Appendix E – Parts of Daniel Relating to Revelation

        This Appendix contains background material relating to chapter 17. First we will look at prophecies made in the Old Testament book of Daniel concerning the great empires between the time of Daniel and the time when Revelation was written. Further down in this appendix you will also find background on the rulers of these great empires.



Daniel Chapter Two.
The Vision of the Great Statue.
               1)      Nebuchadnezzar's Dream.  Dan 2:1-13.
            Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him and when he couldn’t understand it he called for his wise men to provide an interpretation. They were unable to, so in anger the King commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be put to death. 
          
            2)      It is Revealed to Daniel.  Dan 2:14-23.
            Even though Daniel knew nothing about the King’s dream he was included among those sentenced to death. He asked the captain of the King’s guard to give him time to seek an interpretation and an audience with the King. This was granted to him so Daniel went to his home to ask God for an answer to the King’s dream.

            3)      He Obtains Admission to the king.  Dan 2:24-30.
            Daniel asks for and is given an audience with the King. When Nebuchadnezzar asks how he knows what others are unable to answer Daniel gives the credit to God rather than his own wisdom. 

               4)      The Dream.  Dan 2:31-36.
            The Kings dream was of a large and splendid statue. The head was made of gold and the breast and arms were made of silver. The belly and thighs were made of bronze and the legs were made of iron. Finally the feet and toes were made partly of iron and partly of clay. As the king watched a great stone was cut out of a mountain and the great statue was crushed.
   
            5)      The Interpretation.  Dan 2:37-45.
            Daniel told the king that his statue was in fact four kingdoms.
                   The Head –                      1^st Kingdom –        Babylon.

                   The Breast & Arms –      2^nd Kingdom –       Mede-Persian.
                                                                         (See Dan 5:26-28)

                   The Belly & Thighs –      3^rd Kingdom –         Greece. 
                                                                          (See Dan 8:5-8)

                    Legs & feet –                   4^th Kingdom –        Rome.             
                                                                          (See Dan 11:20-45)

             The King is told that his Kingdom is the first of a series of four great kingdoms. During the time of the fourth kingdom God will set up another kingdom, the stone that will stand forever and never be destroyed.
             There are some historical details of these kingdoms at the end of this appendix. 

            6)      Honours to Daniel and his Friends.  Dan 2:46-49.
            The King promoted Daniel and gave him many gifts. When Daniel was made ruler over the province of Babylon he asked that his three friends be promoted as well.

Daniel Chapter Five.

The Inscription on the Wall.
              1)      The Inscription Appears.   Dan 5:1-12. 
            King Belshazzar throws a great feast for one thousand of the nobles of his kingdom. He called for the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem, the house of God, so he and his guests could drink from them. During the feast a hand appeared and began writing on the palace wall.
            The King is greatly troubled by this and he sends for the wise men of Babylon for a interpretation of the writing. None are found who are able to provide the King with an interpretation.
            The Queen remembers that Daniel provided Belshazzar’s father with an interpretation for a similar difficult dream so Daniel is sent for.  

           2)      The Interpretation.   Dan 5:13-28. 
           The words on the wall were “MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN.”
                            a)       “MENE – God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it.”
                      ‘Mina’ – 50 shekels – from verb ‘to number’. Your kingdom is coming to an end 
           because God has numbered its days. 
                      b)      “TEKEL – You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting”
                      ‘A shekel’ – from verb ‘to weigh.’ You have been weighted and God has found 
           that you do not measure up to the position of king. 
                      c)       “PERES – Your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and
            Persians.”  
                       ‘and half-shekels’ – from verb ‘to divide.’ Your kingdom has come to an end and
            it is to be divided among the Medes and Persians.

            3)      Belshazzar replaced by Cyrus the Great.   Dan 5:30-31. 
           That same night Babylon was over run and the King Belshazzar was slain. His kingdom was taken over the Medes fulfilling the first part of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.

Daniel Chapter Seven.

The Vision of the Four Beasts.
            1)      This vision was seen by Daniel in the first year of King Belshazzar’s reign.
                                                                                                                  Dan 7:1.  
            2)      The Vision.   Dan 7:3-12.
            He saw four beasts coming up out of the sea. This is the sea of humanity from which all nations rise.     Isa 17:12;  Isa 57:20.
                      a)      The First Beast.   Dan 7:4.
                                   “like a lion and had the wings of an eagle.”
                      b)      The Second Beast.   Dan 7:5.
                                   “resembling a bear”
                      c)      The Third Beast.   Dan 7:6.
                                  “like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast
                                                      also had four heads”
                      d)     The Fourth Beast.   Dan 7:7-11. 
                                    i)   “dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had
                                                                       large iron teeth.”  
                                   ii)    Three horns were uprooted by an eleventh horn. This new horn
                                                                     was boastful against God.  
                                  iii)    The Ancient of Days passes judgement on this beast who is
                                                                     then thrown into the fire.

               3)      The Interpretation.
                         The four beasts are four kings or four kingdoms.  Dan 7:23-25.
                         These are the Kingdoms in Daniel’s vision of the four beasts.  

                                                The 1^st beast                            Babylon.

                                                The 2^nd beast                           Mede-Persian.

                                                The 3^rd beast                            Greece.

                                                The 4^th beast                            Rome.

                Then the Ancient of Days will bring His judgement upon Rome and a kingdom of the saints will be established that will last forever.
               The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom and the 10 horns are 10 kings who will rule over that kingdom. Then another king will rise and speak against God. He will set out to oppress and persecute God’s people until finally in verse 26 God brings judgement upon this king and his kingdom.
               The first 10 kings are the first 10 emperors of Rome. (See notes on Rev chapter 17). Then an eleventh king will arise whom history tells us is the second son of Vaspasian, known as Domition. This is the eighth beast of Rev17:11.

  Emperors of the 1^st Century.

     Emperor               Reign           Daniel No.     Revelation No.        Rev 17:10-11

Augustus	27BC-14AD	1	1
Tiberius	14-37 AD	2	2	These are the five ‘kings’
Caligula	37-41 AD	3	3	“Five have fallen.”
Claudius	41-54 AD	4	4
Nero	54-68 AD	5	5	“The Beast that was.”
Galba	68 AD	6		Three who took the throne
Otho	69 AD	7		But were quickly overthrown.
Vitellius	69 AD	8		(See notes below)
Vaspasian	69-79 AD	9	6	“the one that is”
Titus	79-81 AD	10	7	“the one not yet come but only
				For a short time.”
Domition	81-96 AD	11	8	“an eighth, the beast”

Daniel Chapter Eight.

The Vision of the Ram and the Goat.
                     1)      This vision was seen by Daniel in the third year of Belshazzar’s reign.

                2)      The Vision.  Dan 8:2-8.  
               A large Ram is standing beside the Ulai Canal. He is extremely powerful and none is able to stand before him. He had two great horns that were the source of his power. 
              Then a shaggy goat appears who struck the ram and shattered its horns leaving the ram with no power. The goat hurled the ram to the ground and trampled on him and there was no one to rescue the ram. 

               3)      The interpretation.   Dan 8:19-21. 
              The ram is the Mede-Persian Empire and the two horns are the kings of Media and the kings of Persia. 
              The goat is the kingdom of Greece and the large horn is the first king of this kingdom. This king is of course Alexander the Great. The other horns are four kingdoms that will arise from this kingdom that will not have its power. When Alexander the Great died his kingdom was split up among his generals and followers. None of these kingdoms were any where near the size of Alexander’s empire.   

Daniel Chapter Eleven. 

The Coming of Greece.   Dan 11:2-35. 
                1)  In Dan 11:2 Darius the III goes to war with Greece. In Dan 11:3-4 another mighty king arises “who will rule with great authority and do as he pleases.” 

                2)  In Dan 11:5-35 we see the many struggles between the King of the North and the King of the South.  
               Alexander the Great defeated Darius III in the Battle of Issos in BC 333. Alexander then goes on to establish an empire that stretches from Greece south to Egypt and east to India. With the early death of Alexander in Babylon, there was no one to succeed him and so his empire split into a number of sections and soon each section was waring with its neighbours. The two kingdoms that Daniel is particularly concerned with are Egypt, the King of the South and Syria, the King to the North. These two kingdoms fought each other over the area between them, the land of the Jews.

(See details of this struggle later in this appendix.)   

The Coming of Rome.   Dan 11:36-45
                The remaining part of chapter 11 concerns another empire, that being greater and more powerful, quickly over comes the Kings of the North and the South. Although the text does not identify this empire there are a number of clear points that link it with Rome.

Dan 11:37  “He will set himself above other Gods.”

Dan 11:38  “He will honour a god of war.”

Dan 11:40  “The kings of the North and South will fall before Him.”

            They were weakened by the continued struggles between them.

Dan 11:43  “He will control Egypt, Libyans and Nubians.”

Dan 11:45  “He will come to an end and no one will help him.” 

Daniel Chapter Twelve. 

The Saints will be Delivered.
                Finally in chapter 12 we see the saints, those who overcome, will be delivered.  The book is completed with the instruction given to Daniel that the book is to be sealed.   

                 Dan 12:4  “conceal these words and seal up the book” 

                This is an interesting contrast with what John is instructed to do with his book, the Book of Revelation. Where Daniel is told to seal up his book, John is told not to seal it up.

                 Rev 22:10  “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.”

Background on the Rulers of the First Three Empires.

Nebuchadnezzar II

         Nebuchadnezzar II (reigned 605-562 BC), greatest king of the neo-Babylonian, or Chaldean, dynasty, who conquered much of south-western Asia Minor; known also for his extensive building in the major cities of Babylonia.

      The eldest son of Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar commanded a Babylonian army late in his father’s reign and in 605 BC triumphed over Egyptian forces at the decisive Battle of Carchemish in Syria, which made Babylonia the primary military power in the Middle East. After his father’s death, Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon and ascended the throne on September 7, 605 BC. During the next eight years he campaigned extensively in the west against Syria, Palestine, and Egypt and against the Arabs. On March 16, 597 BC, he captured Jerusalem and took Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and many of his people captive to Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar subsequently faced major revolts in Babylonia (594 BC) and in Judah (588-587 BC), which he vigorously suppressed and, as a result of which, many more Jews were exiled to Babylonia. Nebuchadnezzar also conducted a 13-year siege of the Phoenician city of Tyre and launched an invasion of Egypt in 568 BC. During the latter part of his reign, as the empire of the Media increased in power to the north and east, Nebuchadnezzar built a wall, known as the Median Wall, in northern Babylonia to keep out the Medes.

         Nebuchadnezzar’s conquests brought in much booty and tribute, creating a period of prosperity in Babylonia. He undertook an ambitious construction programme, rebuilding the temples in the major religious centres and refurbishing the capital at Babylon with the splendid ziggurat (pyramid temple) of Etemenanki as well as other shrines, palaces, fortification walls, and processional ways. Later legend credited him with building one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, for his Median wife Amyitis. Nebuchadnezzar died in early October 562 BC and was succeeded by his son Amel-Marduk (the biblical Evil-Merodach).

”Nebuchadnezzar II”,Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Belshazzar

          Belshazzar (flourished 550-539 BC), in the Old Testament, Babylonian prince mentioned in Daniel 5 as the last Chaldean king of Babylon. He was slain when Babylon was captured by the Medes and the Persians. The Greek historian Xenophon corroborates in his Cryopaedia the biblical story of Belshazzar’s feast, in which a hand appeared before the king and his feasting court and wrote in Aramaic on the wall: “mene, mene, tekel, upharisin”. Daniel interpreted these words as a prophecy of Babylon’s fall. Although no ancient historian mentions his name as one of the successors of the second Chaldean king, Nebuchadnezzar II, the Babylonian cuneiform inscriptions gave the name Belsaruzar as that of the son of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon. A later inscription suggested that Belshazzar was associated with his father on the throne.

”Belshazzar”,Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation.         All rights reserved.

Belshazzar (meaning 'Bel' protect the king) was the son and viceroy of Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon, who is said to have been absent from the capital, hiding at Tema in Aradia, during this time of great danger. His son Belshazzar remained in charge of the capital when the Medes and Persians attacked the city. In Dan 5:2 he is said to be the son of Nebuchadnezzar but the term used in the Aramaic  language could also be understood to mean "grandson" "descendant" or "successor." 

Cyrus the Great.

           Cyrus the Great (c. 600-529 BC), king of Persia (550-529 BC). He was the son of Cambyses I, a descendant of Achaemenes (Hakhamanish) (fl. 7^th century BC), and a member of the Achaemenid dynasty. When Cyrus became (558 BC) ruler of the Persian district of Anshan, the district was subject to Media; five years later he led a rebellion against the Medes that resulted in the capture of King Astyages (reigned c. 584-c. 550 BC) and the overthrow (550 BC) of the Median Empire. Thereafter Cyrus called himself king of Persia and ruled a territory extending from the Halys River on the west, to the Babylonian Empire on the south and east. Babylonia, Egypt, Lydia, and the city-state of Sparta in Greece combined to curb the power of Cyrus, but in 546 BC Cyrus defeated Croesus, king of Lydia, to take control of Asia Minor. In 539 BC Babylonia also fell to Cyrus.

           The Persian Empire was the most powerful state in the world until its conquest in 331 BC by Alexander the Great. Cyrus was an enlightened and tolerant ruler. Significant among his deeds was the freeing of the Jews from their exile in Babylon, allowing them to return to their native Israel and rebuild the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. Generally, he refrained from interfering with native customs and religions. Cyrus died while leading an expedition against the eastern tribe, the Massagetae, and was buried at Pasargadae, where his tomb can still be seen. He was succeeded by his son, who became Cambyses II.

“Cyrus the Great”,Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Darius III.

Darius III, called Codomannus (c. 380-330 BC), king of Persia (336-330 BC), great grandson of Darius II. He was placed on the throne by the eunuch Bagoas, who had been responsible for the assassinations of Artaxerxes III (reigned 359-338 BC), and Arses (reigned 338-336 BC); Darius, in turn, killed Bagoas. In the course of his reign Darius III led the Persian army against the forces of Alexander the Great of Macedon but was defeated at the battles of Issus in 333 BC and Gaugamela in 331. He was killed by one of his own satraps while fleeing from Gaugamela.

”Darius III”,Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

This Roman floor mosaic from a house in Pompeii was created in the 2^nd century BC and was probably based on a Greek painting from the late 4^th century BC. In the centre of the mosaic the Persian king Darius III flees from the victorious Alexander at the Battle of Issos in the year 333 BC. On the left-hand side Alexander the Great storms towards Darius at the head of his troops. The mosaic is in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

Alexander the Great.

              Alexander the Great began his war against Persia in the spring of 334 BC by crossing the Hellespont (modern Dardanelles) with an army of 35,000 troops from Macedonia and the Greek city-states; his chief officers, all Macedonians, included Antigonus (later Antigonus I), Ptolemy (later Ptolemy I), and Seleucus (later Seleucus I). At the river Granicus, near the ancient city of Troy (in modern Turkey), he attacked an army of 40,000 Persians and Greek hoplites (mercenaries). His forces defeated the enemy and, according to tradition, lost only 110 men; after this battle all Asia submitted to him. On his way through Phrygia he is said to have cut with his sword the Gordian knot. Continuing to advance southwards, Alexander encountered the main Persian army under King Darius III, at Issus, in north-eastern Syria. According to tradition Darius’s army was estimated at 500,000 but this is now considered a fantastic exaggeration. The Battle of Issus, in 333, ended in a great victory for Alexander. Cut off from his base, Darius fled northwards, abandoning his mother, wife, and children to Alexander, who treated them with the respect due to royalty.

"Alexander the Great”,Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2001. © 1993-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

The Grecian (Macedonian) Period to the Coming of Rome.   (333 B.C. – 70 A.D.)

Alexander the Great  (333 – 323 B.C.)
            In 336 B.C., twenty year old Alexander the Great assumed command of the army of Greece. Within a few years, he conquered much of the known world. During his conquests, he captured and sacked the city of Tyre, fulfilling the prophecy against that city made in Ezek 26 & 28. Because of his influence, Greek culture spread across the world. He established a city on the Nile, Alexandria, to be a centre of Greek influence throughout Egypt and Palestine. Of special significance to Christians is the fact that Greek became the universal language until well after the time of Christ. The New Testament was written in ‘koine’ (common) Greek.
            Alexandra took control of Jerusalem about 333 B.C. fulfilling Nebuchadnezzar’s dream as the third kingdom. The writings of Josephus tell how the high priest welcomed the conqueror outside the walls of the city. Alexander gave special privileges to the Jews. He used them as colonists, persuading them to settle in far-flung areas of his empire. During this period, the scribes made their appearance as a distinct class among the Jews.
            Alexander’s death in 323 B.C. was followed by a twenty year struggle for power. Finally his kingdom was divided into four territories;- Greece, Asia, Egypt and Syria. This division of Alexander’s empire into four parts was prophesied in Daniel 8:8, 21-22. The two areas that mainly interest us are the Ptolemies who took control of Egypt and the Seleucids who ruled in Syria.

The Ptolemies (323 – 198 B.C.)  

            Situated between Egypt and Syria, Palestine was trapped in the struggle between the two powers, the Seleucids (Daniel’s king of the North) and the Ptolemies (Daniel’s king of the South) of Daniel chapter 11. When the Egyptian armies marched on Syria, they would capture Palestine on their way north. When the Syrian armies moved south towards Egypt again Palestine lay in their path. Over the next hundred years, the Jews were occasionally under the control of Syria, but most of the time they were subject to Egypt. 

            Ptolemy I captured Jerusalem and took a number of Jews to help colonise Alexandria. He gave them full citizenship and encouraged Jewish scholarship. The time of the Ptolemies’ rule was basically a peaceful period for the Jewish people. 
            A significant achievement was the translation of the Septuagint in Egypt. Ptolemy II commissioned a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures for the great library of Alexandria. This translation was completed around 285 B.C. According to tradition, it was produced by seventy Jewish scholars, hence the name “Septuagint” which means seventy. Many Old Testament quotations by New Testament writers and speakers are from the Septuagint.               
           The struggle between Egypt and Syria continued throughout this period. Finally, around  198 B.C., Palestine came under Syrian domination.

The Seleucids  (198 – 165 B.C.)

            To facilitate their rule of the land, the Seleucids divided Palestine into five provinces: Judea, Samaria, Galilee, Perea and Trachonitis.

            The period of Syrian rule was the darkest in the history of Judaism. The principal villain was Antiochus IV, also known as Antiochus Epiphanies. Epiphanies (175 – 165 B.C.) hated the Jewish people and tried to make Greeks of them. He erected a temple to Jupiter in Jerusalem and tried to stamp out the Jewish religion. He closed the temple, made circumcision illegal and promised death to anyone who practised Judaism. He sold thousands of Jews into slavery and killed thousands more. He took treasures from the temple and sacrificed a sow on the altar. He put the ashes in water and sprinkled this unclean “sow water” throughout the temple, desecrating the hole structure.    

The Period of Independence  (165 – 63 B.C.
            The atrocities of Antiochus Epiphanies provided the catalyst for a Jewish insurrection led by an aged priest named Mattathias. Mattathias had five bold and warlike sons, one of whom – Judas, became the leader of the revolt. Judas was known as “Judas the Hammer.” “Maccabee” is the Greek word for hammer, so this is sometimes called the Maccabean period of Jewish history.
            Judas Maccabee re-conquered Jerusalem in 165 B.C. The temple was purified and rededicated to Jehovah. This was the origin of the Feast of the Dedication (see John 10:22). The war with Syria continued from 163 to 143 B.C. Finally, the Jews won their independence. A Jewish dynasty under John Hyrcanus was established in 135 B.C.
            During this period, Jewish sects arose, including the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Also during this period, the office of the high priest became more a political position than a religious one. High priests were appointed by whoever was in power.

The Coming of Rome.

            The closing years of this period were years of civil strife. Different members of John Hyrcanus’ descendants were rivals for the throne. There were plots, counter plots and political assassinations. Finally, one party in the dispute appealed to a rising power, Rome, for support. Seeking Rome’s involvement in this Jewish dispute was like chickens inviting a fox into the hen house to arbitrate their differences. It was not long before the Jews lost their independence.
            The coming of the Romans prepared the way for Christ. The “Pax Romana” Roman peace was established throughout the region and the universal language (Greek) was spread through the empire. The building of a massive network of roads empire-wide for transportation and communication permitted the Christian Gospel to spread quickly throughout the Roman world.

            This material with some additions and minor editing came from:-

Truth for Today  (November 1999) pgs 37 - 38