The Book of Daniel with BAC (Brit-Am Commentary) to ch. 10.
Contents:
1. Daniel and the two Princely Angels.
2. Prophecies of Daniel as Paradigms for the Future.
3. Identifying Persia in Prophecy. The Russian Bear.
4. Identifying Greece (Yavan) in Prophecy.
5. The last 2 chapters of Daniel as summarized by Wikipedia (Brit-Am Commentary will follow).
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1. Daniel and the two Princely Angels.
Daniel chapter 10 ends with the following verses:
Daniel (NIV) 10:
18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 'Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,' he said. Peace! Be strong now; be strong.
When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, 'Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.'
20 So he said, 'Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.
We saw previously how "the man" in the Book of Daniel often refers to a specific angel apparently Gabriel. In addition to Gabriel we have also Michael. The two angels are separate but to some degree work as different aspects of one another.
Michael is the specific "Guardian Angel" of Israel.
The angel speaks of fighting against the Prince [angel] of Persia and it is implied also that of Greece.
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2. Prophecies of Daniel as Paradigms for the Future.
The last two chapters (11 and 12) in the Book of Daniel can be explained in part as outlining events that took place in ancient times. The Persian Empire was conquered by the Macedonian Greeks under Alexander the Great.
After Alexander his conquest were divided between 4 of his generals. Two of these became quite prominent. In Syria there was the Seleucid Dynasty while in Egypt the Ptolemies ruled.
Meanwhile the Jews had returned and re-established their polity of Judah.
See:
Return from Babylon. The Beginning of the Second Temple Phase in Jewish History
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/16/return.html
Both the Ptolemies and the Seleucids at different times ruled over Judah.
The Seleucids at one stage attempted to force the Jews to follow the Greek Religion and to become Hellenized Pagans.
The Maccabees fought against them. The victory of the Maccabees is celebrated in the Feast of Hannuccah.
See:
Macabees. The Hasmonean-Maccabees. An Historical Outline.
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/daniel/macabees.html
Hellenist-Hell. The Politics of Hellenism in the Time of the Maccabees. The Greek-Syrian Seleucid Successor of Alexander had geo-political reasons for enforcing Hellenism
The following two chapters of Daniel describe events that can be partially explained by the struggle between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic Empires. The Seleucids are the "King of the North" and the Ptolemies "the King of the South."
These however are Prototypical Prophecies where the Prophet takes events in his own time and extrapolates onto the future.
This is similar to the Prophet Hosea having to marry a loose woman named Gomer; Ezekiel needing lie on his side 390 days for Israel and 40 days for Judah (Ezekiel 4:5-6); and Jeremiah going to bury his loin cloth by the Euphrates (Jeremiah 13:4).
The Prophet uses things that he did or are are about to happen as paradigms for the End Times.
The logic for this is that:
1. History is Cyclical. The same scenario, or parts of it, are played out over and over building up to the finale.
2. The prophet needs to comprehend and depict future matters in terms of his own time, or close after it. He needs to speak of things he has some kind of handle on and extrapolate from them into the future.
See:
Prototypical Prophecies. Recurring Patterns and Historical Cycles
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/bible/proto.html
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3. Identifying Persia in Prophecy. The Russian Bear.
Persia either Iran or Russia!
Persia ("Paras" in Hebrew) is Iran. Persia in Biblical prophecy could conceivably refer to present-day Iran.
Alternately it could be a related country such as Russia since many peoples from the Persian area entered Russia.
The Sages (Talmud, Kidushin 71a) compared the Ancient Persians to bears. Today, Russia is popularly identified as a bear and the Russian themselves enjoy this comparison.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Bear
# The Russian Bear is a widespread symbol ...for Russia, used in cartoons, articles and dramatic plays since as early as the 16th century, and relating alike to the Russian Empire, the Russian Provisional Government and Russian Republic, the Soviet Union, and the present-day Russian Federation. #
The Sarmatians who dominated Scythia in southern Russia were recorded by the Romans as having emerged from the Medes who in turn had been untied with the Persians in one kingdom.
On the other hand the Medes may have given rise to Baltic peoples and part of the Poles.
The Latvian language in the Baltic area is said to be very similar to that of the Ancient Medes. The Polish aristocracy descent from the Sarmation as distinct the Polish common people who they believed to have other origins.
Elsewhere we have identified the Russian with the forces of Goga and Magog and with Mesheck and Tubal sons of Japhet.
There is not necessarily and contradiction here. All peoples are intermixed to some degree. At different times one or other of the various composite elements may come to the fore for a while and then lose its dominance to others.
The descendants of Edom are present in most peoples usually as a minority group of great influence. One of the characteristics of Edom is a hatred of the Jews and of Israel.
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4. Identifying Greece (Yavan) in Prophecy.
Greece in Hebrew is Yavan (i.e. Javan) son of Japhet.
[The Cossacks of the Ukraine, and with whom the Ukrainians identify, in later Jewish chronciles are referred to as "Yavanim" apparently since they adhered to the Greek (Yavan) version of Christianity.]
"Yavan" in Biblical prophecy may be connected with Edom.
The Spartans were prominent among the ancient Greeks. They were much admired by Hitler and the Nazis. In fact Hitler considered the ancient Greeks, Spartans, and Romans, to be the true models for national imitation rather than the primitive Germans whom he despised.
Esau was blessed that he should live by the sword (Genesis 27:40). Descendants of Edom such as the Spartans, Ancient Romans, and German Leaders were outstanding warriors and endowed with exceptional military talents.
The Spartans claimed to be related to the Jews which suits them being descended from Edom since the Edomites come from Esau who was the brother of Jacob aka Israel.
cf.
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/secular/extracts6.html
The book of I Maccabees reports of a letter from the Areus,
king of the Spartans to Onias, the high priest in Jerusalem:
# Areus, king of the Spartans, to Onias, the high priest,greetings.
It has been discovered in a document concerning the Spartans and the Jews that they are brothers, and are of the race of Abraham. #
[I Maccabees 12:20-21.]
Flavius Josephus also recorded the letter:
# We have met with a certain writing, whereby we have
discovered that the Jews and the Spartans are of one stock,
and are derived from the kindred of Abraham. It is but just, therefore, that you, who are our brethren, should send
to us about any of your concerns as you please. We will
also do the same thing, and esteem your concerns as our own, and will look upon our concerns as in common with yours.
Demotoles, who brings you this letter, will bring your answer back to us. This letter is foursquare; and the
symbol is an eagle with a dragon in his claws. # [Flavius
Josephus, The Works of Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, Chapter IV, 10].
At some stage in Ancient Times the Greeks were conquered by the Israelite Tribe of Dan.
Dan and Javan (Greece) are recalled together as trading with Tyre of the Phoenicians:
Ezekiel (NKJV) 27:
Dan and Javan paid for your wares, traversing back and forth. Wrought iron, cassia, and cane were among your merchandise.
At other times Greeks ruled over Israelites but the two bodies did not intermix to a great degree. So too,
captives from Judah were sold by Phoeneicians from Tyre and by Philsitines to the "Sons of Yavan" (Hebrew: "Bnei Ha-Yavanim" probably meaning the Greeks.
Joel (NIV) 3:
4 'Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done. 5 For you took my silver and my gold and carried off my finest treasures to your temples. 6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, that you might send them far from their homeland.
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5. The last 2 chapters of Daniel as summarized by Wikipedia (Brit-Am Commentary will follow).
Vision of the kings of north and south (chapters 10-12)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Daniel#Vision_of_the_kings_of_north_and_south_(chapters_10%E2%80%9312)
# Daniel 10: In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel sees in his vision an angel (called "a man", but clearly a supernatural being) who explains that he is in the midst of a war with the "prince of Persia", assisted only by Michael, "your prince." The "prince of Greece" will shortly come, but first he will reveal what will happen to Daniel's people.
Daniel 11: A future king of Persia will make war on the king of Greece, a "mighty king" will arise and wield power until his empire is broken up and given to others, and finally the king of the south (identified in verse 8 as Egypt) will go to war with the "king of the north." After many battles (described in great detail) a "contemptible person" will become king of the north; this king will invade the south two times, the first time with success, but on his second he will be stopped by "ships of Kittim." He will turn back to his own country, and on the way his soldiers will desecrate the Temple, abolish the daily sacrifice, and set up the abomination of desolation. He will defeat and subjugate Libya and Egypt, but "reports from the east and north will alarm him," and he will meet his end "between the sea and the holy mountain."
Daniel 12: At this time Michael will come. It will be a time of great distress, but all those whose names are written will be delivered. "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt; those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." In the final verses the remaining time to the end is revealed: "a time, times and half a time" (three years and a half). Daniel fails to understand and asks again what will happen, and is told: "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days."