DANIEL CHAPTER 9 – “PROPHECY – THE 70 WEEKS!”

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

EXPOSITION:

9:1-2 A lot of questions can be answered by simply reading the Bible!     Cf. Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10

(1) “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans⁠— (2) in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.”

Remember! King Ahasuerus was married to Queen Esther, which may account for his son’s kindness to the Jews! Darius may have been the son of Queen Esther (“may” that is!)

9:3-16 Confession of sin is always the best way to begin a prayer!

(3) “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. (4) I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, (5) we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. (6) We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers,

and to all the people of the land. (7) To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame, as at this day, to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, those who are near and those who are far away, in all the lands to which you have driven them, because of the treachery that they have committed against you.  (8) To us, O Lord, belongs open shame, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.

(9) “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him (10) and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. (11) All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him. (12) He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem. (13) As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth.”

(14) “Therefore, the Lord has kept ready the calamity and has brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works that he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice. (15) And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. (16) “O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy hill, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us.”

                                               9:17-19 After confession should come supplication!

(17) “Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. (18) O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. (19) O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

9:20-23 GOD reveals HIMSELF, HIS will, and His “Plan and Purpose for the Ages” to HIS people because HE loves us!

(20) “While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, (21) while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. (22) He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. (23) At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision.”

9:24-27 GOD’s Roadmap to HIS Return!

(24) “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.

(25) Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. And for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.

** Theological Note: If these are not weeks of days, can they be weeks of years?

Why do I (and a multitude of others) believe that these are weeks of years and not days? Hindsight! Since nothing of prophetic importance happened 490 days after this prophecy, and since all prophecy will be perfectly fulfilled – as was the prophecy of the four Kingdoms – this prophecy will be perfectly fulfilled as well.

Take note here that the “seven weeks” (of years)are added to the “sixty-two weeks” (of years) giving us sixty-nine “weeks” (of years)! Ergo… “sixty-nine” years x 7 = 483 years x 360 days per year = 173,880 days.

If the many biblical historians are correct who date Palm Sunday as being March 30th, 33AD, then the number of days from the decree to rebuild the Temple (444BC) to the declaration of JESUS as “the anointed prince” is 173,880 days!

Theological Note: We cannot rightly understand this prophecy if we do not understand the clear reference here to two different people who are called, “prince…”

First, there is a person called, “an anointed one, a prince…” who is said in 26a “shall be cut off and have nothing…”

“Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince…”

The “anointed prince…” is JESUS who was “cut off” on Good Friday (April 4th 33AD) in Jerusalem!

(26a) “And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing.”

Second, there is a person called, “the prince who is to come…” and it says, “the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”

The “prince who is to come…” is the antichrist, who will lead his people to destroy the sanctuary beginning the three and one-half year period of time called the, “Great Tribulation!” (Matthew 24:21)

“(26b) And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.

Notice that “the prince who is to come” will make a “one week” (7 years) but at the midpoint of the “week” (3 ½ of the 7 years) he will break the covenant with Israel and attempt to destroy the people of GOD!

(27) “And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

And that, Beloved Ones, is the clearest outline of pre-tribulational pre-millennialism in the Bible!

Amen!

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EASTER 2026 – WHY SHOULD ANYONE BELIEVE THAT JESUS REALLY ROSE FROM THE DEAD?

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

1. There are two kinds of people in the world today – those who do believe that the Bible is true; and those who do not believe that the Bible is true.

There are perfectly good reasons for both kinds of people to believe that Jesus really did rise from the dead.

For those of us who are sure that the Bible is true, believing that Jesus rose from the dead is really easy!

2. Since we are sure that the Bible is true, and since the writers of the Old Testament said that Jesus would rise again from the dead, it makes perfect sense to us that Jesus would rise again from the dead.

Job 19:25-27 “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”

Psalm 16:10 “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”

Isaiah 53:10 “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.”

Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

Jesus declared that the entire Book of Jonah was a prophecy of HIS resurrection from the dead. 

Matthew 12:38-40 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

3. Since we are sure that the Bible is true, and since the Bible says that Jesus is GOD in human flesh; it makes perfect sense that Jesus would keep HIS promise to rise again from the dead.

Before HIS death on the cross, Jesus said that HE would rise from the dead. (Future Tense)

Cf. Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

John 2:18-22 “So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.”

After HIS death on the cross, Jesus said that HE had risen from the dead. (Past Tense)

Cf. Revelation 1:18 (NKJV) “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”

Note: This verse was written 60 years after the death of Jesus on the cross.

4. Since we are sure that the Bible is true, and since the Bible says that the Apostles were honest and godly men; it makes perfect sense to believe what they said about Jesus being raised from the dead.  

Cf. John 20:19-20 “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.”

5. Since we are sure that the Bible is true and the Bible says that one must believe that God raised Jesus from the dead to be saved… and since the Bible says that being saved will change our life… and, since believing that God raised Jesus from the dead really did change our life; what the Bible says about Jesus being raised from the dead must be true.                                         

Romans 10:9-10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

2nd Corinthians 5:17 ” Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

6. Finally, for those people in the world today who are not sure that the Bible is true there are still lots of logical reasons to believe that Jesus actually rose from the Dead!

– The fact that the Apostles (who really knew if Jesus really rose from the dead or not) were willing to die horrific deaths rather than deny that they saw Jesus alive is strong evidence that they really did see Jesus alive after his death.

(People will die for a lie if they believe it is true; but people will not die for a lie if they know it is a lie.)

– The dramatic change in the lives of the Apostles from Christ-denying skeptics to self-sacrificing evangelists is strong evidence that they really did see Jesus alive after HIS death on the cross.

– The fact that when Paul was writing 1st Corinthians (30 years after the death of Jesus) he could call on over 500 eyewitnesses who had seen Jesus alive after HE died on the cross is strong evidence that Jesus really rose from the dead.

– Three of most highly regarded non-Christian Roman historians mention that Jesus was a person who lived when the Bible says HE lived; and that HE was executed under Pontius Pilate; and that people worshipped HIM as God.

Guardian Magazine (4/14/2017) gives this historical information:

“As far as we know, the first author outside the church to mention Jesus is the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who wrote a history of Judaism around AD93.”

“He has two references to Jesus. One of these is controversial… but the other is not suspicious – a reference to James, the brother of “Jesus, the so-called Christ”.

“About 20 years after Josephus, we have the Roman politicians Pliny and Tacitus, who held some of the highest offices of state at the beginning of the second century AD.”

“From Tacitus we learn that Jesus was executed while Pontius Pilate was the Roman prefect in charge of Judaea (AD26-36) and Tiberius was emperor (AD14-37) – reports that fit with the timeframe of the gospels.”

“(Roman Historian) Pliny contributes the information that, where he was governor in northern Turkey, Christians worshipped Christ as a god. Neither of them liked Christians – Pliny writes of their “pig-headed obstinacy” and Tacitus calls their religion a destructive superstition.”

– In spite of the fact that some people who “claim” to believe in Jesus give no evidence of being changed at all; the millions of people whose lives have been dramatically changed testify that they have come to believe that Jesus really did die for their sins, and that HE really did rise from the dead is strong evidence that Jesus really is the son of God, that He really did die on the cross to pay for the sins of sinners, and – HE is still forgiving sinners and changing lives today.

2nd Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Beloved Ones, the invitation is always the same… since Jesus was willing to die for you, are you now willing to die for him?

Amen!

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Luke 19 “The Triumphal Entry of JESUS into Jerusalem!

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

It was Sunday Morning, March 29th, 33AD. The Sabbath had just ended and THE NEXT THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WAS PASSOVER!

PASSOVER is always on the 14th of Nisan, so PASSOVER for that year was only 4 days away!

PASSOVER was, and still is, one of the two most important Holy Days for the Jew.

Thursday was beginning of the last legitimate PASSOVER, and on that, “Maundy Thursday” Jesus gathered HIS Twelve Disciples in an Upper Room to celebrate the Meal with them.

It was at that Meal that Jesus washed their feet and it was from that Meal that Judas left to betray HIM.

It is vitally important for us to understand that when Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem as the KING, this was a completely legitimate OFFER of the Kingdom to Israel.

Had they repented of their sins and received HIM as their KING, HE would have established the Kingdom of David on earth right then and right there.

But, of course, rather than receive HIM they rejected HIM.

John 19:14-16

(14) “Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. [Pilate] said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” (15) They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” (16) So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.”

The offer was real, the KING was ready; but the same crowds that shouted “Hosanna” on Sunday cried “Crucify” on Friday.

Mark tells us that as Jesus approached HIS City, the crowd cried, “Hosanna!”

Mark 11:8-10

(8) “And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. (9) And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! (10) Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

“Hosanna” means, “Save Now!”

EXPOSITION:

19:28-34 Jesus is God the Son in Human Flesh. HE is sovereign over all things and HE had, HIMSELF, decreed these events. Therefore, HE was able to tell HIS disciples what would happen with a donkey before it happened.

(28) “And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. (29) When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, (30) saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. (31) If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” (32) So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. (33) And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 

(34) And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 

The Biblical Doctrine of “The Aseity of God” teaches that God is eternally self-sufficient and therefore does not need anything.

But Jesus, the Son of Man, needed a donkey and HE needed HIS disciples to go and get the donkey!

What an honor to serve HIM… for them then and for us now!

Fetching a donkey was a small thing, yet it was needed for God’s eternal plan. Many of the things we have the opportunity to do may seem small – and may, in fact be a small thing – but every little thing that we can do for the LORD is needed for HIS will to be fulfilled.

19:35 Since Jesus had decreed these events before the foundation of the world, HE was able to inspire the Prophet Zechariah 550 years before to write in Chapter 9 and verse 9 of his prophecy!

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

(35) “And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it….”

No one states this more clearly than Simon Peter does in Acts 2:22-23

(22) “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— (23) this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

All things have gone, are going, and will continue to go exactly as Jesus has decreed that they go!

Paul reminds the Ephesians (and us) of this great truth…

Ephesians 1:11-12

(11) “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, (12) so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”

* Spreading one’s garment before a King was considered an act of homage to HIM.

19:36-38 Because HE is God in human flesh, Jesus accepted their worship and came into the City of HIS Father David to offer HIS people their KING and HIS Kingdom!

(36) “And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. (37) As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, (38) saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 

(39) The religious hypocrites of HIS day asked HIM to tell the people to stop treating HIM as if HE were the Messiah. Their problem was… HE IS THE MESSIAH!

(39) And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 

19:40 Jesus gives HIS people the wonderful honor of praising HIM, but HE does not need our praise. Creation itself continually cries out the praise of Jesus!

(40) He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Psalm 19:1-3

(1) “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (2) Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. (3) There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.”

19:41-44 The price that is paid for rejecting Jesus was – and still is – horrifically high!

(41) And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, (42) saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 

(43) For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side (44) and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

The vast majority of the Jews rejected Jesus immediately, completely, and continually.

This prophecy of their destruction was fulfilled in 70AD when Roman General Titus breached the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed the City.

It would be May 14th, 1948 (1,878 years later) before Jerusalem was once again a Jewish City, and even now it is a divided City.

WE MUST NOT MISS THE BROKEN HEART OF JESUS OVER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WICKED DEMONSTRATED HERE.

It is easy for Christians to seek to be “Christlike” but, if we are to really be like Christ, we must also have hearts that are broken over the destruction of the wicked!

Revelation 20:11-15

(11) “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. (12) And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. (13) And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. (14) Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. (15) And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

AMEN!

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Daniel Chapter 8 – “Prophecy: The Ram & the He Goat!”

Posted on March 15, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

1. GOD knows the future because HE decreed the future!

2. In the process of inspiration, GOD sometimes revealed the future to certain of the writers of Scripture to inform them (and us) of what HE is going to do, and to identify those who are giving the prophecy as HIS true people.

3. In The Book of Daniel, GOD reveals events that are to be fulfilled soon, others that were fulfilled 200 to 500 years later, and some that have yet to be fulfilled (over 2,500 years) later.

4. Since there is only one future, the yet unfilled prophecies in The Book of Daniel must correspond to the prophecies in The Book of Revelation – and they certainly do!

5. The vision in Daniel 8 was given to him in the last year of the reign of King Belshazzar which was also the end of the Babylonian Empire.

EXPOSITION:

8:1-4 The Ram – The Medes and Persians!

(1) “In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. (2) And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. (3) I raised my eyes and saw, and behold,

a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.

(4) I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.”

8:5-8 The Empire of Greece!

(5) “As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. (6) He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath.  (7) I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. (8) Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.”

Note: The “Conspicuous Horn” is Alexander the Great.

The four horns were the four Generals who divided up Alexander’s empire after his death: © ebsco.com/research

Antipater (397-319 BC), Macedonian statesman, regent of Macedonia, r. 321-319 BC

Antigonus I Monophthalmos (382-301 BC), Macedonian general and local ruler; king of Macedonia, r. 306-301 BC

Ptolemy Soter (367/366- 283/282 BC), Macedonian general; governor of Egypt, 323-305 BC.; king of Egypt, r. 305-285 BC

Seleucus I Nicator (358/354-281 BC), Macedonian general; satrap of Babylonia, 321-305 BC; king of Babylonia and surrounding territories, r. 305-281 BC

8:9-14 Antiochus IV Epiphanes who reigned from 175 to 164 BC.  “The Old Testament type of the antichrist”

(9) “Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. (10) It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. (11) It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. (12) And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. (13) Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” (14) And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

Note: 2,300 days by the Jewish Calendar is 76 months or 6 years and 3 months.

Note: In December 167 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrated the Second Temple by setting up an idol (likely Zeus) on the altar of burnt offering and sacrificing pigs, which are unclean in Jewish law.

He was overthrown by a priest named Mattathias and his son Judah Maccabee (“The Hammer”). The revolt secured religious freedom, rededicated the Temple (celebrated as Hanukkah), and established the Hasmonean dynasty which was ultimately conquered by the Romans in 63 BC.

8:15-17 Do not be worried about the complicated nature of these visions, Daniel did not understand them either!

(15) “When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. (16) And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”      (17) So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”

8:18-26 Thankfully, GOD sent the Angel Gabriel to interpret the vision for him – and for us!

(18) “And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. (19) He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. (20) As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. (21) And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king.  (22) As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. (23) And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise.

(24) His power shall be great⁠—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. (25) By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken⁠—but by no human hand. (26) The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

8:27 It is OK to be “appalled” by this vision (and other prophetical visions) Daniel was as well!

(27) “And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king’s business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it.”

Amen!

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Daniel 7 – A Vision of Four Beasts

Posted on March 8, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

“UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF DANIEL SERMON 8: CHAPTER 7 “A VISION OF FOUR BEASTS!”

INTRODUCTION:

1. Chronologically, this chapter takes place between Chapters 4 and 5 since it comes before the death of Belshazzar, but it is here because scholars have always divided the Book of Daniel into two parts… dealing with Nebuchadnezzar and the Kingdoms that followed him through Rome (1-6) and the Prophecies dealing with Israel in “the latter days.” (7-12).

2. It is vitally important to understand what are “the latter days…”

Both the Old Testament Hebrew: “אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים” (acharit hayamim) and the New Testament Greek: “ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν” (eschaton ton hemeron) refer to the “end times” beginning with the passing of these four Kingdoms, First and Second Advents of Christ, and going through the end of the Millennial Kingdom.

3. THE KEY to understanding this Chapter is to remember that since there is only ONE FUTURE these 4 Beasts must be the same thing as the four Kingdoms of the great image in Chapter 2.

EXPOSITION:

7:1-14 GOD reveals the future Daniel in a dream!

* 7:1-8 The Parade of Nations! (Cf. 2:29-35) (1) “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. (2) Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

(3) And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. (4) The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. (5) And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ (6) After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.

(7) After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. (8) I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Beast #1 (7:4) A Lion with Eagles’ wings… This Beast represents Babylon and corresponds to the Head of Gold in 2:32a.

Beast #2 (7:5) A Bear with three ribs between its teeth… This Beast corresponds to the Medo-Persian Empire in 2:32b.

Beast #3 (7:6) A Leopard with Four Wings… This beast corresponds to the Greek Empire of Phillip and Alexander in 2:32c.

Beast #4 (7:7-8) A horrific Creature with Iron Teeth, Ten Large Horns and One Little Horn on its head… This beast corresponds to the Roman Empire and the Revived Roman Empire in 2:33.

* 7:9-10 The Ancient of Days! (9) “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. (10) and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.”

Theological Note: This is a visible manifestation of GOD the Father WHO is seated on HIS throne to begin the judgment on the fourth Beast and his “armies.”

The first three Beasts: Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece were judged and passed out of existence when “the Roman army, led by Lucius Mummius, defeated the Achaean League in 146 BCE, resulting in the utter destruction of the city of Corinth.”

What is pictured here is the final judgment and destruction of the Fourth Beast (the Antichrist) at the battle of Armageddon at the end of the Great Tribulation!

* 7:11-12 The destruction of the Fourth Beast (the Antichrist, who is the leader of the Revived Roman Empire) and his allies “other beasts” that are described in Revelation 12 – 14

(11) “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. (12) As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

Theological Note: The “three beasts” in Revelation 12-14, (while called “Beasts”) represent three individuals rather than Nations:

“the great dragon” Revelation 12:3-4 is Satan, himself.

“The First Beast” in Revelation 13:1-9 is the Antichrist, Satan’s false imitation Christ.

“The Second Beast” in Revelation 13:11-18 is the False Prophet, Satan’s false imitation Holy Spirit.  

* 7:13-14 The LORD JESUS CHRIST comes before HIS FATHER and is given the Davidic (Millennial) Kingdom!

(13) “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. (14) And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

7:15-27 Daniel is given the Interpretation of the Dream!

* 7:15-18 A calming overview of what GOD is doing!

(15) “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. (16) I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. (17) ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. (18) But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’   

* 7:19-27 GOD’s coming ultimate destruction of the Fourth Beast (the Antichrist’s Revived Roman Empire)

(19) “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet,

(20) and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. (21) As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, (22) until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. (23) “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.          

(24) As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.

(25) He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

(26) But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end.”

Theological Note: 7:27 The Davidic (Millennial) Kingdom will follow the destruction of the Antichrist and GOD’s people will serve HIM in HIS Kingdom!

(27) “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

7:28 It is OK to be alarmed by all of this… Daniel was!

(28) “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.”

AMEN!

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Daniel Chapter 6 – Daniel Delivered from the Den!

Posted on March 1, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

1. At the end of the last Chapter, after Darius the Mede conquered Babylon and killed King Belshazzar, Daniel was promoted to be one of three leaders of the Medo-Persian Empire.

2. In this Chapter, the other leaders of the Empire plot to destroy Daniel and remove him and his power and influence!

3. Also in this Chapter, we see the weakness of human leaders as King Darius falls into the trap set by these other leaders of the Empire.

4. In this Chapter, our sovereign GOD again intervenes to protect the life of HIS servant, exalts him, and destroys those who sought to destroy him!

EXPOSITION:

6:1-5 When godly people are rewarded, ungodly people will seek to destroy them and they often use their faithfulness to GOD as the reason!

(1) “It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; (2) and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. (3) Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

(4) Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him. (5) Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

6:6-9 When ungodly people seek to destroy godly people, they often use the government leaders to do it!

(6) Then these high officials and satraps came by agreement to the king and said to him, “O King Darius, live forever! (7) All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you,    O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.

(8) Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” (9) Therefore, King Darius signed the document and injunction.”

6:10-13 Godly people remain faithful to GOD and HIS commandments regardless of the price they may pay for doing so!

(10) “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

(11) Then these men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and plea before his God. (12) Then they came near and said before the king, concerning the injunction, “O king! Did you not sign an injunction, that anyone who makes petition to any god or man within thirty days except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing stands fast, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked.”

(13) Then they answered and said before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or the injunction you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”

6:14-18 Many, if not most, political leaders will do whatever it takes to placate the crowds even when they know it is wrong!

(14) “Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him.

(15) Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed.”

(16) Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” (17) And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. (18) Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.

6:19-24 When GOD works in the life of HIS people, even godless political leaders recognize and respond to it!

(19) “Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. (20) As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel,           “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”

(21) Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! (22) My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

*Theological Note: The One True Living GOD of the universe is sovereign over all things, including wild animals!

(23) “Then the king was exceedingly glad and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So, Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

(24) And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions⁠—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.”

6:25 – 28 Most ungodly people, including the most well-educated and powerful, hold to some form of religious superstition and are always eager to please whatever “god” or “gods” in which they believe!

(25) “Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. (26) I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. (27) He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.”

(28) So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

Amen!

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Daniel Chapter 5 – “Payday Someday!”

Posted on February 15, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

1. Between the last verse of Chapter 4 and the first verse of Chapter 5, twenty-three years have elapsed. Over those years, following the death of Nebuchadnezzar in 562 BC, five different Kings ruled over the Kingdom of Babylon:

– Evil (or Amel) Merodach was a son of Nebuchadnezzar who ruled from 562 to 560 BC. Little beyond his name is known about him or his reign.

– Neriglissar was a son-in-law of King Nebuchadnezzar. He killed Evil Merodach in 560 BC and ruled to 556 BC.

– Labashi-Marduk was the son of Neriglissar who only ruled for four months before being killed by Belshazzar, the son of the next King, Nabonidus.

– Nabonidus was not related to Nebuchadnezzar. He ruled as co-regent with his son Belshazzar until they were killed during the conquest of Babylon by King Darius of the Medes in 539 BC.

– Belshazzar was the son and co-regent with Nabonidus but had married into the family of Nebuchadnezzar as he is called “his son” (5:22). He was killed (apparently the same night as his father) during the conquest of Babylon by King Darius of the Medes.

2. While GOD had allowed the Babylonians to conquer Israel, in 605 BC, HE ultimately judged them for their cruelty by giving them over to the Kings of the Medo-Persian Empire in 5:39 BC.

3. “The final straw” appears to have been Belshazzar’s desecration of the holy utensils from the Temple.

4. While GOD does not always pay godless people for their sins immediately, there is always a “Payday Someday!” © R. G. Lee

EXPOSITION:

5:1 – 4 Desecration of holy things seems harmless until GOD has had enough!

(1) “King Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand. (2) Belshazzar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. (3) Then they brought in the golden vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. (4) They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.”

5:5 – 6 Because HE is a merciful GOD, HIS judgment is often slow, but it is also sure!

(5) “Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, opposite the lampstand. And the king saw the hand as it wrote. (6) Then the king’s color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.”

5:7 – 9 Unbelievers do not understand what GOD is doing because they cannot understand what GOD is doing!

(7) “The king called loudly to bring in the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers. The king declared to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

(8) Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. (9) Then King Belshazzar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed, and his lords were perplexed.”

5:10 – 16 When unbelievers seek realize that they cannot understand what GOD is doing, they will sometimes seek answers from HIS people!

(10) “The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall, and the queen declared, “O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. (11) There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him, and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father⁠—your father the king⁠—made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers, (12) because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”

(13) Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king answered and said to Daniel, “You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. (14) I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. (15) Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. (16) But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

5:17 – 28 When unbelievers ask GOD’s people to tell them what GOD has said and what HE is doing, the most important thing we can do is tell them the truth!

(17) “Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. (18) O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. (19) And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. (20) But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. (21) He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. (22) And you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, (23) but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. (24) “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. (25) And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin.   

(26) This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end;    (27) Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; (28) Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

5:29 – 31 GOD neither forgives nor forgets the sins of unrepentant sinners!

(29) “Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. (30)  That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. (31) And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.”

Amen.

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Daniel 4 – GOD Saves the King!

Posted on February 8, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

1.This Chapter presents the personal salvation testimony of King Nebuchadnezzar himself!

2. It is important to remember the language structure of The Book of Daniel:

1:1 – 2:4a is written in Hebrew, the language of the Jews.

2:4b – 7:28 is written in Aramaic, the language of the Babylonians.

8:1 – 12:13, the Last verse in the Book, is written in Hebrew. 

NOTE: Aramaic was commonly used by the Jews in JESUS’ day, and many Aramaic words are still included in translations of The New Testament:

“Abba”: Father (Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

“Boanerges”: Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17).

“Corban”: An offering to God (Mark 7:11).

“Ephphatha”: Be opened (Mark 7:34).

“Golgotha”: Place of a skull (Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22).

“Hosanna”: Save us, we pray (Mark 11:9).

“Maranatha”: Our Lord, come! (1 Corinthians 16:22).

“Raca”: Fool, empty one (Matthew 5:22).

“Talitha cumi”: Little girl, arise (Mark 5:41).

“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani”: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).

3. While (according to his personal testimony here) Nebuchadnezzar came to know and worship the One True and Living GOD, those who became King after his death in 562 BC did not!

*Evil-Merodach, Neriglissar, Labashi-Marduk, Nabonidus, and Belshazzar.

EXPOSITION:

4:1 – 3 Like every new Christian convert, King Nebuchadnezzar starts his testimony by praising GOD!

(1) “King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! (2) It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. (3) How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.”

4:4 – 6 Again, GOD worked in the King’s life through a dream!

(4) “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. (5) I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. (6) So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream.”

4:7 – 17 GOD is willing to allow people to go through terrible experiences in order to save them!

(7) “Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream,

but they could not make known to me its interpretation. (8) At last Daniel came in before me⁠—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods⁠—and I told him the dream, saying, (9) “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. (10) The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. (11) The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. (12) Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. (13) “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. (14) He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. (15) But leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth. (16) Let his mind be changed from a man’s, and let a beast’s mind be given to him; and let seven periods of time pass over him.

(17) The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ “

4:18 Even though unsaved people themselves do not know GOD, they can discern those people who do know HIM!

(18) “This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

4:19 – 27 One of the key factors in Nebuchadnezzar coming to know GOD was that someone who did know GOD was willing to tell the King the truth about his situation!

(19) “Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was dismayed for a while, and his thoughts alarmed him. The king answered and said, “Belteshazzar, let not the dream or the interpretation alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered and said, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you and its interpretation for your enemies!  (20) The tree you saw, which grew and became strong, so that its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, (21) whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived⁠—  (22) it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.

(23) And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of its roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven periods of time pass over him,’

(24) this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king,

(25) that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. (26) And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. (27) Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

4:28 – 33 GOD can reveal the future because HE knows the future; and HE knows the future because HE decreed the future!

(28) “All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. (29) At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, (30) and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (31) While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,

(32) and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” (33) Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar.

He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.”

4:34 – 35 When we turn away from our sins and believe in JESUS as Savior and LORD, GOD forgives our sins and changes our life…

(34) “At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; (35) all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”

4:36 When an unbeliever becomes a believer, GOD begins the process of making us “a new creature” by giving us a new mind!

(36) “At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me.”

4:37 Loving, Worshiping, Praising, and Serving GOD are the result of – and not the cause of – our salvation!

(37) “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

Amen!

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Daniel 3 – The Fiery Furnace!

Posted on February 1, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

1. This is one of the best known and least believed passages in The Old Testament!

2. The reason that most people do not believe that this really happened is because they do not believe anything supernatural is possible!

3. Christians believe this passage is true because JESUS said that The Old Testament is true!

Cf. John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

Cf. Matthew 4:4 “But he [JESUS] answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

4. While Christians believe that the miraculous and supernatural events in The Bible really happened, we also realize that it is the nature of miraculous and supernatural events to be extremely rare!

EXPOSITION:

3:1 – 7 Godless people primarily worship themselves and those who have the power to do so demand that everyone else worship them also!

(1) “King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. (2) Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. (3) Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. (4) And the herald proclaimed aloud, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, (5) that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. (6) And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.” (7) Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.”

3:8 – 11 Godless people who have the means to do so are willing to do whatever they can to force everyone else to worship them!

(8) “Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and maliciously accused the Jews. (9) They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! (10) You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image. (11) And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace.”

3:12 – 15 Godless people hate those who refuse to worship them and are willing to destroy them!

(12) “There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (13) Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. (14) Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? (15) Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”

3:16 – 18 Godly people stand up for JESUS whether GOD chooses to deliver them or not!

(16) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. (17) If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. (18) But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

3:19 – 23 GOD does not always keep HIS people from severe trials; sometimes HE delivers them through the trials!

(19) Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. (20) And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. (21) Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. (22) Because the king’s order was urgent and the furnace overheated, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. (23) And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the burning fiery furnace.

3:24 – 27 GOD can deliver HIS people, but GOD does not always deliver HIS people unless it is HIS will to do so!

(24) Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True,   O king.” (25) He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (26) Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.          (27) And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.”

  • HE did not deliver Abel
  • HE did not deliver Job’s children
  • HE did not deliver Jonathan
  • HE did not deliver John the Baptist
  • HE did not deliver Stephen
  • HE did not deliver James
  • HE did not deliver Paul
  • HE did not deliver HIS ONLY SON JESUS

3:28 – 30 “GOD allows what HE hates to accomplish what HE loves!” Joni Eareckson Tada

(28) “Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. (29) Therefore, I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way.” (30) Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.”

Amen!

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DANIEL CHAPTER TWO – AN IMAGE OF THINGS TO COME!

Posted on January 18, 2026 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

1. Daniel is the most detailed and precise of the prophets. In this Book, he interprets two major visions – the Image in Chapter Two and the Four Beasts in Chapter Seven.

2. It is vitally important to understand that THERE IS ONLY ONE FUTURE, so these two visions must be – and are – of the same thing!

3. That “SAME THING” revealed in these two visions is “The Parade of Kingdoms” (human governments) that will dominate the world from the time of Daniel to the end of time.

4. Because of the fact that Daniel’s prophecies have proven to be perfectly accurate, Bible-denying skeptics reject the obvious fact that Daniel lived and wrote 500 years before the birth of JESUS and teach that Daniel must have lived and written around 400 AD at the time of the demise of the Roman Empire.

5. However, JESUS, HIMSELF, clearly believed and taught that Daniel was a real person and prophet who lived and wrote during the Babylonian and Medio-Persian Empires!

Cf. Mark 13:14 “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” (NKJV)

EXPOSITION:

2:1 – 3 Now we see why a sovereign GOD allowed His people to be taken captive into Babylon! “GOD allows what HE hates to accomplish what HE loves” (Joni Tada) What HE loved in this case was giving HIS people an explanation of the future – both short and long term!

(1) “In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. (2) Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. (3) And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”

** Theological Note: GOD often used dreams to accomplish HIS will in the lives of HIS people as well as unbelievers!

The words “dream” “dreams” or “dreamer” appear in 147 verses

2:4 – 12 The “blab it and grab it” “name it and claim it” conmen, cultists, kooks, fakers, and liars are eventually found it!  

(4) ‘Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.”(5) The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. (6) But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore, show me the dream and its interpretation.” (7) They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.

(8) The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm⁠— (9) if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” (10) The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. (11) The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” (12) Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed.”

2:13 – 23 Biblical Prophets and their Prophecies are true, and they either have, or will, come to pass, but any prophet or prophecy outside of the Bible cannot and should not be believed!

(13) “So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.” (14) Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. (15) He declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. (16) And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.

(17) Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, (18) and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

(19) Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. (20) Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. (21) He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; (22) he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. (23) To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

2:24 – 30 Genuine prophecy is not the work of men but of GOD WHO reveals what HE is going to do through men whom HE has chosen!

(24) “Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”        (25) Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” (26) The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” (27) Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, (28) but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: (29) To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.

(30) But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.”

2:31 – 36 The Parade of Kingdoms!

(31) “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. (32) The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, (33) its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. (34) As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. (35) Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (36) “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.

2:37 – 43 The Chronology and Characteristics of the Kingdoms!

(37-38) Babylon: 612 to 539 BC.

(37) You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,             (38) and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all⁠—you are the head of gold.”

(39a) Medo-Persian: 539 to 331 BC

“Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you…”

(39b) Greece: 331 to 63 BC

“and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.”

(40) Rome: 63 BC to 476 AD

“And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.”

(41-43) A Revived Roman Empire: November 1, 1993, to the end of the Tribulation.

(41) “And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. (42) And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.           (43) As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.”

** Theological Note:As these Kingdoms progress, they get weaker and of lesser value! Gold, Silver, Bronze, Iron, Iron mixed with clay…”

2:44 – 45 When the parade has passed at the end of the Tribulation, GOD will set up HIS Kingdom on the Earth!”

(44) “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

(45) just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

2:46 – 49 Even pagan Kings tremble at the WORD of GOD!

(46) “Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. (47) The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”      (48) Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. (49) Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court.”

Amen!

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