DANIEL VS THE LIONS

DANIEL VS THE LIONS
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INTRODUCTION:

The story of Daniel and the lions is a story every Dick, Tom and Harry know very well. Even babies are conversant with it, because it’s a story which is taught to children, and one which they understand very fast. But though children know it very well, it will not stop us as men and women to continue learning from its other sides.

WHY WAS DANIEL IN THE LION’S DEN?

Daniel according to the Bible was one of the sons from Hezekiah’s lineage; that is the King of Judah. He came to Babylon as a result of captivity which took place when he was just a youth; maybe about 17-18 years.  This captivity was informed to Hezekiah by Isaiah in his lifetime Isa.39:1-8, and Hezekiah accepted it, so it came to pass when Daniel was just a youth and he was involved. Isaiah said that “The Issues” from your body or Bosom shall be eunuch in Babylon Isa.39:7. It’s not recorded that Daniel had a wife or children.  He was a eunuch as prophesied by Isaiah.

Daniel was taken to Babylon on the first invasion of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar.  On this invasion Jehoiakim the king of Judah was taken but restored 2kgs. 23. He served the king of Babylon for three years and rebelled 2kgs. 24:1, but was re-conquered 2kgs. 24:1-4. Then Daniel was in Babylon with his three other brothers 1. Hananiah who was surnamed Shedrack, 2 Mishael who was also surnamed Mishack and Azariah who was given the name of Abednego Dan. 1:4-7.

In Babylon he was chosen along with these his three brothers to be nourished for three years in order to stand before the king and bear his cup.  Daniel and his brothers served the king of Babylon till his death. They passed on to the son and successor of his son, until they came over from Babylon to the kingdom of Persia, which was the fourth world power. For the record of the world powers, see the book of Rapture for details.

When Babylon ended and he remembered that prophet Jeremiah had prophesied that thy would return back to their land after the seventy were expired Jer. 25:11-12, then he consulted Jeremiah’s book and discovered that they had overstayed Dan.9:1-2. Then he started praying before an Angel, probably Gabriel was sent to educate him properly on the matters on ground. 

You might ask “what were the matters on ground”? In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar, the king dreamed a dream which no magician of Babylon could see, how much more to explain. The king therefore ordered for their execution for failure to perform their office.

These magicians included Daniel and his three brothers in the execution since the king preferred these people before them. And this inclusion made Daniel and his brothers to begin to seek God’s face for the dream and its interpretations. Appropriately God came in the same night and revealed the king’s dream with its interpretation to Daniel. So early in the morning Daniel came forward with the dream and its interpretations and was brought into the king’s presence to give the explanations.

God showed Daniel the dream to be a statue which was standing from the earth and reaching the sky. It was a huge image with parts like a human being. The “head” of this image was of “fine gold”, representing Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon together Dan.2:38.

As explained by Daniel, the “Chest and Arms of silver, indicating an inferior kingdom to gold, but representing Persia after Babylon Dan.2:39.  The third in the series was the “Thighs of Brass or Bronze” Dan.2:39, representing the kingdom of Greece which was under Alexander the great. And the fourth was the legs, which Daniel said was of   “Iron”.  And Iron was Rome under Augustus Caesar in the master plan Dan.2:40.

Daniel after this interpretation he forgot it or he did not realizes that these four kingdoms must follow successively till they have ended. But when he began to pray, it was already in the Persian kingdom and the Angel came and informed him, “Know and understand” Dan. 9:25.  What does know and understand mean? It meant that Daniel should know and understand that the four kingdoms which saw and interpreted to the king would have to come one after the other till are finished.

At the time of his prayer, only two out of the four kingdoms had come, which were “Babylon and Persia”. And that about two more kingdoms are yet to come which also were “Greece and Rome”. So the Angel came to make him know and understand this.  The book of Rapture has this explanation in details. 

So Daniel had to know that Greece and Rome must come in their times. Now when Persia was on board and Daniel having passed from Babylonia seventy years to the Persia kingdom Jer. 25:11-12, the princes of Persia were annoyed with him. They wondered why the king Darius would allow Daniel again to be in the position of authority again.

Knowing that he was a Jew and that the Jews do not play with their God, they tried to find an occasion against him but could not. Then they set him up with law of his God. For they said “We may not find an occasion against this Daniel, except we go against the law of his God”Dan.6:5. Then they made the decree “that no man might ask of a petition from any other god except the king” Dan.6:7.

After enacting this law, they went to the king who knew nothing about their decree; and was not a party to it. They were able to convince the king to sign it because they said “all the Presidents agreed on it”. And Daniel was one of the Presidents and he was there. And in fact, he was the Chief of the Presidents so he signed it.  He didn’t complain because he was a stranger who was appointed as Chief among the indigenes.  

These people knew very well that Daniel would not endure praying to his God. So they made that decree with the law of his God and they got him. Do people know you to be a loving lover to your God? Could they say of you that they could not find an occasion against you except they go against the law of your God?  

This was the position of Daniel at that time.  Daniel was made a President in Persia. When they made the decree, they started watching when he would be praying, so that they could accuse him before the king who loved Daniel more than any of them. And Daniel wouldn’t stop opening his window facing Jerusalem.

Do you see one of the reasons Jerusalem is important to the Jews? When they observed him praying and opening his window towards Jerusalem, they also heard him speaking or murmuring inside his room, they knew he was praying and so they came upon him and accused him. They said if any man is found praying to another God, he would be thrown into the Den of lions.

Already in the Babylonia kingdom, his three brothers were thrown into fire as a result of disobeying the same type of law under King Nebuchadnezzar Dan.3:15-18. We today are reading these things and we shall enter the same law with the Antichrist for not obtaining any of the options of the Beast.  What they suffered at that time is what we shall suffer in the future. 

The Bible said that “he shall command all to receive a mark, or the number of his name or the name of the Beast in their right hand or on their forehead. And that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark, or the name of the Beast or the number of his name.  and here is wisdom, let he that has wisdom count his number, for it’s the number of a man, and his number is six hundred, three score and six” Rev.13:16-8.

Daniel knew very well “the law of the Mede and Persia”. This law was enacted by the owner of the government of Persia which was king Cyrus. This man after conquering Babylon from Belshazzar of Babylon Dan. 5:20-30; enacted the law of the Mede and Persia, then he handed over his government to Darius of the Medes in order to consolidate his conquest in the world. And letter he came back and took his government from Darius.

  WHEN DID DANIEL ENTER THE DEN?

As they were watching when he would start to pray, they eventually heard him speaking in his room, and knowing that he neither had a wife or children with him, they said, surely he was praying to another God, which was the God of the Hebrews. They rushed into his upper room and dragged him out.  Coming to the King who exalted him above them they said, “King live forever”. The King Darius greeted back, and they first reminded him that he signed a law that “no man might ask a petition from another God, but only from him within 30 days.

And whosoever was found disobeying his law would be thrown into the Den of Lions. This was only the time the King became aware of their evil plot, and its meaning. So he became very sorry for Daniel.  And he began to walk up and down, trying to find out how best to help Daniel. But what could he do? These wicked people asked the King saying, “King what are you doing”?

First of all they said to the King “Did you not sign a decree with us, that no man might ask a petition from another god within 3o days save of thee O King”? The King replied saying, “According to law of the Medes and Persia that alters not”. Then they continued saying, “that Daniel whom you exalted does not regard you, or the law that you signed Dan.6:12-13. 

The Bible said when the King heard these things that he was afraid. Yes he began to think of what game his people had put him into. Also he began to seek within the law if there was anything he could do to save Daniel, and he could not remember any.  

They said to their King, “the law of the Medes and Persia is that no law that is signed by the King might be changed” Dan.6:15-17.   They knew very well that the King loved Daniel and that he was seeking to find a way to free and save him.  But when the King could not find out a way to save Daniel, he commanded them to bring him and cast him into the Lion’s Den, and they pressed upon the King to seal it with his own signet.

This is to make it sure that nothing on earth could bring out and save Daniel. As the King sealed the Den with his own seal, then they were satisfied and went to their houses. Thus they rejoiced that it was over with Daniel forever. But they never know that the God which worship has no rival, whether in heaven or the earth. Also they did not understand that he was there and seeing whatever they had done to his servant Daniel. 

Even Daniel himself did not shake at what they were doing because he believed that “They that knew their God shall be strong and do exploits” Dan. 11:32. Also God was waiting to see if his servant Daniel would complain at all, and he didn’t even remember to do that. This condition actually satisfied God. He was happy when his servant relaxed and even thought that “even if he died from there, that he had not offended his God at any point”.

 DANIEL NOW IN THE DEN PROPER:

Daniel went into the Den with a strong heart which did not fear the Lions at all. Of course he knew that he was from Judah which had the biggest Lion Rev. 5:5. So how the Lions would react when they saw him did not send fears into his mind to fear. Already “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” had gone into the Den before he was cast into the Den.  

GOD IS A MIRACLE WORKER:

The Lions were not seeing Daniel; instead they saw the bigger Lion from Judah. When they saw this big Lion, it made them to cool down. In fact, they didn’t see Daniel as a human being. God changed him into a bigger Lion and the smaller lions in the Den had to keep quiet. 

But to Daniel, he was seeing the Angel of the Lord in the Den which the Lions were not seeing. Is God not wonderful? As Daniel could stay up to 5 minutes in the Den and nothing was happening, it was clear to him that the Angel he saw in the Den was responsible for this miracle.

He was cast into the Den about 6pm yesterday, but the King could not sleep because he was thinking on what might have happened to Daniel in the Den.  Even before casting him into the Den, the King prayed for him saying “The God which thou serve continuously, he will save thee” Dan.6:16.  And surely he is not a God that could disappoint his people at any time or place.

Then very early in the morning, as the King could not sleep, he went out at about 4am the next morning and came around the Den. Though it was not possible in his mind that Daniel could live up to this time, but he wanted to satisfy his mind about Daniel’s condition now. 

He shouted out in a hurry saying with a loud voice, so that if there was any how Daniel was still living, he could hear his shout and possibly respond back. Hear the King “Daniel, servant of the most high God, is your God whom thou serve continually able to save thee from the Lions”? 

And Daniel replied “King live forever, my God sent his Angel to deliver me” Dan. 6:18-22. This is incredible. It was unbelievable, and un-heard of anywhere. How could a man survive the presence of lions?, and not just one lion but inside the Den of lions? This is an extravagant miracle. Just because of the faithfulness of his servant.

THE KING’S FINAL ACTION:

The King resolved quickly on what to do. He called on the Presidents who made that law against Daniel to come up immediately, and that they should come alongside their families. A town crier went out and announced it to them and they responded into the presence of the King Darius. The king commanded that Daniel should be brought out of the Den, since the lions rejected to eat him up since yesterday evening.

He said it was evident that Daniel was living till now. it means that lion were no longer eating human beings. Now, the King commanded that all the Presidents and their families should now enter into the Den, and that we expect to see them tomorrow morning as Daniel had done.  Already the Angel of the Lord laid it into the hearts of those lions to be patient with him, as he would soon come to their demand on food. 

So when the King gave the order, it was carried out immediately. Those Presidents and their families were cast into the Den and before they could step into it, the lions bounced upon them and upon their families. Their place was no more found upon the earth.

The Psalmist said that the righteous shall not be in the judgment of the wicked. Also that “evil shall slay the wicked, and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate” Ps:34:21. And that “the wicked shall be turned to Hell” Ps.9:17.  Those Presidents were eaten up by the lions.  Surely anyone who hates the righteous shall be desolate. This is the word of the lord and it’s still in force till tomorrow.

Today the people of the world find it hard to allow Israel to live. Some said they have no reason to exist upon the earth.  Are you God? Where is Hitler now? Yet Israel is still in existence upon the earth. Today Jerusalem has become Israel’s capital. The Lord said “the generation that shall see these things come to pass shall end till all these things be fulfilled” Mk. 13:27-28. 

The actualization of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a serious sign and pointer to the imminent coming of the lord. The next in line is the manifestation or appearance of the antichrist. Please don’t take this for granted, get my eBook on Rapture and study about Rapture and how it would be.  Just type into Google this keyword “Rapture: the Past, Present and What to Expect in Future”, and it shall be displayed to you.

But follow their instruction and obtain it with a little token of about $9.99. This will explain in details the topic of Rapture to you very well. And make sure you are not among them that hate Israel, neither the righteous wherever they are found into the world.

God bless.