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The Book of Daniel as a whole.
Historic foreshadowing and prophetic fulfillment.
A | 1:, 2: Dream interpreted.
Gentile dominion.
"The Lord gave."
B | 3: The fiery furnace.
The form like unto a Son of God.
Command to people, nations and languages.
The dimensions of the image and number of instruments (six).
C | 4: The seven times of Gentile madness.
D | 5: The writing (kethab) explained.
Darius the Mede took the kingdom.
The hand. Belshazzar's doom.
E | 6: Den of lions. The angel.
The den sealed (chatham).
"He delivereth."
A | 7: Dream interpreted.
The Lord's dominion.
"There was given Him."
B | 7:, 8: The fiery stream and the burning flame.
One like unto the Son of man.
People, nations and languages serve Him.
The four, and the two, beasts (six).
C | 9: The seventy sevens of Israel's discipline,
with special reference to the last seven years
D | 10:, 11: 1. The Scriptures (kethab) explained.
Darius the Mede--confirmed.
The hand. Belshazzar's strength.
E | 11: 2 - 12: The earth like a den of lions.
The book sealed (chatham).
"His people shall be delivered."
It will be seen that the vision of Dan. 7:, where the four beasts are described, and
where dominion is given to the Messiah, is to be read as a sequel to the vision of Gentile
dominion and its destruction at the time of the end. The fiery furnace heated by
Nebuchadnezzar's orders, and the ordeal of the faithful three, is reversed in the days to
come. The fiery furnace shall destroy the beast, and no deliverance is revealed as there
was for Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. Nebuchadnezzar sees a form like unto a Son
of God, which is interpreted later by the words, "God hath sent His angel". Daniel, too,
sees one like unto the Son of man, and ten thousand times ten thousand angelic ministers
accompany that august enthronement. The "seven times" of Nebuchadnezzar's peculiar
malady and madness find an echo in Israel's seventy sevens, and in particular the last
seven years of Dan. 9: We therefore draw attention to one or two features in the record
of the king's madness that may be of service in the understanding of its prophetic
foreshadowing. The record may be divided as follows:--
1.
The vision of the tree and its import.
2.
The intervention of the watchers.
3.
The band of iron and brass.
4.
The seven times.