The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar laid his first siege of Jerusalem in 605/606B.C. A group of Israelites were taken captive to Babylon. Amongst them was a young nobleman named Daniel. He showed no compromise in the midst of persecution, remained faithful to the Almighty God and to the administration of three kings - Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius.
In a dream one night, Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a huge statue in human form with different type of metals, albeit of descending quality. The image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly partly of iron and partly of clay (Daniel 2: 32-33). Obviously shaken, Nebuchadnezzar seek the help of his wise men for answers.
After a time of 'prayer and praise' with his friends, God reveals the secret to Daniel in a vision, the dream and its intrepretation (Dan 2:19). Daniel gave glory to the God of Heaven who alone gave the dream and the meaning thereof. He intrepreted the dream as of different world empires to follow after the Babylonian Empire.
1. The head of gold was the Babylonian Empire (606-538 B.C.)
2. The chest and arms of silver was the Medo-Persian Empire (538 -333 B.C.)
3. The belly and thighs of bronze was the Greek Empire, bursting forth under Alexander the Great (333 B.C.-63 A.D.)
4. The legs of iron was the Roman Empire and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay was the revived Roman Empire (63 A.D. onwards).
Subsequent to these empires, after the times of the end (of which we are currently living in the midst of it), God will raise up His Kingdom under the rule of His chosen One -the Lord Jesus Christ. The God of Heaven would shatter all earthly kingdoms on earth with the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven through the ROCK (the Lord Jesus Christ) as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16).
Because of the disobedience and rebellion of God's chosen people against His commandments, the Almighty God allowed the sovereignty of the world to be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles, to be known in theological term as the 'times of the Gentiles' (Luke 21:24). After when this had been fulfilled (in 1948/1967), the epoch is then known as the 'times of the end', of which we are currently in.
The dream of Nebuchadnezzar and the vision of Daniel in chapter 7 seems to be similar. What Nebuchadnezzar saw in the natural, Daniel visualised in the spiritual. Though the mighty fourth beast in Daniel 7 with its ten horns (verse 7) matches with the ten toes (Dan 2:42), there is a subtle difference. There is a 'little horn' coming up from among the ten horns which plucked out the roots of the first three horns (Dan 7:8). The image of a man with proud eyes and wagging tongue projects an image of the Antichrist. This is affirmed in Daniel 7:25 when this 'little horn' shall speak pompous words against the Most High and persecute His saints.
Looking at history, the ruthless dictator Adolf Hitler subdued three countries in Europe - Austria, France and Italy - during World War II. He also massacred six million innocent Jews without any good cause other than their ethnicity. Could the coming Antichrist rise up from within Europe - the ten horns of the revived Roman Empire? It remains to be seem, as we wait with bated breath.
Whatever the interpretation, it looks like the emergence of the Antichrist whose pride and power derived from Satan himself, will one day with his followings attack the nation of Israel at Megiddo. It will be the battleground for Armageddon which finally usher in the Second Return of Christ with His saints to save Israel and mother earth from destruction. Subsequently, the government of God -The Millennial Kingdom of Heaven - will then commence to rule for one thousand years on planet earth!
Adrian Fah is the author of the book The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Prophecy of Daniel's Seventy Weeks
The Old Testament prophet Daniel was a young man - probably of royal descent - when he was taken into captivity by the Babylonian army of King Nebuchadnezzar. A younger contemporary of prophet Jeremiah, Daniel read and understood the writings of Jeremaih that the Jews of the southern state of Judah would be exiled in Babylon for seventy years as God had revealed to Jeremiah.
God, however, had given Daniel a prophecy of a different kind - one of 'seventy weeks of years' and the fulfillment thereof right up to the time of tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27). Bible scholars and theologians are generally agreed on the 'one day equals one year' principle (Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6). Base on this principle, Daniel's seventy weeks is actually referring to a time period totalling 490 years, divided into three epochs of 7, 62 and 1 week (total 70) known as the 'Jewish Age' - as they revolve around God's dealing with the Israelites.
The prophetic clock starts from 444 BC when King Artaxerxes 1 issued a decree allowing Nehemiah (his cupbearer) to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). The first epoch ends 49 Hebrew years (7 weeks) later when the Old Testament canon was sealed in 396 BC with the last book of Malachi. The second epoch of 62 weeks is 434 (62 x 7) Hebrew years. The total of these two epochs is 483 (49 + 434) Hebrew years which is 476 solar years (360/365.25) from 444 BC to 32 AD when the Messiah Jesus Christ was crucified.
The third epoch of 1 week is the seven-year tribulation which has yet to be fulfilled. This seven year tribulation is the time of Jacob's trouble when God will judge the unbeliving world and the remnant nation of Israel. All born again believers would have been raptured earlier at the beginning of the tribulation to face the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The tribulation will be a time of great sufferings and catastrophe as judgments came upon the earth in unprecedented measure.
Daniel 9:24 was largely fulfilled with the birth and crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. He came to earth to 'finish the transgrsssion', 'make an end of sins' and 'make reconciliation for iniquity' with His atoning Blood. In 396 BC with the closing of the Old Testament, the vision and prophecy was sealed up. The church age is the beginning of the time of righteousness which will consummate in the One Thousand Year reign of Christ during the Millennial Age.
Interestingly, bible scholars have discovered that the Ark of the Covenant - the holy place where the glory of God dwells in the Old Testament days - was hidden inside a cave right under the cross where Jesus was crucified. His Blood flowed through the fissures on the ground right into the Holy of Holies where the mercy seat was, hence 'anointing the Most Holy' (Daniel 9:24).
Consistent with 2 Thessalonians 2: 2-4, Daniel 9:27 refers to the Antichrist making peace treaty with Israel at the start of the seven year tribulation but only to break it in the middle of the tribulation. There could probably be some desecration of the holy temple worship by the Antichrist which is sacrilegious to the Jews.
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
For Some Useful Resource to Transform Lives, click the link below:
Teach The Bible To Change Lives.
God, however, had given Daniel a prophecy of a different kind - one of 'seventy weeks of years' and the fulfillment thereof right up to the time of tribulation (Daniel 9:24-27). Bible scholars and theologians are generally agreed on the 'one day equals one year' principle (Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6). Base on this principle, Daniel's seventy weeks is actually referring to a time period totalling 490 years, divided into three epochs of 7, 62 and 1 week (total 70) known as the 'Jewish Age' - as they revolve around God's dealing with the Israelites.
The prophetic clock starts from 444 BC when King Artaxerxes 1 issued a decree allowing Nehemiah (his cupbearer) to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). The first epoch ends 49 Hebrew years (7 weeks) later when the Old Testament canon was sealed in 396 BC with the last book of Malachi. The second epoch of 62 weeks is 434 (62 x 7) Hebrew years. The total of these two epochs is 483 (49 + 434) Hebrew years which is 476 solar years (360/365.25) from 444 BC to 32 AD when the Messiah Jesus Christ was crucified.
The third epoch of 1 week is the seven-year tribulation which has yet to be fulfilled. This seven year tribulation is the time of Jacob's trouble when God will judge the unbeliving world and the remnant nation of Israel. All born again believers would have been raptured earlier at the beginning of the tribulation to face the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The tribulation will be a time of great sufferings and catastrophe as judgments came upon the earth in unprecedented measure.
Daniel 9:24 was largely fulfilled with the birth and crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. He came to earth to 'finish the transgrsssion', 'make an end of sins' and 'make reconciliation for iniquity' with His atoning Blood. In 396 BC with the closing of the Old Testament, the vision and prophecy was sealed up. The church age is the beginning of the time of righteousness which will consummate in the One Thousand Year reign of Christ during the Millennial Age.
Interestingly, bible scholars have discovered that the Ark of the Covenant - the holy place where the glory of God dwells in the Old Testament days - was hidden inside a cave right under the cross where Jesus was crucified. His Blood flowed through the fissures on the ground right into the Holy of Holies where the mercy seat was, hence 'anointing the Most Holy' (Daniel 9:24).
Consistent with 2 Thessalonians 2: 2-4, Daniel 9:27 refers to the Antichrist making peace treaty with Israel at the start of the seven year tribulation but only to break it in the middle of the tribulation. There could probably be some desecration of the holy temple worship by the Antichrist which is sacrilegious to the Jews.
Adrian Fah is the author of The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven
For Some Useful Resource to Transform Lives, click the link below:
Teach The Bible To Change Lives.
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