Daniel and Revelation for Today: Commentary on the Book of Daniel and Revelation: Comparing Scripture with Scripture

By Mae Abdul-Karim Wertz

In this edition, we will learn about the statue that represented pagan kingdoms that ruled the earth; the lion with eagle's wings; the bear with three ribs in its mouth and leaning on one side; the leopard with four wings and four heads; and an un-named beast that had iron teeth and ten horns. One of those kingdoms is represented by a ram with two horns, another, by a male goat with one horn; the one horn broke, and four other horns took its place; Seventy-weeks prophecy; three-and-a-half years of Christ's ministry; the cleansing of the temple; the sharing of the gospel with the Gentiles; and much more from the book of Daniel From the book of Revelation, we will learn about the Lamb of God; the red dragon; a flying scroll; hail killing people and burning the economy; a mountain thrown at the sea; a bitter leader; a destructive leader that lit furnaces; the smoke that blocked the light of the sun, moon, and stars; a beast from the bottomless pit; a beast that sat on seven mountains; a beast from the sea with seven heads and ten horns; a beast from land, a woman with child, and an adulterous woman that sat on the beast. We will study about seven churches; seven stars; seven lamp stands; seven lamps; seven seals; seven trumpets; seven spirits; seven plagues; seven heads; seven kings; and seven angels; the first and the second death; the first, second, and third coming of Christ; 1000 years; the 144,000 people; 24 elders; 24 thrones; first and second wars between Michael and the dragon; the marriage feast of the Lamb; the feast of birds; the Old and New Jerusalem, and much more. Coral said, "You did not need my help; God wanted me to read this document because it changed my life." "If what you are sharing on social media is in your book, I am reading it," a friend said and added, "Certainly, your book will inspire many to take a second look at Daniel and Revelation."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098010379

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Daniel Chapter 1

Outline

Nebuchadnezzar Invades Judea

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are Captives

Daniel Requests Meatless Diet

Nebuchadnezzar Invades Judea

¹In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ²And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.

King Nebuchadnezzar inherited the Babylonian kingdom from his father, King Nabopolassar. Since King Nebuchadnezzar already controlled the land of the eleven Jewish tribes, he invaded the Southern Kingdom of Judea and took King Jehoiakim and his family captives. The Babylonians, also, took the temple articles used during the temple worship service and placed them in the temple of their pagan god in Shinar.

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are Taken Captives

³Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, ⁴young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. ⁵And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. ⁶Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ⁷To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.

A eunuch is a castrated person who worked in the king’s court. The king asked the master of his eunuchs to take handsome and teachable Jewish young men to Babylon and feed them the king’s diet.

Daniel Requests Meatless Diet for Him and His Friends

⁸But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. ⁹Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. ¹⁰And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.

The God of Daniel can persuade pagan individuals to do the right thing. God opened the line of communication, and Daniel was able to arrange a trial period with the chief of eunuchs. God does not favor some people over others. God is willing to persuade anyone, including pagan kings and eunuchs to do His Will. All people, no matter what nationality, ethnicity, color, or languages they speak, are God’s children, and God longs to win them to His fold.

¹¹So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ¹²Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants. ¹⁴So he consented with them in this matter and tested them ten days.

The confidence of the Jewish young men, Daniel, and his friends, in what they were taught at home about the Living God is amazing. The fears of authority and the unknown can cripple many. Courage is liberating.

¹⁵And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. ¹⁶Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink and gave them vegetables. ¹⁷As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. ¹⁸Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel and his friends knew they had to nourish their minds by eating wholesome foods so they can comprehend better a foreign language, a foreign culture, and the will of God in their lives.

¹⁹Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore, they served before the king. ²⁰And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. ²¹Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus.

Daniel and his friends were faithful to God while in a pagan land, and God gave them knowledge and understanding. This trial period is the best evidence that a vegetarian diet, studying God’s word, and relying on Him helps our six senses.

Daniel Chapter 2

Outline

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Command to Kill All the Astrologers in Babylon

God Revealed the Dream to Daniel

Daniel Revealed the Dream to the King

The Interpretation of the Dream

Nebuchadnezzar Praised God

Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

¹Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. ²Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. ³And the king said to them, I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream.

It is essential that when a person is in a foreign land to learn the language. As we see, all communication was in the Aramaic language. Being young, eating a healthy diet, seeking God’s will, and exercising initiative helped Daniel and his friends achieve a tremendous amount of learning in a short time.

⁴Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation. ⁵The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. ⁶However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation. ⁷They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation. ⁸The king answered and said, "I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm: ⁹if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation. ¹⁰The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, There is not a man on earth who can tell the king’s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. ¹¹It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh."

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and requested from his magicians to tell him the dream and its interpretation. The magicians requested the king to tell them the dream, and they would interpret it. The king would not alter his decision and threatened to burn down the houses of the magicians if they did not fulfill his request. The magicians repeated their request. The king accused the astrologers of stalling for time and ordered them to be killed. Daniel and his friends were among the wise men to be killed.

Command to Kill All the Astrologers in Babylon

¹²For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. ¹³So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. ¹⁴Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; ¹⁵he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree from the king so urgent? Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel. ¹⁶So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. ¹⁷Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, ¹⁸that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. ¹⁹Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Arioch, captain of the king’s guards, went out to kill all the wise men of Babylon. What was the urgency? Daniel inquired of Captain Arioch; and asked the captain to take him before the king to request a time of prayer. The king decided to postpone the killing and grant Daniel a time of prayer. No doubt all the Jews in Babylon prayed for understanding of the dream.

God Revealed the Dream to Daniel

²⁰Daniel answered and said: "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. ²¹And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. ²²He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. ²³I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s demand.

More recently, in 2017 and 2018, there were debates in the media on whether God appoints and demotes presidents and kings. The book of Daniel is a good reference on this subject.

²⁴Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation. ²⁵Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation." ²⁶The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation? ²⁷Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, "The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. ²⁸But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed were these: ²⁹As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. ³⁰But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.

Arioch brought the prophet Daniel before King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel gave all credit to God in response to the king’s question, Are you able to make known to me the dream and its interpretation?

Daniel Reveals the Dream to the King

³¹"You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. ³²This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, ³³its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. ³⁴You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. ³⁵Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

The king had a dream of a magnificent statue: its head was of gold, the breast of silver, the belly of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet and toes of clay and iron. A stone, cut with no hands, hit the statue on its feet. The statue fell to the ground, crushing all the metals into pieces. The stone became a Kingdom. This Kingdom is the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of Christ re-established on the cross. We will read about the Stone the builders rejected, the Stone that became the Cornerstone of the Jewish temple; how it became a great Mountain and filled the whole earth. In this context, remember the word mountain that became God’s Kingdom and covered the whole earth in contrast to the mounts of this world that we will study in the book of Revelation

The Interpretation of the Dream

³⁶This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. ³⁷You, O king, are a King of Kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; ³⁸and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. ³⁹But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. ⁴⁰And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, since iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. ⁴¹Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. ⁴²And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. ⁴³As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. ⁴⁴And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. ⁴⁵Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.

The head of gold represented Babylon, the chest and arms of silver represented Media/Persia, the belly of brass represented Greece, the legs of iron represented the Roman Empire, the feet and toes were made of both Iron and clay and represented ten kingdoms. Some of the ten kingdoms would be strong like iron, and some would be weak like clay. The kings and leaders of this world would try and unite their kingdoms or countries by marrying their rivals’ daughters or sisters; but as clay does not cling to iron, those kingdoms would not unite.

The Stone that hit the statue at its feet became a Mountain and covered all the earth. The Stone represented the Kingdom of Christ, the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of Heaven that, on the cross, Christ regained from the claims of Satan. The eternal Kingdom of God shattered the pagan kingdoms that ruled this earth.

A story from around the time King Solomon built the Jewish temple. The workers stumbled over a Rock that eventually became the Cornerstone of the temple. The Rock was a symbol of Christ. The stone, the builders rejected has become the cornerstone (Ps. 118:22). Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’ (Matt. 21:42). "Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’ ⁷Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient. The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone." (1 Peter 2:6–7)

The book of Daniel mostly deals with the first coming of Christ and the pagan kingdoms that ruled this world.

Nebuchadnezzar Praised God

⁴⁶Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. ⁴⁷The king answered Daniel, and said, "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets since you could reveal this secret." ⁴⁸Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. ⁴⁹Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.

The king was impressed by the revelation of the dream and its interpretation. King Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel, his friends, and praised their God.

Daniel Chapter 3

Outline

The Image of Gold

The Burning Furnace

Nebuchadnezzar Praised God

The Image of Gold

¹Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. ²And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ³So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴Then a herald cried aloud: "To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; ⁶and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace." ⁷So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

King Nebuchadnezzar was not satisfied with being the head of gold and the richest king in the world. He rejected the fact his kingdom would not last forever, and other kingdoms would rule after him; so, he built an image made entirely of gold.

Can you imagine how many languages and dialects the king had to write his orders to be understood by the known world of that time? Music is a language all cultures understand. The king used it to identify those who worshipped him from those who worshipped the God of heaven (Daniel 3:7).

The Burning Furnace

⁸Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. ⁹They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! ¹⁰You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; ¹¹and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ¹²There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up. ¹³Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? ¹⁵Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"

The Chaldeans informed King Nebuchadnezzar that the Jews he favored and