“DANIEL UNSEALED”

Chapter By Chapter Highlights

3/7/23  By Tim Buck
Fotet.org

Thinking DanielIf you spent any time in Sunday School you know about Daniel with the stories of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego escaping the fiery furnace and Daniel escaping the Lion’s den. But Daniel is more than a Bible character on your teacher’s flannelgraph.
 
His book accurately prophesied more than 2500 years of world history with astonishing detail. And in the process, students of prophecy discover something very important. God wants us to use Daniel’s prophecies as the standard for interpreting other prophecies. It’s unique design built into every chapter presents it as God’s blueprint for prophetic interpretation. Here’s the best part.The book holds the key to understanding our history and our tumultuous times today and reassures us of God’s absolute authority over the future.

Overview, All Six Classes!

– 2023 Dates –

Four Beasts, 10 Horns and a Little Horn – Daniel 7 (March 14)

The prophecy that was revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2, that there would be four world-ruling empires, was repeated about 50 years later in Daniel 7. This time, however, it was Daniel who had the dream, and there were added details.

In this vision Daniel saw four beasts—representing the same four world-ruling empires described in Daniel 2 that come up out of the sea. The phrase “coming out of the sea” is a purposeful link that coincides with the Beast of Revelation 13 who “comes out of the sea” so we know the four beasts of Daniel 7 are also depicting the final empire of Antichrist.

Daniel noted that there was also a little horn that spoke blasphemous words against God and made war against the saints. God reveals the “little horn” (Antichrist) for the first time in scripture, and dramatic details emerge of the intensity of his war against Israel and the unprecedented evil that will pour out from the empire of Antichrist.

Daniel 7 also gives us a much greater explanation of the fourth beast, which has 10 horns, representing 10 kings that would arise from the fourth kingdom. This prophecy concludes with more details about the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom.

The Ram and the Goat – Daniel 8 (April 18)

One of the unstated themes running throughout Daniel is his search through these empires to identify the bloodline and geographical territory of Antichrist. In the eighth chapter, Daniel begins his journey of narrowing down the search for Antichrist. To accomplish this we are given an expanded vision of just two of the four world-ruling empires, the Persian and Grecian Empires also identified in Daniel 2 and 7. Daniel sees a vision of a ram with two horns (Medes and Persians) and then a male goat with a single notable horn between his eyes (Alexander the Great) conquering the ram.

The historical fulfillment of this vision is Greece under Alexander the Great conquering the Medo-Persian Empire. The search narrows as it then follows the division of Alexander’s kingdom after his untimely death into four new empires ruled by his four generals.

It further narrows with the focus landing on two of the four new Grecian Empires; the Ptolemy and Seleucid empires. In one last twist, Daniel narrows our search for Antichrist down to just one possibility when sees another “little horn,” coming out of one of these two empires but he’s different from the little horn of Antichrist in chapter 7.

This time he’s the rogue and vile Syrian King of the Seleucid Empire who in 167 BC launched severe persecution of the Jewish people in a pattern to be followed by Antichrist. This becomes the model for the rise of Antichrist to emerge from the Middle East land mass of the Seleucid Empire in the territory of Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.

 

 

 

Israel’s Calendar Revealed, 70 Weeks of Daniel – Chapter 9 (June 20)

The 70-weeks prophecy found in Daniel 9 reveals God’s extensive 490 year calendar that unfolds His plans for Israel. This remarkable prophecy dates the coming of Jesus Christ to earth the first time and also identifies significant aspects of Jesus’ ministry. Israel should have known when their Messiah showed up in Galilee.

We learn that the majority of Israel’s calendar events were fulfilled at the time of Jesus’ death covering 483 years, but that seven years still await fulfillment. These final seven years that remain unfulfilled is the seven-year Tribulation period.

The seven years begins with an international peace treaty or covenant, is disrupted when Antichrist invades Israel and breaks the covenant by committing the abomination of desolation in the middle of the seven years, and ends when the disruptor is soundly defeated at the Second Coming of Jesus.

Spiritual Warfare, Fighting the Prince of Persia, Placing Life in the Larger Story – Chapter 10 (August 8)

In Daniel ten, Gabriel pulls the curtain of the unseen spirit-world aside and reveals the battle of spiritual warfare up close and personal. In addition, Gabriel reveals God’s, “Book of Truth” to Daniel, God’s heavenly record of unrevealed end-time events which is kept in heaven.

The chapter reminds us that until we grasp the spiritual realties at work in this world, we will never truly appraise the things in our lives the way that we should. We learn that behind whatever crises or conflicts the world faces, lies a more potent spiritual conflict. A conflict that requires spiritual weapons, prayer and discernment. The chapter reminds us that we have a God who is more than capable of handling any crises of the past, present and future.
 
Wars of Antichrist – Daniel 11 (September 26)

Of particular interest in this chapter, to students of prophecy is Daniel’s reference to “the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31; 12:11). In Daniel 11 this refers to evil events that the other “little horn,” Antiochus IV Epiphanes did like pouring pig’s broth throughout the Temple and outlawing being Jewish, atrocities he committed in Jerusalem around 167 B.C.

In chapter 12 the abomination is in the context of the “time of the end” (Daniel 12:4) pointing to when Antichrist desolates the temple in the seven-year Tribulation. Jesus later spoke of this same end-time event (Matthew 24:3, 15).

Writing from the location perspective of the land of Israel, Daniel 11 writes of other powers coming into the region he referred to as “the king of the South” and “the king of the North” (Daniel 11:5-6). Of special interest to us, verses 36-45 speak of these same powers becoming the end-time wars of Antichrist (king of the north) as he seeks to conquer all the land of Israel and destroy God’s people. This scenario is rising right before our eyes today as the nations of the Middle East shuffle and are staged for the coming final empire.

Daniel 12 Wrap up!

While previous prophecies in the book of Daniel have touched upon end-time events, the final short chapter gives special emphasis to wrapping up his vision of the Tribulation period. Even though this will be “a time of great trouble” unlike any other, the encouragement for God’s people is that after Christ returns they will receive eternal life and be glorified in the Millennial Kingdom with their beloved King Jesus on the Throne in Jerusalem.

Understanding Daniel’s prophesies is so important today because most interpretation of prophetic events these days, especially on the internet and TV, is based on emotions and current events as opposed to sound doctrine flowing from the study of the Word.
So we invite you to join us for each class this year.