Unlocking Daniel...
To further unlock the book of Daniel involves a look again at our good friend Josephus.
But before we look at Josephus we need to look at a couple of other old friends, namely Aristotle and Isaac Newton.
Aristotle's influence over the field of Science, by virtue of the weight of his authority and reputation, was so powerful that it actually retarded the growth of science for almost two thousand years. His views on the laws of motion (any object in motion will not continue in motion unless acted upon perpetually by an outside force) were accepted as gospel until Isaac Newton gave it a fresh re-think (with the seemingly counter-intuitive conclusion: any object in motion will continue in motion perpetually unless acted upon by an outside force). The point here is not about the laws of motion, but the power of unquestioned authority and it's retarding effect on the development of correct knowledge. The power of Aristotle's reputation and authority was such that his views were accepted and unquestioned for almost two thousand years.
Which brings us back to Josephus. The views Josephus expressed about the book of Daniel (in the Antiquities of the Jews) were his views as an historian working under a patronage to Emperor Vespasian, Josephus was also an eyewitness to the recent destruction of Jerusalem, it's Temple, and the Jewish system of things, and a Jewish Priest and a former General in the Jewish army. He was highly credentialed and respected by Jew and Roman alike (and still is). His views became accepted as absolute. The early Roman Catholic church accepted his views, and subsequently all Christian religions. (See the Appendix in William Whiston's translation of Josephus, Dissertation I. This will confirm his authority throughout time).
Josephus, with good reason, felt that he had been an eyewitness to the 'final part of the days' of his people, the Jews. Their nation was destroyed, the people were annihilated, the temple utterly destroyed. And so, the account in Daniel chapters 10 and 11 and 12 , wherein the "Man in Linen" tells Daniel that he would tell Daniel what would befall Daniel's people in the 'final days' or 'the time of the end' (Dan 10:14) seemed to Josephus to be prophecy fulfilled. And an honest person cannot fault Josephus for coming to that conclusion, it certainly seemed to be the final days of the Jews and the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy.
But it wasn't.
The elaborate history of the Seleucids, Ptolemys, Antiochus, Maccabees, et al, has, with variations, been accepted by Christian and Jew alike for almost two thousand years as the fulfillment of Dan 11(see footnote***) . But the "Man in Linen" told Daniel that he, the "Man in Linen", was going to tell Daniel what would befall Daniel's people in the 'final days' or ' the time of the end'. (Please note: The "Man in Linen" does not say the final days of Daniel's people, but what would happen to Daniel's people in the final days, there is a difference.) And although from Josephus's point of view that's where he thought he was, the simple march of time has shown otherwise.*
To add insult to injury, a man who hated Christians, Porphyry, took Josephus's incipient error and 'ran with it'. By fabricating a force-fit to history, he made it look as though Daniel was written after the events. He claiming it was too accurate. And as one of "the great ironies of history'', Christians 'took the bait' and accepted his 'force-fit' of historical/prophetic parallels. He maintaining it was 'too perfect a fit' to have been written 'before the fact'. Christians, taking the bait, defensively responded that 'the perfection of the fit' proved it was inspired prophecy. It appears that all Christians 'took the bait', but not all took it completely. (see Jerome's commentary on Daniel).
“You can fool all of the people, some of the time....”
-A. Lincoln
In Daniel chapter 11 starting with verse 1 the "Man in Linen" gives Daniel a 101 course in identifying the Kings of the north and south. Going from the current King that Daniel was living under, Persia, the "Man in Linen" traces the dominant world power through several more Persian rulers, then to an apparent identification of Alexander the great, his subsequent death and fragmenting of his empire, the identity of a southern fragment becoming the next world power, which by simple observation was Egypt, then Rome. Thus Rome was the King of the South in it's day, (Rome replaced/subsumed Egypt in 30 b.c.) and historically the inheritor of Rome's legacy was Britain, thence from Britain to America, the current King of the South .
The Bible only shows the lineage of the King of the South in this chapter , whoever politically and militarily was/is at the antipodes of 'The King of the South' in the 'time of the end' would be the King of the North. The twentieth century has shown that to be Russia/Soviet Union. Which it will soon be again.
So the Lineage of the King of the South (Southern fragment of Alexander the Great's Empire) would appear to be;
Egypt, Rome, Britain, America.
But at verse 6 the "Man in Linen's" narrative fast-forwards to 'the end of years'. “At the Utmost End [Strong's H7093 qets] of Years”. (Which the "Man in Linen" said was the point of the prophecy in the first place, ( hello! ) {Dan 10:14} ).
Daniel 11:6, “At the Utmost End [Strong's H7093 qets. The EXACT same root-word used at Dan 12:4, 9] of Years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the King of the South shall come to the King of the North to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times."
This looks spot-on to be the Romanovs (Tsars of Russia), at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917**, (also called the 'Russian Revolution', the 'October Revolution', or 'Red October'). Alexandra Fyodorovna (Tsar Nicholas II's wife) was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, which would make her 'the daughter of the King of the South' !!
(interesting link http://www.haaretz.com/misc/article-print-page/wikileaks-prince-philip-claims-he-owns-part-of-jerusalem-1.341122)
The phrase translated in some Bibles 'the one who sired (begot, fathered) her' can also be (more properly) translated 'his (their) children', and in fact, Alexandra, Nicholas II, and their children were all killed together. The scripture also refers to 'and her attendants' and it is worth noting that some of her servants and the family doctor (Dr. Botkin) were also killed with her and her family in July of 1918 in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. Rasputin would fit 'He who supported her in those times'. Rasputin's assassination, and his strengthening of Alexandra, (by continually healing her son,) are both well known facts that directly connect him to this event ( Dan 11:6 ).
(Think about how appropriate this is; this scripture both identifies the "King of the North" and, the event it marks, the Bolshevik revolution, is the beginning of the modern existence of the "King of the North", hmmmm..... starting to make sense, yes?
Do you notice how very closely this fits, without any forcing, or PhD's in history? It is so simple that it can bring no attention to anyone explaining it, yet it gives remarkable honour to God's prophetic abilities.
The Bible is written for the reasonable average person with general knowledge, and most of these events listed here for Daniel 11:6-12 are things that anyone who has lived in the 20th century would be familiar with. As someone once said, 'the Bible was not written just for Historians.').....
(once you see this, it's just so clear and obvious that you can't not see it....yes, yes, I know, that's a double negative, but, still... you know what I mean.)
Daniel
11:7,
Noteworthy is the fact that after the Revolution of 1917 the Russians
lost their dominance of the Middle-East and their "Place"
was taken over by Britain "one from the sprout of her
roots" (Alexandra's roots were British). When the Ottoman
Empire fell at this time, had the previous circumstances
still
existed (i.e. Tsarist Russia), control of the Middle-East
historically would have been taken over by Russia. However, Britain
stepped into Russia's "Place" (some Bibles say
"position") showing great military success and gained
dominance of the Middle-East
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Cossack_Brigade#Role_in_World_War_I Field
Marshal Edmund Allenby's historic and respectful
entry into Jerusalem at this
time is a dramatic and beautiful fulfillment of this prophecy.
Britain ('one from the sprout of her roots'), also specifically did
dominate Egypt after that time...actually until the 1956 Suez events.
This 'shift' of "position" or "place"
was particularly
evident in Jerusalem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Compound ,
itself, (some interesting
news: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-jerusalem14-2008oct14,0,3957637.story)
(appropriately, as the "Man in Linen" had said that the prophecy had primary application to Daniel's "People", Dan 10:14).
Daniel 11:8,
Daniel 11:9 ( 'He will come into the kingdom of the King of the South, and go back to his own land.') looks like the Cuban missile crisis, (an event that by all measures was huge, and truly a marked event, and in fact, this verse only makes sense when applied to the Cuban missile crisis. The Cuban missile crisis was one of the defining events of the 20th century, as well as for the relationship between the King of the North and the King of the South). (See NKJV, NLT, ESV, ASV, NIV, Tanakh, Darby, NASB, and others.)
Daniel
11:10 could
be the 'Hungarian
Revolution' or
the 'Prague
Spring'.
As Daniel chapter 11 appears to be sequential, it's most
likely
the 'Prague Spring'.
Daniel
11:11 and Daniel 11:12 look very much
like the first Persian Gulf war (Desert Storm 1991); George
Bush
number one, did gather a multitude into his hand by means of his U.N.
coalition forces, he did win the war, he did cause "tens of
thousands to fall" (remember the cluster bombing of the Iraqis
on the road back from Kuwait?), but didn't use his "strong ,
position" (KJV, Webster "be strengthened by it"), i.e.
He did virtually nothing with his "strong position" over
Saddam Hussein. Which really was puzzling, until it's
applied to this prophecy.
If that is the case , we should now be approaching Dan 11:13.
Yes, Daniel
11:13.
(Note that this verse includes the phrase "in the time
of the end", hmmmm....)
*It
should be noted that the fact that Josephus' interpretation of
Daniel's prophecy was made in the first century ( about two thousand
years ago ) would
by necessity
invalidate it,
because of the simple
fact that the "Man in Linen" when talking to Daniel at the
end of this particular prophecy said "Go, Daniel, because the
words are made secret and sealed up until
the time of the end",
(Daniel 12:4,9). Thus any premature
interpretation would be automatically self-invalidating !!
**It seems that it would be more than just a coincidence that this was the year (1917) of entry into WWI. for the U.S. (King of the South) , the year of the Bolshevik Revolution and forming of the Soviet Union, (modern King of the North), the year of the Balfour Declaration, and the year of liberation of Jerusalem by British troops.
Recall too, that the "Man in Linen" said that he was telling Daniel what would befall Daniel's people, the Jews, in the time of the end (Dan 10:14).Noteworthy is that fact that at this time the largest population of Jews in the world was in Russia (about 6 million), so the Bolshevik Revolution really did affect the Jews.
Cautionary afternote: The two passages in Daniel chapter 11; vss 13-19 and vss 40-45 bear a remarkable similarity. As these events begin to unfold most if not all will feel that we are at Daniel 11:40. It is only by careful observation of the daily News in detail that a person will be able to see that we are at Daniel 11:13. The very natural desire to just have this whole dam thing over with (can you blame them?) will make most people choose to believe that we are at vs 40, however, over time it will become apparent. Dan 11:15 will be a distinct difference (Baghdad Embassy)
Please note: the time differential between Dan 11:13 and Dan 11:40 (beginning of 3rd Woe)may be about 10years.
After Daniel 11:22 is reached; (the "breaking of the Leader of the Covenant") it will be appx 7½ from then until what's commonly considered 'The End', i.e. Christ's coming. Accurate understanding of this could be a great source of strength and "ca..ca,ca..ca..courage".
*** .....On the nature of riddles.....
Riddles, by tacit definition, are confounding and complex when first heard, and almost embarrassingly simple once explained. The almost Universal reaction once a riddle is explained is, "Oh, that's so simple/obvious !!"
And yet this Riddle: Daniel the Eleventh Chapter, when you hear the conventional explanation (Maccabees, Selucids, Ptolemys, et al) Becomes far more difficult.
The conventional interpretation of Daniel 11 makes the explainer look brilliant, but the point of Bible prophecy is to draw attention to God's amazing prophetic abilities (Isaiah 46:10).
Hopefully, the explanation offered in this little monograph leaves you with the "That's so simple/obvious!" reaction, and a deep respect for God.
Doesn't that seem like the way it should be ?
Just a Quick Review of the "Simple/Obvious!" solution of Dan 11, starting at vs 6:
vs 6: Bolshevik Revolution.
vs 7: Britain replacing Tsarist Russia in Middle-East.
vs
8: (first part of vs8) Exile of Russian Orthodox
Church in
Jerusalem into Egypt (not easy to support, but their website in
Jerusalem substantiates this. See their history page)
(second
part of vs8) King of South's reluctance to attack King of North after
WWII. (Patton)
vs 9: Cuban Missile Crisis.
vs 10: Prague Spring.
vss 11&12: First Persian Gulf War.
vs 13: What's coming next......
Virtually everyone alive, with any general knowledge of recent History, knows most of these facts. Not just a few Middle-Eastern History Scholars...... think about that, really really think about that.
Consider this too; if you were asked to summarize the high points of the 20th century and recent history relating to the interaction of "King of the South" and the "King of the North" aren't these the events that would come to mind ?
Isn't the relationship betwixt the King of the North and the South the major point of Daniel 11 ? Kinda "Simple/Obvious" Once you really think about it, huh ?
If Prophecy were to predict history that is so arcane and ancient that few know of it, what's the point ? How does that help the General Bible reader ?
The Historical events cited here are common knowledge. What is absolutely amazing is that God could predict what would become common historical knowledge Thousands of years in advance.
Shouldn't
that be the point of Prophecy ?
(if you feel that Dan 11:22 makes all of this impossible please click here)
An
Afterword, (if you don't mind ?) or THE
PROOF (is
in the pudding) :
Anyone
can make strong assertions about prophetic interpretations, and this
site is no exception,.. sigh......
But
prophecy really is not there to prove the past, it's there so we can
have confidence going into the future.
So, if you would be
so kind, let me make an offer/suggestion.
If this view of Daniel is true; that we are at Dan 11:13, here is
what is proposed:
As
this first foray into the middle-east by Russia/Soviet ReUnion
(the Soviet Union will be fully reformed
at this point. And the thinking here is that the President of Russia
(Putin) will lead this foray.), simply watch the news very carefully,
and compare the steps/details
from Dan 11:13 to Dan 11:19. There are at least 10 or
more,
(depending on how
you choose to count them) specific & sequential steps/events
for this first Major Phase listed there. If news events match the
scriptures, well, then
you will know where we are.....
As events happen, they will be recorded on the News_Updates page.
All
truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is
to discover them.
-Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642)
.
All truth passes through three stages:
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
- attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(to unlock Daniel chapters 2 and 7 click here)
(to
resolve Dan 11:22 with this timeline click here)
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