Monthly Archives: November 2011

the fourth beast in Daniel’s list is generally accepted as Rome.  This is the consensus among those who think that Daniel truly predicts the future rather than looks to the recent past.  The armies of Rome were machine-like and disciplined, … Continue reading →

The empire of Alexander the Great was established with lightning rapidity.  This could be why the next beast is a fast animal like a leopard.  Like other beasts in this unhloy list, this beast proceeds from the forces of chaos (the … Continue reading →

Medo-Persia After a brief look at the web researching Medo-Persia it seems that biblical scholars use Medo-Persia as a term and others use Achaemenid as a term referrring to the same empire.  Cyrus gets a lot of love as the … Continue reading →

There has been more than one ‘beast’ in history.  Daniel 7 contains four great beasts.  We can see them as a description of great and proud empires that set themselves up as world powers.  In this light Britain could be seen as … Continue reading →

Tremper Longman III writes: Daniel’s report of the vision begins with the setting.  He is on the coast of the sea, where the winds are whipping waves into a frenzy.  That Daniel is not giving a scientific description is immediately … Continue reading →

In Daniel 7 we see a repeat of Daniel 2.  In Daniel 2 the future kingdoms, from Daniel’s perspective, were outlined.  The kingdoms were seen as glorious from man’s perspective, but dimishing in splendour in chapter 2.  In chapter 7, … Continue reading →

The most famous story about Daniel is in Daniel 6.  It is, of course, the story of Daniel and the lion’s den.  However, the lions are a detail in the story and not the emphasis.  The point of tension is … Continue reading →

Belshazzar suddenly shows up on the scene, but some people have had doubts whether he was truly an historical figure.  For years he was found only in the pages of the Bible, but more recent texts in cuneiform have shown … Continue reading →

The king of Babylon once more sends for Daniel because he is troubled by a dream.  In this dream God addresses Nebuchanezzar’s pride and humbles him.  The Hanging Gardnes and the walls of Babylon were maginificent and the city contained … Continue reading →

The dispersed people of Israel would have been tempted to think that their God was beaten by Nebuchadnezzar and his gods Marduk and Ishtar.  Nebuchadnezzar seems to believe this when he forces everyone to worship the statue he sets up.  … Continue reading →