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Read-Post Through the Bible
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Topic: Read-Post Through the Bible (Read 293957 times)
daniel1212av
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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Reply #3870 on:
May 21, 2010, 06:20:09 AM »
2. He assured him of the great favour that God had for him: Thou art
a man greatly beloved
(Dan_10:11); and again (Dan_10:19),
O man greatly beloved!
Note, Nothing is more likely, nothing more effectual, to revive the drooping spirits of the saints than to be assured of God's love to them. Those are greatly beloved indeed whom God loves; and it is comfort enough to know it.
3. He silenced his fears, and encouraged his hopes, with good words and comfortable words. He said unto him,
Fear not, Daniel
(Dan_10:12); and again (Dan_10:19),
O man greatly beloved! fear not; peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong.
Never did any tender mother quiet her child, when any thing had grieved or frightened it, with more compassion and affection than the angel here quieted Daniel. Those that are beloved of God have no reason to be afraid of any evil; peace is to them; God himself speaks peace to them; and they ought, upon the warrant of that, to speak peace to themselves; and that peace, that
joy of the Lord,
will be
their strength.
Will God
plead against us with his great power?
will he take advantage against us of our being overcome by his terror?
No, but he will put strength into us,
Job_23:6. So he did into Daniel here, when, by reason of the lustre of the vision,
no strength
of his own
remained in him;
and he acknowledges it (Dan_10:19):
When he had spoken to me I was strengthened.
Note, God by his word puts life, and strength, and spirit into his people; for if he says,
Be strong,
power goes along with the word. And, now that Daniel has experienced the efficacy of God's strengthening word and grace, he is ready for any thing:
Now, Let my lord speak,
and I can hear it, I can bear it, and am ready to do according to it,
for thou hast strengthened me.
Note, To those that (like Daniel here) have no might God
increases strength,
Isa_40:29. And we cannot keep up our communion with God but by strength derived from him; but, when he is pleased to put strength into us, we must make a good use of it, and say,
Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears.
Let God enable us to comply with his will, and them, whatever it is, we will stand complete in it.
Da quod jubes, et jube quod vis
-
Give what thou commandest, and then command what thou wilt.
4. He assured him that his fastings and prayers had come up for a memorial before God, as the angel told Cornelius (Act_10:4):
Fear not, Daniel,
Dan_10:12. It is natural to fallen man to be afraid of an extraordinary messenger from heaven, as dreading to hear evil tidings thence; but Daniel need not fear, for he has by his three weeks' humiliation and supplication sent
extraordinary
messengers to heaven, which he may expect to return with an olive-branch of peace:
From the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand
the word of God, which is to be the rule of thy prayers, and to
chasten thyself before thy God,
that thou mightest put an edge upon thy prayers,
thy words were heard,
as, before,
at the beginning of thy supplication,
Dan_9:23. Note, As the
entrance of God's word is enlightening
to the upright, so the entrance of their prayers is pleasing to God, Psa_119:130. From the first day that we begin to look towards God in a way of duty he is ready to meet us in a way of mercy. Thus ready is God to hear prayer.
I said, I will confess, and thou forgavest.
5. He informed him that he was sent to him on purpose to bring him a prediction of the future state of the church, as a token of God's accepting his prayers for the church:
Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee?
If thou knewest on what errand I come, thou wouldst not be put into such a consternation by it. Note, If we rightly understood the meaning of God's dealings with us, and the methods of his providence and grace concerning us, we should be better reconciled to them.
I have come for thy words
(Dan_10:12), to bring thee a gracious answer to thy prayers. Thus, when God's praying people call to him, he says,
Here I am
(Isa_58:9);
what would you
have with me? See the power of prayer, what glorious things it has, in its time, fetched from heaven, what strange discoveries! On what errand did this angel come to Daniel? He tells him (Dan_10:14):
I have come to make thee understand what shall befal thy people in the latter days.
Daniel was a curious inquisitive man, that had all his days been searching into secret things, and it would be a great gratification to him to be let into the knowledge of things to come. Daniel had always been concerned for the church; its interests lay much upon his heart, and it would be a particular satisfaction to him to know what its state should be, and he would know the better what to pray for as long as he lived. He was now lamenting the difficulties which his people met with in the present day; but, that he might not be offended in those, the angel must tell him what greater difficulties are yet before them; and, if they be
wearied
now that they only
run with the footmen, how will they contend with horses?
Note, It would abate our resentment of present troubles to consider that we know not but much greater are before us, which we are concerned to provide for. Daniel must be made to know what shall befal his people
in the latter days
of the church, after the cessation of prophecy, and when the time drew nigh for the Messiah to appear,
for yet the vision is for many days;
the principal things that this vision was intended to give the church the foresight of would come to pass in the days of Antiochus, nearly 300 years after this. Now that which the angel is entrusted to communicate to Daniel, and which Daniel is encouraged to expect from him, is not any curious speculations, moral prognostications, nor rational prospects of his own, though he is an angel, but what he has
received from the Lord.
It was the
revelation of Jesus Christ
that the angel gave to St. John to be
delivered to the churches,
Rev_1:1. So here (Dan_10:21):
I will show thee what is written in the scriptures of truth,
that is, what is fixed in the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. The
decree of God
is a thing written, it is a
scripture
which remains and cannot be altered.
What I have written I have written.
As there are scriptures for the revealed will of God, the letters-patent, which are published to the world, so there are scriptures for the secret will of God, the close rolls, which are
sealed among his treasures,
the book of his decrees. Both are
scriptures of truth;
nothing shall be added to nor taken from either of them. The
secret things belong not to us,
only now and then some few paragraphs have been copied out from the book of God's counsels, and delivered to the prophets for the use of the church, as here to Daniel; but they are the
things revealed,
even the
words of this law,
which belong
to us and to our children;
and we are concerned to study what is written in these
scriptures of truth,
for they are things which
belong to our everlasting peace.
6. He gave him a general account of the adversaries of the church's cause, from whom it might be expected that troubles would arise, and of its patrons, under whose protection it might be assured of safety and victory at last. (1.) The
kings of the earth
are and will be its adversaries; for they set themselves against the Lord, and against his Anointed, Psa_2:2. The angel told Daniel that he was to have come to him with a gracious answer to his prayers, but that the
prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood him one and twenty days,
just the three weeks that Daniel had been fasting and praying. Cambyses king of Persia had been very busy to embarrass the affairs of the Jews, and to do them all the mischief he could, and the angel had been all that time employed to counter-work him; so that he had been constrained to defer his visit to Daniel till now, for angels can be but in one place at a time. Or, as Dr. Lightfoot says, This new king of Persia, by hindering the temple, had hindered those good tidings which otherwise he should have brought him. The kings and kingdoms of the world were indeed sometimes helpful to the church, but more often they were injurious to it. When
I have gone forth
from the kings of Persia, when their monarchy is brought down for their unkindness to the Jews, then
the prince of Grecia shall come,
Dan_10:20. The Grecian monarchy, though favourable to the Jews at first, as the Persian was, will yet come to be vexatious to them. Such is the state of the church-militant; when it has got clear of one enemy it has another to encounter: and such a hydra's head is that of the old serpent; when one storm has
blown over
it is not long before another rises. (2.) The
God of heaven
is, and will be, its protector, and, under him, the angels of heaven are its patrons and guardians.
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daniel1212av
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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Reply #3871 on:
May 21, 2010, 06:20:45 AM »
[1.] Here is the angel Gabriel busy in the service of the church, making his part good in defence of it twenty-one days,
against the prince of Persia,
and
remaining there with the kings of Persia,
as consul, or liege-ambassador, to take care of the affairs of the Jews in that court, and to do them service, Dan_10:13. And, though much was done against them by the kings of Persia (God permitting it), it is probably that much more mischief would have been done them, and they would have been quite ruined (witness Haman's plot) if God had not prevented it by the ministration of angels. Gabriel resolves, when he has despatched this errand to Daniel, that he will return
to fight with the prince of Persia,
will continue to oppose him, and will at length humble and bring down that proud monarchy (v. 20), though he knows that another as mischievous, even that of Grecia, will rise instead of it. [2.] Here is Michael our prince, the great protector of the church, and the patron of its just but injured cause:
The first of the chief princes,
Dan_10:13. Some understand it of a created angel, but an archangel of the highest order, 1Th_4:16; Jud_1:9. Others think that
Michael the archangel
is no other than Christ himself, the
angel of the covenant,
and the Lord of the angels, he whom Daniel saw in vision, Dan_10:5. He
came to help me
(Dan_10:13); and there is
none but he that holds with me in these things,
Dan_10:21. Christ is the church's prince; angels are not, Heb_2:5. He presides in the affairs of the church and effectually provides for its good. He is said to
hold with the angels,
for it is he that makes them serviceable to the
heirs of salvation;
and, if he were not on the church's side, its case were bad. But, says David, and so says the church,
The Lord takes my part with those that help me,
Psa_118:7.
The Lord is with those that uphold my soul,
Psa_54:4. Henry
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daniel1212av
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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Reply #3872 on:
May 24, 2010, 06:29:48 AM »
Daniel 11:1-45 Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede,
even
I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. (2) And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than
they
all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. (3) And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. (4) And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
(5) And the king of the south shall be strong, and
one
of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion
shall be
a great dominion. (6) And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in
these
times. (7) But out of a branch of her roots shall
one
stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: (8 ) And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes,
and
with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue
more
years than the king of the north. (9) So the king of the south shall come into
his
kingdom, and shall return into his own land. (10) But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and
one
shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up,
even
to his fortress. (11) And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him,
even
with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand. (12)
And
when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down
many
ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened
by it.
(13) For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. (14) And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. (15) So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither
shall there be any
strength to withstand. (16) But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. (17) He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand
on his side,
neither be for him. (18) After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause
it
to turn upon him. (19) Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. (20) Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes
in
the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
(21) And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. (22) And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. (23) And after the league
made
with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. (24) He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do
that
which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches:
yea,
and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. (25) And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. (26) Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. (27) And both these kings' hearts
shall be
to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end
shall be
at the time appointed. (28) Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart
shall be
against the holy covenant; and he shall do
exploits,
and return to his own land. (29) At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. (30) For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. (31) And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily
sacrifice,
and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. (32) And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do
exploits.
(33) And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil,
many
days. (34) Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. (35) And
some
of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make
them
white,
even
to the time of the end: because
it is
yet for a time appointed. (36) And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. (37) Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. (38) But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. (39) Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge
and
increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (40) And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. (41) He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many
countries
shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand,
even
Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (42) He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. (43) But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians
shall be
at his steps. (44) But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. (45) And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
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daniel1212av
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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Reply #3873 on:
May 24, 2010, 06:31:59 AM »
Daniel 11 - INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 11
In this chapter the angel makes good his promise to Daniel, that he would show him what was written in the Scripture of truth, concerning the monarchies of the earth, and what would befall his people the Jews in the latter days; and after he had observed that he had strengthened and confirmed Darius the Mede, who was the first king of the then present flourishing monarchy, Dan_11:1, he foretells the number of the kings of Persia, and particularly describes the fourth, Dan_11:2 predicts the rise of the Grecian monarchy under Alexander the great, and the disposition of it after his death, Dan_11:3 and then proceeds to give an account of the two principal kingdoms of that monarchy, into which it was divided, the Seleucidae and Lagidae; and of their kings, the king of Egypt, and the king of Syria, under the names of the king of the south, and the king of the north, and of their power and agreement, Dan_11:5 and then of their various wars between themselves and others, and the success of them, Dan_11:7, and particularly of Antiochus, his character and manner of coming to the kingdom, and of his wars with the king of Egypt, and the issue of them, Dan_11:21 and of his persecution of the Jews, and the distress he should bring on them, and the use it should be of to the godly among them, Dan_11:30, and then his antitype, antichrist, is described; the western antichrist, his character and actions, Dan_11:36 then the eastern, his power, wealth and riches, hail and rain, Dan_11:40. Gill
Daniel 11 - The angel Gabriel, in this chapter, performs his promise made to Daniel in the foregoing chapter, that he would show him what should befal his people in the latter days, according to that which was written in the scriptures of truth: very particularly does he here foretel the succession of the kings of Persia and Grecia, and the affairs of their kingdoms, especially the mischief which Antiochus Epiphanes did in his time to the church, which was foretold before (Dan_8:11-12). Here is, I. A brief prediction of the setting up of the Grecian monarchy upon the ruins of the Persian monarchy, which was now newly begun (Dan_11:1-4). II. A prediction of the affairs of the two kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, with reference to each other (v. 5-20). III. Of the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes, and his actions and successes (Dan_11:21-29). IV. Of the great mischief that he should do to the Jewish nation and religion, and his contempt of all religion (Dan_11:30-39). V. Of his fall and ruin at last, when he is in the heat of his pursuit (Dan_11:40-45). Henry
Dan 11:1-30
The angel shows Daniel the succession of the Persian and Grecian empires. The kings of Egypt and Syria are noticed: Judea was between their dominions, and affected by their contests. From vs. 5-30, is generally considered to relate to the events which came to pass during the continuance of these governments; and from Dan_11:21, to relate to Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a cruel and violent persecutor of the Jews. See what decaying, perishing things worldly pomp and possessions are, and the power by which they are gotten. God, in his providence, sets up one, and pulls down another, as he pleases. This world is full of wars and fightings, which come from men's lusts. All changes and revolutions of states and kingdoms, and every event, are plainly and perfectly foreseen by God. No word of God shall fall to the ground; but what he has designed, what he has declared, shall infallibly come to pass. While the potsherds of the earth strive with each other, they prevail and are prevailed against, deceive and are deceived; but those who know God will trust in him, and he will enable them to stand their ground, bear their cross, and maintain their conflict. MHCC
Dan 11:31-45
The remainder of this prophecy is very difficult, and commentators differ much respecting it. From Antiochus the account seems to pass to antichrist. Reference seems to be made to the Roman empire, the fourth monarchy, in its pagan, early Christian, and papal states. The end of the Lord's anger against his people approaches, as well as the end of his patience towards his enemies. If we would escape the ruin of the infidel, the idolater, the superstitious and cruel persecutor, as well as that of the profane, let us make the oracles of God our standard of truth and of duty, the foundation of our hope, and the light of our paths through this dark world, to the glorious inheritance above. MHCC
Dan 11:1-4
Here, 1. The angel Gabriel lets Daniel know the good service he has done to the Jewish nation (Dan_11:1):
In the first year of Darius the Mede,
who destroyed Babylon and released the Jews out of that house of bondage,
I stood a strength and fortress to him,
that is, I was instrumental to protect him, and give him success in his ward, and, after he had conquered Babylon, to confirm him in his resolution to release the Jews, which, it is likely, met with much opposition. Thus by the angel, and at the request of
the watcher,
the golden head was broken, and the axe laid to the root of the tree. Note, We must acknowledge the hand of God in the strengthening of those that are friends to the church for the service they are to do it, and confirming them in their good resolutions; herein he uses the ministry of angels more than we are aware of. And the many instances we have known of God's care of his church formerly encourage us to depend upon him in further straits and difficulties. 2. He foretels the reign of four Persian kings (Dan_11:2):
Now I will tell thee the truth,
that is, the true meaning of the visions of the great image, and of the four beasts, and expound in plain terms what was before represented by dark types. (1.) There shall stand up
three kings in Persia,
besides Darius, in whose reign this prophecy is dated, Dan_9:1. Mr. Broughton makes these three to be Cyrus, Artaxasta or Artaxerxes, called by the Greeks
Cambyses,
and Ahasuerus that married Esther, called
Darius son of Hystaspes.
To these three the Persians gave these attributes - Cyrus was a father, Cambyses a master, and Darius a hoarder up. So Herodotus. (2.) There shall be a fourth,
far richer than they all,
that is, Xerxes, of whose wealth the Greek authors take notice. By
his strength
(his vast army, consisting of 800,000 men at least) and
his riches,
with which he maintained and paid that vast army, he
stirred up all
against
the realm of Greece.
Xerxes's expedition against Greece is famous in history, and the shameful defeat that he met with. He who when he went out was the terror of Greece in his return was the scorn of Greece. Daniel needed not to be told what disappointment he would meet with, for he was a hinderer of the building of the temple; but soon after, about thirty years after the first return from captivity, Darius, a young king, revived the building of the temple, owning the hand of God against his predecessors for hindering it, Ezr_6:7. 3. He foretels Alexander's conquests and the partition of his kingdom, Dan_11:3. He is that
mighty king
that shall
stand up
against the kings of Persia, and he shall
rule with great dominion,
over many kingdoms, and with a despotic power, for he shall
do according to his will,
and undo likewise, which, by the law of the Medes and Persians, their kings could not. When Alexander, after he had conquered Asia, would be worshipped as a god, then this was fulfilled, that he shall
do according to his will.
That is God's prerogative, but was his pretension. But (Dan_11:4) his
kingdom
shall soon be
broken,
and
divided
into four parts,
but not to his posterity,
nor shall any of his successors reign
according to his dominion;
none of them shall have such large territories nor such an absolute power. His
kingdom was plucked up for others besides those
of his own family. Arideus, his brother, was made king in Macedonia; Olympias, Alexander's mother, killed him, and poisoned Alexander's two sons, Hercules and Alexander. Thus was his family rooted out by its own hands. See what decaying perishing things worldly pomp and possessions are, and the powers by which they are got. Never was the vanity of the world and its greatest things shown more evidently than in the story of Alexander.
All is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Henry
Dan 11:5-20
Here are foretold,
I. The rise and power of two great kingdoms out of the remains of Alexander's conquests, Dan_11:5. 1. The kingdom of Egypt, which was made considerable by Ptolemaeus Lagus, one of Alexander's captains, whose successors were, from him, called the
Lagidae.
He is called the king of the
south,
that is, Egypt, named here, Dan_11:8, Dan_11:42, Dan_11:43. The countries that at first belonged to Ptolemy are reckoned to be Egypt, Phoenicia, Arabia, Libya, Ethiopia, etc. Theocr. Idyl. 17. 2. The kingdom of Syria, which was set up by Seleucus Nicanor, or the
conqueror;
he was one of Alexander's princes, and became stronger than the other, and
had the greatest dominion of all,
was the most powerful of all Alexander's successors. It was said that he had no fewer than seventy-two kingdoms under him. Both these were strong against Judah (the affairs of which are particularly eyed in this prediction); Ptolemy, soon after he gained Egypt, invaded Judea, and took Jerusalem
on a sabbath,
pretending a friendly visit. Seleucus also gave disturbance to Judea.
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II. The fruitless attempt to unite these two kingdoms as iron and clay in Nebuchadnezzar's image (Dan_11:6):
At the end of certain years,
about seventy after Alexander's death, the Lagidae and the Seleucidae shall associate, but not in sincerity. Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, shall marry his daughter Berenice to Antiochus Theos, king of Syria, who had already a wife called
Laodice.
Berenice shall come to the
king of the north,
to make an agreement, but it shall not hold:
She shall not retain the power of the arm;
neither she nor her posterity shall establish themselves in the kingdom of the north, neither shall Ptolemy her father, nor Antiochus her husband (between whom there was to be a great alliance),
stand,
nor their arm, but
she shall be given up and those that brought her,
all that projected that unhappy marriage between her and Antiochus, which occasioned so much mischief, instead of producing a coalition between the northern and southern crowns, as was hoped. Antiochus divorced Berenice, took his former wife Laodice again, who soon after poisoned him, procured Berenice and her son to be murdered, and set up her own son by Antiochus to be king, who was called
Seleucus Callinicus.
III. A war between the two kingdoms, Dan_11:7, Dan_11:8. A branch from the same root with Berenice
shall stand up in his estate.
Ptolemaeus Euergetes, the son and successor of Ptolemaeus Philadelphus, shall come with an army against Seleucus Callinicus, king of Syria, to avenge his sister's quarrel, and shall prevail; and he shall carry away a rich booty both of persons and goods into Egypt, and shall
continue more years than the king of the north.
This Ptolemy reigned forty-six years; and Justin says that if his own affairs had not called him home he would, in this war, have made himself master of the whole kingdom of Syria. But (Dan_11:9) he shall be forced to
come into his kingdom
and
return into his own land,
to keep peace there, so that he can no longer carry on the war abroad. Note, It is very common for a treacherous peace to end in a bloody war.
IV. The long and busy reign of
Antiochus the Great,
king of Syria. Seleucus Callinicus, that king of the north that was overcome (Dan_11:7) and died miserably, left two sons, Seleucus and Antiochus; these are his sons, the sons of the
king of the north,
that shall be
stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces,
to recover what their father had lost, Dan_11:10. But Seleucus the elder, being weak, and unable to rule his army, was poisoned by his friends, and reigned only two years; and his brother Antiochus succeeded him, who reigned thirty-seven years, and was called
the Great.
And therefore the angel, though he speaks of
sons
at first, goes on with the account of
one only,
who was but fifteen years old when he began to reign, and he shall
certainly come, and overflow,
and
over-run,
and shall
be restored
at length to what his father lost. 1. The
king of the south,
in this war, shall at first have very great success. Ptolemaeus Philopater, moved with indignation at the indignities done by
Antiochus the Great,
shall (though otherwise a slothful prince)
come forth, and fight with him,
and shall bring a vast army into the field of 70,000 foot, and 5000 horse, and seventy-three elephants. And the
other multitude
(the army of Antiochus, consisting of 62,000 foot, and 6000 horse, and 102 elephants) shall
be given into his hand.
Polybius, who lived with Scipio, has given a particular account of this battle of Raphia. Ptolemaeus Philopater, having gained this victory, grew very insolent;
his heart was lifted up;
then he went into the temple of God at Jerusalem, and, in defiance of the law, entered the most holy place, for which God has a controversy with him, so that, though he shall
cast down many myriads,
yet he shall
not be strengthened by it,
so as to secure his interest. For, 2. The
king of the north, Antiochus the Great,
shall
return
with a
greater army
than
the former;
and, at the
end of times
(
that is, years
) he shall
come with a mighty army, and great riches,
against the
king of the south,
that is, Ptolemaeus Epiphanes, who succeeded Ptolemaeus Philopater his father, when he was a child, which gave advantage to Antiochus the Great. In this expedition he had some powerful allies (Dan_11:14):
Many shall stand up against the king of the south.
Philip of Macedon was confederate with Antiochus against the king of Egypt, and Scopas his general, whom he sent into Syria; Antiochus routed him, destroyed a great part of his army; whereupon the Jews willingly yielded to Antiochus, joined with him, helped him to besiege Ptolemaeus's garrisons. They
the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision,
to help forward the accomplishment of this prophecy; but
they shall fall, and shall come to nothing,
Dan_11:14. Hereupon (Dan_11:15) the
king of the north,
this same Antiochus Magnus, shall carry on his design against the king of the south another way. (1.) He shall surprise his strong-holds; all that he has got in Syria and Samaria, and the arms of the south, all the power of the king of Egypt, shall not be able to withstand him. See how dubious and variable the turns of the scale of war are; like buying and selling, it is winning and losing; sometimes one side gets the better and sometimes the other; yet neither by chance; it is not, as they call it, the
fortune of war,
but according to the will and counsel of God, who brings some low and raises others up. (2.) He shall make himself master of the land of Judea (Dan_11:16):
He that comes against him
(that is, the king of the north) shall carry all before him and do what he pleases, and
he shall stand
and get footing
in the glorious land;
so the land of Israel was, and
by his hand
it was wasted and consumed, for with the spoil of that good land he victualled his vast army. The land of Judea lay between these two potent kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, so that in all the struggles between them that was sure to suffer, for to it they both bore
ill will.
Yet some read this,
By his hand it shall be perfected;
as if it intimated that the land of Judea, being taken under the protection of this Antiochus, shall flourish, and be in better condition than it had been. (3.) He shall still push on his war against the king of Egypt, and
set his face
to
enter with the strength of his whole kingdom,
taking advantage of the infancy of Ptolemy Epiphanes, and the
upright ones,
many of the pious Israelites, siding with him, Dan_11:17. In prosecution of his design, he shall give him his daughter Cleopatra to wife, designing, as Saul in giving his daughter Cleopatra to David, that she should be a
snare to him,
and do him a mischief; but she
shall not stand on her father's
side, nor be
for him,
but for her husband, and so that plot failed him. (4.) His war with the Romans is here foretold (Dan_11:18): He shall
turn his face to the isles
(Dan_11:18), the isles of the Gentiles (Gen_10:5), Greece and Italy. He took many of the isles about the Hellespont-Rhodes, Samos, Delos, etc., which by war or treaty he made himself master of; but a
prince,
or
state
(so some), even the Roman senate, or a
leader,
even the Roman general, shall
return his reproach
with which he abused the Romans
upon himself,
or shall
make his shame rest on himself,
and
without his own shame,
or any disgrace to himself, shall
pay him again.
This was fulfilled when the two Scipios were sent with an army against Antiochus. Hannibal was then with him, and advised him to invade Italy and waste it as he had done; but he did not take hid advice; and Scipio joined battle with him, and gave him a total defeat, though Antiochus had 70,000 men and the Romans but 30,000. Thus he caused the
reproach offered by him to cease.
(5.) His fall. When he was totally routed by the Romans, and was forced to abandon to them all he had in Europe, and had a very heavy tribute exacted from him, he
turned to his own land,
and, not knowing which way to raise money to pay his tribute, he plundered a temple of Jupiter, which so incensed his own subjects against him that they set upon him, and killed him; so he was overthrown, and
fell,
and
was no more found,
Dan_11:19. (6.) His next successor, Dan_11:20. There rose up one in his place, a
raiser of taxes,
a
sender forth of the extortioner,
or extorter. This character was remarkably answered in Seleucus Philopater, the elder son of Antiochus the Great, who was a great oppressor of his own subjects, and exacted abundance of money from them; and, when he was told he would thereby lose his friends, he said he knew no better friend he had then
money.
He likewise attempted to rob the temple at Jerusalem, which this seems especially to refer to. But
within a few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger nor in battle,
but poisoned by Heliodorus, one of his own servants, when he had reigned but twelve years, and done nothing remarkable.
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V. From all this let us learn, 1. That God in his providence sets up one, and pulls down another, as he pleases, advances some from low beginnings and depresses others that were very high. Some have called great men the
foot-balls of fortune;
or, rather, they are the
tools of Providence.
2. This world is full of
wars and fightings,
which come
from men's lusts,
and make it a theatre of sin and misery. 3. All the changes and revolutions of states and kingdoms, and every event, even the most minute and contingent, were plainly and perfectly foreseen by the God of heaven, and to him nothing is
new.
4. No word of God shall fall to the ground; but what he has designed, what he has declared, shall infallibly come to pass; and even the sins of men shall be made to serve his purpose, and contribute to the b ringing of his counsels to birth in their season; and yet
God is not the author of sin.
5. That, for the right understanding of some parts of scripture, it is necessary that heathen authors be consulted, which give light to the scripture, and show the accomplishment of what is there foretold; we have therefore reason to bless God for the human learning with which many have done great service to divine truths. Henry
Dan 11:21-45
All this is a prophecy of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, the
little horn
spoken of before (Dan_8:9) a sworn enemy to the Jewish religion, and a bitter persecutor of those that adhered to it. What troubles the Jews met with in the reigns of the Persian kings were not so particularly foretold to Daniel as these, because then they had living prophets with them, Haggai and Zechariah, to encourage them; but these troubles in the days of Antiochus were foretold, because, before that time, prophecy would cease, and they would find it necessary to have recourse to the written word. Some things in this prediction concerning Antiochus are alluded to in the New Testament predictions of the antichrist, especially Dan_11:36, Dan_11:37. And as it is usual with the prophets, when they foretel the prosperity of the Jewish church, to make use of such expressions as were applicable to the
kingdom of Christ,
and insensibly to slide into a prophecy of that, so, when they foretel the troubles of the church, they make use of such expressions as have a further reference to the kingdom of the antichrist, the rise and ruin of that. Now concerning Antiochus, the angel foretels here,
I. His character: He shall be a
vile person.
He called himself
Epiphanes
-
the illustrious,
but his character was the reverse of his surname. The heathen writers describe him to be an
odd-humoured
man, rude and boisterous, base and sordid. He would sometimes steal out of the court into the city, and herd with any infamous company
incognito
-
in disguise
he made himself a companion of the common sort, and of the basest strangers that came to town. He had the most unaccountable whims, so that some took him to be silly, others to be mad. Hence he was called
Epimanes
-
the madman.
He is called a
vile person,
for he had been a long time a hostage at Rome for the fidelity of his father when the Romans had subdued him; and it was agreed that, when the other hostages were exchanged, he should continue a prisoner at large.
II. His accession to the crown. By a trick he got his elder brother's son, Demetrius, to be sent a hostage to Rome, in exchange for him, contrary to the cartel; and, his elder brother being made away with by Heliodorus (Dan_11:20), he took the kingdom. The states of Syria did not
give it
to
him
(Dan_11:21), because they knew it belonged to his elder brother's son, nor did he get it by the sword, but
came in peaceably,
pretending to reign for his brother's son, Demetrius, then a hostage at Rome. But with the help of Eumenes and Attalus, neighbouring princes, he gained an interest in the people, and
by flatteries obtained the kingdom,
established himself in it, and crushed Heliodorus, who made head against him
with the arms of a flood;
those that opposed him were
overflown
and
broken before him,
even
the prince of the covenant,
his nephew, the rightful heir, whom he pretended to covenant with that he would resign to him whenever he should return, Dan_11:22. But (Dan_11:23)
after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully,
as one whose avowed maxim it is that princes ought not to be bound by their word any longer than it is for their interest. And
with a small people,
that at first cleave to him, he shall
become strong,
and (Dan_11:24)
he shall enter peaceably upon the fattest places
of the kingdom of Syria, and, very unlike his predecessors, shall
scatter
among the people the
prey, and the spoil, and riches,
to insinuate himself into their affections; but, at the same time, he shall
forecast his devices against the strong-holds,
to make himself master of them, so that his generosity shall last but for a time; when he has got the garrisons into his hands he will scatter his spoil no more, but rule by force, as those commonly do that come in by fraud. He that comes in like a fox reigns like a lion. Some understand these verses of his first expedition into Egypt, when he came not as an enemy, but as a friend and guardian to the young king Ptolemaeus Philometer, and therefore brought with him but few followers, yet those stout men, and faithful to his interest, whom he placed in divers of the strong-holds in Egypt, thereby making himself master of them.
III. His war with Egypt, which was his second expedition thither. This is described, Dan_11:25, Dan_11:27. Antiochus shall
stir up his power and courage
against Ptolemaeus Philometer king of Egypt. Ptolemy, thereupon, shall
be stirred up to battle
against him, shall come against him
with a very great and mighty army;
but Ptolemy, though he has such a vast army, shall not be able to stand before him; for Antiochus's army shall
overthrow
his, and overpower it, and great multitudes of the Egyptian army shall
fall down slain.
And no marvel, for the king of Egypt shall be betrayed by his own counsellors; those that
feed of the portion of his meat,
that eat of his bread and live upon him, being bribed by Antiochus, shall
forecast devices against him,
and even
they shall destroy him;
and what fence is there against such treachery? After the battle, a treaty of peace shall be set on foot, and these two kings shall meet
at one council-board,
to adjust the articles of peace between them; but they shall neither of them be sincere in it, for they shall, in their pretences and promises of amity and friendship,
lie to one another,
for their hearts shall be at the same time to do one another all the mischief they can. And then no marvel that
it shall not prosper.
The peace shall not last; but
the end
of it shall be
at the time appointed
in the divine Providence, and then the war shall break out again, as a sore that is only skinned over.
IV. Another expedition against Egypt. From the former he
returned with great riches
(Dan_11:28), and therefore took the first occasion to invade Egypt again,
at the time appointed
by the divine Providence, two years after, in the eighth year of his reign, Dan_11:29. He shall come
towards the south.
But this attempt shall not succeed, as the two former did, nor shall he gain his point, as he had done before once and again; for (Dan_11:30)
the ships of Chittim shall come against him,
that is, the navy of the Romans, or only ambassadors from the Roman senate, who came in ships. Ptolemaeus Philometer, king of Egypt, being now in a strict alliance with the Romans, craved their aid against Antiochus, who had besieged him and his mother Cleopatra in the city of Alexandria. The Roman senate thereupon sent an embassy to Antiochus, to command him to raise the siege, and, when he desired some time to consider of it and consult with his friends about it, Popilius, one of the ambassadors, with his staff drew a circle about him, and told him, as one having authority, he should give a positive answer before he came out of that circle; whereupon, fearing the Roman power, he was forced immediately to give orders for the raising of the siege and the retreat of his army out of Egypt. So Livy and others relate the story which this prophecy refers to.
He shall be grieved, and return;
for it was a great vexation to him to be forced to yield thus.
V. His rage and cruel practices against the Jews. This is that part of his government, or mis-government rather, which is most enlarged upon in this prediction. In his return from his expedition into Egypt (which is prophesied of, Dan_11:28) he
did exploits
against the Jews, in the sixth year of his reign; then he spoiled the city and temple. But the most terrible storm was in his return from Egypt, two years after, prophesied of Dan_11:30. Then he took Judea in his way home; and, because he could not gain his point in Egypt by reason of the Romans interposing, he wreaked his revenge upon the poor Jews, who gave him no provocation, but had greatly provoked God to permit him to do it, Dan_8:23.
1. He had a rooted antipathy to the Jews' religion:
His heart
was
against the holy covenant,
Dan_11:28. And (Dan_11:30)
he had indignation against the holy covenant,
that covenant of peculiarity by which the Jews were incorporated a people distinct from all other nations, and dignified above them. He hated the law of Moses and the worship of the true God, and was vexed at the privileges of the Jewish nation and the promises made to them.
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Note, That which is the hope and joy of the people of God is the envy of their neighbours, and that is
the holy covenant.
Esau hated Jacob because he had got the blessing. Those that are strangers to the covenant are often enemies to it.
2. He carried on his malicious designs against the Jews by the assistance of some perfidious apostate Jews. He kept up
intelligence with those that forsook the holy covenant
(Dan_11:30), some of the Jews that were false to their religion, and introduced the customs of the heathen, with whom they made a covenant. See the fulfilling of this, 1 Macc. 1:11-15, where it is expressly said, concerning those renegado Jews, that they
made themselves uncircumcised and forsook the holy covenant.
We read (2 Macc. 4:9) of Jason, the brother of Onias the high priest, who by the appointment of Antiochus set up a school at Jerusalem,
for the training up of youth in the fashions of the heathen;
and (2 Macc. 4:23, etc.) of Menelaus, who fell in with the interests of Antiochus, and was the man that helped him into Jerusalem, now in his last return from Egypt. We read much in the book of the Maccabees of the mischief done to the Jews by these treacherous men of their own nation, Jason and Menelaus, and their party. These upon all occasions he made use of.
Such as do wickedly against the covenant,
such as throw up their religion, and comply with the heathen, he shall
corrupt with flatteries,
to harden them in their apostasy, and to make use of them as decoys to draw in others, Dan_11:32. Note, It is not strange if those who do not live up to their religion, but in their conversations
do wickedly against the covenant,
are easily
corrupted by flatteries
to quit their religion. Those that make shipwreck of a good conscience will soon
make shipwreck of the faith.
3. He profaned the temple.
Arms stand on his part
(Dan_11:31), not only his own army which he now brought from Egypt, but a great party of deserters from the Jewish religion that joined with them; and they
polluted the sanctuary of strength,
not only the holy city, but the temple. The story of this we have, 1 Macc. 1:21, etc. He
entered proudly into the sanctuary,
took
away the golden altar, and the candlestick,
etc. And therefore (v. 25)
there was a great mourning in Israel; the princes and elders mourned,
etc. And (2 Macc. 5:15, etc.)
Antiochus went into the most holy temple, Menelaus, that traitor to the laws and to his own country, being his guide.
Antiochus, having resolved to bring all about him to be of his religion,
took away the daily sacrifice,
Dan_11:31. Some observe that the word
Tammidh
, which signifies no more than
daily,
is only here, and in the parallel place, used for the
daily sacrifice,
as if there were a designed liberty left to supply it either with
sacrifice,
which was suppressed by Antiochus, or with
gospel-worship,
which was suppressed by the Antichrist. Then he
set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar
(1 Macc. 1:54), even an
idol altar
(v. 59), and called the temple the temple of
Jupiter Olympius,
2 Macc. 6:2.
4. He persecuted those who retained their integrity. Though there are many who
forsake the covenant
and
do wickedly
against it, yet there is a people who do
know their God
and retain the knowledge of him, and
they shall be strong and do exploits,
Dan_11:32. When others yield to the tyrant's demands, and surrender their consciences to his impositions, they bravely keep their ground, resist the temptation, and make the tyrant himself ashamed of his attempt upon them. Good old Eleazar, one of the
principal scribes,
when he had swine's flesh thrust into his mouth, did bravely spit it out again, though he knew he must be tormented to death for so doing, and was so, 2 Macc. 6:19. The mother and her seven sons were put to death for adhering to their religion, 2 Macc. 7. This might well be called
doing exploits;
for to choose suffering rather than sin is a great exploit. And it was
by faith,
by being
strong in faith,
that they did those exploits, that
they were tortured, not accepting deliverance,
as the apostle speaks, probably with reference to that story, Heb_11:35. Or it may refer to the military courage and achievements of Judas Maccabaeus and others in opposition to Antiochus. Note, The right knowledge of God is, and will be, the strength of the soul, and, in the strength of that, gracious souls do exploits.
Those that know his name will put their trust in him,
and by that trust will do great things. Now, concerning this people that knew their God, we are here told, (1.) That
they shall instruct many,
Dan_11:33. They shall make it their business to show others what they have learned themselves of the difference between truth and falsehood, good and evil. Note, Those that have the knowledge of God themselves should communicate their knowledge to those about them, and this spiritual charity must be extensive: they must
instruct many.
Some understand this of a society newly erected for the propagating of divine knowledge, called
Assideans,
godly men,
pietists
(so the name signifies), that were both knowing and zealous in the law; these instructed many. Note, In times of persecution and apostasy, which are trying times, those that have knowledge ought to make use of it for the strengthening and establishing of others. Those that understand aright themselves ought to do what they can to bring others to understand; for knowledge is a talent that must be traded with. Or, They shall instruct many by their perseverance in their duty and their patient suffering for it. Good examples instruct many, and with many are the most powerful instructions. (2.)
They shall fall
by the cruelty of Antiochus, shall be put to the torture, and put to death, by his rage. Though they are so excellent and intelligent themselves, and so useful and serviceable to others, yet Antiochus shall show them no mercy, but
they shall fall for some days;
so it may be read, Rev_2:10,
Thou shalt have tribulation ten days.
We read much, in the books of the Maccabees, of Antiochus's barbarous usage of the pious Jews, how many he slew in wars and how many he murdered in cold blood. Women were
put to death
for having their children
circumcised,
and their
infants were hanged about their necks,
1 Macc. 1:60, 61. But why did God suffer this? How can this be reconciled with the justice and goodness of God? I answer, Very well, if we consider what it was that God aimed at in this (Dan_11:35):
Some of those of understanding shall fall,
but it shall be for the good of the church and for their own spiritual benefit.
It shall
be to
try them, and to purge, and to make them white.
They
needed
these afflictions themselves. The best have their spots, which must be washed off, their dross, which must be purged out; and their troubles, particularly their
share in the public troubles,
help to do this; being sanctified to them by the grace of God, they are means of mortifying their corruptions, weaning them from the world, and awakening them to greater seriousness and diligence in religion. They try them, as silver in the furnace is refined from its dross; they purge them, as wheat in the barn is winnowed from the chaff; and they
make them white,
as cloth by the fuller is cleared from its spots. See 1Pe_1:7. Their sufferings
for righteousness' sake
would try and purge the nation of the Jews, would convince them of the truth, excellency, and power of that holy religion which these
understanding
men died for their adherence to. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church; it is precious blood, and not a drop of it should be shed but upon such a valuable consideration. (3.) The cause of religion, though it be thus run upon, shall not be run down.
When they shall fall
they shall not be utterly cast down, but
they shall be holpen with a little help,
Dan_11:34. Judas Maccabaeus, and his brethren, and a few with them, shall
make head
against the tyrant, and assert the injured cause of their religion; they
pulled down the
idolatrous
altars, circumcised the children that they found uncircumcised, recovered the law out of the hand of the Gentiles, and the work prospered in their hands,
1 Macc. 2:45, etc. Note, Those that stand by the cause of religion when it is threatened and struck at, though they may not immediately be delivered and made victorious, shall yet have
present help.
And a
little help
must not be despised; but, when times are very bad, we must be thankful for
some reviving.
It is likewise foretold that
many shall cleave to them with flatteries;
when they see the Maccabees prosper some Jews shall join with them that are no true friends to religion, but will only pretend friendship either with design to
betray them
or in hope to
rise with them;
but the
fiery trial
(Dan_11:35) will separate between the
precious and the vile,
and by it
those that are perfect will be made manifest
and those that are not. (4.) Though these troubles may continue long, yet they will have
an end.
They are
for a time appointed,
a limited time, fixed in the divine counsels. This warfare shall be accomplished.
Hitherto
the power of the enemy shall come, and
no further;
here shall its
proud waves
be
stayed.
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5. He grew very proud, insolent, and profane, and, being puffed up with his conquests, bade defiance to Heaven, and trampled upon every thing that was sacred, Dan_11:36, etc. And here some think begins a prophecy of the antichrist, the papal kingdom. It is plain that St. Paul, in his prophecy of the rise and reign of the man of sin, alludes to this (2Th_2:4), which shows that Antiochus was a type and figure of that enemy, as Babylon also was; but, this being joined in a continued discourse with the foregoing prophecies concerning Antiochus, to me it seems probably that it principally refers to him, and in him had its primary accomplishment, and has reference to the other only by way of accommodation. (1.) He shall impiously dishonour the God of Israel, the only living and true God, called here the
God of gods.
He shall, in defiance of him and his authority,
do according to his will
against his people and his holy religion; he shall
exalt himself
above him, as Sennacherib did, and shall
speak marvellous things against him
and against his laws and institutions. This was fulfilled when Antiochus forbade
sacrifices
to be
offered
in God's temple, and ordered the
sabbaths
to be
profaned,
the
sanctuary
and the
holy people
to be
polluted,
etc., to
the end that they might forget the law and change all the ordinances,
and this upon pain of death, 1 Macc. 1:45. (2.) He shall proudly put contempt upon
all other gods,
shall
magnify himself above every god,
even the gods of the nations. Antiochus wrote to his own kingdom that every one should leave the gods he had worshipped, and worship such as he ordered, contrary to the practice of all the conquerors that went before him, 1 Macc. 1:41, 42. And
all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king;
fond as they were of their gods, they did not think them worth suffering for, but, their gods being idols, it was all alike to them what gods they worshipped. Antiochus did not
regard any god,
but
magnified himself above all,
Dan_11:37. He was so proud that he thought himself above the condition of a mortal man, that he could
command the waves of the sea, and reach to the stars of heaven,
as his insolence and haughtiness are expressed, 2 Macc. 9:8, 10. Thus he carried all before him,
till the indignation was accomplished
(Dan_11:36), till he had run his length, and filled up the measure of his iniquity; for
that which is determined shall be done,
and nothing more, nothing short. (3.) He shall, contrary to the way of the heathen, disregard the god of his fathers, Dan_11:37. Though an affection to the religion of their ancestors was, among the heathen, almost as natural to them as
the desire of women
(for, if you search through
the isles of Chittim,
you will not find an instance of a nation that has
changed its gods,
Jer_2:10, Jer_2:11), yet Antiochus shall not
regard the god of his fathers;
he made laws to abolish the religion of his country, and to bring in the idols of the Greeks. And though his predecessors had honoured the God of Israel, and given great gifts to the temple at Jerusalem (2 Macc. 3:2, 3), he offered the greatest indignities to God and his temple. His not regarding the
desire of women
may denote his barbarous cruelty (he shall spare no age or sex, no, not the tender ones) or his unnatural lusts, or, in general, his contempt of every thing which men of honour have a concern for, or it might be accomplished in something we meet not with in history. Its being joined to his not
regarding the god of his fathers
intimates that the idolatries of his country had in them more of the gratifications of the flesh than those of other countries (Lucian has written of the Syrian goddesses), and yet that would not prevail to keep him to them. (4.) He shall set up an unknown god, a new god, Dan_11:38.
In his estate,
in the room of the god of his fathers (Apollo and Diana, deities of pleasure), he shall
honour the god of forces,
a supposed deity of power, a
god whom his fathers knew not,
nor worshipped; because he will be thought in wisdom and strength to excel his fathers, he shall
honour this god with gold, and silver, and precious stones,
thinking nothing too good for the god he has taken a fancy to. This seems to be Jupiter Olympius, known among the Phoenicians by the name of
Baal-Semen, the lord of heaven,
but never introduced among the Syrians till Antiochus introduced it. Thus shall he do
in the most strong holds,
in the temple of Jerusalem, which is called
the sanctuary of strength
(Dan_11:31), and here the
fortresses of munitions; there
he shall set up the image of this
strange god.
Some read it,
He shall commit the munitions of strength,
or of the most strong God (that is, the city Jerusalem), to
a strange god;
he put it under the protection and government of Jupiter Olympius. This god he shall not only acknowledge, but shall
increase with glory,
by setting his image even upon God's altar. And he shall
cause those
that minister to this idol
to rule over many,
shall put them into places of power and trust, and they shall
divide the land for gain,
shall be maintained richly out of the profits of the country. Some by the
Mahuzzim,
or
god of forces,
that Antiochus shall worship, understand
money,
which is said to
answer all things,
and which is the great idol of worldly people.
Now here is very much that is applicable to the
man of sin;
he
exalts himself above all that is called god or that is worshipped; magnifies himself above all;
his flatterers call him
our lord god the pope.
By forbidding marriage, and magnifying the single life, he pretends not to regard the desire of women; and honours the
god of forces,
the god
Mahuzzim,
or
strong holds,
saints and angels, whom his followers take for their protectors, as the heathen did of old their demons; these they make presidents of several countries, etc. These they honour with vast treasures dedicated to them, and therein the learned Mr. Mede thinks that this prophecy was fulfilled, and that it is referred to 1Ti_4:1, 1Ti_4:2.
VI. Here seems to be another expedition into Egypt, or, at least, a struggle with Egypt. The Romans had tied him up from invading Ptolemy, but now that
king of the south pushes at him
(Dan_11:40), makes an attempt upon some of his territories, whereupon Antiochus, the
king of the north, comes against him like a whirlwind,
with incredible swiftness and fury,
with chariots, and horses, and many ships,
a great force. He shall
come trough countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
In this flying march
many countries shall be overthrown by him;
and he shall enter into
the glorious land,
the land of Israel; it is the same word that is translated
the pleasant land,
Dan_8:9. He shall make dreadful work among the nations thereabout; yet some shall escape his fury, particularly Edom and Moab, and
the chief of the children of Ammon,
Dan_11:41. He did not put these countries under contribution, because they had joined with him against the Jews. But especially the land of Egypt
shall not escape,
but he will quite beggar that, so bare will he strip it. This some reckon his fourth and last expedition against Egypt, in the tenth or eleventh year of his reign, under pretence of assisting the younger brother of Ptolemaeus Philometer against him. We read not of any great slaughter made in this expedition, but great plunder; for, it should seem, that was what he came for:
He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and all the precious things of Egypt,
Dan_11:43. Polybius, in Athenaeus, relates that Antiochus, having got together abundance of wealth, by spoiling young Philometer, and breaking league with him, and by the contributions of his friends, bestowed a vast deal upon a triumph, in imitation of Paulus Aemilius, and describes the extravagance of it; here we are told how he got that money which he spent so profusely. Notice is here taken likewise of the use he made of the Lybians and Ethiopians, who bordered upon Egypt; they
were at his steps;
he had them at his foot, had them at his beck, and they made inroads upon Egypt to serve him.
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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VII. Here is a prediction of the fall and ruin of Antiochus, as before (Dan_8:25), when he is in the height of his honour, flushed with victory, and laden with spoils, tidings
out of the east
and
out of the north
(out of the north-east) shall trouble him, Dan_11:44. Or, He shall have intelligence, both from the eastern and northern parts, that the king of Parthia is invading his kingdom. This obliged him to drop the enterprises he had in hand, and to go against the Persians and Parthians that were revolting from him; and this
vexed
him, for now he thought utterly to ruin and extirpate the Jewish nation, when that expedition called him off, in which he perished. This is explained by a passage in Tacitus (though an impious one) where he commends Antiochus for his attempt to
take away the superstition of the Jews,
and
bring in the manners of the Greeks,
among them (
ut teterrimam gentem in melius mutaret
-
to meliorate an odious nation
), and laments that he was hindered from accomplishing it by the Parthian war. Now here is, 1. The last effort of his rage against the Jews. When he finds himself perplexed and embarrassed in his affairs he shall
go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many,
Dan_11:44. The story of this we have 1 Macc. 3:27, etc., what a rage Antiochus was in when he heard of the successes of Judas Maccabaeus, and the orders he gave to Lysias to destroy Jerusalem. Then
he planted the tabernacles of his palace,
or
tents of his court, between the seas,
between the Great Sea and the Dead Sea. He set up his royal pavilion at Emmaus near Jerusalem, in token that, though he could not be present himself, yet he gave full power to his captains to prosecute the war against the Jews with the utmost rigour. He placed his tent there, as if he had taken possession
of the glorious holy mountain
and called it
his own.
Note, When impiety grows very impudent we may see its ruin near. 2. His exit:
He shall come to his end and none shall help him;
God shall cut him off in the midst of his days and none shall be able to prevent his fall. This is the same with that which was foretold Dan_8:25 (
He shall be broken without hand
), where we took a view of his miserable end. Note, When God's time shall come to bring proud oppressors to their end none shall be able to help them, nor perhaps inclined to help them; for those that covet to be feared by all when they are in their grandeur, when they come to be in distress will find themselves loved by none; none will lend them so much as a hand or a prayer to help them; and, if the Lord do not help, who shall?
Of the kings that came after Antiochus nothing is here prophesied, for that was the most malicious mischievous enemy to the church, that was a type of the son of perdition, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming, and none shall help him. Henry
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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May 25, 2010, 04:26:20 AM »
Daniel 12:1-13 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation
even
to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (2) And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame
and
everlasting contempt. (3) And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. (4) But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book,
even
to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
(5) Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. (6) And
one
said to the man clothed in linen, which
was
upon the waters of the river, How long
shall it be to
the end of these wonders? (7) And I heard the man clothed in linen, which
was
upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that
it shall be
for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these
things
shall be finished. (8 ) And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what
shall be
the end of these
things?
(9) And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words
are
closed up and sealed till the time of the end. (10) Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. (11) And from the time
that
the daily
sacrifice
shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up,
there shall be
a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (12) Blessed
is
he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (13) But go thou thy way till the end
be:
for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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Reply #3880 on:
May 25, 2010, 04:26:54 AM »
Daniel 12 - The proper conclusion to the great revolutions predicted in this and the following chapters is the general resurrection, of which the beginning of this chapter (to be literally understood) gives some intimation, Dan_12:1-3. Daniel is then commanded to shut up the words and to seal the book to the time of the end, Dan_12:4; and is informed of the three grand symbolical periods of a time, times, and a half, twelve hundred and ninety days and thirteen hundred and thirty-five days, Dan_12:4-12; at the end of the last of which Daniel shall rest and stand in his lot, Dan_12:13. It is generally thought by commentators that the termination of the last period is the epoch of the First resurrection. See Rev_20:4, Rev_20:5. Clarke
Daniel 12 - After the prediction of the troubles of the Jews under Antiochus, prefiguring the troubles of the Christian church under the anti-christian power, we have here, I. Comforts, and very precious ones, prescribed as cordials for the support of God's people in those times of trouble; and they are such as may indifferently serve both for those former times of trouble under Antiochus and those latter which were prefigured by them (Dan_12:1-4). II. A conference between Christ and an angel concerning the time of the continuance of these events, designed for Daniel's satisfaction (Dan_12:5-7). III. Daniel's enquiry for his own satisfaction (Dan_12:8 ). And the answer he received to that enquiry (Dan_12:9-12). Henry
Dan 12:1-4
Michael signifies, Who is like God, and his name, with the title of the great Prince, points out the Divine Saviour. Christ stood for the children of our people in their stead as a sacrifice, bore the curse for them, to bear it from them. He stands for them in pleading for them at the throne of grace. And after the destruction of antichrist, the Lord Jesus shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and He shall appear for the complete redemption of all his people. When God works deliverance from persecution for them, it is as life from the dead. When his gospel is preached, many who sleep in the dust, both Jews and Gentiles, shall be awakened by it out of their heathenism of Judaism. And in the end the multitude that sleep in the dust shall awake; many shall arise to life, and many to shame. There is glory reserved for all the saints in the future state, for all that are wise, wise for their souls and eternity. Those who turn many to righteousness, who turn sinners from the errors of their ways, and help to save their souls from death, Jam_5:20, will share in the glory of those they have helped to heaven, which will add to their own glory.
Dan 12:5-13
One of the angels asking how long it should be to the end of these wonders, a solemn reply is made, that it would be for a time, times, and a half, the period mentioned Dan_7:25, and in the Revelation. It signifies 1260 prophetic days or years, beginning from the time when the power of the holy people should be scattered. The imposture of Mohammed, and the papal usurpation, began about the same time; and these were a twofold attack upon the church of God. But all will end well at last. All opposing rule, principality, and power, shall be put down, and holiness and love will triumph, and be in honour, to eternity. The end, this end, shall come. What an amazing prophecy is this, of so many varied events, and extending through so many successive ages, even to the general resurrection! Daniel must comfort himself with the pleasing prospect of his own happiness in death, in judgment, and to eternity. It is good for us all to think much of going away from this world. That must be our way; but it is our comfort that we shall not go till God calls us to another world, and till he has done with us in this world; till he says, Go thou thy way, thou hast done thy work, therefore now, go thy way, and leave it to others to take thy place. It was a comfort to Daniel, and is a comfort to all the saints, that whatever their lot is in the days of their lives, they shall have a happy lot in the end of the days. And it ought to be the great care and concern of every one of us to secure this. Then we may well be content with our present lot, and welcome the will of God. Believers are happy at all times; they rest in God by faith now, and a rest is reserved for them in heaven at last. MHCC
Dan 12:1-4
It is usual with the prophets, when they foretel the grievances of the church, to furnish it at the same time with proper antidotes, a remedy for every malady. And no relief is so sovereign, of such general application, so easily accommodated to every case, and of such powerful efficacy, as those that are fetched from Christ and the future state; thence the comforts here are fetched.
I. Jesus Christ shall appear his church's patron and protector:
At that time,
when the persecution is at the hottest,
Michael shall stand up,
Dan_12:1. The angel had told Daniel what a firm friend Michael was to the church, Dan_10:21. He all along showed this friendship in the upper world; the angels knew it; but now
Michael shall stand
up in his providence, and work deliverance for the Jews,
when he sees that their power is gone,
Deu_32:36. Christ is
that great prince,
for he is the
prince of the kings of the earth,
Rev_1:5. And, if he stand up for his church, who can be against it? But this is not all:
At that time
(that is, soon after) Michael shall stand up for the working out of our eternal salvation; the Son of God shall be incarnate, shall be
manifested to destroy the works of the devil.
Christ
stood for the children of our people
when he was made sin and a curse for them, stood in their stead as a sacrifice, bore the cure for them, to bear it from them. He stands for them in the intercession he ever lives to make within the veil, stands up for them, and stands their friend. And after the destruction of antichrist, of whom Antiochus was a type, Christ shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth,
shall appear for the complete redemption of all his.
II. When Christ appears he will recompense tribulation to those that trouble his people. There shall
be a time of trouble,
threatening to all, but ruining to all the implacable enemies of God's kingdom among men, such
trouble as never was since there was a nation.
This is applicable. 1. To the destruction of Jerusalem, which Christ calls (perhaps with an eye to this prediction) such a
great tribulation as was not since the beginning of the world to this time,
Mat_24:21. This the angel had spoken much of (Dan_9:26, Dan_9:27); and it happened about the same time that Christ set up the gospel-kingdom in the world, that Michael our prince
stands up.
Or, 2. To the judgment of the great day, that day that shall
burn as an oven,
and consume the proud and all that do wickedly; that will be such a
day of trouble
as never was to all those whom Michael our prince stands against.
III. He will work salvation for his people:
At that time thy people shall be delivered,
delivered from the mischief and ruin designed them by Antiochus, even all those that were marked for preservation, that were
written among the living,
Isa_4:3. When Christ comes into the world he will save his spiritual Israel from sin and hell, and will, at his second coming, complete their salvation, even the salvation of as many as were given him, as many as have
their names in the book of life,
Rev_20:15. They were written there before the world, and will be
found written
there at the end of the world, when the books shall be opened.
IV. There shall be a distinguishing resurrection of those that
sleep in the dust,
Dan_12:2. 1. When God works deliverance for his people from persecution it is a kind of resurrection; so the Jews' release out of Babylon was represented in vision (Eze. 37) and so the deliverance of the Jews from Antiochus, and other restorations of the church to outward prosperity; they were as
life from the dead. Many of those
who had long slept in the dust of obscurity and calamity shall then awake, some to that life, and honour, and comfort which will be lasting, everlasting; but to others, who, when they return to their prosperity, will return to their iniquity, it will be a resurrection to shame and contempt, for the
prosperity of fools
will but expose them and destroy them. 2. When, upon the appearing of Michael our prince, his gospel is preached, many of those who
sleep in the dust,
both Jews and Gentiles, shall be awakened by it to take upon them a profession of religion, and shall rise out of their heathenism or Judaism; but, since there will be always a mixture of hypocrites with true saints, it is but some of those who are
raised to life
to whom the gospel is a
savour of life unto life,
but others will be raised by it
to shame and contempt,
to whom the gospel of Christ will be a
savour of death unto death,
and Christ himself set for their fall. The net of the gospel encloses both good and bad. But,
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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3. It must be meant of the general resurrection at the last day:
The multitude of those that sleep in the dust shall awake,
that is, all, which shall be a great many. Or,
Of those that sleep in the dust
many shall arise to life and many to shame. The Jews themselves understand this of the resurrection of the dead at the end of time; and Christ seems to have an eye to it when he speaks of the
resurrection of life
and the
resurrection of damnation
(Joh_5:29); and upon this the Jews are said by St. Paul to expect a
resurrection of the dead both of the just and of the unjust,
Act_24:15. And nothing could come in more seasonably here, for, under Antiochus's persecution, some basely betrayed their religion, others bravely adhered to it. Now it would be a trouble to them that, when the storm was over, they could neither reward the one nor punish the other; this therefore would be a satisfaction to them, that they would both be recompensed according to their works in the resurrection. And the apostle, speaking of the pious Jews that suffered martyrdom under Antiochus, tells us that though they were tortured yet they
accepted not deliverance,
because they
hoped to obtain this better resurrection,
Heb_11:35.
V. There shall be a glorious reward conferred on those who, in the day of trouble and distress, being themselves
wise,
did
instruct many.
Such were taken particular notice of in the prophecy of the persecution (Dan_11:33), that they should do eminent service, and yet should
fall by the sword and by flame;
now, if there were not another life after this, they would be
of all men most miserable,
and therefore we are here assured that they shall be recompensed
in the resurrection of the just
(Dan_12:3):
Those that are wise
(that are
teachers,
so some read it, for teachers have need of wisdom, and those that have wisdom themselves should communicate it to others)
shall shine as the brightness of the firmament,
shall shine in glory, heavenly glory, the glory of the upper world; and those that by the wisdom they have, and the instructions they give, are instrumental
to turn
any, especially to
turn many to righteousness,
shall shine
as the stars for ever and ever.
Note, 1. There is a glory reserved for all the saints in the future state, for all that are wise, wise for their souls and eternity. A man's wisdom now
makes his face to shine
(Ecc_8:1), but much more will it do so in that state where its power shall be perfected and its services rewarded. 2. The more good any do in this world, especially to the souls of men, the greater will be their glory and reward in the other world. Those that turn
men to righteousness,
that
turn sinners from the errors of their ways
and help to
save their souls from death
(Jam_5:20), will share in the glory of those they have helped to heaven, which will be a great addition to their own glory. 3. Ministers of Christ, who have obtained mercy of him to be faithful and successful, and so are made
burning and shining lights
in this world, shall shine very brightly in the other world, shall shine
as the stars.
Christ is
the sun,
the fountain, of the lights both of grace and glory; ministers, as stars, shine in both, with a light derived from him, and a diminutive light in comparison of him; yet to those that are
earthen vessels
it will be a glory infinitely transcending their deserts. They shall
shine as the stars
of different magnitudes, some in less, others in greater lustre; but, whereas the day is coming when the stars shall fall from heaven as leaves in autumn, these stars shall
shine for ever and ever,
shall never set, never be eclipsed.
VI. That this prophecy of those times, though sealed up now, would be of great use to those that should live then, Dan_12:4. Daniel must now
shut up the words and seal the book
because the
time would be long
ere these things would be accomplished: and it was some comfort that the Jewish nation, though, in the infancy of their return from Babylon, while they were few and weak, they met with obstructions in their work, were not persecuted for their religion till a long time after, when they had grown to some strength and maturity. He must
seal the book
because it would not be
understood,
and therefore would not be regarded, till the things contained in it were accomplished; but he must keep it safely, as a treasure of great value, laid up for the ages to come, to whom it would be of great service; for
many shall then run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Then this hidden treasure shall be opened, and many shall search into it, and dig for the knowledge of it, as for silver. They shall
run to and fro,
to enquire out copies of it, shall collate them, and see that they be true and authentic. They shall read it over and over, shall meditate upon it, and run it over in their minds;
discurrent
-
they shall discourse
of it, and talk it over among themselves, and compare notes about it, if by any means they may
sift out
the meaning of it; and thus
knowledge shall be increased.
By consulting this prophecy on this occasion they shall be led to
search
other
scriptures,
which shall contribute much to their advancement in useful knowledge; for
then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord,
Hos_6:3. Those that would have their knowledge increased must take pains, must not sit still in slothfulness and bare wishes but
run to and fro,
must make use of all the means of knowledge and improve all opportunities of getting their mistakes rectified, their doubts resolved, and their acquaintance with the things of God improved, to know more and to know better what they do know. And let us here see reason to hope that, 1. Those things of God which are now dark and obscure will hereafter be made clear, and easy to be understood.
Truth is the daughter of time.
Scripture prophecies will be expounded by the accomplishment of them;
therefore
they are given, and for that explication they are reserved.
Therefore
they are
told us before,
that,
when they do come to pass,
we may believe. 2. Those things of God which are despised and neglected, and thrown by as useless, shall be brought into reputation, shall be found to be of great service, and be brought into request; for divine revelation, however slighted for a time, shall be
magnified and made honourable,
and, above all, in the
judgment of the great day,
when the books shall be opened, and that book among the rest. Henry
Dan 12:5-13
Daniel had been made to foresee the amazing revolutions of states and kingdoms, as far as the Israel of God was concerned in them; in them he foresaw troublous times to the church, suffering trying times, the prospect of which much affected him and filled him with concern. Now there were two questions proper to be asked upon this head: -
When
shall the
end be?
And,
What
shall the
end be?
These two questions are asked and answered here, in the close of the book; and though the comforts prescribed in the foregoing verses, one would think, were satisfactory enough, yet, for more abundant satisfaction, this is added.
I. The question,
When shall the end be?
is asked by an angel, Dan_12:5, Dan_12:6. Concerning this we may observe,
1. Who it was that asked the question. Daniel had had a vision of Christ in his glory, the
man clothed in linen,
Dan_10:5. But his discourse had been with the angel Gabriel, and now he
looks,
and
behold other two
(Dan_12:5), two angels that he had not seen before,
one upon the bank of the river on one side and the other on the other side,
that, the river being between them, they might not whisper to one another, but what they said might be heard. Christ stood
on the waters of the river,
(Dan_12:6),
between the banks of Ulai;
it was therefore proper that the angels his attendants should stand on either bank, that they might be ready to go, one one way and the other the other way, as he should order them. These angels appeared, (1.) To adorn the vision, and make it the more illustrious; and to add to the glory of the Son of man, Heb_1:6. Daniel had not seen them before, though it is probable that they were there; but now, when they began to speak, he looked up, and saw them. Note, The further we look into the things of God, and the more we converse with them, the more we shall see of those things, and still new discoveries will be made to us; those that know much, if they improve it, shall know more. (2.) To confirm the discovery, that
out of the mouth of two or three witnesses the word might be established.
Three angels appeared to Abraham. (3.) To inform themselves, to hear and ask questions; for the mysteries of God's kingdom are things which the
angels desire to look into
(1Pe_1:12) and they are
known to the church,
Eph_3:10. Now one of these two angels said,
When shall the end be?
Perhaps they both asked, first one and then the other, but Daniel heard only one.
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daniel1212av
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2. To whom this question was put, to the
man clothed in linen,
of whom we read before (Dan_10:5), to Christ our great high priest,
who was upon the waters of the river,
and whose spokesman, or interpreter, the angel Gabriel had all this while been. This river was Hiddekel (Dan_10:4), the same with Tigris, the place whereabout many of the events prophesied of would happen; there therefore is the scene laid. Hiddekel was mentioned as one of the rivers that watered the garden of Eden (Gen_2:14); fitly therefore does Christ stand upon that river, for by him the trees in the paradise of God are watered.
Waters
signify
people,
and so his standing upon the waters denotes his dominion over all; he
sits upon the flood
(Psa_29:10);
he treads upon the waters of the sea,
Job_9:8. And Christ, to show that this was he, in the days of his flesh
walked upon the waters,
Mat_14:25. He was
above the waters of the river
(so some read it); he appeared in the air over the river.
3. What the question was:
How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
Daniel would not ask the question, because he would not pry into what was hidden, nor seem inquisitive concerning the times and the seasons, which the Father has
put in his own power,
Act_1:7. But, that he might have the satisfaction of the answer, the angel put the question in his hearing. Our Lord Jesus sometimes answered the questions which his disciples were afraid or ashamed to ask, Joh_16:19. The angel asked as one concerned,
How long shall it be?
What is the time prefixed in the divine counsels for the
end of these wonders,
these suffering trying times, that are to pass over the people of God? Note, (1.) The troubles of the church are the
wonder
of angels. They are astonished that God will suffer his church to be thus afflicted, and are anxious to know what good he will do his church by its afflictions. (2.) Good angels know no more of things to come than God is pleased to discover to them, much less do evil angels. (3.) The holy angels in heaven are concerned for the church on earth, and lay to heart its afflictions; how much more then should we, who are more immediately related to it, and have so much of our peace in its peace?
4. What answer was returned to it by him who is indeed the
numberer of secrets,
and knows things to come.
(1.) Here is a more general account given of the continuance of these troubles to the angel that made the enquiry (Dan_12:7), that they shall continue
for a time, times, and a half,
that is, a year, two years, and half a year, as was before intimated (Dan_7:25), but the one half of a prophetical week. Some understand it indefinitely, a certain time for an uncertain; it shall be
for a time
(a considerable time), for
times
(a longer time yet, double what it was thought at first that it would be), and yet indeed it shall be but
half a time,
or a part of a time; when it is over it shall seem not half so much as was feared. But it is rather to be taken for a certain time; we meet with it in the Revelation, under the title sometimes of three days and a half, put for three years and a half, sometimes forty-two months, sometimes 1260 days. Now this determination of the time is here [1.] Confirmed by an oath. The man
clothed in linen
lifted up both his hands
to heaven, and swore by him that lives for ever and ever
that it should be so. Thus the
mighty angel
whom St. John saw is brought in, with a plain reference to this vision, standing with his
right foot on the sea
and
his left foot on the earth,
and with his hand lifted up to heaven, swearing
that there shall be no longer delay,
Rev_10:5, Rev_10:6. This Mighty One that Daniel saw stood with
both feet
on the water, and swore with
both hands
lifted up. Note, An oath is of use for confirmation; God only is to be sworn by, for he is the proper Judge to whom we are to appeal; and lifting up the hand is a very proper and significant sign to be used in a solemn oath. [2.] It is illustrated with a reason. God will suffer him to prevail
till he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people.
God will suffer him to do his worst, and run his utmost length, and then
all these things shall be finished.
Note, God's time to succour and relieve his people is when their affairs are brought to the last extremity;
in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen
that Isaac is saved just when he lies ready to be sacrificed. Now the event answered the prediction; Josephus says expressly, in his book of the
Wars of the Jews,
that Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, surprised Jerusalem by force,
and held it three years and six months,
and was then
cast out of the country
by the Asmoneans or Maccabees. Christ's public ministry continued
three years and a half,
during which time he endured the contradiction of sinners against himself, and lived in poverty and disgrace; and then when his power seemed to be quite scattered at his death, and his enemies triumphed over him, he obtained the most glorious victory and said,
It is finished.
(2.) Here is something added more particularly concerning the time of the continuance of those troubles, in what is said to Daniel, Dan_12:11, Dan_12:12, where we have, [1.] The event fixed from which the time of the trouble is to be dated, from the
taking away of the daily sacrifice
by Antiochus, and the
setting up
of the image of Jupiter upon the altar, which was the
abomination of desolation.
They must reckon their troubles to begin indeed when they were deprived of the benefit of public ordinances; that was to them the
beginning of sorrows;
that was what they laid most to heart. [2.] The continuance of their trouble; it shall last 1290 days,
three years
and
seven months,
or (as some reckon)
three years, six months,
and
fifteen days;
and then, it is probable, the daily sacrifice was restored, and the abomination of desolation taken away, in remembrance of which the
feast of dedication
was observed even to our Saviour's time, Joh_10:22. Though it does not appear by the history that it was exactly so long to a day, yet it appears that the beginning of the trouble was in the 145th year of the Seleucidae, and the end of it in the 148th year; and either the restoring of the sacrifice, and the taking away of the image, were just so many days after, or some other previous event that was remarkable, which is not recorded. There are many particular times fixed in the scripture-prophecies, which it does not appear by any history, sacred or profane, that the event answered, and yet no doubt it did punctually; as Isa_16:14. [3.] The completing of their deliverance, or at least a further advance towards it, which is here set forty-five days after the former, and, some think, points at the death of Antiochus, 1335 days after his profaning the temple.
Blessed is he that waits and comes
to that time. It is said (1 Macc. 9:28; 10:1) that the Maccabees, under a divine conduct,
recovered the temple and the city.
Many good interpreters make these to be prophetical days (that is, so many years), and date them from the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; but what events they then fall upon they are not agreed. Others date them from the corruption of the gospel-worship by the antichrist, whose reign is confined in the Apocalypse to 1260 days (that is, years), at the end of which he shall begin to fall; but thirty years after he shall be quite fallen, at the end of 1290 days; and whoever lives forty years longer, to 1335 days, will see glorious times indeed. Whether it looks so far forward or no I cannot tell; but this, however, we may learn,
First,
That there is a time fixed for the termination of the church's troubles, and the bringing about of her deliverance, and that this time will be punctually observed to a day.
Secondly,
That this time must be waited for with faith and patience.
Thirdly,
That, when it comes, it will abundantly recompense us for our long expectations of it.
Blessed is he
who, having waited long, comes to it at last, for he will then have reason to say,
Lo, this is our God, and we have waited for him.
II. The question,
What shall the end be?
is asked by Daniel, and an answer given to it. Observe,
1. Why Daniel asked this question; it was because, though he
heard what was said
to the angel, yet he did not
understand
it, Dan_12:8. Daniel was a very intelligent man, and had been conversant in visions and prophecies, and yet here he was puzzled; he did not understand the meaning of the
time, times, and the part of a time,
at least not so clearly and with so much certainty as he wished. Note, The best men are often much at a loss in their enquiries concerning divine things, and meet with that which they do not
understand.
But the better they are the more sensible they are of their own weaknesses and ignorance, and the more ready to acknowledge them.
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daniel1212av
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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Reply #3883 on:
May 25, 2010, 04:30:15 AM »
2. What the question was:
O my Lord! What shall be the end of these things?
He directs his enquiry not to the angel that talked with him, but immediately to Christ, for to whom else should we go with our enquiries? What shall be the final issue of these events? What do they tend to? What will then end in? Note, When we take a view of the affairs of this world, and of the church of God in it, we cannot but think, What will be the end of these things? We see things move as if they would end in the utter ruin of God's kingdom among men. When we observe the prevalence of vice and impiety, the decay of religion, the sufferings of the righteous, and the triumphs of the ungodly over them, we may well ask,
O my Lord! what will be the end of these things?
But this may satisfy us in general, that all will end well at last. Great is the truth, and will prevail at long-run. All opposing rule, principality, and power, will be put down, and holiness and love will triumph, and be in honour, to eternity. The end, this end, will come.
3. What answer is returned to this question. Besides what refers to the time (Dan_12:11, Dan_12:12), of which before, here are some general instructions given to Daniel, with which he is dismissed from further attendance.
(1.) He must content himself with the discoveries that had been made to him, and not enquire any further:
Go thy way, Daniel;
let it suffice thee that thou has been admitted thus far to the foresight of things to come, but stop here.
Go thy way
about the king's business again, Dan_8:27.
Go thy way,
and record what thou hast seen and heard, for the benefit of posterity, and covet not to see and hear more at present. Note, Communion with God is not our continual feast in this world; we sometimes are taken to be witnesses of Christ's glory, and we say,
It is good to be here;
but we must go down from the mount, and have there no continuing city. Those that know much
know but in part,
and still see there is a great deal that they are kept in the dark about, and are likely to be so till the veil is rent; hitherto their knowledge shall go, but no further.
Go thy way, Daniel,
satisfied with what thou hast.
(2.) He must not expect that what had been said to him would be fully understood till it was accomplished:
The words are closed up and sealed,
are involved in perplexities, and are likely to be so,
till the time of the end,
till the end of these things; nay, till the end of all things. Daniel was ordered to
seal the book to the time of the end,
Dan_12:4. The Jews used to say,
When Elias comes he will tell us all things.
They are
closed up and sealed,
that is, the discovery designed to be made by them is now fully settled and completed; nothing is to be added to it nor taken from it, for it is
closed up
and
sealed;
ask not therefore after more.
Nescire velle quae magister maximus docere non vult erudita inscitia est
-
He has learned much who is willing to be ignorant of those things which the great teacher does not choose to impart.
(3.) He must count upon no other than that, as long as the world stands, there will still be in it such a mixture as now we see there is of good and bad, Dan_12:10. We long to see all wheat and no tares in God's field, all corn and no chaff in God's floor; but it will not be till the time of ingathering, till the winnowing day, comes; both must
grow together until the harvest.
As it has been, so it is, and will be,
The wicked shall do wickedly,
but
the wise shall understand.
In this, as in other things, St. John's Revelation closes as Daniel did. Rev_22:11,
He that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
[1.] There is no remedy but that wicked people
will do wickedly;
and such people there are and will be in the world to the end of time.
So said the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked
(1Sa_24:13); and the observation of the moderns says the same. Bad men will do bad things; and a
corrupt tree
will
never bring forth good fruit.
Do men
gather grapes of thorns,
or bring forth good things from an evil treasure in the heart? No; wicked practices are the natural products of wicked principles and dispositions.
Marvel not at the matter
then, Ecc_5:8. We are told, before, that the
wicked will do wickedly;
we can expect no better from them: but, which is worse,
none of the wicked shall understand.
This is either,
First,
A part of their sin. They
will not understand;
they shut their eyes against the light, and none so blind as those that will not see.
Therefore
they are
wicked
because they
will not understand.
If they did but rightly know the truths of God, they would readily obey the laws of God, Psa_82:5. Wilful sin is the effect of wilful ignorance; they
will not understand
because
they are wicked;
they
hate the light,
and come not to the light,
because their deeds are evil,
Joh_3:19. Or,
Secondly,
It is a part of their punishment; they will do wickedly, and therefore God has given them up to
blindness of mind,
and has said concerning them,
They shall not understand,
nor be
converted and healed,
Mat_13:14, Mat_13:15. God will not
give them eyes to see,
because they will do wickedly, Deu_29:4. [2.] Yet, bad as the world is, God will secure to himself a remnant of good people in it; still there shall be some, there shall be many, to whom the providences and ordinances of God shall be
a savour of life unto life,
while to others they are
a savour of death unto death. First,
the providences of God shall do them good:
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried,
by their troubles (compare Dan_11:35), by the same troubles which will but stir up the corruptions of the wicked and make them do more wickedly. Note, The afflictions of good people are designed for their trial; but by these trials they are
purified
and
made white,
their corruptions are purged out, their graces are brightened, and made both more vigorous and more conspicuous, and are
found to praise, and honour, and glory,
1Pe_1:7. To those who are themselves sanctified and good every event is sanctified, and works for good, and helps to make them better.
Secondly,
The word of God shall do them good. When the
wicked understand not,
but stumble at the word, the
wise shall understand.
Those who are wise in practice shall understand doctrine; those who are influenced and governed by the divine law and love shall be illuminated with a divine light. For if any man will
do his will
he shall
know the truth,
Joh_7:17.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser.
(4.) He must comfort himself with the pleasing prospect of his own happiness in death, in judgment, and to eternity, Dan_12:13. Daniel was now very old, and had been long engaged both in an intimate acquaintance with heaven and in a great deal of public business on this earth. And now he must think of bidding farewell to this present state:
Go thou thy way till the end be.
[1.] It is good for us all to think much of going away from this world; we are still going, and must be gone shortly, gone the way of all the earth. That must be our way; but this is our comfort, We shall not go till God calls for us to another world, and till he has done with us in this world, till he says,
Go thou thy way;
thou hast finished thy testimony, done thy work, and accomplished as a hireling thy day, therefore now,
Go thy way,
and leave it to others to take thy room. [2.] When a good man goes his way from this world he enters into rest:
Thou shalt rest
from all thy present toils and agitations, and shalt not see the evils that are coming on the next generation. Never can a child of God say more pertinently than in his dying moments,
Return unto thy rest, O my soul!
[3.] Time and days will have an end; not only our time and days will end very shortly, but all times and days will have an end at length; yet a little while, and time shall be no more, but all its revolutions will be numbered and finished. [4.] Our rest in the grave will be but
till the end of the days;
and then the peaceful rest will be happily disturbed by a joyful resurrection. Job foresaw this when he said of the dead,
Till the heavens be no more,
they
shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep,
implying that then they shall, Job_14:12. [5.] We must every one of us
stand in our lot at the end of the days.
In the judgment of the great day we must have our allotment according to what we were, and what we did, in the body, either,
Come, you blessed
or,
Go, you cursed;
and we must
stand for ever in that lot.
It was a comfort to Daniel, it is a comfort to all the saints, that, whatever their lot is in the days of time, they shall have a happy lot in
the end of the days,
shall have their
lot among the chosen.
And it ought to be the great care and concern of every one of us to secure a happy lot at last in the
end of the days,
and they we may well be content with our present lot, welcome the will of God. [6.] A believing hope and prospect of a blessed lot in the heavenly Canaan, at the end of the days, will be an effectual support to us when we are going our way out of this world, and will furnish us with living comforts in dying moments. Henry
The end of the book of Daniel.
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nChrist
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Re: Read-Post Through the Bible
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Reply #3884 on:
May 25, 2010, 05:06:05 AM »
Hello Brother Daniel,
I want to thank you for your posts. The current ones have been very timely. I've studied Daniel several times in the last few years, and I sincerely think that the time is growing near for the Tribulation Period. In fact, the world appears to be a powder keg right now, and the fuses just might be lit. If so, so be it - LORD come quickly.
Love In Christ,
Tom
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