Audubon Bible Ch                   THEPROPHECIES OF DANIEL                Dr.Robert Newman

6 Dec 1992                                 ANDTHE END OF THE AGE                       BiblicalSeminary

 

 

I. DANIEL'S PROPHECIES

 

 A. A Tour of the Prophecies

 

            1.Daniel 2: Nebuchadnezzar's Statue

                        (someinterpretation; stretches to end)

                        goldhead = Babylon (Dan 2:48)

                        silverchest & arms, app Medo-Persia (8:20)

                        bronzebelly & thighs, app Greece (8:21)

                        legsof iron

                        feetof iron/clay

                        stonecut without hands, God's kingdom (2:44)

 

            2.Daniel 4: Nebuchadnezzar's Tree

                        (someinterpretation; fulfilled in past)

                        greattree = Nebuchadnezzar (4:22)

                        cutdown, etc. = loses power (4:24-25)

                        stump,roots remain = will be restored (4:26)

                       

            3.Daniel 5: The Handwriting on the Wall

                        (crypticwriting; fulfilled in past)

                        MENE,MENE, TEKEL & PARSIN

                        MENE= mina or numbered

                        TEKEL= shekel or weighed

                        PARSIN= half, Persia, divided

 

            4.Daniel 7: The Four Wild Beasts

                        (someinterpretation; stretches to end)

                        wingedlion plucked, raised, human heart

                        bear,tilted, gnawing three ribs

                        leopardw/ four heads & wings

                        terriblebeast, iron teeth, bronze claws

                        tenhorns and eleventh

                        thrones,Ancient of Days, Son of Man                      

 

            5.Daniel 8: The Ram & the Goat

                        (someinterpretation; fulfilled in past)

                        ramw/ two large horns, one larger than other

                        goatwith one horn defeats ram

                        hornbroken, replaced by four horns

                        fifthhorn, casts down stars, defeats saints

                        desolatessanctuary

                        destroyed,not by human power (8:25)

 

            6.Daniel 9: The Seventy "Weeks"

                        (crypticspeech; stretches to end)

                        70weeks to finish transgression, etc.

                        7weeks (to rebuild city?)

                        62more to Messiah being cut off

                        1week covenant confirmed

                          in midst of week, sacrifice abolished,

                          abomination of desolation set up

                        enddecreed poured out on him

           

            7.The Kings of the North & South

                        (crypticspeech; stretches to end)

                        rathercomplex sequence which seems

                          to match events from Daniel's time

                          (about 600 BC) to Maccabean period

                          (about 168 BC)

                        thenseems to skip to end of age

 

 

 B. Daniel's Future Predictions Compiled

 

            1.The Empires                                    Daniel2                       Daniel7

 

                        Neo-Babylonian                      Goldenhead                Lionw/

                          (609-539 BC)                                                              human heart

                        Medo-Persian                          Silverbreast                Bearraised

                          (539-331 BC)                          & arms                        on one side

                        Greek                                      Bronzebelly                Leopardw/ 4

                          (331-30 BC)                            & thighs                     wings& heads

                        Roman                                     Ironlegs                      Terriblebeast

                          (30 BC-300 AD)                                                         iron teeth

                        DividedRoman                       Iron/clay                     [notdetailed]

                          (300 AD-present)                 feet                              (Hornsof beast)

 

            2.The Messiah

 

                        see70 weeks chart; cut off after 69th week begins

 

            3.The Gaps

 

                        Dan2 & 7 jump from Roman empire to end-times empire

                        Dan9 jumps from Messiah's 1st coming to 2nd

                        Dan11 jumps from Antiochus 4 to Antichrist

 

                        Arethese jumps from closest ancient example to end-time feature?  End empire closest to Roman?  Jesus unique, only like himself?  Antichrist closest to Antiochus?

 

            4.Daniel's Prophecies Picked Up in New Testament

 

                        Jesusand Abomination of Desolation (Matt 24:15)

                        Pauland Man of Lawlessness (2 Thess 2:1-11)

                        Johnand Beasts (Rev 13)

 

 

II. HOW NEAR IS THE END?

 

   A. Introduction

 

            Isaac Asimov, A Choice of Catastrophes

            MiddleEast turmoil: Gulf War, Israel

            Six-thousandyear theory of human history

                        Adam:c4000 BC; Abraham: c2000 BC;

                        Jesus:0 BC; 2nd Coming: AD 2000

 

   B. Can We Tell?

 

            Not exactly:

                        Matt24:42‑44: be on alert; don't know when; when you don't expect it

                                   24:36:no one but Father knows day or hour

                        1Thess 5:2: day of Lord comes as thief in night

 

            But should be able to recognize its approach:

                        Matt24:32‑35: parable of fig tree

                                   (misuseto calculate year, 1988)

                                   realmeaning (cp Luke 21:29: all trees)

                                   signsindicate approach

                        1Thess 5:1‑6: though like thief, shouldn't surprise believer, since not indark; stay awake!

 

   C. Signs of the End

 

            Jesus' message on Mt. of Olives (Matt 24):

                        3:sign of coming, end of age

                        4‑6:false Xs, wars, etc, but not yet end

                        7‑8:nations at war, famines, earthquakes, beginning of "birth pangs"

                        9‑14:persecution, general hatred of Xns, betrayal, false prophets, increased lawlessness,love growing cold, Gospel preached to all nations

                        15‑28:The Great Tribulation

                                    Abominationof Desolation

                                   Dan9:27; 11:31 (Antiochus); 12;11

                                    getaway quickly

                                    nothingto match it in human history

                                    continuedappearance of false Xs and false prophets

                                   Lord'sreturn will be unmistakeable

                        29‑31:Christ's Second Coming

 

            Paul's predictions: moral collapse & Man ofLawlessness:            

                        2Tim 3:1‑5: compare Matt 24:12

                        2Thess 2:1‑12: apostasy and Man of Sin (antichrist)

                                   compareMatt 24 on abomination of desolation

                                    vv11-12:God will allow delusion as judgment

 

            John's predictions of world government &religion:

                        Rev13: one world govt under beast (antichrist)

                        666in 13:18 probably symbol for Serpent's Christ

 

   D. Where Are We Now?

 

            Technology

                        unprecedented:one‑second communication, few hour travel has produced one world &possibility of one‑world govt; has also speeded up spread of Gospel towhole world

                        populationgrowth due to medical & agricultural advances has put severe strain onresources and environment, making famine, disease & environmental disastermore severe if anything goes wrong

                        allowslarger scale, more disastrous wars; danger of nuclear proliferation; thesefavor one‑world govt as solution

 

            Scientism (Evolutionism, etc.)

                        underminesall traditional religions & their concepts of moral absolutes

 

            Ecumenism

                        desireto unite all religions, partly to avoid conflict, assisted by loss of absolutes

 

            Israel

                        regatheringhas produced tensions in Middle East, which superpower confrontation and oilembargo have spread to whole world; may be setting stage for abomination ofdesolation

 

            Disasters

                        notmuch yet, some famines, usual earthquakes, tho even San Francisco type earthquakewould be far more destructive to human life today, and much bigger earthquakeshave occurred (New Madrid, MO, 1811)

                        AIDSis feared by some to reach proportions of Black Death

 

   E. What Should We Do About It?

 

            How near is the end?  Don't know, but it may be close

            Whether the end of the age is close ornot, your end may be close

            Repent!  Recognize that you won't make it onyour when you stand before God to answer for everything you've done or thought

            Trustin Jesus:  he obeyed for us andpaid for us

                        explainhow to trust in Jesus

            Livelike each day is important