THE BOOK OF DANIEL.

NOTE:

1) All quotations of Scripture are based on the New Living Translation

2) The abbreviation ‘cp.’ stands for ‘compare’
3) The abbreviation ‘CH.’ stands for ‘Chapter’

Introduction.

This book is one of the most difficult portions of Scripture to understand but I thank God because of His
Holy Spirit, the Spirit of revelation, who comes along to help us and therefore we shall understand this
book '…not by force nor by strength but by the Spirit of the Lord…' (Zech. 4:6)

Daniel ,the author of this book, was a captive in Babylon at the time of writing this book. He was a
contemporary of Ezekiel, meaning they lived around the same time and (see Ezekiel 14:14,20 ; 28:3)

The Book of Daniel can be divided in two ways:

1) By the original language of authorship that is,

 CH. 1 – CH. 2 vs. 4 and CH.8 – 12 was originally written in Aramaic.
 CH. 2 vs. 5 – CH. 7 was originally written in Hebrew.
 This is not a coincidence but I believe it was the Spirit’s intention to distinctly
show what concerned the Gentiles (Aramaic) and what concerns the Jews
(Hebrew)
2) By the timing of the events that is,
 CH. 1 – 6 is majorly historic that is, it tells much about events that happened in the past.
 CH. 7 – 12 is majorly prophetic that is, it sheds more light on the events of the future.
 Notice that at the time of Daniel’s writing, all of the events he prophesied and
interpreted were future though from where we stand, some have been fulfilled.
He [Daniel] was taken captive in the first invasion of Judah by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (see the
whole story in 2 Kings 23 and 2 Chronicles 36)

 Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah and Jerusalem three times.

 First invasion.
On his way back home from making war with Pharaoh Neco of Egypt (2 Kings 23:33-35),
he turned to Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:1, Daniel 1:1), bound Jehoiakim, the king of Judah to
take him captive (2 Chr. 36:6, KJV) but he did not take him because he received news of
the death of his father – Nabopolassar - hence leaving Jerusalem in a hurry to go and
receive the throne. However, he gave orders that some of the vessels in the temple be
carried to Babylon and some eunuchs be taken captive. (Daniel 1:1-5)
He also restored Jehoiakim back to the throne.
 Second Invasion.
Also called the captivity because it is in this invasion that he took many people as
captives to Babylon. (2 Kings 24:10 - 17, 2 Chronicles 36:8b – 10)
 Jehoiachin was the king at this time but he was also carried as a captive and it his place,
Zedekiah was enthroned by Nebuchadnezzar.
 Third Invasion.
Also called the desolation because it is in this invasion that the Babylonians destroyed
the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. (2 Kings 25, 2 Chronicles 36:11-20)

 All this – the invasion of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar – was fulfillment of the

prophecy in Jeremiah 25:7-11.
CHAPTER ONE.
vs. 1 – 4: see notes above on the first invasion.

 vs. 3 is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy to Hezekiah in Isaiah 39:6

vs. 5: The training period is set to three years and allocations of food and wine are made.

vs. 6-7: We are introduced to the four Hebrew boys who were part of the chosen ones.

vs. 8: Daniel purposed not to defile himself with the king’s food.

 Such a wonderful resolve and an encouragement to us (see Rom. 12:1-2)

vs. 9 – 20: The Lord’s workings with and through Daniel and his friends.

 vs. 9 – God gave Daniel favour with the chief of staff.

 vs. 12 – Daniel asks for a test concerning food.
 vs. 15 – Daniel and his friends passed the test. Praise the Lord!
 vs. 17 – God gave the four young men special understanding and knowledge in their learning. To
Daniel, he gave the gift of interpretation of dreams and visions.
 vs. 19 – After the training period was over, the four Hebrew men emerged as the best.

CHAPTER TWO.

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

vs. 1-3: Nebuchadnezzar dreams and it seems he forgot the dream hence makes the demands in vs. 2 to
the wisemen of his kingdom.

 Possibly it’s the Lord who erased his dream from his mind so as to manifest Himself through
Daniel.
 Also, it could be that the Lord had hardened his heart so as not to tell the dream to the wisemen
that he may manifest Himself through Daniel
vs. 4-11: The astrologers are unable to interpret the dream.

 vs. 11 – Notice that they acknowledge that only the gods (in this case the true and living God)
could interpret the dream.
 I believe the reason why they couldn’t interpret the dream is because it was from God
and only God could interpret it.
vs. 12-45: God manifests his power through Daniel.
 vs. 12 – The king is angered by the failure of his wisemen to interpret his dream and orders that
they be killed.
 vs. 14 – Daniel comes into the case.
 vs. 16-18– Daniel requests for a little more time and then involves his friends in praying for the
Lord’s mercies.
 vs. 18 – Notice that Daniel urges his friends to pray that the Lord has mercy on them and
reveal the secret to them.
 It shows the attitude of God’s true servants – humility seeing that Daniel already
had the gift of interpretation of dreams and visions (CH. 1 vs 17b) but he still
asks for God’s mercy. An important lesson indeed!
 vs. 19 – 23: The secret is revealed (vs. 19) and Daniel breaks out in praise in response. What’s
your response when God answers your prayers?
 vs. 24 – 45 – Daniel tells the king his dream and then interprets it.
 vs. 27-28 - Daniel begins by acknowledging that only the God of heaven could interpret
the dream.
 vs. 30 – God wanted Nebuchadnezzar to understand his dream (hence it follows that it
must have been from him)
 vs. 31-35 – The dream given as follows
 A huge statue of a man with:-
1. A head of gold,
2. Chest and arms of silver,
3. Belly and thighs of bronze,
4. Legs of iron
5. Feet of a combination of iron and baked clay
 A rock, cut not by human hands, struck the feet of the statue causing the entire
statue to crush. The rock then became a great mountain that covered the whole
earth.
 vs. 36-45 – The interpretation of the dream.
Notice that the kingdoms are successive that is, one follows another.
 The head of gold – Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian Empire (vs. 37-38)
 The chest and arms of silver – The Medo-Persian Empire under Darius the Mede
and later Cyrus the Persian (see also Dan. 5:31, Is. 21:2, Is. 44:28-45:4)

N.B: Please note that at the time of Nebuchadnezzar, all these kingdoms were
future but from where we stand, they are all, but one, past
 The belly and thighs of bronze – The Greek Empire under Alexander the Great
(see Dan. 8:4-6, 20-21)
 The legs of iron – The Old Roman Empire that is, in its past glory. (see Luke 2:1
and many other texts in the New Testament)
This was the dominant world power in the entire New Testament.
 The feet and toes of a combination of iron and baked clay – The revived Roman
Empire which is still future that is, it is yet to come (see Dan. 7:8-9, 23-25)
We will have more details on this empire when we get to CH. 7 Lord willing.
 N.B: I believe that the Lord showed Nebuchadnezzar this dream so as to reveal
the Gentile powers/empires that the He allowed to rule over His people, Israel.
 The rock cut not by human hands – Christ Jesus who will set up His kingdom and
shall rule over all the earth in the future
N.B: Notice in vs. 44, it is during the reign of those kings (the ones represented
by the feet and toes) that God’s kingdom shall be established - More details in
CH. 7.
 vs. 46-47 – Nebuchadnezzar worships the Lord.
 vs. 48-49 – Nebuchadnezzar rewards Daniel (see also Psalm 75:6-7)
 Note that in vs. 49, Daniel remembered his friends after being promoted.
A lesson to us that when God promotes us, we ought to remember the others
we left below.

CHAPTER THREE.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Golden Statue.

I personally believe that Nebuchadnezzar made this statue in rebellion to God’s message in CH. 2 – in
defiance to the fact that one day his kingdom would be overthrown by the Medo-Persian Empire.

vs. 1: Nebuchadnezzar makes the statue.

The statue was:

 golden,
 thirty metres (60 cubits/90 feet) tall and three metres (6 cubits/9 feet) wide,
 set up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon
 Reason was that all people would see it
vs. 2 – 7: Nebuchadnezzar gives orders regarding worship of the statue.

 vs. 2-3 – Nebuchadnezzar calls together all his officials

 vs. 4-5 – A command given to everyone
 vs. 6 – A threat given too
 The punishment for not bowing to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue.
NOTE: The people were to bow down in worship at the sound of music. Beware of the music you
listen to, it could be a medium to usher you into worship.
vs 7 – 12: All the people - except Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – bow down to worship the statue.

 Notice that Daniel is conspicuously missing.

 vs 12 – The report of the Hebrew boys not bowing to the statue is given to the king.
vs. 13 - 15: Nebuchadnezzar is angered by the report and calls the Hebrew boys before him to question
them.

vs. 16 – 18: The Hebrew boys' response.

 Notice their unwavering faith and trust in God.

vs. 19 – 23: Nebuchadnezzar orders that the Hebrew boys be thrown into a blazing furnace – seven
times hotter than usual (…the last part of vs. 19)

vs. 24 – 25: Nebuchadnezzar is amazed to see the boys walking around in the fire unharmed and
together with them is a Fourth Man who looks like the Son of God

 The Fourth Man was Jesus before His birth into the earth.
 The Lord was with them in the fire and preserved them through it just as He has promised us
(see John 16:33, Matt. 28:20, John 10:27-28, John 17:11 and 15, Hebrews 7:25, 2 Tim. 1:12)
vs. 26 – 27: Nebuchadnezzar calls the Hebrew boys out of the fire.

 vs. 27 – Isaiah 43:2b

vs. 28 – 29: Nebuchadnezzar praises the Lord.

THE SYMBOLIC/TYPICAL MEANING OF THE STORY OF THE THREE HEBREWS BOYS AND THE BLAZING
FURNACE.

In this story:

 Nebuchadnezzar is a type of the Antichrist who will set up an image of himself in the temple to
be worshipped (Rev. 13:13-15, 2 Thess. 2:4) just as Nebuchadnezzar set up a statue to be
worshipped.
 vs. 13 – Cp. with Rev. 12:13 – 17
 The three Hebrew boys represent the Jewish remnant who will be sealed in Rev. 7:1 – 8 to be
preserved through the Great Tribulation.
 The blazing furnace represents the Great Tribulation of Rev. 6 – 19
 In Rev. 15:1 – 3, the Jewish remnant are seen standing on a sea of glass mingled with
fire, symbolic of the fiery trials they had passed through in the Great Tribulation.
 Daniel is CONSPICUOUSLY MISSING and we do not expect him to have bowed down to the
statue hence the conclusion that he was not there at this time.
 Daniel is a type of the Church who will not be here (on earth) during the Great
Tribulation. Praise the Lord!

CHAPTER FOUR.

Nebuchadnezzar’s personal testimony

Perhaps, the only chapter in the Old Testament written by a Gentile

vs. 3b: Two things that Nebuchadnezzar discovered about God:

 His kingdom will last for ever,

 He rules through all generations.
vs. 4 – 18: Nebuchadnezzar’s tells of his dream.

Remember that Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams were from God hence no man in his own ability could
interpret them.

vs.19 – 26: Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is interpreted.

  The interpretation – compare with the description in vs. 10 – 17
 vs. 20 – 21 – The tree is King Nebuchadnezzar (cp. with vs. 10-12)
 vs. 23 – The messenger, a holy one is an angel (see also vs. 17)
 The instructions of the messenger
 vs. 23– Destruction of the tree symbolizing the insanity of Nebuchadnezzar (see
vs. 16)
 vs. 26a – The destruction is, however, not total showing that the tree would
grow again later. (see vs. 15, Job 14: 7 – 9)
 vs. 25b – The time period is seven times (years) – see vs. 16
 vs. 25c – The purpose of the events
vs. 27: Daniel advises the king

vs. 28 – 33: Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is fulfilled.

 All this occasioned by pride (vs. 30, see also Prov. 16:18)
vs. 34 – 37: Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity is restored and he praises God.

CHAPTER FIVE.

Belshazzar’s feast and the writing on the wall

This chapter, chronologically, comes after Chapter 7 and 8.

vs. 1: Many years after Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Belshazzar gave a feast.

vs. 2: Belshazzar orders for the golden and silver vessels to be brought.

Notice the phrase ‘his predecessor (‘his father' in other versions) is not actually the meaning, the
Aramaic language has no word for grandfather

 Belshazzar was not Nebuchadnezzar’s son but rather his grandson.

 After Nebuchadnezzar’s death, his only son Evil-Merodach ascended into power (see 2
Kings 25:27-30, Jer. 52:31-34)
He reigned for two years and was murdered by Nebuchadnezzar’s son-in-law, Nergal-
Sharezer (Jer. 39:3,13) who ruled for four years and then he died and was succeeded by
his son who ruled for only a few months and was murdered.
Nabonidus, another son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar, ascended to the throne and this was
Belshazzar’s father.
 All this was a fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy in Jer. 27:6 – 7
vs. 5 – 6: The writing on the wall

vs. 7 – 9: Belshazzar calls in his wisemen to interpret the writing but they were unable.

 Again, this is a message from God and hence only God can interpret it.
 Notice the promise on the last part of vs. 7, ‘He will become the third highest ruler in
Babylon.’(see vs. 16, 29)
 Belshazzar was co-regent with his father Nabonidus ,that is, they ruled together with
Nabonidus being the first ruler and Belshazzar the second
vs. 10 – 12: The queen – mother (Belshazzar’s mother and Nabonidus' wife) informs the king of Daniel.

vs. 13 - 16: Belshazzar calls Daniel into the palace.

 Daniel, probably very old now, could have been retired from serving in the palace after
Nebuchadnezzar’s death hence his absence from among the king’s wisemen.
vs. 17 – 24: Daniel speaks to the king about his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar.

vs. 25 – 28: Daniel interprets the message

 vs. 25 – The message ‘MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.’

 The interpretation
 MENE means ‘numbered’ – God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to
an end.
 TEKEL means ‘weighed’ – you have been weighed on the balances and have not
measured up.
 PARSIN (or PERES which is the singular of PARSIN in Aramaic) means ‘divided’ – your
kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
vs. 29: Belshazzar rewards Daniel. It’s amazing that He did not seek the Lord’s mercy because He did not
know the Lord.

It’s a privilege to know the Lord! (Heb. 4:16)

vs. 30 – 31: Belshazzar is killed and Babylon is conquered by Darius the Mede in 539 B.C

CHAPTER SIX.

Here we move into the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians under their first king, Darius the Mede.

vs. 1: Darius divides the Babylonian kingdom into 120 provinces and sets a high officer over each
province.

vs. 2: Daniel and two others are appointed as supervisors of the high officers.

vs. 3: Daniel finds favour in the king’s eyes making the king to think of promoting Daniel.

vs. 4 – 9: The other administrators(supervisors) scheme to cause Daniel to miss the promotion.

 Daniel was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy (vs. 4, last part) hence they
could not find fault in his 'handling of government affairs. The only way they couldn’t find a
ground for accusing Daniel was in connection with the rules of his religion (vs. 5) What a
testimony!
 vs. 6-9 – The scheme implemented through the king’s decree.
vs. 10: Daniel’s unbothered reaction to the scheme.

vs. 11 – 13: The schemers find fault with Daniel and report him to the king.

 Notice in vs. 12(b), the nature of the laws of the Medes and Persians – irrevocable(see also vs.
15, Esther 8:8)
 This shows the inferiority of this kingdom to the Babylonian Empire (see Dan. 2:37-39a)
vs. 14: The king realises that he was tricked by the administrators(supervisors) and seeks a way to save
Daniel.

vs. 15 – 16: The administrators come back to the king in the evening and the king gives an order to have
Daniel thrown in the den of lions as decreed in the last part of vs. 7

 Notice the king’s encouraging words in the last part of vs. 16. It’s just interesting how
encouraging words come our way from the most unexpected places at times!
vs. 17: Daniel is thrown into the den of lions.

vs. 18: The king has a sleepless night devastated.

vs. 19 – 23: The next morning, the king rushes to the den and finds Daniel whole without a scratch
on him.

 The last part of vs. 20 reveals the king’s doubt in God’s ability to save.
 vs. 22 – Daniel’s testimony
vs. 24: The king orders that the administrators to be thrown into the den of lions.

 Notice the way the lions ‘dealt with them'

There are some critics who have suggested that the lions were already ‘fed to fill’ but this seems
to suggest otherwise.
vs. 25 – 27: The king’s testimony and decree

OUR GOD IS ABLE to:

a) Save from the blazing furnace (Daniel 3:19-27) and from the lions' den.
b) Perform that which He has promised (Romans 4:20)
c) Make all grace abound unto you (2 Corinthians 9:8)
d) Do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)
e) Keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day (2 Timothy 1:12)
f) Strengthen us [this is Jesus] when we are tempted (Hebrews 2:18)
g) Save them to the uttermost, that come unto God by Him [Jesus Christ] (Hebrews 7:25)
h) Keep us from falling and present us faultless before the presence of His glory (Jude 24)

JUST TRUST HIM!

CHAPTER SEVEN.

Daniel’s vision of four beasts.

Herein we enter into the second part of this book which is majorly prophetic.

This vision carries the same message as Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Dan. 2 that is, of the four world
empires that would arise (see vs. 17 for confirmation). The only difference is that Nebuchadnezzar saw
the four world empires as the different parts of the statue (He saw the empires from a human viewpoint
as great and terrifying) but Daniel saw them as four wild beasts (He saw them from God’s viewpoint as
ferocious beasts out to cause damage)
vs. 1: This chapter takes us back to the Babylonian Kingdom so chronologically, this chapter and the next
come before chapters 5 & 6.

vs. 2 – 3: Four beasts come out of the sea, one after and different from the other.

 The sea in prophetic interpretation generally represents the people so the beasts seen by Daniel
arose from the people.
vs. 4: The first beast which coincides with the head of gold in Nebuchadnezzar’s statue – The
Babylonian Empire.

 The features of this beast and their significance:

 It resembled a lion with eagle’s wings.
 The eagle’s wings speak of speed that is, the swiftness of the empire’s growth
through Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of other kingdoms
 Its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two back feet on the ground
like a human being.
 This speaks of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity which was humbling.
 And it was given a human mind.
 This speaks of the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar back to sanity and also the
change of the strategy of growth in the entire Babylonian Empire from conquest
to intellectual prowess after Nebuchadnezzar afterwards.
vs. 5: The second beast which coincides with the arms and chest of silver in Nebuchadnezzar’s statue –
The Medo-Persian Empire.

 The features of this beast and their significance:

 It looked like a bear rearing (raised) up on one side.
 This speaks of the superiority of the Persians under Cyrus over the Medes under
Darius (More details in CH. 8 vs. 3)
 It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth.
 This speaks of the three kingdoms (Lydia, Babylon and Egypt) that were
conquered by the Medo-Persian Empire. (More details in CH. 8 vs. 4)
vs. 6: The third beast which coincides with the belly and thighs of brass in Nebuchadnezzar’s statue –
The Grecian Empire.

 The features of this beast and their significance:

 It looked like a leopard with four bird’s wings on its back.
 The wings speak of speed/swiftness of growth of this empire.
Notice that the inferiority of the wings to the eagle’s wings in the first beast.
 It had four heads.
 This speaks of the four generals who would arise in the empire after Alexander
the great (A more clearer and detailed explanation in CH. 8 vs. 8)
vs. 7: The fourth beast which coincides with the legs of iron and the feet of iron and baked clay in
Nebuchadnezzar’s statue – The Roman Empire in its past and future glory.

 The features of this beast and their significance:

 It was terrifying, dreadful and very strong devouring and crushing its victims with huge
iron teeth and trampling their remains beneath its feet.
  Upto this point, the Roman Empire in its past glory is spoken of (see vs. 23)
 It had ten horns.
 This speaks of the revived Roman Empire in the future which will be divided and
headed by ten kings though it will retain the characteristics mentioned above of
the Old Roman Empire.(see vs. 24a)
vs. 8: Daniel looked on and saw another small horn appear among the ten which plucked out three of
the first ten horns by the roots. It had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that boasted arrogantly.

 Remember that we are still in the section dealing with the revived Roman Empire.
 The small horn is the king who will arise to rule the revived Roman Empire, famously known as
the Antichrist. (see vs. 24b – 25)
 The Antichrist:
 vs. 21 – wages war against God’s holy people (saints) and prevails/defeats them.
 In the Bible, there are two groups referred to as God’s holy people namely:
1) Israel (Exodus 19:6 among other passages) and,
2) The Church (1 Peter 2:9 among other passages)
 The fact that the Antichrist wages war against God’s holy people and defeats
them shows that the group of God’s holy people talked about here is Israel not
the Church because Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that He would build His Church
and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. (See also Rev. 13:7, 14:12)

And where will the Church be at this time(that is, the time of the Antichrist’s
reign)? In heaven.
- In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2,
Paul is clarifying some things about the events prior to the Lord’s
Second Coming.
In vs. 2 & 3, he explains that the ‘day of the Lord' – which is a term used
in Scripture to describe the time of the Great Tribulation – will not come
until there is a great rebellion against God (falling away/apostasy) and
the man of lawlessness/sin (who is the Antichrist) is revealed.
He goes on to remind the Thessalonians of what he told them when he
was with them (vs. 5) after descrbing the Antichrist in vs. 4.
In vs. 6 – 7, he talks about something/someone that is holding the man
of lawlessness/sin back from being revealed.
There are three institutions/persons that are holding back evil in the
world today.
1) Governments (Rom. 13: 1-7),
2) The Holy Spirit (John 16:8-11) and,
3) The Church (Matt. 5:13)
The persons/institutions that hold the man of lawlessness/sin back from
being revealed must step out of the way (the last part of vs. 7). Which of
the three named above will be removed? The Church in the event
known as the Rapture (1 Thess. 4: 16-17, 1 Cor. 15:51-52)
1) Governments will still be existing during the Antichrist’s reign
(for example, the ten kings of the revived Roman Empire)
 2) The Holy Spirit is God and therefore He is omnipresent and He
will be present during the Great Tribulation because we see
people getting saved during the Great Tribulation (for example
Rev. 7: 9-14)
N.B: There is no church without the Holy Spirit. None of us can
be saved and continue in salvation apart from the power and
work of the Holy Spirit in us hence the use of the personal
pronoun ‘he’ in vs. 7.

 vs. 25 – He will defy the Most High (Rev. 13:5-6) and oppress God’s holy people (Rev.
13:7) and his control over God’s holy people will last for three and a-half years. (see also
Rev. 13: 5b, forty-two months equal to three and a-half years)
vs. 9 - 10: Judgment time has come and thrones are put in place and Daniel sees the Ancient of Days
(God) seated to judge.

 Rev. 1:6 – We, the Church, have been made kings and priests unto God by Jesus Christ hence we
shall rule and reign with Him forever.
 Rev. 4 & 5 – John is in heaven and he sees God sitted on His throne (Rev 4:2) and other twenty
four thrones surrounding Him with twenty four elders sitted on them.
These elders, I believe, are representatives of the church which will be in heaven before and
during the Great Tribulation.
 see their song in Rev. 5:9, '… for you were slaughtered and your blood has ransomed US
for God.’
Only the Church – the believers in Christ – is ransomed by the blood of Jesus Christ and
is in heaven before the Great Tribulation (Rev. 6 – 19)
vs. 11: Daniel watches as the little horn(the Antichrist) continues his boastful speech. He also sees the
fourth beast (the Roman Empire both past and future) destroyed completely together with its leader,
the Antichrist. (see vs. 26 – 27 for the interpretation, Rev. 19:20 - 21)

vs. 13 – 14: The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) appears and is given the eternal dominion over the earth (cp.
Daniel 2:44 – 45) which He will reign over together with the saints(see vs.18 & 27, Rev. 20

vs. 15: Daniel is terrified by the vision before he gets the interpretation (vs. 16 – 27) and even after (vs.
28)

CHAPTER EIGHT.

Daniel’s vision of a Ram and a Goat.

This again takes place during the reign of king Belshazzar so it comes before CH. 5 & 6 and after CH. 7
chronologically (vs. 1b)

vs. 2: In this vision, Daniel was in Susa - which would later become the capital city of the Persians (see
Nehemiah 1:1, Esther 1:5) – which was in the province of Elam (an ancient name for Persia – see Isaiah
21:2)
vs. 3: The two-horned Ram – The Medo-Persian Empire (see vs. 20)

 The ram had one longer horn than the other though the longer horn grew later than the other
one.
 cp. Dan. 7:5, 'the bear that was raised up on one side’ – Cyrus the Persian who ruled
after Darius the Mede was more powerful and successful than Darius.
 The ram butted everything on its way to the west, to the north and to the south.
 cp. Dan. 7:5, ‘the three ribs in the bear’s mouth.’ – The three empires conquered by the
Medo-Persian Empire.
 To the west was Babylon
 To the north was Lydia
 To the south was Egypt.
vs. 5: The Male Goat – The Grecian Empire (see vs. 21)

 It appeared from the west – Greece is to the west of Medo-Persia (which is the modern-day Iran)
 Crossing the land so swiftly that he didn’t even touch the ground – The speed at which the
Grecian Empire grew was very high (cp. Dan. 7:6, 'the four bird’s wings on the leopard’s back.)
 It had one very large horn between its eyes – The large horn speaks of Alexander the Great, the
first ruler of the Grecian Empire. (see vs. 21b)
 vs. 6 – 7 – The male goat overpowered the ram that is, the Grecian Empire conquered the
Medo-Persian Empire
 vs. 8a – The male goat (the Grecian Empire) became very powerful and at the height of its
power, its large horn was broken off.
 Alexander the Great conquered every known empire at that time and was frustrated
because he could not find any more empires to conquer. He then went into drinking to
avoid his frustration and one night, he drank himself silly and slept out in the cold and
caught pneumonia which killed him at the age of 32 years.
 vs. 8b – In place of the large horn, there grew four prominent horns pointing to the four
directions of the earth.
 After the death of Alexander the great, his four army generals divided the kingdom
among themselves. (see also vs. 22)
 The four kingdoms are today known as:
1) Turkey (to the north)
2) Egypt (to the south)
3) Greece (to the west)
4) Syria (to the east)
 vs. 9a: From one of the four horns came a small horn – This small horn was a ruler who arose
from the Syrian division of the Grecian Empire and his name was Antiochus Epiphanes.(vs. 23)
Some theologians view this small horn as being similar to the little horn of Daniel 7:8 but I
politely disagree because the little horn of Daniel 7:8 appears among the ten horns (kings) of the
fourth beast (the Roman Empire) which is still future while the small horn here in Daniel 8:9
comes from one of the four prominent horns which were in the past. Notice also the phrase, ‘At
the end of their rule…' in vs. 23 – it indicates that this king was in the past.
Antiochus Epiphanes was only a type (foreshadowing) of the Antichrist who is to come.
  vs. 9b - His dominion was towards the south (Egypt) and the east (Syria) and towards the
glorious land of Israel.
 vs. 10 – 12: Antiochus' actions are describing prophetically. His actions resemble those of the
Antichrist who is to come.
 vs. 13 – 14: – Two holy ones (angels) are speaking to each other concerning the length of
Antiochus Epiphanes’ reign which was 2,300 evenings and mornings
 The phrase ‘evenings and mornings’ stands for days.
vs. 16: Daniel seeks to understand the meaning of this vision

vs. 17 – 26: The angel Gabriel gives the interpretation.

 vs. 17 & 19 – The angel Gabriel told Daniel that the vision concerning the ‘time of the end.’
 This seems unexpected since we have said that these events have already occurred but
chap. 7 and 8 were intentionally placed next to each other and both mention a little
horn. In this way, the author established a deliberate typological relationship (Daniel 7)
referring to the end-time antichrist and Daniel 8 referring to the second-century BC
Antiochus Epiphanes.
 vs. 25, the last part, '…he will be broken, though not by human power.’ – This speaks of
the death of Antiochus Epiphanes who died not through assassination or battle but by
God. According to 1 Macc 6:8-16, Antiochus IV died of sorrow and sadness in Babylon
after being defeated in the battle of Elymais and also receiving word that his forces had
been crushed in the land of Israel.
For more reading on Alexander the great’s reign all through to Antiochus Epiphanes, you can read the
apocryphal books of 1 & 2 Maccabees

vs. 27: Daniel was overcome and lay sick for several days because of the intensity and complexity of the
vision. He then arose and went back to the king’s business.

 We also have some king’s business which we ought to be doing (2 Cor. 5:20) Let us arise and get
back to our King’s business.

CHAPTER NINE.

The prayer of Daniel.

vs. 1 – 3: The background of the prayer.

 vs. 1 – The timing of the vision ~ The first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.
 vs. 2 – The motivation for prayer ~ Daniel had learnt from reading the Word of God.
 This is what the Word of God should do to us; motivate us to pray.
 What did Daniel learn? ~ The Word of the Lord as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet that
Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.
 See Jer. 25:11-12
- God had promised that Israel would serve the king of Babylon for
seventy years and afterwards He [God] would punish the king of
Babylon and his people for their sins all of which had been fulfilled.
 - In Leviticus 25:4-5, God had declared to the Israelites that upon settling
in Canaan, the land would have a Sabbath year of complete rest after
every six years.
In the next chapter [Leviticus 26], speaking about the punishment for
disobedience, God warned the people that He would scatter Israel
among the nations…and the land would be desolate…then at last the
land would enjoy its neglected Sabbath years as it lies desolate while
the people are in exile (Lev. 26:32 – 35).
All this was fulfilled in the Babylon captivity (see also 2 Chr. 36:21)
 See also Jer. 29:10
 vs. 3 – Daniel turns to the Lord God and pleads with Him in prayer and fasting wearing rough
sackcloth having sprinkled himself with ashes.
vs. 4 – 19: The prayer.

 vs. 4 – Worship
 Three attributes of God.
1) Great
2) Awesome – To be “feared”
3) Faithful to fulfill His covenant and keep His promises
 vs. 5-15 – Confession.
 Notice that Daniel identifies himself with his people by using the pronoun ‘we’ not ‘they’
 He confesses their ‘sin, iniquity, rebellion and disobedience’
 In vs. 11-14, he acknowledges that the disaster that had befallen them was all
God’s plan (see Lev. 25 & 26 etc.)
 In vs. 14b, he acknowledges that God was right in dealing with them this way
[An important lesson to us]
 In vs. 10 – 11, he acknowledges that God had warned them beforehand through
the prophets.
 In vs. 9, he acknowledges God’s nature, that He is merciful and forgiving (see
Mic. 7:18-20)
 In vs. 13b, He admits that they had refused to repent. Repentance is the key to
forgiveness and freedom (Prov. 28:13, 1 John 1:9, 2 Sam. 12:13)
 In vs. 14, he acknowledges God is a deliverer
 vs. 16-19 – Plea/request
 He seeks God’s mercies not because of their righteousness but because of his mercy (vs.
18b) and for His own sake (vs. 17, 19)
vs. 20 – 27: The answer.

 vs. 21 – Gabriel is the one sent to bring the answer

 vs. 24-27 – The story of Israel’s future from Daniel’s perspective though in our eyes, some of it is
historic.
 vs. 24 : Seventy sets of seven/ seventy weeks [if you have the KJV]
 The week (set of seven) spoken of here is a period of seven YEARS and not days
 So, the seventy weeks (sets of seven) are equal to 490 YEARS not days
 vs. 24 – Decreed for your [Daniel’s] people (the Jews) and your holy city (Jerusalem)
 vs. 24 – The purpose of the decree of seventy years
1) To finish their [the Jews] rebellion ( unfinished)
2) To put an end to their [the Jews] sin (unfinished)
3) To atone for their [the Jews] guilt (finished)
4) To bring in everlasting righteousness. (unfinished)
5) To confirm the prophetic vision [or to seal up prophecy] (unfinished)
6) To anoint the Most Holy (unfinished)
Notice that most of these remain unfinished and will only be accomplished fully at
the Second Coming of Christ.

 vs. 25 – The first part fulfilled.

 Seven weeks(sets of seven) plus sixty-two weeks (sets of seven) will pass…
- 7+62 = 69 sets of seven
- The first seven weeks (sets of seven) [49 years] was the period of time
taken to rebuild Jerusalem
- The next sixty – two weeks (sets of seven) [434 years] was the time
period after the rebuilding of Jerusalem before Christ came into it.
 … from the time the commandment is given to rebuild Jerusalem…
- This commandment was given by Artaxerxes I (see Nehemiah 2:1); Not
to be confused with Cyrus’ command in Ezra 1:1 – 4 (this was to rebuild
the temple)
- According to records that were found by Sir Rawlinson in the Palace of
Shushan, this commandment was given in March 14, 445 B.C. in the
Julian Calendar [our calendar which has 365 and a-quarter days as
opposed to the ancient calendar which had 360 days]
 ...until a ruler – the Anointed One [Messiah] – comes.
- This is when the 69 sets of seven would end.
- Taking 69 x 7, we get 483 years and then multiply this with 360 days of
the ancient calendar to get the exact number of days, we get 173,880
days. Add these days to the date given above [March 14, 445 BC] -
taking into account the extra day for each leap year, the extra 5 and a
quarter days for each year and keeping in mind that there is no year
numbered 0 BC [we jump from 1 B.C to 1 A.D] - we arrive at April 6, 32
A.D which is the day in which Christ rode into Jerusalem in the
triumphant entry (Matt. 21). Prophecy fulfilled to the letter!
NB:For proof and confirmation of these calculations, see Sir Robert
Anderson’s book ‘THE COMING PRINCE’ and also Roger Liebi's ‘JERUSALEM
–  HINDERNIS FÜR DEN WELTFRIEDEN (JERUSALEM, OBSTACLE TO WORLD
PEACE)'

 Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defences despite the perilous
times.
- Reading the book of Nehemiah, you see the strong opposition that
Nehemiah and the people went through in the building of Jerusalem.
 vs. 26 – The second part (fulfilled)
  After this period of sixty-two weeks (sets of seven)…
- The period after Jerusalem is rebuilt; the end of the sixty nine weeks
(sets of seven)
 ,the Anointed One [Messiah] will be killed…
- The crucifixion and death of Christ at Calvary at the end of that week in
which He rode into Jerusalem.
 …appearing to have accomplished nothing,
- To the people then, it would have appeared like Jesus had accomplished
nothing having come as a King but not having taken the Kingdom but
thank God for through the sacrificial death of Christ at the cross of
Calvary, you and I have been redeemed, cleansed, justified and
accepted in the Beloved.
 …and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city [Jerusalem] and the
Temple.
- This invasion was prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24:2 (see also Mark
13:2 and Luke 21:6)
 The end will come with flood...
- ‘The end’ here speaks of the final result of the invasion by Titus which
left the city flat like ‘all things had been washed away by a flood’ and
the inhabitants of the city (the Jews) were dispersed all over the world.
 …and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end
- Ever since the Jews were dispersed in the invasion, they have been the
subjects of wars to this day – for example the Holocaust under Hitler -
and continuing up until the Messiah comes again.
- This was also prophesied by Christ in Luke 21:20 – 24
NB: Upto this point, we have only dealt with sixty-nine of the Seventy weeks
(sets of seven) thus there still remains one week (sets of seven) which is
what we are getting to now

 vs. 27 – The third part (unfulfilled)

 The ruler…
- This is not the same ruler as the one above [Titus the General] but this is
a future ruler (Antichrist) who will rule over the same empire as Titus
[the Roman Empire] but in its revived form.The prophet Daniel herein
saw the two rulers as one and the same just as you would see the peaks
of a mountain as one without seeing the ‘valley’ (gap) in between the
peaks. This is a common issue among the writings of the prophets (see
Isaiah 61:1-2, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Micah 5:2-4)
- The ‘valley'(gap) in between is the period of time we are in called the
CHURCH AGE or the DISPENSATION OF GRACE where Israel still remain
scattered throughout the world and God is now dealing with the
Gentiles, wooing and preparing a bride for Christ Jesus through the
working of the Holy Spirit. At the end of this age, the bride [the Church]
will be caught up to meet the Lord Jesus in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17) and
then go with Him to heaven. At the same time, Israel will have been
 regathered to their homeland in Canaan (modern day Palestine) and
God will resume His dealings with them first taking them through the
Great Tribulation which is called by Jeremiah, the time of Jacob’s [the
other name for Israel] trouble (Jer. 30:7b) and then saving them from
this ruler.
 ...will make a treaty with the people [Jews] for a period of one set of seven…
- This 'one set of seven' is the remaining one to complete the seventy.
- At the beginning of this period, the Antichrist will make a treaty –
probably a peace treaty seemingly bringing peace to Jerusalem – with
the Jews who, as a result of this, will be tricked into thinking that he is
the Messiah they have been expecting.
 …but after half the time…
- The halfway mark, after 3 and a half years
 …he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings.
- He will break the treaty and interfere with the Jewish temple worship
rituals.
 And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that
causes desecration [an abomination of desolation] …
- This single act will convince the Jews that this ruler is not the Messiah
they were expecting.
- It was prophesied by Jesus warning the Jews to flee (Matthew 24:15-20)
and also by John the Revelator (Rev. 13)
 …until the fate decreed for this defiler [the Antichrist] is finally poured out on
him.
- The fate: - 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 19:20 – 21
 CONCLUSION.
These events are not far from happening. Jesus in Matthew 24:32-33 gave the
parable of the fig tree – which is used throughout Scripture and especially
prophecy, as a symbol of the national privileges of Israel just as the vine speaks
of the spiritual privileges of Israel (Isaiah 5:1, Matthew 21) and the olive tree
speaks of the religious privileges of Israel (Hosea 14) – saying that when its
branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. Just
as budding in a tree shows the signs of life, the order given in recognition of
Israel as a nation by the United Nations in May 14, 1948 was a sign of return to
life of the nation Israel and the massive exodus of Jews from different parts of
the world to the Holy land is a further proof that life is returning to Israel just as
Ezekiel prophesied in Ezekiel 36-37. Soon and very soon, the Jews will all be
regathered into their homeland and then God’s prophetic clock will begin to
move again – God’s prophetic clock moves when the Jews are in their homeland
– and the events of this last week (set of seven) will unfold.

But the comfort for me and you is that we will not have to give through the
wrath of God during the Great Tribulation – Daniel’s seventieth week – for Jesus
Christ has already borne the wrath that was due to us at the Cross and therefore
 we are not appointed to wrath but unto salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Praise
the Lord!

Our duty is to share with others who have not yet been saved about this
wonderful hope and comfort we have in Christ and call them to reconciliation
with God. We also have a duty to purify ourselves since we have this hope of
salvation (1 John 3:1 – 3)

CHAPTER TEN TO TWELVE.

NOTE: Chapters 10 through 12 of Daniel are to be treated as one vision.

CH. 10 – Daniel’s vision of a Messenger.

vs. 1: The timing of the vision – ‘In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia'

vs. 2 – 3 : Daniel saw the vision while in mourning [weeping] for three whole weeks. He ate no rich
[pleasant] food and meat, he drank no wine and he used not fragrant lotions.

 This is what we call a partial fast where Daniel denied himself some privileges in order to seek
the Lord. In our current day and age, such privileges could be expanded to include watching
television, social media etc.
 Notice the sacrifice that Daniel made in order to seek the Lord and the result of the sacrifice.
God honors genuine sacrifices!
vs. 4 – 6: Daniel sees the Messiah.

 Compare this vision with John’s vision of Christ in Rev. 1:12-16

vs. 7: Only Daniel saw the vision though there were others with him. This is a truth that applies to all
areas of the Lord’s working – One receives among many (see Luke 4:25 – 27)

vs. 8 – 9: The effect of the vision on Daniel.

vs. 10 – 14: Daniel sees an angelic interpreter.

 Daniel sees at least two people [which we will try to differentiate] in this vision
 One is the Messiah (vs. 5 – 6)
 The other is an angel – probably Gabriel – instructed by Christ to give Daniel the
interpretation (vs. 11 – 12)
 vs. 11 – ‘Daniel, you are precious to God…'
 Many times we fail to believe God in prayer because we feel undeserving of God’s love
but this is not the case - God loves us and we do not earn this love, it’s a gift which we
just embrace (see 1 John 4:16, Eph. 1:6)
 vs. 12 – 13: The angelic interpreter is detained by the spirit prince of Persia.
 Here we see the reality of our warfare (Eph. 6: 12) and the need to persevere in prayer
until we hear from God (see also Luke 18: 1-8)
 God has provided us with His armour so that we may be able to stand firm
against all the strategies of the devil (Eph. 6:10) and to resist the enemy in the
time of evil and to remain standing after the battle (Eph. 6: 13 – 18)
  vs. 14 – The object of the vision '…what will happen to your people [the Jews]…' and the subject
of the vision ‘…what will happen…in the future for this vision concerns a time yet to come.’
vs. 15 – 19: A further effect of the vision on Daniel.

vs. 20: Daniel is told by the angel that another spirit prince would arise after the spirit prince of Persia.
The same happened in the physical world where Greece came after Persia.

 A suggestion – This revelation that another kingdom would conquer Persia could be the reason
for the detention of the angel in the air by the spirit prince of Persia so as not to deliver the
message to Daniel. The opposition is real but thank God for He has given us victory in Christ
Jesus (1 Cor. 15:57, see also 2 Cor. 2:14)
vs. 21: The angel is about to deliver the message to Daniel.

 Notice the phrase '…Michael, your spirit prince.’ – Every time we see Michael arising, He arises
to fight for Israel (see Rev. 12:7 for example)
CH. 11 – The message of the vision.

vs. 1: I believe, though I cannot be rigid on it, that this verse should be joined to the previous chapter so
as to make sense - Michael helped Gabriel to overcome the spirit prince of Persia (CH. 10 vs. 21) just as
Gabriel had stood beside Michael to support and strengthen him since the first year of the reign of King
Darius the Mede.

 Please understand that the chapter divisions are not inspired, that is, they were put in place by
the translators so as to ease the reading but they were not in the original text.
The rest of the book records history from Cyrus to the Antichrist. It is divided into two parts [from our
viewpoint]: -

1) vs. 2 – 34 – Fulfilled (in the past)

2) vs. 35 to the end of the book – Unfulfilled (in the future)
vs. 2 – 34: The fulfilled part of the prophecy.

This part is extremely fascinating to study as we see the accuracy of God in fulfilling prophecy for it
contains approximately 135 prophecies that have already been fulfilled. Much of the explanation of the
prophecy herein is drawn from secular historical records such as the writings of Josephus, Jerome etc.

 vs. 2a ‘Three more Persian kings will reign…' – Three more kings were to rule the Medo-Persian
empire after Cyrus. The three were:-
1) Cambyses
2) Pseudo – Smerdis (false Smerdis)
3) Darius I Hystaspis
 vs. 2b '…to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others.’ – This fourth king was Xerxes I
who we read about in Esther.
 vs. 2c ‘He will use his wealth to stir up everyone to fight against the kingdom of Greece.’ – Xerxes
led the second invasion of the Persians [the first one having been led by his father Darius I
Hystaspis] into Greece with a large army of about 2.5 million men in the famous Battle of
Thermopylae which they won though they suffered huge losses. The Persian campaign against
Greece would soon end after the defeat of Xerxes at Salamis.
 vs. 3 'Then a mighty king will rise to power…' – This was Alexander the Great who carried out his
father’s [Philip the Macedon] plan of invading the Persians and he succeeded.
 vs. 4 ‘At the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four
kingdoms…' – See notes on Dan. 8:8 for more information about Alexander the Great’s reign.
 The four divisions will ‘not be ruled by the king’s descendants…for his empire will be
uprooted and given to others.’ – The empire was divided amongst the four army
generals of Alexander (see Dan. 8:22)
1) Ptolemy took the southern part of the empire – Egypt
2) Seleucus took the northern part of the empire – Syria
3) Cassander took the western part of the empire – Greece
4) Lysimachus took the eastern part of the empire – Asia Minor [Turkey]
 vs. 5 - The attention now remains on two of the generals, Ptolemy I (Soter) of Egypt, the king of
the South and 'one of his [Alexander’s] officials…' who was Seleucus I (Nicator) of Syria, the king
of the North.
 I suggest that the focus shifts to these two because Israel, the holy land, would be at the
centre of their conflict.
 vs. 6a ‘Some years later…' - A significant amount of time has passed now and the kings
mentioned here are the descendants of those mentioned in vs. 4
 vs. 6b – An alliance is formed between the king of the North and the king of the South which is
secured by marriage – Ptolemy II (Philadelphus) [the king of the South] gave his daughter,
Berenice to marry Antiochus I Theos [the king of the North] who had divorced his wife [Laodice]
so as to marry Berenice.
 vs. 6c ‘but she will lose her influence over him and so will her father. She will be abandoned
along with her supporters.’ – After Ptolemy II died, Antiochus I (Theos) put away [divorced]
Berenice and took back Laodice who went on to poison the king [Antiochus Theos] to revenge
and ordered Berenice to be killed together with her son and all her supporters. Laodice then
reinstated her son, Seleucus II (Callinicus) to the throne.
 vs. 7 ‘But when one of her [Berenice’s] relatives…' – This was Ptolemy III (Eurgetes), brother to
Berenice who attacked the fortress of Seleucus II (Callinicus), the king of the North again and
defeated the king.
 vs. 8-9 – As he [Ptolemy III] returns to Egypt, he carried back their [the Egyptians] idols which
had been carried from them by Cambyses, when he conquered Egypt, and he [Ptolemy III]
replaced them in their proper temples, gaining the affection of his people [the Egyptians] hence
they gave him the name of Euergetes, that is, "the benefactor"
 It is vanity to worship idols that cannot even rescue themselves from enemy (see Jonah
2:8, Isaiah 46). The only true God is the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY
 vs. 10 ‘However, the sons of the king of the North…' – These were Antiochus III (later known as
the Great) and Seleucus III (Ceraunus) . The second part of the verse focuses on only one of the
sons [Antiochus III] for Seleucus III was poisoned and died before the wars.
 vs. 11 ‘Then, in a rage, the king of the south…' – This was Ptolemy IV (Philopater) who went
against Antiochus III’s vast army and defeated him in the decisive battle of Raffia near Gaza.
 vs. 12 – As a result of the victory above, Ptolemy IV is filled with pride but in his pride lies his fall
(see Prov. 11:2; 16:18; 29:23)
 vs. 13 ‘A few years later…' – Around 16 years have passed and ‘the king of the North…' –
Antiochus III (the Great ) comes back to revenge for the defeat at Raffia.
 vs. 13-14 – This time he has a better strategy wherein he stirs up some of the subjects of the
king of the South - who at this time was the 5 year old Ptolemy V (Epiphanes), son of Ptolemy IV
who had died - against their king. Some 'violent men among your own [Daniel’s] people…'
meaning some Jews entered into an alliance with Antiochus III revolting against Ptolemy V but
they soon die just as the word says 'they will not succeed.’
 vs. 15-16 – These verses talk about Antiochus III’s conquest over Egypt and his supremacy
thereafter.
 vs. 17 – The king of the North [Antiochus III], seeking to re-establish Syrian influence in Egypt,
gave the king of the South [Ptolemy V] his daughter Cleopatra ‘…in order to overthrow the
kingdom from within.’ This plan, however, failed miserably because Cleopatra went in to the
palace and was allied to Ptolemy V (Epiphanes) and took sides with him.
 vs. 18a ‘After this, he will turn his attention to the coastland/isles...’ – This speaks of Antiochus
III’s campaign in the Greek islands.
 vs. 18b ‘But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and cause him to
retreat in shame' – This speaks of the Roman commander Lucius Scipio who defeated Antiochus
III in the decisive battle of Magnesia in Asia Minor causing him [Antiochus III] to withdraw from
Greece in shame. A heavy annual tax was also imposed on Greece by the Roman after this
defeat.
 vs. 19 - In order to pay the high taxes imposed on him, Antiochus III robs the fortresses and
temples of his own country. When he wants to plunder the temple in Elymaic, the population
revolted against him. Enraged the crowds come to defend their sanctuary and kill their king.
 vs. 20a 'His successor…' – This was Seleucus IV (Philopater) who '…sent out his tax
collector/treasurer [Heliodorus]…' to seize the money deposited in the temple of Jerusalem (see
2 Maccabees 9:23) so as to pay the annual tax to the Romans.
 vs. 20b 'But after a very brief reign, he will die, thought not from anger or in battle.’ – Seleucus
IV, after about twelve years in power, was poisoned by his own tax collector/treasurer
[Heliodorus] who had hoped to capture the throne
 vs. 21 'The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in the line of succession…'
– This introduces us to the first major character of this vision, Antiochus IV Epiphanes who took
over the kingdom of Syria by ‘…flattery and intrigue.’ He was the brother to Antiochus III who
had been taken captive by the Romans in Magnesia but he was later released and went back to
his land.
 vs. 21 ‘Before him [Antiochus Epiphanes] great armies will be swept away, including a covenant
prince.’ – Nothing could hinder his progress. The “prince of the covenant” is probably the
high priest Onias III who was deposed by Antiochus IV and sent away into exile and was later
murdered. Antiochus IV Epiphanes then sold the high priesthood to Jason, Onias’ brother, but
later removed him and put Menelaus in his stead for he offered him a larger sum of money.
 vs. 23-24 – This describes Antiochus Epiphanes’ strategy of growth and influence that is, 'with
deceitful promises, he will make various alliances…' even with some Jews who were apostate
from Judaism.
‘Without warning, he will enter the richest areas of the land [Israel]…’ and plundered it
 vs. 25-26 - In his thirst for expansion of his empire Antiochus Epiphanes went against Ptolemy VI
(Philometer) ,the king of the South [Egypt]. Ptolemy VI tries to stop Antiochus Epiphanes but
loses the battle. He tries to flee, but fails to escape from his uncle. The city of Alexandria, which
in contrast to a great part of Egypt was not conquered by Antiochus Epiphanes, surprisingly
proclaimed the younger brother of Ptolemy VI as king. These were the 'plots against him
[Ptolemy VI]…his own household caused his downfall' – internal betrayals that contributed to his
defeat.
 vs. 27 - When the two kings, Antiochus Epiphanes and Ptolemy Philometer, sat together at the
table after the war won by Antiochus, it is as if they deal with each other in peace. Ptolemy VI
negotiates a treaty with Antiochus Epiphanes, with the intention that he subjects himself, but
does not abide by it. Antiochus, in turn, is out to submit to himself the whole of Egypt and
therefore pretends he wants to help Ptolemy VI against his brother who has been proclaimed
king in Alexandria. Both kings act according to their own false nature. However, the agreements
between Egypt and Syria are not achieving their goal. The reason given is that “the end is still [to
come] at the appointed time”. That is to say, developments must continue because the end that
God has in mind cannot yet come. It means that the time of the end of the oppression of Israel
has not yet come.
 vs. 28 – Antiochus Epiphanes, the king of the North, on his way home from Egypt 'set himself
against the people of the holy covenant [Israel]' to try and end a seeming rebellion that had
been started by a false rumour that was spreading that Antiochus Epiphanes was dead. The
rebellion was led by Jason who was seeking to reclaim the high priesthood from Menelaus.
Antiochus Epiphanes put off the rebellion and restored Menelaus to the high priesthood.
 vs. 29-30 – Antiochus Epiphanes once again arises to attack Egypt but this time, he’s stopped by
the 'warships of Kittim [Cyprus]' – these speaks of the Roman Navy, under Gajus Popilius Laenas,
which had arrived at Cyprus. This caused Antiochus Epiphanes to recoil and to return. He was
given letters from the Roman Senate which ordered him to cease his attack on Egypt and was
forced to make a hasty decision there by Popilius who drew a circle around him and told him to
make a decision before leaving that circle. This angered him [Antiochus Epiphanes] and on his
way home, he pours his anger and frustration on Judah. He connects himself with those who
forsake the holy covenant - the unfaithful, apostate Jews.
 vs. 31 – Antiochus Epiphanes sent his tax collector Apollonius to Jerusalem with a powerful army
which does the horrible things mentioned here culminating in the renaming of the burnt
offering altar to Zeus altar. In doing so, an idol of Zeus, who has facial traits of Antiochus
Epiphanes, is set up.
 Herein we see the perfect picture of the Antichrist in Antiochus Epiphanes (cp. Dan.
8:11, see also Rev. 13:14-15, Matt. 24:15, 2 Thess. 2:4)
 vs. 32 – Antiochus Epiphanes’ allied with the apostate Jews but 'the people who know their God
will be strong and will resist him.’ – referring to Mattathias the priest, his son Judas Maccabees
and his brothers who stood up to resist Antiochus Epiphanes and they succeeded in driving him
out of Israel, with a small army armed with sticks. They cleansed the Temple and restored
Temple worship (see 1 & 2 Maccabees for more information).
 This event – the cleansing of the Temple - is commemorated by the Jews in the Feast of
Dedication [Hanukkah] (see John 10:22) which takes 8 days. During this feast, they
commemorate the miraculous provision of oil to light the lampstand in the Temple -
 When the Jews had finished cleansing and restoring the Temple, they realised that they
only had oil that would last one day while it took seven days to prepare more oil for the
lamps but God miraculously sustained the lamps on for the seven days until the new oil
was ready.
 This is also a principle for us that ‘those who know their God will be strong and do
exploits’
 vs. 33-35 – A detailed explanation of the period of the revolt of Judas Maccabees.
Notice the last part of vs. 35 '…,for the appointed time is still to come.’ – indicating that the end
was not yet that is, there was more to come.

vs. 36 – 45: The unfulfilled part of the prophecy.

This section majorly focuses on the Antichrist and the events of his reign [Daniel’s 70 th week]. Remember
that we are currently in the time gap – in which God is preparing a bride [the Church] for Christ by the
Holy Spirit - between the 69th week and the last week of Daniel 9.

N.B: A point of clarification – We said that Daniel’s 70th week which remains unfulfilled will be a period
of seven years. This period will start with the revelation of the Antichrist (Rev. 6:1-2) but for the first
three and a half years, the Antichrist will present himself as a peaceble man but in the middle of week,
he will break the treaty and will then become the ‘bad guy’ we all except him to be.

 vs 36 'the king …' – This king is the Antichrist

 Traits of this king
1) vs. 36 – ‘he will do as he pleases' – Unrestrained by anyone (Rev. 13:5)
2) vs. 36 – ‘…exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every God’ – see
2 Thess. 2:4
3) vs. 36 - '…even blaspheming the God of gods…' – see Rev. 13:1,5 – 6)
4) vs. 36 - '…he will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed' – see
Rev. 13:5
5) vs. 37 – ‘He will have no respect for the gods of his ancestors…' – In the King
James version, it renders this best ‘neither shall he regard the God of his
fathers’ which seems to suggest that the Antichrist will be a Jew.
- I believe, though not rigidly, it will take two people to perfectly fill
the office of the Antichrist as illustrated by the two beasts in Rev.
13 – One will be a political Antichrist (the first beast) and the
other a religious Antichrist (the second beast). It then follows that
at least one of the two will be a Jew of which I suggest the
religious Antichrist (the second beast) commonly called the false
prophet
6) vs. 37 ‘…nor regard the desire of women…(KJV)' – This can either be
interpreted in two ways:
- He will be a homosexual or,
- He will not regard the Messiah for the phrase ‘the desire of
women’ was commonly used to refer to Messiah in the Hebrew
culture for it was the desire of every Hebrew woman to be the
chosen virgin to give birth to Christ (see Is. 7:14)
 7) vs. 37 ‘nor regard
any god for he shall magnify himself above all.’
8) vs. 38-39 – He will only regard the ‘God of forces' – referring to the military
powers that is, he will be dependent on military powers for his exploits.
 vs. 40 – 45 – The Antichrist’s military engagements.
 vs. 40 – The king of the South here [keeping the context of the chapter] will be
either a ruler of Egypt or a confederation of Arabian countries approaching from
the south.
The king of the North is difficult to clearly point out owing to the different
translations but it could be a king who will approach from the North to attack
the Antichrist [again maintaing the context of the chapter] or the Antichrist
himself.
 vs. 41-43 – The many nations that the Antichrist will conquer.
Notice that ‘Moab, Edom and the best part of Edom escapes’
- This is the region known today as Jordan and many teachers of
the Bible believe that it is here, specifically in the rock city of
Petra, where the Jews will be preserved during the Great
Tribulation (see Jesus' words in Matthew 24:16)
 vs. 44 'news from the east and the north will alarm him…' – These news will be
probably about armies coming out to attack the Antichrist see Rev. 9:13-16 and
Rev. 16:12.
 vs. 45 – The Antichrist will make his headquarters in Jerusalem and afterwards,
he will be destroyed at Armageddon (Rev. 19:17 – 20)
CH. 12 – A continuation of the message and details on the timing of the events revealed in the vision.

vs. 1 – 4: The continuation of the message.

 vs. 1a – Notice again ‘Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation [Israel], will
arise.’ – cp. Dan. 10:21
 This event is well explained in Rev.12: 7 – 9)
 vs. 1b speaks of the Great Tribulation [the last half of Daniel’s 70 th week] which Jesus also spoke
of Matthew 24:21
 vs. 1c speaks of the deliverance of the Jews from the dragon [the devil] and their preservation
(see Rev. 12:14 – 16)
 vs. 2 speaks of the first and second resurrections defined in Rev. 20:4 – 6.
 The Bible teaches that there will be two future resurrections which will be at least 1000
years apart.
1) The first resurrection (the resurrection of the righteous dead) - which began at the
resurrection of Christ (Mt. 27:52 – 53) and will end after the second coming when
the Tribulation saints will be raised (Rev. 20:4 – 6)
2) The second resurrection (the resurrection of the unrighteous dead) – Rev. 20: 11 –
15)
 vs. 3a ‘thosewho are wise will shine as bright as the sky..’ – cp. Phil. 2:15
 vs. 3b – an encouragement to lead many to Christ (2 Cor. 5:21)
  vs. 4 – Daniel is instructed to seal up the prophecy until the time of the end when 'knowledge
will increase.’
 In the days we are living, we see an increase of knowledge in general but I believe this
specifically speaks of an increase in prophetic knowledge – understanding of Biblical
prophecy - which is on a rise in the days we are living in.
vs. 5 – 13: A question and answer session.

 vs. 5 – Daniel sees ‘two others [apart from the angelic interpreter and the Messiah seen in Dan
10] standing on opposite banks of the river' – this, I believe, are angels
 vs. 6 - The first question - asked by one of the two angels ‘How long will it be until these
shockingly events are over?’ that is, the events of Daniel 12:1-3
 vs. 7 - The answer given, together with an oath, by The Messiah ‘…it will go on for a time [year],
times [two years] and half a time [half a year] - totalling to 3 and a half years – ‘When the
shattering of the holy people [Israel] has finally come to an end, all these things will have
happened' (see Rev. 13:5)
 vs. 8 – The second question – asked by Daniel
 vs. 9-13 – The answer to the second question, given by the Lord [Messiah].
 vs. 10 – cp. Rev. 22: 10 - 11
 Comparing vs. 11 with Rev. 13:5, there is an extra 30 days after the Antichrist’s reign
with a special purpose which is not revealed to Daniel – we can only speculate. vs. 12
gives another 45 days above that - whose purpose is not defined but will definitely be
for this is the testimony of the Lord.
 vs. 13 – Daniel receives a word, as a personal promise, that he will rise at the end of the days
and receive the reward of the LORD (for his faithful service)