Hi
@CTK .
I would like to understand the following if you have time:
Has all of the above already happened? The returning to Jerusalem was before Jesus was born, correct? In other words, this is not referring to 1948, etc., correct?
I apologize if my comments to Davy above were not clear... it is difficult to incorporate everything that one believes in such a brief response....
The book of Daniel was written for the Jews. They were sent into exile to Babylon in 606 BC as punishment for disobeying God. But God would have Daniel write down all the events that he would experience while in Babylon during those 70 years. Essentially, these early chapters represented God's introduction to Nebuchadnezzar as the One true God and all of His attempts to have him recognize Him not just as Daniel's God but as His God as well. Fortunately for him, Nebuchadnezzar did come to accept Daniel's God as his God.
But God would also give Daniel His prophecies that covered the period from Babylon to the end of time, with the majority of these events / prophecies to take place before the end of the 70 weeks of years prophecy or 3.5 years after the cross. Clearly, Babylon, Medes-Persia, and Greece came to power before Imperial or pagan Rome conquered the known world (before Christ). When we take a look at chapters 2,7 and 8, I think you might agree that it is fairly easy to identify those verses that speak specifically to the first 3 kingdoms. In fact, God does not spend much time talking about them.... but the 4th kingdom of Imperial / pagan Rome is spoken of more than the other 3 kingdoms combined. It really dominates the book of Daniel in the later chapters.... this is of course, when the Messiah arrives, is crucified and establishes His church on the earth.
So the key is to be able to identify what kingdom, what actor, what time period are God's prophetic verses speaking to... and yes, most are speaking to this 4th kingdom. This is the time when the Jews are restored back in Jerusalem, they have reinstuted the Holy feast days, the Sabbatical cycles, the Levitical ceremonies.... everything is back the way it was prior to their exile.... with one exception - the Ark of the Covenant which was taken away and hidden by Jeremiah just before the Babylonians came to take the Jews away. This is critical because this is the only piece of furniture that was taken away or destroyed by the Babylonians that could not be restored by the Jews.
So God provided Daniel with the 70 weeks of years prophecy which predicted their return to Jerusalem, the restoration of their life style, the streets and walls, etc. This was indeed fully and completely restored by the Jews by the end of th 69th week (483 years srom 457 BC). Meaning, the only piece of furniture yet to be restored is the Ark and that could only be restored by God - in the form of Jesus, and He would be baptized in the Jordan on the first day of the 70th week. This would be the start of His ministry and was set aside for the final 7 years of the prophecy.
So most of Daniel speaks up to the end of this 70 weeks of years prophecy. This book is not about the 4 kingdoms or their conflicts but about the complete restoration of the Jews back to Jerusalem and the coming of their Messiah. There is nothing more important that recognizing the Book of Daniel was all about their restoration from Babylon and preparing for their coming Messiah.
This sounds like a Preterist view:
Well, I really / honestly do not use these terms because they really don't provide us with an understanding of His prophecies. Does a preterist mean that everything in Daniel already took place? Of course not. Does a futurist mean that everything takes place in the future - the end times? Of course not. One has to read and study His Word and it will tell us His Story.... He tells His Story through the 4 kingdoms as His people travel back to Jerusalem over the many years.
How do you interpret this verse?
Daniel 2:43 "And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay."
Thanks.
Well, I am surprised you brough forward 2:43 instead of 2:41 which begins some of the most complicated verses in Daniel. It would not make any sense by answering this question on a stand alone basis.... I would not understand my response to this if I did not already unpack 2:34, then 2:41-42. The key is 2:34 which tells us the Stone (Messiah) came to strike the feet (only) within the iron kingdom of Imperial / pagan Rome. This "striking" did not destroy the metal man image, but it did break "into pieces" the iron and the clay elements within the feet only. The iron, whether in the legs or within the feet represented the 4th kingdom of Imperial / pagan Rome. And tucked away within those feet of iron was the Jewish nation / people / God's people, Rome had indeed conquered the known world and this included God's people (remember, this prophecy is all about returning His people back to Jerusalem, and before Jesus would be baptized in the Jordan, there were indeed held captive within Rome). So, symbolically, God gave Daniel this prophecy where this Stone would break apart His people (the clay) from the iron kingdom (not in a military way, but spiritually separate His people by His coming).
Consequenlty, 2:34 is His first coming, and these difficult verses in 2:41-45 speak to those things that will take place as a direct result of His arrival / crucifixion. Verse 2:45 is clearly connected to 2:35 - the true end time return of Jesus, but between 2:34 and 2:35 we find those prophecies given to us by God that result within the 4th kingdom (beginning with the cross, the establishment of His church, the demise of Imperial Rome, the coming of the little horn, the appropriation of His church by the little horn, and this little horn will continue until the return of Christ where it will be destroyed without human hands (God).
Now, if you would like to take two steps back in these chapter 2 verses before we get to 2:43, and discuss 2:41-42, that would make more sense. As you probably know, 2:40 clearly identifies this kingdom as Imperial / pagan Rome - further, this is the 4th kingdom that will crush all the other kingdoms and become the world ruler after Greece. This should also tell us that if 2:40 is Rome, and it is, then the Stone certainly did not come to destroy the metal man statute.
So, would you mind offering your interpretation of 2:41? Will you please identify the actors, the time of this event, what is going on? Thanks.