Revelation Decoded - Daniel’s Beasts, and the Apocalypse Deciphered (Part 1)
The Book of Daniel
In order to understand the Book of Revelation, one must understand the symbols that are alluded to. The origin of some of the most relevant symbolism is found in the Book of Daniel. Strictly speaking, though it is not necessary to read this section pertaining to the Book of Daniel, reading it will provide a basis for a more complete understanding of the Book of Revelation.
The Book of Daniel was written by the prophet Daniel while the Israelites were in Babylonian, and later Median/Persian captivity, during 605 BC - 535 BC.
The explanations of the symbolic prophesies that are addressed here are not based on modern interpretations, but rather, they are founded on historical understandings and events. The majority of the prophecies are not complicated, especially as Daniel has already expounded on large sections of them.
The sections of the Book of Daniel that do not pertain to prophecy and symbolism will not be covered, as they are already plainly comprehensible.
The Dream of the Statue (Daniel, Chapter Two)
The first prophecy appears in the form of a dream of Nebuchadnezzar’s. Daniel related the dream, saying that in the dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a large statue: The image’s head was of gold, its chest and arms were of silver, its torso and thighs were of brass (or copper), and its legs were of iron, with feet that were part iron and part clay. In the dream, a stone that was not cut by man struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and crumbled them. The whole statue then crumbled and was carried away by the wind, and there was no room left for it on the earth because the stone became a huge mountain and filled the entire earth.
Directly following this passage, Daniel explained the meaning of the dream, saying that Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom is the head of gold, and after him another kingdom would arise that is represented by the chest and arms of silver. Following that kingdom, there would arise a third kingdom represented by the brass, and it would bear rule over the whole earth. A fourth kingdom would follow represented by the iron, and as the strength of iron breaks and subdues all things, it would be just as strong. The clay represented the fact that the fourth kingdom would be divided, since the iron would not mix with the clay.
The kingdoms portrayed here are Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, and the clay represents the fact that Roman law and customs would not mix well with the cultures of the nations Rome conquered.
Daniel explained that the stone that was not cut by human hands represented the spiritual Messianic kingdom that would arrive during the Roman Empire: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Daniel 2:44
The Dream of the Tree (Daniel, Chapter Four)
In verses twenty through twenty-seven, the second dream of Nebuchadnezzar is explained in detail by Daniel, so it does not seem of value to re-explain it here. However, it is worth noting that Daniel’s explanation of the dream was that Nebuchadnezzar would go insane and act like an animal for seven years, if he did not turn from his iniquities. The passage goes on to say that Nebuchadnezzar did not mend his ways and after twelve months, he went insane for seven years. This is somewhat tricky as historical records have not indicated that Nebuchadnezzar went insane – possibly something Nebuchadnezzar would not have wanted recorded. There are a few ways to reason this, however: Eusebius, a fourth century historian, recorded that Abydenus recorded that Megasthenes (born circa 350 BC) stated that after conquering other nations, Nebuchadnezzar went up to his palace and was possessed by a god. Since certain cultures view psychological disorders as possession by some sort of divine spirit, it is therefore quite possible that the madness of Nebuchadnezzar would have been looked on as such, hence explaining this record. Also, a tablet at the British Museum (BM34113) is often purported as a record of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity, but the meaning of that fragment of text is very uncertain. The most likely explanation is that ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ was a name used by Nabonidus, or at the very least used by the Jews as a name for Nabonidus. It would also make sense that Nabonidus sometimes chose to use that name in order to optically strengthen his claim to the throne. Nabonidus was the penultimate king of Babylon, and spent about seven to ten years in self-exile in Tayma. There is even evidence for Nabonidus being afflicted with madness. This is based on fragments found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, known as, “The Prayer of Nabonidus”. The text speaks of Nabonidus having a disease for seven years, which only left after he had been pardoned by a diviner who was a Jew from among those held in exile. Nabonidus was told by the Jewish diviner to glorify and exalt the Name of the Most High God, which concurs exactly with chapter four of the Book of Daniel, verse thirty-four to the end of the chapter. The Jewish diviner referred to, was likely Daniel. This theory makes the most sense, as the son of Nabonidus was Belshazzar, and Belshazzar is said to be king in the following chapter of the Book of Daniel.
[Sidenote: The Book of Daniel is not a record of all events during the Babylonian captivity, and thus does not mention every king. For instance, Jeremiah mentions King Evil-Merodach (Amel-Marduk), but he is not mentioned in the Book of Daniel.]
[Sidenote: Within this passage, a tree is used as symbolism for ‘Nebuchadnezzar’. A ‘tree’ has been, and still is, a common symbol used to describe a person or persons, for example, see Psalm 1:3, Matthew 3:10, John 15:4-5, Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 2:21. Also, examples of modern usage would be ‘family tree’, and the word ‘plant’, which can mean a ‘spy’, or ‘embedded concealed operative’.]
The Four Beasts (Daniel, Chapter Seven)
The next prophecy comes in the form of a vision seen by Daniel. In the vision, four beasts came up out of the sea. The first beast was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. Its wings were plucked, and it was taken from the earth. The second beast resembled a bear and it stood to one side, and there were three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. The third beast was like a leopard and it had the four wings of a bird on its back, as well as four heads, and dominion was given to it. The fourth beast is described as being dreadful and exceedingly strong, with huge iron teeth. It ate, crushed, and trampled the rest with its feet, and it was different from all the other beasts, and it had ten horns. Out of those ten horns there came up a small horn with eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and three of the other horns were plucked out before it. Because of the arrogant words the horn spoke, the beast was then slain by God, and its body destroyed. Then one like a man appeared with the clouds of heaven, and he was given from God eternal dominion over all nations, and his kingdom would not be destroyed.
An angel then interpreted the vision for Daniel in the following manner: The four beasts are four kingdoms that would arise from the earth, and after them the holy ones would inherit an eternal kingdom.
The angel then explained the fourth beast, but did not explain the other beasts, although they are not difficult to understand. The first beast represents the Kingdom of Babylon, as a lion was the symbol of Babylon. Its wings being plucked and it being taken from the earth is an allusion to its downfall, and end. The second beast, the bear, is the Kingdom of Persia; however, elsewhere it is compared to a wolf: “Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the deserts shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities...” Jeremiah 5. The meaning of the bear standing on one side represents the Kingdom of Media reigning for one year before Persia overcame it. The three ribs in its mouth between its teeth likely refer to the provinces of Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt, or Babylon, Egypt, and Greece. The third beast represents the Grecian Empire, and the four wings represents the empire spreading in all directions. The four heads of the beast represent the four main generals who took over after the death of Alexander the Great, and also the four Grecian kingdoms that arose (Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Macedonian, and Pergamum).
The fourth beast with iron teeth that crushed the other beasts represents the Roman Empire, and the ten horns are explained to be ten kings that would arise from that empire. The horn that three other horns fell before is the last horn (the tenth, a new dynasty), and was different from the first horns. The tenth ruler of the Roman Empire was Vespasian who proclaimed himself divine, allegedly performed miracles, and during whose reign the Second Temple was destroyed. He also ordered that all the descendants of the royal line of David be hunted down. Hence, why it is said as a description of the tenth horn, “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and he shall oppress the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws...”
The three horns that were subdued before him were the three Caesars that all died due to civil war in the year that Vespasian became Emperor. Indeed, 69 AD is known as ‘The Year of the Four Emperors’.
[Side note: ‘Ten’ is also a number of completion, so while it specifically had to do with the first ten emperors within the time of the Second Temple, the ten horns also applies overarchingly to the whole of the Roman Emperors, and to the Roman Empire itself.]
The one like a man who appears in the clouds of heaven and is given an eternal kingdom over all nations is the Messiah, and his kingdom is the spiritual Kingdom of God.
[Sidenote: Even if one were to believe the critics of the Book of Daniel and place its writing within the late Hellenistic Age, this still would not explain the precision of some of the prophecies. For instance, if one were to put the prophecy of the four beasts into plain speech, it would read something like this:
‘Including the current kingdom, there shall arise four kingdoms. The third kingdom will arise under one leader, but afterwards, be divided four ways. Of the fourth kingdom, the tenth king that shall rule it will come into power when the three kings prior to him have been subdued. Also, during the fourth kingdom, a spiritual kingdom of God will arise, and it will last forever.’
If one does not accept the critics’ inaccurate dating of the Book of Daniel, then there are several other astounding prophesies, not the least of which are the ones in chapter eleven, which are a complete chronological list of major events between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms – to be shown in due course.]
[Sidenote: Historically, the meanings of the prophecies were understood so well, that even prior to the the time of Alexander the Great, the Jews were already expecting the rise of the Grecian Empire and a Grecian emperor, or prince. When the army of Alexander the Great came to Jerusalem, the Jews came out of Jerusalem to greet him, and showed him Daniel’s prophesies concerning him.]
The Ram and the He Goat (Daniel, Chapter Eight)
The next prophecy also comes in the form of a vision of Daniel’s. In the vision, there is a ram standing beside a river. The ram has two horns, with one of the horns being higher than the other, and the higher horn sprouted last. The ram grew and did according to its own will; no one could stand in its way, and no one could save anyone from its power. As Daniel was contemplating the ram, a he-goat came from the west, and covered the surface of the entire earth. The he-goat had a notable horn between its eyes. The he-goat ran toward the horned ram with great fury, and fought with it, and broke its horns. Then the he-goat became very great, and when he was great, the horn broke, and in its stead sprouted four other horns. Out of one of the four horns sprouted a little horn, which became very great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the beautiful land (that is, Jerusalem). He became powerful, and cast down some of the host of heaven and some of the stars, and trampled them. And he exalted himself even to the position of being the leader of the host, and by him was the daily sacrifice taken away, and the sanctuary cast down. Because of transgressions, a time of hard service was given to oppose the daily sacrifice, and he (the little horn) cast the truth down to the ground, and prospered.
Then a holy one asked another holy one how long this vision would be, concerning daily sacrifices, and the transgression of desolation that permits the sanctuary and the host to be trampled. And the other holy one said to Daniel, until evening and morning of two thousand, three hundred, and then the holy would be made righteous.
Gabriel the angel then came to Daniel to explain the vision, and said that the vision concerned an appointed end of a time.
The ram that Daniel saw which had two horns, Gabriel said were the kings of Media and Persia, and the goat was the kingdom of Greece, with the great horn being the first king. As for when the Grecian horn was broken and when four stood up in its place, Gabriel said this represented four kingdoms that would arise from that nation, but without its power. And in a later time when transgressors reached their fullness, a king would arise, one who could discern dark sayings. He would become powerful, but not by his own strength, and would cause devastation and destroy the mighty and the holy people. Under his rule he would cause deceit to prosper, and in his inner self he would exalt himself, and destroy many, and he would rise even against the Prince of princes, but without success.
Then Gabriel said that the vision concerning the two thousand and three hundred days was true, but to seal it up, for it regarded a distant future.
The horns of the ram are already explained to be the kings of Media and Persia. The reason for the one horn being higher in the vision, is because Persia was greater, and lasted after the empire of Media. The reason for the higher horn sprouting last is because the Persian Empire was preceded by the Median Empire. The he-goat is explained to be the kingdom of Greece. The first king of the kingdom of Greece would be Alexander the Great. The four smaller horns that sprouted from the broken horn are the four kingdoms that arose from Greece: the Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Macedonian, and Pergamum kingdoms. The little horn that comes from one of the four horns is Antiochus IV Epiphanes. His gaining of power, though not through his own strength, represents how he stole the throne after pretending to be co-regent with Seleucus IV’s infant son. His stretching toward the beautiful land regards his rule over Jerusalem. The heavenly host is symbolic for God’s people; in this instance, meaning the Children of Israel. And ‘stars’ are used to symbolize leaders, as seen in verse three of chapter twelve. (In actuality, stars have historically also been used for navigation, and in regard to groups like the Magi, they were viewed as guidance for knowledge of events and times.) Trampling the stars and hosts of heaven would be representative of Antiochus’ massacre of the Jews. His exalting of himself to the leader of the host, taking away daily sacrifice, casting down the sanctuary, casting down the truth, and causing deceit to prosper, etc., represents Antiochus banning Jewish sacrifice, trying to replace the Jewish religion, rededicating the Temple to Zeus, setting up an idol in the Temple, causing the sacrifice of swine to take place in the Temple, and replacing the high priest with a corrupt individual, among other things. The amount of evenings and days (two thousand, three hundred) that concern the end of the vision, relate to the amount of time between Antiochus making Menelaus high priest (circa 171 BC), Antiochus raiding the temple circa 170/169 BC, and the capture of Jerusalem by the Maccabees, as well as the reconsecration of the Temple sanctuary (Hanukkah) in 164 BC, all of which took roughly six years and three months, that is, two thousand, three hundred days. The use of ‘evening and morning’ to describe a day is found similarly in Genesis 1, Exodus 24:18, and Matthew 12:40, showing a complete day.
The Seventy Week Prophecy (Daniel, Chapter Nine)
*This first section will be a simple breakdown of the seventy-week prophecy, but as this prophecy has been subject to much confusion, a longer explanation with relevant textual references shall follow.
In the year of the reign of King Darius of Mede (commonly thought to be Cyaxres II), Daniel was thinking of the seventy years of Babylonian captivity prophesied by Jeremiah. During his reflection, he was given a prophecy that is referred to as the, ‘Prophecy of Seventy Weeks’.
‘Weeks’, means a cycle of seven years. The Jews counted in intervals of seven years, with the seventh year known as a ‘Shemitah year’ or ‘Sabbath year’.
The Daniel 9:23-27 Prophecy:
“At the beginning of thy supplications a word came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Holy of Holies. Know therefore and understand, that from the emergence of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem unto an anointed ruler shall be seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after sixty and two weeks an anointed one shall be cut off, and he shall be no more: and the city and the sanctuary shall be brought to ruin by the people of the coming ruler; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall strengthen the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and on the extremity of abominations shall be desolation, even until the consummation, and that which is determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
The Hebrew word used for “word” in “the word to restore and build Jerusalem”, is ‘dabar’, which is also used in regards to this prophecy itself, as the angel says “At the beginning of thy supplications a word (dabar) came forth”. The beginning of the weeks starts with the “word” given to Jeremiah, which earlier in this chapter, Daniel connected to the destruction of Jerusalem (587 BC).
The first seven weeks of years (forty-nine years) starts at the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC and ends with the arrival of Cyrus the Great and the subsequent departure of the Jews to Jerusalem in 535 BC, which was also the end of the seventy years of captivity (2nd Chronicles 36:21-22). Technically, that adds up to fifty-two years and a half, but the extra three years and a half would not be counted here as they do not make a complete Shemitah cycle. The anointed ruler is Cyrus the Great, as the Book of Isaiah, chapter forty-five says, “Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;”
The next sixty-two weeks of years (four hundred and thirty-four years) is said to begin when the walls and fortifications were built at Jerusalem; as it says, “the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” It took about 102 years to complete the building of Jerusalem, as the fortifications were only completed during the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, when Nehemiah was in Jerusalem. (Construction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple had halted during the reign of Cambyses II, and only recommenced in the second year of Darius the Great.) However, Jerusalem was not properly restored during that time. Nehemiah lamented that Jewish men had married foreign wives contrary to the law of the Torah, which he also noted as the cause of the fall of Solomon.
It would be a mistake, and constitute a superficial reading of the text to think that the prophecy was only in regard to physical rebuilding, as integral to the ‘word’ given to Jeremiah, more than even the return to Jerusalem, was the return unto the Lord and His precepts. (Jeremiah 24:5-7, 29:12-14, 30:3, 8-10)
So the restoring of Jerusalem also implied Jerusalem’s spiritual restoration. What Nehemiah lamented about would only be rectified while Ezra was in Jerusalem during the reign of Artaxerxes II, about 399/398 BC. However, since 397 BC was a Sabbath year (the last year of a Shemitah cycle), then the sixty-two weeks of years would be counted from 403 BC. (397 BC as a Sabbath year can be ascertained in two ways which will be reviewed later.) Four hundred and thirty-four years from 403 BC would end with 31 AD, the year that John the Baptist was executed, which is spoken of with “an anointed one shall be cut off, and he shall be no more”.
The city and sanctuary brought to ruin, or corrupted by the people of the coming ruler, refers to the civil and moral decay at that point, especially from the places of power (Herod Antipas, and the high priests of that time).
The one week does not follow precisely right after, and context is required for its meaning. The passage speaks of the covenant being strengthened for one week, but that in the midst of that week sacrifice and oblation would cease. The one week is divided, explaining the extra three and a half years connected to the first fifty-two years. The strengthening of the covenant refers to the reestablishment of the covenant which had to do with the return to Jerusalem in 535 BC. The second half of the week regards the ministry and crucifixion of Christ, ending roughly in 33 AD. Notice, that in relation to Christ, the consummation of the whole of the seventy weeks encompasses, “finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness”. The ceasing of sacrifice and oblation is because Christ was the ultimate sacrifice. With the mention of the ‘sanctuary’, the imagery used is of desolation being poured upon the Temple. The imagery of the Temple is symbolic of the Messiah, since the Messiah was God’s presence made manifest. Christ evoked this symbolism when he referred to himself as the Temple. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.” John 2:19-22
This prophecy is also why Christ said to forgive seventy times seven, as he was saying to forgive always, as unto the reconciliation of all iniquity – essentially, also insinuating that the seventy sevens of years spoken of in the Book of Daniel referred to the price that he would bear.
The ‘desolation’ refers to Christ’s death on the cross and can be further shown with Isaiah 53 (and Acts 8:26-37), and typified by the scapegoat of Yom Kippur.
Longer Explanation and Important Details
Some Biblical text examples of the ‘week’ of years, or Shemitah cycle:
“But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.... And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.” Leviticus 25:4, 8
“At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD'S release.” Deuteronomy 15:1-2
“...and that we would leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.” Nehemiah 10:31
Common Errors
There are a number of common interpretations for the prophecy of seventy weeks, but almost all of them have major flaws in their interpretations. The common Christian interpretation connects the prophecy to Christ, but in an incorrect way, and the common Jewish interpretation connects it to the fall of the Herodian Temple, which historically is not a viable interpretation.
The prophecy regards the Messiah, which is not at all arbitrary, as two of the earlier prophecies of the Book of Daniel mentioned an everlasting kingdom, and a man coming with the clouds of heaven.
For reasons that are evident and will be explained shortly, there is no possible way that the prophecy is referring to the Herodian Temple, namely, the Second Temple. In addition, there is a small textual reason why it does not make sense to apply it to the destruction of the Second Temple. The earlier prophecy (that of the fourth beast, and ten horns) which partly has to do with the time of Vespasian, does not even make mention of the Temple. Had the destruction of the Herodian Temple been prophetically important, it would have been made clearly evident. Also, in chapter eight and chapter eleven, the desecration of the Second Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, was written in a manner that leaves no room for differing interpretations – had the future destruction of the Second Temple also been of prophetic importance at the time of the writing of the Book of Daniel, it would have been expounded on in similar detail.
The common Christian interpretation relies on three main errors:
1. One error is the combining of the first ‘seven weeks’ and ‘sixty-two weeks’ into one event. Had those groups of weeks been intended to be counted together, they would have been written as ‘sixty-nine weeks’, not as ‘seven’ and ‘sixty-two’.
[The “weeks” are event specific, so to combine the ‘weeks’ into a straightforward four hundred and ninety year event would be ignoring the text. Or, further to that, in other commonly promoted so-called Christian versions, a four hundred and eighty-three year event, as the final week is often left unexplained.]
2. This interpretation primarily relies on creating a new type of year based on weak conjecture, as counting with regular 365 day years would not provide the desired outcome. Part of the creation of the so-called ‘prophetic years’ of 360 days is based on a passage from the Book of Revelation, and that passage will be made clear later in the following section regarding the Book of Revelation. An attempt to make a new type of year from that passage would be a complete misconstruing of the text. The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar; however, in order to line up to the seasons, it adjusts to the solar calendar, making some years 354 days and others as long as 385 days. Thus, one leap year occurring approximately every three years makes up for the difference in the other years – counting Hebrew years would be the same as counting with 365 day years. And as early as in the Book of Genesis, using both the sun and the moon to determine years is apparent: “Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens... and let them be for signs and for appointed seasons and for days and years.” Genesis 1:15
3. This interpretation also relies on mistranslation and misinterpretation of some of the verses.
Jewish Version:
The common Jewish interpretation relies on removing 165 years from history altogether, basically shortening the Persian Empire from roughly 220 years to 67 years. Instead of the Babylonian captivity starting in 605 BC, the late second century Jewish records place it at about 442 BC, and instead of the Second Temple starting to be built in about 535 BC, they have it placed in 370 BC. The reason for the accidental neglect of these years in Jewish tradition, is most likely due to the Biblical record only mentioning the reign of certain Persian kings, and only counting those years of reign, would greatly reduce the timeline of other events. The common Jewish interpretation also relies on some odd translating of certain verses in the Book of Daniel, in order to more easily align with the interpretation.
[The main mistranslations will be explained in due course.]
Longer Explanation of the Prophecy
The starting point for the first seven weeks is actually correct in the common Jewish interpretation, as it starts with the destruction of Jerusalem in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar II, and ends with the arrival of Cyrus the Great and the subsequent departure of the Israelites to Jerusalem.
The word to restore, spoken of in Daniel 9:25, is connected to the prophetic word given to Jeremiah, and not to the proclamation of any king. The Hebrew word used is ‘dabar’ (דָבָר), which is not used in regard to Cyrus's proclamation, but is used when Daniel writes, “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, discerned by the writings the number of the years which came by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that would fulfill the destruction of Jerusalem, seventy years.” Daniel 9:2
Note that Daniel connects ‘the word of the Lord’ and the ‘destruction of Jerusalem’.
[Sidenote: A more accessible rendering could be:
‘In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, discerned by the writings the number of the years which came by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that would fulfill the seventy years since the destruction of Jerusalem.’
Daniel is not associating the start of the seventy years of exile with the destruction of Jerusalem, but rather mentioning it as a marker – noting how long Jerusalem would remain in that condition, that is, in ruins. The word used for ‘destruction’ is associated with the ruin of a physical place, so it is not referring to the subjugation.]
605 BC marks the starting point for Nebuchadnezzar’s reign and the first carrying away of the Israelites, including Daniel, into Babylonian captivity. The fall of Jerusalem was recorded to have been in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, which would then have been 587 BC. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied seventy years of captivity which is what Daniel was thinking of when Gabriel appeared before him with the prophecy.
“Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. ...And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” Jeremiah 25:8-9, 11
“For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” Jeremiah 29:10
Those seventy years ended with Cyrus the Great conquering Babylon, as it was said:
“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia....” Ezra 1:1
“To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.” 2 Chronicles 36:21-23
This means that from the time of the fall of Jerusalem to the time of Cyrus, would have to be fifty-two years, placing the official end of Babylonian captivity in 535 BC.
Technically, seven weeks equals forty-nine years, but since the extra three years are not a full Sabbath cycle, they would not be counted here as an eighth week.
Cyrus the Great was the first “anointed one”:
“Know therefore and understand, that from the emergence of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem unto an anointed ruler shall be seven weeks...” Daniel 9:25
The common Christian interpretation translates “anointed” as ‘Messiah’, but using that logic, any scripture that has ‘anointed one’ or ‘anointed’ referring to a person or object, would also be translated as ‘Messiah’. Technically it can be translated as ‘messiah’, but it would only be able to be rendered as ‘a messiah’, not as ‘the Messiah’.
Cyrus, as the first ‘anointed one’ is further shown to be accurate since he was prophesied beforehand in the Book of Isaiah, chapter forty-five, verse one,“Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;”
The verse in Daniel goes on to speak of the sixty-two weeks, and the fortifications being built, and Jerusalem being restored:
“...and sixty and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”
It took about 102 years to complete the building of Jerusalem, as the fortifications were only completed during the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, when Nehemiah was in Jerusalem. (Construction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple had halted during the reign of Cambyses II, and only recommenced in the second year of Darius the Great.) However, Jerusalem was not properly restored during that time. Nehemiah lamented that Jewish men had married foreign wives contrary to the law of the Torah, which he also noted as the cause of the fall of Solomon.
It would be in error, and constitute a superficial reading of the text to think that the prophecy was only in regard to physical rebuilding, as integral to the ‘word’ given to Jeremiah, more than even the return to Jerusalem was the return unto the Lord and His precepts:
“Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good. For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up. And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.” Jeremiah 24:5-7
“For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.” Jeremiah 29:10-14
“For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. ...For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them. Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.” Jeremiah 30:3, 8-10
Restoring Jerusalem is clearly more than just the physical walls, as the “emergence of the word” connects also to Jerusalem’s spiritual restoration. What Nehemiah lamented would only be rectified during the time of Ezra, specifically during the reign of Artaxerxes II.
Dating the Book of Ezra
In the Book of Ezra, Artaxerxes II is only listed as ‘Artaxerxes king of Persia’, and hence the confusion that the Book of Ezra is a record of events that came before the time of Nehemiah in the reign of Artaxerxes I. There are three very clear reasons indicating that that timeline for Ezra would not make sense. First, it would not make sense that Nehemiah would be lamenting something that Ezra had supposedly rectified 13-25 years earlier (the marriage of Jews to foreign women in disobedience to the Law). Secondly, there is no mention in the Book of Ezra of Jerusalem’s fortifications being down, as prominent in the Book of Nehemiah. And finally, Ezra mentions Johanan, the son of Eliashib, who was the high priest during the reign of Darius II, and Artaxerxes II, whereas the Book of Nehemiah mentions Eliashib as the high priest. Had the account of Ezra’s visit to Jerusalem in the Book of Ezra come before the events in the Book of Nehemiah, then Ezra would have spoken of Eliashib, and not Johanan.
The person named ‘Ezra’ mentioned in the Book of Nehemiah is possibly the same Ezra of the Book of Ezra, but that would have been from an earlier time when he was in Jerusalem, which is not recounted in the Book of Ezra. Ezra would have known that those events were already recorded in the Book of Nehemiah; hence his leaving them out of his own writing.
[Sidenote: The subsequent passage from the Book of Ezra can seem confusing as it appears at first glance to be speaking of four different kings -- it is only speaking of three, as two of the names are being used as titles for the king of Persia.
“And hired counsellers against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in Aramaic, and explained in Aramaic.” Ezra 4:5-7
‘Artaxerxes’, and ‘Ahasuerus’ are being used here as titles for the current king of the Persian Empire, possibly as a means not to confuse Cambyses II with Cambyses I.
The title ‘Artaxerxes’ is also used with regard to Cyrus and Darius in chapter six, verse fourteen. It is possibly used to differentiate Darius from ‘Darius the Mede’, but more likely just as a royal title:
“...And they built, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and by the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.”
The vav prefix in front of a word in Hebrew, in this instance in front of ‘Artaxerxes’, does not always mean it is an additional entity.
For further proof of all this, notice that ‘Ahasuerus’ and the first mention of ‘Artaxerxes’ in the fourth chapter of the Book of Ezra, are not followed by ‘the king of Persia’, which is not typical, as everywhere else in the Book of Ezra when introducing the Persian king, that line, or a similar title is directly connected.]
397 BC as a Sabbath Year
The sixty-two weeks would then begin at the time Ezra came to Jerusalem, approximately within the years 399-398 BC. Now, although Daniel’s seventy week prophecy does not include Jubilee years on the fiftieth year, as it is simply weeks of years, and hence can be argued that it is not meant to line up with the actual Shemitah cycles, it also would not make sense to begin counting in the middle of a Shemitah cycle. Since 397 BC was a Sabbath year, the counting of sixty-two weeks of years (434 years) would begin on 403 BC.
[Sidenote: Debate exists regarding whether the Jubilee year was an additional year or if it was the first year of the next Shemitah cycle. If it were the case that the Jubilee year was also the first of the next forty-nine, then it could be argued that the prophecy’s weeks line up with Shemitah cycles – however, this would not change the understanding of the prophecy, but is simply be an interesting concept.]
403 BC as the new year in a Sabbath year cycle can be enumerated in two ways:
According to Maimonides, the thirteenth year of the Second Temple was designated as a Sabbath year, with the following year being recognized as an unobserved Jubilee year. Since the Second Temple was completed in the sixth year of Darius (517 BC), the thirteenth year of the Temple would be 505 BC, with the following unobserved Jubilee year being 504 BC. Counting Shemitahs and unobserved Jubilees from 503 BC indicates 404 BC as a year of Jubilee, with 403 BC beginning the new cycle. Another, and more likely way in which 403 BC can be reckoned, is from the twentieth year of Artaxerxes I (446 BC), since Nehemiah made the nobles and rulers give back all the property and interest that they had taken from other Jews. Nehemiah then reestablished the Sabbath years. It is said: “and we shall abandon the land during the seventh year and the exacting of every debt.” Nehemiah 10:31 By that reckoning, 403 BC would also be the beginning of a Sabbath year cycle.
The end of the sixty-two weeks would be the year 31 AD.
John The Baptist as The Second Anointed One, and Christ as The Temple:
The next part of the prophecy states that after sixty-two weeks, an anointed will be cut off, and he will be no more. “Be no more” is often translated in Christian Bibles as, “but not for himself”, yet that is an extremely poor, inaccurate translation. Again, the terminology in this passage is not talking about the Messiah, but just about an anointed one, which in 31 AD would mean that it is in reference to John the Baptist, known as the spiritual Elijah (Matthew 11:14, Luke 1:17). Or as John the Baptist said, “...I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah.” John 1:23. Also, Zacharias’s prophecy concerning John, “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;” Luke 1:76
The “war” that is mentioned in this passage is figurative, and might be better understood with the words, ‘battle’, or ‘onslaught’.
The next section might not have been fully understood at the time of Daniel, but would have made complete sense at its fulfillment. Poor translation makes it challenging to understand, as it has been most often translated to be about the Second Temple. It is inaccurate to translate "מְשֹׁמֵ֔ם" here as ‘desolator’, as it is more simply rendered as ‘desolation’. Within the context of the “sanctuary” and “sacrifice”, ‘desolation being poured on the temple’ would be the implied meaning of the second half of Daniel 9:27.
[Sidenote: Technically, this could conceivably also be translated as, ‘shall be one made desolate’, but based on the context, ‘shall be desolation’ makes more sense.]
The image of the Temple is symbolic here for the Messiah. The Temple was created as a place for God to physically dwell – a place for God to tabernacle. The Messiah, or Christ, is God physically manifest in human nature, and hence the ‘Temple’.
Christ referred to himself as the Temple:
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.” John 2:19-22
This idea is also seen in a lesser form with ‘a temple of the Holy Spirit’:
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
The distinction being that this passage above is describing one’s body becoming a tabernacle because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, whereas the Messiah was God fully manifest. (Similarly seen in 2 Corinthians 5:1-8.)
When John writes, “The Logos became flesh and dwelt among us”, it can also very easily be translated as, ‘tabernacled among us’, since the Greek word used (‘ἐσκήνωσεν’) means ‘to pitch a tent’, and the Tabernacle was the tent where God’s presence would dwell prior to the First Temple.
[‘Tabernacle’ comes from Latin word for ‘tent’, or ‘hut’, and the Hebrew word for the Tabernacle, ‘Mishkan’, meaning, ‘dwelling place’. “And let them make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst.” Exodus 25:8]
The Book of Revelation also speaks of Christ as being the Temple of God: “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” Revelation 21:22
The desolation to the Temple is figurative of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It is very fitting with the prophecy of Isaiah 53 which speaks of the Messiah’s sacrifice for the sake of others:
“...Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
All the old covenant sacrifices typified Christ’s sacrifice (Book of Hebrews, 10:1-18), but the desolation aspect seen in the seventy-week prophecy can be best seen with the scapegoat of Yom Kippur:
“And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. ...And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.” Leviticus 16:7-10, and 20-22
One tradition retells that after the High Priest had laid the sins of the people on the scapegoat, it was to be led to a cliff in the desert where it would plunge to its death. ‘Scapegoat’ is derived from the word ‘Azazel’, most commonly believed to mean either ‘a steep, rugged, or hard place’, or a combination of ‘goat (ez)’ and ‘away (azal)’. Essentially, the goat was to have the desolations put upon it, and then to be driven into the desert, or desolate place.
As well as speaking of himself as the Temple, Christ evoked this passage of Daniel when he said to “forgive”... “until seventy times seven” in Matthew 18:21-22, meaning to forgive always, as the seventy weeks leads to “...to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness...” Daniel 9:24. Christ was again connecting the prophecy of Daniel to himself, as Christ was the guarantor.
Notice also in the book of Matthew, chapter five, Christ evokes the fulfillment mentioned in the Book of Daniel:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
The fulfillment of which was on the cross, as before Christ gave up his spirit, he said, “It is finished”. John 19:30
[It may seem strange to some that the consummation of this prophecy, the coming of the kingdom of God, would be marked by the Crucifixion and Passion of Christ, rather than the Resurrection, but note also that the gospel of Luke (and the gospels of Mark, and Matthew) record that at the Last Supper, Christ said, “I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.” Then as the gospel of John (and the gospels of Mark, and Matthew) record, right before Christ said, “It is finished” and gave up his spirit, he was given and drank of a sponge soaked with vinegar.
“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:28-30]
That same passage of Daniel says, “And he shall strengthen the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,...”
The context here is key, as the “strengthen the covenant” would have been understood to apply to the reestablishment of the covenant after the returning from the seventy years of Babylonian captivity. Hence explaining the extra three years and some months (half week) attached to the first seven weeks, since that was the start of the spiritual restoration in fulfillment of the prophecies of Jeremiah. (After the seventy years of Babylonian captivity, the covenant was simply the reestablishment of the previous Mosaic Covenant, not a new covenant.) This means that the one week is split (divided), with the second half of the week only falling after the sixty-two weeks, and referring to the ministry, and sacrifice and passion of Christ.
In terms of historical dating, this means Jesus Christ was likely crucified in 33 AD.
[Sidenote: Although three years and some months directly after 31 AD could lead to around 35 AD, it has to be understood that these events, unlike the earlier passage where it says “after the sixty-two weeks”, are not specified to happen at the end, but rather implied to happen during the half week. Also, just like the sixty-two weeks did not follow right after the first seven weeks, but rather connected to a certain event, this half week is also bound around the events of Christ’s ministry, and can thus be argued as not having to come after the end of the sixty-two weeks. That said, either explanation for the start of the half week yields the same meaning.]
The end of sacrifice and oblation is because Christ was the ultimatum; his sacrifice was the only sacrifice that could permanently remove the sins of the world, and was marked by the establishment of the New Covenant. The Old Covenant sacrifices of animals were only to typify the sacrifice of the Messiah, and could never truly bear, or remove sin. After Christ’s sacrifice, the practice of the Mosaic Covenant animal sacrifices became null and void. For a further symbolic sign of the end of the Mosaic Covenant, the curtain to the Holy of Holies in the Temple was torn when Christ died. “And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.” Luke 23:45 “And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.” Mark 15:38 “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;” Matthew 27:51.
This strengthening, and then setting up of a new covenant is paralleled in the book of Jeremiah. Directly following the passages about returning from captivity and seeking the Lord, the Lord promises to set up a “new covenant” with Israel and Judea, one that will be permanent, and says that He will remember their sin no more (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
[Sidenote: The Hebrew word used here in verse twenty-seven for “sacrifice”, literally means ‘sacrifice’, whereas the word used for ‘daily sacrifice’ in chapter eight (and chapter eleven and twelve), is roughly translated as ‘the continual’, implying the ‘daily sacrifices’ according to the Mosaic Covenant. This further shows that the two events are not related as “continual” is simply speaking about the banning of Jewish customs, whereas the passage here is speaking of sacrifice in its entirety.]
[Sidenote: Additional relevant Bible passages:
Ceasing of sacrifice and oblation passages: Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 10:1-18
New covenant passages: Hebrews 8:6-13, 9:15, 10:1-18, 13:20, 1 John 2:2, Matthew 26:27-28, Mark 14:24, Romans 7:6, 11:26-27
Additional ‘Christ as the Temple’ passages: Hebrew 9:11, 10:19-21
Additional relevant verses on John the Baptist: Luke 1:14-17, 3:2-6, 7:24-28, Matthew 3:11-15, 11:7-14, Mark 1:2-9, John 1:6-8, 15, 23, 29-34, 3:27-29
Some other relevant passages: 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, 1 Corinthians 15:3, Ephesians 1:7, Galatians 3:13, Romans 15:3, Philippians 2:8]
Timeline:
587 – 535 BC: First seven weeks of years, and first half of the one week [7 weeks (49 years) + half week (3 extra years) = 52 years]
399 – 397 BC: Jerusalem fully restored at the time of Ezra. 403 BC: Sixty-two weeks begin.
31 AD: Death of John the Baptist
Second half of one week begins, roughly 29-31 AD: Christ’s ministry.
In the midst of the seventieth week (32-34 AD), Christ’s crucifixion – destruction of the Temple of his body.
Wars Between The Kings of The South and The North (Daniel, Chapter Eleven)
This chapter is almost entirely about the Grecian Empire after the time of Alexander the Great, when it split into four kingdoms (Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Macedonian, and Pergamum). It centers around the Ptolemaic kingdom (kingdom of the South) and the Seleucid kingdom (kingdom of the North), as those were the kingdoms that directly affected Israel.
Verses one and two speak of four kings of Persia – the four kings being Cyrus the Great, Cambyses II, Darius the Great, and Xerxes I. It states that the fourth king would cause great confrontation with Greece, and Xerxes was notable for his invasion of Greece. (Purportedly, Xerxes’ burning of Athenian temples was the reason by which Philip of Macedon was authorized by the League of Corinth to go to war with Persia, and also how the destruction of the Persepolis by Alexander the Great was justified according to Diodorus and Plutarch.)
Verses three and four refer to the rise of Alexander the Great, and the division of his kingdom after his death.
Verse five mentions Ptolemy I (“king of the South”), but says that a commander of his would arise and create their own kingdom – speaking of Seleucus I Nicator who started the Seleucid Empire. Verse six states that after some years, they would become allies because the daughter of the king of the South would marry the king of the North. That is speaking of the Ptolemaic princess, Berenice, marrying Antiochus II Theos. The verse goes on to say that the agreement would be broken, and Berenice would not remain Queen of the Seleucid kingdom. As part of a peace treaty after the Second Syrian War (253 BC), Antiochus II divorced his first wife, Laodice, and married the Ptolemaic princess, Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus – with the agreement being that succession would be transferred to her children. After Ptolemy II died, Antiochus brought back Laodice. Then when Antiochus II died, there was a dispute as to the succession and Ptolemy III invaded Syria in support of his sister, Berenice, and her son. When Ptolemy III reached Antioch, he discovered both Berenice and her son had been murdered.
Verse seven speaks of the rise of Ptolemy III Eurgetes, and his invasion of the Seleucid kingdom in support of his dethroned sister, Berenice. Verse eight states that Ptolemy III would take the Northern kingdom’s idols and valuables back to Egypt, which is exactly what happened. Ptolemy III reportedly brought back thousands of talents of gold, and thousands of statues, even including statues that the Persians had carried away from Egypt, centuries before. The verse goes on to say that for some years he would leave the king of the North alone, namely, Seleucus II.
Verses nine to twelve state that the king of the North would invade the realm of the king of the South, but would retreat into his own country when the king of the South was victorious – speaking of Antiochus III’s invasion and defeat in the Fourth Syrian War. Verse twelve ends by stating that the king of the South would not remain triumphant, which is followed by verse thirteen, stating that the king of the North (Antiochus III) would build another larger army and would advance with it, which refers to Antiochus III’s invasion, and subsequent victories in the Fifth Syrian War.
Verse fourteen says that during that time, many would rise against the king of the South and that from among Daniel’s people, the violent ones would rebel, yet they would fail. The first part of the verse is easy to comprehend as there were uprisings and secessions during the time of Ptolemy V, for example, the secession of Upper Egypt led by Horwennefer and Ankhwennefer, and as for a Jewish uprising, one can only speculate that it is referring to a small rebellion in Judea, for which there are no known historical records.
Verses fifteen to sixteen continue describing military victories of Antiochus III, most notably that he would take control of Judea (“the Beautiful Land”).
Verse seventeen states that Antiochus would make an alliance and would give a daughter to the king of the South, referring to the marriage between Ptolemy V and Cleopatra I Syra.
Verses eighteen and nineteen speak of Antiochus III’s invasion of Greece, his subsequent retreat, and his death a few years later.
Verse twenty speaks of Seleucus IV’s tax collector to Judea, Heliodorus, who reigned as regent for a short while. Verse twenty-one states that he would be succeeded by a contemptible person, which refers to Antiochus IV, as he was seen as a usurper since his brother was heir to the throne. It states that he would take the kingdom by slipperiness and deceit, in reference to how he pretended to be regent for the infant son of Seleucus IV. Verse twenty-two states that the prince of the covenant would be destroyed, as the infant son of Seleucus IV, by which Antiochus feigned authority, died five years later. Verse twenty-three says that he would become ruler via deceit. Verse twenty-four elaborates that he would distribute plunder and wealth among his followers – Antiochus was an extravagant giver, which among other traits, led to him being called ‘Epimanes’, meaning ‘The Mad’, a play on words of his actual title, ‘Epiphanes’, meaning, ‘God Manifest’.
Verse twenty-five speaks of Antiochus III’s successful conquest against the Ptolemaic Empire. Verse twenty-six likely refers to the coup which replaced the regents, Eulaeus and Lenaeus, with two Ptolemaic generals, Comanus and Cineas. The two kings of verse twenty-seven either refer to Antiochus III and Ptolemy VI, or else Ptolemy VI and his younger brother and co-ruler, Ptolemy III.
Verse twenty-eight states that Antiochus III would return to his own country with great wealth, but that his heart would be set against the holy covenant, and that he would take action against it – referring to him visiting and raiding treasure from Jerusalem on his return journey, supposedly after an invitation to visit the Temple by the High Priest, Menelaus, who Antiochus had previously established as the High Priest because of bribery.
Verse twenty-nine states that Antiochus III would invade the Ptolemaic Empire again, but that the outcome would be different from the previous time.
Verse thirty tells that the ships of the coastlands would oppose him, and that he would be grieved – referring to Rome forcing him to retreat, as otherwise they would declare war on his kingdom. The verse continues to say that he would vent his fury on the holy covenant, and would show favor to those who forsook the covenant. During Antiochus’s attempted invasion of Cyprus and Egypt, Jason, the High Priest that Antiochus had replaced with Menelaus, attempted to overthrow Menelaus. Upon hearing this, Antiochus took this as an affront to his own authority and sent an army to take down Jason’s faction. There were two main factions of Jews during this time – Jews who were loyal to Judaism (‘the covenant’), and those who were Hellenized to the point of being pagan, hence explaining the showing of favor to those who forsook the covenant.
Verse thirty-one states that Antiochus’s forces would desecrate the temple building, abolish the daily sacrifice, and set up an appalling idol – Antiochus set up an altar to Zeus inside the Temple, as well as a statue in the image of either himself or Zeus, required that Jews both sacrifice and eat swine (an animal that is forbidden according to Jewish Law), sold Jews into slavery, and forced Jews to work on the Sabbath, among other things.
Verse thirty-two states that he would corrupt with flattery those who had violated the covenant, but that those who knew God would firmly resist and accomplish exploits – referring to the Maccabean Revolt.
Verses thirty-three to thirty-five state that the wise would not succeed for some time, but that the appointed time would still arrive, referring to liberation from Antiochus III.
Verses thirty-six to forty-five are essentially a short recap, stating that he would magnify himself above every god (remember that the title he used for himself, was ‘God Manifest’), but that eventually he would have a determined fall. He would invade many countries, including the “Beautiful Land” (Judea), but that Edom, Moab, and Ammon would be saved – since those regions supported him, he had no reason to destroy them. Verse forty-four says that reports from the east and north would alarm him, and that he would set out to destroy many – referring to the Maccabean uprising, and the invasion of Mithridates I of Parthia, a few years before his death.
Maccabean Revolt (Daniel, Chapter Twelve)
The next section is a continuation of the previous chapter. It begins with Michael the Archangel standing up – Michael the Archangel is seen as the defender of the righteous, and God’s chief angel. It states that Daniel’s people would be delivered from the trouble, that is, Antiochus’s invasion.
Verse two speaks of a time of judgment for those dead, but can also be understood to be symbolic of a revival of the Jewish people. Verse three compares those who are wise, to stars, as the stars shine brightly in the skies, and guide people. In verse four, Daniel is told to close up the words and to seal the book since the prophecy is at its end, and because the events are afar off. Then in the following verses, Daniel sees two other people and one asks the other when the end of wonders would be, to which the response is, “a time, times, and a half”, that is, three years and half a year. In verse eight Daniel makes it known that he does not understand, so he is told that from the time daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there would be one thousand, two hundred and ninety days. Verse twelve then states, ‘blessed is he who waits one thousand three hundred and thirty five days’. This is speaking of the time Antiochus forcefully imposed the restriction of the Jewish religion, and the subsequent successful uprising of the Maccabees. Both the given amount of days are roughly three and a half years, with the second one having an extra forty-five days. The extra forty-five days would seemingly be in regards to the final cleansing of Jerusalem, and the rededication of the Temple.
[Sidenote: The “abomination of desolation” prophecy which is essentially about a foreign army desolating Jerusalem, was reiterated by Christ to happen again (Mark 13:14, Matthew 24:15, Luke 21:20-21). Christ was not saying Daniel’s prophecy was not fulfilled, but rather using the symbolism of it to indicate a similar event; when something is symbolic, it has the ability to repeat, unlike non-symbolic exact specifications. Those words of Christ are believed to be the reason that according to historical understandings, not many Christians were in Jerusalem when it was destroyed by Titus. Whereas Jews would not have expected the tenth horn (tenth Caesar) so quickly, and thus would not have expected the downfall of Jerusalem, Christians would have heeded these words and would have expected ruin when Roman troops first started campaigning during that time. The overall passage has a broader meaning and some of it is for future times, but the basic meaning of ‘when you see troops pouring into Judea, then destruction is coming’, would have been understood by many Christians in the 60s AD. The Gospel of Luke’s version does not say “abomination of desolation”, but puts it much more plainly: “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.” The aspect regarding many false prophets (Matthew 24:11) also applied during that time, and is recorded by Josephus in Book Six of the Jewish War. Also, in the Gospel of Matthew, the verse “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven...” Matthew 24:30, may be the symbolic origin for the basis of the story of Constantine seeing the Chi Rho symbol in the sky.]