Bibliography

There is a sense in which everyone who writes a commentary on any book of the Bible climbs on the shoulders of previous commentators. The book of Dani’el has been particularly well served, not only with commentaries, but scholarly research. The resulting literature amounts to a mini-library. Therefore, I would like to thank the contributing authors below.

Baldwin, Joyce, Dani’el TOTC, InterVarsity Press, 1981.

Coleman, Lyle, The Serendipity Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.

David, Judah, “Names of God,” The Jewish Encyclopedia, KTAV Publishing House, Brooklyn, New York, 2008.

David, Ralph Dale, The Message of Dani’el, The Bible Speaks Today, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 2013.

Duguid, Iain, Dani’el, Reformed Expository Commentary, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 2008.

Fee, Gordan and Stuart, Douglas. How To Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982.

Ferguson, Sinclair, Dani’el, The Preachers Commentary, 2008.

Freedman, James, Manners and Customs of the Bible, Whitaker House, New Kensington, Pennsylvania, 1996.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, The Footsteps of the Messiah, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, CA, 1982.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, Dani’el, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2015.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, Ezekiel MP3bbs – eze, San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 2016.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, The Day of Atonement, Manuscript Number 119, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, CA, 1986.

Frymer-Kensly, Tikva, “The Judicial Ordeal in the Ancient Near East” (Ph.D. dissertation: New Haven Connecticut: Yale University, 1977.

Gabizon, Jacques Isaac, Dani’el, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

Geoffrey, Kevin, Bikurei Tziyon, “Ha’Shem” by Kevin Geoffrey, First Fruits of Zion, Issue 75, B’reisheet/Genesis, Littleton, Colorado, 2002.

Hagee, John, Joseph, From the Pit to the Palace Tape Series: Joseph and Jesus, John Hagee Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2005, Side B.

Herodotus, Histories, 1.114; J. Balcer, “The Athenian Episkopos and the Achaemenid King’s Eye,” American Journal of Philosophy, 98 (1977).

Hill, Andrew, Dani’el, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Number 8, Zondervan Academic, 2017.

Hitchcock, Mark, Iran: The Coming Crisis, Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, Oregon, 2006.

Ironside, Harry, Dani’el: An Ironside Expository Commentary, Kragel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2005.

Josephus, Flavius, Jewish Antiquities, Translated by Ralph Marcus. In Josephus, volumes 5-9, Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, Harvard University, 1926.

Kasdan, Barney, A Messianic Commentary: Matthew Presents Yeshua, King Messiah. Clarksville: Lender Books, a division of Messianic Jewish Publishers, 2011.

Keil, C. F., Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971.

Koldewey, Robert, The Excavations at Babylon, Macmillan Publishers, London, England, 1914.

Longman III, Tremper, Dani’el, the NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999.

Lucas, Ernest, Dani’el, Apollos Old Testament Commentary, Inter-Varsity Press, UK, London, 2002.

MacArthur, John, Daniel, John MacArthur Bible Studies, W Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee, 2000.

MacArthur, John, Romans 9-16, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1994.

Mauro, Phillip, The Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation, Boston, MA, Scripture Truth Depot, 1923.

McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible Commentary Series, Exodus 1-18. Nashville: Nelson Books, 1991.

McLaughlin, J. F., Executive Committee of the Editorial Board, J. F. McLaughlin, “Names of God,” The Jewish Encyclopedia, KTAV Publishing House, Brooklyn, New York, page 164.

Miller, Stephen, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1994.

Morris, Henry, The Revelation Record. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1983.

Morris, Henry, The Bible has the Answer, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971.

Pentecost, J. Dwight, Prophecy for Today: God’s Purpose and Plan for Our Future, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Discovery House Publishers, revised and edited 1989.

Phillips, John, Exploring Revelation. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publishing, 2001.

Rashi on Dani’el 2:44.

Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 49:9:8, retrieved from www.sefaria.org

Rav Yaakov Bar Yosef, Netzarim Emunah Chumash: The American Covenants Chumash, Morrisville, North Carolina, Lulu Press, 2015.

Schmitt, John, Messiah’s Coming Temple: Ezekiel’s Prophetic Vision of the Future Temple, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1997.

Slotki, Judah, Dani’el-Ezra-Nehemiah, Menasseh ben Isra’el, 1951, page 86.

Stephens, Don, War and Grace. Darlington: Evangelical Press, 2005.

Stern, David, The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992.

Walvoord, John, Daniel, edited by Charles H. Dyer and Philip E. Rawley, Chicago, IL, Moody Publishers, 2012.

Wiersbe, Warren, Dani’el: Be Resolute, David C, Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000.

Wood, Leon, A Commentary on Daniel. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973.

Woods, Daniel, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, Logos, Bellingham, WA, 2019.

Young, Edward J., The Prophecy of Dani’el, William Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI, 1949.

Zohar 1:145b:3; retrieved from www.sefaria.org

Zuck, Roy, The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the OT, Victor Books, Wheaton, IL, 1986.

End Notes

There are three kinds of end notes. First, when you take an idea or concept that you had never heard of before and cite it. This is done mostly in an academic environment, and this is not strictly an academic commentary, but I included them nonetheless in an effort to be thorough. Secondly, you reword a section written by another author. And thirdly, you quote directly. I have included all three types of end notes to be detailed. Most authors don’t include all three. If my book of Dani’el was bound as a book it would be 417 pages with 164,534 words. That averages out to a very reasonable ratio of about one reference per page.

1. Daniel, by John MacArthur, John MacArthur Bible Studies, W Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee, 2000, page 1.

2. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 40.

3. Ibid, pages 41-42.

4. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pages 173-174.

5. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, pages 47-48.

6. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 1323.

7. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, pages 22-23.

8. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 16-18.

9. Cyrus and Darius, The Wartburg Project, wartburgproject.org, February 21, 2024.

10. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, pages 34-36.

11. Bikurei Tziyon, “Ha’Shem” by Kevin Geoffrey, First Fruits of Zion, Issue 75, B’reisheet/Genesis, Littleton, Colorado, 2002, pages 22-26.

12. Executive Committee of the Editorial Board, J. F. McLaughlin, Judah David, “Names of God,” The Jewish Encyclopedia, KTAV Publishing House, Brooklyn, New York, page 164.

13. Bikurei Tziyon, “Ha’Shem” by Kevin Geoffrey, First Fruits of Zion, Issue 75, B’reisheet/Genesis, Littleton, Colorado, 2002, pages 22-26.

14. The Message of Daniel, by Dale Ralph David, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2013, page 27.

15. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, pgs 47-48.

16. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 6-7.

17. Daniel, by John MacArthur, John MacArthur Bible Studies, W Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee, 2000, page 7.

18. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 47.

19. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, pgs 52-54.

20. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 30.

21. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1978, pg 80.

22. The Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Whitaker House, New Kensington, Pennsylvania, 1996, page 383.

23. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 31.

24. Ibid, pages 31-33.

25. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 11.

26. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1978, pg 82.

27. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, page 61.

28. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1978, pg 83.

29. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 14.

30. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, pgs 62-63.

31. Ibid, page 63.

32. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, pages 36-37.

33. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1978, pg 84.

34. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 25-26.

35. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 15-16.

36. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 66.

37. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1982, pages 21 and 33-37.

38. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, pages 73-74.

39. The Message of Daniel, by Dale Ralph David, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2013, page 38.

40. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 19.

41. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 31.

42. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 59.

43. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 34.

44. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, pages 45-46.

45. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 60.

46. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 46.

47. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 61.

48. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 75.

49. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 47.

50. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 63.

51. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 84.

52. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 35-36.

53. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 63.

54. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 76.

55. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 36.

56. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 23-24.

57. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1978, pg 90.

58. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 79.

59. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 25.

60. gotquestions.org

61. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 25.

62. Ibid, page 32.

63. The Message of Daniel, by Dale Ralph David, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2013, page 41.

64. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 49.

65. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 37.

66. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 52.

67. Joseph, From the Pit to the Palace Tape Series: Joseph and Jesus, by John Hagee, John Hagee Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2005, Side B.

68. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, pages 66-67.

69. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 38.

70. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 1334.

71. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 33-34.

72. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1978, pg 92.

73. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 86.

74. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 67.

75. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 88.

76. The Message of Daniel, by Dale Ralph David, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2013, pages 44-45.

77. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 55.

78. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, pgs 90-91.

79. The Message of Daniel, by Dale Ralph David, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2013, page 46.

80. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 92.

81. Ibid, page 93.

82. Ibid, page 86.

83. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 38-40.

84. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 1982, pages 31-32.

85. Ibid, page 33.

86. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 95.

87. Bible Hub, Barnes Notes on the Bible

88. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 56.

89. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 96.

90. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 2004, pages 34-35.

91. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 1335.

92. Ibid, pages 1135-1136.

93. Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 2004, page 244.

94. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 40-41.

95. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 67.

96. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 103.

97. Ibid, page 104.

98. The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, by Daniel Woods, Logos Bible Software, Bellingham, Washington, page 1123.

99. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pages 106-107.

100. Rashi on Dani’el 2:44.

101. Rabbeinu Bahya, Bereshit 49:9:8, retrieved from www.sefaria.org

102. Zohar 1:145b:3; retrieved from www.sefaria.org

103. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 108.

104. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 40-43.

105. The City of God, Book XX, 9, by Augustine, retrieved from https://www.logoslibrary.

106. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pages 109-111.

107. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 103.

108. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 115.

109. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 43.

110. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 115.

111. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 1978, page 95.

112. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 116.

113. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, pages 104-105.

114. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1982, page 21.

115. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1978, pages 99-100.

116. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, pages 107-108.

117. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 46-47.

118. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, 04-III.mp3 (Daniel 3:1-3).

119. War and Grace, by Don Stephens, Evangelical Press, Darlington, UK, 2005, page 59.

120. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 48.

121. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 49.

122. Ibid, pages 50-51.

123. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 117.

124. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 128.

125. Ibid, page 129.

126. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 51.

127. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 50.

128. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 100.

129. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 1978, pg 104.

130. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 130.

131. Ibid, page 131.

132. The Message of Daniel, by Dale Ralph David, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2013, page 54.

133. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 52-53.

134. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 53.

135. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 120.

136. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 70.

137. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 53-54.

138. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 1978, pg 105.

139. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 133.

140. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 54.

141. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 133-134.

142. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 55.

143. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 102.

144. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 58.

145. Ibid, pages 56-57.

146. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 138.

147. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 125.

148. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 56-57.

149. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1982, page 21.

150. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, pages 116-117.

151. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 143.

152. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 61.

153. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 61-62.

154. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 64.

155. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 147.

156. Ibid, page 151.

157. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 1342.

158. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 133.

159. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 63.

160. Ibid, pages 63-64.

161. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 120.

162. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 64-65.

163. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 68.

164. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 159.

165. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 139.

166. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 65-66.

167. Daniel, by Ernest Lucas, Apollos Old Testament Commentary, Inter-Varsity Press, UK, London, 2002, page 104.

168. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 196.

169. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 69.

170. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, pages 140-141.

171. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 67.

172. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, page 146.

173. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 164-167.

174. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 70.

175. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 71.

176. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 169.

177. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 64.

178. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 90.

179. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 168.

180. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, pages 1343-1344.

181. Ibid, page 1344.

182. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 74-76.

183. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 1978, page 136.

184. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 106.

185. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 1982, pages 31-32.

186. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 105-106.

187. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, CA, 2004, pages 10-12.

188. Ibid, pages 3-7.

189. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 229.

190. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 230.

191. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 134.

192. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 231-233.

193. Ibid, pages 235-336.

194. Ibid, pages 236-337.

195. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 109.

196. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 107-108.

197. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 239-240.

198. Ibid, page 243.

199. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 204.

200. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 112.

201. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 249.

202. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 1978, pg 141.

203. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 251-252.

204. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 206.

205. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 139.

206. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 253.

207. Matthew Presents Yeshua, King Messiah, by Barney Kasdan, Messianic Jewish Publishers, Clarksville, Maryland, 2011, pages 354-356.

208. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 259-260.

209. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 117-118.

210. Exodus, Chapters 1-18, by J. Vernon McGee, Thomas Nelson Publisher, Nashville, Tennessee, 1991, page 133.

211. Exploring Revelation, by John Phillips, Kregel Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 2001, pg 187.

212. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 260.

213. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, pages 141-142.

214. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 261-263.

215. Ibid, pages 264-280.

216. Ibid, pages 280-284.

217. Ibid, pages 285-286.

218. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 1978, pg 155.

219. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 1355.

220. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 118.

221. The Prophecy of Daniel, by Edward Young, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1970, pages 166-167.

222. Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, by C. F. Keil, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971, page 290.

223. Iran: The Coming Crisis, by Mark Hitchcock, Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, OR, 2006, pages 49-50.

224. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 289-290.

225. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 1978, pg 156.

226. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 120.

227. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 290-291.

228. Iran: The Coming Crisis, by Mark Hitchcock, Multnomah Pub, Sisters, OR, 2006, pg 52.

229. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 223.

230. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 296.

231. Daniel be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 121-122.

232. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 300-301.

233. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 122-123.

234. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 309-311.

235. Ibid, page 311.

236. Metzger, Bruce, The Apocrypha of the Old Testament, Oxford University Press, New York, 1957, pages 281-282.

237. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 219.

238. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 314.

239. Biblical commentary on the book of Daniel, by Carl Friedrich Kiel, Keil and Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1959, page 310.

240. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 227.

241. Daniel be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 121-122.

242. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 235.

243. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, pages 207 and 210.

244. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 132-135.

245. Ibid, pages 139-147.

246. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1982, page 21.

247. Ibid, page 327.

248. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 31.

249. The Message of Daniel, by Dale Ralph David, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2013, pages 70-71.

250. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 172.

251. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 1978, pages 119-120.

252. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 79.

253. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 176.

254. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 151.

255. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 102.

256. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 178.

257. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 77.

258. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 137.

259. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 154.

260. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 103.

261. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 138.

262. The Excavations at Babylon, by Robert Koldewey, Macmillan Publishers, London, England, 1914, page 104.

263. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 180.

264. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 139.

265. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 194.

266. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 79.

267. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 106.

268. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 79-80.

269. The Message of Daniel, by Dale Ralph David, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2013, page 75.

270. Ibid, pages 75-76.

271. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, pages 110-111.

272. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 140.

273. Ibid, page 141.

274. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 82.

275. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 193-194.

276. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 83.

277. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 196.

278. Ibid, page 195.

279. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 83-84.

280. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 1347.

281. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1982, page 21.

282. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 206.

283. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 1347.

284. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 31.

285. Ibid, pages 329-330.

286. Ibid, pages 330-332.

287. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, pages 172-173.

288. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 335-338.

289. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, pages 219 and 223.

290. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 136.

291. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 339-342.

292. Ibid, pages 342-345.

293. Ibid, pages 346-349.

294. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 137.

295. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 157-158.

296. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 138.

297. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 350.

298. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2000, pages 137-138.

299. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 351-352.

300.The Day of Atonement, Manuscript Number 119, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1986, pages 7-9.

301. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 2004, page 187.

302. Ibid, pages 189.

303. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 361-362.

304. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, CA, 1982, pages 190-191.

305. The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the New Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 1362.

306. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 365.

307. A Commentary on Daniel, by Leon Wood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1973, page 250.

308. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 365.

309. Ibid, page 374.

310. A Commentary on Daniel, by Leon Wood, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1973, page 254.

311. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 400.

312. Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 2004, pages 194-195.

313. Ibid, pages 198-201.

314. Ibid, page 203.

315. Ibid, page 237.

316. Ibid, page 307.

317. Ibid, pages 293-307.

318. Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 459-460.

319. The Revelation Record, by Henry Morris, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 1983, page 148.

320. Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 2004, pages 309-357.

321. Ibid, pages 361-362.

322. Ibid, pages 387-401.

323. Messiah’s Coming Temple: Ezekiel’s Prophetic Vision of the Future Temple, by John Schmitt and J. Carl Laney, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1997, pages 141-152.

324. Daniel: The Preachers Commentary, by Sinclair Ferguson, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Volume 21, Nashville, Tennessee, 1988, page 115.

325. Herodotus, Histories, 1.114; J. Balcer, “The Athenian Episkopos and the Achaemenid King’s Eye,” American Journal of Philosophy, 98 (1977), pp. 252-263.

326. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 207.

327. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 178.

328. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 209.

329. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 92-94.

330. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 159.

331. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 94.

332. Ibid, page 95.

333. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 211-212.

334. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 92.

335. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, pages 160-162.

336. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 216-217.

337. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 95.

338. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 162.

339. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 98.

340. Daniel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il, 1978, pg 130.

341. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 185.

342. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 220-221.

343. Tikva Frymer-Kensly, “The Judicial Ordeal in the Ancient Near East” (Ph.D. dissertation: New Haven Connecticut: Yale University, 1977.

344. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 163.

345. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 99-100.

346. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, pages 222-223.

347. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 100-101.

348. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 164.

349. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 100.

350. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Daniel to Malachi, Volume 8, by Andrew Hill, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 127.

351. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 164.

352. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 101-102.

353. Evangelism: A Biblical Approach, by Michael Cocoris, The Church on the Way, Los Angeles, California, 1992, pages 142-146.

354. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, pages 102-104.

355. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1982, page 21.

356. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 223.

357. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 31.

358. Walvoord, John, Daniel, revised and edited by Charles H. Dyer and Philip E. Rawley, Chicago, Illinois, Moody Publishers, 2012, page 301.

359. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 415.

360. Ibid, pages 416-417.

361. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 178.

362. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 418.

363. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 179.

364. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 1365.

365. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 421.

366. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 248.

367. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 424-428.

368. Ibid, pages 428-431.

369. Dani’el-Ezra-Nehemiah, by Judah Slotki, Menasseh ben Isra’el, 1951, page 86.

370. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 159.

371. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 2023, page 434.

372. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 160.

373. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 434-435.

374. Ibid, pages 436-438.

375. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 161.

376. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 439-440.

377. Dani’el-Ezra-Nehemiah, by Judah Slotki, Menasseh ben Isra’el, 1951, page 87.

378. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, page 443.

379. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 293.

380. Ibid, page 294.

381. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 451-452.

382. Ibid, pages 452-456.

383. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 296.

384. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 458-459.

385. Ibid, pages 458-459.

386. Ibid, pages 458-460.

387. Daniel: Be Resolute, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, CO, 2000, page 164.

388. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 201.

389. Daniel, by Tremper Longman III, The NIV Application Commentary, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1999, page 277.

390. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 462-465.

391. Ibid, pages 465-470.

392. The Great Parenthesis, by Harry Ironside, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1943, pages 65-68.

393. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 405.

394. The Great Parenthesis, by Harry Ironside, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1943, pages 69-70.

395. Romans 9-16, by John MacArthur, The Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Il, 1994, pg 124.

396. The Letter from Yeshua’s Emissary Sha’ul to the Messianic Community in Rome, by David Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Messianic New Testament Publications, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, pages 417-418.

397. The Great Parenthesis, by Harry Ironside, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1943, pages 72-73.

398. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 478-479.

399. The Bible has the Answer, by Henry Morris, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971, page 236.

400. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Tx, 2023, pgs 481-490.

401. Ibid, pages 490-497.

402. Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 2004, page 244.

403. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 497-517.

404. The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 1982, pages 175-179.

405. Daniel, by Stephan Miller, The New American Commentary, Volume 18, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994, page 324.

406. Daniel, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, TX, 2023, pgs 520-524.

407. Daniel, by Iain Duguid, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008, page 223.

The Future of Isra’el
12: 1-13

The future of Isra’el DIG: Who is Michael? Why would Ha’Shem send him? Why will Isra’el have to suffer in the Great Tribulation? How bad will it be? What do the “two others” signify by their sworn testimony? What is the significance of the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days mentioned here in the last chapter of Dani’el? What is the purpose of the Great Tribulation? What is left unanswered for Dani’el (and you)? What does this say about the basis of faith for a believer?

REFLECT: Judging from the oppressive conditions you see around you, for what groups of people would you especially recommend this book of Dani’el? Why this book for them? Dani’el was told to go on with life even if he didn’t understand. When have you had to cope with life and faith in the midst of perplexity? The bottom line for Dani’el is that the royal power of the Most High God always triumphs over the kingdoms of men. How is that evident for Dani’el personally? For you and your family?

The righteous of the TaNaKh will be resurrected,
multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake to everlasting life.

Micha’el and Isra’el (12:1): As Arnold Fruchtenbaum relates in his commentary on Dani’el, it is important to understand that the angel who began speaking to Dani’el in 10:19 was still speaking here. He now declares: At that time Micha’el, the great prince who protects your people, will stand up. There will be a time of trouble such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people – everyone whose name is found written in the book – will be delivered. In 11:40, the angel introduced the prophecy regarding the military activities of the antichrist with the phrase: at the time of the end. Now he explained that at that time, meaning at the same time as the events of 11:40-45, Micha’el will stand up. Again, the angel used the Hebrew term amad to show that Micha’el’s standing up was an act of military involvement (8:25 and 11:14). Micha’el will take a military stand because he will wage war against Satan and his demons (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Di – There Was War in Heaven, and Satan was Hurled Down).

Micha’el is called the great prince because he is the guardian angel of Isra’el. Yet, according to 12:1, there will be a time of trouble. The expression time of trouble is one of the names of the Great Tribulation. It is very similar to the title of the time of Jacob’s trouble found in Jeremiah 20:7. People all over the world will suffer during the Great Tribulation, for the catastrophic judgments of that period will affect all humanity left behind after the Rapture. However, it will be especially severe for the Jewish people because of the principle that is spelled out in Isaiah 40:1-2: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. As much as Ha’Shem will punish the Gentile for their sins, He will punish Isra’el double, following the principle to whom much is given, much is required (Like 12:48). Therefore, the Great Tribulation will be uniquely a time of Jacob’s trouble.

Then the angel added that the period will be worse than anything the world has ever seen: There will be a time of trouble such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. In other words, during the second half of the Great Tribulation, the Jews will be subject to a level of persecution that will surpass all previous persecutions (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD). Yeshua reaffirmed this truth when He said: For those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now – and never to be equaled again (Matthew 24:21-22). Yet, the angel declared: But at that time your people – everyone whose name is found written in the book – will be delivered. The one-third of the persecuted Jews still alive (Zechariah 13:8-9) will gather at Bozrah, and as the armies of the world, led by the antichrist, tighten the noose around the neck of the Jewish survivors, the scales from their eyes and they realize that Yeshua was really their Messiah. Thus, during the last three days of the Great Tribulation (Hosea 6:1-2), they cry out for forgiveness (see Revelation Ev – The Basis of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ) and all Isra’el alive at that time will be saved, as the TaNaKh says: Out of Tziyon will come a Redeemer, and He will turn Jacob away from ungodliness (Romans 11:26).

The resurrection (12:2-3): The Rapture will include B’rit Chadashah believers and it will occur before the Great Tribulation begins (see Revelation By – The Rapture of the Church). But later, after the Great Tribulation (12:1), during the seventy-five-day interval (see Revelation Ey – The Seventy-Five Day Interval), the righteous of the TaNaKh will be resurrected. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life and given their eternal glorified bodies, while others to shame and everlasting contempt a thousand years later (see Revelation Fn – The Second Resurrection) (12:2). The Israelites who survive the Great Tribulation will be the objects of the divine deliverance prophesied in Romans 11:26, and will be joined by the righteous of the TaNaKh who are raised from the dead. This is also confirmed by Isaiah (see my commentary on Isaiah Fg – You Who Dwell in the Dust Will Wake Up and Shout for Joy), and Ezeki’el (see the commentary on Ezeki’el Ea – The Valley of the Dry Bones). What a time that would be! All the righteous of the TaNaKh, from every age, would be glorified at the same time! Glory be to God. He is the Promise Keeper.

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever (12:3). In the context of the TaNaKh, the difference between the wise and the foolish is often their spiritual state. Those who are among the righteous of the TaNaKh are called wise, and those who are not are called foolish. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1a); for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God (First Corinthians 1:18). The brightness described here is a common symbol of the Sh’khinah glory (see Isaiah Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You). Thus, the resurrected righteous of the TaNaKh will reflect God’s glory just as the face of Moshe did when he came down from Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:29-35).

The sealing of the book (12:4): But you, Dani’el, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will run back and forth to increase knowledge (12:4). The vision that began in Chapter 10 officially ends here in 12:4, and the sealing of the book would be kept safe and closed. When Dani’el wrote his prophecy several hundred years before the birth of Messiah, because of progressive revelation, he did not understand some things that the LORD had shown him. He wanted an explanation, but the fulfillment of his prophecies were a long time off, so he was told to seal them up until they could be explained by later revelation (Dani’el 12:4a and 12:8-9). With the book of Revelation, much of the book of Dani’el was clarified, expanded, detailed and explained. So John, in contrast to Dani’el, was told not to seal up his book because John’s prophecy was already unfolding and the Church Age was underway. For that reason, the message was to be left unsealed. For that reason, the angel told the aged prophet, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near” (Revelation 22:10). Then the angel declared that what Dani’el had n would continue until the time of the end. This refers to the Great Tribulation. By sealing the book, its contents would be specifically preserved for that time because much of the revelation provided in Chapters 10-12 concerns those who will be living at that time.

Then the angel made an interesting announcement: Many will run back and forth to increase knowledge. Some commentators have concluded that the angel was speaking of modern methods of travel or accomplishments in the sciences. However, the expression run back and forth refers to a quest for knowledge (Second Chronicles 16:9; Jeremiah 5:1; Amos 8:12; Zechariah 4:10), not a traveling by airplane. The Hebrew term for knowledge, data, appears with a definite article. It is the knowledge, the very specific knowledge, that is sought; namely, the knowledge that pertains to the end times. Thanks to the book of Dani’el, this knowledge will increase, and, therefore, the knowledge of the end times will also increase. To reflect the definite article before the term data, a paraphrase of this verse may read as follows: Many will go back and forth in their desire for knowledge in the last days. They will find it in the book of Dani’el, where it was preserved until the time of the end. Reading Dani’el will lead to an increase of the knowledge of the end times (12:4). The point of 12:4 is that Dani’el would receive no more visions or revelation.⁴⁰³

The conclusion (12:5-13): The remaining verses of Dani’el 12 will be discussed in three parts: The extent and purpose of the period (12:5-7), Daniel’s request (12:8), and the response (12:9-13).

The extent and purpose of the period (12:5-7): Dani’el, still studying the scene standing on the bank of the Tigris River (10:4), looked, and there before him stood two other angles, one on each bank. These two angels appeared in order to serve as witnesses of what would be said (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15). In light of the previous prophecies, one of them asked the obvious question to the man clothed in linen, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled, and how long would the persecution of the Jewish people last?” The man clothed in linen was the unnamed angel who had been prophesying to Dani’el since 10:4 (see Dt – The Arrival of an Angel). Unlike the other two angles, he was standing above the waters of the river.

Then the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and gave the answer. Normally, when an oath is taken in the TaNaKh, only one hand is raised (for example Genesis 14:22 and Deuteronomy 32:40). However, here, the angel raised both hands as a sign of double assurance. He swore by the One True God who lives forever that the duration would be a time, times and half a time. He used the same figure that was mentioned in 7:25, again referring to three-and-a-half years, or the second half of the Great Tribulation.

There are three main purposes for the Great Tribulation: (1) To bring wrath upon an unbelieving world and to make an end to wickedness (Isaiah 13:9 and 24:19-20); (2) to bring about a worldwide revival (see Revelation Dt – And They Sang a New Song Before the Throne); and lastly here in 12:7 (3), to break the power of the holy people, the stubborn Jewish nation. In 11:36-45 (see Dz – The Antichrist), Dani’el was given a vision of what conditions will be like for his people Isra’el during the Great Tribulation. It will continue until pride of the Israelites is broken in order to bring about a national regeneration (see Romans Da – The Redemption of Isra’el). The means by which God will perform this is given in the Valley of the Dry Bones. What is important to note here is that after YHVH gathers the Jews from around the world He will enter into a period of judgment (the Great Tribulation) with them. The rebels among the Jewish people will be purged out by this judgment. Only when they realize that they have tried to establish their own righteousness, the Jewish people will turn to ADONAI and seek His righteousness through Messiah (Zechariah 12:10).

Only then, will the whole new nation, a regenerated nation, be allowed to enter the Messianic Kingdom under the Kosher King, and then all these things will be completed.

Dani’el’s request (12:8): There was still much that Dani’el did not understand. So he asked the unnamed angel, “What will the outcome of all this be?” As it happened to him before in 8:15, he couldn’t make sense of the angel’s words. Therefore, he once again asked for clarification as to the outcome of all that he had been told. But Dani’el didn’t receive a direct response because the event that would bring an end to the Great Tribulation, the Second Coming of Yeshua Messiah, had already been mentioned in 7:13-14.⁴⁰⁴

The angel’s response (12:9-13): While Dani’el didn’t receive a direct answer to his question, the unnamed angel did respond in the following manner.

a. The sealing (12:9): The angel tactfully replied: Go your way, Dani’el, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end (12:9). This was not a rebuke, but simply indicates that the prophet should go on about his life and not be concerned about his lack of knowledge because the vision related to the far eschatological future. Dani’el was assured that these prophecies would be preserved, or sealed, for those who will need them, that is, the people who live at the time of the end. As the end approaches, the messages of Dani’el (and other prophecies of the last days) will become increasingly clearer to believers.⁴⁰⁵

b. The wise and the wicked (12:10): Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. As previously stated, the term wise generally refers to believers. But here, it specifically refers to believers during the Great Tribulation. They will comprehend what Dani’el could not because of Dani’el’s book. As a result of what he wrote, they will be made spotless, refined, and purified, a reference to their salvation. As for the wicked, they will continue to act wickedly, they will never gain saving knowledge, but those who are wise will understand.

c. The 1,290 days (12:11): The Great Tribulation will last seven years, and each half of that period will have 1,260 days. Hence, from the time the antichrist commits the abomination that causes desolation (11:31b), it will be precisely 1,260 days until the end of the tribulation. From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. The angel pointed out that the abomination of desolation, meaning that the image of the antichrist set up in the Tribulation Temple (see Revelation Bx – The Tribulation Temple), will be allowed to continue for thirty days beyond the Second Coming, then it will be removed.

d. The 1,335 days (12:12): Then the angel provided a second time frame: Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days (12:12). The figure of 1,335 days is an additional forty-five days beyond the 1,290 days mentioned in the previous verse. Adding the numbers from verses 11 and 12, there will be a total of seventy-five days between the Second Coming and the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. Then the angel pointed out that those who make it to the end of the 1,335 days will be blessed. What will happen during those seventy-five days must be derived from other passages. Nine points can be made.

First, the abomination that causes desolation will be removed (see Ez – The Removal of the Abomination That Causes Desolation).

Second, the antichrist will be captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire.

Third, the false prophet, who will serve as the counterfeit Ruach Ha’Kodesh during the Great Tribulation, will also be thrown alive into the lake of fire (see Revelation Fa – The Beast was Captured, and with Him the False Prophet).

Fourth, Satan, who will serve as the counterfeit Father in the Great Tribulation, will be thrown into the abyss for a thousand years (see Revelation Fb – He Seized the Dragon, or Satan, and Bound Him for a Thousand Years).

Fifth, though a great many Gentiles will be killed during the Great Tribulation, and the Gentile armies will be slaughtered in the Campaign of Armageddon (see Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon), a number will still be alive during the seventy-five-day interval. Those Gentiles will then be gathered for judgment (Joel 3:1-3). The judge will be none other than Yeshua Messiah, who will sit on a throne encompassed by His glory in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. All the Gentiles will be gathered before Him. The accused will not be allowed to quibble over their guilt or innocence. There will be a Prosecutor, but no defender; an Accuser, but no advocate. There will be an indictment, but no defense mounted by the accused; the convicting evidence will be presented with no cross-examination. There will be an utterly unsympathetic Judge and no jury. There will be no appeal of the sentence once it is pronounced. The guilty will be punished eternally with no possibility of parole in a prison from which there is no escape. Banished for eternity, they will be without God, without love, and without hope. In this judgment the Gentiles will be divided into two camps: the pro-Semitic sheep camp and the anti-Semitic goat camp (see The Life of Christ Jy – The Sheep and the Goats). The anti-Semites who will aid the antichrist in the effort to destroy all the Jews, will be killed and sent to hell. They are the ones who, according to 12:12, will fail to attain the 1,335^th day and, consequently, lose out on the blessings of the Messianic Kingdom.

Sixth, the righteous of the TaNaKh will be resurrected (see Revelation Fd – The Resurrection of the Righteous of the TaNaKh).

Seventh, the believers who will be beheaded for refusing to take the mark of the beast will also be resurrected (see Revelation Fe – I Saw Those Who Had Been Beheaded for the Testimony for Jesus).

Eighth, the first resurrection will take place (see Revelation Ff – Blessed and Holy are Those Who Have Part in the First Resurrection).

And Ninth, the wedding feast of the Lamb will be celebrated (see Revelation Fg – Blessed Are Those Invited to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb).

e. Dani’el’s future (12:13): The book closes with a statement regarding Dani’el’s future. As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.⁴⁰⁶ The angel reaffirmed what he had already said in 12:9: Dani’el could leave now because no more information would be given to him. The prophet was on his way until the end of days. The primary theme of the book of Dani’el is the times of the Gentiles (see Ao – The Times of the Gentiles). The end of that timespan will be the actual end of the Great Tribulation. Dani’el himself would not make it to that time because he would rest, meaning he would die.

The day is coming when Messiah will ride out to conquer and to recreate, a day when the kingdom of this world will become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Messiah (Rev 11:15). In the meantime, our task as believers is simply to testify to our Lord’s greatness and grace by our words and by our sufferings. As we cling to ADONAI in the midst of our trials that we do not understand, we testify to YHVH’s grace to a watching world and to the heavenly beings. Like Jacob, who wrestled with God at the crossings of the Jabbok River even after he had been crippled by the encounter (Gen 32:24-31), we testify not by our strength and might but simply by our persistence in clinging to God in the midst of our brokenness.

And when the final trumpet sounds for us, bringing to an end our earthly conflict, at least we too will hear our Redeemer say to us: As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance. We will rise with Dani’el – the same Dani’el who endured the trials of the lions’ den and the challenges of living in an alien land, who prayed daily for the coming of God’s Kingdom and who prospered throughout the exile – all with all the believers from every age, to receive our final reward in Messiah.⁴⁰⁷

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for how wonderful You are! Your wisdom is infinite, knowing in the future with precise exactness. Your Great Steadfast Love is powered by your Almighty Power and Perfect Holiness and Faithfulness! What a comfort it is to have you as our Father! There is nothing about You that we would ever want changes and there is nothing in you that can be improved! Earthly fathers are of this earth and even good ones are still not perfect like you. Your love is so great to have given Your one and only Son to rescue and redeem mankind. How great that nothing can separate me from Your love! For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). So wonderful to love and to know You! Though in this world there is much pain and many trials, those who love You can live in peace (Romans 8:18), having no fear, for their hope and trust is in You, our Loving Almighty Heavenly Father! Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Surely I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteousness (Isaiah 41:10). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Antichrist
Dani’el 11: 36-45

The antichrist DIG: What are three purposes of the Great Tribulation? What does the antichrist do when he assumes control over the whole world? What is the Abomination of Desolation? What religion will he follow? What two policies will he follow? What fierce conflicts does the antichrist wage? Where does he set up his military command post? To what extent does he succeed? Where does he go next?

REFLECT: When have you stepped out in the flesh and tried to accomplish something, only to have it fall apart? What did you do about it? Why? What assumptions do the arrogant have about ADONDI? Where in your life are these assumptions at work? How do believers, the congregations of God, and nations “honor the god of fortresses?” How do you rid yourself of such fortress-mentality? Who can you pray for?

The one greater than Antiochus Epiphanes.

As previously mentioned, Dani’el Chapters 10 through 12 constitute one unit. These three chapters comprise a single revelation that spans the entirety of human history from shortly after Dani’el’s time until and beyond the Second Coming of Yeshua Messiah. Each part of the prophecy that is detailed in 11:2-35 was literally fulfilled in history, with Alexander the Great and his generals fulfilling verses 2-20, while Antiochus Epiphanes fulfilled verses 21-35. In contrast, verses 36-45 have not been fulfilled yet.

His rise to power (11:36-39): The unnamed angel who had started speaking to Dani’el in 10:19 described the nature and ascent of the antichrist. Previously, he had been identified as the little horn (7:8 and 20) and the coming prince (9:26). Now, the angel described him as a prideful king by stating: The king will do as he pleases. The antichrist will be characterized by so much pride that he will exalt and magnify himself above every god (11:36a). In fact, he will claim to be God Himself, a statement that was already made in 8:24. The B’rit Chadashah reaffirms this characterization in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, where Paul reveals: Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed – the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. John reaffirmed these truths when he stated that the antichrist would claim divinity and demand that the entire world worship him as God (see Revelation, to see link click Dn – All the Inhabitants of the Earth Worship the Beast).

The angel further declared: And [the prideful king] will say unspeakable-of things even blaspheming the God of gods. This is exactly what Dani’el said about the little horn in 7:25. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed. The purpose of the Great Tribulation is to make an end to wickedness and wicked ones (for example Isaiah 13:9), bring about a worldwide revival (Revelation 7:1-7), and break the power of the holy people (12:7). During the last three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 12:6) the antichrist will be the sole ruler of the world. During this period of time, he will direct his wrath against the Jews, starting a global Holocaust against them. The angel further revealed that the antichrist would be allowed to prosper until the time of wrath is completed (11:36b), namely, three-and-a-half years. The persecution of the Jewish people will be so severe that, according to Zechariah 13:8-9, two-thirds of them will be murdered. The angel concluded his description of the prideful king by declaring that what has been decreed has taken place (11:36c). The decision was set in stone. Because it had been decreed from heaven, it was irrevocable. Thus, it would be fulfilled even though the antichrist would experience initial success.³⁹⁸

Verse 37 elaborates on the nature of the prideful king by highlighting three of his characteristics. First, He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers (Hebrew: elohei) (11:37a). The Hebrew term for gods, elohei, is the masculine plural of Elohim. Depending on the context, Elohim can either refer to YHVH, the God of Isra’el, or to pagan gods. The translation of elohei as God has become the basis of the teaching that the angel was speaking of the God of Isra’el. That logic resulted in the idea that the antichrist will be a Jew, for he will disregard YHVH, the God of his fathers, i.e. the Jewish people. However, the context of verse 37 encompasses verses 36-39, where the term god is used six times. Therefore, the proper translation of the Hebrew term elohei in this verse is gods. If 11:37a proves anything, it is that the antichrist will be a Gentile and not a Jew. In the previous discussions of the antichrist, it has been established that he will be the final ruler of the times of the Gentiles (see Ao – The Times of the Gentiles).

Secondly, the antichrist will show no regard for the gods of his fathers, nor for the desire of any woman (Hebrew: ishshah) (11:37b); in other words, the antichrist will be homosexual. This interpretation seems to make the most sense because he will have the mind and attitude of Satan, who hates the biblical model for male/female relationships (see the commentary on Leviticus Ae – The Bible and Homosexual Practice). Thirdly, the angel spells out his third point. The prideful king will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors and set aside all organized religion, but will exalt himself above them all (11:37c).

Verse 38 shows which religion he will follow. Instead of the gods of his ancestors, he will honor a god of fortresses. The Hebrew term for fortresses, ma’uzzim, refers to places or means of safety and protection. Elsewhere in Dani’el 11:7, 10, 19, 31 and 39, the term is used for a fortified military defense. The antichrist will worship a god of strongholds who promises strength and military might. He will be the personification of war; therefore, his religion will be war. He will follow the philosophy of “might makes right.” What will be completely different about the world religion at the time of the end (or the Great Tribulation) will be the destruction of all previous religions (see Revelation Ek – The Beast Will Hate the Prostitute and Bring Her to Ruin), and the worship of one world leader without reference to any other divine power except that of Satan. In other words, the antichrist will worship the god of war, a god unknown to his ancestors. He will claim to be god, yet all the while accepting Satan as the supreme divine power. Even his pagan ancestors worshiped Satan only indirectly through idolatry, but the antichrist will worship him directly and will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts (11:38). He will be Satan’s masterpiece, a human being who is the devil’s substitute for Yeshua Messiah; hence, properly identified as the anti-Christ.³⁹⁹

Next, the policies of the antichrist are revealed. First, he will attack the mightiest strongholds with the help of a foreign god (11:39a). His ability to conquer will come from Satan, and he will receive supernatural power to conquer the mightiest strongholds. In Second Thessalonians 2:9, Paul made the same point: The coming lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie. Because the prideful king will worship Satan, he will receive the power of conquest from him. John reiterated this truth in Revelation 13:1-8, pointing out that the antichrist will accept the very offer that Yeshua rejected: to bow down and worship Satan (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bj – Jesus is Tempted in the Wilderness). Therefore, Satan will give his authority over the kingdoms of the world to the antichrist. He will provide him with a Satanic ability to take over the world because of the worship that Satan received from the antichrist.

As a second policy, the antichrist will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. The Hebrew term for acknowledge, yakkir, comes from the root nachar, meaning to regard or to recognize. It refers to confession. Those who confess or recognize the antichrist as God will be rewarded. On the one hand, the prideful king will worship Satan as his god; but on the other hand, he will claim to be God and reward those who accept him as such. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him and increase their position within his government. He will make them rulers over many people by granting them political authority, and will distribute the land at the price . . . their loyalty (11:39b). The followers of the antichrist will have to prove their loyalty by taking the mark of the beast (see Revelation Dp – The Mark is the Name of the Beast). Therefore, verse 39 prophesies that the antichrist’s rise to power will come supernaturally through the power of the devil. Satan will use the prideful king in his attempt to annihilate the Jews once and for all.⁴⁰⁰

His conquests (11:40-45): At that time the world will be divided into ten Gentile nations plus Isra’el. This political structure will exist during the first three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation. Whatever kind of peace may have existed between the antichrist and those ten kings (7:24) ruling the ten kingdoms will come to an end as the beast begins to take political control of the world. As a result, the conflict begins when the antichrist declares war on the ten kings. During his war against the ten kings, he will kill three and subdue the remaining seven. These verses describe that war. As a reminder, the angel who started speaking in 10:19 is still speaking. Back in 11:35, he had introduced the antichrist’s general policy and practice with the phrase the time of the end. Now he uses the same phrase to preface the antichrist’s military activities.

The antichrist’s military campaign will eventually focus on the land of Isra’el, but first he will have to overcome an attack by the king of the south and the king of the north (11:40a). These two kings will form an alliance against him. The term “south” refers to Egypt, while “north” refers to Syria. Many sensational prophecy teachers choose to ignore the context and identify the king of the north as Russia. It is true that Russia will lead a northern alliance of nations around the Black and Caspian seas, along with Persia and North Africa, who will invade Isra’el (Ezeki’el 38:1 to 39:16). But that invasion will take place before the Great Tribulation starts (see Revelation Bq – For Seven Months the house of Isra’el Will Bury Them in Order to Cleanse the Land). In his description of this invasion, Ezeki’el didn’t simply speak of the north, but the most remote parts of the north. From the perspective of Isra’el, Russia is the northernmost country. Here in 11:40, the angel didn’t mention the most remote parts of the north, but the king of the north. In the context of Dani’el 11, this expression always refers to Syria.

The king of the north will storm out against him, meaning the Syrian king will attack the antichrist suddenly, with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood (11:40b). When the word flood is used symbolically in the Bible it is always used for a military invasion. Initially, he will be very successful militarily. He will also invade Isra’el, the Beautiful Land. During that war, Isra’el will fall. Although the antichrist will eventually gain political control of the whole world, he will extend his power over many countries and many will fall, three countries will escape his domination, Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand (11:41). Today all three of these ancient countries lay in modern day Jordan.

In the middle of the Great Tribulation, the Jewish State will be conquered as the Israeli government collapses. The same Gentile takeover is described in Revelation 11:1-2: Then I was given a measuring stick, and I was told, “Go and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers. But do not measure the outer courtyard, for it has been turned over to the nations. They will trample the holy city for 42 months.” According to this passage, the antichrist will attack and conquer the Temple compound. The first event tied to the breaking of the seven-year covenant (see Revelation Bz – The Signing of the Seven-Year Covenant with the Antichrist), is the abomination that causes desolation (see Revelation Dr – The Abomination That Causes Desolation) that will mark the beginning of the second half of the Tribulation.

Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14, finds Jesus referring to Daniel’s prophecy, saying: So when you see the abomination that causes desolation standing in the most holy place spoken of through the prophet Dani’el, let the reader understand. This abomination will involve two stages. The first stage is when the antichrist claims the Tribulation Temple as his own (see Revelation Bx – The Tribulation Temple), sits down in the most holy place and declares himself to be God. The second stage is when the false prophet makes an image of the antichrist and places it inside the most holy place to be worshiped (see Revelation Do – The Beast Out of the Earth: The False Prophet). At that point the spiritual scales will fall from the eyes of the Jews and they will finally recognize the true identity of the antichrist. He is the one spoken of through the prophet Dani’el (Matthew 24:15b). As Micah 2:12-13 shows, only those who will decide to obey Yeshua’s command will survive the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.

Up to the mid-point in the Tribulation, Isra’el will consider the antichrist an ally. But the abomination will cause 42 months of desolation, as two thirds of the Jews will be killed (Zechariah 13:8). The abomination that causes desolation will be the signal for the Jews to escape to Bozrah (see Revelation Ds – The Woman and the Dragon). Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains (Matthew 24:16). That will start the second half of the Great Tribulation where Satan and the rest of the Gentile world will attempt to hunt down and destroy Isra’el for the last time (see Revelation Fc – The Sheep and the Goats). Satan will try to accomplish what Hitler only dreamed about – final solution to “the Jewish problem.”

The takeover of Isra’el will cause the Jews to flee, and they will know when to flee because of this passage. The freedom of the Trans-Jordanian territory will provide the means of escape. Yeshua called that area the mountains, in Revelation 12:6 and 14, it is called the wilderness. Finally, Micah 2:12 identifies the city of refuge as Bozrah, located in the ancient territory of Edom. It will be the principal city of refuge until the end of the Great Tribulation and the Lord’s return (see Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah).

Next, the angel deals with the fall of Egypt. In 7:8, 20 and 24, it was prophesied that the antichrist would kill three kings. Here, the angel revealed who the first of these three kings would be: The king of the south, the king of Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt. As a result of conquering Egypt, the antichrist will have unhindered access to Africa. The fall of the continent is described in terms of the submission of Libya and Ethiopia (11:42-43).

But the antichrist will be furious with the reports that he hears from the east, and the north. He will also invade the king of the east. In the Scriptures, the east is not China, but Mesopotamia. Today, the area is known as Iraq. Whatever it will be called during the Great Tribulation, its ruler will join Syria in its resistance against the antichrist. When he hears of their resistance he will respond in rage to the attack by the combined forces of Syria and Mesopotamia, and destroy and obliterate them (11:44). In the process, the king of Mesopotamia will become the second victim of the antichrist, and the king of Syria will become his third victim. The three kings that he will end up killing (7:8, 20, and 24) will be the king of the south (or Egypt), the king of the king of the east (or Mesopotamia), and the king of the king of the north (or Syria).

Finally, the angel reveals where the antichrist will set up his headquarters. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas, meaning the Mediterranean and Dead Sea, at the holy mountain (11:45a). He will set up his military command post in Jerusalem. The Hebrew word for tent, ohel, refers to a military tent of a general. His command post will be at the beautiful holy mountain of Jerusalem, or Mount Zion. According to Zechariah 14:2, the antichrist will bring complete destruction on Zion, and this would make his setting up his headquarters on the Temple Mount possible. Before this, he will have brought Isra’el to a state of complete humiliation, with both their army and their government being fully crushed. At that time, he will have already have committed the abomination that causes desolation, and the Jewish people will have fled to Bozrah.⁴⁰¹

This verse ends with a passing remark about the death of the antichrist. Having reached his zenith of power and with Isra’el prostrate at his feet, the antichrist then turns his attention toward the invading kings from the east and north. In the course of this conflict he appears to be killed. The beast will seemingly come to his end, and no one will help him. His body appears to be destroyed and thrown into a blazing fire (11:45b and 7:11). But this is all an allusion of Satan, the father of lies. The counterfeit father will stage the counterfeit death of his counterfeit son to set up a counterfeit resurrection.

As far as Satan is concerned, at this point, all is going as planned.

One of the heads of the beast, the antichrist, seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound will seemingly be healed (13:3a). Only ADONAI can breathe life into a dead body. Only God can create, only the LORD can call into existence that which did not exist (Genesis 1:1). Thus, the antichrist’s alleged death and resurrection will be a counterfeit of Messiah’s death and resurrection. The people of the world will believe that the beast is their savior. Since the Great Tribulation will be a time where the world will experience death on a scale never seen before in human history, his seeming invincibility to death will win him even greater fame than before. As a result, the whole world will be astonished and follow the beast (13:3b).

He will seem bulletproof.

The antichrist will be the counterfeit son in every respect. There had been a counterfeit virgin birth, a counterfeit god-man, and now a counterfeit death and resurrection. Not very original. A counterfeit Second Coming to rule will be seen as he moves to possess the nations and kingdoms of the world. Satan is playing the part of the counterfeit Father in this scenario. For just as the true Father gave His authority to His true Son; consequently, the counterfeit father will give his authority to his counterfeit son.⁴⁰² It is no wonder that the entire world will be swept off its feet by this articulate, persuasive figure. The world will cry out: Who is like the beast, and who is able to make war against him (Revelation 13:4)? The answer to that question will be Messiah Yeshua. Come, Lord Yeshua.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise you for your Great Love that so graciously and willingly paid the huge price of shame and pain, to redeem for your family. You call those who love (John 14:23) and trust/believe you to be your children. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12). How wonderful heaven will be without any crying, dying, pain nor shame. And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this judgment. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away.” And the One seated upon the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new!” (Revelation 21:4-5a). How important it is to live now with eternal values in view. Riches on earth mean nothing towards getting someone into heaven, as Messiah tells in the story of the Rich man and Lazarus. (Luke 16:19-31). Loving God with all one’s heart is what counts. Love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:5).

Prophecies Yet to be Fulfilled
11:36 to 12:13

At Dani’el 11:36, the prophecy shifts from Antiochus Epiphanes to the man he foreshadowed, the antichrist, the last world dictator. We have moved to the time of the end (11:35a). Both the TaNaKh and the B’rit Chadashah teach that a time of great tribulation will one day come upon the world, and our interpretation of Dani’el’s seventy weeks (to see link click Da – The Seventy Sevens) locates this period in the last “week” of his prophecy. This period is called the Great Tribulation which will be led by an unholy trinity composed of Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet (see Be – The One World Government Stage). The event that will trigger the beginning of those seven years is the signing of a covenant between Isra’el and the antichrist (9:27). The reason for the covenant seems to be the guarantee of his protection for Isra’el while the Jews build their temple (see the commentary on Revelation Bx – The Tribulation Temple). The Great Tribulation will end with the return of Yeshua Messiah (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah) and the confinement of Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet being thrown into the lake of fire (see Revelation Fa – The Beast was Captured, and with Him the False Prophet).

After these things come to pass, Dani’el ends his letter by prophesying about the future of Isra’el. During the Great Tribulation, Micha’el the archangel, Isra’el’s protector, will stand up. And even though two-thirds of the Israelites will die during the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), one-third of the righteous of the TaNaKh will be delivered after three days of pleading for Messiah’s return (Hosea 6:1-3). Those survivors and the righteous of the TaNaKh from every age will all be glorified at the same time (37:1-10). Their righteousness will shine like the brightness of the heavens. Then Dani’el will seal up the words of his scroll until the time of the Great Tribulation because those living then would need them at that time. The second half of the Tribulation would last exactly three-and-a-half years. God’s three main purposes during those years will be: (1) To bring wrath upon an unbelieving world and to make an end to wickedness (Isaiah 13:9 and 24:19-20); (2) to bring about a worldwide revival (see Revelation Dt – And They Sang a New Song Before the Throne); and lastly here in 12:7 (3), to break the power of the holy people, the stubborn Jewish nation.

The Mystery of the Olive Tree

As Harry Ironside (the Canadian-American Bible teacher, preacher, theologian, and author, who pastored the Moody Church in Chicago from 1929 to 1948) recounts in his book The Great Parenthesis, there is a great Dispensational division in Romans Chapters 9, 10, and 11. We can speak of these chapters as parentheses because one could move on without being conscious that anything was missing between the closing verses of Chapter 8 and opening verses of Chapter 12. In the first eight chapters of Romans Paul reveals ADONAI’s method of dealing with sin and providing a perfect righteousness for those who have none. Then in Chapters 12 to 16 of Romans we see the practical effects of those who have been made righteous by faith in Messiah. But between Chapters 8 and 12 we have a great parenthesis in which the apostle pauses, as guided by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, to show how the Gospel in the B’rit Chadashah harmonizes with the TaNaKh and His electing grace in the making of Isra’el His covenant people (see the commentary on Romans, to see link click Cn – The Centrality of Isra’el in the plan of ADONAI).

In Romans 3:23 we learn that there is no difference, that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The Jew is shown no more grace in Messiah than the Gentile. All must come to ADONAI in exactly the same way, as needy sinners trusting in Yeshua for salvation. This would naturally raise the question in the mind of any honest Jew: But what then of the special promises made to Isra’el? What of the covenant entered into at Mount Sinai? How does this affect the promise made to Abraham and his descendants? These questions and others are fully answered in Romans Chapters 9, 10, and 11. In Chapter 9, the Spirit of God speaks specifically of the LORD’s past dealings with Isra’el (see Romans Co – The Past Paradox of Isra’el); in Chapter 10, of His present dealings with them (see Romans Cs – The Present Paradox of Isra’el); and in Chapter 11, of His future dealings with His chosen people (see Romans Cw – The Future Paradox of Isra’el).

Turning, then, to Chapter 9, we see Isra’el’s past as an elected nation. It pleased ADONAI to separate these people from all other peoples to Himself in order that they might be a special testimony in the earth. This privilege was not given to them because of any merit of their own. Indeed, it was in His sovereign grace that Ha’Shem chose Isaac but not Ishmael, and chose Jacob but not Esau. YHVH was not unrighteous in doing this. He was the Creator. Like the potter, He had power over the clay to make it whatever He wanted to (see the commentary on Jeremiah Cw – At the Potter’s House). God chose Isra’el as the means of fulfilling His promises, so that they might be a blessing to the whole world.

Now if ADONAI chose to bless the seed of Abraham after the flesh, and they completely failed as a nation to appreciate His goodness, and when His own Son came into the world they fulfilled their own Scriptures in condemning Him, who shall question the righteousness of God in temporarily setting them aside, taking up the Gentiles and giving them the glorious privilege that they now enjoy?

So, in Chapter 10 we have the LORD’s present dealings with Isra’el. Yes, He has temporarily set Isra’el aside during this long parenthetic period, but that does not mean that individual Jews cannot be saved. Any Jew can come to Yeshua Messiah and find salvation on exactly the same basis as any Gentile. So we read in Romans 10:12, “There is no difference between Jew and Gentile – ADONAI is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on him.” And the apostle adds in Romans 10:13, “since everyone who calls on the name of ADONAI will be saved.” During this entire period (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace), while Isra’el nationally has been temporarily set aside, God’s whosoever may come message in John 3:16 is going out to the world, and any Jew or Gentile may take advantage of it, and if they refuse, they are responsible for their own judgment.

But, in Chapter 11 we can see the future of ADONAI’s covenant people. We are first told that their eyes were blinded because they were so preoccupied with their own works that they rebelled against the grace of God. Therefore, national Isra’el is judicially blinded until today: What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. 

The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day (Deut 29:4; Isaiah 29:10).” And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever (Ps 69:22-23).” Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring (Romans 11:7-12)!³⁹²

In His sovereignty, ADONAI has used the rebellion of the Jews to open the door of grace to all Gentiles everywhere. You might say that the Gentiles are indebted to the unbelieving Jews. So it is unthinkable for any Gentile to speak unkindly of any Jew because of their failure to understand God’s plan, despite understanding that there will always be a believing remnant of Jewish believers (see Romans Cx – The Testimony of the Jewish Believers) and that nationally all Isra’el will be saved (Romans 11:25-26a), untold millions of Jews have missed their glorious opportunity, even as our Lord Himself said: But if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes (Luke 19:42). Look, your house is left to you desolate. This prophecy of doom was soon fulfilled by her complete destruction (see The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD). Then the Supreme Commander of Life and Death quoted from Psalm 118:26: I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 13:35). The multitudes did quote this verse when He entered the Holy City in His Triumphal Entry, but their religious leaders disapproved. He would not come again until a believing remnant had been prepared who would beg Him to come back (see Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). In the far eschatological future this truth will be proclaimed when Jesus comes again and enters Tziyon as the millennial Ruler.³⁹³

And so with the temporary setting aside of Isra’el nationally, we have the Gospel of grace going out to the Gentile nations. Speaking from the standpoint of the Apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 13:37), Paul continues: For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead! Now if the hallah offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you – a wild olive – were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you. So you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” True, but so what? They were broken off because of their lack of trust. However, you keep your place only because of your trust. So don’t be arrogant; on the contrary, be terrified! For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly won’t spare you! So take a good look at God’s kindness and his sternness: on the one hand, severity toward those who fell off; but, on the other hand, God’s kindness toward you – provided you maintain yourself in that kindness! Otherwise, you too will be cut off! Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, will be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in (Romans 11:15-22). The figure of the olive tree used here is taken from Jeremiah, ADONAI called you an olive tree, beautiful, full of leaves and good fruit. With the roar of a mighty storm the LORD set it on fire, and its branches are broken (Jeremiah 11:16).

There are three plants used in a special way as representing Isra’el. The vine speaks of them as God’s testimony on the earth; the fig tree is the symbol of Isra’el nationally, and the olive tree tells of them as a covenant people in special relation to YHVH. Because of their unfaithfulness, and particularly their rejection of Yeshua (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives Out Demons), that the natural branches were broken off from the olive tree of which Abraham is the root. He is the father of all that believe/trust/or have faith in (Greek: pistis) the Messiah. Thus, as a result of Isra’el’s national unbelief, those branches were torn off of the olive tree. In their place, wild branches, representing the Gentiles, were grafted in (Romans 11:17). It is important to understand that these grafted in Gentile branches do not represent individuals, but nations. Any individual Gentile who does not trust in Yeshua as Messiah will face the same judgment as any unbelieving Jew (see the commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment).

Unbelieving critics of the Bible have used Paul’s figure of the olive tree to say that it is not inspired by God. “How,” they ask, “could God make such a mistake as that which Paul has made here? He speaks of grafting wild branches into a good tree. Every horticulturalist knows that you do not graft wild branches into a good tree; you graft good branches into a wild tree in order to completely change the character of its fruit.” But here, as elsewhere, the critics are wrong. They do not read carefully enough, nor, shall I say, far enough.³⁹⁴

The only thing that is preventing Isra’el’s national restoration is unbelief. And if any Jew exercises belief he can be grafted back into this place of blessing. Moreover, the others, if they do not persist in their lack of trust, then they will most certainly be grafted in; because God is able to graft them back in. This means that God is the Promise Keeper, which is essentially the message in Romans Chapters 9 through 11. Then Paul gives us the reason why we should expect the nation of Isra’el to be restored. The olive tree is Isra’el, and the Jewish covenants belong to the Jews. Therefore, if you Gentiles were cut out of what is by nature a wild olive tree, a nation of pagans separated from God’s promises, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree (Isra’el), how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree (Romans 11:23-24)! ADONAI’s setting Isra’el aside is not only partial and passing but also purposeful. YHVH temporarily set aside His chosen people in order to bring salvation to the Gentiles, to make Isra’el jealous of them (Romans 11:11b-c) so they would yearn to receive the blessings of the Messiah they had rejected, and thereby be used to bring blessing to the rest of the world (Romans 11:12-15). But God’s ultimate, overriding purpose is to glorify Himself.³⁹⁵

In Romans 11:25 the word “for” points forward to the reason, given immediately, why Paul has presented the olive tree illustration (see the commentary on Romans Cz – The Illustration of Isra’el’s Future). Paul uses the word brothers to emphasize that he considers not only Messianic Jews, but also Gentile believers to be his brothers in the faith, because he didn’t want any of them to be offended at what he was about to say next.

For brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery (Greek: musterion), which God formerly concealed but has now revealed (Rom 11:25a). At the end of Paul’s letter, he defines mystery as being a revelation which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is made known, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God (Rom 16:25-26; Eph 3:5-7). In this, both the Messianic Jews and the Gentile believers must grasp the fullness of their individual callings by ADONAI.

Why was this secret truth kept hidden for so long until Paul revealed it? Because one would have expected Isra’el to be the first nation to be saved. Isra’el had all the advantages enjoyed by no other people (see Romans Cp – The Grief of Isra’el’s Past Paradox: Eight advantages that the Jews have). The Gospel itself is to the Jew especially (Romans 1:16), and YHVH has promised Jewish national salvation (Ezeki’el 36:24-36; Matthew 23:37; Acts 1:6-7). Why then, is God doing the unexpected, making the Gentiles joint-heirs (Ephesians 3:3-9) with the Jews? In order to give the fullest possible demonstration of His love for all humanity and not merely to the Jews.

But before Paul identifies and explains the particular mystery of which he is speaking here, he once again cautions the Gentiles against their pride, warning them to avoid twisting the truths of the mystery as being wise in their own eyes: So that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do (11:25b). Proverbs 3:7 reminds us: Don’t be conceited about your own wisdom; but fear ADONAI, and turn from evil.³⁹⁶

What a day it will be when God’s program is completed and He takes Isra’el up again and brings them at last to confess their sin (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ), to look up in faith to the Savior whom their fathers had rejected, and confess Him as their Redeemer and their long-awaited for Messiah. Then Isra’el shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the earth with fruit, for they will become ADONAI’s instruments for the enlightenment of the Gentile world.³⁹⁷

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your steadfast ever enduring love for Isra’el and Your deep and passionate desire to use whatever you have to use, so that Your chosen people will come to believe in You as their Messiah. How awesome it is that You desire to bless the Jews and Gentiles with Your love, but recognizing Yeshua as their Messiah. When Isra’el finally looks toward Messiah whom they pierced (Zechariah 12:10, 13:1-9); then Yeshua will return from heaven to rescue Isra’el.  Thank You for grafting the Gentiles into the olive tree. ADONAI’s love is so great! He eagerly waits to rescue both Jew and Gentile by faith in His death and resurrection, to hearts filled with love for God. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Antiochus Epiphanes
11: 21-35

Antiochus Epiphanes DIG: How is it that the heart of man can contain so much evil and yet God can fulfill His purposes through him? When faced with persecution, what are the factors that make people turn back on their faith? This was a refining time for God’s people. List some other times throughout history that have refined God’s people. How did Antiochus Epiphanes come to power? Who did he foreshadow?

REFLECT: What are your feelings about believers being called to defend, with force, certain human religious rights and freedoms? When faced with persecution (as the Jews suffered under Antiochus and believers will suffer under the antichrist), what are the factors that enable people to stand firm in the faith, even to the point of death? Have you ever faced persecution in your life? If so, how did you handle it?

Antiochus Epiphanes was a picture of the coming antichrist.

After fifteen verses that cover the reigns of seven Seleucid kings over a period of around 150 years (11:5-20), the next fifteen verses focus our attention on the reign of a single Seleucid king, Antiochus IV.³⁸⁸ These verses serve as a climax to the section (to see link click Du – Prophecies Already Fulfilled). The historical preview (see Dv – Alexander the Great) was given in order to set the stage for the prophetical fulfillment of this eighth Seleucid ruler. We have already met this wicked man, who in his character and activities, pictures the future antichrist (see Ck – The Ram and the Male Goat: The small horn), and he was also seen when the persecutions of this madman would come in less than four hundred years after Dani’el’s death (see Cl – Living in the Valley of Darkness: Antiochus Epiphanes). The prophecy’s appraisal of his importance and his character is based solely on the turmoil that his rule created in Jerusalem.³⁹⁰

Antiochus IV’s rise to power (11:21-24): As related by Arnold Fruchtenbaum in his commentary on Dani’el, the angel (see Dt – The Arrival of an Angel) revealed that Antiochus would usurp the throne that rightly belonged to the last king, Seleucus IV Philopator (11:20) will be succeeded by a contemptible person. He gave himself the name Epiphanes, which means glorious one, but the unnamed angel called him a contemptible person. The Hebrew term contemptible, nivzeh, comes from the root bazah, meaning to despise. Among the ancient tyrants, he was the most brutal oppressor of the Jewish people.

While Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the son of Antiochus III the Great and, therefore, the brother of the former monarch, Seleucus IV, he was not in line for royal succession (11:21a). The rightful successor was Demetrius I Soter, son of Seleucus IV. After the Battle of Magnesia in 189 NC, the defeated Seleucid king, Antiochus III, was forced to sign a truce. One of the conditions of the treaty was that he had to hand over Hannibal (the general who had commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against Rome in the Second Punic War) as well as his own son, Antiochus Epiphanes, who remained a prisoner in Rome until 176 BC, when he was released in exchange for his nephew, Demetrius I. Thus, not only was Antiochus Epiphanes contemptible, but he was also an illegitimate king.

The next phrase in the angel’s prophecy predicted that Antiochus Epiphanes would invade the kingdom when its people feel secure. He was in Athens when he heard that his brother had been murdered by Heliodorus (11:20). At that point, his young nephew, probably around five at the time, became the rightful king. Heliodorus maintained the real power behind the throne. At that point Antiochus Epiphanes arrived in Syria and proclaimed himself co-ruler in an unlawful succession. He killed Heliodorus and sent his nephew into the background, pretending to be the boy’s legal guardian. In 170 BC the boy died. It’s possible that his uncle ordered the assassination. The angel revealed that Antiochus Epiphanes would seize the kingdom through intrigue (11:21b). The Hebrew word for intrigue is chalaklakot, meaning smoothness, and is better translated intrigue or trickery (JPS 1985).

Then the angel provides a prophetic description of Antiochus Epiphanes’ consolidation of power. Then an overwhelming army will sweep away his enemies before him like a flood. Hence the prophecy stated that he would succeed in military conquests. This prophecy was fulfilled by numerous victories, including one in 170 BC when he fought the Egyptians in an area halfway between Gaza and the Nile delta (see The First Egyptian Campaign below). Then the angel mentioned the prince of the covenant without giving any further information about his identity (11:22). As verses 28 and 32 will show, this phrase refers to the Jewish high priest, who functioned as a ruler of the Jewish people at that time. As mentioned in the discussion of 8:9-14, the rightful high priest was Onias III. In 175 BC, Antiochus Epiphanes forced Onias out of the office and replaced him with his brother Jason. In 172 BC, Onias was murdered by Menelaus, another brother of his, who bribed himself into the office of the high priest by sending money to Antiochus for the privilege.

Next, the angel deals with Antiochus Epiphanes’ growth in strength. After coming to an agreement with him. The agreement mentioned in this verse historically refers to Antiochus Epiphanes’ alliance with Egypt. Cleopatra I, his sister, was the de facto leader of the Ptolemaic Empire, and he took advantage of that familial bond for a time. But, as the angel predicted, he acted deceitfully. Egypt was, at the time, embroiled in a civil war between Ptolemy VI Philometor and Ptolemy VIII Physcon. Antiochus backed Philometor because he believed that by doing so, he could eventually gain control of Egypt. Over time, Antiochus Epiphanes rose to power. His rise to power had nothing to do with the size of his kingdom, because it only had a small force of people left after its defeat by Rome (11:23).

Then, the angel prophetically describes the growth of Antiochus Epiphanes’ wealth. When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his ancestors nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. In fulfillment of this prophecy, Antiochus Epiphanes attacked other nations when the richest provinces felt secure, when they least expected it. In that way he was able to capture even the richest provinces. His ancestors had looted other nations in order to increase their personal wealth, and enjoy lives of luxury. Antiochus, on the other hand, distributed the plunder to his followers. This didn’t mean he was a generous person; rather, he used the plundered money to bribe people and win favors. He plotted the overthrow of fortresses of Egypt – but only for a time, as it turned out, that was twelve years (11:24).

The First Egyptian Campaign (11:25-28): These verses prophetically describe the first of several campaigns Antiochus IV Epiphanes conducted against Egypt. The exact sequence of events that led to the invasion of the neighboring country is the subject of scholarly debate. To understand who participated in the campaigns, it may be best to review the familial ties of the Seleucids and Ptolemies. Antiochus Epiphanes had a sister by the name of Cleopatra. She was the daughter referred to in 11:17. Antiochus III, their father, had wed Cleopatra to Ptolemy V, the king of Egypt. Ptolemy was a young boy at the time of the wedding. Thus, his Seleucid wife effectively became the monarch of Egypt. The couple eventually had three children: Ptolemy VI Philometor, Ptolemy VIII Physcon, and Cleopatra II. All three siblings will be mentioned in the discussion of Antiochus Epiphanes’ first and third Egyptian campaigns.³⁹⁰

During this time there was a fresh outbreak of the old hostilities between the Seleucids and Ptolemies, the king of the North and the king of the South. Verse 25 reveals the beginning of the First Egyptian Campaign in 170 BC. With a large army Antiochus Epiphanes stirred up all his strength and courage against the king of the South. At that time, the king of the South was his nephew, Ptolemy VI Philometor. Egypt had been given to the Seleucids as a dowry when Berenice married Antiochus II Theos (11:6). Assuming that the internal struggles for the Seleucid throne would make repossession of the territory easy, the Ptolemies were planning on invading Isra’el. Yet, Antiochus Epiphanes had no intention of letting them take one of his valuable assets.

Another reason for Antiochus Epiphanes’ attack on Egypt was that the Ptolemies demanded the return of Coele-Syria, a region in the southwest region of his kingdom. When the empire of Alexander the Great was divided by his four generals, Ptolemy I took control of Coele-Syria, but ultimately it was given to Seleucus I Nicator. The successors of the generals were embroiled in a series of conflicts regarding this region, and now was one of those times. Ptolemy I and Antiochus Epiphanes met at Pelusium, an Egyptian frontier city east of the Nile Delta in northern Sinai. Although the king of the South came with a large and very powerful army, he was not able to stand because of the plots devised against him. Treachery determined the outcome of the battle. Historically, Ptolemy VI’s most trusted advisors betrayed him to Antiochus. Those who eat from the king’s table will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle (11:25-26).

The angel declared that the two kings themselves would also lie to each other. The two kings were Antiochus VI and Ptolemy, who was then held captive by his uncle. When the people of Alexandria heard that their king had been captured, they enthroned his brother, Ptolemy VIII Physcon. In order to achieve his goal of getting full control of Isra’el, Antiochus Epiphanes needed to be in control of all the affairs of Egypt. Yet, the new king posed a threat to his plans. Therefore, Antiochus Epiphanes pretended to befriend his nephew and captured king Ptolemy VI Philometor, promising to reinstate him as ruler of Egypt if he would help him in return. Philometor pretended to believe his uncle. In this way, the two men fulfilled the prophecy that the two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail. Antiochus only succeeded in making Philometor a puppet king of Memphis because the people of Alexandria rejected his reinstatement as Egypt’s ruler. When Antiochus finally left Egypt empty-handed, the two brothers, Ptolemy VI and Ptolemy VIII, reconciled and agreed to rule the kingdom together instead of fighting a civil war. As the subsequent verses will show, their agreement didn’t mean the end of the war because an end would come at the appointed time (11:27), and that time had not come yet.

Historically, Antiochus Epiphanes eventually returned to Syria, with great wealth. Yet he failed in his ultimate goal to take over all of Egypt, and that made him angry. His heart was set against the holy covenant, meaning the theocracy of Isra’el under the leadership of the priests. While he was in Egypt, Jason, who was outbid for the high priesthood, began a revolt in Jerusalem against acting high priest Menelaus (11:22), who wanted to Hellenize Jewish worship. On his way home, Antiochus Epiphanes put down that revolt. Then he fulfilled the prophecy that said he would take action against the holy covenant by plundering the land of Isra’el (1 Maccabees 1:20-28; 2 Macc 5:11-17). He killed 40,000 men, women, and children, and took 40,000 other Jews into slavery, thus causing a great deal of suffering, then he returned to his own country (11:28).

The Third Egyptian Campaign (11:29-30a): Dani’el Chapter 11 does not deal with Antiochus Epiphanes Second Egyptian Campaign, which took place in 169 BC. Historically, Antiochus Epiphanes’ Third Egyptian Campaign occurred in 168 BC. He came at the appointed time to invade the South again. He had heard that his nephews, Ptolemy VI Philometor and Ptolemy VIII Physcon, had agreed to co-rule Egypt, and he felt betrayed by Philometor. The angel, however, had prophesied that this time the outcome will be different from what it was before, meaning that this time Antiochus Epiphanes would not be so victorious. Indeed, just when he was on the brink of annexing Egypt to Syria, Roman allies from Cyprus came against him (11:29-30a). With its own sights set upon Egypt, Rome warned Antiochus not to expand his kingdom in that direction. So when the Syrian king approached Alexandria, he was not confronted by the Egyptians, but by the Roman commander Gaius Popillius Laenas. As Antiochus stuck out his hand to greet him, the Roman commander handed him a decree from the Roman Senate telling him to leave Egypt alone. He was told to read it on the spot. When Antiochus said he wanted to consult with his friends before answering, Popillius drew a circle in the dirt around the Syrian king and demanded an answer before stepping out of it. Check mate. After a brief interval of embarrassing silence, Antiochus replied that he would do whatever the Romans demanded. Then he withdrew his army from Egypt and headed back to Syria, groaning all the way.

The persecution of the Jews (11:30b-35): On his way back to Syria, a humiliated and demoralized Antiochus Epiphanes once again stopped in Jerusalem. After being thwarted in his ambitions to annex Egypt, he showed up in a bad mood and allowed himself to vent his frustration against the holy covenant. A section of the Jewish population had become apostates. They supported the enforcement of Greek culture, religion, and literature, and were led by the illegitimate high priest Menelaus. Therefore, those Hellenizers abandoned the holy covenant, just as the angel had prophesied. First Maccabees 1:47 records the atrocity. “They set up altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice of pig’s flesh and unclean beasts.” Besides the Sanctuary, Antiochus Epiphanes also profaned the fortress that guarded the Temple and showed favor to those who forsook the holy covenant (11:30b). They fortified the City of David with a great strong wall and strong towers, and it became their citadel. They stationed there sinful people, lawless men. The rebels strengthened their position, stored up arms and food, and collected the spoils of Jerusalem which were stored there and became a great snare. It became an ambush against the Sanctuary, an evil adversary of Isra’el at all times. On every side of the Sanctuary they shed innocent blood, and defiled it (1 Macc 1:33-37).

Antiochus Epiphanes even took away the continual burnt offering (see the commentary on Leviticus Ai – The Burnt Offering: Accepted by God). His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the Temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice (11:31a). The reason the Temple is spoken of as a fortress is because it was used as a military citadel. In 167 BC the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah; he directed them to follow customs of strange to the Land, to forbid circumcision, possessing the TaNaKh, burnt-offerings and sacrifices and drink-offerings (Leviticus 23:18) in the Sanctuary, and to forbid sabbaths and festivals (see Leviticus Dw – God’s Appointed Times) on penalty of death (1 Maccabees 1:50 and 63). According to rabbinic commentaries, the suppression of the Jews in this manner lasted about three years.

Yet, the desecration of the Holy Temple reached its climax on December 15, 167 (First Maccabees 1:54), when Antiochus Epiphanes set up the abomination that caused desolation (11:31b). He erected an image of Zeus and offered up the sacrifice of a pig. The situation is described in Second Maccabees 6:2-5: Not long after this the king sent Geron the Athenian to force the Jews to abandon the mitzvot of the Torah and no longer live by it, also to profane the Temple and dedicate it to Olympian Zeus, and the one on Mount Gerizim (Deuteronomy 27:12) to Zeus the Host of Strangers, as the people who dwelt in that place. This was harsh and utterly intolerable evil. The Gentiles filled the Temple with debauchery and revelry; they amused themselves with prostitutes even in the sacred courts. They also brought forbidden things into the Temple, so that the altar was covered with abominable “offerings” prohibited by the TaNaKh. The future antichrist will put his own image in the Temple when he breaks his covenant with the Jews in the middle of the Great Tribulation (see Revelation Dr – The Abomination That Causes Desolation).

In verses 32-35, the angel foretold how the Jews would respond to those atrocities, starting with the rise of the Maccabees. With bribes he will corrupt those who have acted wickedly against the covenant. Historically, Antiochus Epiphanes fulfilled the first part of this prophecy in the following manner. Those Jewish apostates who turned on their own people and acted wickedly against the covenant he encouraged by corrupting them with bribes. By pitting one element of the population against the other, he gained control of the entire population. Then he elevated the apostates into positions of authority. His schemes led to revolt of the Maccabees. They were the people who knew their God. As the angel foretold, they firmly resisted him (11:32). Eventually, they defeated every army that Antiochus Epiphanes sent against them (1 Macc 2:1 to 13:53, 16:1-2; 2 Macc 8:1 to 15:39). One battle after another, the Maccabees proved victorious.

Verse 33 prophetically speaks of another element of Jewish society of the second century BC that is not well known, the Hasidim: Those who are wise among the people will instruct many (11:33a). The Hebrew term for wise, maskile, comes from the root sachal, meaning to consider or to be prudent. In the books of Maccabees, those wise among the people are identified as the Hasidim (Hasideans, in English). For example, First Maccabees 2:42 states, “Then they were joined by a group of Hasideans, mighty warriors of Isra’el, all of them devoted to the Torah.” The Hasidim were known for their strict adherence to the Torah. To defend religious liberty and stem the tide of Hellenization, they joined the revolt of the Maccabees against Antiochus Epiphanes. They had no interest in politics per se, and as soon as they regained their religious freedom, they withdrew from the Maccabean Revolt. Historians typically attribute the disappearance of the Hasidim to their gradual assimilation with the Pharisees. Despite the similarity of their names, the Hasidim did not contribute to the development of either the Hasidic mysticism of the 12^th-century Germany or the larger Hasidic movement in 18^th-century Poland.

The angel called the Hasidim the wise among the people, prophesying that they would instruct many. Historically, the Hasidim continued to instruct others in the way of ADONAI despite Antiochus Epiphanes’ decree against teaching the Torah. Realizing that he would not stop his persecution of the Jews on peaceful grounds, they formed a small army that led a rebellion against the Syrians. Yet, just as the angel foretold, they fell by the sword, and were burned, captured or plundered (11:33b). The main reason for their defeat against the Seleucids was that the Hasidim did not fight on the Sabbath. When their enemy got wind of this policy, they purposefully attacked on the Sabbath day and quickly destroyed them. When the Maccabees led the revolt, they removed that stipulation from their policy. Among those who died in the revolt of the Hasidim was Eleazar the Scribe, whose story is recorded in Second Maccabees 6:18-31. A second example is the mother of the seven brothers mentioned in Second Maccabees 7:1-42. Both of these accounts may be legendary, but they still serve as reasonable examples of Syrian actions against the Jews.

Next, the angel predicts the fall of the Maccabees. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are deceitful will join them (11:34). Historically, the Maccabees succeeded in freeing Isra’el from the Syrians, but at great cost. There were five Maccabean brothers, and not one of them died of natural causes. Three died in battle, and two died by treachery. All of this was in fulfillment of the angel’s prophecy that they will fall. However, the angel also foretold that many who are deceitful will join them. Which is exactly what happened. Even some Hellenizers joined the Maccabees because of their military successes without agreeing with the theology or goals that motivated the rebellion in the first place. Later, the apostates succeeded in corrupting the descendants of the Maccabees, who became greater Hellenizers than those they had fought.

The angel’s prophecy regarding the Maccabean Revolt ends with a description of God’s purposes: Some of the wise will fall, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end (11:35a). Again, the wise ones were the Hasidim, who fell together with the Maccabees. ADONAI declared that He would allow the persecution of His people for three reasons: first, so that they may be refined; second, they may be purified; and third, that they may be made spotless until the time of the end. Then verse 11:35b provides a transitional prophecy that connects this file to the next major character in the book. For it will still come at the appointed time. Just as in Chapter 8, the prophecy moves from the discussion of Antiochus Epiphanes to the antichrist. The reason for this was previously stated. Antiochus Epiphanes was a type of the antichrist. What he did in history, the antichrist will do in the future. As great as the persecution was under Antiochus Epiphanes, it will be nothing compared to the greatest trial reserved for the appointed time (see Revelation Ch – The Beginning of the Great Tribulation), the far eschatological future.³⁹¹

You can see how unbelieving liberal “scholars” think these prophecies were written after they happened historically because of the amount of exact detail in them.

Dear heavenly Father, praise Your wisdom in knowing the future, in exact accurate detail! Though the future is unknown to our thinking, You know all, even future events, as though they had already happened. How wonderful that in times of trial your children can be at peace and even rejoice, knowing for certain that all of Your prophesies will come true. Living for You, focused on pleasing You, and looking forward to an eternity in heaven is so much more important than living for any small temporary goal that will soon be over. Heaven and hell are both real and the choice is made by who is most loved while living on earth. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Alexander the Great
11: 2-20

Alexander the Great DIG: How do you respond to the statement, “Fulfilled prophecy is one of the proofs of the inspiration of the Bible?” God’s hand can be seen in Alexander the Great’s conquest paving the way for the Gospel to spread more easily. In what other places in history have you spotted God’s hand at work? From the sounds of it, marriage and politics were never far apart in Dani’el’s day. In your perspective, how does that compare with the political climate today?

REFLECT: What are some of the current signs that show us that people are still interested in telling the future? How often today do you imagine spiritual conflicts are happening in regard to national leaders, as they were in Dani’el’s day? From what you know of secular and religious history, what impresses you about someone’s sudden rise to power and equally precipitous fall from grace? How would Dani’el write the epitaph of such superstars today?

Strangers will consume your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor (Proverbs 5:10).

Concerning Persia (11:2): The unnamed angel (to see link click Dt – The Arrival of an Angel) began this part of his prophecy by declaring: Now then, I tell you the truth. The truth the angel was proclaiming pertained to what would happen in the future. In other words, the angel began to reveal the actual message, the prophecy itself. The very first element of this prophecy was that three more kings will arise in Persia. In 10:1, Dani’el had made a point to provide a date for Chapters 10-12, stating that the revelation came to him in the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia. So, the three kings were Cyrus’ successors. Historically, Cyrus reigned for nine years, from 539 to 530 BC. Then he was succeeded by Cambyses (530-522 BC), Pseudo-Smerdis (522 BC), and Darius I Hystaspes (522-486 BC).³⁷¹

Cambyses was the son and successor of Cyrus the Great. His passionate ambition was to invade Egypt and regain the territory that Nebuchadnezzar had gained but that was later lost. Cambyses manufactured an excuse for the war, saying that he had asked for the hand in marriage of one of the Egyptian princesses but had been rejected by her father. He did conquer Egypt, but when he tried to take Ethiopia and Carthage, he failed miserably and had to retreat. He ruled Egypt with an iron hand and gave every evidence of being insane. He married two of his sisters, murdered his brother and heir Smerdis, and then murdered the sister who protested the murder of her brother. One of the leading Persian priests plotted an insurrection and seized the throne, taking the name of the dead prince; historians call him Pseudo-Smerdis. Cambyses died from an accidental wound to his thigh while going home to unseat the new king, who reigned for about one year.³⁷²

Then the unnamed angel introduced another ruler, a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others and he gained power because of his wealth. This ruler was Xerxes who reigned from 486 to 464 BC. In the book of Esther, he is called Ahasuerus. Historically, the Achaemenid Empire reached its greatest height during his reign. He amassed great wealth through some lucrative conquests. He also received the benefit of a strong taxation program that was started by his predecessor, Darius I Hystaspes. An example of Ahasuerus’ great wealth is seen in Esther, which records a lavish banquet that lasted for 180 days (see the commentary on Esther Ak – The King Gave a Grand Banquet in Susa, and Displayed the Vast Wealth of His Kingdom). The purpose of the banquet was to stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece (11:2). In 480 he tried to invade Greece, but his vast fleet was defeated at Salamis and Samos, and his army was defeated at Plataea.³⁷³ All this happened between Chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Esther. He came home a bitter and angry man and sought to find relief from his wounded pride by enjoying his harem. It was at this time that Esther entered the picture. Ahasuerus was assassinated in August of 465 BC.

Concerning Greece (11:3-4): From the previous visions, Dani’el already knew the sequence of the great empires. The angel began addressing the Hellenistic Empire, depicted in Chapters 2, 7 and 8 by the belly and thighs of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (see Ba – The Third Empire: Belly and Thighs of Bronze), the leopard (see Cc – The Kingdoms of This World), and the male goat (see Ck – The Ram and the Male Goat). Therefore, the focus of verses 3 and 4 is on Alexander the Great and the division of his empire.

Alexander the Great (11:3): Alexander III of Macedon was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. He was the son of King Philip II of Macedonia and Queen Olympia, the daughter of King Neoptolemus. Alexander was tutored by Aristotle at a young age and was exposed to political, philosophical, and cultural ideas that would greatly influence his later life. His reign as king of Macedon began in 336 BC, when his father, King Philip II, was murdered. In his early years, Alexander secured his rule by consolidating power and suppressing rebellions. He then turned his attention to military conquest, leading a series of campaigns that would see him become one of the greatest conquerors in history. Alexander’s first major military campaign was the conquest of the Persian Empire, which began in 334 BC. He was determined to punish the Persians for Ahasuerus’ invasion. Over the next ten years, he and his army marched through Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Babylon, and Persia. They defeated Darius III and strengthened Alexander’s control over the huge Achaemenid Empire.

Alexander’s life and reign ended in 323 BC when, at the age of 32, he died suddenly in Babylon. Despite his brief lifespan, he is remembered as one of the greatest military leaders and empire-builders in history. The prophecy of verse 3 revealed three things about Alexander. First he would arise up, indicating that he would have military success; second, he would rule with great authority, and, indeed, his empire would eventually extend from as far west as Egypt to as far east as India; and third, he would do as he pleases, which accurately described Alexander’s personality.³⁷⁴

Alexander’s incredible conquests were part of the sovereign plan of ADONAI. The spread of the Greek language and Greek culture assisted in the eventual spread of the Gospel and the Greek New Testament. Alexander’s goal was not just to conquer territory but to bring people together in a “united empire.” His soldiers married women from the conquered nations, and Alexander’s empire became the “melting pot” for all peoples. This too assisted in the spread of the Gospel centuries later.³⁷⁵

The division of Alexander’s empire (11:4): The unnamed angel revealed that Alexander’s empire would be divided into four parts. After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others. No sooner did Alexander appear on the scene of world history than he died. His kingdom was broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. 

The holy angel added that Alexander’s empire would not go to his descendants, such as a son or another rightful heir. Alexander the Great only had one son, Alexander IV, who historians consider to be a legitimate offspring of the monarch. He was born shortly after his father’s untimely death in 323 BC as the son of Princess Roxana of Bactria. Roughly fourteen years later in 309 BC, he was assassinated at the order of Alexander’s former general Cassander. The only other possible heir to the throne would have been Alexander’s elder half-brother, Philip II Arrhidaeus, who reigned as king of Macedonia beginning in 323 BC. However, Philip III was also assassinated and died in 317 BC. Thus, no one in the family of Alexander inherited the empire. It was divided by his four generals. The angel revealed that none of Alexander’s successors would be able to have the power he exercised.

The prophecy regarding Alexander concludes with the statement that his empire will be uprooted and given to others. The word others refer to the four generals Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. At the time of Alexander’s death, his legitimate son had not yet been born. As a result, the four generals agreed that the boy should rule as co-monarch until he reached the age to assume sole control of the empire. However, the four generals disagreed as to who should make those decisions for the young king. The disagreement led to civil war. During that period of unrest, Alexander’s son was murdered. In the end, the four generals simply divided up the empire among themselves.³⁷⁶

The Conflicts between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids (11:5-20): As the Soncino commentary on Dani’el correctly states in its introduction to verses 5 to 20, “interest is now focused on the two kingdoms which most directly influenced the destiny of Judah . . . the Ptolemies of Egypt in the South and the Seleucids of Syria in the North.³⁷⁷

Ptolemy I and Seleucus I (11:5): Verse 5 and, in fact, the rest of this section is so detailed that many liberal Jewish and Gentile biblical scholars simply could not, and do not, believe that they were written by Dani’el in the fifth century BC. Yet they were, and verse 5 prophetically introduces the conflict between the kings of the South (the Ptolemies in Egypt) and the kings of the North (the Seleucids in Syria). The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. As a reminder, the names of Alexander’s four generals were Antigonus, Cassander, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. In this prophecy, the angel mentioned the king of the South, namely, Ptolemy I Soter. He was the son of the nobleman Lagus, a native of the Macedonian district of Eordaea whose family was undistinguished until Ptolemy’s time. Ptolemy survived the struggles after the death of Alexander and took the title of king when the last of Alexander’s heirs was killed in 309 BC.

The angel foretold that one of his commanders would become even stronger than [the king of the South] and will rule his own kingdom with great power. That commander was Seleucus I Nicator, who, after Alexander’s death was appointed as satrap over Babylonia in 321 BC. However, Antigonus invaded his territory and forced Seleucus to flee to Egypt. Seleucus became a general in Ptolemy’s army and, in that way, became one of Ptolemy’s commanders. In 312 BC, Ptolemy and Seleucus succeeded in defeating Antigonus. Seleucus became the ruler of Syria and took the title of king in 304 BC. This fact fulfilled the prophecy that he would have great power. Over time, Seleucus’s kingdom became stronger than that of Ptolemy I. His kingdom went from Phrygia in Asia Minor to India and included Syria, Babylonia, and Media.³⁷⁸

Ptolemy II and Antiochus II (11:6): Verse 6 reveals the prophecies regarding the successors of Ptolemy I and Seleucus I. The angel began the next section of the prophecy by providing the time: At the end of years. After the Hebrew term end, ketz, refers to the end of a specific period. Historically, the period in question covered roughly fifty years between verses 5 and 6. The angel revealed that at the end of the period, they will become allies. But conflicts eventually arose between the kingdoms of the Ptolemies (Egypt) and the Seleucids (Syria).

From the beginning, conflicts eventually arose between the kingdoms of the Ptolemies (Egypt) and the Seleucids (Syria). Ptolemy I died in 285 BC, and clashes continued under his son Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC), who, according to tradition, initiated the translation of the TaNaKh called the Septuagint. Finally, Ptolemy II made a treaty of peace with the Seleucid ruler, Antiochus II Theos (261-246 BC) about 250 BC, the grandson of Seleucus. Under the terms of the treaty, Berenice, Ptolemy’s daughter (the daughter of the king of the South) was to marry Antiochus II (the king of the North) to seal the alliance between the two kingdoms. Her son was then to become heir to the Seleucid throne. However, Antiochus II was already married to a powerful and influential woman named Laodice, who succeeded in murdering Antiochus II, Berenice, and their child. Thus, she did not retain her position of power. The angel prophesied that in those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her child, as well as the one who supported her in those times. Laodice then ruled as queen regent before her son, Seleucus II Callinicus (246-226 BC) became king.³⁷⁹

Ptolemy III and Seleucus II (11:7-9): One from Berenice’s family line, her brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-221 BC) will arise to take her place. He succeeded his father Philadelphus, to the throne of Egypt. In retaliation for his sister’s murder, Ptolemy III attacked the forces of Syria (the king of the North) and entered his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious (11:7). This war lasted from 246 to 241 BC during the course of which Ptolemy even captured and looted the Seleucid capital of Antioch. The Egyptian king soundly defeated the Syrian forces and even put the evil Laodice to death. He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. Then Ptolemy made a peace treaty with Seleucus II in 240 BC in order to pursue his Aegean conquest. Thus, for some years he left the king of the North alone. But not taking his defeat lightly, the king of the North (Seleucus II) broke the peace treaty that same year and counterattacked by invading Egypt. However, just as the angel had revealed to Dani’el, Seleucus II was defeated and had to retreat to his own country empty handed.

Ptolemy IV, Seleucus III, and Antiochus III (11:10-12): Antiochus III was an extremely important person, for during his reign the Promised Land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob fell under Seleucid’s control. His conflicts with Egypt, described here, provide an explanation of how this came about. With the Promised Land dominated by the Seleucids, the stage was set for the coming of the tyrant, Antiochus Epiphanes (see Dw – Antiochus Epiphanes).³⁸⁰

Seleucus II died in 226 BC, but his sons, Seleucus III Ceraunus (226-223 BC) and Antiochus III (the Great, 223-187 BC), continued the wars with the Ptolemies. Seleucus III was murdered after a brief three-year reign, and his brother, Antiochus III, came to power. In 217 BC he assembled a great army and faced Ptolemy IV Philopator at Raphia. The battle fulfilled the prophecy that Antiochus III would sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress. Today Raphia is a border city between Isra’el and the Siani. Then the angel prophetically revealed the details of the battle to Dani’el. Then the king of the South (Ptolemy IV) will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North. The army of Antiochus III was very large. The Infantry alone consisted of 70,000 soldiers, and the cavalry had 5,000 men and seventy-three elephants. Nevertheless, he was defeated. After the enemy was swept away, Ptolemy IV became filled with pride and slaughtered thousands of Syrian soldiers. In addition, he took 40,000 of Antiochus III’s army into captivity. Syria was left with only a token army. In fact, Antiochus himself was almost captured. Yet, Ptolemy didn’t follow up on his victory. He could have pursued and captured Antiochus, but he didn’t take advantage of the situation. Consequently, the peace with Syria was only temporary.³⁸¹

Ptolemy V and Antiochus III (11:13-19): After Ptolemy IV’s death in 204 BC, Ptolemy V Epiphanes ascended the throne in Egypt. His reign lasted about twenty-three years, until 181 BC. For the larger part of that period, his adversary in the neighboring Seleucid kingdom was Antiochus III the Great. At this point in the chapter a significant development takes place. The Ptolemies were no longer dominant, and the rest of the chapter (11:13-35) describes the following period of Seleucid dominance.

For the king of the North (Antiochus III) will muster another army, larger than the first. Between 212 and 204 BC, he conducted military campaigns that led him as far east as India and as far north as the Caspian Sea. During that time, he gathered more and more strength. Therefore, after several years, he advanced with a huge army fully equipped against Egypt in 202 BC (11:13).

The prophecy continues to describe the conspiracies that would be directed against Ptolemy V. In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel. The angel further revealed that there would be Hebrews among the conspirators against Egypt, Dani’el’s own people. The Jews were led by a man named Tobias. They attacked the Egyptian garrison in Jerusalem. It was a small revolt in fulfillment of a vision, which was the freedom of Isra’el. But just as the angel predicted, the victory was without success (11:14). Freedom from the Ptolemies only meant subjugation to the Seleucids, and Isra’el did not become independent.

Historically, Ptolemy V was a child when he ascended to the Egyptian throne in 204 BC. Upon his father’s death, a bloody conflict followed. The regency was transferred from one advisor to another, and the state of the kingdom was close to anarchy. Taking advantage of this unrest, Antiochus III launched an invasion of Egypt. Then the king of the North will come and he will build up siege ramps and capture a fortified city. And the forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it (11:15-16). Canaan came under the authority of Antiochus III.³⁸²

Backed by Antiochus’ army, the Syrians forced terms of peace upon the Egyptian king. The angel then revealed that Antiochus would attempt to control the Egyptian throne by marriage. He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. To seal the agreement, Antiochus gave his daughter Cleopatra, to Ptolemy V as a wife. (That woman was the first in that royal family to bear the name of Cleopatra. The Cleopatra associated with Julius Cesar and Mark Antony lived much later from 69 to 30 BC). And Antiochus will give Ptolemy a daughter in marriage in order to gain further control over Egypt. But his plans did not succeed, for Cleopatra loved her husband and supported the Ptolemy’s completely (11:17).

Verses 18 and 19 prophesy of Antiochus’ defeat at the hands of Rome and his humiliating death. Having conquered the Egyptians, Antiochus III turned his attention to the coastlands (the islands or countries around the Mediterranean Sea) and will take many of them. But after some initial success, Rome had had enough. They sent a commander, Lucius Cornelius Scipio, otherwise known as Asiaticus, to deal with Antiochus. In 191 BC the Romans, fighting with their Greek allies, routed the Syrians at Thermopylae and forced them to withdraw from Greece and flee to Asia Minor. Then thirty thousand Roman troops pursued Antiochus into Asia and defeated a much larger army of seventy thousand at the Battle of Magnesia near Smyrna (Turkey) in 190 BC.³⁸³ Antiochus’ defeat put an end to his disrespect and turned his disrespect back on him (11:18). In the past, Antiochus had treated the Romans disrespectfully. He refused to see their ambassadors, who came to negotiate a truce in Lysimacheia, telling them that Asia didn’t concern them and that he was not subject to their demands. Yet in 188 BC he was forced to accept the Treaty of Apamea which brought an end to Seleucid rule in Asia Minor, abandoning all to Roman rule.

Finally, the angel predicted the death of Antiochus III the Great. After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more (11:19). Historically, this prophecy was fulfilled when Antiochus returned home in defeat. The peace negotiations forced him to pay a 12,000-talent reparation over a twelve-year period, surrender his elephants and fleet, and provide twenty hostages, including his son Antiochus IV. But he was assassinated in a temple near Susa, when he tried to plunder it in order to generate desperately needed revenue.³⁸⁴

Seleucus IV Philopator (11:20): The son and successor of Antiochus III was Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175 BC). He sent out a tax collector (Heliodorus) to collect the money to pay the thousands of talents demanded by the Romans as part of the Treaty of Apamea. According to Second Maccabees 3:7-40, Seleucus even sent Heliodorus to plunder the Temple in Jerusalem in order to provide the funds for the Syrian treasury, but a terrifying vision of mighty angels prevented him from doing so. The angel’s prophecy stated that within a few years Seleucus IV would be destroyed. In reality, however, the king reigned for twelve years. The term “few” has to be interpreted in comparison to Antiochus III, who reigned for 37 years.³⁸⁵ Yet he was not killed in anger (like his father) or in battle. Heliodorus, his tax collector and prime minister, evidently poisoned the king (possibly assisted by Antiochus IV). Then Heliodorus declared himself regent upon the king’s death and seized control of the government. His reign was also short-lived. The brother of the late king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, arrived in Antioch with the assistance of the monarch of Pergamum, Eumenes II, and quickly overthrew Heliodorus.³⁸⁶

While Ha’Shem is not responsible for the evil that men and women have done in the name of governments or religion, He is still the Lord of history and continues to work out His plans for humankind. Studying the evil deeds of past rulers could make us cynical, but we must remember that one day the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of ADONAI, as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).³⁸⁷

You can see how unbelieving liberal “scholars” think these prophecies were written after they happened historically because of the amount of exact detail in them.

Dear heavenly Father, praise Your omniscience which knows in exact accurate detail, all that will happen in the future, including who will win each war! Your words of prophecy always come true exactly as You predict. Trials on earth will seem so small, compared to the surpassing joy of living in heaven with our Awesome God and Heavenly Father, the Supreme Almighty Ruler of the Universe forever. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Prophecies Already Fulfilled
11: 2-35

In its introduction to Dani’el 11, a rabbinic commentary states that the unnamed angel of Chapter 10 (to see link click Dt – The Arrival of an Angel), summarized “the historical period covered by the four Persian kings and the intervening years between it and the final triumph of the Jews. Although the commentary doesn’t define “the final triumph,” it refers to the victory of the Maccabees. The commentary also asserts that “the united efforts of the unnamed angel and Micha’el” transformed the hostility of the Medes and the Persians towards the Jews into “friendliness.” ³⁶⁹

The prophecy given in Chapter 11 is long and complex. The thirty-five verses of Dani’el 11 were prophecies in Dani’el’s time but are now history. They deal with important but, for the most part, forgotten historical characters with difficult names and complicated relationships. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the proofs of the inspiration of the Bible, for only an omniscient God can know future events accurately and direct His servants to write it down. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him (2:22). It is no surprise, then, that the radical critics have attacked the book, and especially these chapters. Their “scientific conclusion” is that the book of Dani’el is a fraud; it was written centuries after these events, and therefore, is not a book of prophecy at all. But these critics can’t deny the historicity of these events, because the records are in the annals of ancient history for all to read and cannot be denied. Therefore, to maintain their “scientific theories,” they must deny the reality of prophecy. Those of us who believe in ADONAI have no problem accepting the word of prophecy (Second Peter 1:19-21).³⁷⁰

The Arrival of an Angel
10:1 to 11:1

The arrival of an angel DIG: Was Dani’el physically standing on the bank of the Tigris River? Why was Dani’el mourning? How did he mourn? Who was the messenger? Who heard the message? How did Dani’el initially react? Why would he expect a swift answer to his prayer? Why had the powerful high-ranking angel been delayed? For how long? What kind of power structure did the angel reveal? What three activities are demons generally involved in? Was the angelic being’s message to Isra’el or to the Church? What was the actual prophecy?

REFLECT: What word does God have for us that will help us maintain our faithfulness over the long haul? How can Dani’el’s mourning help believers today? When you face circumstances in life in which it seems God’s agenda is not being accomplished, how do you decide whether to sit back and let God do His work or to jump in and “help God out” a little bit? How does it make you feel to think that a whole spiritual war is being waged around you between the power of God and the power of evil? In what ways is prayer a powerful weapon in that war?

Dani’el prayed, and angels went to war.

The background (10:1-3): Verse one provides the date of Dani’el final vision. In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia (to see link click Ag – Cyrus and Darius), a revelation was given to Dani’el, who is called Belteshazzar. In 536 BC, Dani’el was about eighty-five years old, and had been in Babylon for a little over seven decades. The message was true, meaning it was fulfilled, and it concerned a great war. In other words, it did not refer to a single battle, but to a long, continuous period of trouble for Isra’el. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision. Its message was true and it concerned a great conflict (10:1). Dani’el claimed to have understood the vision, but, in reality, the only thing he realized was that it meant trouble for the Jewish people. As he admitted in 12:8, he didn’t comprehend every detail.³⁶⁰

Dani’el shifted from a third-person narrative to a first-person description of the occasion when he received the vision. At that time I, Dani’el, mourned for three weeks (10:2). In the first year of Cyrus, the first party of Jewish exiles had returned to Jerusalem in response to Cyrus’ decree (see the commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah Ag – The First Return). But they found life there far from easy. They rebuilt the altar of the Temple but almost immediately ran into powerful opposition from the Samaritans (see Ezra-Nehemiah At – Opposition during the Reigns of Cyrus and Ahasuerus). That opposition, on top of the difficulties of scratching out a living in their new home, cause the returned exiles to stop working on the Temple, a hiatus that would continue for more than fifteen years until the time of Haggai (see Ezra-Nehemiah Ay – Haggai: The Strait Talker) and Zechariah (see Ezra-Nehemiah Az – Zechariah: The Visionary). The third year of Cyrus would therefore have been a time of discouragement for God’s people, both in Judah and Babylon.

That disheartening news caused Dani’el to mourn for three weeks. It was not a total fast from all food; rather, he ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched his lips; and he used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over (10:3). Dani’el fasted and abstained from anything that would have brought him pleasure, such as putting oil on his face for refreshment, as a sign of happiness, or to protect it from the sun (Psalm 45:7 104:15, 121:6; Proverbs 27:9). As the next verse will show, the period of Dani’el’s fast included the week of Passover, which is typically a time of feasting rather than fasting. The fact that his fast persisted through the Passover festival in the middle of the first month was both a sign of the seriousness of his commitment to mourn and an implicit cry to God to repeat His ancient acts of salvation in Dani’el’s own day. It was his way of identifying with the difficulties and trials of those who had returned, and a crying out to God for their ultimate deliverance.³⁶¹ Under the Torah, Passover could only be observed where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Initially, this was in Shiloh, then in Jerusalem. Thus, Dani’el did not violate the Torah.³⁶²

Dani’el’s solidarity with his brothers and sisters, even at a great distance, should be a challenge to us. The Church around the world is one family of God’s people. When one suffers, we should all sorrow; when one rejoices, we should all celebrate (1 Cor 12:26). We should especially remember the persecuted Church. In many parts of the world there are those who suffer severely for their allegiance to Messiah. The writer of the Hebrews urges his readers to remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are ministered as if you yourselves were suffering (Heb 13:3). Of course, in most cases we cannot write to these people personally, to assure them of our support. Nevertheless, we can do what Dani’el did, which was to fast for a time from some of the luxuries that are a routine part of our lives, and devote ourselves to praying for those persecuted believers in their time of desperate need. Such an act is also good for us when we are tempted to grumble about the difficulties and challenges of our present situation. It reminds us to be thankful for ADONAI’s mercies to us and to pray for God’s people undergoing trials. Abstinence also helps us to keep in mind that this world is not our home (Heb 13:14). Like the believers under persecution, we too are engaged in a spiritual battle against a powerful opposition, a battle that rages around us at all times.³⁶³

The Messenger (10:4-6): At the end of the three-week period of mourning, the vision began. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month of Nisan, as I was standing on the bank of the Tigris River (10:4). Dani’el was there physically, not merely in vision as before (see Ck – The Ram and the Male Goat). Three weeks earlier, sometime after the New Moon, Dani’el had begun his fast. It continued through the completion of Passover (see the commentary on Leviticus Dy – Pesach), Unleavened Bread (see Leviticus Dz – Hag ha’Matzot), and Firstfruits (see Leviticus Ea – Rasheet).

I looked up. This phrase is used elsewhere in the TaNaKh to describe the beginning of a visionary experience (for example Zechariah 1:18, 2:1, and 5:1). And there before me was an angel appearing as a man. He was dressed in linen, like a Hebrew priest (Exodus 28:5, 39, and 42). Angels, who dwell in the Presence of God, who is light, are themselves clothed with light, and Dani’el saw something of heaven’s Shekinah glory reflected in this angel who visited him.³⁶⁴ This angel wore a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches. His arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, indicating that his body had a fiery appearance, and his voice like the sound of a multitude (10:5-6). Some commentators see this person as a theophany of Messiah because of its resemblance to the LORD in Revelation 1:12-16. But, in 10:13 we are told the angel required Micha’el’s assistance in his conflict with the chief demon of Persia. There is something unbiblical about the possibility of God needing any help.³⁶⁵ This angel was, then, probably a very powerful high-ranking angel.

Dani’el’s Reaction (10:7-11): Dani’el had taken other men to the Tigris River with him. But he was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with him did not see it, but they knew something strange was happening. Overwhelmed with terror, they fled and hid themselves. This situation is reminiscent of Paul’s Damascus road experience (see the commentary on Acts Bc – Sha’ul Turns from Murder to the Messiah), where Paul’s companions also saw nothing, though they heard a sound and stood speechless.³⁶⁶ Dani’el, however, was left alone, gazing at this great angel, trembling and helpless. He had no strength left and his face turned deathly pale. Then he heard the unnamed angel speaking, and as Dani’el listened to him, he fainted and fell, face first, onto the ground. The powerful angel had come to give Dani’el a special revelation concerning the Jewish people and what would happen to them in the “end times.” A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. The angel said, “Dani’el, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling (10:10-11).

The Message Delayed (10:12-14): As Arnold Fruchtenbaum relates in his commentary on Dani’el, then the high-ranking angel revealed the reality about the unseen world and the angelic war that is going on in the heavens. According to verse 12, the angel was supposed to arrive on the same day that Dani’el began his fast. Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Dani’el. Since the first day that you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. As has been suggested in 10:2, Dani’el’s fast may have been in response to the problems surrounding the rebuilding of the Temple and Jerusalem. The angel consoled Dani’el by explaining that on the day the prophet began to humble himself before ADONAI, his words were heard in heaven, and the holy angel was dispatched to answer Dani’el’s prayer. Dani’el would have been familiar with the possibility of a speedy response from YHVH because in 9:20-21, the angel arrived before Dani’el had even finished his prayer. This time, however, the unnamed angel arrived after twenty-one days.

Verse 13 explains the reasons for the angel’s delay. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia, opposed me for twenty-one days. This prince of the kingdom of Persia was a fallen angel of high rank. One-third of all the angels God created, including cherubs and seraphs, fell with Satan (Revelation 12:1-5). In the same way that Ha’Shem has a hierarchy of holy angles, the Adversary has a hierarchy of demons. It is obvious that the organization of demons is an imitation of the organization of holy angels, with similar ranks and orders. Satan and his demons, who were once a part of the divine order of creation, were fully aware of the hierarchical structure that God had set up in heaven. The TaNaKh speaks of demons who function as rulers over nations, such as the prince of the kingdom of Persia in 10:3, and the prince of Greece in 10:20. The Devil uses his demons to thwart God’s plans. This is especially true in relation to Isra’el because the great dragon wages a special war of hatred against the Jewish people, both as God’s chosen people and as the source of the Messianic line. So, the ruler of demons did not want Dani’el to be given this vision of Isra’el’s future or to record it, so he sent a very powerful demon to stop God’s high-ranking angel. When Dani’el prayed, Satan’s fallen angels and God’s holy angels went to war.

Then Micha’el came to help me, because I was detained there with the kings of Persia. In the angelic realm, there is only one archangel (Jude 9 and Revelation 12:7) who has authority over all the other angels. On his way to Dani’el, the holy angel had been engaged in a spiritual battle with kings (demons) of Persia for twenty-one days. Besides being the archangel, Micha’el also serves as the chief prince, or guardian angel, of Isra’el (Dani’el 12:1). God’s holy angel was weaker than the demon who fought against him for twenty-one days. However, Micha’el was stronger than the Adversary’s demon. So once Micha’el arrived, he was able to fight the fallen angel of high rank alone, so God’s holy angel was released to take his message to Dani’el.

In a general sense, demons are involved in three main activities. First, they try to thwart the purposes of ADONAI as we have just seen in 10:12-14. Another example is described in Revelation where demons will aid in gathering the nations for the Campaign of Armageddon to try to halt God’s plan for the Second Coming (see the commentary on Revelation Eg – I Saw Three Evil Spirits That Looked Like Frogs). A second general activity of demons is to extend Satan’s authority over the world by doing his bidding (see the commentary on Ephesians Av – Salvation from Sin). This activity is the reason Paul urged believers in Ephesus to put on the armor of God (see Ephesians Cb – The Armor of God). A third general activity of demons is to do ADONAI’s bidding. Demons can be, and are, being used by Ha’Shem to carry out His own purposes, plans, and will. For example, in First Samuel 16:14, a demon was used to torment King Sha’ul. In First Kings 22:19-23, a lying demon was used to arrange for the death of Ahab (see the commentary on Elijah and Elisha Be – Micaiah Prophesies against Ahab). In Second Corinthians 12:7, a demon was allowed to be used to keep Paul humble. YHVH will use demons to carry out His own purposes, and nothing of what happened in Dani’el 10 was outside His permissive will (Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-6).

In verse 14, the angelic being explained the purpose of his coming: Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come. The angel’s message was intended for Isra’el and not to the Church (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el: The Church’s Relationship to the B’rit Chadashah). Furthermore, the angel gave a hint of the prophecy by stating that parts of the message referred to a time yet to come, meaning in the far eschatological future. All the remaining prophecies in Chapters 11 and 12 had such a broad scope that it would take a very long time for them to be fulfilled.³⁶⁷

Touched by an Angel (10:15-19): Once again, the words of the unnamed angel’s introductory message were overwhelming. While the angelic being was saying this to Dani’el, he resumed his prostrate position and bowed his face to the ground. Once again he was rendered speechless. Then one who looked like a man touched Dani’el’s lips (kind of like angelic first aid), and he opened his mouth and began to speak, saying: I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, sir, and I feel very weak. How can I, your servant, talk with you, sir? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.” His weakened condition prevented him from not only communicating with the angel but also from listening to the prophecy. There was just no strength left in him, nor did he have any breath. In other words, Dani’el feared that he would suffocate if the conversation continued. Then the angel touched Dani’el for the third time. Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. Then the powerful angel continued to comfort Dani’el, reminding him that he was very precious to God (9:23 and 10:11). He was not to fear, but to have shalom (peace). Then the angel encouraged Dani’el to chazak va’chazak, be strong now; be strong. Those words of encouragement finally strengthened Dani’el to the point that he was able to hear what the angelic being had to say. When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said: Speak, sir, since you have given me strength.

The Prophecy Given (10:20-11:1): So he said: Do you know why I have come to you? Slightly paraphrased, the angel asked, “Now that you have been strengthened, are you able to comprehend what I said earlier and why I came to you? The absence of a response suggests that the question was rhetorical. The angelic being in the likeness of a man explained what he would do after delivering the prophecy in the next two chapters to Dani’el. Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and after that, the prince of Greece will come. The holy angel would return to battle the chief demon of Persia who had stopped him earlier. The angelic warfare against that demon had to continue in order to preserve the advantage Micha’el had gained in 10:13, which assured the rebuilding of the Temple and Jerusalem. However, at some point in the future the demon of Persia would be defeated and the angel’s battles would shift from the demon of Persia to the demon of Greece. In other words, the time would come when the chief demon of Persia would be defeated along with the Medo-Persian Empire (see Az – The Second Empire: Chest and Arms of Silver). Then Greece would become the dominant power, and the Jews would fall under the control of the Greeks (see Ba – The Third Empire: Belly and Thighs of Bronze). At that time, the holy angel would have to stop his battle with the chief demon of Persia and begin another war with the guardian demon of Greece, being supported, once again, by Micha’el, Isra’el’s guardian angel. But first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. This could refer to a book in heaven that records everything that was, is, and is to be. Presumably this Book of Truth contains the course of history of the Gentile nations and the Israelites as God’s people, a portion of which is about to be revealed to Dani’el. Indeed, some parts of this book were turned into what we now know as the Bible. From this book, the unnamed angel knew that Micha’el would be with him in the war against the demonic domains. The angel made sure to add that Micha’el was “your” guardian angel. The Hebrew term for “your,” chem, is plural. Micha’el was not the guardian angel of Dani’el . . . but of Isra’el.

In summary, every nation has its own leading guardian angel as well as a guardian demon. As the guardian of Isra’el, Micha’el fights on behalf of the Jewish nation, especially during the times of the Gentiles (see Ao – The Times of the Gentiles), when Isra’el is under Gentile domination. He is aided by holy angels such as the one who was talking to Dani’el. Therefore, this powerful angel and Micha’el were fighting against the leading demon of Persia and would fight against the demon of Greece in the future.

The unnamed angel who was speaking to Dani’el explained in 11:1 that he had assisted Micha’el in the past. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I (the unnamed angel) took my stand to support and protect him (Micha’el). So the relationship between the powerful angel and Micha’el was mutual. Just as Micha’el came to help the angel in his battle against the prince of the kingdom of Persia in 10:13, so had the holy angel once helped Micha’el. Two years earlier, Micha’el and this unnamed angel fought a spiritual battle against Satan’s demons. The Hebrew word for to take one’s stand, amad, has a military connotation. The spiritual battle in the heavens was militaristic in nature. Historically, this was roughly the time when Cyrus and Darius began taking a pro-Jewish stance (see Dp – The Deliverance of Darius). ADONAI stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm that the Jews could voluntarily return to their land (see Ezra-Nehemiah Ai – The Decree of Cyrus). Micha’el and the powerful angel fought the demons attacking the returning Jews from Babylon all the way back to their Promised Land. From the perspective of Chapter 11, these events were in the past.³⁶⁸

Dani’el’s Vision of Isra’el’s Future
10:1 to 12:13

Dani’el is one of the most significant books in the Bible in terms of the chronology of future events because it contains essential information concerning the key figures and time sequences of the far eschatological future. It is difficult to understand prophetic chronology without consulting the book of Dani’el. There are visions in Dani’el that detail what YHVH would do beginning in the sixth century BC until the Messianic Kingdom. Thus, Dani’el can be seen as the foundation for the key themes of biblical prophecy. Dani’el did not attempt to write history when he wrote his book; rather, he was developing a theme.³⁵⁷ Therefore, the book was not written in chronological order (to see link click Ac – Dani’el from a Messianic Jewish Perspective: The Chronology).

So far, each chapter in Dani’el has been a self-contained unit. In contrast, the next section consists of three chapters. It contains Dani’el’s final and most detailed prophecy that is without parallel in Scripture.³⁵⁸ Indeed, the vision contained in Chapters 10-12 spans from Dani’el’s own time all the way to the resurrection of the dead. This will occur after the Great Tribulation, at the Second Coming of Messiah (see the commentary on Ezeki’el Ea – The Valley of the Dry Bones). The references to known historical events in this vision were so precise that critics of the Bible claim the chapters must have been written after the prophecies were fulfilled. Their argument provides food for thought for amillennialists and, in fact, for all three branches of covenant theology, which insist that a significant portion of prophecy in the TaNaKh must be interpreted allegorically in relation to the Church but not literally in relation to Isra’el. Both critics and amillennialists should begin to acknowledge that many of Dani’el’s prophecies have already been fulfilled literally since they were written down. Similarly, the remaining prophecies will be fulfilled literally, not allegorically or symbolically.³⁵⁹ This final vision of Dani’el can be seen in the following outline.

A. The Arrival of an Angel – 10:1 to 11:1 (Dt)

B. Prophecies Already Fulfilled – 11:2-35 (Du)

1. Alexander the Great – 11:2-20 (Dv)

2. Antiochus Epiphanes – 11:21-35 (Dw)

C. The Mystery of the Olive Tree (Dx)

D. Prophecies Yet to be Fulfilled (Dy)

1. The Antichrist – 11:36-45 (Dz)

2. The Future of Isra’el – 12: 1-13 (Ea)

The Significance of Dani’el Chapter 6 to the Times of the Gentiles

Luke describes this period of time when he wrote: They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (to see link click Ao – The Times of the Gentiles). This can best be defined as that long period of time from the Babylonian Captivity (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule) to the Second Coming of Messiah, during which time the Gentiles have complete dominance over Jerusalem. This does not rule out temporary Jewish control of the City until the Second Coming. Such temporary control was exercised during the Maccabean Period (164-163 BC), the First Jewish Revolt against Rome in 66 AD, and the Second Jewish Revolt (the Bar Kokhba Revolt) against Rome (132-135 AD), and since 1967 as a result of the Six Day War. This, too, was temporary, since Gentiles will trample down the holy City for at least another 1,260 days (see the commentary on Revelation Bx – The Tribulation Temple). Therefore, any Jewish takeover of the City of Jerusalem before the Second Coming must be viewed as temporary and does not mean that the Times of the Gentiles have ended. The Times of the Gentiles can only end when the Gentiles no longer trample down the City of Jerusalem.³⁵⁵ In the context of Dani’el’s overarching theme, the Times of the Gentiles, three lessons can be derived from this chapter. First, the Jews in the Diaspora will prosper to a degree. Second, their success will endanger them because it will cause jealousy and lead to anti-Semitic attacks and persecution. Third, in spite of the threats against them, the Jews, as a people will always survive, and the LORD will always preserve a believing remnant.³⁵⁶

The Lion’s Den and the Way of the Cross

In his commentary on Dani’el, Iain Duguid asks the question, “Does Dani’el 6 really give us a realistic perspective on persecution and suffering?” He goes on to ask, isn’t it true that for every Dani’el, whom God delivers from the lion’s den, there have been hundreds of thousands of nameless martyrs whom ADONAI did not deliver? We can plainly see the answer to this in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Haven’t God’s faithful ones suffered terribly over the centuries, sometimes at the mouth of lions, being beheaded, or being burned alive? Aren’t believers still suffering terribly around the world today? Where is Ha’Shem in these situations? Were these believers less faithful or less important to Him than Dani’el was?

As Duguid goes on to answer these questions, he helps us to see that Dani’el 6 provides something more than simply a model of how ADONAI deals with individual suffering believers, or how, like Dani’el, we are supposed to stand firm under trials. Rather, Dani’el 6 is a foreshadowing of the destiny of all believers (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Cc – We Must All Appear Before the Bema Seat of Christ). Dani’el endured the test of the lion’s den, emerging unscathed because Ha’Shem found him not guilty; as a result, the lions, which acted as agents of God’s judgment, did not harm him. Believers are never judged because there is no condemnation for those in Messiah Yeshua (Romans 8:1). However, the unbelievers who plotted against Dani’el were found guilty and crushed by God’s judgment. They and their families were sentenced to death in a foreshadowing of that final judgment, like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), the swallowing alive of the families of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram (Numbers 16), and the extermination of the inhabitants of certain Canaanite cities (Joshua 6). On that last day, all those who are in Adam will be judged, declared guilty, and will share in their fate of destruction (see Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment). While all those who are in Messiah will be found blameless and will share in Messiah’s glory and exaltation.

This also points us to the way in which Yeshua fulfilled Dani’el 6. Like Dani’el, Yeshua was falsely accused by His enemies and brought before a ruler, Pontius Pilate, who sought unsuccessfully to deliver Him from His fate, before handing Him over to a violent death. Like Dani’el, Yeshua was condemned to die, and His body was placed into a sealed pit so that His situation could not be changed by human intervention. Yeshua’s trial went even deeper than Dani’el’s; however, He did not merely suffer that threat of death, He went down into death itself. Although Yeshua was innocent, He suffered the fate of the guilty ones. There was no angel to comfort Him with the presence of ADONAI in His pit; on the contrary, He was left in the blackness, utterly alone and abandoned by God, suffering the fate that we, the guilty ones, deserved. His body was left entombed in the icy grip of death for three days before the angel finally came to roll away His stone.

Yeshua’s experience was itself a foreshadowing of the final verdict, a declaration ahead of time of the decree of the heavenly tribunal. Yeshua died for our sins, not His own, and so death had no ultimate power over Him, as a truly innocent man. Yeshua didn’t remain in the grip of the tomb: YHVH raised Him from the dead, precisely because the heavenly tribunal found Him without spot or blemish as the Lamb of God.

What is more, when Yeshua emerged alive from the tomb as the First Fruit of more to come (see the commentary on Leviticus Ea – Resheet), He brought with Him God’s stamp of acquittal, not only on Himself but on all those who are joined with Him, and in Him, by faith. When Dani’el came out of the lion’s den, he came out alone. No one else was saved by God’s deliverance of him. But when Yeshua came out of the tomb, He came out as the head of a mighty company of people who had been redeemed from the pit through His death. Whoever believes in Yeshua will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16); they will receive the same verdict from the heavenly court as He did, for His righteousness is counted as theirs. Because of the work of Messiah on behalf of His people, He can say, “Not guilty! You may go free!” Now we too can find favor with ADONAI through the cross of Messiah.

The people that Yeshua redeemed through His death and resurrection are not all super-believers like Dani’el. Most of us are ordinary sinners, people who cave in constantly to the unrighteous demands of the empire. From our earthly perspective, it may not seem that the diverse assortment of deeply flawed humanity that makes up the Church is worthy of eternal life. What kind of a reward would that be for Him? Yet, Yeshua does not hesitate to call us His children (John 1:12)! Even a crass sinner can be a child of God because Yeshua sees the end of the process, the glorious Church that will be presented to Him without spot or blemish. Our salvation does not rest on our ability to “Dare to be Dani’el.” But rests solely on Messiah’s perfect obedience in our place. In the midst of a world of trials and tribulation, this is where our peace and comfort rest. In the world to come, that will be all of our glory: all the righteousness of Messiah, given to us, minus His deity.³⁵⁴

The Deliverance of Darius
6: 25-28

The Deliverance of Darius DIG: How does King Darius respond to Dani’el being saved out of the lion’s den? Why did he become a believer? If God receives glory from miraculous rescues and good-guy endings, why do you think the righteous still suffer? How were the decrees of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius the same? Different? How is the theology expressed by Darius as true as anything written by Moses, David, or Paul?

REFLECT: What parallels do you see between Dani’el’s betrayal in 6:3-18 and Yeshua’s? Between Dani’el’s vindication in 6:19-28 and Messiah’s? An angel protected Dani’el. In what ways have you seen evidence of the work of an angel in your life? Dani’el faced the lions because of his beliefs. What penalties have you faced for your beliefs? What would you say is the key to giving God glory no matter what?

ADONAI is the living God, who endures forever, His dominion will never end;
He offers deliverance, performing signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth.

The deliverance of Darius (6:25-27): The plot of Dani’el Chapter 6 was set in motion by the king issuing a decree that prayers could only be directed toward or through him (to see link click Dm – The Conspiracy of the Royal Administrators). But after experiencing Dani’el’s miraculous deliverance from the lions’ den (see Do – Dani’el in the Lion’s Den), the chapter ends with a counter-decree, nullifying his original edict, and promoting the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.³⁴⁸ Like his ancestor King Nebuchadnezzar, Darius wrote to all the peoples of every language in the Province of Babylon. Both decrees offered the same greeting: May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my province, people must fear and reverence the God of Dani’el (6:25-26a). Darius stated his decree more positively than the decree of Nebuchadnezzar which threatened to cut people into pieces and have their houses be turned into piles of rubble if they defamed the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (3:29).

For He is the living God (6:26b): This indicates that He not only exists, but is active in the world. Certainly Dani’el’s rescue showed that in a dramatic fashion. This reference to the living God not only contrasts YHVH with the lifeless gods of the nations (Jer 16:18; Hab 2:19), but also calls attention to His capacity to preserve life as a God who saves and rescues His followers (6:27a). As Psalm 42:2a declares: I thirst for the living God.

and He endures forever (6:26c). Darius agreed with Nebuchadnezzar, who said: God’s dominion is an eternal dominion (4:34b). And the Psalter agrees with both of them, declaring: Give thanks to ADONAI, for He is good, and His lovingkindness (see the commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed) endures forever. He alone does great wonders, His love endures forever (Psalm 136:1 and 3). And because His love endures forever, that means that the righteous of the TaNaKh, and believers in every dispensation will endure forever (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).

His Kingdom will not be destroyed and His dominion will never end (6:26d): In the past, Nebuchadnezzar had said the same thing in different words: His kingdom endures from generation to generation (4:34c). This theology expressed in the decree of Darius is as true as anything written by Moses, David, or Paul. ADONAI is the living and eternal God whose Kingdom, unlike the four Gentile Empires that precede it, will never be destroyed (see Bg – The Fifth Empire: The Kingdom of God).³⁴⁹

He delivers and he rescues (6:27a): Nebuchadnezzar said basically the same thing to Dani’el, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings,” the ruler over the kings of the earth, and a Revealer of mysteries (2:47). I think that King Darius believed this, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). The fear of ADONAI is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding (Proverbs 9:10). Darius decreed that his subjects needed to fear and reverence the God of Dani’el (6:26a). Therefore, I believe that he had gained wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One.

He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth (6:27b): Both royal decrees make the same claim . . . Ha’Shem is sovereign and He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth (4:35b). Perhaps for the Hebrews held captive in Babylon (see Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), the testimony of Darius to God’s power to perform signs and wonders, and to deliver His people stirred thoughts of the signs and wonders associated with the exodus from Egypt and the possibility of a return to the Promised Land (see Ezra-Nehemiah Ag – The First Return).³⁵⁰

He has rescued Dani’el from the power of the lions (6:27c): The signs and miracles that YHVH performed were not to “show off,” but to demonstrate to a lost world that He is the true God and should be honored. Dani’el’s rescue from the lion’s den seems to have had a profound effect on Darius. While it is true that Darius’ decree did not violate any of the polytheistic beliefs of the Babylonian culture at that time, there are no qualifications in his statements. He clearly and undeniably declared that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob delivers and rescues (6:27a). Obviously, his personal beliefs did not lead to a revival of the province of Babylon, but I do believe he was miraculously rescued spiritually, just as Dani’el was miraculously rescued physically. There are many today, like Mormons, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, Druids, and most traditional African religions, who are rescued out of a polytheistic religious system. Thus, God is not limited in His ability to rescue anyone from any polytheistic religion. This has been evidenced throughout human history.

Prospering in the exile (6:28): So Dani’el prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian (see Ag – Cyrus and Darius). In the context of this verse, the Aramaic term for prospered (haslah) refers to political success. We have seen Dani’el climb the political ladder from captive prisoner to entering the king’s service (1:19-20), to being in charge of all the wise men in Babylon (2:48), to the king’s personal advisor (4:27), to being set over the whole province of Babylon like a Prime Minister (6:3).³⁵¹

So Dani’el prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. This rounds off the story of Dani’el’s life, and puts his experience in the lions’ den into a broader context. It reminds us that most of Dani’el’s life was spent in exile, in the metaphorical lions’ den. Yet, as the end of Chapter 6 reminds us, God preserved him to prosper under successive kings, until the reign of Cyrus, when Dani’el’s prayers for Jerusalem finally began to be realized once the Persian king issued a decree that the Jews could return to their homeland and rebuild their holy City (see Ezra-Nehemiah Ai – The Decree of Cyrus).

As far as we know, Dani’el never returned home to his beloved Judah. His reward would have to wait for the Jerusalem that is above (see Hebrews Dc – The Earthly Sinai and the Heavenly Tziyon). In the experiences of Dani’el and his three friends, YHVH demonstrated that He could keep His people safe in the midst of their enemies. Life in exile would never be home. However, through the faithfulness of ADONAI, it was possible for His people to survive the exile as strangers and aliens, serving the earthly empire in which they found themselves, even while they looked for another heavenly City that was yet to come.

This is how Dani’el 6 addresses us as well, for we too are strangers and aliens in this world. We should learn from Dani’el’s experience that the world in which we live is a dangerous place. This world is not our home and it never will be (Heb 13:14). Yet, at the same time, we must also recognize that the hostility of the world can never hurt us beyond what the Lord permits (Job 1:1-12). Messiah is the only One we need to please, and His opinion of us is the only one that counts (see Revelation Cc – We Must All Appear Before the Bema Seat of Christ). So, in the midst of the greatest of trials and suffering, even when we are persecuted for our faith, we can have a peace that will astound the world, for our Lord holds our oppressors in His hands.³⁵²

Deliverance today: If I asked you if you were a sinner, what would you say? Romans 3:23 says: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That includes you and me, doesn’t it? Most people feel that being good gets you into heaven and being bad keeps you out. That simply is not true; we all have sinned. What would you say sin is? I think we can agree that we are both sinners; now let’s define sin. Some have said, “I’m not perfect,” or “I have made some mistakes.” But what do you think the Bible means by sin? Well, the Bible says that everyone practicing sin practices lawlessness – indeed, sin is lawlessness (First John 3:4). Have you ever disobeyed your parents? Have you ever misused the name of God? Have you ever told a lie? This is what sin is. It’s practicing lawlessness. And any time you practice lawlessness there is a penalty. If you run a stop sign, the penalty is a fine. If you rob a bank, the penalty is jail. What is the penalty for practicing lawlessness?

The Bible teaches us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a). The wages of work is money, but the wages of sin is death. In other words, what I earn – the penalty, the punishment of sin – is death. Death is separation. The Bible speaks of two kinds of death that are two kinds of separation. The first death is separation of the body and the soul. If I were to die right now my body would fall to the floor, but my soul, the real me, would go somewhere else. But the Bible speaks of another death, one it calls the second death. This is separation of the soul from God. Now, the penalty of sin is death, spiritual death, and separation from the LORD. To put it simply – hell. All this is really bad news. But there is good news.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). We were spiritually dead and unable to make the first move toward God because we inherited Adam’s sin nature that rebelled and separated us from Him. So, God made the first move toward us by sending His one and only Son to die in our place for the payment for our sins. We stand before the Son of God, guilty of sin, and facing a death penalty. But Yeshua, as judge (John 5:27), comes down from behind the seat of judgment, takes off His judicial robe and stands beside us. It is there that He says to us, “I will take your place. I will die for you.” And if you were the only person in the world, He still would have died for you. The penalty for sin is death, but Messiah died and paid for sin so we do not have to go to hell.

It is not what you do for God that saves you, it is what God has already done for you.
You don’t get to heaven by what you do; you get to heaven by what you believe.

What is it that I need to believe in, to trust in, to have faith in, to be saved?

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son who died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16 and First Corinthians 15:3b-4).

If you believe this, you are saved. Nothing else matters.

Salvation = faith + nothing (not baptism, not good works . . . nothing means nothing). Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Now is the day of salvation (Heb 11:6 and 2 Corinthians 6:2c).

Would you like to be saved right now?

Pray this simple prayer in faith. But before you do, I want you to remember that saying a prayer does not save you, trusting in Yeshua Messiah does. God, I admit that I have sinned. I believe Yeshua Messiah died for my sins and rose in Victory. I want to trust Him to save me right now. Lord, please come into my heart and live inside of me, please make me a new person. I accept your gift of salvation.

If you were to die right now, where would you go?

Why should God let you into His heaven?

That’s right, because Yeshua died to pay for your sins.³⁵³

Dani’el in the Lion’s Den
6: 16-24

Dani’el in the lion’s den DIG: Describe the lion’s den. What was king Darius‘ attitude as he sent Dani’el into the pit? What was he hoping for? Why was the stone placed over the mouth of the lion’s den? How did the king react that night? How did he react the next day? How did the king treat the conspirators? 

REFLECT: How have you been transformed by troubles? What parallels do you see between Dani’el’s betrayal and Yeshua? Between Dani’el’s vindication and Messiah’s? When in your life have you experienced ADONAI in the midst of the “lion’s den?” How has God alone been your rope out of the pit? 

Dani’el’s God was the only One who could deliver him.

The text implies that the lion’s den was a pit with two entrances; a ramp down which the lions would enter, and an opening at the top by which food would normally be fed to them. The lions weren’t fed often or great amounts of meat so that their appetites would be intense in case there was to be an execution. Living at the gnawing edge of hunger would have been fatal for anyone subjected to this method of execution. Whether Dani’el was thrown in from the top or walked in from the bottom, there would be no way out unless someone lowered and let down a rope. Dani’el would be required to stay in the pit till morning.³⁴⁰

Darius’ decree (6:16-17): So Darius abandoned Dani’el to his fate in the lions’ den. Humanly speaking, Dani’el was left alone to face his fate. Yet, Darius’ last words to Dani’el point to a higher Source of help. Darius was obviously impressed by Dani’el’s faithfulness to his God, and the king expressed a simple hope that this God would somehow rescue his friend. The king said to Dani’el, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you” (6:16)! The fact that Darius believed it was even possible that Dani’el could be saved indicates that the Jewish prophet must have been telling the Persian king of the great miracles that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had performed. Dani’el’s testimony not only would have included YHVH’s miracles in Babylon, but also the wonders from Isra’el’s past, like the dividing of the Sea of Reeds.³⁴¹

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his administrators for added security, so that Dani’el’s situation might not be changed (6:17). To make sure that no outside help was given to Dani’el, the mouth of the lion’s den was covered with a large stone, which was then sealed with the signet rings of the king and his two administrators. That double sealing did not lock the mouth of the den as much as prevent tampering with it. If someone were to open it before the next morning, it would be noticed because the seal would be broken. This reminds us of the stone at our Lord’s tomb that was sealed by the Roman authorities; and yet, Yeshua came out alive!

Dani’el’s deliverance (6:18-23): This story contrasts with sharp irony the experience of Dani’el and Darius during the night. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. Tossing and turning all night, he could not sleep (6:18). The waiting was difficult for Darius. He spent the night fasting instead of feasting. No musical instruments were brought before him. The king had a bad night, not unlike King Ahasuerus experienced in the story of Esther (see the commentary on Esther, to see link click Be – That Night the King Could Not Sleep). He was waiting until morning to come so he could legally open the lion’s den.

Darius’ anxiety over Dani’el’s fate can be seen that at the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Dani’el in an anguished voice, “Dani’el, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions” (6:19-20)? When the king said those words, he was actually confessing that Dani’el’s God was the living God, not an idol, and He had the power to deliver His faithful servant. It is clear that, contrary to all expectations, Dani’el actually spent a far more comfortable night in the pit than Darius did in his royal luxury. We can almost imagine the prophet leaning back on a warm, furry lion until he was interrupted by Darius’ question.³⁴²

Dani’el answered: May the king live forever! My God sent His angel, and He shut the mouths of the lions. Dani’el’s survival attested to his innocence. Ordeals were broadly known in the ancient Near East.³⁴³ They took many forms, but perhaps the most well-known was the water ordeal. An individual suspected of a crime was thrown into a river. If they died, they were guilty. But if they survived, they were declared innocent and set free. The TaNaKh contains only one instance of ordeal (see Numbers Az – The Suspected Adulteress). The theology behind an ordeal is that ADONAI knows the heart in a way the human judges do not, and will make a righteous judgment. Dani’el’s survival then, was Ha’Shem’s judgment of innocence on His servant. Dani’el declared: They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in His sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty (6:21-22).³⁴⁴

What a stark contrast this provides! King Darius had at his disposal every pleasure that the ancient world had to offer, yet he couldn’t enjoy any of them, while Dani’el had nothing except the presence of his God, and His angel, and yet he enjoyed a peaceful night’s rest. This shows us that true peace does not come from possessions that we accumulate but from the presence and favor of ADONAI in our lives. What was meant to be a terrifying and deadly trial for Dani’el became a strengthening encounter with the angel. God was with him and preserved him safely through the ordeal. His fearsome lodging turned out to be a den with an angel rather than a den of lions: the angel shut the mouths of the lions and kept Dani’el safe.³⁴⁵ The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Dani’el out of the den. And when Dani’el was lifted up from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God (6:23).

The conspirator’s demise (6:24): King Darius came to realize that the conspiracy was directed as much against himself as it was against Dani’el (see Dm – The Conspiracy of the Royal Administrators). Relieved that the God of Isra’el had rescued his friend, Darius ordered the punishment of the conspirators. According to the common principle in the ancient Near East that anyone who made a false charge against someone else should be punished by receiving the same fate they had sought for their victim (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Do – Life for Life, Eye for Eye). The accusers set a trap for Dani’el, but they were caught in their own trap – and not only the accusers themselves, but their families as well. At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Dani’el were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. But the experience of the conspirators was exactly the opposite of Dani’el’s. Before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones (6:24).

There are some liberal theologians who claim that Dani’el was saved by the fact that the lions were not hungry when he was lowered into the den. These are the same people who make excuses regarding the miracles of the Ten Plagues in Egypt, and try to explain away the worldwide Flood in the days of Noah (see the commentary on Genesis Cj – The Waters Rose and the Ark Floated on the Surface of the Water). But on average, male lions consume sixteen pounds of meat per day. If given the opportunity, even lionesses will eat up to fifteen percent of their body weight every day. They are notoriously gluttonous and will hunt even when they are not hungry. The description of the vicious attack on the conspirators and their families demonstrates that those lions were, indeed, ravenous. Hence the idea that they simply lacked the appetite is neither supported by scientific evidence nor by the account in Dani’el. His survival was a miracle, and it took divine intervention to make it happen.³⁴⁶

What was the difference in their fate? God was the One whose decision truly counted: the Most High God holds the power of life and death, not an earthly king. In saying: the lions have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in God’s sight, Dani’el was simply living up to his name, which means My God is the Judge. His experience in the lion’s den confirmed that basic truth. YHVH had judged him “not guilty” and so he emerged from the lion’s den without a scratch. God had indeed answered his earlier prayers and showed him His mercy. Equally, the conspirators’ fate demonstrated that they had been judged and found guilty by God, not just the earthly king, confirming the justice of their sentence of death.³⁴⁷

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your steadfast love, and for the peace that passes all understanding. You keep in perfect peace one whose mind stays on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in ADONAI forever, for the Yah ADONAI is a Rock of ages (Isaiah 26:3-4). I have no fear about the future and the unknown trials and troubles that it may bring. There is nothing outside of your control! Your mighty angel held back the lions in the den where Dani’el was thrown. Thank You for always caring for me and for using trials to polish and refine me to be purer and to shine more for You! These trials are so that the true metal of your faith (far more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire) may come to light in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua. (First Peter 1:7). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Prayer of Dani’el
6: 10-15

The prayer of Dani’el DIG: How did Dani’el show his faithfulness to ADONAI? How did Dani’el react when he was informed of the king’s decree? Where did he go? What did he do? How did the conspirators approach the king with their evil plan? What role did the laws of the Medes and Persians play here? How did the king react? How could the decree of King Darius have been voided?

REFLECT: What would you do if prayer was outlawed? Dani’el had some experiences to look back on and remain convinced of God’s faithfulness. What experiences do you look back on to remember God’s faithfulness? Dani’el shows us that the Torah supersedes the law of the land. How do you reconcile what Dani’el did with Romans 13:1? How has God alone been your lifeline?

Dani’el’s refusal to compromise provided his enemies with the opportunity they sought.

The scene now shifts. We moved from the court of Darius to the home of Dani’el where he heard of the king’s decree to forbid prayer toward anything or anyone but the king himself (to see link click Dm – The Plot of the Royal Administrators). Dani’el’s response was simple. He made a conscious decision. There was no inner turmoil, just unflinching obedience. He didn’t question, doubt, worry, or alter his daily routine. Darius was neither the object nor the mediator of his prayers. He did not bow toward Darius, but toward Tziyon.

Dani’el’s faithfulness (6:10-11): Now when Dani’el learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. In doing so, Dani’el adhered to a principle that was established by Solomon. When he dedicated the Temple, Solomon decreed that any Jew praying outside the Land should face Jerusalem (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon Bn – Solomon’s Prayer of Intercession). Of course, at the time of Dani’el’s prayer the Temple was in ruins. God had abandoned His earthly home (see the commentary on Ezeki’el Bd – The Temple Vision) because of the presumption of the people (see the commentary on Jeremiah Cb – Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon), and had allowed the Babylonians to tear down the Temple (Lamentations). Yet, Judeans in exile, such as Dani’el, turned regularly to the City with longing in their hearts and hope for the future. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before (6:10). This practice is not mandated anywhere in Scripture, but is perhaps suggested by passages such as Psalm 55:17, where we read: Evening, morning and noon, I cry out in distress, and God hears my voice. This was Dani’el’s regular habit. He was not flaunting his rebellion in the face of the king’s orders; it was business as usual. After all, he was praying in an upper room with the windows wide open. Dani’el wasn’t on public display, but neither was he hiding from determined spies. Dani’el’s refusal to compromise provided his enemies with the opportunity they sought. Then these men went as a group and found Dani’el praying and asking God for help (6:11). Likely, Dani’el was turning to ADONAI for aid because he anticipated trouble from the king’s decree. As the story continues, we will discover just how God answered his prayer. Nevertheless, here, the entrapment was sprung.³³⁵

The accusation against Dani’el (6:12-15): The conspirators set the stage for their evil scheme. They knew where the king’s sympathies lied, so before accusing Dani’el, they reminded the king of its binding character. So they went to king Darius (see the commentary on Dani’el Ag – Cyrus and Darius) and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?” The king answered, “The decree stands – in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed” (6:12). When Darius described the decree as unalterable, the trap was ready to snap shut.

Then they said to the king, “Dani’el, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day” (6:13). The rhetoric of the conspirators is comparable to that used by the enemies of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (3:8-12). In both instances, the ethnicity of the accused is highlighted. The three Hebrews were referred to as “certain Jews” in Chapter 3. Dani’el is identified in 6:13 as one of the exiles from Judah. The anti-Semitic undertone should not be missed. The alleged offense was presented as a personal slight against the king: Remember that Jew? Well, he pays no attention to you. Dani’el was accused of not only failing to respect Darius, but also disregarding the decree that the king had signed. They pictured Dani’el as showing his disdain for Darius by continuing his religious practices. Darius finally realized that he had been tricked. When the king heard this, he was greatly displeased. The Aramaic term for displeased (see Ac – Dani’el from a Messianic Jewish Perspective: Languages), beeish, means to be evil or bad. What the king heard seemed evil to him. He realized that the whole idea of the decree was a conspiracy against Dani’el, his favorite chief administrator.³³⁶

Thus, Darius was displeased mainly because Dani’el was both his friend and his greatest help in the governing of the empire. He didn’t want to sign his friend’s death warrant! But the king was also distressed because of the way he had acted. His pride had gotten the best of him, he had believed the lies of the conspirators, and had hastily signed the decree they put before him. Had Darius taken the time to consult with Dani’el, he would have discovered the plot; but perhaps ADONAI allowed the events to proceed as they did so that Dani’el’s enemies could be exposed and He could be glorified (see Dp – The Deliverance of Darius). Ha’Shem makes everything work out according to his plan (Ephesians 1:11). He knows what He is doing!³³⁷

The contrast with Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction to the three friends of Dani’el could not have been stronger (see Bm – The Accusation Against the Jews). While the Babylonian king responded with increasing anger to the three Hebrews’ refusal to bow down to his giant statue, Darius wanted to save the aged Judean counselor. However, he was trapped by his own unchangeable words, and therefore, had to carry out the prescribed punishment.³³⁸ Nevertheless, he was determined to rescue Dani’el, trying to find a loophole in the law, and made every effort until sundown to save him (6:14). But all his efforts failed.

At sundown, the bloodthirsty conspirators went as a group and continued to put pressure on King Darius, saying to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed” (6:15). Of course, it was not strictly true that there was no other way out for King Darius. Both here and in the book of Esther, where we also see the idea of the law of the Medes and Persians cannot be changed, the decree ended up eventually being voided simply by issuing a counter-decree (see Esther Bi – Now Write a Counter-Decree in the Kings’ Name on Behalf of the Jews). However, after earlier reaffirming the decree’s validity, such a counter-decree would have resulted in enormous loss of face for Darius and would have cast the validity of all his future decrees into question. That is why, at the end of the day, he chose to sacrifice Dani’el rather than undermine the status of his word as inflexible and unchangeable law.³³⁹ No escape from the lion’s den could be found for God’s faithful prophet.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You always! You are such a wise God to take what is intended for evil and to turn it on its head and use it to Your honor and glory! You are Sovereign and Almighty! Events that are evil may surprise me and upset what I have planned; but in Your wisdom and love, You are tenderly watching over all that happens to me and you bless me even during hard trials. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had earlier gone thru a life-threatening trial of being thrown into the fiery furnace for not bowing to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. They knew that You did not have to save them from the trial, but they trusted in You nonetheless (Daniel 3:16-18). Give me the strength to do the same. For to me, to live is Messiah and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). Thank You for being such a loving heavenly Father who wisely turns evil on its head to bring glory to Your Name out of a painful trial. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Conspiracy of the Royal Administrators
6: 4-9

The conspiracy of the royal administrators DIG: What stirs up the jealousy between the two administrators and satraps? What trap do they set for Dani’el? Why did Dani’el’s private life become an issue for public policy? How did they manage to get their way with the king? Why are appeals to flattery so powerful?

REFLECT: Describe a time when you (or someone you know) have experienced difficulties at work that reflected directly to your religious beliefs. Does having strong principles cause you to be more vulnerable to others? If you were accused of being a believer, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

The primary objective of the conspirators was to trap Dani’el in an impossible situation.

The story opens with Darius (to see link click Ag – Cyrus and Darius) setting up his personal form of government for the province of Babylon. By now, we are not surprised that Dani’el had distinguished himself from all the others that Darius had placed in important positions throughout the province. After all, we already know he was the wisest of the magi (see Cs – Dani’el Interpreted the Handwriting on the Wall) and most capable of everyone in the land. The king’s desire to promote him above the other two administrators (see Dl – Dani’el is Promoted) was apparently leaked to the others who, for obviously selfish reasons, wanted to block his swift rise. Therefore, they hatched two conspiracies.³³⁰

First, the two royal administrators and a few satraps tried to find grounds for charges against him in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. Unfortunately for them, Dani’el’s behavior conformed to his spotless reputation. Even in the eyes of his worst enemies, he was a faithful man of integrity. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent (6:4). Their first conspiracy having failed, so they needed to come up with some other excuse to accuse him.

So, secondly, their twisted minds came up with what they thought was the perfect plan. They realized that they would never find any basis for charges against Dani’el unless it had something to do with the law of his God (6:5). In other words, the conspirators thought they could get Dani’el in trouble on religious grounds. They would work on arranging a situation in which Dani’el would be forced to either compromise his faith or disobey the decree of Darius, bringing his religious practice in conflict with the state. They knew that if Dani’el had to choose between obedience to his God and obedience to the Persian authorities, loyalty to ADONAI would come first.

Once again, this observation should be both challenging and convicting to us. Dani’el’s enemies were totally confident that he would rather die than disobey his God. They knew that he would sooner go to the lions’ den than give up his practice of daily prayer. Would our friends and acquaintances, never mind our enemies, say that about us with equal confidence? Is our commitment to constant prayer so obvious to everyone we meet? In view of Dani’el’s commitment to prayer, the administrators and satraps conspired together and went to Darius with a proposal for a new law.³³¹

So, the two royal administrators and a few satraps went as a group to the king, declaring “May King Darius live forever!” After the customary greeting, their plan started with a lie. They claimed that every level of government officials in the whole province of Babylon had approved of their proposal, saying that the royal administrators, prefects, 120 satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce it. Only Dani’el was missing from their conspiracy meeting with Darius. It was quite probable that Darius was unaware of Dani’el’s absence. He may have assumed that Dani’el supported the apparently unanimous decision. The plan was that a royal decree would prohibit anyone praying to any god or human being other than the king. If caught praying to anyone else but Darius, they would be thrown into the lion’s den. That absolute law would remain in effect for the following thirty days. This edict thus functioned similarly to Nebuchadnezzar’s enormous golden statue. Doubtless, Darius was also flattered by the thought that all of his officials wanted to introduce this new decree – so flattered that he didn’t notice that Dani’el wasn’t among them. Whatever the king’s motives, he quickly signed the decree into effect as a law of the Medes and Persians which could not be altered. So the king put the decree in writing (6:7-9).³³²

As Arnold Fruchtenbaum relates in his commentary on Dani’el, under Persian law, any command or decree signed and sealed by the king was unalterable. Even the king himself lacked the authority to repeal it. Dani’el would be subject to the same rule. Once Darius signed and sealed the conspirators’ decree, it couldn’t be revoked. This irrevocability of the law made the Medo-Persian Empire inferior to the Babylonian Empire, in keeping with Dani’el’s prophecy in Chapter 2. The Babylonian ruler possessed absolute authority, whereas the Persian king was not immune to the errors of his own law. The book of Esther provides an illustration of this reality. Using the king’s signet ring, Haman sealed a decree mandating the execution of every Jew in the Persian Empire (see the commentary on Esther Ax – Kill all the Jews on a Single Day, the Twelfth Month of Adar). Even after Haman was impaled on a pole, this decree couldn’t be annulled. To solve the problem and save the Jews, the king was forced to issue a second decree allowing the victims of that conspiracy throughout the empire to defend themselves on the very day they were to be executed (see Esther Bi – Now Write a Counter-Decree in the Kings’ Name on Behalf of the Jews).

The primary objective of the conspirators was to trap Dani’el in an impossible situation. Curiously, they didn’t provide an official explanation when they presented the proposal to the king. We can, therefore, only speculate as to why Darius agreed to sign the decree. First, he may have been motivated by the political power the decree would give him, for it would force the recently conquered Babylonians to submit themselves to him. Second, Darius may have been driven by pride. Again, for thirty days, he would be in an exceptional position. No one would be allowed to pray to anyone, divine or human, except to Darius.

The polytheistic theology of the time held that the ruler represented the gods of his people. He was the manifestation and son of those gods. The rulers demanded that subjugated nations pay religious homage to this son of their gods. The manner in which such a tribute would be paid varied from nation to nation. Any religious decree that Darius signed was viewed within that theological system. This system didn’t require other pagans to abandon their own deities. They were permitted to continue practicing their own worship, but they were obligated to acknowledge gods other than their own. Against this theological backdrop, those affected by the conspirators’ decree were required to acknowledge that Darius was the son, representative, and manifestation of both the Medo-Persian gods and their own gods for thirty days. During this brief period, they were required to present petitions to their national gods via Darius, who was at that time, the son, the representative, and the manifestation of those gods. Following the decree did not violate their political conscience because it tested their loyalty, but it did not violate their religious conscience.

However, this religious system was diametrically opposed to the requirements of the Torah. A devout Jew like Dani’el could not view Darius as God’s son, representative, or manifestation. Dani’el’s adversaries were aware of this situation and planned to take advantage of his religious convictions.³³³ There’s evidence that Darius loved and appreciated Dani’el, but in his haste, the king put his friend in peril. It has been well said that flattery is manipulation, not communication, and in his pride, Darius succumbed to the flattery of evil men. They cannot speak a truthful word; their deepest desire is to destroy others. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave, their tongues are filled with flattery (Psalm 5:9).³³⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your almighty power, a power greater than any king’s power, greater than any scheme that men can think up. In this sinful world, trouble will always be there. How encouraging it is for me to know with absolute certainty that You are always greater than any trial or problem and You have the solution. In the world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33c). Those who are evil in this world may take my life, but they cannot take my joy. They cannot take my eternal salvation. You are a wise God who is always eager to share your wisdom with me! I love and worship You! In Yeshua’s Messiah’s holy Name and the power of His resurrection. Amen

Dani’el is Promoted
6: 1-3

Dani’el is promoted DIG: How did Darius reorganize the government? What are the stresses and fears that take place during a reorganization of any type? Why was Dani’el promoted? Once promoted, what did government reorganization look like? How does your government reflect Dani’el’s government?

REFLECT: How do you need to be promoted? What qualities do you need to demonstrate to be promoted? How and when have you been persecuted for your faith? When things get discouraging in this world, how hard, or easy, is it for you to remember that this world is not your home and your citizenship is in heaven?

Despite the change in government from the Babylonians to the Persians,
Dani’el continued to enjoy favor.

At the height of its power, the Medo-Persian Empire covered an area of 2,100,00 square miles and three continents: Asia, Africa, and Europe. Its control extended from the Indus Valley to the east and Egypt to the west. A model of centralized, bureaucratic government was implemented, and a complex infrastructure was built. The empire consisted of twenty provinces (Babylon being one), each ruled by a satrap. Frequent visits to the satrapies were made by a government official known as “the king’s eye,”³²⁵ who reported his observations back to the emperor. Throughout the satrapies, official languages were set up. Each province provided soldiers for the Persian military. Phoenicia, Egypt, and the Greek colonies of Asia Minor also dispatched ships and sailors. The result was a large professional army. In addition, the rulers of each satrap paid an annual tribute to the emperor that was tailored to the presumed economic potential of his province. The Province of Babylon was charged the highest amount of taxes and had to contribute 1,000 silver talents and four months’ worth of food for the soldiers each year. As the granary of the Medo-Persian Empire, Egypt was obligated to supply 120,000 measures of grain. The account of Dani’el’s experience in the lions’ den is told against this backdrop.³²⁶

How Darius came to know Dani’el is not stated, but certainly the handwriting on the wall episode was told to the Persians (to see link click Cq – The Handwriting on the Wall). Dani’el had also been an important government official during the reign of one of the greatest kings in history, Nebuchadnezzar, and had demonstrated exceptional wisdom and ability in that capacity. Such qualified personnel from among the local citizens would have been sought out by the new Persian government. This policy would have ingratiated the Persian Empire to the citizens of Babylon. Later, the Romans adopted a similar practice.

Babylon was no longer the capital, but a province of the new world power, the Medo-Persian Empire. Thus, the description of the reorganization that took place at that time pertains only to that province. It pleased Darius (see Ag – Cyrus and Darius) to appoint 120 satraps, the bottom level of the government, to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Dani’el. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss (6:1-2). Evidently, this means that the administrators watched over the satraps so that all the tax moneys were properly collected and none of the lesser officials could steal from the king.³²⁷

Dani’el had proven himself superior to his peers under the Babylonian government in the past. Here again, Darius noticed Dani’el’s extraordinary spirit and put him above the other two administrators and above the 120 satraps as well. In other words, the king set him over the whole province of Babylon (6:3). Darius appointed Dani’el as the Prime Minister like Joseph was to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:37-46a), in which Dani’el would preside over the other two administrators. In this new system, the 120 satraps would report to the two administrators; the two administrators would report to Dani’el; and Dani’el would report directly to Darius.³²⁸ However, the king’s good intentions stirred up professional and ethnic jealousies among the two administrators and some of the satraps loyal to them, and this becomes the point of conflict in the story.

As Ian Duguid relates in his commentary on Dani’el, even though Dani’el served the Babylonian and Persian Empires with distinction, he was not shaped by their values. Graft and corruption were widespread in the ancient world, as they are in much of the modern world; how easy it would have been for Dani’el to justify taking a little back of everything the empire had stolen from himself and his people. Yet, Dani’el’s life was so completely free from corruption and negligence that his enemies could find nothing to use against him, even when they searched for it (see Dm – The Conspiracy of the Royal Administrators).

We are familiar in our own government the kind of scrutiny and dirt-digging that take place whenever someone is nominated for high office. Not infrequently, some carefully concealed skeleton comes out of the closet, and embarrassingly disqualifies some person from any consideration. Indeed, how many of us have lives that could bear that kind of scrutiny? If we were the ones under the microscope, would the private investigators come back with empty hands and say, “Sorry. You might as well stop digging for dirt on this person. His or her life is utterly above reproach”? Yet, that was his enemies’ assessment of Dani’el. They recognized that they would never find fault with him unless it was in regard to the Torah of ADONAI! He embodied the words of Yeshua: Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Yet, Dani’el’s goodness did not win him any friends in the government. Instead, his faithfulness to God and his duties made him powerful enemies. Some sought to bring him down, probably both because they were jealous of his success and because his incorruptibility was restricting their ability to use the system for their own personal benefit. Isn’t that always the way it is? Ever since Cain killed Abel, there has been hostility between God’s people and those around us, a hostility that sometimes comes to a violent end. The truth is that we live in a hostile world and we need to be prepared for that reality. Paul warned the Thessalonians ahead of time that they would surely suffer persecution (First Thessalonians 3:4), and he told Timothy: Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Messiah Yeshua will be persecuted (Second Timothy) 3:12. We should expect persecution as a routine fact of life.

Believers around the world know this from experience; yet, here in the prosperous and supposedly tolerant West we have come to expect our lives as believers to run smoothly and successfully, at least if we are faithfully following the Lord. We think that the slogan “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” means that our lives should be protected by Him from any form of persecution. This is a false belief, however. Persecution comes to us in a variety of ways and from a variety of directions. Yet this is to be expected in a fallen world. It may come in the form of mockery and isolation at school, or conflict and trouble at work, or simply being regarded as weird. But if we are faithful to Yeshua Messiah, one way or another, we should expect to suffer abuse for His sake.

Pilgrims remember these things. Pilgrims understand that this world is not our home, and therefore we shouldn’t be surprised if our welcome here is less than warm (First Peter 2:11). When Dani’el’s enemies brought the charge against him before the king, they called him, “Dani’el, the exile from Judah” (6:13). They meant that as an insult, a slur that after all his years living in Babylon, he was still viewed as a foreigner, and therefore untrustworthy. His deepest loyalties lay elsewhere. However, this was the highest compliment they could have given him. After all those years, even though Dani’el served the empire faithfully, Babylon was not his home. He was nothing more and nothing less than a pilgrim there. Likewise, we are citizens of heaven, and it is from there that we expect a Deliverer, the Lord Yeshua Messiah (Philippians 3:20 CJB).³²⁹

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your Word that enables all who trust in You to be able to come to live with You in Your eternal home in heaven!  But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12). You who are so Wonderful in Love and Majesty, also promised to come to be with/live within those who love you/your children! Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). Thank You for being such a loving and wise Father whose love is everlasting. Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness (Jeremiah 31:1). You are always true to Your covenant and Your love is always faithful! Though the mountains depart and the hills be shaken, My love will not depart from you, nor will My covenant of peace be shaken, says ADONAI who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10). Thank You so much for Your love that takes an impossible situation and rescues those who believe in You by promoting them to be Your children and an eternal home in heaven for them. You are a fantastic and wonderful heavenly Father! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Dani’el Saved in the Lion’s Den
6: 1-28

One of the most familiar stories in the Bible is found in the chapter: Dani’el in the lions’ den. This event took place in the days of Darius the Mede. This in itself is intended to be an indication of the message of the chapter, and indeed, of the entire book. Another king comes along with another kingdom; kingdoms will rise and fall but Dani’el, the symbol of the Kingdom of God, remains. He has seen Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar come and go. Now Cyrus and Darius had arrived (to see link click Ag – Cyrus and Darius), and Dani’el was still serving the King of kings. The way the lions’ mouths were shut stirs from Darius the final confession of the book: Dani’el’s God is the living God whose Kingdom will never be destroyed (see Dp – Darius’ Wise Decree). Only by faith in such a God could anyone have stopped the mouths of the lions (Hebrews 11:33).³²⁴

This chapter, verses 1 through 28 can be broken down in chiastic fashion, resulting in a mirror effect as the ideas are “reflected” back in the passage: A to A, B to B, with C being the climax of the chiasm.

A. Dani’el is Promoted – 6:1-3 (Dl)

B. The Conspiracy of the Royal Administrators – 6:4-9 (Dm)

C. The Prayer of Dani’el – 6:10-15 (Dn)

B. Dani’el in the Lion’s Den – 6:16-24 (Do)

A. Darius’ Wise Decree – 6:25-28 (Dp)

The Nine Missing Articles in Messiah’s Coming Temple
Isaiah 11: 1-10

There will be nine changes of Messiah’s coming Temple during the Messianic Kingdom.

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of ADONAI will rest on Him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of ADONAI – and He will delight in the fear of ADONAI. He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decide by what He hears with His ears; but with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion will feed together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy Mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of ADONAI as the waters cover the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious (Isaiah 11:1-10). The coming Messianic Kingdom will be totally different from anything that this world has yet experienced. According to Dani’el 2, it will be a time of culmination – to bring all things into conformity with the will of ADONAI (to see link click Bg – The Fifth Empire: The Kingdom of God).

Consequently, it should not surprise us that certain changes will be seen in Messiah’s coming Temple.

The prophet Zechariah writes of some of these changes that will occur in connection with the worship of God in the Messianic Kingdom (Zechariah 8:19). It will also bring about certain changes in the land of Isra’el (Zechariah 4:4; Ezeki’el 47:1-10). Therefore, changes in the structure of the Temple should not come as a total surprise to us. It is exciting to discover that every one of these changes is a result of the Messianic and prophetic fulfillment that we find in Yeshua Messiah; the picture will be gone and the reality will have come. So, the Messianic Temple will be missing nine items that were essential in the second Temple before its destruction by the Romans (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD):

1. The dividing wall of partition will be missing, because Jewish and Gentile believers are united into one Body (Ephesians 2:14).

2. The bronze basin will be missing because of the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:5), which believers receive through faith in Yeshua; ceremonial cleansing will be unnecessary when Messiah returns (see the commentary on Exodus Fh – The Bronze Basin in the Tabernacle: Christ Our Cleanser). However, it is interesting that the bronze altar will be present because sacrifices will be offered on it at that time (Isaiah 56:7b; Ezeki’el 44:11, 45:13-25). The Messianic sacrificial system will not be a reinstitution of the sacrificial system seen in the TaNaKh that merely covered sin (Hebrews 10:4). It will be a totally new system that will contain some things old and some things new, instituted with an entirely different physical and visual picture.

While the writer of the Hebrews teaches us that Messiah’s death on the cross was the final sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10), sacrifices in the Messianic Kingdom will serve a different purpose. They will serve as a physical and visual picture of what Yeshua did (see the commentary on Isaiah Jd – Yet It was the LORD’s Will to Crush Him and Cause Him to Suffer).

The Church has been commanded to keep the Lord’s Supper as a physical and visual picture of what Christ did on the cross (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kk – The Third Cup of Redemption). ADONAI intends to provide a physical and visual picture of what Messiah accomplished on the cross for Isra’el in the Messianic Kingdom. For Isra’el, however, it will be a sacrificial system instead of communion with bread and wine. The purpose of the sacrificial system will have the same purpose as communion. It will be a memorial: Do this in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19b).

3. The court of the women will be missing, because there is neither male nor female in the Kingdom of the One True God (Galatians 3:27-28).

4. The golden lampstand will be missing, because Yeshua, the light of the world (Isaiah 9:2, 49:2; Ezeki’el 43:1-5; John 1:4, 8:12), will take its place (see the commentary on Exodus Fn – The Lampstand in the Sanctuary: Christ, the Light of the World).

5. The bread of the Presence will be missing, because Messiah, the bread of life (John 6:35; Ezeki’el 34:23) will feed the people and be their Shepherd (see the commentary on Exodus Fo – The Bread of the Presence in the Sanctuary: Christ, the Bread of Life).

6. The altar of incense will be missing, because as the incense served to illustrate the prayers of His people and were something like a sweet perfume to God, it will be unnecessary since Messiah Himself will be present in Zion (Zechariah 8:20-21, 23; Ezeki’el 48:35), and available to hear the petitions of His people (see Exodus Fp – The Altar of Incense in the Sanctuary: Christ, Our Advocate with the Father).

7. The inner veil that separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the Sanctuary will be missing, because our Savior will be present in Jerusalem. Once a year the high priest was allowed to pass through the inner veil on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat for the sins of the people. He was their representative. When Messiah died, the curtain of the Temple in Jerusalem was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51a), because every believer then had personal access to ADONAI. But when the Messianic Temple comes, Yeshua Himself will fulfill the prophetic significance (see the commentary on Exodus Fq – The Inner Veil of the Sanctuary: That is Christ, His Body).

8. and 9. The ark of the Covenant (see the commentary on Exodus Fr – The Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace), and the mercy seat (see my commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace) will be missing, because the Lord Himself will be present there (Jeremiah 3:16-17; Ezeki’el 43:5-7). Yeshua Messiah, the Righteous One, shall sit upon His throne as King in Ezeki’el’s Messianic Temple.

Not only are there nine items missing from Messiah’s Temple, but another extremely significant change also occurs. This change has to do with the bronze altar that will stand in the inner court (see the commentary on Exodus Fa – Build an Altar of Acacia Wood Overlaid with Bronze). Every previous bronze altar in Isra’el’s Temple history was approached from the south, apparently by a ramp. Yet, Ezeki’el specifically states that the steps of the Messianic bronze altar shall face the east (Ezeki’el 43:17). The direction, and means by which one approaches the bronze altar, will be changed! Instead of using a ramp from the south, the bronze altar in the Kingdom will be approached from the east. There is a specific reason why the Israelites were never allowed to approach the bronze altar of sacrifice from the east. The pagans approached their altars from the east to worship the sun. God wanted a clear distinction between pagan worship and the worship that He accepted from His people.

During the Messianic Kingdom, many things will be different. Idolatry will not be a problem as it was for ancient Isra’el. Also, since Yeshua Himself will have His throne in the Temple it will be most appropriate for those officiating at the bronze altar to be facing Him in the Temple. Those offering a sacrifice will approach the bronze altar from the east side, moving in the direction of the Lord who will be sitting in His Temple on His throne.³²³