Category Archives: Daily Devotions

In his commentary on Daniel, Tremper Longman writes: Chapters 7-12 focus on six important themes: the horror of human evil, particularly as it is conducted by the state the announcement of a specific time of deliverance repentance taht leads to … Continue reading →

The concept of a world empire would have meant the civilized world of the Mediterranean basin plus Persia to the ancient readers of Daniel.  So an empire that conquered the whole world could be perceived as Rome.  However, the nature … Continue reading →

Daniel chapter 7 starts with a view from heaven on the rise and fall of empires in the world.  We see human rulers and their empires as bestial at best, although the Babylonian empire finds a semblance of humanity.  After … Continue reading →

The New World Encyclopedia says this about Antiochus IV Epihenes: Antiochus regarded himself as Zeus (hence his title, epiphanes, meaning ‘manifestation of’), the Greek God. He gave lavishly to Greek temples, including the Temple of Zeus in Athens. His self-view … Continue reading →

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 →