THE WISE SHALL THE STUDY OF DANIEL UNDERSTAND THE STUDY OF DANIEL ROBERT W. TOZIER WWW.CREATIONREVELATION.ORG 1
Creation Revelation Robert & Mary Tozier WWW.CREATIONREVELATION.ORG Rtozier@creationrevelation.org At Sunrise Southern Baptist Church Las Vegas, NV 2
The Wise Shall Understand Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 3
The Wise Shall Understand The Study of Daniel Lesson 02 THE GENTILE EMPIRE Daniel 1:1-2 Part 2 of 2 4
The Wise Shall Understand Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 5
Opening Prayer 6
THE GENTILE EMPIRE Introduction to the Book of Daniel 7
The Times of the Gentiles 8
The Times of the Gentiles Just before Christ comes, all nations will gather against Israel. Today all nations are lining up in opposition to Israel, setting the stage for Christ s return. Zechariah chapter 12 gives an important clue to the exact time that event when all nations will come against Jerusalem. 9
The Times of the Gentiles ZEC 12:2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. 3 And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. 10
The Times of the Gentiles Then in chapter 14 Zechariah again writes that all nations will be gathered against Jerusalem: ZEC 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle. 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 11
The Times of the Gentiles Revelation 16 speaks of this time when all nations will gather against Jerusalem, instead of some nations: Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. (Continued) 12
The Times of the Gentiles 13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. 13
The Times of the Gentiles Revelation 19 makes clear that the attack is against the King of kings, Jesus Christ: Notice that this happens when all nations are gathered against Jerusalem. REV 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. Now carefully notice Revelation 11:2: 14
The Times of the Gentiles REV 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. The above verses indicate that the "times of the Gentiles" beginning with Nebuchadnezzar will not end for Jerusalem until the Lord returns to fight the assembled nations at His Second Advent. 15
The Sins of Judah 16
The Sins of Judah Idolatry was an important reason for the captivity of Judah. Israel had been sufficiently warned by God about going after other gods. Notice what Jeremiah has to say about this: JER 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward. 17
The Sins of Judah 25 Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: 26 Yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck: they did worse than their fathers. (Continued) 18
The Sins of Judah 29 for the Lord hath rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath. 30 they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it. 31 And they have built the high places in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire. 34 Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness for the land shall be desolate. 19
The Sins of Judah Jer 8:1 At that time, saith the Lord, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, his princes, of the priests, of the prophets, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves: 2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped they shall be for dung upon the 20 face of the earth.
The Sins of Judah 3 And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts. After the Babylon captivity, idolatry was never again a problem for Israel. 21
The Gentiles to be Saved 22
The Gentiles to be Saved The "times of the Gentiles" begins with Nebuchadnezzar and ends with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. God's plan was that salvation would be offered to all, including Gentiles, and Nebuchadnezzar would play his part in that plan. Isaiah has much to say about that: 23
The Gentiles to be Saved A prophecy of Jesus Christ: ISA 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (Continued) 24
The Gentiles to be Saved 10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. ISA 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; (Continued) 25
The Gentiles to be Saved 7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. ISA 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. 26
The Gentiles to be Saved ISA 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 27
The Gentiles to be Saved ISA 66:19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. 28
The Gentiles to be Saved ISA 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 29
Sabbaths for the Land 30
Sabbaths for the Land Besides idolatry, the reason that Israel was to go into captivity is that they failed to honor the Sabbaths for their land. The land would now get its rest. 2 Chron 36:20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 31 (Continued)
Sabbaths for the Land 21 To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. Jeremiah was even more specific: Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 32
The Study of Daniel Begins - The Conquest, Daniel 1:1 33
The Conquest Daniel 1:1 Dan 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. This first conquest of Jerusalem occurred in 605BC. It was in this conquest that Daniel and the brightest and best of the Hebrews were carried captive to Babylon in the summer of 605BC. 34
The Conquest Daniel 1:1 In this first verse the language is Hebrew, therefore the perspective and viewpoint is the Hebrew people. What led to this defeat of Jerusalem? Let s journey back in Israel s history to see a splitting of the people. 35
Splitting the Kingdom 36
Splitting the Kingdom At the end of King Solomon's reign, 975 BC, a revolution caused by religious apostasy and excessive taxation split Israel into two parts Israel composed of ten tribes and Judah composed of Judah and Benjamin. 2 Chronicles chapter 10 speaks of the oppression of Rehoboam whom the people wished to make king. He failed to heed the advice of the elders and thus split the kingdom: 37
Splitting the Kingdom 2CH 10:6 And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? 7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever. 8 But he forsook the counsel. 15 So the king hearkened not unto the 38 people. (Continued)
Splitting the Kingdom 16 the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents. 17 But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. 19 And Israel [the northern 10 tribes] rebelled against the house of David unto this day. 39
The Assyrian Conquest 722 BC 40
Assyrian and Babylonian Conquests The Northern Kingdom apostatized more than Judah and both went through 300 years of civil strife until finally Assyria conquered the northern ten tribes and carried thousands into captivity to Nineveh. A remnant escaped into Judah. The Assyrians sent aliens into Israel (Northern Kingdom) to mix with the remaining people, to further assure the 41 destruction of the country and people.
Assyrian and Babylonian Conquests After conquering the Northern Kingdom, the Assyrians next turned their sights on Judah. They pushed south to Judah, but by the intervention of God the Assyrians were defeated and Judah was preserved. Judah, instead of repenting and returning to keeping the laws of God, entered into apostasy and rebellion. 42
Assyrian and Babylonian Conquests Therefore, God withheld his protection, and 100 years later "the Babylonian Empire, which had absorbed the Assyrian Empire, came against Judah and conquered Jerusalem." 43
The Fall of Jerusalem 605 BC 44
The Fall of Jerusalem Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, was morally corrupt and unsympathetic to the condition of his people. He encouraged the worshipping of idols. He tried at first to deal with Nebuchadnezzar, but after having delivered Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, reneged and attacked the Babylonians. He was slain by Nebuchadnezzar and his body left to rot outside the gates of Jerusalem. 45
The Fall of Jerusalem Daniel specifically mentions Jeremiah in regarding desolations of Jerusalem and the captivity of seventy years. Dan 9:2 I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. This fall was prophesied by both Isaiah and Jeremiah. 46
Captivity, Tribulation and Promise 47
Captivity, Tribulation and Promise Isaiah had previously prophesied to King Hezekiah of Judah, who had bragged to the Babylonians of his treasures: ISA 39:5 Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. 48
Captivity, Tribulation and Promise Regarding the people of Judah and the treasures, Jeremiah prophesied: Jer 20:4 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. 49
Captivity, Tribulation and Promise Regarding Jerusalem: JER 21:10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 50
Captivity, Tribulation and Promise The Jews are to serve the king of Babylon: Jer 25:11 And these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Jer 28:14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 51
Captivity, Tribulation and Promise God would bring Israel again to Jerusalem after seventy years captivity. JER 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 14 I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. 52
Captivity, Tribulation and Promise Just as Israel went into captivity for seventy years, and was restored by God, there will be seven years of tribulations during which time the Antichrist will kill and oppress. 53
Captivity, Tribulation and Promise Dan 9:27 And he [Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week [seven years]: and in the midst of the week [three and a half years] he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. After that tribulation, Christ will return to set up His Kingdom of Righteousness. 54
Daniel 1:2 55
Daniel 1:2 DAN 1:2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar s] hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. Higher critics have said that there is no evidence for Nebuchadnezzar putting captured treasures in his houses of worship, but archaeology has confirmed that "Nebuchadnezzar always put his 56 choicest spoils in his house of worship."
Daniel 1:2 The house of his god was the house of his god Marduk. Putting the vessels in the house of Marduk would be a gesture attributing the victory to Marduk. During this time Solomon's Temple was profaned with idols after which it was completely destroyed. Josephus, historian and priest of the first century, gives a fuller account of this event: 57
Daniel 1:2... The king of Babylon sent Nebuzaradan, the general of his army, to Jerusalem, to pillage the temple; who had it also in command to burn it and the royal palace, and to lay the city even with the ground, and to transplant the people into Babylon. Accordingly he came to Jerusalem, in the eleventh year of king Zedekiah, and pillaged the temple, and carried out the vessels of God, both gold and silver, and particularly that large laver which Solomon dedicated, as also the pillars of brass, and their chapiters, (Continued) 58
Daniel 1:2 with the golden tablets and candlesticks; and when he had carried these off, he set fire to the temple in the fifth month, the first day of the month, in the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah, and in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar; he also burnt the palace, and overthrew the city. Now the Temple was burnt four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten days, after it was built. It was then one thousand and sixty-two years, six months, and ten days, from the departure out of Egypt... (Continued) 59
Daniel 1:2 The General of the Babylonian king now overthrew the city to the very foundations, and removed all the people, and took for prisoners the high priest Seraiah, and Zepaniah, the priest that was next to him and the rulers that guarded the temple, who were three in number, and the eunuch who was over the armed men... and sixty other rulers; all whom, together with the vessels they had pillaged, he carried to the king of Babylon... So the king commanded the heads of the high priest and of the rulers to be cut off there. 60
Daniel 1:2 Some final thoughts about Daniel 1:1-2: Israel was judged and carried off to captivity for disobedience, moral depravity, and abandoning God in their minds. Today, our nation has departed from serving God and seeks after the same idols that Israel consorted with. We, as a nation, have also abandoned God in our minds. Instead of sacrificing our children to Moloch, our sacrifices are in the abortion clinics 61 throughout our land.
Daniel 1:2 We have gone over to the Roman system, and have substituted the Coliseum of Rome with the Sunday worship of simulated blood sport of the NFL, rather than honoring and worshiping God in our local churches. We seek pleasure in material things that entertain for a short time and then are cast away, instead of the eternal treasure that will satisfy eternally. When will judgment come on this unbelieving world? America has lost its sense of shame. 62
Daniel 1:2 Our President appears to have forsaken the warnings of God and has threatened to abandon Israel. Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Judgment is sure to come. 63
End of The Study of Daniel Lesson 02 64
Closing Prayer 65
Creation Revelation Robert & Mary Tozier WWW.CREATIONREVELATION.ORG Rtozier@creationrevelation.org At Sunrise Southern Baptist Church Las Vegas, NV 66