FROM THE PROPHETS - Daniel

           Part 1— study notes

        before beginning Daniel

598bc babylonia conquers Judah (Israel has already been carried off to Assyria)

586bc Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem, carried many off to Babylon.. Babylon later fell to Persia:

    Nabonidus; Belshazzar - the writing on the wall king; Darius the Mede “received the kingdom” (under?) Cyrus the Great of Persia 550bc to 538bc - Cyrus decreed all Israel in all his kingdom should go home, and some/many did, led by Zerubbabel, and they began to “rebuild the TEMPLE” (and at the time of Cyrus’ proclamation, the massive empire included once again Assyria)

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Then there’s 3 kings (Dn.11:2) Cambyses; Smerdis; Darius the Great

516bc the rebuilt temple is dedicated

Note - “the captivity” and resulting “diaspora/dispersion” is when synagogues were first established, they were needed for observing the Sabbath, and for holy days, etc, and this is when **prayers were substituted for temple sacrifices** (a biblically repeated theme..)

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(4th king, Dn.11) 486bc Xerxes, great and famous war against Greece …non-consequential reigns are left out of the prophecy list. Alexander such a while later said his war against Persia was in revenge, then he died, the kingdom going to four of his generals.. which became the wars of the Ptolemies (Egypt) and the Seleucids (Syria) up to Antiochus Epiphanes the villain, super persecuter, in the prophecy’s (immediate, more ‘micro’ fulfillment) and of course in the Maccabean account.

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464bc to 425bc Artaxerxes (son of Xerxes) ruled the Persian empire; Esther was one of his queens; it was from his court, around 440bc that Ezra and Nehemiah traveled from Persia to Jerusalem to start rebuilding the rubble that was Jerusalem’s WALLS; Artaxerxes’ decree to - rebuild Jerusalem - fulfilled part of Daniel’s 70 weeks (of years) prophecy (very technical, um, code?) 9:25 - from the decree (and support) to rebuild aNd restore Jerusalem - until the coming of Messiah/an anointed one (Palm Sunday, the declaration of) - there will be seven weeks (of years, 49 years of building, until the 16th year of Darius the Great, lion’s den account, the ancient Persian empire was at its largest) and (then) sixty-two (more) weeks (of years, 7x62/434 years) until Messiah (entered Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry).

     So, the prophecy was 7 weeks of years (49 weeks) of rebuilding Jerusalem, then 62 more weeks of years, which is 434 years, to Messiah’s Triumphal Entry.

     49 plus 434 is 483, leaving one week of years left - 7 of the total 490.

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I’m hoping Part 2 starts with Daniel 1:1 - though I have more notes.. Should I include them here? After all anyone can read or not read.. For the sake of Part 2, even though the book of Daniel is pretty complicated and intense:

Every part of the study will be included below the new parts. So this can always be read later.

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The first two of the large prophetic visions in Daniel, end with obvious, last days fulfillment. These two visions are, first, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream statue of earth empires (Dn.2 and 2) which impressive statue is struck upon the feet (the ten toes/divisions called kings of the last hour in Rev.17:12,16) with a stone, so that the statue topples, and the stone (kingdom) becomes a great mountain/kingdom that fills the earth.

     And the second vision, of the four, succeeding one another beasts, the last one “more terrible”  - with the iron and bronze-7:7,19 & Rev.13:1 - of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream statue. The iron and bronze representing the empires of Rome and Greece, that shatters/roman and subdues/greek - also - concludes with an obvious last days reference, as it ends with — as Daniel watched “thrones were set in place and the ancient of days took his seat”. (All the world is a stage - Shakespeare.)

     So in the same pattern (?) a third vision. In chapter 8. And we know the ram is the same old (Media) Persia, and the goat that charges at it is Greece - so maNy wars! Spanning so long - Xerxes.. Alexander.. Antiochus Epiphanes (who claimed he was Zeus incarnate) —> to today? As west against east.. Verse 23, the power of the west (of today, goat which charged so far east) becomes diluted by breaking off (dividing, division) into four different powers. Or two powers (the liberal and conservative of the west?) - but each with their extremes.. Making four. Weakness, division. BUT one of them, portrayed as “a horn with eyes” will rise.. (A SAME seat/oFFice, which Revelation, verse 13:13 pinpoints/pinpointed. Not yet? pointing to an individual.)

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History, thus prophecy, repeats. Having a more or less immediate ‘micro’ fulfillment, and then later a culmination of all history macro fulfillment - 9:26 - “After the sixty-two ‘sevens’ (weeks of years) the Anointed One will be put to death and will (appear to) have nothing. (After that) The people of the ruler/prince (Caesars, emperors) who will come, will destroy the city and the sanctuary (70A.D.). The end will come like a flood.

Julius who wasn’t an emperor; Augustus first Roman emperor, Luke 2:1 - “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered” - just before Jesus was born; Tiberius; Caligula; Claudius under whom the Jews thus Priscilla and Aquila had to leave Rome; Nero; Galba; Otho; Vitellius; Vespasian; Titus who sacked Jerusalem as a general under Vespasian before he (Titus) became emperor; Domitian who banished disciple/apostle John to Patmos — Note Napolean Bonaparte crowned himself an emperor of a Roman Empire.

   War will continue - until, the end. And desolations are decreed [decided] (made into laws?) 

The 70th week starts when the ‘prince’/a.c. of-the-day, makes and confirms a strong covenant with many for one week.

(Rev.13:1-5)  Daniel 9:27 - In the middle of the week he will “put an end to sacrifice” (of prayers?) in 12:11 it’s worded as “takes away the perpetual sacrifice” — oR (current) place of? Lk.19:41,44.

     …will put an end to sacrifice and offering. [Yes, did occur under Antiochus Epiphanes whom the Maccabees valiantly fought and routed.]

      Dn.9:27 (12:11) - ..Will end/prohibit/take away the perpetual sacrifices. And on the wing of abominations (as one exceeding them all, of that day?) will set up an abomination that causes desolation.

     Dn.12:11 - “From the time that the daily (hebrew, perpetual) sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Verse 12 - Blessed are they who wait and come to the 1,335 days.”

     So what is set up lasts/runs for 45 days? Escalating the last “ten days”? Rev.2:10.

     The abominations in the past- which desolated, had to do with the temple(s). The brick and mortar temple. Could the final one have to do with the human temple made for God’s Spirit/Presence?

     “..Until the end [kalah: the completion, consummation]” 9:27 - “And on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”

     Rev.15:1, 16:1 - “..seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last.. Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.”

      Verse 9:24 (at day 1,335) Jesus returns and anoints a holy place..