THE POPULAR ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLE PROPHECY

DANIEL, ESCHATOLOGY OF

THE HAND WRITING ON THE WALL

During the reign of Belshazzar( 553 – 539 B.C. ), Daniel was summoned to interpret the writing that appeared one night on the wall of the kings banquet hall ( Daniel 5 ) With divine boldness, Daniel declared to Belshazzar he was losing his Kingdom because  “the God in who hands are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified” (5:23 ). The writing read, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. Daniel understood the full meaning behind these words and said, “God have number your kingdom and put an end to it….. you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient…..Your Kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and persians”( 5:26-28 ). That evening, by stealth Median soldiers slipped into Babylon  and took over the capital city and the kingdom. “That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain. So Darius the Mede received the Kingdom at about the age of sixty – two” ( 5:30 – 31 )

THE FOUR BEASTS

During the first year of the reign of Belshazzar ,God reveal to Daniel another summary of the coming great world powers. Through a dream and night vision, Daniel saw the stirring of the sea( representing the people of the earth) and four great beast coming forth each “different from one another” (7:2-3 ). The animals were a Loin, Bear, Leopard, and a Nondescript beast that was “dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong”(7:7) . Overlaying this Prophecy with Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, the animals represented Babylon ( the lion ), Medo-Persia( the bear ), Greece ( the Leopard ) with its four generals who divided the kingdoms of Alexander the great following his death, and Rome ( the fourth beast). But a significant new element was added to this revelation.

THE SON OF MAN

Daniel was given a heavenly vision of the Son of Man coming up before God Almighty, the Ancient of Days, and before His fiery and awesome throne of Judgement (7:9-14 ). During the upper room discourse, The Lord Jesus told the disciples that He (the Son of Man ) would return back to his heavenly father, Who send him to the earth to die for humanity ( John 14:1-6, 28; 16:28). His departure back to glory was actually witnessed by these loyal followers. The Angels told them that Jesus has been taken up from you into heaven, and will come in just the same way as you have watched him go to heaven” ( Acts 11:1 ). Daniel was perhaps witnessing the Lord’s ascension and entrance into the throne room of God after he had die for the sins of Humanity. Daniel see the son of man coming and He came up to the Ancient of days and he was presented before him” (Daniel 7:13 ) . Both the deity and the Humanity are seen in this important designations of Jesus. He was the Prophesied son of God ( Psalm 2:7 ) and Son of Man. The Son of Man designation shows that Christ was not only deity, but also a Human being ( Montgomery, p.318 ).

To the Son of Man is given “dominion” glory and a kingdom, that all the people and nations  and men  of every language might serve him. His Dominion is a everlasting Dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed”( Daniel 7:14 ). This is actually a fifth kingdom that will last for one thousand years during earth history as we know it.( Revelation 20:4-9 ). But this Kingdom will transition into eternity with the new Jerusalem and the New Heaven and Earth, where peace and righteousness will prevail ( Revelation 21-22 ).

Over this Kingdom, the Messiah, the Highest one ( Daniel 7:18,22,25,27 )will reign:”The sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the Kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest one: His Kingdom will be an everlasting Kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him ( 7:27).

THE 70 WEEKS OF DANIEL

Because of Daniel’s piety and faithfulness, he is given one of the few timeline and calendar prophecies in all of the scriptures. In 9:20-27 he receives the 70 weeks prediction of the rebuilding of the temple and the city of Jerusalem that had been destroyed by the Babylonians. This prophecy also shows with remarkable accuracy the period and the very year of the rejection of the messiah. And it also clearly predicts the seven years worldwide Tribulation. ( See ” Seventy weeks of Daniel.”)