The American Wisdom Series

Presents

Daniel chapter 6

Did you know that scorpions do not hunt for their prey but rather lie in wait for them.

The name Daniel means "God is (my) Judge" and that is precisely what this Book of Daniel is all about.

God's judgment is coming and we've seen a good bit of it in this book already such as in the fifth chapter we have just completed where we saw a king, Belshazzar, appropriately named "Prince of Bel", who totally disregarded Daniel (God is Judge) and lifted up himself against the Lord of heaven by bringing the vessels of God's house into his banquet hall where he and his lords, and his wives, and his concubines drank wine in those vessels while praising the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know anything.

But the God of heaven who gives them every breath of air they breathe, they glorified not Him.

And so it came to pass that God's written word "weighed" Belshazzar in the balance.

The handwriting on the wall declared his judgment and he was slain and his kingdom was taken from him and given to the Medes and Persians, according as it was also written concerning the first division of the beast whose head was of gold.

This division would continue down through history to these last days when the supernatural would come and the powers, the horns, etc. of all those kingdoms would be combined to form the most formidable and awesome kingdom ever to reign upon the earth.

Why will it be so awesome?

Because of the presence of Satan and his angels who are cast out of heaven to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9) and come and mingle with the seed of mortal flesh.

There has never been a time like it in the history of the world.

Jesus Christ Himself declared in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be."

We are fast approaching the time of the delivering up of God's elect to kings and rulers and even to the king of Babylon himself as were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, our ensamples of what to expect when the mightiest men of the king of Babylon's army come and take hold and try to bind up and cast the servants of God into the pit, into the burning fiery furnace.

However, those mighty men in Satan's army will surely fail because Satan's fire has no power whatsoever against the power of the Holy Spirit, a fact to which we are given a pictorial demonstration in this Book of Daniel.

What a great guidebook our heavenly Father has given to us to show and teach us how to prepare ourselves with the knowledge and wisdom contained herein concerning the coming abomination of desolation.

For it is written that the desolator shall surely come with his locust army and take captive and spiritually devour anyone who does not have the gospel armour on, which is to have the seal of God locked in their foreheads.

To that end, let us begin today's study by turning to the ninth chapter of Revelation and document the coming of the supernatural, Satan's locust army, and what it is they shall be doing when they come.

Rev. 9:3
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Scorpions sting their prey with their tails through which they inject their venom into their victims.

Did you know that scorpions do not hunt for their prey but rather lie in wait for them.

Furthermore, they are nocturnal creatures who operate during the night and then hide in crevices and burrows during the day to avoid the light!

[4] And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
If you have the rich wisdom and knowledge of God's Word sealed in your mind, then Satan's locust army cannot harm you.

You "see", the final battle, aka the great tribulation, is a spiritual battle, not one waged "against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephes. 6:12)."

And their comes a time at the sound of the 6th Trump when Satan and his locust army come against our people wearing "crowns" and "breastplates" claiming to be the kings and priests of the Most High God.

Rev. 9:7-10
And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.
Horses are symbolic of power in warfare and Satan's angelic host will indeed be powerful.

They will have crowns "like" gold on their heads because they are those symbolic ten toes, those ten kings who are given power to reign one hour with the beast.

[8] And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
They will appear peaceful and gentle as women but what comes forth from their mouths will spiritually rip and tear and shred like the cheek teeth of lions all those who do not have on the whole armor of God to protect them.
[9] And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
These are breastplates of priests for Satan's angels shall come and appear as "angels of light", ministers of God!

In other words, just as Satan shall claim to be Jesus Christ, they shall claim to be His kings and priests.

[10] And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.
Here we are given to understand the length of the "shortening" of the time the abomination of desolation is allotted to stand in the Holy Place and make desolate the souls of men.

Matthew 24:22 "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

Also, it was his tail that the great red dragon used to draw one third of God's children away from truth and justice in the first earth age.

That tail consists of the Four Hidden Dynasties of Religion, Politics, Economics, and Education or information dissemination, as in lies and propaganda.

You will find all four of these powers in the 28th chapter of Ezekiel where Satan, called the king of Tyrus, corrupted justice, corrupted wisdom, defiled the sanctuary and engaged in merchandising and trafficking in drawing away 1/3 of the stars of heaven (Rev. 12:4).

This is important to understand because as it is written in Rev. 13 that when the second beast comes, the religious one who is Satan, he will exercise all the power of the first beast who controls those Four Hidden Dynasties.

As an ensample, we are going to see in our study how the enemies of God's elect, the kenites, use deceit and the power of politics and law to try to sting a servant of God and cause him to be devoured.

Will, it work?

Of course not, because the one they go after has the seal of God in his forehead which means an "excellent spirit", God's spirit, is found in him.

Servants of God are not cultists nor ashamed of their God
and they serve Him openly...
with the windows open.

So we return to the Book of Daniel where Belshazzar is now dead and Darius, the father of Cyrus the Great who was one of only three men whom God named before they were born and who would be the one to give the commandment to go forth and restore and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, has taken control of the kingdom.

This is a most informative chapter because in it we are going to see a "purging out" of the wickedness in high places as we witness judgment and justice executed in the kingdom.

To that end, we are also going to see a great difference between this ruler, Darius, and the ruler of the previous kingdom, Belshazzar.

Whereas Belshazzar totally disregarded  Daniel (God is Judge), Darius will "remember" Daniel (God is Judge), and even make him one of the top three presidents in the kingdom, in fact the first of the three presidents.

(Keep in mind we were told in the first chapter that Daniel was of the kingship line of Judah.)

Daniel 6:1
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
The name "Darius" means "maintainer" and is an appellative which is simply a title, not a person's name (See notes on page 1190 in the Companion Bible).

This Darius was Cyrus' father who is Artaxerxes of Ezra 6:14 and Nehemiah 2:1.

Notice also that Darius set up "120" princes which should be over the whole kingdom.

"12" is the number of governmental perfection which we see used in the setting up of the servants of God who shall rule in the Millennium (see Rev. 7:4, Rev. 14:1).

[2] And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
To "have no damage" means that the king would not suffer any economic loss because there would be accountability.

So we have three presidents, with Daniel being the first, to whom the 120 princes reported the king's financial matters and tax revenues.

[3] Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
Darius preferred Daniel above all the presidents and princes because of the excellent spirit in him, the Spirit of God, by which he was a just and honorable man upon whom both the king and Daniel's coworkers and subordinates could trust and rely.

Honest people have no problem working for or with someone who demands balanced books and accountability, but those who seek unjust gain at the expense of others find it difficult to tolerate such righteousness.

[4] Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
Daniel kept his nose clean and was compliant with the law.

Again, he was honest and forthright and trustworthy in all his affairs which is an ensample for us as we approach the time of the entering in of the false messiah.

In other words, we need also to be compliant with the law and maintain our integrity and credibility for the delivering up before kings and rulers is to be for "His name's sake", for righteousness sake, and not because we were caught cheating on our taxes.

Those who know and understand how the kenites operate know that they do not like to earn their way through "an excellent spirit" and be promoted on the merit system and earn their blessings through honesty and hard work.

They prefer to make deals and control the money supply and falsify the balances taking every occasion to use bribery and favoritism to achieve their goals and reap unearned and undeserved rewards at the expense of others.

The problem is if someone like Daniel is in charge, a man of God who demands honesty and accountability, it makes it impossible for them to work their underhanded deals and skim off the top and "cook the books".

You "see", the "un-excellent (evil) spirit" that is in the kenites allows them to step on anybody who gets their way of serving their gods, the gods of gold and silver, i.e. money and power.

So, somehow this Daniel has got to go!

Surely he has some skeletons in his closet or has messed up somewhere along the way whereby they can publicly expose his dirty laundry and bring him down.

Hey, there is nothing new under the sun. (Meaning in this earth age) 

Anyone who paid attention to the politics of the 1990's saw numerous ensamples of how this is done by those in power who had access to the personal IRS records and FBI files and medical histories of those who opposed the corrupt dealings of a corrupt administration.

However, the political opponents of Daniel could not find the goods on this honest man of strong faith who obeyed and served his God and followed the paths of righteousness in all his affairs.

So, they stopped the internal investigation and decided to pass some politically correct legislation that would entrap him by making it illegal to do that which they knew Daniel would continue to do faithfully, and that is to pray to and worship his God.

[5] Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
Thus we have a "sting" operation about to take place, the purpose of which is to remove Daniel and his rod of iron from office.
(If all this sounds familiar it is
because it's going on today, in our 21st century government, as well)
[6] Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
"O king, live for ever" was no doubt a common greeting.

However in this case as will be documented a few verses hence, the agenda of these presidents and princes assembled together here was to conspire against Daniel, beginning with what we call today "sucking-up" to the man in charge.

They were puffing up ol' Darius because Satan's own know that a person loses his or her ability to think clearly and see the dangers that lie ahead when his or her mind is clouded with self admiration brought about by the even supposed adoration of others.

This is an object lesson for us all in learning to be especially on guard when someone approaches bearing flattery and blowing smoke up our donkeys.

[7] All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
Notice how "generic" the language of this proposed legislation is, e.g. "any God or man".

Notice also how the majority can be persuaded into going along with anything that sounds good, especially if perhaps some of the ringleaders are promised a favor or two in return for their support of this seemingly harmless and temporary legislation.

The kenites are especially skillful in working a crowd and persuading them to do a "good thing"(Remember the events and what the kenite priests said to stir up the crowd leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus)

Hopefully you see already the deceitful lies and intentions of these instigators of the legislation and how they are "setting up" the king by stroking his ego and showing him he has a mandate of the people and how much they think of his leadership.

Hey, everyone agrees what wonderful thing it would be to have a "King Darius Appreciation Month"!

Again, there is a great lesson to learned from this in knowing that one of Satan's most powerful weapons is vanity, ego, puffing up a man or a woman by telling him or her what a wonderful person he or she is.

If one allows the words "what a great teacher you are" or "what a great leader you are" or "what a great anything you are" to puff him up, then as his head begins to swell it will figuratively choke off the flow of blood that provides the precious nutrients giving him the ability to think clearly.

Then Satan will pull the rug out from under him or pull the wool over his eyes.

That is why we must be careful always to give our Father the praise and credit for all that we have... for is all comes from Him.

He alone is worthy to receive praise and honor and glory.

Remember what happened to king Nebuchadnezzar back in chapter four when he got puffed up with the "Oh how great I am" disease?

Swooosh, he was hewn down!

[8] Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Hey, what could it hurt?

Besides, this is only a temporary decree designed to give honor to the great king!

"It's only temporary", where and how often have I heard that before? Don't get me started! The United States operated from 1789 until 1913 without taxing income. If you live in Pennsylvania and are old enough to remember;  In 1956 Pennsylvania instituted a permanent Sales Tax. Prior to that the PA Sales Tax was only to be a temporary tax to pay for the Johnstown flood of 1936. It wasn't until 1970 that Pennsylvania started to tax income. My oh My! How did we survive for those hundreds of years before our lawmakers started to steal our earnings!

No, it was actually designed to destroy a man of God for the kenites could care less about honoring the king!

In fact with Daniel gone they could even honor the king less by stealing from the coffers of his kingdom.

We also see the thirty day clause used here, no doubt inserted by some sharp attorney as a tool to sell the whole idea to the king and get him to sign the decree, because according to the law of the Medes and Persians once a decree is signed by the king it cannot be changed by anyone, not even the king.

(Of course our Father can change it!)

[9] Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
Ok, the trap is all set. Now for the sting of the scorpion!
[10] Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
Servants of God are not cultists nor ashamed of their God and they serve Him openly... with the windows open.

(Hmmm, come to think of it, even our MS Windows are open for people to see.) Nevertheless, Daniel did not change his routine at all.

As it is written, he did as he did aforetime, kneeling in his chamber toward Jerusalem... praying and giving thanks.

The reason he was facing Jerusalem was because he remembered Solomon's prayer in I Kings 8:47-50, which is an important prayer because it concerns the captivity.

1 Kings 8:22
And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: ...

1 Kings 8:47
Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;

[48] And so return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name:

During the captivity make sure your eyes are focused on that Eternal City... that same city which God has chosen as His dwelling place for all eternity, that same city Abraham saw.
[49] Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,

[50] And forgive thy people that have sinned against thee and all their transgressions wherein they have transgressed against thee, and give them compassion before them who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them:

You see, Daniel was giving prayer and supplication for his people, for his brothers and sisters, because that is what the true spiritual soldiers in the army of God do.

They are here to defend freedom and truth and serve their people and take a stand against the fiery darts of the wicked one.

To that end, they are skillful and highly trained in spiritual warfare and thus are fully prepared to do battle for they have on the whole armor of God.

Paul uses this analogy to teach us in Book of Ephesians.

Ephes. 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
One becomes strong in the Lord by eating and absorbing the Word of God (Ezek. 2:9-3:4). EZEK-I-EL means "God is (my) Strength".
[11]Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Christian soldiers do not run from the enemy, even from Satan himself, because Jesus Christ has given His disciples power over all their enemies.

So do according to Eph. 6:10 and be strong "in the power of His might"! 

Luke 10:19 "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

[12] For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
We have already learned in this Book of Daniel that there is a time coming soon when those rulers of darkness are going to be cast to this earth, the mightiest men in Satan's army, that great locust army of Joel and Rev. 9, and they shall surely interface with God's elect, those who are in the army of the King of kings, Jesus Christ.

However, Satan's army shall not prevail unto death for we have the victory in Christ!

[13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
"Having done all" means "to finish the work".
[14] Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

[15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Are you prepared with that gospel of peace?

You "see", there shall be no real "peace" until Yahshua Messiah returns which is when the saints of the Most High take the kingdom and possess it.

[16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Satan's "fire" has no effect whatsoever against the fire of the Holy Spirit.
[17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Christians need to be trained in the use of "the sword".

They need to go to "boot camp" and become disciplined (disciples) by studying under the great schoolmaster, the Law and the Prophets, who will give them "basic training" in the Word of God whereby they can come to truly know Jesus Christ.

[18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
That's precisely what Daniel was doing, praying and giving supplication for all saints, for his brothers and sisters of the captivity, because that is what the prayer and supplication is for!

(Remember 1 Kings 8:7-50).

You "see", soldiers put on their armor and go to war to protect their families back home, to secure their freedom and liberty.

Thank God for the men and women of our armed forces who are willing to sacrifice for their loved ones and the freedom of all peoples.

So let's return to Daniel chapter six and see what the conspirators are up to... which you can bet will be to spy on Daniel and lie in wait to "sting him"!

Daniel 6:11
Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
Again, Daniel was not praying and making supplication for himself, because he had an excellent spirit in him, which is the Spirit of God, and that spirit is a spirit of love for one's family, not a love for oneself.

And by the way, they did not just happen to find Daniel.

They knew right where he was and they went gunning for him.

[12] Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
These kenites slowly repeated the decree back to the king, savoring every word, squirming with anxiety as the moment drew near when they could expose Daniel.
[13] Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
Now as soon as Darius heard this he knew that he had been had by a bunch of snakes and vipers... and he was extremely upset with himself.

Again, he knew that these snakes had set him up in order to sting Daniel and at the time he was too blinded by his ego to see through their evil conspiracy!

All that was done was just a SMOKE SCREEN to hide the real agenda of the kenites which was to take down a man of God who stood in the way of their corrupt dealings.

Hey, there is nothing new under the sun my friend.

How sharp are you?

Can you see through the smoke screen of much of the legislation that is being passed today?

Stay alert, because some of it makes it illegal for you to teach God's Word as it is written.

For example, right here in the Commonwealth of PA it has became illegal to teach God's Word openly concerning homosexuality and even ancestry, as in how and when the races were created and the true lineage of our people.

The point is though, stay in your Father's Word and always maintain your integrity and credibility in your community, because there is a great sting coming when God's elect shall refuse to bow down and worship any other gods including and especially the false messiah.

So be prepared "with the gospel of peace" by putting on the whole armor God and get ready to take a stand in the great spiritual battle of these last days.

Next we are going to see God's intervention whereby justice and righteous judgment shall prevail over the kenites, who are the enemies of Daniel.

So get ready for some exciting times because we live in that generation
spoken of by the prophets and the disciples
who all wanted to know what it would be like.

These are really exciting times in which we live, are they not?

Things are really beginning to heat up on the world scene as it looks like that old east wind is about to blow again.

That makes this book of Daniel a very timely study indeed and we are soon going to be taking a look at the events that are written in this book of Daniel that lead up to the entrance of that vile person, that little horn, the abominable one, the desolator, the one who comes and stands in the holy place claiming to be God.

Remember that Jesus Christ told us if we want understanding concerning the appearance of that abomination of desolation to go read the book of Daniel.

There's a saying that goes "Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone, Dare to have a purpose strong and Dare to make it known".

That saying certainly is fitting for this one Daniel whose name means "God is Judge" for he was a type of God's elect in these last days who would come forth with the gospel armor on and in place and "Dare to take a stand and Dare to stand alone."

Of course God's elect know that they are never alone for Jesus Christ has promised to be with them even to the end of the age.

Earlier, we began the sixth chapter which is the story of Daniel and the lion's den that has inspired many people down through the ages, young and old alike.

I suppose one could say that faith is faith no matter what generation a person lived in or lives in, for it is true that Satan's evil spirit of influence has been around for a long  time.

However, it is written that there comes a time at the end of the final generation, which is the generation of the fig tree Christ told us to learn about in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, that Satan and his angelic host, his locust army, are cast out of heaven to this earth to "mingle with the seed of men (Dan. 2:24)".

It is also written that when they come they may not harm one hair on the heads of His servants who have the seal of God in their foreheads (Rev. 9:4).

The point is that this particular narrative along with the rest of Daniel was written for the time of the end, for the time of great trouble when some of God's elect will be betrayed and set up and delivered up and cast into the burning fiery (spiritual) furnace and some will be delivered up and cast into a den of the lions... not a den of real lions but the lions spoken of in Revelation chapter 9 who are Satan's angelic host who shall appear with hair like women, meaning they will appear so gentle, but have in their mouths the cheek teeth of devouring lions that spiritually rip, shred, and tear the minds of those who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads.

Even so, these mightiest men in the army of the king of Babylon shall still try and take hold of God's elect and destroy them, as ensampled by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were taken hold of and bound and cast into the burning fiery furnace.

But there is no need to worry if you love and serve God because again, He has promised to be with you always, even unto the end of the world (Mat. 28:20), just as He was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and just as He will be with Daniel in the lion's den.

So get ready for some exciting times because we live in that generation spoken of by the prophets and the disciples who all wanted to know what it would be like.

Of course when you think about it, how in the world would you even begin to describe the miraculous technologies of our day to someone who lived even only a mere two hundred years ago?

How would you explain the concept that you can push a button here on earth and a person's voice and live image then travels across fiber optic cables or shoots through the air 23,000 miles into space, bounces off of a metal ball called a satellite, returns back to rain over the whole land where it is received simultaneously in millions of homes, at which point the people in those homes can both see and hear that person on an illuminated glass box.

Yeah, right!

You must have been drinking new wine, pal!

Let us now return to the sixth chapter of Daniel where the presidents and princes sought to find an occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom and had launched an investigation into Daniel's personal affairs to try and find some dirt on him so that they could string him up and have him taken out of the way.

You see, Daniel was a problem because he was an honest and upright man who demanded accountability which is exposure to the light of truth.

Kenites and scorpions and other creatures of darkness do not like the light of day as was the case with some of these presidents and princes who wanted to do a little "shady" trafficking and merchandising and play let's make a deal using the treasury and resources of the king's dominion... which they could get to if it wasn't for this Daniel character.

So when the investigation of Daniel turned up empty, they rallied their cohorts and went and flattered Darius into signing a decree that made it illegal for anyone to ask a petition of any god or man other than the king for thirty days, the penalty of which would be to be thrown into a den of lions.

So in a moment of weakness brought on by big headedness, king Darius signed the decree at which point the enemies of Daniel went and found him giving prayer and making supplication to his God in violation of the statute and decree.

They then brought him before Darius, reminding the king of the conditions and penalty of the decree and that according to the law of the Medes and Persians it could not be broken, even by the king himself.

Of course at that point the king knew that he had been had and that he himself was the victim of a setup.

Therefore he became sore displeased with himself and tried everything in his earthly power to circumvent the decree that condemned his friend Daniel to certain death... the decree that he himself had signed.

Daniel 6:14
Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
Imagine that!
Darius is the most powerful man on earth and yet his hands are tied and he can do nothing to deliver Daniel from being cast into a den of lions. But don't worry, Almighty God is Daniel's deliverer and whether it's a burning fiery furnace, the mouths of hungry lions, or the crushing paws of a bear, He can handle it, and Daniel knew it.
[15] Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
Isn't this amazing?

It is bad enough that they are using this law to its fullest extent to come against an innocent man and have him killed, but this shows they have no conscience, meaning they are actually gleeful that Daniel might die so that they can implement their crooked policies and play let's make a deal to fatten their own pockets.

Well, like father, like son, and these murderous kenites are just like their father Cain who was the first murderer (Jn. 8:44).

You know there's another expression that says, "what goes around, comes around", which is simply another way of stating the consequence of the golden rule that what you do unto others shall be done unto you.

It is called getting a taste of your own medicine. It is called receiving "just recompense" and it is very Biblical.

Of course these kenites go by another version of the golden rule which is that "the guys with the gold make the rules"... and that includes the rule that if anyone gets in the way of their gold collecting he or she must be dealt with and if necessary taken out of the way.

Hey, it's just the cost of doing business they say and their seared consciences won't cause them to lose a moment's sleep over someone's death if it means they can fill their pockets and gain the things and pleasures of this world.

However, we are going to see from the ensample in today's study, and there are many others, that they are going to pass judgment upon themselves by plotting and carrying out the execution of an innocent person.

In other words, because of their unrepentance they are going to have done unto them exactly what they had done unto Daniel.

Just wait and see!

So Darius now has no choice but to execute the law faithfully and honorably according to his oath of office and according to the law of the Medes and Persians.

[16] Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee.
That is quite a statement coming from the king though it is written that he knew Daniel had "an excellent spirit" in him and that he faithfully trusted in and served his God.

Consider also that because Darius saw that this upright and trustworthy one had such unshakable belief in the power of his God and feared not for his life, it increased his faith, at least his hope and desire, for he felt assured that Daniel would be delivered.

This is a great ensample of let your excellent spirit show, as in let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Mat. 5:16).

Then too, perhaps because of the closeness of these two, at some point Daniel and king Darius had opportunity to discuss the experiences of the prior kings Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar along with the fiery furnace episode of Daniel's friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Nevertheless, Darius could see that Daniel wasn't hoping that his God was able to deliver him from the lions, but rather that Daniel knew God could and would deliver Him!

How about you?

Would you dare to be a Daniel?

(By the way, Hebrews 13:8 tells us that the Lord is the same yesterday, and today, and forever, and since lions haven't changed all that much, He is still able deliver His servants from their mouths.)

[17] And a stone was brought and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
Old king Darius wanted to make real good and sure that the snakes and vipers who set him up in order to sting Daniel would not be able to gain entrance to the lion's den to make sure that Daniel did not emerge alive!

It is interesting that the entrance to Daniel's would-be grave was protected with a stone, a Rock, and stamped (sealed) with not only the king's official signet (ring), but with those of his lords also.

Obviously Darius does not trust his ministers and governors anymore and when the stone is rolled back and Daniel finally emerges from the den of the lions, there is going to be some top level personnel changes, some purging out of the rift-raft and corruption from the government of the kingdom.

Remember that this is a type for so shall it be when the saints emerge at the sound of the 7th Trump and take and possess the kingdom.

Then there shall likewise be a purging and the nations shall be ruled with a rod of iron, with righteousness, which is with discipline and accountability to the righteous laws and statutes of the Word of God.

[18] Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
The king couldn't sleep and ended up pulling an "all nighter", probably for several reasons.

First, it is written that he was sore displeased with himself for being "suckered" into a conspiracy and murder plot against a very faithful and loyal friend and servant.

He was also angry at those "you know whats" for conspiring such wickedness, and finally I'm sure he did not trust hungry lions and was therefore genuinely concerned about the survival of his friend and first president.

[19] Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
This has overtones of a future event in that a stone was brought and laid at the mouth of the would-be tomb and then Darius rose up early and went in haste unto that tomb.

Nevertheless, Darius shows by his actions that he had immense love and concern for Daniel.

[20] And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
Darius calls out to Daniel with obvious anxiety, fearing the worst but hoping for the best, and then lo and behold he hears Daniel's voice!
[21] Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
If ever there was "music to his ears" this had to be the ultimate for Darius.

You can imagine the incredible feeling of relief and joy as he heard Daniel's greeting "O king, live for ever".

[22] My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
There is much that is said in this verse if we understand that Daniel was a type of God's elect in these last days.

Daniel told Darius that God sent His angel because of the innocency that was found in him before God.

That is the reason that He sent His angel just as He did when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were cast into the burning fiery furnace.
And since Daniel is a type of God's elect in these last days he is also then a type of those who shall deal with the judgment of the nations in the Millennium.

This book of Daniel is about government, about kingship, for God is preparing His Millennial kings and priests to rule all nations with His rod of iron during which time He shall execute His judgment and His justice throughout the world.

Daniel is not a priest in that sense, which is why this book follows the book of EZEK-I-EL whose name means "God is my Strength". Ezekiel was a priest.

He was a teacher.

He was part of that great shepherding to the house of Israel and was told to go "eat the roll", to absorb the entire Word of God by taking it in his bowels and digesting it all until it became a part of him.

Then he was to go and teach his brothers and sisters of the house of Israel, not to those of a strange language, not to the "ethnos", but to the house of Israel!

He was to teach them after the manner of "Thus saith the Lord" and "It is written", i.e. teach them His Word, the words from His mouth, and not the traditions of men.

Ezekiel was therefore was more symbolic of the church of Philadelphia [Rev. 3:7-13], the church of the brothers and sisters who would understand the visions of the prophets and go teach them to their friends and relatives.

Daniel on the other hand is like unto those of the church of Smyrna [Rev. 2:8-11] who would have those "10 days" of testing to see whether they would eat the king's meat and drink his wine, and then because they could "cut it" they were delivered up before kings and rulers to give His witness and His testimony by allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through them!

Once the sixth trump has sounded, they shall be delivered up and "proclaim the gospel of the kingdom (Mat. 24:14)" which is that the King of kings and Lord of lords is coming to take over the reigns of government on this earth and execute His justice.

They will be heralding the good news that the Judge of all nations is coming to the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Yahveh Judges) as per Joel chapter three, for God IS Judge and soon ALL nations SHALL be liberated from oppression and tyranny and abide by His laws and statutes... and that's the way it is!

You either believe Him that God has ALL power in both heaven and earth, or you don't!

So Daniel has declared to king Darius that God sent His angel to shut the mouths of the hungry lions because of the innocency God found in him.

You "see", Daniel was never really alone for God was with him all along.

You might even say that the Lion King Himself, that Lion of the tribe of Judah, which is another way of saying the King of kings, the King of the just (Melchiszedek), was with him.

It is written concerning God's children that their angels have the face of God at anytime... and there is no time like when you are inches away from the cheek teeth of a hungry lion.

The point is that God did send His angel to shut the mouths of the lions which is evidence and an ensample of the promise He makes to always be with His disciples in these last days.

In fact, that is the very last thing Jesus Christ said to His disciples in the book of Matthew, i.e. that He would always be with them.

Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
You either believe Him that He has ALL power in both heaven and earth, or you don't!

If you do then you can dare to be a Daniel even when being forced to looking closely at the salivating taste buds of a ferocious lion.

[19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
To baptize someone in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is to immerse (baptizo) them in the Word of God, both the Old Testament and the New, and in the Spirit of truth.
[20]Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Again, He has promised if you do as He commands He will be with you until the end of this flesh age, which is until His return at the sound of 7th Trump... which comes after the reign of Antichrist that begins at the sound of the 6th Trump.

Then too, the point should be made that in as much as Daniel was a type of God's elect in these last days, the "innocency" that God found in him was because of his predestination, which is the destiny of his calling to which he was ordained in the world that then was (2 Pet. 3:6), as in before the foundation of this world (Eph. 1:14).

You can read about the "innocency" of God's elect in the 8th chapter of Romans.

Romans 8:30-34
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
There is a difference between a declaration of not guilty and justification, for where there is justification it is as if something never happened, i.e. there is no record to be found.

To wit, a person who is justified has been judged to not have been guilty in the first place.

[31] What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
What shall we say concerning the predestination, the justification, the glorification and the calling of those whom God has chosen "before the foundation of this earth age according to His purpose (Eph. 1:4)"?

If God finds "innocency" in His elect, who can be against them?

The answer is, no one!

[32] He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

[33] Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

God found Daniel innocent, so how dare someone come against and lay charge to those whom He has justified.
[34] Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
And so it is that God sent His angel on behalf of Daniel to shut the mouths of the lions that they could do him no harm!

However, there is much more to this in that we shall "see" that those who have laid charge to and delivered up Daniel (God is [my] Judge) to death have brought forth their own judgment and they are going to receive their just recompense.

They are going to get what is coming to them because our Father is completely fair and just.

You see, He is not going to judge someone or sentence someone without a case, without witness and without testimony.

To that end, let us also recognize the fact that Daniel was found innocent before the king.

Remember again that Daniel is a type, an ensample for us in these last days, and he maintained his credibility and did those things that are right, yet he was persecuted and delivered up... for righteousness sake!

This is important to take heed to in order to make sure when you are delivered up it is for His name's sake (Luke 21:12)!

Daniel 6:23
Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
What a witness!

What a display of our Father's protection upon those who love and serve Him.

You are never alone for He is always with you, "even unto the end of the world", and "He has all power in both heaven and earth".

That just makes those two questions in Romans 8:31 ever so profound:

Romans 8:31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
The answer again is NO ONE because no one contend with the power and might of our heavenly Father.

And He can deliver His children even when the most powerful man on earth can do nothing, as was the case here with Daniel.

Try as he might, Darius could not help him for his hands were tied.

Next comes the just recompense for king Darius is going to execute it according to righteousness, according to that which is right.

Daniel 6:24
And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
Those who had accused Daniel and plotted to have him cast into the den of lions to be devoured are merely getting a taste of their own medicine.

The only problem is they have no lion tamer sent to protect them.

Notice also that king Darius commanded that their wives and their children be tossed into the lion's den which symbolically means that their wicked seed will be cut off at judgment!

So... there has been a purging in the government, hasn't there?

God has used this one Daniel as the means by which to justly removed corrupt presidents and princes as an ensample to show us that there shall be no political and economic corruption permitted in the Millennium.

God's elect will see to it.

Our Father will see to it!

And you know what else?

The rulers of all nations shall turn their people to the God of Daniel, to the King of Just, to Yahshua Messiah!

[25] Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
There shall be peace on earth when the Prince of Peace returns to this earth to set up His ruling dominion.
[26] I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for He is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall be even unto the end.
That is quite a decree in honor of our Father which surely pleased Him very much, and when our Father is pleased He blesses those who please Him.

And so it would come to pass that king Darius would be blessed by God in that He will name his son "Cyrus" before he is even born, one of only three men in the entire Word of God named before they were born.

That is quite an honor!

[27] He delivereth and rescueth, and He worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
He delivers, He rescues, He works signs and wonders both in heaven and right here on earth, and He has ALL power to deliver His children from the power of the lions, thereby giving us the victory!
[28] So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
What a great chapter this 6th chapter is!

Again, this story of Daniel and the lion's den has inspired young and old alike down through the ages who see the faith and trust that Daniel had in our Father to deliver him from the power of the lions.

To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear they also see this as a wonderful ensample giving us encouragement and giving us a witness to see and to know how it shall be in these last days.

Of course, those who love and serve our Father already know that He is real and know that He is the Deliverer and that He will deliver.

So let us not miss the point that is often overlooked in this chapter which is a large part of what we are to learn.

Daniel's name means "God is Judge" and Yahshua Messiah is returning at the sound of the 7th Trump to the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3) to judge all nations.

Again, "Jeho-shaphat" means "Yahveh Judges" and as it is written that He shall separate the sheep from the goats.

He shall purge the nations of their corruption and liberate their people from oppression and tyranny and execute justice throughout the entire world.

At that time everyone shall receive his or her just recompense and God's elect, the kings and priests of the Zadok, shall be the instruments through whom His rod of iron is enforced, for ALL nations shall look to Jerusalem from whence truth and justice shall flow like mighty rivers, and all nations shall serve Him for those thousand years!

It is written, and so shall it be!

In our next study we are going to begin to see the events that lead up to the sound of the 6th Trump.

Isn't it wonderful?

Our Father is so good to us for He has foretold us all things (Mark 13:23)!

Live Link to- The Book of Daniel Table of Contents
It is important that YOU Read it all!

Jesus said, "the book of Daniel was where one could go read and gain understanding"

Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 when He sat upon the Mount of Olives and gave His disciples the seven seals concerning the knowledge and the events that would transpire during the final generation of the fig tree, that the book of Daniel was where one could go read and gain understanding concerning the abomination of desolation, that abominable desolator (antichrist) who would come stand in the holy place claiming to be God.
The book of Daniel is the Apocalypse of the Old Testament
and a sister book to the Apocalypse of the New Testament,
the book of Revelation.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.



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