The Greek Period
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the
Prophet Daniel
“But you, Daniel, shut up
the words and seal the book, until the time of the end.”
Daniel
12:4
Chapter 8:1-27 The Greek Period
1. In the third year of the reign of
King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to
me at the first.
2. And I saw in the vision; and when I
saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in
the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal.
3. I raised my eyes and saw, and
behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both
horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up
last.
4. I saw the ram charging westward and
northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one
who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.
5. As I was considering, behold, a male
goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching
the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.
6. He came to the ram with the two
horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in
his powerful wrath.
7. I saw him come close to the ram, and
he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the
ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and
trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his
power.
8. Then the goat became exceedingly
great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it
there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
9. Out of one of them came a little
horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and
toward the glorious land.
10. It grew great, even to the host of
heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground
and trampled on them.
11. It became great, even as great as
the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him,
and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.
12. And a host will be given over to it
together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will
throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper.
13. Then I heard a holy one speaking,
and another holy one said to the one who spoke, "For how long is the
vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes
desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled
underfoot?"
14. And he said to me, "For 2,300
evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful
state."
Four Beasts
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the
Prophet Daniel
“But you, Daniel, shut up
the words and seal the book, until the time of the end.”
Daniel
12:4
Chapter 7:1-28 Four Beasts
1.
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions
of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum
of the matter.
2.
Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds
of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
3.
And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.
4.
The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings
were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two
feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.
5.
And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one
side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told,
'Arise, devour much flesh.'
6.
After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a
bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to
it.
7.
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying
and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and
broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from
all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
8. I
considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a
little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots.
And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking
great things.
Daniel takes us back
fourteen years to a dream that he had at the beginning of Belshazzar´s reign.
Up to this point, he has related the historical testimony of himself and his
three companions in Babylon. They were the instruments of the all-powerful God
of Judah, and before the eyes of world rulers, they demonstrated His greatness
and gave Him glory.
He was seen in
supernatural support of their faithfulness, in not contaminating themselves
with the delicacies and wine of Babylon, and in the supernatural revelation and
interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. He was clearly manifested in the miraculous
deliverance from the fiery furnace, revealed Himself in the interpretation of
Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream and in the interpretation of the astounding
handwriting on the wall of Belshazzar’s palace. Finally, His power was seen in
locking the jaws of fierce lions.
Daniel in the Lions’ Den
Labels:
Daniel
“… some stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34
Chapter 6:1-28 Daniel
in the Lions’ Den
1. It pleased Darius
to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom;
2. and over them three high officials, of whom
Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king
might suffer no loss.
3. Then this Daniel became distinguished above
all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in
him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
4. Then the high officials and the satraps sought
to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but
they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful,
and no error or fault was found in him.
5. Then these men said, "We shall
not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in
connection with the law of his God."
6. Then these high officials and satraps came by
agreement to the king and said to him, "O King Darius, live forever!
7. All the high officials of the kingdom, the
prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the
king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever
makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall
be cast into the den of lions.
8. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign
the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes
and the Persians, which cannot be revoked."
9. Therefore King Darius signed the document and
injunction.
Comments from Martin Luther
Labels:
Important messages
Some of Luther's comments on the book of Galatians:
1. "Don't you know that God is no respector of persons?" cries Paul. The dignity or authority of men means nothing to God. The fact is that God often rejects just such who stand in the odor of sanctity and in the aura of importance. In doing so God seems unjust and harsh. But men need deterring examples. For it is a vice with us to esteem personality more highly than the Word of God. God wants us to exalt His Word and not men.
2. If Paul would not give in to the false apostles, much less ought we to give in to our opponents. I know a Christian should be humble, but against the Pope I am going to be proud and say to him: "You, Pope, I will not have you for my boss, for I am sure that my doctrine is divine." Such pride against the Pope is imperative, for if we are not stout and proud we shall never succeed in defending the article of the righteousness of faith.
3. When it comes to establishing false worship and idolatry, no cost is spared. True religion is ever in need of money, while false religions are backed by wealth.
4. For defending the truth in our day, we are called proud and obstinate hypocrites. We are not ashamed of these titles. The cause we are called to defend, is not Peter's cause, or the cause of our parents, or that of the government, or that of the world, but the cause of God. In defense of that cause we must be firm and unyielding.
The Last Straw
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the
Prophet Daniel
“… some stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34
Chapter 5:1-31 The Last Straw
1. King Belshazzar made a great feast
for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand.
2. Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine,
commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father
had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his
lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.
3. Then they brought in the golden
vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem,
and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from
them.
4. They drank wine and praised the gods
of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.
5. Immediately the fingers of a human
hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace,
opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote.
6. Then the king's color changed, and
his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked
together.
7. The king called loudly to bring in
the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the
wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its
interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around
his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."
8. Then all the king's wise men came
in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the
interpretation.
9. Then King Belshazzar was greatly
alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed.
10. The queen, because of the words of
the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared,
"O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color
change.
11. There is a man in your kingdom in
whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and
understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and
King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—your father the
king—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and
astrologers,
12. because an excellent spirit,
knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve
problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let
Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation."
Of all the accounts
of history that are available, none are as authentic as those of God’s
historians. That is as it should be, because for that purpose God has raised
them up in the most strategic places. There are quite a number of secular
individuals, who have written of Babylonian history and its kings. However,
they wrote from a distance, in time and place, whereas Daniel’s had, we might
say, “a ring-side seat”, writing from the palace of the emperors in the city of
Babylon. No one saw these occurrences with more clarity and detail than he had.
Yet the world, in its rebellion, tend to give secular writers more credence and
criticize Daniel.
When it comes to the
life of Jesus Christ, no historical records of ancient history are more
accurately confirmed than the four Gospels, written by eye witnesses or those
very closely associated with them. We conclude that the Bible is the greatest historical
authority available. Constantly, as time unfolds, more evidence is discovered,
proving its authenticity. We, who are believers, know it to be inerrant and
only to be criticized by men out of rebellious unbelief. That, in itself, goes
to prove the biblical assessment that “the
whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 Jn.5:19).
A Kingly Conversion
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the
Prophet Daniel
“… some stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34
Chapter 4:19-37 A Kingly Conversion
19. Then
Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts
alarmed him. The king answered and said, "Belteshazzar, let not the dream
or the interpretation alarm you." Belteshazzar answered and said, "My
lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your
enemies!
20. The tree you saw, which grew and became
strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the
whole earth,
21.
whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for
all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the
birds of the heavens lived—
22. it
is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and
reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.
23. And
because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying,
'Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the
earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field,
and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the
beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,'
24. this
is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come
upon my lord the king,
25.
that you shall be driven from among men,
and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to
eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven
periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the
kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.
26.
And as it was commanded to leave the
stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from
the time that you know that Heaven rules.
27. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be
acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your
iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a
lengthening of your prosperity."
God’s providential ways are unique and not
according to the patterns of men. He sent Daniel as His ambassador to Babylon
and to King Nebuchadnezzar, as a captive, supernaturally equipped with wisdom
and a gift for interpreting spiritual messages. The enemy tried desperately to
thwart the Lord’s purpose and neutralize His elected vessel in this godless
society.
Samples of Dave's photography
I wanted to give a few examples of our son, Dave's, photography this past year or so. Some of his work has been placed in a 2018 calendar, but don't you think they should find their place in a magazine? If any of you have connections with some kind of publication, please put in a good word. Contact me at loelmarga@telefonica.net and I will pass it on to him. Dave is also hired to do weddings. (For larger view, click on any photo)
The Tree Dream
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the
Prophet Daniel
“… some stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34
Chapter 4:1-18 The Tree Dream
1. King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples,
nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to
you!
2. It has seemed good to me to show the
signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.
3. How great are his signs, how mighty
his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures
from generation to generation.
4. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my
house and prospering in my palace.
5. I saw a dream that made me afraid.
As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me.
6. So I made a decree that all the wise
men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me
the interpretation of the dream.
7. Then the magicians, the enchanters,
the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they
could not make known to me its interpretation.
This chapter tells one of the most amazing testimonies
in all of Scripture and there are few that surpass it, in all the centuries of church history. It is the first person account of a world
emperor, which he sent to his kingdom throughout the earth. In it, he praises
God and relates his experience of conversion in the common Aramaic language. The
writing is worthy of the quotes of a couple commentators:
Adam Clarke: “This is a regular decree, and one of the most ancient extant (voc. note: still in existence); and no doubt contains the exact words of Nebuchadnezzar, copied out
by Daniel from the state papers of Babylon, and preserved in the original
language.”
Matthew
Henry: The royal style which Nebuchadnezzar
makes use of has nothing in it of pomp or fancy, but is plain, short, and
unaffected. If at other times
he made use of great swelling words of vanity in his title, now he laid them
all aside; for he was old, he had lately recovered from a distraction which had
humbled and mortified him, and was now in the actual contemplation of God's
greatness and sovereignty. The declaration is directed not only to his own
subjects, but to all to whom this present writing shall come - to all people, nations, and languages, that
dwell in all the earth. He is not only willing that they should all hear
of it, though it carry the account of his own infamy (which perhaps none durst
have published if he had not done it himself, and therefore Daniel published
the original paper), but he strictly charges and commands all manner of persons
to take notice of it; for all are concerned, and it may be profitable to all.
The God Who Overrules
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the
Prophet Daniel
“… some stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34
Chapter 3:13-30 The
God Who Overrules
13. Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage
commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought
these men before the king.
14. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to
them, "Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not
serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
15. Now if you are ready when you hear
the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of
music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But
if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery
furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?"
16. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to
answer you in this matter.
17. If this be so, our God whom we serve
is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us
out of your hand, O king.
18. But if not, be it known to you, O
king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you
have set up."
19. Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with
fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually
heated.
20. And he ordered some of the mighty
men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into
the burning fiery furnace.
21. Then these men were bound in their
cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were
thrown into the burning fiery furnace.
22. Because the king's order was urgent
and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23.
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar
has constructed a costly and impressive idol and, from his high position over
the population, he expects immediate and total consecration to it. This is not
just an imaginative invention construed in the mind of the emperor; its
construction was inspired by a religious experience that shook him to the core
of his being. He is serious about this.
The Golden Superman Image
Labels:
Daniel
“some stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34
Chapter 3:1-12
1. King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold,
whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the
plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
2. Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to
gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the
treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the
provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had
set up.
3. Then the satraps, the prefects, and the
governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and
all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image
that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that
Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4. And the herald proclaimed aloud,
"You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
5. that when you hear the sound of the
horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to
fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set
up.
6. And whoever does not fall down and
worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace."
7. Therefore, as soon as all the
peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and
every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and
worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
The Fourfold Image
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the
Prophet Daniel
“… some stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!”
Hebrews 11:33, 34
Chapter 2:24-49 The Fourfold Image
24. Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch,
whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said
thus to him: "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before
the king, and I will show the king the interpretation."
25. Then Arioch brought in Daniel before
the king in haste and said thus to him: "I have found among the exiles
from Judah a man who will make known to the king the
interpretation."
26. The king declared to Daniel, whose
name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to make known to me the dream that I
have seen and its interpretation?"
27. Daniel answered the king and said,
"No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king
the mystery that the king has asked,
28. but there is a God in heaven who
reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in
the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are
these:
29. To you, O king, as you lay in bed
came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made
known to you what is to be.
30. But as for me, this mystery has been
revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living,
but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that
you may know the thoughts of your mind.
Who,
but God himself, could single out exceptional prayer warriors, among all the
great men of the Old Testament, who particularly had power before His throne in
prayer? Through Ezekiel, He mentioned only three… Noah, Job and Daniel
(Ezek.14:14,20). We have already learned of some of the amazing spiritual
qualities of this young man, Daniel. In the last lesson, we read of his
prudence and discretion.
The God Who Dwells with Flesh
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the
Prophet Daniel
“… some stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews
11:33, 34
Chapter 2:1-23 The God Who Dwells with Flesh
1. In the second year of the reign of
Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his
sleep left him.
2. Then the king commanded that the magicians,
the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king
his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.
3. And the king said to them, "I had a
dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream."
4. Then the Chaldeans said to the king in
Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will
show the interpretation."
5. The king answered and said to the Chaldeans,
"The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and
its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be
laid in ruins.
6. But if you show the dream and its
interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.
Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation."
7. They answered a second time and said,
"Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its
interpretation."
8. The king answered and said, "I know with
certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from
me is firm—
9.
if you do not make the dream
known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying
and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream,
and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation."
10. The Chaldeans answered the king and
said, "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no
great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or
Chaldean.
11. The thing that the king asks is
difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling
is not with flesh."
12. Because of this the king was angry
and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be
destroyed.
Ten Times Better
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the
Prophet Daniel
“… some stopped the
mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews 11:33, 34
Chapter
1:8-21 Ten Times Better
8. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile
himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he
asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
9. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in
the sight of the chief of the eunuchs,
10. and the chief of the eunuchs said to
Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink;
for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are
of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king."
11. Then Daniel said to the steward whom
the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah,
12. "Test your servants for ten
days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.
13. Then let our appearance and the
appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal
with your servants according to what you see."
14. So he listened to them in this
matter, and tested them for ten days.
15. At the end of ten days it was seen
that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who
ate the king's food.
16. So the steward took away their food
and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
God
always has someone prepared to aid the ones, who belong to Him, from the cradle
to the grave and actually long before they are born. That person may not be a
believer, but he will in that area for which God calls him, faithfully carry
out His purposes. During a famine, the Lord trained crows to feed Elijah and
then chose a poor widow to house and maintain him until the famine was over.
The Persian emperor Cyrus, a pagan, encouraged the Israelites to return to
their land, rebuild their temple and helped to finance the entire project. God
called him His servant.
Four Young Hebrews in Babylon
Labels:
Daniel
The Book of the Prophet Daniel
“… some stopped the mouths
of lions, quenched the violence of fire!” Hebrews
11:33, 34
Chapter
1:1-7 Four Young Hebrews in Babylon
1. En
el año tercero del reinado de Joacim, rey de Judá, vino Nabucodonosor, rey de
Babilonia, a Jerusalén y la sitió.
2.
Y el Señor entregó en sus manos a Joacim, rey de Judá, y algunos de los
utensilios de la casa de Dios; los llevó a la tierra de Sinar, a la casa de su
dios, colocando los utensilios en la casa del tesoro de su dios.
3.
Entonces el rey mandó a Aspenaz, jefe de sus oficiales, que trajera de los
hijos de Israel a algunos de la familia real y de los nobles,
4.
jóvenes en quienes no hubiera defecto alguno, de buen parecer, inteligentes en
toda rama del saber, dotados de entendimiento y habilidad para discernir
y que tuvieran la capacidad para servir en el palacio del rey; y le mandó
que les enseñara la escritura y la lengua de los caldeos.
5.
El rey les asignó una ración diaria de los manjares del rey y del vino que él
bebía, y mandó que los educaran por tres años, al cabo de los cuales
entrarían al servicio del rey.
6.
Entre éstos estaban Daniel, Ananías, Misael y Azarías, de los hijos de
Judá.
7.
Y el jefe de los oficiales les puso nuevos nombres: a Daniel le puso Beltsasar;
a Ananías, Sadrac; a Misael, Mesac; y a Azarías, Abed-nego.
As we begin reading the first chapter of the book of Daniel, we
immediately learn two things: 1) The Bible harmonizes with the actual events of
human history. It accurately finds its place there and confirms all the rulers,
nations, and movements, which we know to be historically true and gives the
dates, in which they played their part. Babylon had an important role in the
Bible and its history began in the book of Genesis. In our study, we enter the
time, when this empire had reached its glory. In verse one, we read of one of
the conquests of Emperor Nebuchadnezzar II, son of Nabopolassar, who destroyed
the Assyrian empire and turned Babylon into the world power that it was in the
time of Daniel.
2) Israel is always involved in some way with these predominant
forces. Almighty God, who spoke the universe into existence, chose to be the
divine King over a relatively small nation. However, these people have never
been, and are not now, insignificant on the world scene. This is due, in part, to
the fact that they always interacted with the highest powers on earth.
Introduction to Daniel
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Daniel
For the next few months, or however long it takes, I will focus on the book of Daniel. Again, this will be an expository study, verse by verse. I hope you will join me, because, as you know, there are some exciting, meaningful stories in the first six chapters.
Then, we will come to some of the most amazing prophecies in the entire Bible, concerning the endtimes. There is also a prophecy in chapter two, a very important one for understanding the entire history of world empires. The greatest key to an outline of prophetic times and unlocking its mysteries is given in chapter nine. For sure, you will not want to miss the study of that chapter.
I would never attempt a study of the book of Revelation, without first tackling Daniel. I mention in the introduction that it is impossible to comprehend the book of Revelation, without a previous knowledge of this book. Perhaps in the future, we can plunge into John's Revelation, but let's get some help first from this noble prophet with his amazing eye for events that will take us to the Second Coming of Christ.
In the beginning, I wanted to turn aside a little, in order to mention some real hindrances to the development of spirituality in the individual Christian life, as well as being problems, relative to the church these days. There are just a few paragraphs concerning this, so please bear with me. I feel there must be a change of attitude and mentality, in order to hold the right Christian perspective in the very dangerous times, spiritually speaking, in which we live.
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