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EARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH:
CLARENCE LARKIN:
THE BOOK OF DANIEL:
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER
(A PDF Copy Of The Complete Book Is Available Here)
(A WordPerfect Copy Of The Complete Book Is Available Here)
CAUTION: The PDF Of This File Is Huge (21 MB); The WordPerfect File is Huge (10 MB)





THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS

GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH.
THAT IS WHY HE IS GOD.

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die today that you would not go to hell?
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No other book in the Bible has been attacked like the Book of Daniel. For 1600 years, beginning with Porphyry, a Syrian, in the Third Century, the book has been in the “Critic’s Den” and fiercely assailed by sceptical writers. Porphyry claimed that instead of being written by Daniel about B. C. 533, it was a forgery written in the time of the Maccabees about B. C. 168, and after Antiochus Epiphanes, so clearly foretold in the book, had appeared, and was written to comfort and encourage the Jews in those trying times. Some modern critics claim that Daniel, if such a person ever lived, had nothing to do with the book at all, that a holy, pious, and gifted Jew, who lived after the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, (B. C. 165), wrote it, and that it is pure fiction. But how could a man who would write such a book and try to palm it off as real history be a holy and pious Jew? This shows to what an extremity those who do not want to accept the book, because it foretells the future, are driven.

There is no question but that the Book of Daniel existed long before the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, B. C. 175-165. How did it get into the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Scriptures, that was completed in B. C. 285, or over 100 years before it is claimed that a pious Jew wrote it? Josephus, the Jewish Historian, gives us a history of the Jewish people from Abraham down to the destruction of Jerusalem. A. D. 70. Narrating incidents of the struggle with Antiochus Epiphanes, he says that these things came to pass “according to the prophecy of Daniel which was given 408 years before.” Which means, according to Josephus, that the Book of Daniel was written about B. C. 573. Josephus also tells us that when Alexander the Great, who is foretold in Daniel’s prophecies (Dan. 8:5-8) came in the course of his conquests to Jerusalem, B. C. 332, that Jaddua, the High Priest, showed him the reference to himself in the Book of Daniel, which so pleased him that he spared the city. According to this the Book of Daniel must have been written prior to B. C. 332. Again, Ezekiel was a contemporary of Daniel, and wrote in Babylon the book which bears his name. He was held in high esteem by his fellow exiles and was much consulted by them. If Daniel was in Babylon in high official position Ezekiel must have known it. But he need not necessarily have mentioned Daniel in his book. But he does. Three times his name is mentioned –

“Though these three men, Noah, DANIEL, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.” Ezek. 14:14, 20; Ezek. 28:3.

Thus Ezekiel bears witness to the fact that such a man as Daniel existed, and that he was so noted for his righteousness as to be classed with Noah, and for his wisdom as to be classed with Job.
But the highest authority for the authenticity of the Book of Daniel is our Lord, who said in His Olivet Discourse –

“When ye therefore shall see the ‘Abomination of Desolation,’ spoken of by DANIEL THE PROPHET, stand in the Holy Place, whoso readeth, let him understand.” Matt. 24:15.


Whosoever therefore denies the Authenticity of the Book of Daniel impeaches the integrity and wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, for He, in the above quotation, affirms that there was such a Prophet as Daniel, and that He foretold that there was such a thing as the “Abomination of Desolation” to stand in the Holy Place of the Temple.

THE ARGUMENT OF SILENCE

It is claimed that no such person of influence and authority as Daniel ever lived at Babylon, because the name Daniel does not appear upon the monuments or among the historical records of Babylonia. The claim is premature because comparatively few such records have been unearthed or deciphered, and the absence of Daniel’s name is no proof, for his Jewish name Daniel was changed to the heathen name Belteshazzar. Neither is it any proof because the name Belteshazzar does not appear, for the name might have been abbreviated and spelled differently, as was often the custom with lengthy names. The fact then of silence is no argument. For illustration, we read in Luke 2:41-50 that when Jesus was 12 years of age He went up to Jerusalem at the “Feast of the Passover.” Did He not go up to any other Feast between that time and when He entered on His Public Ministry? We do not know. The Scriptures are silent. We know from John’s Gospel that He went up to the Feasts regularly after His Baptism, is it not reasonable to suppose that He did before? The “Law” required every male to regularly attend the Feasts, and as Jesus scrupulously kept the Law, the inference is that He from His twelfth year went regularly to the Feasts, at least to the Passover Feast, which was a type of Himself. The silence then as to Daniel’s name among the Babylonian records is no proof that he never existed.

It is a fact that we must not forget, that heathen monarchs, like Nebuchadnezzar, recorded on the monuments only the things that glorified themselves, and the great men of their Empires are not mentioned. What about the governors, judges, generals, priests, wise men, and the sculptors, architects, engineers, etc., who planned, and supervised the building of the magnificent walls, towers, bridges, tubes, temples and palaces of “Great Babylon?” Their names do not appear upon the records, why then Daniel’s? The Book of Daniel is discounted because it does not give a list of kings between Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. But why should it? It would seem from the record that Daniel was deposed from his high office at the death of Nebuchadnezzar, and does not publicly appear until he is called on to pronounce the doom of Belshazzar. Why then should he record events, etc., not connected with the purpose of his book?

The presence of fifteen Persian and three Greek words in the Book of Daniel has led some to claim that the book could not have been written as early as B. C. 533. But the presence of these words is an argument for the early date. If the book had been written in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, the author would not only have inserted a few Greek words, but he would have incorporated in it many Greek expressions and ideas. The Greek words are the names of musical instruments, probably imported by Nebuchadnezzar from Greece, or played by Greek musicians captured in war. The use of foreign words is confirmatory of Daniel’s presence at the court of a country that was constantly being visited by emissaries from other lands.

Proofs of the Authenticity of the Book

Mention is made in chapter 1:3 of Ashpenaz, Master of the Eunuchs. The word in the original is Rabsaris. But until about twenty-five years ago the word was not found upon the monuments of Babylon, and its absence was used by the critics as proof that there was no such official at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, and therefore the Book of Daniel was not authentic. But the name has been discovered upon a conical brick preserved in the British Museum, thus proving that Daniel is right.*[* “Inspiration and Accuracy of the Holy Scriptures.” John Urquhart. P. 358-359]
We are told in chapter 1:2 that Nebuchadnezzar carried the vessels of the House of God (the Temple at Jerusalem) “into the land of Shinar, to the house of his god.” From an inscription left by Nebuchadnezzar we find that it was his custom to thus place the choicest of his spoils in the house of his god. Could a writer, writing 400 years later, who knew nothing whatever of Nebuchadnezzar’s custom, ascribe such conduct to him?

Again, the fact that at the Babylonian court there were a class of men called “seers,” who were classified as magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers, and over which Daniel was made head, is another proof of the historical character of the book, for a later fictional writer, picturing a vanished state of society after his imagination, would not be likely to give the proper classification.

THE GENTILE NATIONS

While the Book of Daniel treats of the “Times of the Gentiles,” it does not give an outline of all the Gentile nations, but only of those which were successively to have sway over the territory of the “Prophetic Earth,” or that part of the earth covered by the Old Roman Empire. Bible prophecy has nothing to say about the nations as such in their relation to one another, but only in their relation to Israel and the Holy Land.

“When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam (at Babel), He set the bounds of the people ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.” Deut. 32:8.

The key to all prophecy is the Jew. If the Jewish nation had not forsaken God and neglected His sabbaths, there would have been no “Times of the Gentiles.” The “Times of the Gentiles” began when God transferred earthly rule from the Kings of Israel to the Gentile king Nebuchadnezzar, and they will continue until Israel again becomes the “Head of the Nations.” Daniel is distinctly the Prophet of the “Times of the Gentiles.” His vision sweeps the whole course of Gentile World Rule until the setting up of the Messianic or Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Daniel was not a Prophet in the same sense that Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Minor Prophets were prophets. Their mission was to go to the people and proclaim the Word of the Lord, while Daniel’s mission was to record what was revealed to him through . visions. While he did not have the “Prophetic Office,” he had the “Prophetic Gift.” The Book of Daniel is the Apocalypse of the Old Testament, as the Book of Revelation is the Apocalypse of the New Testament, and one cannot be understood without the other, and it is worthy of note that as Daniel is thrice called the man “greatly beloved,” the Apostle John is called the “beloved disciple.” To these two men was accorded the privilege of seeing in vision the whole “course of time” from B. C. 606, on down to the Second Coming of Christ.

THE DIVISIONS Of THE BOOK

The Book naturally divides itself into two grand divisions of six chapters each. The first division is mainly “Historical,” and the second is “Prophetica1.” See Chart of the Book of Danie1. The Book is written in two languages. The first chapter, and the first three verses of the second are written in Hebrew, and so are chapters 8 to 12, but from the fourth verse of the second chapter to the end of the seventh the language is Aramaic, the ancient language of Syria, and substantially identical with Chaldaic, the language of ancient Babylonia, and the language at that time of trade and international intercourse. The use of the two languages is apparent. What concerns the Gentile Empires is written in their language, Aramaic, and what concerns the Jews is written in Hebrew. This is evidence that the Book was written at Babylon, and written by a Jew. As further evidence the Hebrew is the same in style as the Hebrew of Ezekiel, who was a captive at Babylon at the same time as Danie1.

DANIEL

Of Daniel himself we know more than of any of the other prophets. He was of the Tribe of Judah, and of noble, if not royal, blood. He was carried captive from Jerusalem in the third year of Jehoiakim, B. C. 606, in the first invasion of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. He was probably twenty years of age when he was taken to Babylon, and in a short time he rose to a very high position in the Empire, which he held during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. At his death Daniel went into retirement and is not heard of again until he was summoned to pronounce the doom of Belshazzar. He lived through the whole period of the “Seventy Years Captivity,” and became the “Chief President” over the 120 Princes of the Kingdom, under Darius the Median, when he was at least ninety years old. He is the only spotless character in the Bible outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is not one flaw to be found in his character. He was a man “greatly beloved” of God. He associated with kings and politicians. He led a public life. He held office, yet his character was never impeached. He talked with angels. The Lord Himself appeared unto him, and he had visions of God. He was a great man of faith, and though his name is not mentioned in the great “Faith Chapter” of the New Testament, he is referred to in it as one who “stopped the mouths of lions.”Heb. 11:33. He was the –

PROPHETIC STATESMAN

of his day. It was given to him to study the “SIGNS OF THE TIMES,” to know the outcome of all the world’s boasted civilization, and to see that the nations of the earth should degenerate in political power until the clay of democracy, socialism, and anarchy should so weaken the nations that there would be no cohesion among them, and that the only salvation for a chaotic world would be the return of Christ, and the setting up of His Millennial Kingdom.
 

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