In studying the overall arching storyline of Daniel, a fact emerges that is more poignant in its impact than the rest, particularly because its sole nature strikes so much at the core of much modern futurism that, if it holds true, it destroys not only the body of the work of most futurist thought, it tears the very fabric of its understanding.
This observation, that the Daniel 9:24 “seventy weeks”, or seventy “sevens of years” (as interpreted), is actually the fulfillment of the Leviticus 26:18 7-fold increase in punishment (adding seventy sevens of years to the original seventy years is that seven-fold increase), leads, through observation, that the entire futurist notion of the nature of the antichrist is actually the very opposite of what the text teaches.
First, let us consider a few points in perspective.
The Position of Nebuchadnezzar
First, we must consider why Nebuchadnezzar was great. Daniel 2:37-38 give us our first indication, in that Daniel admonishes that the king is ruling even over the very animals themselves. This dominion is in direct reference to Jeremiah 28, when the false prophet Hananiah broke a wooden yoke off from the neck of Jeremiah which God had been using to symbolize the coming Babylonian enslavement of Israel. Because Hananiah was acting presumptuously, God said through Jeremiah that the wooden yoke would be replaced with an iron one, and that this would make Nebuchadnezzar oppress them even greater. This dominion over the beasts of the earth was part of that fulfillment.
So, what God is setting the stage for in Daniel 2 is the coming full captivity of Israel–the initial 70 years followed by the 490, or seventy sevens of years (a total of 560 years in all). God raised up Nebuchadnezzar for the sole purpose of punishing Israel, and increased the ordeal because of Israel’s stubbornness. When we finally come to the decree of Daniel 9:24, some time later, God is finally saying that the decree is established, and that Israel had missed her first opportunity for a normal length punishment (70 years) and is, instead, having the seven-fold increase.
But, Nebuchadnezzar’s role in all of this is the head of this statue. As with all things in this universe, corruption and decay set in immediately. What God allowed or granted in the authority and sovereignty of Nebuchadnezzar was solely at the hand of God, and, when he forgot this, Nebuchadnezzar was immediately made insane and driven from men, until, after seven years, he acknowledged that it was God alone that had made him great. In so doing, God was establishing, once and for all, that the greatest part of this four-part statue, the head of gold, was solely His own doing. No man would get credit for this, and certainly, no devil.
God had warned Israel in Leviticus 26 that disobedience would result in punishment, and even exile from the land. Further, he said that continued failure to obey would result in even greater punishment. And, so, what Daniel amounts to, in the end, is that full culmination of the punishments of God which, in retrospect, ended with the breaking of the power of Israel (Daniel 12:7). While the final end of this was only brought about by the continued failure to obey (see Luke 19:44, when the Jews missed another opportunity, just as they had at the end of the first 70 years), God’s message through Daniel was that this was God’s work.
So clearly is this elevation from the hand of God, we actually see a picture of the height to which God must have elevated king Nebuchadnezzar. Looking at the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we see, in parable, a clear portrait of the Gospel. In Daniel 3, Nebuchadnezzar both made and set up an image on the plain of Dura, commanding that everyone at the sound of the music should bow down and worship the image, or be cast into the fiery furnace. In the exact same way, God the Father, at the establishment of His Kingdom (Daniel 2), set up Christ Jesus, whom Colossians 1:15 calls the ‘image of the invisble God’, and said whoever does not bow down and worship this image would, indeed, be cast into the ‘fiery furnace’ (Matthew 13:42, 50 use this exact phrase). Jesus, who is the exact representation of God the Father’s being, who also is God, was the image that God set up. In contrast to Nebuchadnezzar, however, He was the ‘rock made without hands’, but God the Father set Him up (thus setting up His Kingdom), and declared the very same decree. Thus, when the three Hebrew men were cast into man’s furnace, so strong that the fires killed the guards, it could not touch the ‘least in the Kingdom of Heaven’.
All of these are setting the state, painting the picture if you will, of what the message of Daniel is really about. God is breaking the Kingdom of Israel. Again, this is not His desire, but their rebellion prompts the fulfillment of the Kingdom. Just as Daniel confessed in Daniel 9:14 that Israel had not obeyed, this is the very condition of Leviticus 26:18, “If after all these things you do not obey…”. Again, just as God the Father did not hesitate in the first disasters to Israel, He did not hesitate in these, bringing to mind the words of Ezekiel 14:12-14, saying, if Noah, Daniel, and Job were all in a given city, their righteousness would only save themselves, not the city. This is the message of Daniel 9:14, 17-19, 24. God can, and does at times, answer “No” (1 Samuel 16:1).
The Conundrum of Daniel
So, Daniel is all about the punishment upon Israel. It will come in the form of Babylon, in four forms, over some 500+ years. Notice, again, this is the same time that are referred to as the ‘silent years’. Other than a few prophesies regarding the coming of Messiah and those regarding the rebuilding of the temple, there was no prophetic voice in Israel for this entire time of punishment. This is because God had removed the Kingdom in Ezekiel 21:27 by removing the crown (until Christ came), and it was the time when Israel was not a sovereign nation.
But, as Daniel 2 lays out the four kingdoms from the perspective of Nebuchadnezzar in their worldly glory and stature (such as was given to a carnal man, Nebuchadnezzar), Daniel 7 lays out the same four nations from the spiritual perspective, highlighting the spiritual power behind these kingdoms, the ruling forces or spiritual principality at work (much in the same way that Gabriel, when wrestling with the ‘prince of Persia’ in Daniel 10:13 also is analogous to the spiritual power, as embodied in the literal man who sat upon that seat).
So, by the time that the book of Daniel is completed, much of the first empire, Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon has faded, or is fading. The Persians have conquered it, and Daniel now serves them. So, what takes places is God continues to inform on these other nations. Since the first nation is nearly complete, there is no need to cover that, so the focus moves forward. In Daniel 8, we see the representation and the transition from the 2nd to the 3rd kingdom, from Media-Persia to Greece. These events are well represented in history, and chronicle the ever transitioning identity of Babylon through this time. Then, in Daniel 11, since the 2nd and 3rd kingdoms are already covered, Daniel is shown the 3rd and 4th kingdoms, and the transition between them. After a brief recap of the remaining Persian kings, the chapter begins right into the kingdom of Greece in Daniel 11:3.
After going through its kings, including the most egregious violator of the Jews, Antiochus IV, and his acts on the temple, Daniel is then shown the introduction of Rome in Daniel 11:36 (while not all commentators agree on this, we feel it is demonstrated through history). Daniel 11:36 represents Octavius, or Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire (before Augustus, Rome was a Republic which had existed for some 500 or so years–it was not until Augustus when it became the beast it would become). The exploits of Augustus are depicted, along with his wars with the two notable kings of the Greecian Empire, Marc Antony as the king of the North in Syria and Cleopatra as the king of the South in Egypt. Finally, in September of 31 BC, the Battle of Actium is described by Daniel 11:40-43, including the very makeup of the troops, as the many infantry were not engaged in the battle, and a large naval fight ensued. This battle resulted in the defeat of Marc Antony and Cleopatra, and Octavius became leader of the known world (which, by our interpretation, leads to the Great Tribulation described in Daniel 12:1 and Matthew 24:21, happening in 70 AD).
The Nature of the Beast
But, let us remember where we started, and what these prophesies amount to. While much of study surrounding the personality and activities of a proposed antichrist claim to derive their source from these chapters, they are perfectly fulfilled historically. Further, much of what is added to the information contained in Daniel and Revelation 13 often comes from works such as AW Pink’s book, “The Anti-Christ”. A short biographical sketch of Pink quickly demonstrates that he was a member of a gnostic cult, fascinated with occult and wickedness. His fascination with this character of the antichrist is nothing more than a meditation on wickedness, and a glorification of evil.
Make no mistake, 1 John indeed indicated many antichrists would come, those who confess not that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. But, this is different than what is proposed in modern prophecy schools. Virtually all prophecy scholars agree on one thing–Hitler did not fulfill the prophecies of Revelation. But, Hitler did come, and Hitler did kill many, and the command, regardless, is to “Watch!” (Mark 13:35).
But, the book of Daniel, from start to finish, when viewed from this perspective (which we maintain is more consistent–‘correct’ we believe), is that Daniel’s prophecies are not in the slightest bit prophecies about the ‘antichrist’. Nor are the great sweeping gestures of men like AW Pink relevant for theological review, as if you could construct out of every evil ever mentioned in the Bible the character of wickedness which will come. While AW Pink goes through the Psalms and finds a (supposed) reference to the antichrist in every notion of wickedness, this idea bears more of his mindset, and his interest, than it does the interest of Heaven.
Daniel’s prophecies are not prophecies about the antichrist–they are prophecies about Israel. More than that, from start to finish, God raised up Babylon (in all four forms, for what you call the head, you also call the foot) to punish Israel. God chose the level of exaltation of Nebuchadnezzar, and when even he forgot that, God humbled Him. He was determined to be sure that He alone was to be shown responsible. And then through the progressive revelations of Daniel, God is not showing Daniel about what the enemy is capable of, or interested in showing them what they will do. God is revealing what He has allowed, or perhaps determined to do.
The foot is not greater than the head, nor is iron more precious than gold. No where could one construe, from the simplest interpretation of Daniel 2 that the fourth Kingdom of Daniel is greater in any way than the ‘head of gold’, literal Babylon. While each was more barbaric and destructive, this only indicates the progressive nature of decay and corruption inherent in all the systems of the universe as a result of the fall (Romans 8:22-23). So too, right from the start, the notion that the fourth Kingdom of Daniel is somehow the devil’s last greatest attempt is preposterous, to say the least–it’s his worst attempt. Moreover, it is God’s doing, from start to finish. To give credit to the devil is to deny the message of all of Daniel. And, most directly, the focus of the prophecy is not ‘Mystery Babylon’ at all–it is God’s people.
Conclusion
The nature of the entire book of Daniel is to describe through progressive revelation over enduring years of progressive disobedience and rebellion of Israel, that God was breaking Israel (Daniel 12:7). For near 2,000 years, the power of the Jewish people has been broken, and this is clear from history (the current restoration is viewed as the beginning of their restoration towards national salvation, as Paul said, “All Israel shall be saved”).
While the people of Israel will always be a nation before God, and God will bring them into the church, there is no Kingdom future for Israel outside of the church, as Paul made abundantly clear in Ephesians 2:15, calling the joining of the Jew and Gentile ‘one new man’. This makes the understanding of the Kingdom so much more important, for, as the generation of Jesus missed the Kingdom of Heaven because they were expecting a largely natural rule, it seems many scholars make the same.
But, nevertheless, Daniel’s prophecies not only set the limit for Babylon’s existence, it also defines its path. Whether this is God decreeing it or prophesying it, it is directly saying that all of these things are under His control.
There simply is no place for the devil in any of this. As the enemy comes only to kill, steal, and destroy, the enemy is not capable of forming a cohesive government capable of ruling the entire world. And, in the same way, when God broke Rome, the other beasts were indeed also allowed to continue to live as human nations, but they were stripped of their one-world-government ruling authority, as it says in the book (Daniel 7:12). But, the devil is merely a winnowing fork in the hand of the Lord. Moreover and above, his only latitude, the entire scope of all the prophecies of the book of Daniel, fall solely upon that authority demonstrated in Daniel 2:37-38, that Babylon was exalted to humble Israel. That is the only reason the enemy had power, that is the only charter of its kingdom, and God, Himself, both demonstrated Himself to be chief above it by humbling king Nebuchadnezzar, but just as importantly commander over its jurisdiction by commanding to Daniel in the longest, most accurate continuous prophecy in the Bible concerning the so-called ‘end times’ (the end of the days of the Old Covenant, which was all that Daniel could fathom), and explicitly declaring where and how far it would go. To such a degree that many skeptics attempt to discredit Daniel as written after the fact (as a pseudo-history) because it is so accurate. God went to such detail as to ensure that there was only one conclusion–Daniel’s judgments upon Israel are a prophecy about Himself, not the devil.
There is no end-times ‘antichrist’ listed in Scripture. In fact, there are several, and their names are well known through history, from the Roman emperors to the present day, and a few yet to come. The message of the book of Daniel was the call for the Jewish people to repent. Over and over, God calling out to them, hoping to gather them like a hen gathers chicks, but they did not respond. And, in the end, Christ said, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.” (Matthew 21:43). Because of their failure to obey, the Romans came, utterly destroyed both the city and temple, and ultimately scattered the Jewish populous across the Earth.
And, it is the very book of Daniel, when understood in the context of Leviticus 26, and shown to be fulfilled completely through the historical nations of Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, that we see that the very fabric of futurism, built by leaning heavily upon gnostic occultic fascination with evil, is so utterly against what God had demonstrated through the tenor of Scripture, that it is utterly false.