Daniel 2: The Days of the Ten Kings

Transcription

1 Daniel 2:44-45 Daniel 2:44a-The God Ruling The Heavens Will Establish An Eternal Kingdom During The Days Of The Final Stage Of The Fourth Kingdom Which Won t Be Left To Another Nation The Days of the Ten Kings Daniel 2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. (NASB95) In the days of those kings is composed of the conjunction wa ( (ו (waw), which is not translated and followed by the preposition bĕ ( (בּ (beh), in and its object is the masculine plural construct form of the noun yôm (יוֹם) (yome), days which is followed by the third person masculine plural pronominal suffix him mô (dee), (דּ י) (him-mo ), which is not translated and followed by the particle dî (ה מּ ו) which is also not translated and followed by the masculine plural form of the noun mě lěḵ (מ ל ) (meh -lek), kings and then we have the third person masculine plural demonstrative pronoun ʾin nûn (א נּוּן) (in-noon ), those. wa The conjunction wa is used in a transitional sense and means now since it is introducing a statement that marks a transition from a discussion of the four kingdoms mentioned in Daniel 2:37-43 to a discussion of the kingdom that God will establish on planet earth in Daniel 2: yôm The noun yôm is in the plural and means days referring to a period of time, which in our context is Daniel s Seventieth Week since the word is used in relation to the plural form of the noun mě lěḵ, kings which refers to the ten kings and kingdoms which will compose the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom. This is indicated by the fact that the ten toes of the statue in Daniel 2:40-43 correspond to the ten horns mentioned in Daniel 7:7-8, 23-24, Revelation 13:1-10, and 17:8-10, which are ten kingdoms. These verses are describing people and events which will take place during Daniel s Seventieth Week (Daniel 9:24-27). This noun is in the construct form which means that it governs the noun mě lěḵ, kings expressing a genitive relation indicating that the period of time in question 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1

2 belongs to the kings who will compose the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom. The noun yôm is the object of the preposition bĕ, which means during since it is a marker of an extent of time within a larger unit. Therefore, it denotes during the period of those kings. him mô The pronominal suffix him mô means those is a marker of relative reference modifying the noun yôm, which means period of time and is referring to Daniel s Seventieth Week. dî The particle dî should be translated of or not translated at all since the noun yôm is in the construct stage and it is a marker to show the genitive relationship between the noun yôm, period of time and the noun mě lěḵ, kings. It is a possessive genitive which denotes this period of time belongs to these kings who compose the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom. mě lěḵ The plural form of the noun mě lěḵ means kings and refers to the ten kings and kingdoms which will compose the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom and will be under the authority of Antichrist during the Seventieth Week of Daniel. ʾin nûn The demonstrative pronoun ʾin nûn means those is a marker of relative reference referring to the ten kings and kingdoms which will compose the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom and will reign during Daniel s Seventieth Week. The God Ruling the Heavens Will Set Up A Kingdom, Which Will Never Be Destroyed Daniel 2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. (NASB95) 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2

3 The God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed is composed of the third person masculine singular hafʿel (Hebrew: hiphil stem) active imperfect form of the verb qûm (קוּם) (koom), will set up which is followed by the masculine singular construct form of the noun ʾělāh (el-aw ), (א ל הּ) the God of and then we have the masculine plural noun š e mǎ yin (שׁ מ י ן) (shawmah -yin), heaven which is followed by the feminine singular form of the noun (דּ י) (mal-kooth), a kingdom and then we have the particle dî (מ ל כוּת) mǎl ḵûṯ (dee), which and is followed by the preposition lĕ ( (ל (leh) and its object is the masculine plural form of the noun ʿā lǎm (ע ל ם) (aw-lam ), which is not translated and then we have the negative particle lā(ʾ) ( (לא (law), never which is negating the meaning of the third person feminine singular hitpaʿʿal (Hebrew: piel) middle imperfect form of the verb ḥ ǎ ḇǎl (ח ב ל) (khab-al ), will be destroyed. ʾělāh The noun ʾělāh means the God and is employed with the plural form of the noun š e mǎ yin, heavens as it was in Daniel 2:18 and 19. In these verses, ʾělāh is a reference to the Father. That the Father is in view is indicated by several factors. First of all, Daniel 2:18 says that Daniel and his friends prayed to the God of heaven and Daniel 2:19 says that he praised God for answering his prayer. Each of these references to God are in fact a reference to the Father since the Lord Jesus Christ taught that all prayer must be addressed to the Father (Luke 11:1-2) even though Daniel and his friends lived centuries before Lord taught His disciples that all prayer must be addressed to His heavenly Father. That the Father would have been the recipient of their prayer is indicated by the fact that the Lord s teaching was not only instruction as to which member of the Trinity they were to pray to but also it was a revelation as to which member of the Trinity receives prayer. Also, in the New Testament, doxologies, which Daniel is using in these verses, tend to be directed toward the Father rather than the Lord Jesus Christ. Further supporting that God in these verses is a reference to the Father is that the Scriptures teach that both the Son and the Spirit through their work on behalf of sinners is designed to bring praise to the Father and glorify Him in the sense of revealing His character and nature. Lastly, the Scriptures teach that the Father is the recipient of prayer from the Son (Romans 8:34) as well as the Spirit (Romans 8:26). Therefore, the noun ʾělāh is employed here with the plural form of the noun š e mǎ yin, heavens and is a reference to the Father since when the word is used with š e mǎ yin, heavens in Daniel 2:18-19, it is a reference to the Father. God the Father's role in the Trinity is as the source and planner of all things. God the Son's role in the Trinity is to carry out the plan of God the Father. God the Holy Spirit reveals the Father's plan and provides the power to carry it out William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3

4 God the Father is the author and planner of salvation. He is the author of the divine decrees. God the Father is responsible for the five great imputations in human history: (1) Human life (real imputation) (Gn. 2:7). (2) Adam s sin (real imputation) (Rm. 5:18a). (3) Personal sins to Christ (judicial) (2 Co. 5:21). (4) Eternal life (real) (Rm. 5:17). (5) Divine righteousness (judicial) (Rm. 5:16). The title Father emphasizes the absolute authority that the first person of the Trinity has over all creation. The first person of the Trinity is the author of the divine plan for humanity (Eph. 1). Here in Daniel 2:37, the Father is author of the plan for Nebuchadnezzar, not to mention all of human history. š e mǎ yin The plural noun š e mǎ yin refers to the first, second and third heaven. The original languages of Scripture teach that there are three levels of heaven. This multiplicity of heavens is indicated in Hebrews 4:14 where our Lord at His ascension is said to have passed through the heavens (accusative masculine plural noun ouranos) and Paul s statement in 2 Corinthians 12:2. In the latter, the first and second heaven are not specifically mentioned but the third heaven is. 2 Corinthians 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago -- whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows -- such a man was caught up to the third heaven. (NASB95) Logically speaking, it is evident that there cannot be a third heaven without also a first and second heaven. Therefore, the first heaven must be the earth s atmosphere, the second must be stellar universe and the third must be abode of God where both elect and non-angels have access as well as dead believers of all dispensations. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator of these three levels of heaven since the Scriptures teach that He is the creator of all three levels of heaven as well as the earth. The noun š e mǎ yin is functioning as a genitive of subordination meaning that the word the word specifies that which is subordinated to or under the dominion of the head noun, which in our context, is the noun ʾělāh. This indicates that the inhabitants of the first, second and third heavens are under the Father s dominion or subordinate to Him. This is reminder to Nebuchadnezzar that he is under the authority of Daniel s God. Therefore, we will render š e mǎ yin ruling the heavens. qûm The verb qûm means to establish in the sense of bringing into existence and is used with the God ruling the heavens, i.e. the Father as its subject and His Son s 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 4

5 millennial kingdom as its object. It denotes that God the Father will establish an everlasting kingdom during the period of those kings who will compose the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom during Daniel s Seventieth Week. The hafʿel (Hebrew: hiphil) stem of the verb qûm is factitive meaning that the subject of the verb causes the direct object to enter the state described by the verb in the qal. This indicates that God as the subject causes an everlasting kingdom to be established. The imperfect mood of the verb is expressing the event of the Second Advent as taking place in the future from the perspective of Daniel in the sixth century B.C. We will translate the verb will establish. mǎl ḵûṯ The noun mǎl ḵûṯ means kingdom and refers to God s kingdom which will be manifested on the earth during His Son Jesus Christ s millennial reign. The word denotes the territorial sphere of Christ s millennial kingdom. It is used to designate the territorial sphere of this kingdom. It refers to the political boundaries of this millennial kingdom. This word denotes that this millennial kingdom, which will be the Father s kingdom, will consist of the nations, cities, villages and farmland it controlled. dî Once again, the particle dî should not be translated since it is simply a marker to show the genitive relationship between the noun mǎl ḵûṯ means kingdom and the noun ʿā lǎm, eternity. The genitive relationship is explicative meaning that the noun ʿā lǎm, eternity specifies a subtype or genus within the broader category of the noun mǎl ḵûṯ means kingdom. This type of genitive identifies a particular type of kingdom. Here it denotes an eternal kingdom. ʿā lǎm Modifying the noun mǎl ḵûṯ, kingdom is the noun ʿā lǎm, which means forever which is the object of the preposition lĕ, which is used in a temporal sense as a marker of duration of time. Therefore, this prepositional phrase means eternal indicating that the kingdom the Father will establish through His Son Jesus Christ at His Second Advent will be eternal or everlasting. Amazingly, this prepositional phrase is not translated by the ESV, NASB95, LEB, NIV84, and NRSV but is translated by the NET Bible as everlasting and the GNB as will never end William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 5

6 Asyndeton At this point in Daniel 2:44, Daniel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of asyndeton. The common practice of the Aramaic and Hebrew language as well as the Greek language was that each clause be connected with the preceding by some connective word. The term for the lack of such a connective is asyndeton. The use of conjunctions came to be very common in the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek so that the absence was noticeable and was called asyndeton, which literally means, not bound together. Asyndeton is a vivid stylistic feature that occurs often for emphasis, solemnity, or rhetorical value (staccato effect), or when there is an abrupt change in topic. Thus, it is found, for example, with commands and exhortations, put forth in rapid succession (cf. John 5:8; Eph 4:26-29; Phil 4:4-6; 1 Thess 5:15-22), sentences in a series (cf. Matt 5:3-11 [the beatitudes]; 2 Tim 3:15-16), sentences unrelated to each other/topic shift (cf. 1 Cor 5:9). In Daniel 2:44, Daniel is not using a connective word between his previous statement and the one to follow. He does this in order to emphasize that the eternal kingdom which the Father will establish on earth through His Son Jesus Christ will never be destroyed by another kingdom. The Holy Spirit through Daniel uses this figure because He wants not only Nebuchadnezzar to dwell or meditate upon this statement but also the reader to do so as well in order to acknowledge that God is sovereign over the nations of the earth. ḥ ǎ ḇǎl The verb ḥ ǎ ḇǎl means to destroy in the sense of putting out of existence. Its meaning is emphatically negated by the particle lā(ʾ), which is a marker of emphatic negation. Together, these two words teach that the Father will establish an eternal kingdom during the days of the kings who will compose the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom. They denote the indestructibility of Jesus Christ s millennial kingdom, which will be the Father s kingdom on earth. The hitpaʿʿal (Hebrew: piel) stem of the verb denotes the subject of the verb in the hitpaʿʿal (Hebrew: piel) is caused to enter a state that can be described by the same verb in the peʿal (Hebrew: qal) stem. The subject is the eternal kingdom which will be establish by the Father during the days of those kings who will form the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom. The causative agent is another group of unidentified people or kingdom. This is indicated by the statement to follow, which says the eternal kingdom that will be establish by the Father during the days of those kings who will compose the final and future stage of the fourth 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 6

7 kingdom will not be left to another people. Therefore, this stem denotes that there never will be a kingdom or people which will cause the eternal kingdom of the Father to enter into the state of being destroyed or non-existent. The imperfect mood of the verb is a prohibitive imperfect which indicates that the subject of the verb will never perform the action of the verb. This means that Daniel through the Holy Spirit is prophesying that the eternal kingdom which will be established by the Father during the days of the kings who will form the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom, will never be destroyed by another kingdom. We will translate the expression lā(ʾ) ṯiṯ ḥǎb bǎl ת ת ח בּ ל),(ל א it will never be destroyed. The Kingdom Established By God Will Not Be Left To Another People Daniel 2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. (NASB95) And that kingdom will not be left for another people is composed of the conjunction wa ( (ו (waw), and which is followed by the feminine singular form of the noun mǎl ḵûṯ (מ ל כוּת) (mal-kooth), kingdom and then we have the preposition lĕ ( (ל (leh) and its object is the masculine singular construct form of the noun ʿǎm (ע ם) (am), people which is followed by the masculine singular form of the adjective ʾā ḥ ǒ rān (אָח ר ן) (okh-or-awn ), another and then we have the negative particle lā(ʾ) (ל א) (law), not which is negating the meaning of the second person masculine singular hitpeʿel (Hebrew: qal) passive imperfect form of the verb š e ḇǎq (שׁ ב ק) (sheb-ak ), will be left. wa This time the conjunction wa is a marker of result meaning that it is introducing a statement which presents the result of the previous statements. These statement record Daniel telling Nebuchadnezzar that the God ruling the heavens will establish an eternal kingdom during the days of those kings who will form the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom. He also tells the king that the Father s eternal kingdom will never be destroyed. Now, the conjunction wa is introducing a statement which says that the Father s kingdom which He will establish on earth through His Son Jesus Christ s Second Advent will not be left to another. Therefore, this word is teaching that the Father will establish an eternal kingdom at His Son s Second Advent, which will never be destroyed so that or with the 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 7

8 result that this eternal kingdom will never be left to another people or kingdom. We will translate this conjunction therefore. mǎl ḵûṯ Once again, the noun mǎl ḵûṯ means kingdom and refers to God s kingdom which will be manifested on the earth during His Son Jesus Christ s millennial reign. The word denotes the territorial sphere of Christ s millennial kingdom. It is used to designate the territorial sphere of this kingdom. It refers to the political boundaries of this millennial kingdom. This word denotes that this millennial kingdom, which will be the Father s kingdom, will consist of the nations, cities, villages and farmland it controlled. š e ḇǎq The verb š e ḇǎq means to be left to another, to have control passed on to another. Here its subject is the eternal kingdom the Father will establish through His Son s Second Advent during the days of those ten kings who will form the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom. The object of the verb is an unidentified nation. The word s meaning is emphatically negated by the particle lā(ʾ), which is a marker of emphatic negation. Therefore, together, these two words denote that the eternal kingdom the Father will establish at His Son Jesus Christ s Second Advent which will end Daniel s Seventieth Week will never be left to another nation. In other words, the control of the Father s kingdom, which He will establish through His Son Jesus Christ s Second Advent will never be passed on to another kingdom or nation. The hitpeʿel (Hebrew: qal) stem of the verb š e ḇǎq is fientive expressing an action performed by an implicit agent, which is another nation or people. The passive voice means that the subject receives the action of the verb. The subject is the Father s kingdom, which He will establish on earth through His Son Jesus Christ s Second Advent. Thus, the passive voice denotes the Father s eternal kingdom on earth receiving the action of being left to another nation. The imperfect mood of the verb is a prohibitive imperfect which indicates that the subject of the verb will never perform the action of the verb. This means that Daniel through the Holy Spirit is prophesying that the eternal kingdom which will be established by the Father during the days of the kings, who will form the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom, will never be left to another nation or kingdom. We will translate the expression lā(ʾ) ṯiš t e ḇiq ת שׁ תּ ב ק),(ל א will never be left William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 8

9 ʿǎm The noun ʿǎm means people, nation in the sense of a large group based on various cultural, physical and geographical ties. It refers to those who are of the same stock and language. It refers to a large group that is larger than a tribe or clan but smaller than a race. The word is modified by the adjective ʾā ḥ ǒ rān, which means another. It is also the object of the preposition lĕ, which functions as a marker of advantage indicating that the Father s kingdom will never be left for the benefit of another nation. Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates that the eternal kingdom the Father will establish during the days of those kings who will form the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom will never be left for the benefit of another nation. Translation of Daniel 2:44a Daniel 2:44a Now during those days of those kings, the God ruling the heavens will establish an eternal kingdom. It will never be destroyed. Therefore, this kingdom will never be left for the benefit of another nation. Exposition of Daniel 2:44a Daniel 2:44 contains five prophetic statements, which interpret Daniel 2: In the first, Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that during the days of those kings, the God ruling the heavens will establish an eternal kingdom. The second says that this eternal kingdom will never be destroyed. The third prophetic statement is a result clause that says that this kingdom will never be left for the benefit of another nation. In the fourth, Daniel tells the king of Babylon the eternal kingdom the God ruling the heavens will establish will crush and put an end to all those kingdoms. The fifth is an adversative clause which says that this eternal kingdom will stand forever. So this verse is speaking of the kingdom of God which will be established on planet earth by the Lord Jesus Christ at His Second Advent, which will bring to an end Daniel s Seventieth Week. The kingdom of God denotes that God is sovereign over Israel and over the whole earth (Psalm 47:7-8; cf. Exodus 15:18; 1 Samuel 12:12; 1 Chronicles 16:31; 28:5; 29:11-12; Psalm 9:7-8; 45:6; 93:1-2; 103:19; 145:11-13; Isaiah 37:16; Daniel 4:34-35). The Scriptures express an expectation of the kingdom of God on earth (Isaiah 51:4-5; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:51; cf. Isaiah 2:2-4l; Micah 4:1-3; Isaiah 32:1; Jeremiah 3:17; Daniel 2:44; 7:18, 21-22, 27; Zechariah 8:22; 14:9; Mark 11:10). It is associated with the First and Second 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 9

10 Advents of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 7:14; cf. Isaiah 11:1-9; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Micah 5:2). The kingdom of God was central in the preaching of Jesus Christ and the apostles (Matthew 24:14; Luke 8:1; Acts 28:31; cf. Matthew 4:17,23; 9:35; 10:7; Mark 1:13-14; Luke 4:43; 9:2, 11; 10:9; Acts 1:3, 6-8; 8:12; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23). The kingdom of God was manifested during the First Advent of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:12; cf. Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17; 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-19; Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21; Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27; 11:20; 16:16; 17:20-21). The kingdom of God will come in its fulness only when Jesus Christ returns at His Second Advent (Luke 22:18; Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2; Matthew 25:31, 34; Luke 22:16; 1 Corinthians 15:24; 2 Timothy 4:18; Revelation 11:15; 12:10). Jesus Christ s millennial kingdom is a heavenly kingdom and is not of this world (John 18:36; cf. Revelation 5:6; 7:10; 21:1, 3). The kingdom was given to him by God the Father (Daniel 7:14; cf. Psalm 72:1; Daniel 2:44; Matthew 28:18; John 16:15). The kingdom is His by right because of His voluntary substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross, which were in obedience to the Father s will (Colossians 1:15-16; cf. Hebrews 1:8; Psalm 45:6; Revelation 22:13). Jesus Christ inherits the kingdom promised to David (Luke 1:32; cf. Romans 15:12; Isaiah 11:10; Revelation 2:27; Psalm 2:9). Church age believers enter Jesus Christ s kingdom immediately at the moment of faith alone in Christ alone (Luke 23:42-43; cf. Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20; Matthew 11:11). They are redeemed from the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:12-13; cf. Ephesians 5:5). They enjoy the blessings of Jesus Christ s kingdom now (Matthew 16:19; cf. Luke 12:32; 22:29-30; James 2:5; Revelation 1:5-6, 9; 3:21). Jesus Christ exercises His authority now over every creature and all creation while sitting at the right hand of the Father (1 Peter 3:22; cf. Ephesians 1:20-23; Philippians 2:9; Colossians 2:10; Hebrews 12:2; Revelation 12:10; 19:16). It will be firmly established on the earth at His Second Advent and it will come with power at a specific moment (Matthew 25:31; cf. Zechariah 9:10; Matthew 24:30-31; Mark 13:26-27; Luke 21:27; 2 Timothy 4:1). His kingdom will replace all earthly authority (Revelation 11:15; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:24-25, 50-52; Philippians 3:20-21). All creation will acknowledge Jesus Christ s kingship at His Second Advent and subsequent millennial reign Philippians 2:10-11; cf. Psalm 2:6-8; Revelation 5:13) and His kingdom lasts for ever Luke 1:33; cf. Isaiah 9:7). The expression the kingdom of God appears 58 times in the gospels, Matthew 4 times, Mark 14 times, Luke 32 times, and John twice and it appears 6 times in Acts. It appears only 9 times in the Pauline (Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 10

11 4:20; 6:9, 10; 15:50; Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 4:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:5). The term basileia means kingdom, rule and is derived from basileus, king. It originally stood for the royal dignity, power, authority and rule of the king but then it came to denote the king s geographical realm, the country or region over which a king ruled. The original meaning is dominant in the Greek New Testament. Basileia appears 208 times in the Septuagint and is applied both to Israel s kings and to the lords of other nations. However, Israel s understanding is unique in that they believed that all of the earth s governments were under God s authority. The noun appears 162 times in the New Testament. Louw and Nida list the following meanings for the word: (1) to rule as a king, with the implication of complete authority and the possibility of being able to pass on the right to rule to one s son or near kin to rule, to be a king, to reign, rule, reign. (37.64) (2) an area or district ruled by a king kingdom. (1.82). (Greek- English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature-Third Edition: (1) one who rules as possessor of the highest office in a political realm, king, generally of a male ruler who has unquestioned authority (exceptions are client rulers who owe their power to the grace of Rome) in a specific area (2) one who possesses unusual or transcendent power (Pages ). Dwight Pentecost states that there are three interrelated ideas within this term basileia: (1) The right to rule: The authority delegated by God to a king or sovereignty or dominion granted by God to someone reigning over a kingdom (Luke 19:11-27; Revelation 17:12). (2) The realm of rule: This involves the subjects of the one in authority rather than the authority himself (Matthew 21:43; Mark 1:15; Acts 1:6; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 11:15). (3) The reality of rule: The exercise of royal authority in a realm over which one has sovereign right to rule (Matthew 16:19; Daniel 5:7, 16; 6:1, 3; John 19:14-15). (Thy Kingdom Come, pages 12-14). Pentecost states that there is an eternal aspect as well as a temporal aspect; it has a universal nature as well as a local nature; or there is an immediate sense of the kingdom in which God rules directly, and a mediated sense of the kingdom in which God rules indirectly through appointed representatives. (ibid, page 15). He goes on to state that the nature of the kingdom is derived from the person of God and is a reflection of what is found in Him. (ibid, page 15). There are four essential truths that characterize its eternal aspect according to Pentecost: (1) It is timeless since God is eternal (Psalm 10:16; 74:12; 145:13; Jeremiah 10:10; Lamentations 5:19). (2) It is universal since God is omnipresent ( William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 11

12 Chronicles 29:11-12; Psalm 103:19; 139:7-10; Daniel 4:17, 25, 32; Amos 9:2). (3) It is administered through appointed representatives whom God deals sovereignly through men (Genesis 45:7-8; 50:20; Proverbs 21:1; Isaiah 10:5-6; 45:1-4; Jeremiah 25:8-12; 27:48; 51:11-24, 27). (4) It is miraculous in that God sometimes directly intervenes in the affairs of men (Exodus 7:3-5; Psalm 135:6-10). (Ibid, pages 15-19) God ruled His kingdom in eternity past and His subjects were originally only the angels. Satan rebelled against God s kingdom and God permitted him to establish his own kingdom to rival His. God s kingdom existed in the Garden of Eden and His subjects were Adam and Eve who were expelled from His kingdom as a result of their rebellion. However, through their faith in the promised Redeemer, they reentered the kingdom of God but not the Garden of Eden. Adam s fall necessitated a change in the administration of the kingdom in that God administered His kingdom through the law of conscience (Romans 2:14-15) whereas in the Garden of Eden, it was administered by the prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The kingdom of darkness led by Satan continued to fight God s kingdom during the Antediluvian dispensation and sought to remove it from the earth. However, the Flood during the days of Noah and God s covenant with Noah continued the kingdom of God on earth with Noah and his family as God s subjects on earth. God delegated authority to Noah to be chief administrator of His kingdom on earth. The institution of human government in the Noahic covenant established God s administration of His kingdom on earth. Men rebelled against His kingdom at the Tower of Babel. God exercised His authority by scattering men through discontinuing the universal language and creating multiple languages so that men could not reunite as easily to rebel against Him. Through the covenant with Abraham, God instituted a new form of administration and promised to establish His rule on earth in the future through a descendant of Abraham, Jesus Christ. This covenant served as the foundation for the nation of Israel. Through Israel, God continued His kingdom in and through the nation of Israel. The kingdom was administered through Moses and the Law. Throughout her history, Israel rebelled against God s authority culminating in their rejection of their King, Jesus Christ who along with John the Baptist proclaimed the kingdom of God. Their rejection of the King resulted in the temporary setting aside of the full manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth with Jesus Christ as King on the earth until the Second Advent of Christ and His subsequent millennial reign. It also resulted in God suspending the fulfillment of the seventieth week of Daniel, which 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 12

13 will be fulfilled after the rapture and will begin with Antichrist s treaty with Israel and will end with the Second Advent of Christ. During this interval, both Jews and Gentiles become subjects of the King through faith alone in Christ alone. Please note that faith alone in Christ alone has always been the way to become a subject of the King in every past dispensation and will be in the future dispensations as well. This new body of Jew and Gentile believers compose the church, which was a mystery not known to Old Testament saints. This particular form or manifestation of God s kingdom through the church began on the day of Pentecost and will end with the rapture. So between Pentecost and the rapture, the administration of God s kingdom on earth is through the church. During the church age, God administrates His kingdom and the church through the indwelling Spirit and Christ and the Word of God. The offer of entrance into God s kingdom through faith alone in Christ will continue after the rapture through the Tribulation up to the Second Advent when Christ will by force establish the kingdom of God on earth. The kingdom was manifested during the pre-canon period of the church age through the miracles performed by the apostles in the power of the Spirit. It also took place through the manifestation of the Spirit s power in the lives of church age believers who appropriated by faith the Spirit s teaching in the Word of God that they are in union with Christ and identified with Him in His death and resurrection. The kingdom is manifested in this fashion during the post-canon period of the church age. During the church age, this kingdom power is manifested through the gospel as a result of the sinner being declared justified through faith in Christ. This kingdom power is manifested during the church age through the lives of believers who appropriate the power of the Spirit through faith in the Spirit s teaching that they have died with Christ and have been raised with Him in order to endure undeserved suffering. Just as this kingdom power was manifested in weakness by means of the Spirit through the undeserved suffering of Christ on the cross (Hebrews 9:14) so it is manifested in weakness by means of the power of the Spirit in the lives of believers who endure undeserving suffering. During the millennium, the Lord Jesus Christ will personally and bodily administrate the kingdom of God on earth in Jerusalem. Satan s kingdom will be removed from the earth during the millennium but will temporarily reappear to oppose one last time God s kingdom but this rebellion will fail. Now, the kingdom of God was present during the First Advent of Christ in the person and words and actions of Christ and through His miracles performed by the power of the Spirit. However, Christ s presence on the earth did not remove Satan s kingdom from the earth. This will not take place until the Second Advent of Christ and His subsequent millennial reign William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 13

14 The kingdom of God is manifested by the manifestation of the indwelling Christ and Spirit through the body of Christ during the church age. When the believer obeys the Spirit who communicates the Father s will for the believer through the teaching of the Word of Christ, he is manifesting the kingdom of God. Specifically, the kingdom of God is manifested through the church when members of the body of Christ appropriate by faith the Spirit s teaching in the Word of God that they are in union and identified with Christ in His crucifixion, spiritual and physical deaths, burial, resurrection and session. The omnipotence of the Spirit is appropriated by the believer through faith. Also, the person of Christ is manifested. This results in a manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth since a manifestation of the character of Christ, the King, is equivalent to the manifestation of the kingdom of God since the kingdom of God is present when the King is present. In Romans 14:17, Paul s emphasis is upon the manifestation of the kingdom of God through members of the body of Christ, which is indicated by the context in that Paul is addressing the proper conduct of the strong in relation to the weak. This manifestation of the kingdom of God is accomplished when members of the body of Christ experience divine righteousness, peace and joy by experiencing fellowship with Holy Spirit through faith in the Spirit s teaching in the Word of God that they have died with Christ and have been raised with Him. In Daniel 2:44, the prepositional phrase during those days of those kings refers to those kings or kingdoms which will form the final and future stage of the fourth kingdom who will reign during Daniel s Seventieth Week. This is indicated by the fact that the ten toes of the statue in Daniel chapter 2:40-43 correspond to the ten horns mentioned in Daniel 7:7-8, 23-24, Revelation 13:1-10, and 17:8-10, which are ten kingdoms. These verses are describing people and events which will take place during Daniel s Seventieth Week (Daniel 9:24-27). Furthermore, Daniel 2:34-35 teaches that a rock, which refers to Jesus Christ s Second Advent, struck the feet of the statue and not any other part of the body of the statue, which led to the destruction of the statue, which refers to an empire which has not yet appeared on the pages of history. The Scriptures indicate that it will be an empire, which is connected to the Roman Empire but inferior in character of authority in rulership as well as power or strength. In fact, the Scriptures teach that it will be a Revived Form of the Roman Empire, which will be composed of a ten-nation confederacy which can be described as a United States of Europe. This is all indicated by several factors. First of all, the feet of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw were composed of a mixture of iron and clay. The iron in the feet indicates that the empire represented by the feet is related to the lower legs of the statue, which we noted were composed of iron, which represented the Roman Empire. Also, Daniel does not say 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 14

15 that the feet represent a fifth empire, which further indicates that the feet represent an empire which is connected to the Roman Empire. The ten horns mentioned in Daniel 7:24 correspond to the toes in Daniel 2:42 and were ten kingdoms, out of which one horn will arise who will destroy three of the other kingdoms and lead the other seven and persecute believers in Jesus Christ. Daniel 7:26 says that this one horn called the little horn will be destroyed by God. Daniel 2:44-45 teaches that this ten nation confederation depicted as ten toes of the feet of the statue will be destroyed by the Second Advent of Christ, which is depicted as a stone cut of the mountain without hands. Daniel 9:26 indicates that this little horn will be a Roman dictator as indicated by the phrase the people of the prince who is to come. The people were the Romans who destroyed the temple forty years after the death of Christ. The prince refers to the little horn, i.e. the Antichrist indicating that the Antichrist will be a Roman. This verse teaches that he will come to power after 483 prophetic years, which ended with the death of Christ on the cross. Daniel 9:27 says that he will make a seven-year treaty with the leaders of Israel, which will begin the final seven prophetic years called the seventieth week and during the middle of this seventieth week after three and a half years, he will break the treaty and stop the sacrifices in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and declare himself God. Nothing in history corresponds to the events described during this seventieth week. The Second Advent of Christ has yet to take place. Therefore, a comparison of Daniel 2:44-45 with Daniel 7:24 and 26 as well as Daniel 9:26-27 and Revelation 13 indicates that in the future, the little horn, i.e. the Antichrist will be the head of a ten-nation confederacy since he will be a Roman ruling over other nations which are close in proximity to him. Just as toes on a person s feet are right beside each other so this ten-nation confederacy will be geographically beside each other. Some commentators have attempted to find a ten-toe state of the statue in the fifth and sixth centuries A.D. However, the facts of history do not fulfill the ten toes of the statue. Daniel s Seventieth Week So in Daniel 2:44, those days refers to Daniel s Seventieth Week. One of the major lines of prophecy running throughout the Old Testament and continuing through the New Testament is the prophetic truth related to Daniel s Seventieth Week, which is also known by students of prophecy as the Tribulation period. Daniel s Seventieth Week also helps to compose a much broader prophetic subject, namely, the Day of the Lord. This term occurs in the following passages: Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 15

16 Amos 5:18 (twice), 20; Obadiah 15; Zeph. 1:7, 14 (twice); Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:10. It is the next dispensation to follow the rapture of the church. Daniel s Seventieth week refers to a 7-year period that extends from the rapture of the church to the Second Advent of Christ and is concerned with the nation of Israel exclusively and will be the worst period in all of Israel s and the world s history when Antichrist will rule the world. This 7-year period is divided into two three and a half year periods with the first three and a half years characterized as a cold war (Matthew 24:6) whereas the last three and a half years are characterized as a hot war (Matthew 24:21-22). A week in the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 refers to 7 prophetic years of 360 days; therefore, the prophecy of the 70 weeks of Daniel refers to 490 prophetic years of Israel s history. This prophecy of Daniel s took place in the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, in 538 B.C., when Daniel was between 85 and 90 years of age, 66 years after he had been exiled to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar in 606 B.C. As a result of his prophetic abilities, Daniel was elevated from the position of a captive slave to ultimately becoming the prime minister of the Babylonian empire, which at that time, ruled the world. However, the Babylonian empire was overthrown by Medo- Persian Empire, which paved the way for the liberation of the Jewish captives who had been in exile since Nebuchadnezzar s first invasion of Jerusalem in 606 B.C. Medo-Persian Empire under Darius honored Daniel who served Darius successor Cyrus, which takes us to the days that Daniel received the prophecy regarding the 70 prophetic weeks regarding the future of the nation of Israel and Her Messiah. Daniel has now seen a new great world power emerge and is wondering about the future and especially the future of his own people who are in exile in Babylon. In Daniel 9:1-2, we see Daniel turning to study the Word of God and in particular he reads the prophecy of one of his contemporaries, Jeremiah. The prophecy that Daniel read is found in Jeremiah 25: It is the 1st year of the reign of Darius the Mede. The year is 538 B.C. Daniel is between 85 and 90 years of age. He is old man now. He had been captured back in 606 B.C. when he was about 17. That means that the 70 year period of Israel s exile is coming to an end. Daniel has now seen a new great world power emerge. He is wondering about the future and especially the future of his own people who are in exile in Babylon. So Daniel turns to study the Word of God and in particular he reads the prophecy of one of his contemporaries, Jeremiah. Jeremiah 25:11 This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 16

17 nation, declares the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation. (NASB95) Therefore, in 538 B.C. Daniel was reading this prophecy and knew that the 70 years of the Babylonian Captivity would end within 2 years in 536 B.C. In Daniel 9:3-20, Daniel prayed to God asking Him for revelation regarding the future of the Jewish people. In Daniel 9:20-27, he gets an immediate answer since God sends the angel Gabriel. Daniel 9:20 Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in {my} extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 He gave {me} instruction and talked with me and said, O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell {you} for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. 24 Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. (NASB95) In the Hebrew text, the phrase seventy weeks literally reads, seventy sevens, which refers to years and not days as clearly indicated through a comparison of Scripture with Scripture. First of all, as we noted earlier, Daniel was reading Jeremiah s prophecy regarding the Israel s Babylonian exile, which was to last 70 years. Furthermore, 2 Chronicles 36:21 speaks of Jeremiah s prophecy concerning the Babylonian exile and it indicates quite clearly that the exile would last 70 years. These 70 weeks in Daniel 9:24 cannot possibly be 70 weeks in the ordinary, literal sense or 490 days for the number has an obvious relation to the 70 years of Jeremiah s prophecy in Jeremiah 25:11 and 2 Chronicles 36:21. Finally, the context clearly indicates that Daniel is referring to years and not days since Daniel 9:2 indicates that Jeremiah s prophecy of Israel s Babylonian captivity would be 70 years. The 70 years of captivity were the specific penalty for violating 70 sabbatic years, which would be 70 sevens, a total of 70 years. Seven days are in one week and every 7th year was a Sabbath rest and seventy sevens brought them to the year of Jubilee which is noted in Leviticus 25:8-12. The provisions for the land s Sabbath rest are recorded in detail in Leviticus 25:2-4, 26:32-35, 43 but in those 490 years, Israel had violated exactly 70 sabbatic years so they would go into captivity for 70 years to make amends William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 17

18 The 490 could not designate days (about 1 1/3 years) for that would not be enough time for the events prophesied by Daniel 9:24-27 to occur and the same is true of 490 weeks of seven days each (i.e. 3,430 days, about 9 ½ years). Also if days were intended one would expect Daniel to have added the phrase of days after 70 sevens for in Daniel 10:2-3 he wrote literally, three sevens of days. Also, it is important to understand that the length of a prophetic year was not 365 days but rather 360 days since the solar year, which we live by, of days was unknown to the nations in the Old Testament but the Jewish year of biblical times was lunar-solar and had only 360 days. This is borne out in Revelation in John s vision of the Great Tribulation period since it describes the last 3 ½ years as precisely 1260 days (Revelation 12:6) a time, times and half a time where time in Hebrew stands for a year of 360 days (verse 14) and forty-two months of 30 days each (13:5). Therefore, the seventy weeks of Daniel refers to 490 biblical years of 360 days. The phrase your people indicates that the prophecy deals specifically with the history of the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem and not with world history or church history. To finish the transgression refers to the nation of Israel s apostasy and sin and wandering over the face of the earth will be brought to its consummation within the seventy-sevens or 490 prophetic years at the Second Advent of Christ, on the Day of Atonement. To bring an end of sin refers to bringing sin into judgment at the cross, and extending forgiveness for sins already committed through faith in the coming Redeemer, the Messiah. To make an atonement for iniquity refers to the Cross of Christ as it affects the restoration of the nation of Israel at the Second Advent of Christ (See Zechariah 12:10). In the Hebrew text, the phrase to bring in everlasting righteousness literally means to cause to bring in everlasting righteousness and refers to the millennial reign which will be characterized by righteousness. The phrase to seal up vision and prophecy refers to the fact that all that God promised to Israel throughout her history by means of the prophets will be fulfilled during Christ s millennial reign. The sixth divine objective to anoint the Most Holy Place refers to the dedication of the most holy place in the millennial temple which is described in detail in Ezekiel Daniel 9:25 So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. (NASB95) 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 18

19 The issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was the fourth of four decrees made by Persian rulers in reference to the Jews: (1) Cyrus decree in 538 B.C. (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; 5:13). (2) Darius I decree in 520 B.C. (Ezra 6:1; 6-12). (3) Artaxerxes Longimanus decree in 458 B.C. (Ezra 7:11-26). (4) Artaxerxes Longimanus decree in 444 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-8). The first three decrees say nothing about the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem itself since the first two decrees pertain to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem and the third relates to finances for animal sacrifices at the temple but the fourth decree granted the Jews permission to rebuild Jerusalem s city walls. The first period of 49 years refers to the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:12-15) and the 62 sevens or 434 years extend up to the introduction of Jesus as the Messiah to the nation of Israel ( until the Messiah, the Prince ), which was concluded on the day of our Lord s Triumphal entry into Jerusalem just before He was crucified ( cut off). Daniel 9:26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. (NASB95) The statement after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off refers to the crucifixion of Christ. The people refers to the Romans who under the general Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The prince who is to come refers to the Antichrist who will make a seven year treaty with Israel to begin Daniel s Seventieth week. Three and a half years into the treaty, he will break and desecrate the rebuilt Jewish temple and declare himself world-ruler and God and will demand to be worshipped as God. So we can see that the first seven weeks and the sixty-two weeks that followed it ran consecutively with no time between them and totaled 483 years and extended from March 5, 444 B.C to March 30, 33 A.D. In order to understand how 444 B.C. to A.D. 33 can equal 483 years, we must understand that the Jewish calendar had 360 days per year, thus 483 years times 360 days equals 173,880 days. The Gregorian Calendar contains 365 days a year and under this 444 B.C. to A.D. 33 would be 476 years since only one year expired between 1 B.C. and A.D. 1. A total of 476 years divided by four (a leap year every four years) gives 119 additional days but three days must be subtracted from 119 because centennial years are not leap years, though every 400 th years is a leap year. Thus, 476 years times 365 days equals 173,740 days and if we add 116 days in leap years and 24 days (March 5-30), we have 173,880 days. The church age takes place between Daniel 9:26 and 27 and was a mystery (Eph. 3:9) meaning it was not known to Old Testament prophets such as Daniel. God has temporarily set aside Israel because of her rejection of Jesus Christ as 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 19