#302. Daniel 2:44,45...His Kingdom Triumphant...Luke 1:33, 1 Corinthians 15:24, Revelation 11:151/7/2018 The book of Daniel is not prophecy. Prophecy is a direct communication from G-d (or via G-d's angel) to a human who is tasked with relaying G-d's message to his or her generation. All נָבִיא / naviim (prophets) had direct communication with G-d or G-d's angels (through dreams and / or visions with the exception of Moses who spoke directly with G-d), and who then relayed G-d’s message to his or her own generation. A prophet upon hearing a prophecy immediately understands it. The Book of Daniel is not prophecy because Daniel did not understand the visions he saw. The angel had to explain the visions to him. Most of Daniel's messages from G-d (via an angel) also had more to do with the future than for his own generation. While prophecy contained in the Hebrew Bible was kept for us there because the messages were important to us, too (keeping the mitzvot and following Torah) they must also have been for the generation living at that time. The visions given to Daniel were for future generations more so than for his own generation... Was Daniel himself a prophet? There our sages are divided. In the Talmud (Megillah 3a) we are told "In certain ways they, the prophets, were greater than him, Daniel, and in certain ways he, Daniel, was greater than them. They were greater than him, as they were prophets and he was not a prophet. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi were sent to convey the word of G-d to the Jewish people, while Daniel was not sent to reveal his visions to others. In another way, however, he was greater than them, as he saw this vision, and they did not see this vision, indicating that his ability to perceive obscure and cryptic visions was greater than theirs." The Talmud tells us that there were "forty-eight prophets and the seven prophetesses who prophesied on behalf of the Jewish people." Megillah 14a. Elsewhere I have written of prophecy, and the fact that for now prophecy does not exist. It is important to realize that prophecy, when it did exist, was always plain and never hidden (no types and shadows) -- even if understanding the details was not clear (such as knowing the date a prophecy would come to pass). Likewise if a prophecy included a dire prediction it could always be avoided -- and this is why negative prophecies existed -- to act as warnings to be avoided. Prophets never changed any of the messages or mitzvot in the Torah. Thus we know that Jesus and Mohamed were false prophets -- because they had messages which changed the eternal messages in the Torah. "The Sages taught in a baraita: Forty-eight prophets and seven prophetesses prophesied on behalf of the Jewish people, and they neither subtracted from nor added onto what is written in the Torah, introducing no changes or additions to the mitzvot. . ." Megillah 14a. "Baraita" is a teaching "outside" of the six orders of the Mishna in the Talmud. Even though Megillah 3a states that Daniel was not a prophet -- other sages disagreed and said that Daniel himself was a prophet -- although the Book of Daniel is not prophecy. Elsewhere we've discussed the Rambam's eleven levels of prophecy -- the first two of which are not truly prophetic. The first two levels in the Rambam's list have to do with holy men inspired by G-d. On that list the messages in the Book of Daniel would fall into the second category which says the message may contain visions which are to be given to the living generation -- but the person who has them may not readily understand the meaning. Daniel did not understand the meaning. It had to be explained to him by the angel. Prophets always know the meaning -- it is very clear to them. The Rambam: "The second degree is this: a person feels as if something came upon him, and as if he had received a new power that encourages him to speak. He treats of science, or composes hymns, exhorts his fellow-men, discusses political and theological problems; all this he does while awake, and in the full possession of his senses." Daniel had divine inspiration and he received visions which he could often, but not always, interpret. In Daniel 2 the Babylonian Emperor, Nebuchadnezzar, has a dream which he cannot remember. He knows the dream had important information and he wants it interpreted -- even though he does not recall any of the details. When his seers and advisors are at a loss (and who wouldn't be?) they approach Daniel to beg for his help. The Emperor has stated he will execute his advisors unless they properly interpret the dream -- and he will know if they give him a false claim because he will know, when he hears it, if it was his dream or not. Daniel asks for a few days -- and in that time he has a vision -- and approaches the Emperor to explain its meaning. He tells the king that he (Nebuchadnezzar) had a vision of an image which had a large base. The image had a head of fine gold, its breast and its arms were of silver, its belly and thighs were of copper. The interpretation was the meaning of the parts of the image. Daniel tells the king that he is the head of kingdom of gold. Eventually another kingdom will rise and it will be inferior (silver). The next kingdom is even less great -- made of copper, and the fourth kingdom is weaker yet -- iron. The feet are mixed with pottery (because it will be divided into factions with some stronger than others),. Eventually, says Daniel, these kingdoms will all be replaced by one not made by men -- but by G-d. This is "one stone was hewn without hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and crumbled them." Daniel 2:34. A kingdom -- not a person. Not the messiah and certainly not Jesus who never ruled a kingdom. How can you know for certain? Read on. . . "the G-d of heaven will set up a kingdom forever, it will not be destroyed, and the kingdom will not be left to another people; it will crumble and destroy all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever," will never be conquered by another. It will dismantle all of these kingdoms." Daniel 2:44. A kingdom -- not one person (Jesus). Has there yet been a "kingdom" which has lasted forever and has not been destroyed. No, not yet. Ergo this vision of Daniel has not yet completed. Jesus did not "fulfill" it. The kingdom will be the messianic kingdom of Israel -- and this did not exist 2000 years ago (the Romans ran a puppet land) and it does not exist today. This verse is in the Aramaic portion of Daniel, which starts after the first few Hebrew words of Daniel 2:4 and continues through the end of Daniel 7, How can we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the kingdom that lasts forever is not Christianity? G-d told Daniel that all the other kingdoms would crumble and only this one kingdom would remain. Ask yourself: is there only one 'kingdom" today? What of the Muslims? The Communists? The Buddhists? No -- there remains the kingdoms of clay and iron -- two leading kingdoms (the Muslims and Christians). The vision of Daniel has not yet been fulfilled. "And what you saw, iron mixed with clay, [connotes] that they will mingle with the seed of men, but they will not cleave one to the other, as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings, the G-d of heaven will set up a kingdom forever, it will not be destroyed, and the kingdom will not be left to another people; it will crumble and destroy all these kingdoms, and it will stand forever." Daniel 2:43 - 44. In the days of Jesus the Roman Empire ruled -- and it was destroyed. Jesus was not alive to see the fulfillment of Daniel's vision. Jesus did not rule over a kingdom. Christianity, not Jesus, one might see as a kingdom -- but as mentioned there are other kingdoms still in existence today -- Muslims and so on -- thus Jesus and / or Christianity failed to fulfill this vision.
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