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The Book of Daniel

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · May 14, 1908

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 85, No. 20.

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The Book of Daniel

By Editor

Introductory

THE EDITOR
To the student of prophecy in these last days the book of Daniel is full of interest and instruction. The varied experiences of the captives in Babylon, the interpretations of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, the prophetic panorama of the succeeding world-kingdoms culminating in the establishment of the everlasting kingdom of the God of heaven, and the clear delineation of the career and final overthrow of that remarkable power which was to array itself against God and his people,—throughout the whole sweep of history and prophecy thus presented the attention of the thoughtful investigator is held without a break; and he is led along step by step until he is brought face to face with the fulfilment, in this generation, of those predictions which mark the near approach of the end of this age and the reign of the King of righteousness. No other book of the Bible contains in so small a compass so complete an interpretation of the world’s history, and such definite waymarks to the kingdom of glory. Those who love the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ will have their faith strengthened, and their hope revived, by meditating frequently upon the instruction found therein.
For nearly a century the minds of earnest and devout men have turned to the book of Daniel as the source of needed light for the church, and things new and old have been brought from it for the edification of believers. As the years have gone by, and the time for understanding “all that the prophets have spoken” has arrived, the interpretation of the book of Daniel has grown more and more clear and convincing, until now it is an open book, and he who runs may read it. In this latest effort to present its teachings, the purpose will be to deal with this remarkable book in a conservative spirit, but to make it perfectly clear that “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand,” and that the movement now in progress to give the advent message to all the world in this generation fulfils the words of the prophets. “We have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place.”

God’s Dealings with Israel

As preliminary to a study of the writings of the prophet Daniel, it may be well to review briefly the circumstances which led up to the Babylonish captivity, and thus to become familiar with the setting in which these writings are found. This involves some consideration of God’s dealings with his people from the time that he promised to make of Abraham a great nation, and of the design of God in establishing David’s throne and the temple worship at Jerusalem. It will plainly show that the gospel of the kingdom of heaven was to be proclaimed in all the world, and that the true service of God was to be maintained, even if it became necessary to overthrow both the throne and the temple in order to accomplish this. God’s people must represent the truth to the nations.
The history of Jerusalem is the history of the Lord’s purpose to preach the gospel of salvation to the world through chosen human instrumentalities, and of that self-destruction which results from counter-working the divine purpose. This purpose is intimated in the call of Abraham, “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing: and I will bless thee that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
Even the location of Jerusalem was associated from the earliest times with experiences which were in themselves a proclamation of the saving power of God to be revealed in behalf of those who trust in him. It was “into the land of Moriah,” where Jerusalem was afterward built, that Abraham was directed to go for the test of his faith, and it was there that the offering was provided which was typical of the true offering provided centuries later in the same place. When the plague came upon Israel as a punishment for David’s sin in numbering the people, and “the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,” the Lord said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now stay thy hand.” When this command was given, “the angel of Jehovah was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” It was upon this very spot where the sparing mercy of the Lord was thus displayed that Solomon afterward built the temple: “Then Solomon began to build the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Jehovah appeared unto David his father, which he made ready in the place that David had appointed, in the threshing-floor of Ornan [Araunah] the Jebusite.”
It was with evident reference to the divine purpose concerning Jerusalem that Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill can not be hid. . . . So let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

God’s Chosen City

In his plan for the proclamation of the gospel to the nations of the world, God chose Jerusalem as the place where his name was to dwell, and there he established his house, the sanctuary, where his glory was revealed. Thither he led his people after he had delivered them from the Egyptian bondage, and planted them as “a vine out of Egypt.” Reference is made to this in the song of Moses:—
“Thou wilt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, The place, O Jehovah, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, The sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.”
Thus in a special sense did Jerusalem become the dwelling-place of the Lord, the capital city of his spiritual kingdom, the center from which his light and his salvation were to go forth to the whole world; and so this inspired song was sung:—
“Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, in his holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, The city of the great King. God hath made himself known in her palaces for a refuge. . . . As we have heard, so have we seen In the city of Jehovah of hosts, in the city of our God: God will establish it forever. We have thought on thy loving-kindness, O God, In the midst of thy temple. As is thy name, O God, So is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: Thy right hand is full of righteousness.”
By this special revelation of his presence, God separated his people from all the nations of the earth, according to the prophecy of Balaam:—
“For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: Lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations.”
Although the Lord established his people in a land greatly to be desired, in the midst of the nations, yet so long as they remained loyal to him as their King, and maintained their spiritual union with him through the channel provided in the sanctuary and its services, he was their all-sufficient protection against any enemy who might rise up against them. His promise was, “I will cast out nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou goest up to appear before Jehovah thy God three times in the year.” Thus was the Lord to Jerusalem “a wall of fire round about,” and “the glory in the midst of her.”

“Let Them Make Me a Sanctuary”

It was in the sanctuary and its services that God’s people were brought into the closest fellowship with him through their representatives, the priests. Immediately after the deliverance from Egypt, God gave to Moses this commandment, “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them;” and the divine instruction concerning the lamb to be offered morning and evening was, “It shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before Jehovah, where I will meet with you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel.” And the further promise was, “There I will meet with thee [Moses], and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”
The visible glory of God, the manifestation of the divine presence, was revealed in the sanctuary; and the ark of the covenant, above which was the Shekinah, became the symbol of the presence of God with his people. When therefore the people journeyed, “the ark of the covenant of Jehovah went before them.” And thus “it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, O Jehovah, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Jehovah, unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel.” And so when Joshua was about to lead the people over Jordan, he said, “When ye see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.” And again when Jericho was to be taken, Joshua “caused the ark of Jehovah to compass the city,” day by day, during the seven days. When the people by disobedience forfeited the divine presence, they still regarded the ark of the covenant as their protection; and when they feared before the Philistines, they said, “Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies.” But there was no salvation in the symbol, apart from the thing signified; and “Israel was smitten,” and “the ark of God was taken.” When this news was conveyed to the wife of Phinehas, she said, “The glory is departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken.”

A Witness to God’s Purpose

This ark of the covenant was in the holy of holies, “where centered the symbolic service of atonement and intercession, which formed the connecting link between heaven and earth.” In this ark were deposited the tables of testimony, the law of God; and the tabernacle, afterward the temple, thus constructed, and with this revelation of the glory of the divine presence, was a constant witness to the purpose of God to make humanity his dwelling-place through the gift of his Son to take the flesh. This gospel truth was made known not only in the symbolic service of the sanctuary, but in the interpretation given to it in various scriptures; thus we read:—
“When Israel went forth out of Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language; Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion.” And again: “I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.”
When the professed people of God lost this truth out of their experience, and when the sanctuary and its services became to them mere outward forms, then the light which was in them became darkness; and being no longer protected by the invisible wall of the divine presence, they were overcome by the nations about them.

Rejecting God as King

As it was the Lord’s purpose that his people should not be numbered among the nations, so it was his purpose that they should not be governed like the nations, but that he himself should be their King, revealing his purposes through his prophets. When, in the time of Samuel, the people said to him, “Make us a king to judge us like all the nations,” the Lord said to him, “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them;” and although in that demand, “Give us a king,” the Lord heard that declaration made centuries afterward, which marked the rejection of his own Son, “We have no king but Cæsar,” yet he commanded Samuel, “Harken unto their voice, and make them a king.” Thus the desire for a visible leader, a visible representative of him whom they still acknowledged as their invisible King, was granted, but it marked the beginning of the end. The history of the undivided and the divided kingdom is the story of apostasy, varied occasionally by efforts to revive the true worship, and to restore to the people the reality of the sanctuary and its services. For centuries warnings were uttered through the prophets,—warnings against formalism, warnings against trusting in human power, warnings against the rejection of the covenant blessings which were conditioned upon obedience. But in spite of all this, the downward course continued. The result was inevitable. Israel was first carried captive by the king of Assyria; but even this was not sufficient to prevent Judah from continuing in the path of apostasy, and the climax came in her captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem.