From a multitude of questions and objections handed to the speaker, and answered or replied to when lecturing on this book, a selection of those that might he difficulties to others has here been made, together with abbreviated notes of the answers given. Only those bearing directly on the themes treated in Daniel have been preserved. To go fully into them all would be impossible here; but where considered necessary reference is made to helpful works which may readily be obtained from the same Publishers.
Questions and Objections Answered
1.―Is it the Antichrist, or the Roman Little Horn, who will make the seven-years’ covenant with the Jews?
Ans. — In a sense, both; for while the Little Horn is “the prince that shall come” of chapter nine, the Antichrist will be the representative-head of the Jewish nation. They “shall divide the land for gain” (or, a price), chapter 11:39. The covenant would seem to be made between them, the Antichrist acting on behalf of “the many” a term applied to apostate Judah. Just as “the counsel, or covenant, of peace” is between the Father and the Son (Zech. 6:1313Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zechariah 6:13)), so shall “the covenant of death” be sealed by the Beast and the false prophet.
2.― Was not the placing of the Roman eagles (in the siege of Titus) upon the walls of Jerusalem the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel and referred to by our Lord?
Ans. — No; for the setting up of the abomination that maketh desolate is the beginning of the great tribulation; and that does not begin till Antichrist is raised up by Satan to impersonate the Messiah.
3. — The Seventh-day Adventists teach that “the cleansing of the sanctuary” refers to Christ’s entering the holiest of all in heaven at the end of 2300 year-days, in 1844, to cleanse it. Is not this the correct explanation of the passage?
Ans. — It is a most wretched perversion of Scripture, and in its full character blasphemous beyond expression, as the Adventist sanctuary-theory makes Satan to be the sin-bearer, and thus the real saviour of the penitent! Could anything be more horrible?
Scripture plainly teaches that our Lord “having by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Of necessity this implies His immediate entrance into the holiest, for the throne of God is there. “We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” There on God’s throne, in the holiest, He has been sitting not since 1844, but ever since His ascension. And because He is there — and the veil rent believers are hidden to enter there in spirit too: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus ... let us draw near.” Think of our being invited to draw near and enter into the holiest, and the Son, our great High Priest, Himself shut out till 1844! Could absurdity be more manifest?
The sanctuary contemplated by Daniel is earthly, and the prophecy has already been fulfilled in 2300 evening-mornings after Antiochus Epiphanes polluted it by setting up a statue of Jupiter Olympus in the holiest.
4.―Does not “He shall think to change times and laws” refer to the pope, who changed the Sabbath from Saturday, the seventh day, to Sunday, the first day?
Ans. — As noted in Lecture 7, there is no reference to the pope in the passage. The pope did not change the Sabbath. He simply acknowledged the special place given to the Lord’s day. The Sabbath is, and always has been, the seventh day, and will be kept as such in the Millennium.
The Lord’s day is something very different. It belongs to the present dispensation, and commemorates the resurrection of our Saviour on the first day of the week. If under law, we are bound to observe the seventh day — the Sabbath; but if under grace, we should gladly devote the first day of the week to the worship and service of the Lord, as much as in us lies.
The Sabbath question is too large to be gone into here. The troubled reader is referred to the foot-note to preceding question.
5.― Why is the name of the great king of Babylon spelled Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel, but sometimes Nebuchadrezzar in Jeremiah?
Ans. — Ancient, as also modern, names were adapted to the speech of the various countries. Nebuchadnezzar seems to be the Hebraized form of the name. The monuments spell it with an “r” in place of “n” as in parts of Jeremiah.
6.― Will you give the exact dates for the computation of the 69 weeks of years that are supposed to have culminated in the cross of Christ?
Ans. — The Scripture says, “After threescore and two weeks [together with the seven previously mentioned] shall Messiah be cut off.” Just how soon after is not told us; but able chronologists have shown that 69 sevens of years, of 360 days each, had passed ere Christ died. The clearest explanation of the times seems to be that given by Sir Robert Anderson in “The Coming Prince.” He calculates that exactly 483 prophetic years had elapsed on the day that Christ rode into Jerusalem as the King predicted by Zechariah.
7.― Why is Belshazzar called “son,” and Nebuchadnezzar his “father,” if they were not so intimately connected?
Ans. — Because in the Semitic languages “son” is commonly used for “descendant,” and “father” for “ancestor.” Thus the Israelites are sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And in the same way the kings of Judah are called sons of David, though many generations may have intervened.
Ans. — See reply to Ques. No. 3. The sanctuary of Ezekiel, as the entire context makes plain, is the millennial temple, to be built in the midst of the land of Palestine, and hallowed for divine service in the time of the kingdom. From chapter forty to the end of the book, Ezekiel describes this temple, and gives its position, and the position of the tribes of Israel to the north and south of it. The verses referred to in the question speak of the special dedication service, when the temple will be ready for the renewal of the priestly service and the memorial sacrifices to be observed in the coming age by the earthly people — very much, I judge, as the Lord’s Supper is observed among Christians.
9.―Do you not think it is in heaven that Christ is to reign, instead of on or over the earth?
Ans. — No. Heaven is never said to be a sphere of Christ’s kingdom. The heavens rule over the earth, but we do not read of saints reigning in heaven. When the Bible speaks of reigning with Christ, it implies holding something in check, which must be kept down. A king in a kingdom implies there is something to be repressed.
People talk about the saints reigning in heaven, but Scripture never so speaks. The saints are on an equality in heaven: all are children with the Father; but in the kingdom one may have a greater place than another, as the kingdom has to do with rewards for service in this life. “If we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him.”
Notice how Scripture puts it. In the present age, in man’s day, the Lord Jesus says, “Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” In our age Christ is not manifestly reigning; He is rejected, and we are called upon to suffer with Him, because Satan is the god of this age; this is not the time of His power; He is not reigning now, and so righteousness suffers.
In the Millennium, or kingdom-period, we read, “A king shall reign in righteousness.” In that day righteousness will not suffer; it will reign; that is, all evil will be kept down; but that there will be evil still is evident; for at the end of the Millennium Satan comes up from the bottomless pit, and finds a great host ready to follow him, showing that there will be many in the Millennium who will be simply kept under by the power of the King — such as have not been regenerated. People in the Millennium-period will need to be born again just as much as they do now.
When we come to the new heavens and the new earth, does righteousness reign then? No; we read, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” The kingdom will be delivered up to the Father; God will dwell with His people; righteousness will dwell in the new heavens and the new earth; there will never be an enemy throughout eternity to lift up his head against God. Of course, the kingdom of God is forever and ever. That is, He will never surrender His throne, or be superseded by any other.
I have gone into this somewhat fully in “The Mysteries of God.” See the chapter on “The Mystery of God Finished.”
Ans. — The prophet acted according to the dispensation in which he lived. The words of the Lord Jesus in Matt. 6:66But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (Matthew 6:6) have a different application, and are a rebuke to hypocritical pretenders to a holiness which they do not possess. In 1 Kings 8, note Solomon’s prayer. He requested mercies of the Lord for His people, when driven out of their land, if they should pray “toward this house.” Daniel acted accordingly, and evidently with the divine approval.
11.― Does Daniel, chapter 7, go on to the day of God of 2 Peter, chapter three? What is the difference between the day of the Lord and the day of God?
Ans. — It is the bringing in of the kingdom, or the day of the Lord, that is contemplated in Daniel, chapter seven. The day of God is the eternal state. In 2 Peter, chapter three, the two are seen overlapping, as it were, in the last great conflagration, which is the close of the one and the beginning of the other.
12.― Is the seventieth week identical with the great tribulation?
Ans. — The seventieth week will be a period of tribulation for all the earth-dwellers; but it is the last half of the week, or 1260 days, that is called “the tribulation, the great one.” This will be the season of Antichrist’s power, and the Beast’s war on the remnant.
13.― Will Daniel and the rest of the Old Testament saints be raised with the saints of this dispensation at the time of the rapture of 1 Thess., chapter 4?
Ans. — The word is plain — “Christ the first-fruits. Afterward they that are Christ’s, at His coming.” This includes all saints from Abel to the end of the present age.
14. — Will Old Testament saints be manifested with the Church at the judgment-seat of Christ?
Ans. — Surely; else how could Daniel stand in his lot at the time of the end?
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
The End