The Time Is Near: Volume 1—A Reference Commentary on the Visions of Daniel

By Ian Foley

Evidence is accumulating that the current, global civilization we enjoy is rapidly moving toward a crisis of expensive resources, water security, global warming, and potential military conflict centred in the Middle East. The Bible suggests that God anticipated the situation we see today as an inevitable outcome of our selfishness and greed.

In this first of two volumes, author Ian Foley proposes the idea that the decline and collapse of this civilisation is part of the end-time picture that the Bible gives. The Old Testament book of Daniel lays out the first half of this picture, starting from the Jewish exile to Babylon at the beginning of the sixth century BC and tracing the rise and fall of ancient empires. It then introduces the founder of the final empire, which will be completed when Jesus returns. Through all this history, Daniel depicts the tiny nation of Israel surviving exactly as the prophet Jeremiah predicted.

Like an unfolding detective story, Gods drama is revealed piece by piece, so that we gradually come to understandup until the fall of the Roman Empirewith the final exciting revelation in Daniel 11 12 completing the picture. This study begins to reveal why there is so much confusion with our end-time theologies and suggests a new revelation that is clearer and less ambiguous, integrating the books of Daniel and Revelation into a single, unambiguous message.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press AU
• Release date: Oct 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781452525303

Ian Foley

IAN FOLEY, serves as the senior pastor of Hope Christian Church, Melbourne, Australia. This multi-site church of several hundred members belongs to Hope International Ministries. After earning a PhD in physics at Melbourne University, he pursued an academic career before turning to the ministry.

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Contents

Tables And Figures

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

The Time Is Near

A.   The Big Picture

A1.   The Antiochene View

A2.   The Antichrist View

A3.   The Preterist View

A4.   The Process

B.   Interpretation Principles

C.   Hebrew Parallelism

D.   An Overview Of The Book Of Daniel

E.   The History And Chronology Of Daniel

F.   The Structure Of Daniel

Chapter 2

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

A.   Setting The Scene

B.   The Dream

C.   The Interpretation

D.   Conclusions

Chapter 3

The Four Beasts And A Little Horn

A.   The Vision

B.   The Interpretation

B1.   Daniel’s First Question And The Answer

B2.   Daniel’s Second Question And The Answer

C.   Conclusions

Chapter 4

The Ram, The Goat, And A Little Horn

A.   The Vision

A1.   The Ram

A2.   The Goat

A3.   The Little Horn

B.   The Interpretation

B1.   The Time Of The End

B2.   The Ram

B3.   The Goat

B4.   The Little Horn

C.   The Two Little Horns Compared

C1.   The Most Obvious Similarities

C2.   The Most Obvious Differences

C3.   The Time Element

D.   Conclusion

Chapter 5

The Seventy Sevens

A.   Daniel’s Prayer

B.   The Seventy Sevens

B1.   To Finish The Transgression And To Anoint The Most Holy

B2.   To Make An End Of Sins And To Seal Up The Vision And Prophecy

B3.   To Make Atonement And Bring In Everlasting Righteousness

B4.   Conclusions

C.   Daniel’s Sevens

D.   Daniel’s Punctuation

E.   An Analysis Of Daniel 9:25–27

E1.   The First Part (Verse 25)

E2.   The Second Part (Verse 26)

E3.   The Third Part (Verse 27A)

E4.   The Fourth Part (Verse 27B)

E5.   The Consolidated Translation

E6.   The Starting Year For The Vision

F.   Conclusions

Chapter 6

The Final Vision

A.   Daniel And The Messenger

B.   The Persian Empire

C.   The Greek Empire

C1.   Alexander (The Great)

C2.   The Diadochi

C3.   The Southern Kingdom Reigns

C4.   Antiochus Iii (The Great)

C5.   Seleucus Iv

C6.   Antiochus Iv

C7.   Reflection

D.   The King

D1.   The Character Of The King

D2.   The History Of The King

D3.   The Jews In Great Trouble

E.   How Long?

F.   Epilogue

Chapter 7

The Conclusion Of The Matter

A.   Putting It All Together

A1.   Overview

A2.   The Earlier Visions Revisited

A2.1   Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

A2.2   The Four Beasts And A Little Horn

A2.3   The Ram, Goat, And Little Horn

A3.   The Seventy Sevens Revisited

A3.1   What Is Now Known

A3.2   The Little Horn

A3.3   The Antiochus Iv Abomination That Caused Desolation

A3.4   The Final Abomination That Caused Desolation

A4.   The Roman View

A4.1   Flaws In The Antiochene, Antichrist, And Preterist Views

A4.2   The Antiochene View

A4.3   The Antichrist View

A4.4   The Preterist View

A4.5   The Roman View

A5.   The Unity And Structure Of The Book Of Daniel

A5.1.   The Linear Structure

A5.2.   The Chiasmic Structure

B.   A Comparison Of Major Views Of The

Seventy Sevens Prophecy

B1.   The Traditional View

B1.1   Critical

B1.2   Messianic

B1.2.1.   Seventy Sevens, 490 Years To The End

B1.2.2.   Sixty-Nine Sevens, A Gap, And Then The Final Seven Years

B1.2.3.   69.5 Sevens, A Gap, And Then The Final 3.5 Years

B2.   The Chronographic View

B3.   The Chronology Of Jesus

B4.   The Coming Prince

B4.1   The Basis Of The Calculations

B4.2   Anderson’s Calculation

B4.3   Faith Versus Sight

B5.   Corrections To Anderson’s Calculations

B5.1   Anderson’s Errors

B5.2   Hoehner’s Amendments

B6.   Other Calculations

B6.1   Problems With The Prophetic Year

B6.2   The Prophecy Starts With Cyrus In 457 Bc

B6.3   The Decrees Of Cyrus, Darius, And Artaxerxes Are Treated As One

B6.4   The Prophecy Starts With Artaxerxes In 454 Bc

B7.   Conclusions About The Seventy Sevens Prophecy

B7.1   Why The Sevens Are Not Sevens Of Years

B7.2   Why The Punctuation In Daniel 7:25 Is Valid

B7.3   Problems With The Messianic Views

B7.3.1.   Seventy Sevens, 490 Years To The End

B7.3.2.   Sixty-Nine Sevens, A Gap, And Then The Final Seven Years

B7.3.3.   69.5 Sevens, A Gap, And Then The Final 3.5 Years

B7.3.4   Additional Comments

B7.4   The Time, Times And Half A Time

C.   Overall Conclusions

Chapter 8

The New Testament View Of Daniel

A.   Gabriel

B.   Jesus’s View Of Daniel

B1.   The Righteous Will Shine Like The Sun

B2.   Jesus And The Seventy Sevens

B3.   The Son Of Man

B4.   The Desolation Of The People, Jerusalem, And The Temple

B5.   This Generation Under Judgment

B6.   Jerusalem And The Temple

B7.   General Signs

B7.1.   Do Not Be Deceived

B7.2.   There Will Be Wars, Famines, Plagues, And Great Earthquakes

B7.3.   Christians Will Be Persecuted

B7.4.   The Great Commission Must Be Completed

B8.   Jerusalem Is The Focal Point

B8.1   The Devastation Of Jerusalem In Ad 70

B8.1.1   Luke 19:41–44

B8.1.2   Matthew 23:37–39

B8.1.3   Luke 21:20–24A

B8.1.4   Luke 23:28–31

B8.2   The Complete Restoration Of Jerusalem In 1967

B8.3.   The Final Devastation Of Jerusalem

B8.3.1   The Abomination That Causes Desolation

B8.3.2   Comparing What Has Been Written

B9.   Jesus Will Return

B9.1.   Sudden And Visible

B9.2.   Heavenly Dynamics

B9.3.   In The Clouds

B9.3.1   Jesus Returns The Same Way That He Left

B9.3.2   The Sign Of The Son Of Man In The Sky

B9.3.3   Coming In A Cloud With Power And Great Glory

B9.3.4   The Trumpet And The Elect Gathered

B10.   This Generation

B11.   When Will Jesus Return?

C.   Paul’s View Of Daniel

C1.   The Day Of The Lord

C2.   Deception And Rebellion

C2.1   The Rebellion (Verse 3)

C2.2   The Man Of Lawlessness Revealed (Verses 3–4)

C3.   Paul’s View Of The Role Of Nations

Chapter 9

New Perspectives Of Daniel

A.   The Unfolding Drama In Daniel

A1.   Daniel’s Preparation (1) (605 Bc)

A2.   Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2) (603 Bc)

A3.   The Vision Of Four Beasts (7) (552 Bc)

A4.   The Ram And The Goat (8) (550 Bc)

A5.   The Seventy Sevens (9) (538 Bc)

A6.   The Final Prophecy (10–12) (535 Bc)

B.   New Perspectives On Daniel

B1.   The King In Daniel 11:36–45

B2.   The Time Of The End

B3.   The Time, Times And Half A Time

B4.   The Identity Of The Little Horn In Daniel 7

B5.   The Identity Of The Little Horn In Daniel 8

B6.   The Seventy Sevens Prophecy

C.   Overall Structure Of Daniel

C1.   The Linear Structure

C2.   The Inverted Parallel Structure

C3.   The Content Summary

Additional Note 1: The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire

1.1   The Character Of Rome, Daniel 11:36–39

Daniel 11:36

Daniel 11:37–38

Daniel 11:39

1.2   The History Of Rome, Daniel 11:40–45

Daniel 11:40

Daniel 11:41

Daniel 11:42–43

Daniel 11:44

Daniel 11:45

1.3   The Suffering Of The Jews, Daniel 12:1–7

Daniel 12:1–4

Daniel 12:5–7

Additional Note 2: Scenarios Of The Seventy Sevens Prophecy

Scenario 1

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

Appendix 1

The Horns In Daniel

1.   The Horn That Is The Power And Might Of An Empire With All Its Kings

2.   The Horn That Is The Power And Might Of A Single King

3.   The Four Horns That Are The Power And Might Of Four Kingdoms

4.   The Ten Horns Of The Terrifying Beast

5.   The Vision Of The Little Horn, The Ten Horns, And The Three Horns

Appendix 2

The Time Of The End

Appendix 3

The Saints Of The Most High

Appendix 4

The Time Of Wrath

Appendix 5

The Interpretation Of The Hebrew Text

5.1   The Punctuation Of Biblical Hebrew

5.2   Daniel 9:24

5.3   Daniel 9:25

5.4   Daniel 9:26

5.5   Daniel 9:27

5.6   Overall Analysis

Appendix 6

Discussion Of The English Translations

6.1   The Word Translated Reign

6.2   The Word Translated Inferior In Daniel 2:39

6.3   The Ambiguity In Daniel 2:40

6.4   Daniel 7:25

6.5   Daniel 8:9–12 And 8:23–25

6.6   Daniel 11:6

6.7   Daniel 11:20

6.8   Daniel 11:28

6.9   Daniel 11:33

6.10 Daniel 11:40A

6.11   Daniel 11:41

6.12   Daniel 12:6

Appendix 7

The Seventy Sevens Prophecy

7.1   The Word For Sevens

7.2   The Word For Seven

7.3   Additional Comments

Appendix 8

The 360-Day Prophetic Year

Appendix 9

The First Year Of Belshazzar

Appendix 10

Bible Chronology

10.1 Calendars

Julian

Gregorian

Astronomical

Hebrew

Names Of Ancient Months

10.2 Chronological Reckoning

Regnal Years

Accession And Non-Accession Year Reckoning

Inclusive And Exclusive Reckoning

10.3 Key Dates

Appendix 11

Anstey’s Chronology

Appendix 12

Abductive Interpretation

12.1   Background

12.2   Dealing With Multiple Competing Interpretations

12.3   Finding The Best Interpretation

12.4   The Evaluation Of End-Time Books

Bibliography

End Notes

Tables and Figures

Table 1: Dates from Median to Grecian Empire

Table 2: Dates of Kings of North and South

Table 3: Summary of conclusions so far

Table 4: The eastern advance of the Roman Empire

Table 5: Possible dates for the crucifixion

Table 6: The Gospel’s record of the Sermon on the Mount

Table 7: Final conclusions about Revelations given to Daniel

Table 8: Hebrew disjunctive accents

Table 9: Hebrew conjunctive accents

Table 10: Hebrew codes for marks and symbols

Table 11: Hebrew months and their English equivalent

Figure 1: Map of Ptolemaic control of Palestine

Figure 2: Map of Seleucid control of Palestine

Figure 3: Map of Roman control of Palestine

Figure 4: The suffering of the Jews

Figure 5: Jerusalem before and after the 1967 war.

Figure 6: The Middle East

Figure 7: The Assyrian and Babylonian Kingdoms, Ninth to Sixth Centuries BC

Figure 8: The Sufferings of the Jews

We need to prepare our people for what is to come upon the world.

—Luke 21:26

Foreword

It brings me great pleasure and privilege to write the foreword for my friend and colleague in the Gospel. I have known of his efforts to study and subsequently write this commentary over a period of well over a decade. It is a product of a man dedicated to the cause of the Church, who sincerely desires to see the Church reach the fullness of glory which God has destined for her.

Ian is a man who sincerely desires to honour God and by the grace of God has chosen to walk with humility and integrity. In over two decades of working with him, I have seen these outstanding characteristics shining through again and again; even through the most challenging of times. This quality continues to be evident in this monumental work.

Ian comes to the task, perhaps with a number of advantages. His doctorate training as a physicist and subsequent academic tenure in computing, has cultivated in him a highly developed appreciation for detail. An element I am certain will be evident to readers of this commentary. Though I am by nature a meticulous person and completed my doctoral in engineering (a somewhat less intellectually vigorous field than physics, at least in the view of most physicists), the depth of careful detailed analysis documented in this commentary has astounded me. This is a testament to his dogged pursuit of facts, in order that he may uncover the truth.

Another advantage is that Ian did not hold strongly to any existing end-time theories and hence is not emotionally attached to any specific view. This has enabled him to approach the Scriptures with fresh eyes. I believe there is considerable value when one can be detached from one’s theological and church heritage, in the pursuit of truth embodied in the Scriptures.

Lastly, due to his role as a senior pastor over many years, he brings considerable pastoral concerns into this task. He is well aware of the impact that end-time theologies can have upon the typical church members. Hence, though this commentary has been produced with an academic emphasis, it was not approached from a purely academic mindset. Ian is well aware of the potential impact such significant works can have upon the faith and choices of a Christ-follower.

This commentary offers a substantial contribution to end-time theology, particularly in relation to interpreting key sections of the book of Daniel foundational to interpreting the book of Revelation. The commentary first re-examines key existing views and carefully dissects some of their foundational assumptions, exposing significant anomalies and therefore bringing into question the veracity of their conclusions. It then offers a new and unique thesis to interpreting those sections of the book of Daniel.

I believe that such contributions are critical to the ongoing analysis of the Book of Daniel and by extension, the book of Revelation. I hope that this work will be a catalyst for renewed studies of end-time theology and help bring greater consensus in the near future. I hereby commend this new commentary in the hope that it will help us better grasp God’s destiny for His Church in the end times.

Dr. Wilson Lim

International Elder, Hope International Ministries

Preface

The thrust of the message of this book is a word of prophecy from the Lord to the worldwide church. I give it to the church as a gift. I ask the church to test it, to analyze it, to assess it, to receive what is right, and to reject what is wrong. With this book I lay down my life to the Lord. I take full responsibility for what is written, but at the same time I present it to the church as a vital message that I believe the Lord wants to bring to us now.

This book has been deliberately written to place the new perspectives on a strong academic footing. It has been as carefully researched and as thoroughly written to examine everything as far as practical circumstances have allowed and ability permitted. This is not a book to read in a day; it is a reference commentary. For those who want to gain a quick overview of the conclusions, please turn to the final chapter. However, if you want to understand the basis behind those conclusions, you will need to turn to the relevant chapters and examine the detail.

As far as possible, this book has addressed every viewpoint of the book of Daniel. It has not just examined popular Evangelical and Pentecostal views. Thus it has seriously addressed the issues of those who believe in second century BC authorship as well as sixth century BC authorship. As a result, it is significantly longer and more complicated than it otherwise would have been.

In his commentary of the Gospel of Mark, Edwards (2002, 402) writes, The mischief caused by the misuse of eschatology has resulted in a virtual eclipse of eschatology in the life of the church. This unfortunate set of circumstances—both its abuse and its subsequent neglect—has weakened the church rather than strengthened it. I totally agree with his statement. The church is very curious about the end-times, and longs to understand it, but is confronted by a variety of views, often presented with conviction. The church sees that the return of Jesus is near but does not know how near and is confused by all the divergent and often complicated views. End-time theology is in crisis as increasingly current views are shown to be inadequate. New views are hard to sort out and frequently seem inadequate too. Over the last few hundred years, through the Reformation and until today, the Lord has continued to restore the church’s teaching and practice in many areas. Now we are in desperate need to restore our end-time theology too, as within the mainstream church it remains the last major area of biblical understanding that needs a major injection of clarification.

As this work has progressed, it has become more and more apparent that our understanding of the end-times and especially the book of Revelation correlates directly to our understanding of the book of Daniel. Since there are currently so many divergent interpretations of the book of Daniel, it is critical to get Daniel right in order to get our end-time theology right.

This book is volume 1 of a planned two-volume series. It is a reference commentary on the visions of Daniel as it focuses on the introduction in Daniel 1 and the five revelations that are recorded in Daniel 2 and from Daniel 7 onward. This is because it has been written with a particular purpose in mind. The stories in Daniel 3 to 6 are well understood, and the commentaries cover them well. This is not to say that I feel they are less important or irrelevant; it is more a question of focus. In this book, I am concerned to reveal a whole new perspective and understanding, and so I have focused on those parts of Daniel that are impacted and which impact on that understanding.

For those readers who have made extensive research and study on the book of Daniel, I would like to make the following comments. As far as I know, the conclusions reached in this study are radically different from anything that has previously appeared in print. They do not fit into any existing category very well. I believe they will seriously challenge whatever view you hold, and so I do request that you examine them with an open mind and with humility. One of the big puzzles that remain in my mind and for which I have intensively sought the Lord is why has this understanding never been seen before. It is my conviction now that it is the most obvious and natural understanding of this book. Will your reaction be the same? I do not know, but I hope so. As far as I can tell, it is the only view that explains all of Daniel clearly with no major unexplained passages, including Daniel 11:36–45 and the 1,290 days and 1,335 days in Daniel 12:11–12. It results in a book that has a remarkable balance and unity of content and structure. I believe the reason why it has not been seen before is because a few major detractors exist whose effect has been to blind us to the obvious; these detractors have been examined carefully, their roots examined, and their basis exposed.

As a result, the whole book of Daniel comes together in a remarkable unity, balance, and clarity, which I feel will leave you just as astonished as I was. It will leave you with a remarkable picture of the rise and fall of many nations together with the miraculous survival of the little but crucial nation of God’s people, the Jews, like you have never seen before. It will leave you amazed at God’s plan. When the conclusions of this understanding are applied to the book of Revelation, which is being done in volume 2, the results are dramatic and will be for the Christian at the same time both tremendously exciting and wonderful, and absolutely terrible.

A correct translation is essential to understand the book of Daniel. I am not a Hebrew scholar, but I have looked very carefully at the Hebrew text and obtained as much help as has been possible. As a consequence, I have seriously questioned a number of places where the English translators, in their efforts to make the English clear to us, have applied their predetermined understanding of the book to the interpretation of the original words. This has occurred because the interpretation given in this book is substantially different from anything previously in print. I believe that many scholars, particularly from the Evangelical and Pentecostal traditions, have relied too heavily on the KJV and, therefore, have not detected some areas of textual controversy and, in my view, have been seriously misled as a result. This is particularly evident and significant in the seventy weeks prophecy in Daniel 9:24–27.

If I may make some personal comments, I would have to say that I have been on an incredible journey, and this is only the first stage of it. For the first time, the whole of the book of Daniel is meaningful, and there are no longer any substantial mysteries. The picture presented is very clear and very sobering. Human nature, reflected in the actions of nations and their rulers, is on trial, and their greed, arrogance, and selfishness are very apparent. By inference and observation, it would seem that the nations today have not changed, but through technology their capacity to cause enormous harm is drastically increased. At the same time as I am excited to understand God’s sovereignty over history and God’s tremendous love and justice and the wonderful plan that is unfolding for His people, I am tremendously concerned at the coming Day of Judgment. It is very near now, nearer than we think. The enormous loss of life that we are seeing today, which is clearly described in the book of Revelation should cause us to cry to God for mercy and pray for a worldwide spiritual revival. Every day I sense the burden of the Lord for the salvation of all men and women; the Day of Judgment will be far worse for the Lord than it will be for us, because He loves us so much. He longs to pour out His Spirit in revival. It will surely happen, and as Christians we need to be ready and prepared for the coming of the Lord. It is not far away now. God is purifying His people and making His bride ready for His coming. Many churches will rise in power and authority; many other churches will die. In the not too distant future, the visible church will be destroyed, and the worldwide church will be forced underground. We cannot be complacent. If we truly love the Lord, we must lay down our lives for Him.

I remain seriously concerned at the lack of unity in end-time teaching. Among the goals that lie behind this book is to see the whole church come together in unity in their understanding of the end-times. This is what I believe the Lord wants to do now. For this reason, not only does this book present a rather new perspective on the book of Daniel; not only does that perspective seriously impact on our view of the book of Revelation, but the book seriously attempts to show how and where our previous interpretations have gone wrong. You may feel I am arrogant to say that or even attempt to do so, but I do want you to understand that I believe God’s time has come to expose His full plan to His people. My overriding motivation is love for the truth and love for the Truth-giver. There is nothing personal in my comments about the works of others. My concern is for the truth. I’m writing this book because I feel the Lord wants me to do it. Please love the truth and approach what is written with an open mind; it is trying to build up, not pull down. It respects the works of others, but is hungry for the truth. My prayer is that that hunger is reflected in the care that has been given to fully and properly understand what God wants to say to us. My heart is also to respect the many scholars that have gone before, and with diligent effort and careful thought they have given to us many treasures from this wonderful book. They also have seriously sought to discover the truth and pass it on to us.

As this work continued, new cross links, associations, and understanding emerged. What you have in your hand is a book of Daniel which is far more integrated and far more remarkable than has been previously recognized. Too little attention has been given to the Hebrew structures, and the links across Daniel to the seventy sevens prophecy have not been correctly recognized and understood. Generally, it would seem that too much exegesis has followed standard lines and too little attention has been given to the incredible creative nature of this book so that its actual text at the detailed level has not been examined carefully or closely enough.

At the risk of being labeled arrogant and of overreaching myself, I wish to humbly say in faith that part of the call of the Lord on my life is to challenge the prevailing worldwide church’s views of the end-times in order to be a catalyst to bring about unity of the church in this area and so prepare it for the coming of the Lord. This book is volume 1 of the endeavor to achieve that.

For many years I have had the conviction that when the return of Jesus is very near, at the time He chooses, God will make known a full understanding of the meaning of the book of Revelation. I have felt that many of the difficulties would be cleared up and what has been a difficult puzzle will become as clear as other New Testament books. That will be the time when the Lord will start to bring unity to the church in our understanding of the end-time puzzle. In the conviction that this time has come, this book has been written for your careful analysis and prayerful consideration.

It is hard for me to convey the emotion that lies behind this statement, as I have gone over many parts of what is written many times and reconsidered whether there is something that I have overlooked that will totally invalidate it all. However, each time the result is the growing conviction that it is right or nearly so. At the same time, I am in increasing awe of the God of heaven who planned it all from the very beginning and who has given us sufficient information so that we His people can be properly prepared for what is coming on the world. Indeed, as John wrote in Revelation 10, the future ahead of us is as sweet as honey in our mouths but bitter in our stomachs. The terrible suffering that is nearly upon the world is indescribable in its intensity; the glorious splendor of what God has prepared for His people is also equally indescribable. When I look out my window I find it almost unbelievable that the world I see may not be there in just a short time, as both Peter and John tell us that world we know will be destroyed by fire. Then I am reminded of Noah and see that indeed it is very possible for the God of Heaven to do this, as He holds the world in His hands and can do whatever He desires. I am so amazed that God cares for me so much and has afforded to me and to all those that trust in Jesus the full spiritual protection that we need. But I am horrified at the Day of Judgment that will soon be upon us. Brothers and sisters, there is much that God wants us to do in these last days, and there is very little time to do it.

Ian Foley

June 2008

Minor updates January 2014, Version 2.11. In particular, this included the addition of appendix 12 on abductive interpretation and the inclusion of related thoughts into the text.

Acknowledgments

I wish to dedicate this work to my wife and to thank her and my family for their wonderful support. This was no mean undertaking which began in December 2006, so this book has been over a year in preparation. So I would like to thank my wife and family for their patience and understanding throughout this period as I would often need to work by myself for substantial periods of time.

My brother, Dr John Foley, provided tremendous help in working through the text of the book and suggesting many expression and grammatical improvements.

I am grateful for my colleagues in the church for their encouragement and providing a listening ear to the many different ideas as they were put forward. Many people have kept me in their prayers.

To all these, I give my heartfelt thanks.

CHAPTER 1

The Time Is Near

Revelation 1:1–3

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Revelation 22:10

Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near.

There is tremendous confusion and amazing variety when it comes to what the church believes the Bible teaches about the events leading up to and surrounding the Second Coming of Jesus. A relatively small number of scholars have studied this in detail, but because of the uncertainty surrounding the actual truth, most Christians place this whole topic in the too hard basket, and detailed teaching in this area lacks authority. A significant number of Christians today seem to recognize that Jesus’s return is near and that there is great urgency to complete the Great Commission. In a fairly general sense, it is recognized more and more that the signs of the end that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are coming to pass. It can be seen that certain signs, such as the preaching of the gospel to the whole world and the return of the Jews to their homeland, signal the nearness of Jesus’s return, yet the church is far from being able to reach anything like unity in sorting out the detail in the Word of God. There are just too many divergent views. To add to the confusion, while a number of scholars have very strong and firm convictions about the detail of the end-times events, great variety exists in these convictions.

It is very strange that this confusion abounds in the final revelation that Jesus gave to the church. Our natural human minds would reason that if God wanted us to understand it, He would have made it very clear. Instead, it is written as a series of visions that Jesus gave to John using language with many symbols from his Jewish heritage, Greek culture, and the ancient world, which are hard for us to grasp. One of the important criteria to help us understand the visions is to know our Bible very well, as many of the symbols come from these backgrounds.

This is especially true of the book of Daniel, which has a very close integration with the book of Revelation. Another criterion is that since visions are mental images, it is necessary to try to picture them in our minds to see what both Daniel and John saw as well as to understand the word symbols. Our expectation is that all the visions will have meaning; however, often the domain being described is so far away from our experience that its meaning can only be understood using language that is the tip of the iceberg of the actual reality.

Given that the book of Revelation was written by John during the second half of the first century AD, it is surprising that Jesus tells him that the time is near (Revelation 1:3, 22:10), a phrase that is repeated at the very end of the book as if to emphasize the fact. From God’s perspective of the whole history of the universe, even two thousand years or so of history is very short. This shortness of time is also true for Satan. When he is cast out of heaven as described in Revelation 12, John tells us that his time is very short too. (See Revelation 12:12.) It is important that God’s perspective of time is understood, since it is very different from ours, given that a person’s lifespan rarely exceeds one hundred years.

As will be seen, there is urgency in what God requires of us. When John wrote Revelation, the time was near; now it is extremely near! I believe that God is telling us now that the end is much nearer than what is generally, unconsciously understood. It is my conviction that this perspective could have been recognized more than thirty years ago, but we missed it! We have work to do! There is no longer time for complacency! This is the reason for the title that has been chosen. There is urgency in God’s heart. At the same time, I am convinced that God is never too late. He is in control, but more than ever, He is looking for obedient and willing servants to complete the task He has given to His church.

It is my expectation that some of the content of this book will take time to digest. Please do not come to hasty conclusions but carefully weigh up the complete picture of what has been written and test it against the Word of God and against history.

This work has been written in two parts. The first volume primarily focuses on what can be learned from the book of Daniel independent of any later input from New Testament authors. In other words, it is the book of Daniel as he saw it and as can be understood by us today looking back with the history known today. According to Daniel, the words that have been written in the scroll are closed and sealed until the time of the end (Daniel 12:4). This first part answers this question: how much can we learn from the book of Daniel without the additional insights from the book of Revelation? It sets the context for the second part. It will provide new and substantial evidence that the book of Daniel was written in the sixth century BC and that Daniel and his colleagues were the authors. It will deal with the famous seventy sevens prophecy of Daniel 9 with some very startling results. In chapter 8, it will also examine some New Testament understanding of the book of Daniel and the end-times, especially those of Jesus and Paul.

The second volume deals with the book of Revelation. From Revelation 1:1, it is apparent that the book is the final revelation from the Lord. It will be shown that Daniel interacts with Revelation to an extent not previously recognized, and as part of this interaction, important keys from Revelation will open new aspects of Daniel. The book of Daniel will then supply an understanding of the book of Revelation that will clear up many points that have been sources of controversy in the past. With the new time element and other details revealed from the book of Daniel, it will become apparent that most of the book of Revelation up to and including chapter 13 is past and present history from the perspective of the current year, which is 2007. The result is simultaneously wonderful and terrible.

For those readers who are familiar with other end-times works, the position I have adopted is like that of the Futurist School, except that the final years before the Second Coming of Christ are seen to be longer than seven years or three-and-a-half years and are understood to have already begun. Like the Futurist School, I hold to a more literal interpretation of the book of Revelation than other views. Like the Futurist School, I see the majority of the book of Revelation as finding fulfilment shortly before the Second Coming of Christ but utilizing a meaning of the word short that is generally longer than the meaning held by those of the Futurist School.

I also see that the book of Revelation has major elements in common with the Progressive Parallelism view, except that there are only five parallel structures. I also see major content and structural parallels between the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation.

In the sense that I see the book of Revelation as the unfolding of human history throughout the church age, my view is like the Historicist School, without the extremes of spiritualization or allegory. But unlike this school, my view is anchored by the book of Daniel so that only one interpretation is possible.

All in all, my view cannot be properly classified within any of the prevailing views. However, the result is a very clear picture with all the confusion resolved.

A.   The Big Picture

One of the major goals of this book is to discover the underlying foundational basis that lies behind the different interpretations of the book of Daniel held by Christians today. The outcome has been very interesting.

To assist in this process, a broad classification of the different views is made. Naturally, in broadly classifying these views, many scholars will differ in points of detail; however, this perspective will enable us to view the overall picture more clearly without being cluttered by the differences at the detailed level. Note that the view developed in this work is substantially different from the views described below and is not fully explained until chapter 7.

A1.   The Antiochene View

In this view, the book of Daniel has been written for the Jews in the time of distress propagated by Antiochus IV from 171 to 164 BC and was written by authors during this time. They drew from past material for the stories and sometimes described the visions and revelations in a literary form using signs, symbols, and numbers to reveal history that is frequently referred to as apocalyptic. It can be dated in the second century by using the latest known historical references in the book of Daniel to events during the reign of Antiochus IV. In this view, the visions are seen as largely quasi prophecy written as though they are prophecy but designed to encourage the people that God is in sovereign control of all rulers and empires. He will protect His people, but it is important that they are wise in following God’s way and trusting in Him.

In this view, the four metals in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2 and the four beasts in Daniel 7 are usually seen as the Babylonian, Median, Persian, and Greek Empires, with the little horn being Antiochus IV and the time of the end being the persecution in his time. The little horn in Daniel 8 is also Antiochus IV. The seventy sevens prophecy in Daniel 9:24–27 points to the persecution under Antiochus IV, interpreting the predicted timing in different ways: sometimes treating the sevens as sevens of years, sometimes saying that the timing is erroneous, and sometimes treating the timing as not being exact chronology, but chronography—a schematic view of the timing of history. The vision in Daniel 10–12 focuses on the Greek empire and is completed with a perspective of the suffering of the Jews under Antiochus IV.

This view is held by many biblical scholars, including some of an evangelical persuasion. The recent commentaries by Goldingay (1989) and Lucas (2002) reflect a view similar to this and have been major references used in this book.

A2.   The Antichrist View

Another major group of scholars who tend to be Evangelical and/or Pentecostal see Daniel in a more literal way according to what it actually says. For these, Daniel or his colleagues wrote the book in the sixth century. Daniel chapters 1–6 are history and chapter 7–12 are prophecy.

For these scholars the four metals in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the four beasts in the Daniel 7 vision are the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman Empires. These tend to see the little horn in Daniel 7 as an end of the age Antichrist emerging from a restored empire derived from Roman origins with ten authorities. Some see the toes of iron and clay in Nebuchadnezzar’s image as also representing this Antichrist kingdom. The little horn in Daniel 8 is Antiochus IV but is also a type of the Antichrist. The Daniel 10–12 vision contains prophecy concerning Persian, and then Greek, empires up to Antiochus IV. But the final passage in Daniel 11:36ff concerns the end-time Antichrist in the final three and a half years of the age. The length of this period is determined from the time, times and half a time in Daniel 12:7 and earlier in Daniel 7:25 with respect to the little horn there. For many scholars the seventy sevens prophecy in Daniel 9:24–27 describes a period of exactly 490 years, predicting with some precision the coming of the Messiah. For some there is a large time gap after the Messiah before completing either the last seven or the last three-and a-half years, depending on variations in the interpretation.

Among this group are also a few scholars who hold to a sixth century authorship but hold to some of the Antiochene perspectives and reject the exact chronology of the Antichrist view, for example see Baldwin (1978).

A3.   The Preterist View

This view is held by a number of scholars who interpret Daniel in a way that is largely similar to the Antichrist view except that his prophecy ends in the first century AD either around the time of the death of Jesus or around AD 70. The term comes from the interpretation of the book of Revelation that sees the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation all being fulfilled or largely so by the end of the first century AD. Within this view, those with a partial preterist view are also included. Also included is Gurney (2006), whose views on the book of Revelation are not known but who sees Daniel’s prophecies as ending at this time.

A4.   The Process

The process that has been adopted in the development of this book is somewhat analogous to doing a jigsaw puzzle in a systematic way, starting with the edges and then focusing on completing major parts with a similar color pattern one by one so that the total picture gradually emerges. If some pieces of the puzzle are in the wrong place, then the picture cannot be completed. This is how the Antiochene view outlined above seems to be; because some of the pieces are in the wrong place, the interpretation of Daniel 11:36–12:13 contains much guesswork and some parts that cannot be understood. There are also other less significant areas of difficulty and uncertainty. This is clear evidence that something is wrong with the interpretation. Gurney’s view shares some of these problems but removes some of them through the clearer interpretation of Daniel 11:40–45. However, it will be seen that there is questionable interpretation as well, partly because of the perspective that he has borrowed from the Antichrist view.

The process that has been adopted is also somewhat analogous to a detective trying to solve a mystery. It seems it was a bit like that for Daniel too; as each event and revelation occurred, the clues enabled him to gradually solve the mystery. Interestingly, during this process, some of the new clues deepened the mystery in some of the parts and left him very troubled, especially in the case of the Daniel 7 and 8 visions. Finally, with the final vision revealed in Daniel 10–12, the picture became clear to him except for the part so far in the future that it was not for him to know. That part is revealed to us in the book of Revelation.

A third perspective that is shared is that of the research scientist. In the scientific method of investigation, the scientist puts forward a hypothesis that is proposed to explain the mystery or at least improve our understanding of it. The expected outcomes from the hypothesis are then determined, and the research then continues with experiments designed to test it. If the hypothesis is a good one, then the predicted outcomes occur; a very good hypothesis will explain the mystery completely. These rigorous standards of investigation have been applied in this book, standards which are (hopefully) consistent both in the viewpoint adopted and in the evaluation of the other views. For this reason, it is not seen that the Antiochene view is a very good one because it leaves Daniel 11:36–12:13 largely a mystery. In other words, although it does explain some things well, it leaves other things unsolved. The quality of the hypothesis has been measured partly by the completeness with which it explains the whole book of Daniel.

The problem with the Antichrist view is not that it leaves parts unexplained; in fact, it does explain the difficult parts such as Daniel 11:36–12:13 and the little horn in Daniel 7 although the explanations are not testable (except for Gurney, 2006) because they are placed in the future at the very end of the age. The problem is with the rigor and validity with which the hypothesis has been applied; the primary problem is with the methodology. The correctness of the Antichrist view fundamentally depends on a single precise prediction of the year of the crucifixion of Jesus (some scholars predict it even more precisely than this). In scientific investigation, a single precise prediction would be treated as a coincidence unless it was backed up substantially by other supporting evidence and especially other precise predictions. It is of concern that it is not known from history with certainty in which year Jesus was crucified, so the prediction cannot be validated (although recent evidence may change this—see chapter 7, section B3). Even further, the calculation of the prediction ignores the ambiguities in the original text, has questionable exegesis and is based on a specific interpretation of Daniel 9:24–27 (which probably has a greater variety of different interpretations than any other passage in the Bible). It is also based on assumptions such as the starting year of the prophecy. Their validity is based on the accuracy of the outcome whose year is still unsure. Overall, the logic is flawed. This is discussed in detail in Chapter 5.

The conclusions that emerge are described in chapter 7. Some of them provide a radically different way of looking at the book of Daniel. The implications of these conclusions will be found in the second of these volumes, interpreting the book of Revelation. It will then be seen that Daniel and Revelation are remarkably integrated and indeed together provide a complete picture of history and of God’s people, including both the Jews and the church, from the beginning of the exile in 605 BC until Jesus returns.

B.   Interpretation Principles

This work has sought to be totally consistent and respectful of recognized sound hermeneutical principles. The following summarizes those that have been applied.

1. The Biblical Inspiration Principle. The fundamental position with regard to the Bible is that it is God’s word and that the original words written carry authority and were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This means that 2 Timothy 3:16–17 is applicable, that all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Consistent with this is the conviction that the original text was written so that every word is significant. It is also recognized that transmission and copying errors occur and that some minor editing of the original text may have happened when translators applied their own reason in trying to make the translation meaningful according to their own understanding. In general it is recognized that for the book of Daniel, the Qumran documents and other early manuscripts provide evidence that the various early texts on which our modern translations are based are substantially similar to the original. This means that when it might seem that the authors of the books of Daniel and Revelation have made mistakes, it is more probable that they have not been understood correctly. It also means that the position taken is that the content of the book will not mislead us. For example, when in Daniel 7:1 it is said that Daniel had a dream and wrote down the substance of his dream, then what has been written is indeed the substance of his dream apart from any transmission, copying, and editing changes mentioned above. There is substantial evidence supporting this position, and logical consistency with this stance will determine particular views of the book of Daniel. It is outside the scope and purpose of this book to examine the basis for this position, but readers are asked to respectfully recognize that if their view of biblical inspiration is different, then some of the conclusions may not contain sufficient argument to justify the position that has been adopted. All possible care has been taken to present an internally consistent document.

Although recognizing the possibilities of textual corruption, unless there is verification from variant readings of respected early textual resources, this book has tended to give more weight to the Masoretic Text than other early resources. Generally, when English versions have translated a verse differently, then the Masoretic Text and commentaries that discuss that text have been carefully consulted. These resources have also been consulted when the interpretation in this book differs from those normally recognized. Additional more technical discussion of these areas has been recorded in the appendices so that the basis behind the decisions that have been made can be evaluated. The meticulous care exhibited by the authorities that sought to preserve the Hebrew language and created the Masoretic text needs to be clearly recognized. Significant respect has been given to the interpretations they made, which are reflected in the richness and depth in the punctuation of the Hebrew text.

2. The Sound Exposition