It has been said that Daniel wrote history with more accuracy before it happened, than anyone else has after it happened. The central question is, “Do you believe that Daniel wrote the book, or that it was published after the time of the Maccabean Rebellion, around 150 BC?” In-other-words, was it predictive or a forgery. I’m certain you can guess where I stand.
For one thing, I have no problem with the supernatural. I believe that God is the Father of Time (Is 9:6), so seeing the future is no harder for Him than for us to look to the right or left. Secondly, Josephus records that when Alexander the Great came to Jerusalem with intents on burning the city, the High Priest showed him Daniel’s writings. Specifically where he (Alex) was mentioned. Alex was so impressed by this he didn’t destroy the city. And then there is the Septuagint. This is the Old Testament written in the Greek language. It was written in Alexandria by Greek speaking Jews in the 3rd or 2nd century BC, well before the coming to power of Antiochus Epiphanies in 175 BC. Daniel is included in the Septuagint.
Daniel’s history is also more accurate than that of secular historians. For years opponents said that Daniel was a forgery because there was no King Belshazzar in secular history. (Daniel 5) But not only did the Nabonitus Cylinder, discovered in 1901, prove there was a King Belshazzar, but also that he was the co-regent. This explains why Daniel was only offered the third highest position in the land. Belshazzar couldn’t offer Daniel # 2, because he was # 2 himself. Opponents only argument is that Daniel is too precise and to accurate to have been written before hand. They cannot handle the supernatural, so they dismiss the facts.
So I hold to Danielian authorship. What this means, practically is this: If Daniel has been right so far, we can put complete confidence in what he says will happen next. We can trust his writings about the times of the end. As he said himself in Daniel 2:45, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.
So what does Daniel say? In the dream given to Nebuchadnezzar in daniel 2, Daniel saw four world empires represented in the form of a staue. The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar himself. This was the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The chest and arms of silver represents the Medio-Persian Empire. (If you’ve seen 300, you know about Xerxes, their most famous king.) The belly of bronze represents the empire of Alexander the Great. And lastly, Rome is seen as the legs of iron.
There is no fifth world empire. If there ever is a fifth world empire, close your Bibles and forget about the future, because it is up for grabs. What Daniel did see; however, was a continuation of the Roman Empire that will revive itself in the “latter days.” This Revived Roman Empire is seen in the feet of iron mixed with clay. It will be a ten-nation confederacy, most likely the European Economic Union.
The leader of this empire will consolidate his power and rule over the entire planet. He is most commonly known in the Scriptures as Antichrist, or the one who is opposite of Christ. He will rule over the feet of iron and clay. He will be on the "throne" when Jesus makes His bodily return to the planet Earth to set up His millinial Kingdom. Ahh...so, so, so much to discuss, and so little time to write. Look for my next three posts on this subject...The Times of the Gentile...The Terror of the Antichrist...and The Triumph of Jesus Christ.
Until then,
TTFN.
Blessings,
Steve
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