WEBVTT
1
00:00:19.449 --> 00:00:21.670
When we come to the five visions of Daniel, I
2
00:00:21.710 --> 00:00:24.629
believe that most, if not all, of the prophetic content
3
00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:28.339
was fulfilled in history. Now, how did I arrive at
4
00:00:28.379 --> 00:00:32.479
that conclusion? I began with the parts on which conservative
5
00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:39.979
commentators generally agree. In Daniel 2, the four kingdoms are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece,
6
00:00:40.060 --> 00:00:44.450
and Rome. The same basic sequence appears again in Daniel 7.
7
00:00:44.450 --> 00:00:49.109
Daniel 8 narrows the focus to Medo-Persia and Greece. Daniel
8
00:00:49.109 --> 00:00:53.070
9 carries the story from Daniel's era. And then Daniel
9
00:00:53.170 --> 00:00:57.289
chapters 10 through 12 revisit this historical period in much
10
00:00:57.409 --> 00:01:02.560
greater detail. The problem comes when we reach the hard parts.
11
00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:09.099
Then interpretations multiply and they often contradict each other. How
12
00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:13.540
can we decide among them? I use five basic principles.
13
00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:19.709
Number one, the best interpreter for Daniel is Daniel. Now
14
00:01:19.730 --> 00:01:22.650
there are some places in Daniel where even Daniel himself
15
00:01:22.689 --> 00:01:26.909
says that even he doesn't understand the vision. For instance,
16
00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:32.180
In Daniel 12.4, 9-10, and 13, he's instructed to seal
17
00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:34.500
the book until the end of days, when the wise
18
00:01:34.540 --> 00:01:40.000
will understand. But in many passages, the book itself supplies
19
00:01:40.060 --> 00:01:44.620
its own interpretive framework. Daniel 2.44 is a good example
20
00:01:44.670 --> 00:01:48.510
of this. The burden of the first vision of Daniel,
21
00:01:49.090 --> 00:01:51.890
and then the whole book of Daniel, is to tell
22
00:01:51.950 --> 00:01:56.760
about when Messiah's kingdom will come. In context, I understand
23
00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:01.590
those kings to belong to the fourth kingdom, Rome. Some
24
00:02:01.650 --> 00:02:07.150
futurists move Daniel 2.44 into the end times. However, the
25
00:02:07.189 --> 00:02:11.270
text itself speaks of the overcoming power of Messiah's kingdom
26
00:02:11.710 --> 00:02:15.930
to break into pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and
27
00:02:15.969 --> 00:02:18.830
it shall stand forever. That is one of the great
28
00:02:18.889 --> 00:02:24.400
themes of Daniel. Messiah receives dominion and his kingdom advances.
29
00:02:25.069 --> 00:02:29.330
among the nations. Daniel tells us that Messiah's kingdom will
30
00:02:29.370 --> 00:02:34.110
advance in the whole world from generation to generation. Christ's
31
00:02:34.150 --> 00:02:36.460
dominion is given to the saints of the Most High,
32
00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:39.860
and our purpose as his people is then to work
33
00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:44.139
toward that vision that all peoples, nations, and languages will
34
00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:51.629
serve and obey him. Number two, each successive vision is
35
00:02:51.710 --> 00:02:56.379
a recapitulation of and an elaboration of the vision that
36
00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:00.810
came before it. Daniel doesn't give us five unrelated prophecies.
37
00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:04.969
These visions build on one another. Daniel 2 speaks of
38
00:03:04.990 --> 00:03:09.550
four kingdoms, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Daniel 7 does
39
00:03:09.590 --> 00:03:12.229
the same thing, except this time the fourth kingdom is
40
00:03:12.270 --> 00:03:16.090
examined more closely, and special emphasis is paid to the
41
00:03:16.129 --> 00:03:18.560
ten horns of the beast, and then the little horn.
42
00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:24.229
Daniel 8 then focuses on Medo-Persia and Greece. Daniel 9
43
00:03:24.229 --> 00:03:29.189
gives the time period when Messiah will come. Then, Daniel
44
00:03:29.229 --> 00:03:33.610
chapters 11 and 12 deal more specifically with the Persian kings,
45
00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:36.060
the kings of the north and the kings of the south,
46
00:03:36.379 --> 00:03:41.360
and then finally the Roman Empire. Number three, the burden
47
00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:44.939
of the prophet Daniel was twofold, the restoration of the
48
00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:49.969
temple and the coming of the divine Messiah. Daniel begins
49
00:03:50.009 --> 00:03:53.719
in the shadow of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, and
50
00:03:53.740 --> 00:03:57.759
the temple. He looks toward the restoration promised after the
51
00:03:57.759 --> 00:04:04.819
70 years foretold by Jeremiah. So the prophecies repeatedly concern
52
00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:09.500
kings and kingdoms that exercise power over God's people, the
53
00:04:09.539 --> 00:04:15.259
land of Judea, Jerusalem, and the temple. Daniel also looked
54
00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:18.050
for the coming of the Messiah. The throne room of
55
00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.649
heaven would establish a direct presence on earth. The stone
56
00:04:21.709 --> 00:04:26.120
temple at Jerusalem would become obsolete and subject to destruction.
57
00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:29.120
The wise, who are written in the book of life,
58
00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:32.360
would receive eternal life and become part of the new
59
00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:35.660
covenant of the living temple of God. This is the
60
00:04:35.699 --> 00:04:38.180
burden of Daniel 9.26-27 and 12.1-13. 4. The significance of
61
00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:41.160
the fourth kingdom is centered in the time when Messiah
62
00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:53.120
and the kingdom of God would appear on earth. Now,
63
00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:56.949
most conservative commentators agree that the fourth kingdom is Rome.
64
00:04:57.730 --> 00:05:00.790
The disagreement begins when we ask how long the Roman
65
00:05:00.850 --> 00:05:04.949
era extends. Does it culminate in AD 70 in the
66
00:05:04.990 --> 00:05:09.209
first century? Does it extend into the Middle Ages, into
67
00:05:09.250 --> 00:05:12.879
the Roman Catholic Church, or does it leap forward into
68
00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:16.180
the future as a revived Roman Empire is ruled by
69
00:05:16.220 --> 00:05:20.529
an Antichrist figure? The common thread among conservatives is that
70
00:05:20.569 --> 00:05:23.879
the iron beast somehow refers to Rome, either in ancient
71
00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:28.040
imperial times, the Middle Ages, or through a future revived
72
00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:32.680
Roman Empire. However, there is vast disagreement over who the
73
00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:36.639
little horn of Daniel 7, 8, 24, and 25 is,
74
00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:41.670
and who the willful king of Daniel 11, 36-45 is.
75
00:05:42.870 --> 00:05:46.050
Number five, pay attention to the time indicators in the text.
76
00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:50.519
In Daniel 2, we're told generally when Messiah will come,
77
00:05:50.980 --> 00:05:55.939
in the days of these kings. Daniel 7 then dovetails
78
00:05:55.980 --> 00:05:59.529
with this and presents the vision of an ascended Christ
79
00:05:59.589 --> 00:06:04.209
who will rule over all peoples, nations, and languages when
80
00:06:04.250 --> 00:06:08.589
the beasts have their dominion taken away. Daniel 9 gives
81
00:06:08.649 --> 00:06:14.279
a specific prophetic period of 77s, or 490 years. In
82
00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:19.139
Daniel 11, there are three time indicators that seem to
83
00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:22.339
highlight a passage of time between the tyranny of Antiochus
84
00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:27.319
Epiphanes and the ruler who appears afterward, the willful king.
85
00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:31.839
So in summary, there are several areas of disagreement or
86
00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:40.000
problem passages in Daniel. These are Daniel 2.44-45, Daniel 7,
87
00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:43.250
specifically the verses that deal with the ten horns and
88
00:06:43.290 --> 00:06:48.689
the little horn, Daniel 9, 26-27, Daniel 11, 36-45, and
89
00:06:51.209 --> 00:06:56.649
Daniel 12, 1-13. My argument is that these passages should
90
00:06:56.689 --> 00:07:00.660
not be detached from the chronological framework already established in
91
00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:03.420
the rest of the book. I interpret them in relation
92
00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:07.079
to 1st century Rome, the 4th kingdom already introduced in
93
00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:10.339
chapters 2 and 7. Now, I'd like to think of
94
00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:14.480
this as an intramural discussion among Christians. If you disagree
95
00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:19.410
with my conclusions, good. Follow the argument, study the passages,
96
00:07:20.230 --> 00:07:23.209
leave your questions in the comments. The goal is not
97
00:07:23.230 --> 00:07:26.850
to avoid disagreement, but the goal is to interpret Daniel
98
00:07:26.889 --> 00:07:48.480
as consistently as possible. Thank you. Our sponsors, steadfastcigars.com, promo
99
00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:59.649
code eschatology10, rockwallbibles.com, Boniface Media, Grace and Truth Press, Grace
100
00:07:59.689 --> 00:08:00.470
and Truth Records.
1
00:00:19.449 --> 00:00:21.670
When we come to the five visions of Daniel, I
2
00:00:21.710 --> 00:00:24.629
believe that most, if not all, of the prophetic content
3
00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:28.339
was fulfilled in history. Now, how did I arrive at
4
00:00:28.379 --> 00:00:32.479
that conclusion? I began with the parts on which conservative
5
00:00:32.520 --> 00:00:39.979
commentators generally agree. In Daniel 2, the four kingdoms are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece,
6
00:00:40.060 --> 00:00:44.450
and Rome. The same basic sequence appears again in Daniel 7.
7
00:00:44.450 --> 00:00:49.109
Daniel 8 narrows the focus to Medo-Persia and Greece. Daniel
8
00:00:49.109 --> 00:00:53.070
9 carries the story from Daniel's era. And then Daniel
9
00:00:53.170 --> 00:00:57.289
chapters 10 through 12 revisit this historical period in much
10
00:00:57.409 --> 00:01:02.560
greater detail. The problem comes when we reach the hard parts.
11
00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:09.099
Then interpretations multiply and they often contradict each other. How
12
00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:13.540
can we decide among them? I use five basic principles.
13
00:01:14.879 --> 00:01:19.709
Number one, the best interpreter for Daniel is Daniel. Now
14
00:01:19.730 --> 00:01:22.650
there are some places in Daniel where even Daniel himself
15
00:01:22.689 --> 00:01:26.909
says that even he doesn't understand the vision. For instance,
16
00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:32.180
In Daniel 12.4, 9-10, and 13, he's instructed to seal
17
00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:34.500
the book until the end of days, when the wise
18
00:01:34.540 --> 00:01:40.000
will understand. But in many passages, the book itself supplies
19
00:01:40.060 --> 00:01:44.620
its own interpretive framework. Daniel 2.44 is a good example
20
00:01:44.670 --> 00:01:48.510
of this. The burden of the first vision of Daniel,
21
00:01:49.090 --> 00:01:51.890
and then the whole book of Daniel, is to tell
22
00:01:51.950 --> 00:01:56.760
about when Messiah's kingdom will come. In context, I understand
23
00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:01.590
those kings to belong to the fourth kingdom, Rome. Some
24
00:02:01.650 --> 00:02:07.150
futurists move Daniel 2.44 into the end times. However, the
25
00:02:07.189 --> 00:02:11.270
text itself speaks of the overcoming power of Messiah's kingdom
26
00:02:11.710 --> 00:02:15.930
to break into pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and
27
00:02:15.969 --> 00:02:18.830
it shall stand forever. That is one of the great
28
00:02:18.889 --> 00:02:24.400
themes of Daniel. Messiah receives dominion and his kingdom advances.
29
00:02:25.069 --> 00:02:29.330
among the nations. Daniel tells us that Messiah's kingdom will
30
00:02:29.370 --> 00:02:34.110
advance in the whole world from generation to generation. Christ's
31
00:02:34.150 --> 00:02:36.460
dominion is given to the saints of the Most High,
32
00:02:37.080 --> 00:02:39.860
and our purpose as his people is then to work
33
00:02:39.900 --> 00:02:44.139
toward that vision that all peoples, nations, and languages will
34
00:02:44.199 --> 00:02:51.629
serve and obey him. Number two, each successive vision is
35
00:02:51.710 --> 00:02:56.379
a recapitulation of and an elaboration of the vision that
36
00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:00.810
came before it. Daniel doesn't give us five unrelated prophecies.
37
00:03:01.340 --> 00:03:04.969
These visions build on one another. Daniel 2 speaks of
38
00:03:04.990 --> 00:03:09.550
four kingdoms, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Daniel 7 does
39
00:03:09.590 --> 00:03:12.229
the same thing, except this time the fourth kingdom is
40
00:03:12.270 --> 00:03:16.090
examined more closely, and special emphasis is paid to the
41
00:03:16.129 --> 00:03:18.560
ten horns of the beast, and then the little horn.
42
00:03:19.639 --> 00:03:24.229
Daniel 8 then focuses on Medo-Persia and Greece. Daniel 9
43
00:03:24.229 --> 00:03:29.189
gives the time period when Messiah will come. Then, Daniel
44
00:03:29.229 --> 00:03:33.610
chapters 11 and 12 deal more specifically with the Persian kings,
45
00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:36.060
the kings of the north and the kings of the south,
46
00:03:36.379 --> 00:03:41.360
and then finally the Roman Empire. Number three, the burden
47
00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:44.939
of the prophet Daniel was twofold, the restoration of the
48
00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:49.969
temple and the coming of the divine Messiah. Daniel begins
49
00:03:50.009 --> 00:03:53.719
in the shadow of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, and
50
00:03:53.740 --> 00:03:57.759
the temple. He looks toward the restoration promised after the
51
00:03:57.759 --> 00:04:04.819
70 years foretold by Jeremiah. So the prophecies repeatedly concern
52
00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:09.500
kings and kingdoms that exercise power over God's people, the
53
00:04:09.539 --> 00:04:15.259
land of Judea, Jerusalem, and the temple. Daniel also looked
54
00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:18.050
for the coming of the Messiah. The throne room of
55
00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.649
heaven would establish a direct presence on earth. The stone
56
00:04:21.709 --> 00:04:26.120
temple at Jerusalem would become obsolete and subject to destruction.
57
00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:29.120
The wise, who are written in the book of life,
58
00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:32.360
would receive eternal life and become part of the new
59
00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:35.660
covenant of the living temple of God. This is the
60
00:04:35.699 --> 00:04:38.180
burden of Daniel 9.26-27 and 12.1-13. 4. The significance of
61
00:04:38.199 --> 00:04:41.160
the fourth kingdom is centered in the time when Messiah
62
00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:53.120
and the kingdom of God would appear on earth. Now,
63
00:04:53.160 --> 00:04:56.949
most conservative commentators agree that the fourth kingdom is Rome.
64
00:04:57.730 --> 00:05:00.790
The disagreement begins when we ask how long the Roman
65
00:05:00.850 --> 00:05:04.949
era extends. Does it culminate in AD 70 in the
66
00:05:04.990 --> 00:05:09.209
first century? Does it extend into the Middle Ages, into
67
00:05:09.250 --> 00:05:12.879
the Roman Catholic Church, or does it leap forward into
68
00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:16.180
the future as a revived Roman Empire is ruled by
69
00:05:16.220 --> 00:05:20.529
an Antichrist figure? The common thread among conservatives is that
70
00:05:20.569 --> 00:05:23.879
the iron beast somehow refers to Rome, either in ancient
71
00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:28.040
imperial times, the Middle Ages, or through a future revived
72
00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:32.680
Roman Empire. However, there is vast disagreement over who the
73
00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:36.639
little horn of Daniel 7, 8, 24, and 25 is,
74
00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:41.670
and who the willful king of Daniel 11, 36-45 is.
75
00:05:42.870 --> 00:05:46.050
Number five, pay attention to the time indicators in the text.
76
00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:50.519
In Daniel 2, we're told generally when Messiah will come,
77
00:05:50.980 --> 00:05:55.939
in the days of these kings. Daniel 7 then dovetails
78
00:05:55.980 --> 00:05:59.529
with this and presents the vision of an ascended Christ
79
00:05:59.589 --> 00:06:04.209
who will rule over all peoples, nations, and languages when
80
00:06:04.250 --> 00:06:08.589
the beasts have their dominion taken away. Daniel 9 gives
81
00:06:08.649 --> 00:06:14.279
a specific prophetic period of 77s, or 490 years. In
82
00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:19.139
Daniel 11, there are three time indicators that seem to
83
00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:22.339
highlight a passage of time between the tyranny of Antiochus
84
00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:27.319
Epiphanes and the ruler who appears afterward, the willful king.
85
00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:31.839
So in summary, there are several areas of disagreement or
86
00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:40.000
problem passages in Daniel. These are Daniel 2.44-45, Daniel 7,
87
00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:43.250
specifically the verses that deal with the ten horns and
88
00:06:43.290 --> 00:06:48.689
the little horn, Daniel 9, 26-27, Daniel 11, 36-45, and
89
00:06:51.209 --> 00:06:56.649
Daniel 12, 1-13. My argument is that these passages should
90
00:06:56.689 --> 00:07:00.660
not be detached from the chronological framework already established in
91
00:07:00.680 --> 00:07:03.420
the rest of the book. I interpret them in relation
92
00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:07.079
to 1st century Rome, the 4th kingdom already introduced in
93
00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:10.339
chapters 2 and 7. Now, I'd like to think of
94
00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:14.480
this as an intramural discussion among Christians. If you disagree
95
00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:19.410
with my conclusions, good. Follow the argument, study the passages,
96
00:07:20.230 --> 00:07:23.209
leave your questions in the comments. The goal is not
97
00:07:23.230 --> 00:07:26.850
to avoid disagreement, but the goal is to interpret Daniel
98
00:07:26.889 --> 00:07:48.480
as consistently as possible. Thank you. Our sponsors, steadfastcigars.com, promo
99
00:07:48.519 --> 00:07:59.649
code eschatology10, rockwallbibles.com, Boniface Media, Grace and Truth Press, Grace
100
00:07:59.689 --> 00:08:00.470
and Truth Records.
