Daniel 1:17 –2

 

3 GENERATIONS PROMISED TO BABYLON

Jer. 27:4 –7

4 Give them a message for their masters and say, 'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Tell this to your masters:

5 With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please.

6 Now I will hand all your countries over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.

7. All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.

Isaiah 44:28

Cyrus also mentioned as God’s servant: the one who over threw the Babylonians

God used ungodly people to accomplish his purposes.

e.g. Caesar Augustus and the taxation to move a pregnant lady through 67 mountainous miles

Daniel was something like Joseph:

Daniel 1:17 "God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams."

i.e. God honored their commitment.

Neb. Found them 10 times smarter than all the magicians and astrologers in all his realm.

 

Chapter 2

Second year of Neb. Was the 3rd year of Daniel’s captivity as Neb was not the king in 605 BC.

Magicians: magical arts; spirit power

Astrologers: power of the stars (Deut 18:9-14 – prohibited)

Sorcerers: divinations

Chaldeans: intellectuals

From verse 4

3- Neb possibly still knew the dream

4- after the word Aramaic the text is in Aramaic until chapter 7.

5- "The thing is gone from me" could be translated "The decree is gone forth from me"

6- Rewards: literally = "presents poured out in lavish profusion"

8- "gain" literally = "buy"

9- "Time be changed:" realizing that feelings change with circumstances eh didn’t want to allow anything to distract from this test

10 – a true declaration – see Isaiah 41:21-23

17 –18 – Daniel enlists intercessory prayer form his comrades

19- God spoke and immediately Daniel blessed the Lord. Notice he is not fretting over his life at this point. God had spoken.

25- Notice Arioch’s pride boasts of finding the one hwo could satisfy the royal question

28- "The Latter Days" ths gives us the time setting that the images stands in

31- "Great Image:" though there are various metallic and parts, it is on image representing the whole of Gentile rule

Each part of the image is in decreasing specific atomic weights

Daniel 7: out of the sea

  1. winged lion
  2. raised bear with 3 ribs
  3. winged leopard
  4. too dreadful to comprehend – 10 headed monster

Begins with the man who conquered the theocracy Nebuchadnezzar

Government

Part

Material

Specific Gravity

Country

Years

Autocratic

Head

Gold (Is. 14:14)

19.5

Babylon

606-536 BC

Oligarchic

Breast/Arms

Silver

10.47

Medo-Persia

536-330 BC

Imperialistic

Belly/thighs

Brass

8.5

Greece

330-30 BC

Democratic

Two legs

Iron

7.0

Rome

30 –476 BC

 

Feet & ten toes

(unmixable principles in the seed of man)

Iron/clay

c. 2

Revised Roman Empire

Corresponds to the 4th beast of Daniel 7:7 & Rev. 17:12

Theocracy

The Stone