritual and physical realms simultaneously, as God has initially intended man to be: Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness (Gen 1:26). THE KING PROMOTED THOSE IN CONTACT WITH GOD S KINGDOM Nebuchadnezzar was also the head of gold, because when God acted, he acknowledged God s movements and promoted those who operated in dependence of God. He did this in Chapter 2 to Daniel and his 3 friends after the interpretation of the dream of the great statue (Dan 2:48, 49). He did this also in Chapter 3 to Daniel s 3 friends after the experience of the fiery furnace (Dan 3:30). In contrast, Christ, the Word of God made flesh, performed miracles in front of the Jewish leaders, such as healing the hand of a man on a Sunday, even raising Lazarus from the dead just 4 kilometres from Jerusalem. However, the religious Jewish leaders did not acknowledge God s workings and praised Him, but determined in their hearts to try and kill Jesus. They tried to kill God s Word made flesh. CONCLUSION King Nebuchadnezzar was not the head of gold because of some fleshly idea of man such as that the Babylonian kingdom was the largest of the 4 earthly kingdoms. The second kingdom, the Medo-Persian kingdom, was about 16 times larger than the Babylonian kingdom, and the

12 10 third kingdom, the Grecian kingdom, and Fourth kingdom were at least 10 times larger than the Babylonian kingdom.

13 11 3. SELECTIVENESS IN NOTING THE BABYLONIANS This chapter briefly focuses on the reasons why the Babylonian kingdom was not mentioned in any of the visions after Daniel chapter 7, and God s selectiveness in mentioning kings of the Babylonian kingdom. THE BABYLONIANS NOT MENTIONED IN DANIEL CHAPTER 8 TO 12 The Babylonian kingdom is only shown in the 2 dreams of Daniel chapters 2 and 7. No prophetic words are uttered of the Babylonian kingdom from Daniel chapter 8 onwards. The first reason is that the vision in Daniel chapter 8 focuses on the most prominent kings of the gentile kingdoms still remaining at that stage. Daniel received the vision of Daniel chapter 8 in 548 BC. The most prominent king of the Babylonian kingdom, King Nebuchadnezzar II, already died in 562 BC, 14 years earlier. For this reason, the most prominent king in God s eyes of the Babylonian kingdom is not presented in Daniel chapter 8. While God focused on 4 kingdoms in Daniel chapter 2, God has already dealt with both the king and his kingdom simultaneously of the Babylonian kingdom during the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar The God of heaven has given you the kingdom (Dan 2:37) and You [as king] are that head of gold. (Dan 2: 38). God already knew then, when Daniel was 15 years old, that he will again interact with Daniel about the most prominent kings of the 4 kingdoms at a time when King Nebuchadnezzar would have already passed away. God did this in Daniel chapter 7, even though King Nebuchadnezzar was already 12 years in the grave. The dream in Daniel chapter 7 confirms and re-establishes God s plan of 4 main kings and their 4 kingdoms before God sets up His own kingdom on earth. From Daniel chapter 8 it is no longer necessary to refer back to King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel chapter 8 starts off with the 2 main kings of the Medo-Persian kingdom The twohorned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia (Dan 8:20). Then the kings of the Grecian kingdom is presented, with Alexander the Great, the king of Greece, as the most prominent king The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. (Dan 8:21). Then the division of the Grecian kingship of Alexander the Great into 4 kingdoms is presented. Here is not talking about 4 kings of the 4 kingdoms, but merely about the 4 kingdoms, because, as will seen later on, the 4 kingdoms in the last part of the Grecian Kingdom did not have precisely 4 kings. The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation. (Dan 8:22). Then the activities of the most prominent king of the fourth kingdom, Christ, of the dream of Daniel chapter 7, that looked more imposing than the others (Dan 7:20) are presented in Dan 8: 9-14 and explained in Dan 8: A second reason why King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian kingdom is not mentioned in Daniel chapter 8 and further on, is that the vision in Daniel chapter 8 was received 10 years before the Babylonian kingdom would cease to exist, i.e. just before the Medo-Persian kingdom would conquer the Babylonian kingdom. Daniel was operating within the Babylonian kingdom, under the last king of this kingdom, King Belshazzar, in the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar (Dan 8:1). The Medo-Persian kingdom would conquer Babylon 10 years later. Daniel already knew in detail about the Babylonian kingdom it is not necessary to prophesy again about the Babylonian kingdom. Furthermore, all the other visions (Daniel chapters 9 to 12) were received after the Babylonian kingdom has ended.

14 12 GOD S SELECTIVENESS IN MENTIONING BABYLONIAN KINGS Nebuchadnezzar II was not the only king of the Babylonian kingdom. King Nebuchadnezzar reigned for a period of 45 years from 606 BC to 562 BC. Then Evil-merodach reigned 23 years (562 BC- 560 BC), then Nergal-Sharezer (560 BC 556 BC), then Labasi-Marduk for 9 months (556 BC-556 BC), then Nabonidus (556 BC 538 BC). Nabonidus took up residence in Tema in 550 BC, allowing his son, Belshazzar, to act as co-regent in Babylon. Thus, Belshazzar reign as king of Babylon for 12 years, from 550 BC up to 538 BC, being killed at on the fatal night of the fall of Babylon in 538 BC, reflected in Dan 5:30. Nebuchadnezzar s son, or grandson, Belshazzar, was the last king to reign Babylon. It was Belshazzar who forgot the history of God s dealings with his father, and was therefore not so interested in hearing from the kingdom of heaven. Belshazzar even misused the golden cups and vessels from the temple of the living God for his own purposes (Daniel chapter 5). God had to intervene supernaturally through the writing on the wall, stating that Belshazzar has been weighted and found to be too light (Dan 5: 24-28). Furthermore, Nebuchadnezzar II was not the first king of the Babylonian kingdom. His father, Nabopolassar was the first king of the Babylonian kingdom, who ruled for 20 years, from 626 BC up to 606 BC. He prepared the Babylonian kingdom for his son, Nebuchadnezzar II. Yet, Nabopolassar is not mentioned in the Book of Daniel. In God s eyes, the main king of the Babylonian kingdom was King Nebuchadnezzar II. There were therefore in total at least 7 kings of the Babylonian kingdom: Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar II, Evil-merodach, Nergal-Sharezer, Labasi-Marduk, Nabonidus and Belshazzar, of which 71%, or 5 of the 7 kings, are not mentioned in the Book of Daniel. The Babylonian kingdom ruled from 626 BC up to 538 BC, a total of 88 years. Only the 45 years of King Nebuchadnezzar and the 12 years of King Belshazzar are mentioned in the Book of Daniel. A total of 31 years, or 35% of the years, are, in God s eyes, not worth mentioning in the Book of Daniel. God is selective in presenting information about kings in the Book of Daniel. This trend of selective information is found in the second, third and the fourth gentile kingdoms as well before God sets up His own kingdom on earth that will be forever and ever. The 5 kings of Babylon not mentioned the Book of Daniel had no adverse impact on the Jews which would necessitate God to warn the Jews through prophecy about them, or to highlight God s dealings with them. In contrast, King Nebuchadnezzar is highlighted as the most prominent king of the Babylonian kingdom, because he took the Jews of Judaea, in particular Jerusalem, into exile, besieged Jerusalem 3 times, destroyed Jerusalem and its walls, and also destroyed the temple which Solomon built. King Belshazzar is also mentioned in the Book of Daniel because he desecrated the goblets and other golden vessels that were specifically used in the temple of God in Jerusalem, and placed in safe keeping in Babylon. Thus, when an earthly king is in some way or another impacting on the Jews, then they are mentioned in scripture. THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE BABYLONIAN KINGDOM In God s eyes, the first of the four kingdoms noted in Daniel chapters 2 and 7, namely the Babylonian kingdom, started in 606 BC. This is what the Lord says: When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my gracious promise to bring you back to this place (Jerusalem) (Jer 29:10). This period of 70 years was measured in God s eyes from the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar II, the first siege upon Jerusalem and the first year of exile of some of the

15 13 Jews to Babylon in 606 BC, of whom Daniel and his friends were part of. The season of exile ended 2 years after the Babylonian kingdom fell and the Persian king, Cyrus, decreed to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem in 536 BC. In God s eyes, the Babylonian kingdom started in 606 BC in king Nebuchadnezzar s first year as king. The Babylonian kingdom ended in 538 BC, at the death of Belshazzar, king of the Babylonian kingdom and Darius, the Mede, taking over. That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom. (Dan 5:30, 31). The exile of the Jews ended in 536 BC, 2 years after the fall of the Babylonian kingdom. The prophecy in Jer 29:10 noted above does not consider the length of the Babylonian kingdom, but considered 70 years of existence of the city of Babylon, which still existed in 536 BC although the Babylonian kingdom no longer existed.

16 14 4. THE MEDO-PERSIAN KINGDOM IN DAN 2 & 7 The second of the four kingdoms is the Medo-Persian kingdom before God establishes His kingdom on earth for ever and ever. This chapter briefly presents the prophecies about the Medo-Persian kingdom in chapters 2 and 7 of the Book of Daniel, as well as more details of the fulfilment of those prophecies. The prophecies relating to the Medo-Persian kingdom in the whole Book of Daniel are the following: Dan 2:32, 35, 39, 44, 45 Dan 7:2, 3, 5, 12, 17 Dan 8:2-4, 6, 7, 20 Dan 11:2 DETAILS OF THE SECOND KING IN DANIEL CHAPTER 2 The first detail reflected in the Book of Daniel of the second kingdom was in 605 BC in the second year of King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2:1) of Babylon, when Daniel was about 15 years old. Both king Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel saw a huge statue, its chest and arms of silver. (Dan 2:32). The interpretation was After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. (Dan 2:39). From this vision, no specific details were conveyed of the second kingdom. No details could be identified with the second kingdom. It shows God s grace towards the young king Nebuchadnezzar, who was still a boy of 25 years old, and grace towards Daniel, who was still a child of only 15 years old. Only 57 years later, in Daniel s vision of the ram, the main king of the Medo-Persian kingdom would be clearly identified as King Cyrus II the Great, and which will be elaborated on later in this chapter under Details of the second king in Daniel chapter 8. THE SIZE OF THE MEDO-PERSIAN KINGDOM At the height of the Medo-Persian kingdom, the kingdom encompassed about 8 million square kilometres, or 5,4% of the 149 million square kilometres of land available on the earth s surface. This is about 16 times larger than the first earthly kingdom of King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian kingdom. The Medo-Persian kingdom spanned over 3 continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. The empire included the current Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, parts of Central Asia, Asia Minor, Thrace and Macedonia, much of the Black Sea coastal regions, Iraq, northern Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Libya. THE KING OF SILVER; NOT OF GOLD King Cyrus II the Great was silver in God s eyes for various positive character traits built within Cyrus.

17 15 Persian youth, aged between 5 and 20, were instructed in three things, namely to ride a horse, to draw a bow, and to speak the truth. The most disgraceful thing in the world the Persians thought, is to tell a lie; the next worst, to owe a debt: because, among other reasons, the debtor is obliged to tell lies. To tell a lie was considered to be a cardinal sin, and it was punishable by death in some extreme cases. King Cyrus had these qualities. King Cyrus revolted throughout his whole life against oppressive systems. He himself knew what it was like to be oppressed by the Medes, and therefore his conquests as a Persian started by overthrowing the yoke of the Medes first. Therefore, when King Cyrus conquered new nations and areas, he never tried to be oppressive towards these new subjects. Cyrus II the Great is remembered for his unprecedented tolerance towards those he defeated. Furthermore, Cyrus II the Great showed great forbearance and respect towards the religious beliefs and cultural traditions of other races. These qualities earned him the respect and homage of all the people over whom he ruled. Cyrus had no thought of forcing conquered people into a single mould, and had the wisdom to leave unchanged the institutions of each kingdom he added to the Persian Crown. By pursuing a policy of generosity instead of repression, and by favouring local religions, he was able to make his newly conquered subjects into enthusiastic supporters. Cyrus modelling himself as the saviour of conquered nations. To reinforce this image, he instituted policies of religious freedom, and restored temples and other infrastructure in the newly acquired cities. A new wind was blowing from the east, carrying away the cries and humility of defeated and murdered victims, liberating nations from slavery. When Cyrus II the Great conquered Babylon, the Jewish Community cheered. They welcomed him as a liberator. As a result of his policies in Babylonia, he is referred to by the Jews as the anointed of the Lord or a Messiah (Isa 45:1-6; Ezra 1:1-11). The Jews honoured him as a dignified and righteous king. Of him was prophesied I will raise up Cyrus in my righteousness: I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild my city and set my exiles free, but not for a price or reward, says Yahweh Almighty. (Isa 45:1-6). About 150 years before the events actually happened, God revealed to Isaiah (Isa 45:1-3) the details surrounding Israel s return to the land. Isaiah spoke it as prophecy. Isaiah even gave the exact name of the ruler that God would use. Cyrus not only allowed the Jews to return to Israel, but also gave back all the treasures (the golden instruments of worship) which were stolen from the Israelites. It is Cyrus II the Great of whom is spoken in Daniel 10:1. In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision (Dan 10:1). In 536 BC, King Cyrus II the Great allowed more than Jews to leave Babylon and return to the Promised Land of Israel. God used King Cyrus to bring the Jews back to the Promised Land. God also used King Cyrus to liberate mankind from oppression of rulers over a surface area that was 16 times larger than the Babylonian kingdom, allowing man to have freedom of association and religion, and respecting the citizenship of ordinary human beings. God was preparing fertile ground for the spread of the kingdom of heaven in the hearts of human beings of all nations. Yet, God considered King Cyrus II as the arms and chest of silver in the dream of the great image of King Nebuchadnezzar.

18 16 King Cyrus II was considered silver because he did not have the access to the kingdom of heaven which King Nebuchadnezzar had. Furthermore, while the Jews were under the protection of King Nebuchadnezzar in the same city, Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar was blessed and prosperous. However, King Cyrus II did not had the same privilege. King Cyrus II sent the Jews away, back to their home country, Israel. The Jews were far away, 1600 kilometres away, from where King Cyrus II ruled. Even though King Cyrus II the Great valued truth very high, the truth in man and the truths received from the Holy Spirit differ vastly. The truth in man is corrupt owing to the fallen nature of man. Only the truths of God are important, but have to be received into man s spirit from the kingdom of heaven. And King Cyrus II never received these in abundance, at least not in the same measure as King Nebuchadnezzar. DETAILS OF THE SECOND KING IN DANIEL CHAPTER 7 The second detail reflected in the Book of Daniel of the second kingdom was in 550 BC, in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon (Dan 7:1), when Daniel was about 70 years old. Belshazzar was the last king of Babylonian kingdom. And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, Get up and eat your fill of flesh! (Dan 7:5). The image of a bear represents King Cyrus II the Great (576 BC 530 BC), who reigned for 30 years from 559 BC to 530 BC. King Cyrus II Great was the main king of the Medo-Persian kingdom. Since the main king of the first kingdom, King Nebuchadnezzar already died in 562 BC, King Cyrus II the Great started to emerge in 559 BC, 3 years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar, as a prominent ruler. Cyrus II the Great forged and founded the Medo-Persian kingdom by becoming the successor of both the regions of the Medes and the Persians. He conquered the Medes in 550 BC. He was at that stage the ruler of both the Medes and the Persians. It was also in 550 BC, when Daniel received the vision of King Cyrus II the Great representing a bear. Daniel was therefore already well acquainted with King Cyrus II the Great in his surroundings. In 550 BC, when Daniel received the vision of King Cyrus II the Great as a bear, King Cyrus was 26 years old. Daniel saw the fulfilment of the prophecies of King Cyrus II the Great, when he absorbed 2 kingdoms into the Persian kingdoms, namely the Median kingdom to the west of Persia in 550 BC, and the Lydian kingdom towards the north in 446 BC. The Lydian kingdom is currently the area known as Turkey. The Lydian kingdom already existed from 690 BC. The question was which would be the third kingdom, because the prophecy saw it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth (Dan 7:5). Only 8 years later, in 438 BC, the third rib, representing a kingdom, would be absorbed, namely that of the Babylonian kingdom, where Daniel lived. God s timing of revealing the coming second kingdom was perfect. The image of a bear reveals the ferocity (Isa 13:17, 18) and the dread (Isa 21:2 ff) King Cyrus II the Great and his Medo-Persian kingdom aroused. Arise, devour much flesh (Dan 7:5) is God s instruction of justice and righteousness on mankind indulging in the life of the flesh instead of the Spirit. It is God s instruction to absorb many who walk in the flesh.

19 17 The image of a bear was quite fitting for the Persian, King Cyrus II the Great, and his methods of conquering other kingdoms. A bear looks huge, but clumsy, and yet consists of incredible strength. The Persians wielded vast masses of human strength and own efforts on their perceived enemies. Their armies varied from on smaller expeditions to a million. Their armies consisted of all nations. When the Persians first became a conquering people, they used to strengthen their armies by forcing the conquered nations to accompany them on their further advances, moving in front of the Persian army as baggage. This fulfilled the prophecy Arise, devour much flesh (Dan 7:5). When this procession approached enemy country, the army was divided according to nations. The history of the world gives no instance, of which such a multitude and variety of nations was compressed into one spot of the earth, each with its own traditions, cultures and means of transportation in the armies. Cyrus II used the pride residing in each nation to his fullest effect. For a war, officers were taken from the Persians a privilege of the conquering nation. Nations that were subjected were treated as property, and were called slaves, in contrast with the Persians who called themselves Freemen. However, in the eyes of the king, the Persians were as little free as the nations subjected to the Persians. This initial strategy of increasing their size and collecting more capable men eventually failed in the long run after they have conquered distant lands, and internal disturbances or unrest would flare up at faraway places within the kingdom. It took time for the newly established kingdom to collect sufficient men, horses, ships and provisions out of all the distant countries at one rendezvous, and to move to areas of unrest within the kingdom. All nations were gathered in the armies of the Medo-Persians, destroying their environment and setting up their own gentile, earthly kingdom. Although the Medo-Persians indulged in the flesh, by God s grace the practice of slavery in the Medo-Persian kingdom was generally banned and implemented in varying degrees throughout the kingdom, resulting in the freeing of the Jews at Babylon. DETAILS OF THE PERSIAN, CYRUS II, TAKING OVER 3 KINGDOMS This section focuses on providing more details of Cyrus II absorbing the 3 kingdoms of Media, Lydia and Babylonia. The history of the Persian, Cyrus II the Great, conquering the Median Empire is as follows. Though his father died in 551 BC, Cyrus the Great had already succeeded to the throne in 559 BC at the age of 17 years. However, Cyrus was not yet an independent ruler. Like his predecessors, Cyrus had to recognize the Median overlordship of Astyages. Cyrus revolted against this overlordship from 553 BC owing to its oppressive nature. His first battles against the Medes took place early 552 BC, when Cyrus was 24 years old. Cyrus led his armies against the Medes until the capture of Ecbatana in 550 BC, effectively conquering the Median Empire. In terms of Cyrus II the Great conquering the Lydian kingdom, the Lydians, headed by their ruler, Croesus, first attacked the city Pterian in Cappadocia under the rulership of Cyrus II the Great. The Lydians besieged and captured the city enslaving its inhabitants. Meanwhile the Persians invited the citizens of Ionia who were part of the Lydian kingdom to revolt against their ruler. The offer was rebuffed, and thus Cyrus II the Great levied an army