“Truly your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a Revealer of secrets, because you were able to reveal this secret.” – King Nebuchadnezzar

We are living at the most perilous time ever in all human history. A beastly empire that has existed in various forms since before the birth of Jesus Christ is now facing a formidable challenge— even an existential threat. An epic final confrontation is inevitable. It is already in the beginning stages. Soon will come the climactic battle.

True, all down through the ages nations and people have come and gone. Empires rise and fall. The Bible record testifies to that fact. Now, though, civilization itself is imperiled.

It is perhaps the most profound writing in all the Hebrew prophets —certainly one of the most accessible books of prophecy. As Daniel himself exclaimed regarding the God who inspired its writing: “He is a Revealer of Secrets.” And the book of Daniel is replete with divine secrets.

The book truly is a detailed revelation of history in advance.

Although the scroll is sealed up until the time of the end and contrary to the ardent belief of Jehovah’s Witnesses and many other end-times believers besides, the relatively short period known as the “time of the end” has not commenced yet, the book of Daniel contains many secrets to be revealed in the future during the final part of the days.

Written about six centuries before Jesus came to earth, Daniel consists of a series of visions and dreams that the Revealer of secrets inspired— as well as direct messages to the prophet from angels revealing historical developments as well as the behind-the-scenes goings-on, ultimately culminating with the coming to power of the Kingdom of God and the absolute abolition of all human institutions.

The prophecy of Daniel covers developments over the recent 2,500 years beginning with Babylon’s conquest of Judah. That is how Daniel and other princes of Jewish society ended up in Babylon.

Daniel’s initiation into the future began when he intervened to interpret a dream imposed upon the ruler of the world of that day, the Chaldean king named Nebuchadnezzar.  God caused the king to have a number of very disturbing dreams and as a result, the king became greatly agitated. Nebuchadnezzar called upon the court’s wise men and magicians to not merely interpret his dream, he demanded the seemingly impossible. He required that the conjurers tell him what he dreamt. No one could, of course— no one except the captive Jew, Daniel. He explained to the king his dream and what it meant.

Having been inspired by God, the king’s dream is of the utmost relevance to us at this present moment. The dream had to do with a colossal human image composed of various metals and represents a succession of kingdoms that have dominated mankind and more especially, God’s people. The image is ultimately shattered by a stone cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands.

No interpretation on our part is necessary regarding the meaning of the stone. Daniel was inspired to reveal that the stone represents the Kingdom of God and it will shatter earthly kingdoms— represented by the metallic image.

Does the image itself symbolize something other than a collection of various kingdoms? The following is a brief overview.

Bible students realize that the book of Revelation and Daniel are complimentary. For example, the seventh chapter of Daniel presents to us a succession of various ferocious beasts; one like a lion, one like a bear and one like a leopard. The 13th chapter of Revelation portrays a seven-headed beast incorporating the three— possessing the body of a leopard, the paws of a bear and the mouth of a lion. The heads of the beast correspond with the individual beasts of Daniel while the body is a combination of them.

Revelation chapter 17 foretells of an eighth king who springs from the seven. That eighth king is also depicted as the image of the seven-headed beast that recovered from a mortal head wound. A two-horned beast that ascends up from the earth (abyss) breathes life into the image. The two-horned beast corresponds to the iron and clay feet. The metallic image of Daniel, which stands upon the feet of iron and clay, must, therefore, represent the eighth and last king as well— being composed of the five metals. (It should be noted that Daniel only lists five kings beginning with Babylon; however, two other kingdoms preceded Babylon; namely, Egypt and Assyria, which are included in the seven-headed beast of Revelation, from which the eighth king springs.)

The seventh chapter of Daniel considers the succession of world powers in more detail, likening the last king to a small horn that emerges from among 10 established horns on the head of an unusually ferocious beast with iron teeth and copper claws. Three rival horns are uprooted as the emerging horn grows bigger and bigger. It is a freaky looking-horn with eyes and a mouth that speaks arrogantly— even speaking against God. This boastful horn corresponds to the beast that recovers from the head wound because both are said to blaspheme God and wage war against the holy ones and prevail.

Likewise, the 8th chapter takes us from the fracturing of Alexander’s Grecian empire into four parts to the ascendency of a fierce-looking king in the final part of the days. That last king is destined to throw truth to the earth and bring the mighty ones of this world to ruin along with the holy ones. He will even be emboldened to wage war against the Prince of princes, at which point he will be broken but not by human hand. 

The 11th chapter of Daniel goes into much greater detail, documenting the conflict between two opposing earthly kingdoms designated as the kings of the north and south. However, it is the king of the north who occupies the decorated land and comes all the way to his end— a singular kingdom, just as is portrayed in all the other visions of Daniel as well as Revelation.

All the visions of Daniel end the same way— God’s appointed king, portrayed in various ways, such as someone like a son of man, the Prince of princes and Michael— destroys the last king. That means that the final manifestation of the king of the north is the same entity as is represented by the entire image founded upon the feet of iron and clay, as well as the small horn that uproots three rival horns and the fierce-looking king who lays waste to God’s holy sanctuary. Indeed, like the horn with a blasphemous mouth and the beast returned from the dead, the king of the north is said to speak astonishing things against the God of gods.

Because Jehovah’s Witnesses are laboring under the delusion that the time of the end began in 1914 the Watchtower is compelled to interpret all prophecy in relation to that point in time. Thus, the interpretations taught by the Watchtower place the fulfillment of most of Daniel to the past. The purpose of this publication is to tear down and clear away the Watchtower’s erroneous exegesis of Daniel and to create anticipation for the true revelation of the divine secrets it contains.

End of part one

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