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Daniy'el 2

NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM
PANORAMA OF HUMAN HISTORY

Daniy'el, the Man, the Prophet

The Prophet, Daniy'el, was a Jewish prince in the palace in Yerushalayim, who lived about 600 years before the birth of YaHuWshuaH HaMashiach. When he was about fifteen years of age, everything in his life changed abruptly. The city, Yerushalayim, was besieged and fell to the enemy. He was taken prisoner by the Babylonians. (606 BC) The king of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar, an absolute monarch so that by his word men lived or died. However, he revealed his administrative wisdom by selecting some of the princes in the palace of Yerushalayim, leaving them alive, and took them back to Babylon. There, he treated them very well, educated them in Babylonian schools, and gained their loyalty. It was then his plan to send them back to their home country to rule over their own countrymen to exact the tributes required. He intended these young princes should have no other loyalty to any other living person than himself. To accomplish this, these young princes, including Daniy'el, were castrated so they could have no family, no wife, nor children; but were to serve only their king, Nebuchadnezzar, all of their lives. So young Daniy'el became a eunuch in the courts of Babylon.

Daniy'el, a Jew, had been taught from his youth, to worship only the true Elohiym, the Creator of the heavens and the Earth, and to observe all the laws of Elohiym that had been given through Mosheh. Although he faithfully served Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, his first allegiance and worship was to the Elohiym of heaven. Many of the stories in the book of Daniy'el reveal his fidelity to Elohiym. In turn, Elohiym delivered and rewarded him, and his faithful friends, time after time. This is the great spiritual lesson for us in the book of Daniy'el.
Daniy'el was but a youth when brought to Babylon, but he lived all through the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and even through the reign of his grandson, Belshazzar, at which time Babylon was conquered by the Medo-Persians. Not only did Daniy'el hold a high position in the courts of Babylonian kings, but also stood next to the kings of Medo-Persia because he was known as a prophet, respected for his great wisdom, and held high offices of state by the providence of Elohiym.

Daniy'el wrote the book of Daniy'el to record his remarkable life experiences of deliverance and the excellent rewards for his fidelity to Elohiym and to the kings. For two thousand five hundred years these stories have delighted children and all other age groups.
Daniy'el reveals in his book that he was undeviating in his allegiance to live according to all the laws and statutes of the Elohiym of heaven. He ordered his life-style, even in the face of mortal danger, to adhere to all the counsels of Elohiym in regard to diet, to the rituals of worship, in prioritizing all aspects of life, always putting Elohiym and His requirements first. Daniy'el is an example to us and especially the youth today. "Dare to be a Daniy'el", thus became a cliche till this day.

Daniy'el | Nature of the Book

What is the "nature" of the book of Daniy'el? The book of Daniy'el is classified as "prophecy". There are many who use the word "prophecy" to refer to fortune telling, the work of psychics, channelers, and occult predictions. The word, "prophecy" may be used to describe the practice in some churches of speaking in tongues. None of these is the kind of "Bible prophecy" that is found in the book of Daniy'el. The word, "prophecy" needs to be defined as it is used in the book of Daniy'el.

Bible Prophecy | Definition

"Prophecy" is simply history written before it happens.

"History" is a written record of that which occurred in the past. "Prophecy" not only covers past events, but reveals and explains current events; and also reveals or describes future events. For emphasis, all before they happen. From our vantage point, once a 'prophecy' is fulfilled, it becomes 'history' and 'historical'. No man can see into the future. Satan cannot see into the future. Occultism's pretense to foresee the future, is and has always been a very hollow pretense! Occultism depends on Satan, who cannot see the future, to tell them the future! How pathetic! Well, lacking the 'Spirit of Prophecy', they resort to guessing and fail more often than not. The Creator, Elohiym, who inhabits the heavens and eternity sees the end of all things before they begin, and it is He who inspired Daniy'el the prophet, to write the prophecies that are contained in the Book.

The "Major line" of Prophecy in the Book of Daniy'el

Daniy'el begins in Chapter 1 to describe historical events of his own day. (606 BC). But each additional chapter moves forward in time, in a methodical manner, outlining events which would occur until, in the last chapter, he describes events which will happen at the very end of this Earth's history. Therefore, it is understood that the book of Daniy'el is constructed on a "major line" of prophecy which reaches from six hundred years before YaHuWshuaH HaMashiach until the very end of time.

Book of Daniy'el | Purposes

The purpose of the four prophetic outlines in the book of Daniy'el were intended to give the people of Elohiym in every age a knowledge of where they are in the stream of time. None of the outlines tell the day and hour of the coming of YaHuWshuaH, but they throw a flood of light on events which transpire so that Elohiym's people may trace the past, pinpoint where they are in the present, and be warned in regard to that which will occur in the future.

There are other purposes met in the book of Daniy'el:

1. Reveals an omniscient Elohiym who can predict the future.
2. Reveals Elohiym 's love and care for all who love Him and are obedient to His will.
3. Reveals seven great deliverances, some in the past, and others yet to come.
4. Focuses on character development of virtues such as fidelity, and trust in Elohiym.
5. Warns against counterfeit religion.
6. Explains the political rise and fall of great empires.
7. Describes events occurring in the heavens.
8. Thrills and helps all to know that Elohiym is love.
9. Prepares the Bible student to understand the book of Revelation.
10. Brings historical events into focus so that we may see the Great Controversy between good and evil progressing toward a victorious end.

The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, reveals the fact that there is a great struggle going on between Elohiym and Satan to gain control of this Earth. Although Elohiym is the Creator and the rightful Owner, He gave the "dominion" or rulership of this Earth to Adam, who sadly, gave it over to Satan. Elohiym is therefore placed in a position to figure out a way to wrest the Earth back from Satan, legitimately. Mission, accomplished, when YaHuWshuaH celebrated victory on the Cross, crying, "It is finished!" Satan lost the War.

And Elohiym said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion ...over all the Earth.

When Satan (embodied as a serpent) caused Adam to disobey Elohiym, Adam chose Satan as his new master, and gave over to him the dominion of the Earth. However, Elohiym had given Adam and all his descendants intelligence and the power of choice. YaHuWshuaH HaMashiach, by His death on Calvary, purchased back from Satan the right for men to use that power of choice, and to choose which master they will serve.

It has been Satan's plan from the beginning to bring the entire world under his own control so that all mankind will worship him instead of the true Elohiym. He has tried many devices to establish a one world government and by choice or by force to bring all mankind under his power and authority. His most effective device has been that of establishing a counterfeit form of worship.

Sun worship, was a counterfeit of the worship of the true Creator - Elohiym, and by the time of Daniy'el, it had encircled the Earth. Its extension into all cultures is evident by the pyramids of Egypt and Central America, by the remnants of Druid worship in England and the many temples all over the Earth. All the countries around Yisra'el were sun worshipers and enemies of Yisra'el who worshiped the true Elohiym of heaven. Daniy'el was carried captive right into the midst of a sun worshiping culture. Elohiym placed him and his faithful friends in the midst of Babylon to be representatives of the true Creator Elohiym. Through Daniy'el and his friends the knowledge of the true Creator Elohiym was to be spread to all the then known world, and preserved in the Bible even to our own day.

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon intended that his empire and forms of sun worship should exist as long as time would last. But Elohiym wanted His people to know the truth, as to how the scepter of power and authority or sovereignty or dominion would be transferred from one great empire to another, until at last, the kingdoms of this world would be restored to Elohiym's people.

Daniy'el 2:1-49 (TS98)

1. And in the second year of the reign of Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar, Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar had dreams. And his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.
2. And the sovereign gave orders to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the practisers of witchcraft, and the Chaldeans to declare to the sovereign his dreams. So they came and stood before the sovereign.

3. And the sovereign said to them, “I have had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4. And the Chaldeans spoke to the sovereign in Aramaic, “O sovereign, live forever! Relate the dream to your servants, and we shall reveal the interpretation.”
5. The sovereign answered and said to the Chaldeans, “My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream and its interpretation to me, your limbs shall be taken from you, and your houses made dunghills.
6. “But if you reveal the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive gifts, and rewards, and great esteem from me. So reveal to me the dream and its interpretation.”
7. They answered again and said, “Let the sovereign relate to his servants the dream, and we shall reveal its interpretation.”

8. The sovereign answered and said, “I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm:
9. “If you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. So relate the dream to me, then I shall know that you shall reveal its interpretation for me.”

King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream like we all do, and as he always did in the past. But, this time, he is restless, this dream must be understood. He could not make sense of it. He calls in his magicians and astrologers who always claimed to be in touch with the gods. They should have the answer. But alas, they declined to have anything to do with this! But, the frauds that they are and have always been, tried to con the king by asking him to tell them the dream and they will interpret it. But, the king was wise. "Tell me the dream and its interpretation", only then will the king have confidence in the interpretation. By imposing a death sentence on all of them, the king utterly established man's and Satan's impotence as far as the future is concerned. Even in the face of death, they could not even guess! By their testimony, to your benefit and education, it is clear forever, that:

The Chaldeans answered the sovereign, and said, “There is no one on Earth who is able to reveal the matter of the sovereign. Because no sovereign, master, or ruler has ever asked a matter like this of any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
“And the matter that the sovereign is asking is difficult, and there is no other who is able to reveal it to the sovereign except the elahin, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

Because of this the sovereign was enraged and very wroth, and gave orders to destroy all the wise ones of Baḇel. So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise ones. And they sought Dani'ĕl and his companions, to kill them. Then with counsel and wisdom Dani'ĕl answered Aryoḵ, the chief of the sovereign's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise ones of Baḇel - he answered and said to Aryoḵ the sovereign's officer, “Why is the decree from the sovereign so urgent?” So Aryoḵ made the decision known to Dani'ĕl. And Dani'ĕl went in and asked the sovereign to give him time, and he would show the sovereign the interpretation.

YaHuWaH REVEALS THE DREAM HE GAVE TO THE KING & INTERPRETS IT

17. Then Dani'ĕl went to his house, and made the decision known to Ḥananyah, Misha'ĕl, and Azaryah, his companions,
18. to seek compassion from the Elah of the heavens concerning this secret, so that Dani'ĕl and his companions should not perish with the rest of the wise ones of Baḇel.
19. Then the secret was revealed to Dani'ĕl in a night vision, and Dani'ĕl blessed the Elah of the heavens.
20. Dani'ĕl responded and said, “Blessed be the Name of Elah forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His.
21. “And He changes the times and the seasons. He removes sovereigns and raises up sovereigns. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who possess understanding.
22. “He reveals deep and secret matters. He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.
23. “I thank You and praise You, O Elah of my fathers. You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the sovereign's matter.

Nebuchadnezzar meets Wisdom for the First Time

27. Daniy'el answered before the sovereign, and said, “The secret which the sovereign is asking - the wise ones, the astrologers, the magicians, and the diviners are unable to show it to the sovereign.
28. “But there is an Elah in the heavens who reveals secrets, and He has made known to Sovereign Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar what is to be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:
29. “As for you, O sovereign, on your bed your thoughts came up: What is going to take place after this. And He who reveals secrets has made known to you what shall be [after this].

30. “As for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the sovereign, and that you should know the thoughts of your heart.
31. “You, O sovereign, were looking on, and saw a great image! This great image, and its brightness excellent, was standing before you, and its form was awesome.

“This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Daniy'el 2:33 [TS98]

“You were looking on, until a stone was cut out without hands, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing-floors. And the wind took them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled all the Earth.
“This is the dream, and its interpretation we declare before the sovereign.

YaHuWaH INTERPRETS HIS OWN PROPHECY

“You, O sovereign, are a sovereign of sovereigns. For the Elah of the heavens has given you a reign, power, and strength, and preciousness, and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. Daniy'el 2:37-38 [TS98]

Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon is the Head of Gold. The succeeding Metals - Silver, Bronze and Iron, therefore represent the successive empires following the fall of the Babylonian empire.

“And after you rises up another reign lower than yours, and another third reign of bronze that rules over all the Earth.

The empires that succeeded the Babylonian empire are a historical fact, namely, Medo-Persia, Greece.

“And the fourth reign is as strong as iron, because iron crushes and shatters all. So, like iron that breaks in pieces, it crushes and breaks all these.

Following the fall of the Greek Empire was the rise of no other than the Roman Empire. The mightiest of them all. Outstripping and outclassing all others in every particular. The fall of Rome saw the break up of the empire into ten nations which began warring against each other from the first. Some of them shall be strong and others weak but overall, a mixture of iron and clay will always be an unstable situation. That is the fact of the following scripture and the reality of today.

41. “Yet, as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the reign is to be divided. But some of the strength of the iron is to be in it, because you saw the iron mixed with muddy clay.
42. “And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the reign is partly strong and partly brittle.
43. “And as you saw iron mixed with muddy clay, they are mixing themselves with the seed of men, but they are not clinging to each other, even as iron does not mix with clay.

Europe, the Middle East and the Near East, today, the territory straddled by the ancient Roman empire is nothing but extremely unstable even though better today, after the cold war and the collapse of communism. The issues in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq and Syria, even Turkey; the Situation being precipitated by Russia's Putin causing misery in the Ukraine and elsewhere, is a testimony to Prophecy. As Iron and clay cannot be compatible, these nations will never cleave together regardless of the facts of the European Union, etc.

A NEW WORLD LOOMS

“And in the days of these sovereigns the Elah of the heavens shall set up a reign which shall never be destroyed, nor the reign pass on to other people - it crushes and puts to an end all these reigns, and it shall stand forever.

This New World will bring the 'New World Order' to an end! This is not the eternal new world, not at all. The eternal New World shall happen upon the Earth after the Third Coming of the Savior YaHuWshuaH.

BEFORE THE NEW WORLD, CLEANSING THE CHURCH

“Because you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great Elah has made known to the sovereign what shall be after this. And the dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.

Notice that this Dream has been based on symbols. The symbols in every case, representing something as assigned by Elohiym. As the Gold, Silver, Brass, Iron and Clay were all symbolic, representing empires, the Mountain and the Stone are also symbolic. But of what are they symbols? Whatever the meaning of these two symbols must be by the Word of YaHuWaH - the Bible alone.

Some History

The historical interpretation of the Prophecy of Daniy'el chapter two has habitually relieved Elohiym of the right and responsibility for interpreting this part of His own Word! We allowed Him to interpret the Gold, Silver, Brass and Iron and Clay but refused to allow him interpret the 'Mountain' and the 'Stone'! By me, this is unacceptable. What about you? Should men interpret prophecy or should the Owner of prophecy interpret it? In 2Peter 1:20-21, Men are forbidden to attempt to interpret Prophecy. YaHuWaH is the Author of Prophecy. HE alone must interpret it. By usurping the right of interpretation, we concluded that the 'stone' represents the Second-Coming of YaHuWshuaH, our Redeemer! There is no where in the Bible where the Second-Coming is referred to as 'a Stone' or 'Stone'. None! Where then did the interpretation come from? It is just another one of those assumptions that have dogged Adventism. There is no where in the Spirit of Prophecy where this 'stone' is confirmed to represent the Savior or His Second-Coming! None. Now that we have rested that teaching, let us move forward to the most important message in the Prophecy of Daniy'el Chapter Two.

PURIFICATION OF THE REMNANT
LAODICEAN CHURCH

THE MOUNTAIN

[16]..., let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Yerushalayim, thy holy mountain:
[20]And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the YaHuWaH my Elohiym for the holy mountain of my Elohiym;

Thus saith YaHuWaH; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Yerushalayim: and Yerushalayim shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of YaHuWaH of hosts the holy mountain.

There is no doubt now that the symbolic Mountain, represents the Church. And, it represents the Church throughout history, but especially the Church, in existence at the time just prior to the Second-Coming. Revelation chapters 2 & 3 are very clear, it is the Church referred to as 'LAODICEA', THE SEVENTH CHURCH. Also in Revelation, the endtime Church is described as those 'who keep the Commandments of Elohiym and have the Testimony of YaHuWshuaH. A clear reference to the Church that arose from the 'bitterness' of Revelation chapter 10. It can be none other than the seventh-day adventist church. The seventh-day adventist church is the 'mountain' of Daniy'el 2.

THE STONE

1 Kepha (Peter) 2:5 (KJV)
[5] Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, ... (ZekarYah 12:3) And in that day will I make Yerushalayim a burdensome stone ...

Yerushalayim - the Mountain disappears and Yerushalayim 'the Stone' survives it. A stone cut-out from the mountain is simply a sieved church! Creating a remnant from the remnant. The final remnant. The Seventh Day Adventist Church disappears and the Final Remnant made up of Seventh Day Adventists, survives! YaHuWaH Elohiym himself effects the separation. He sends His destroying Angels among Adventists and reduces the population to no more than 144000. See Yechezkiy'el Chapter 9
A stone cut-out of a Mountain is an infinitesimally small part of that Mountain. The 144000, is an infinitesimally small part of the Church today!

For the avoidance of every doubt, it is to be noted that when we say, that the "Mountain" is the Seventh-day Adventist Church, we do so because the Bible says so. But, the Bible also makes clear that there are people whose names are not in the Seventh-day Adventist Church's membership rolls, whom YaHuWaH reckons as members. Also there are thousands, nay millions, whom He does not reckon as members of the Remnant even though they dominate the pulpits and publications. Therefore, do not feel excluded, for Elohiym alone knows who are members of the spiritual Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Remnant. You may be in the Methodist Denomination or wherever else today, when in fact by every metric, you are fully reckoned by YaHuWaH as one of the Remnant. None is here excluded by any means.

But the "Stone" does not remain stone-sized. The Bible is clear:

... And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled all the Earth."

The 'Stone' transforms into a great Mountain and fills the whole Earth. The transformation begins in the second victory of the 144000, in successfully implementing the 'Loud Cry', bringing in 'Multitudes' in the final wheat harvest. And, ultimately, they and this 'multitude' are joined by the Saints from Adam, in the 'first resurrection'. A 'great mountain' indeed. Glory! Halleluyah.

Then Sovereign Nebuchadnetstsar fell on his face, and did obeisance before Daniy'ĕl, and gave orders to present to him an offering and incense. The sovereign answered Daniy'ĕl, and said, “Truly your Elah is the Elah of elahin, the Master of sovereigns, and a revealer of secrets, since you were able to reveal this secret.

May we all join King Nebuchadnezzar, in worshiping the Master of Heaven and Earth and acknowledge His Sovereignty and omniscience. He has told us how stringent it is to make the 'cut' into His Kingdom so that we can hold higher the banner of righteousness and never diminish the standards here on Earth to our peril because, diminished on Earth cannot diminish the standards in heaven.