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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 27. Four Prophetic Pictures
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Four Prophetic Pictures
The twelve chapters of the book of Daniel run through more than seventy years, from the time he was taken captive as a youth, until after the period of captivity was ended. It falls naturally into two parts, of six chapters each; the first six chapters tell of six incidents in the experience of himself, and his companions. The second six contain four visions. These came to him toward the close of his life.
The first of these [Note: Daniel 7.] is a sweeping vision of the four great world-powers that were successively to rule in the world, from the Babylonian then present through Medo-Persian, Grecian and Roman, up until the end of all these, when the Hebrew Kingdom was again to become the dominant world-power. Special emphasis is given to the fourth of these, and to its ruler, at the very end, a blasphemous, revolutionary prince, who would persecute the Jewish people, and who would be allowed to rule for a certain limited time, designated as "time, times, and half a time." There is good reason for taking this to be an Oriental customary way of expressing "a year, two years, and half a year," namely three years and a half. These, with the other prophetic portions of Daniel, both Nebuchadnezzar's dreams and Daniel's vision, fit so exactly into the succession of Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman periods, that critical scholars, who do not accept the divine element in the Bible, have supposed that they must have been written after the events described, instead of beforehand.
The second vision [Note: Daniel 8.] begins with symbolic references to the Medo-Persian power, and then swiftly moves to events to occur at "the time of the end," "the latter time of the indignation." It is in this part that occurs the first reference to the "abomination of desolation" which our Lord's words put as the beginning of the time of awful tribulation, and so yet future.
The third vision [Note: Daniel 9.] is introduced with the long prayer Daniel made for the deliverance of his people. The answer to the prayer speaks of seventy "weeks" allotted to the Jewish nation, in the midst of the last seven of which occurs the "abomination of desolation" of which our Lord spoke. The fourth vision [Note: Daniel 10-12.] begins with time then present, as they all do, then makes a rapid movement to the very end of all, going into much detail of events at the end, and speaks twice of the "abomination that maketh desolate."
One striking thing about these four visions alike is that they each begin with the time then present, touch briefly succeeding events, and then by a quick movement go at once to the very end-events, when the central event in the last three is this strange event called the "abomination that maketh desolate." Our Lord's reference to this as the beginning of a time of tribulation, at the close of which He will come, would push all of this latter portion distinctly into the future not only for then, but still so.
In these four visions there is a passing over of much history occurring between these events named and the future end-events. There is an omission of a long period of history, and one wonders why. The explanation is that the prophet is shown the events as they occur in relation to the history of Israel as a nation, the captivity period being included. They still existed as a separate though subject nation after the return from captivity until the destruction of their capital under Titus. After that they are a race, a distinct people, but scattered, no longer a nation. These prophecies see them brought together again as a nation in their own land. The visions carry the events on from the time then present up to their dissolution as a nation, and pick up the thread of events when they are again a nation, omitting entirely the long Gentile gap. Naturally the whole point of view is Hebrew, other nations being seen only in relation to the Hebrew nation.
It is very interesting to note that in each vision there is some plain indication of when the Gentile gap is past and the Hebrew thread picked up again. In the first vision the events spoken of last are clearly final events. [Note: Dan_7:24-27.] The interpretation of the second explains that the vision is chiefly concerned with the time of the end, "the latter time of the indignation," "the appointed time of the end." [Note: Dan_8:17-19.] In the answer of Gabriel there is a distinct break between the cutting off of the anointed one, and the events of the last period. [Note: Dan_9:26-27.]And in the last the phrases "at the end of the times," "even to the time of the end," "till the time of the end," [Note: Dan_11:13, Dan_11:35; Dan_12:4, Dan_12:9.] indicate plainly that the great portion of the vision belongs to a time yet future.