2ND Kings 24:1-5
1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; 4 And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon. 5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
King Nebuchadnezzar ll ruled over the Babylonian empire after his father gained independence from the Assyrian empire. The city of Nineveh fell under Babylonian siege in the year 612bc.
Easton's Bible Dictionary describes his name as having the following meaning.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR, OR NEBUCHADREZZAR:
(may Nebo protect the crown), was the greatest and most powerful of the Babylonian kings. His name is explained to mean "Nebo is the protector against misfortune."
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| King Nebuchadnezzar |
Nebuchadnezzar engaged in several military campaigns designed to increase Babylonian influence in Syria and Judah. An attempted invasion of Egypt in 601 BC was met with setbacks, however, leading to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant, including Judah. Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions, capturing Jerusalem in 597 BC and deposing King Jeconiah, then in 587 BC due to rebellion, destroying both the city and the temple, and deporting many of the prominent citizens along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judea to Babylon. These events are described in the Prophets (Nevi'im) and Writings (Ketuvim), sections of the Hebrew Bible (in the books 2 Kings and Jeremiah, and 2 Chronicles, respectively). After the destruction of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar engaged in a thirteen year siege of Tyre (585–572 BC), which ended in a compromise, with the Tyrians accepting Babylonian authority.
Following the pacification of Tyre, Nebuchadnezzar turned again to Egypt. A clay tablet now in the British Museum, states: "In the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the country of Babylon, he went to Mitzraim (Egypt) to make war. Amasis, king of Egypt, collected [his army], and marched and spread abroad." Having completed the subjugation of Phoenicia, and a campaign against Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar set himself to rebuild and adorn the city of Babylon, and constructed canals, aqueducts, temples and reservoirs.
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| Building Inscription of King Nebuchadnezar II at the Ishtar Gate. An abridged excerpt says: "I (Nebuchadnezzar) laid the foundation of the gates down to the ground water level and had them built out of pure blue stone. Upon the walls in the inner room of the gate are bulls and dragons and thus I magnificently adorned them with luxurious splendour for all mankind to behold in awe." |
Daniel 1:1-4
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. 3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; 4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
The book of Daniel is without a doubt one of the most extreme books of scripture for many different reasons. This is where the title of this study the Daniel Extremity comes about. In this book God reveals much of Himself, Jesus, global history, His power and His love for those who love Him. The more human factors involved are extreme faith and power of prayer. He also displays a little wrath at times for the unbelievers. However the main subject of extremity involved with the book of Daniel is faith. The book concentrates on the faith of a young man of nobility named Daniel. There are also 3 friends of his who are mentioned in the course of these events who also held tight to their faith. Their names are Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. We can indulge in the word studies of their names and see that they have very much to do with their relationship with God.
Daniel
01840:
1840 Daniye'l daw-nee-yale' in Ezekiel it is: Daniel daw-nee-ale'; from 1835 and 410; judge of God; Daniel or Danjiel, the name of two Israelites:--Daniel. see HEBREW for 01835 see HEBREW for 0410
01835:
1835 Dan dawn from 1777; judge; Dan, one of the sons of Jacob; also the tribe descended from him, and its territory; likewise a place in Palestine colonized by them:--Dan. see HEBREW for 01777
01777:
1777 diyn deen or (Gen. 6:3) duwn doon; a primitive roy a straight course, i.e. sail direct:--(come) with a straight course.
00410:
410 'el ale shortened from 352; strength; as adjective, mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity):--God (god), X goodly, X great, idol, might(-y one), power, strong. Compare names in "-el." see HEBREW for 0352
00352:
352 'ayil ah'-yil from the same as 193; properly, strength; hence, anything strong; specifically a chief (politically); also a ram (from his strength); a pilaster (as a strong support); an oak or other strong tree:--mighty (man), lintel, oak, post, ram, tree. see HEBREW for 0193
Smith's Bible Dictionary
DANIEL:
(judgment of God).
Daniel as we can see and also as the book will demonstrate is defined by all these words. He is a straightforward man of royalty mighty in the Lord's sight who both announces judgment upon the kingdoms of earth and brings forth judgment due to the treatment of himself and his friends. Daniel and some of his prophecy are directly called forth by Jesus. Jesus addresses him by name in regards to end time prophetic scenarios. This is only fitting since Daniel receives prophetic visions which take us right up to events spoken of in the book of Revelation.
Hananiah
02608:
2608 Chananyah khan-an-yaw' or Chananyahuw khan-an-yaw'-hoo; from 2603 and 3050; Jah has favored; Chananjah, the name of thirteen Israelites:--Hananiah. see HEBREW for 02603 see HEBREW for 03050
03050:
3050 Yahh yaw contraction for 3068, and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name:--Jah, the Lord, most vehement. Compare names in "-iah," "- jah." see HEBREW for 03068
03068:
3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw' from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord. Compare 3050, 3069. see HEBREW for 01961 see HEBREW for 03050 see HEBREW for 03069
Smith's Bible Dictionary
HANANIAH:
(gift of God).
Although the time frames are not that far apart this Hananiah is not to be confused with the false prophet of the same name found in the book of Jeremiah. Indeed as his name implies due to extreme faith he certainly is favored by God. Some interpret the name to mean gift of God.
Mishael
04332:
4332Miysha'el mee-shaw-ale' from 4310 and 410 with the abbrev. insep. relatively (see 834) interposed; who (is) what God (is)?; Mishael, the name of three Israelites:--Mishael. see HEBREW for 04310 see HEBREW for 0410 see HEBREW for 0834
04310:
4310 miy me an interrogative pronoun of persons, as 4100 is of things, who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix:--any (man), X he, X him, + O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), + would to God.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
MISHAEL:
who is like God!
This is a 2 way meaning in both the behavior and attitude of Mishael as well as comparison to God in the sense of who is like God.
Azariah
05838:
5838 `Azaryah az-ar-yaw' or mAzaryahuw az-ar-yaw'-hoo; from 5826 and 3050; Jah has helped; Azarjah, the name of nineteen Israelites:--Azariah. see HEBREW for 05826 see HEBREW for 03050
05826:
5826 `azar aw-zar' a primitive root; to surround, i.e. protect or aid:--help, succour.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
AZARIAH:
(whom the Lord helps)
This is a pretty self explanatory name which will also as well as the others be demonstrated in the book of Daniel.
The importance of these names come into play due to the fact that Nebuchadnezzar changes the names of the 4 young Hebrew noblemen. Daniel is given a name based upon the Babylon god Bel which is the Aramaic word for Baal meaning lord or master. The worship of this Canaanite god was forbidden by God. Baal was the supreme deity of the pantheon of Canaanite and Phoenician worship. There was also a female deity who served as the supreme female deity Ashtoreth. The name given to Daniel was Belteshazzar.
01095:
1095 Beltsha'tstsar bale-tesh-ats-tsar' of foreign derivation; Belteshatstsar, the Babylonian name of Daniel:--Belteshazzar.
Translations of the word vary but most seem to imply the same meaning as we find in the Smith's Bible Dictionary.
BELTESHAZZAR:
favored by Bel .)
Other translations include Bel protect the king or prince of Bel.
Hananiah received the name Shadrach.
07714:
7714 Shadrak shad-rak' probably of foreign origin; Shadrak, the Bab. name of one of Daniel's companions:--Shadrach.
Smith's defines the name shadrach as meaning
SHADRACH:
(royal , or the great scribe)
Azariah receives the name Abednego
05664:
5664 `Abed Ngow ab-ade' neg-o' the same as 5665; Abed-Nego, the Babylonian name of one of Daniel's companions:--Abed-nego.
05665:
5665 `Abed Ngow' ab-ade' neg-o' (Aramaic) of foreign origin; Abed-Nego, the name of Azariah:--Abed-nego.
Both Smith's and Easton's Dictionaries seem to agree on the meaning of this name
ABEDNEGO:
(i.e. servant of Nego, perhaps the same as Nebo), the Chaldean name given to Azariah, one of the three friends of Daniel, miraculously save from the fiery furnace. Dan. 3. (B.C. about 600.)
Easton's Bible Dictionary
NEBO:
proclaimer; prophet
Nebo in the Aramaic is a Chaldean god who was introduced into Assyria by the king Pul. There was also a great temple dedicated to this false god and idol. The most notable city associated with this idol god was Calah. The city of Calah references the ancient city of Calneh a great city built by Nimrod after the flood.
Many scholars today have now began to date the book of Daniel to around the time of the Maccabees revolt approximately 161bc. They have “good arguments” for this according to some. If these we'll use the word skeptics are secular individuals it's not hard to see where this ideology comes from. If these individuals are so-called religious scholars then we are dealing with a complete loss of faith in the scripture. We have addressed in other studies particularly the Katrina studies how attempts to limit the power of God come about. Now to address the skepticism of either believer or unbeliever we are dealing with a book of prophecy given by God through visions and explanations. God being what most people of belief know and what skeptics challenge concerning His omnipotence delivers a history of prophetic events so precise that skeptics now try to conclude could not have been written during the Babylonian captivity. This kind of mentality has even led to the denial in some churches to have the prophecies of Daniel preached about. There are so many subjects of which God defeats the thoughts of skeptics that skeptics now have to resort to simply dismissing things like the accuracy of Daniel without any proof or justification together. Now the question becomes do the scholars believe they are smarter than God?
Now we have gotten to know a little bit about our main personalities in the book of Daniel we can describe how God physically prepares today's generation for the spiritual things that are coming upon the world quickly.
One of the first things we learn is how to stay clear of unwanted worldly temptations by clinging to our faith. The power of prayer is repeatedly demonstrated in this book. The act of deliverance is also demonstrated repeatedly(this is putting it mildly). We learn a little bit about spiritual warfare struggles concerning principalities or wicked spirits in heavenly places. The future in regards to the rise and fall of earthly kingdoms to prepare us for the return of the lord and the kingdom of heaven. The power of love that God demonstrates for those who love Him. All of these things are subjects that we need to hold in our hearts, souls and minds. In addition we can safely say that Daniel is an extreme book of prophecy which does indeed take us into the very last days approaching the Jesus' return. We know this because Jesus tells us in the signs of the end of the age
Mark13:14-23
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not,(let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judæa flee to the mountains: 15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: 16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. 17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. 19 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. 20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days. 21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
One thing as we move forward please keep in mind passages that relate to the ancient kingdoms that ruled from the city of Babylon. These would be Babylon, Media-Persia and Greece. Many scholars base their opinion of Daniel in the fact that his name is not found anywhere in the OT. This is contradicted by the fact that Ezekiel mentions his name 3 times in 2 different passages of scripture. Not that there is a criteria in this having to be met to begin with.
Ezekiel 14:12-20
12 The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, 13 Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: 14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. 15 If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts: 16 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate. 17 Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it: 18 Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. 19 Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: 20 Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
This prophecy against Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 28:1-8
1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD;thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: 3 Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: 4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: 5 By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: 6 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; 7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. 8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.
This prophecy concerning the Babylonian invasion of Tyre.
Now we not only have the idea Daniel was not well known in the OT world disproven but we also have the most important person of scripture Jesus also calling attention to his name in association with a specific period of time. This period of time being the last days. This brief introduction to the book of Daniel is for aid in our study of the book in our next series of studies. There are 2 well known sites that could be tombs for Daniel and his 3 friends. The most well known and thought to be the tomb of Daniel is in the city of Susa or Shushan in the OT. Daniel is known to have had one of his visions in this location and thought by many to have lived out his days there.
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| The Tomb of Daniel in Susa (Shushan) Iran |
Please buckle your seat belts and prepare to be launched into a time of the past and learn some things about the future.
As always thank You and God Bless
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