Living in an Alien Culture: Daniel 7

Living in an Alien Culture

Daniel 7

1.    Relationship of chapters 1-6 to 7-12

a.    Chapters 1-6: Stories about Daniel

b.    Chapters 7-12: Visions of Daniel

c.     “Daniel’s message about God’s control requires both the stories of the first six chapters and the visions of the last six.  The stories give us comfort, the visions a sense of our finitude. Without the latter, the stories would lead us to believe in a false relationship between human works and God’s grace—if we do certain things, God must provide.  Without the stories, the visions could lead us to an impractical, disembodied mysticism.  With both, this book offers a helpful confidence that God is indeed in control.”[1]

d.    “While children resonate with the lessons of Daniel 1-6, seasoned Bible scholars scratch their heads over Daniel 7-12 with the move from simple stories to obscure apocalyptic visions… Even though there is a dramatic contrast in genre between the two halves of the book, however, the overall message of the book is uniform: In spite of present appearances, God is in control.”[2]

e.    Hebrew and Aramaic in Daniel

                                               i.     1.1-2.4a: Hebrew

                                              ii.     2.4b-8.1: Aramaic

                                            iii.     8.1-chapter 12: Hebrew

                                            iv.     Chapter 7 is pivotal: vision but still in Aramaic

2.    Some thoughts on the nature of “Apocalyptic” literature[3]

a.    Usually reserved for when things were so bad for the people of God only an outside intervention in terms of a cataclysmic display of God’s power could remedy the situation.

b.    Take the symbolism and numbers seriously but not literally.

c.     Observe the prophet’s pastoral concern for his audience.

                                               i.     God controls history

                                              ii.     Brings comfort to God’s suffering saints

d.    Move beyond details and see the main points of the text.  The key question: What is the text about as a whole.

e.    Application should derive from the text’s main points.

f.     Read Old Testament apocalyptic in connection with the New Testament apocalyptic (i.e., Revelation)

g.    Image oriented

                                               i.     Apocalyptic is a metaphor-rich genre

                                              ii.     “Images evoke powerful feelings in readers. Again, because the original readers had a more immediate understanding of these images, the feelings would be more potent and natural in them.”[4]

                                            iii.     “As such, images speak truly and accurately, but not precisely.”[5]

3.    Outline of chapter[6]

a.    (1-8): Horror by the Sea

b.    (9-14): Heavenly Power

c.     (15-28): Divine Victory

4.    Relationship between Daniel 2 and 7

Daniel 2 Statue	Daniel 7 Beasts	Kingdom	Years
Head of gold	Lion with wings of an eagle	Babylon	605-539
Chests & arms of silver	Bear	Medo-Persia	539-330
Middle & thighs of bronze	Leopard with wings of a bird	Greece	330-63
Legs of iron, feet of clay	Beast with iron teeth	Rome	63-

o   Chart from: James M. Hamilton Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology(Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2010), 330.

5.    Horror by the Sea (1-8)

a.    Time: First year of Belshazzar 552/551 BC: 50 years since Daniel’s deportation to Babylon 

b.    The sea (2-3): place of chaos and destructive evil

c.     Four beasts

                                               i.     “These beasts are bizarre, they are mutants, perversions of what God intended by his creation.  As such, they evoke not only horror in the original reader, but also revulsion.”[7]

                                              ii.     First beast: “… lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.” (v 4)

1.    Q: When was the last time we saw a beast become more human in Daniel?

2.    A: Chapter 4: Nebuchadnezzar coming out of his animal-like stupor

                                            iii.     Beasts are kings/kingdoms: vv 17 and 23

                                            iv.     Beasts are under the power of God

1.    First is humanized (v 4)

2.    Second is commanded to eat (v 5)

3.    Third, dominion is given to it (v 6)

4.    Fourth, slain and thrown into fire (v 11)

5.    Remaining three, dominion is taken away and extension granted (v 12)

6.    Heavenly Power (9-14)

a.    “In essence, we have gone up the chain of being.  Evil human kingdoms were described as horrifying hybrid animals; the divine realm is imaged as human beings.”[8]

b.    Majestic throne room scene 

                                               i.     Ancient of Days

                                              ii.     Fire around and flowing from the throne

                                            iii.     Thousands of beings surround the throne

                                            iv.     Books (of judgment) opened 

c.     Beasts and their kingdoms destroyed (11-12)

d.    “Yahweh’s rule is not arbitrary; it is morally determined.  In the vision of Daniel 7:9-14 the Ancient of Days judges the earthly powers that have become subhuman, bestial, in their arrogant, self-centered exercise of sovereignty.  He deprives them of their sovereignty and gives it to ‘one like a human being.’  It is in God’s kingdom, under his sovereignty, that humanity reaches its full potential.  Salvation history culminates in the achievement of the purpose that God had when creating the world, a world in which humans exercise sovereignty as his representatives (Gen 1:26-28).  This is the significance of the ‘one like a son of man’ receiving sovereignty in Daniel 7:13-14.”[9]

e.    Son of Man

                                               i.     “He is riding the cloud chariot, which is the prerogative of God alone.”[10]

                                              ii.     Human: the fulfillment of Genesis 1-2 and what humankind should be

                                            iii.     He is given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all peoples might serve him.

                                            iv.     Son of Man: Individual, Collective, both?

7.    Divine Victory (15-28)

a.    Verses 17-18: summary of the visions

                                               i.     Verse 17: Beasts rage and war against the saints

1.    See v. 21: “… waging war with the saints and overpowering them.”

2.    Beasts overpower and devour: not everybody escapes the fiery furnace

                                              ii.     Verse 18: “But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.”

1.    See v. 27: “Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey him.”

2.    What is spoken of the Son of Man in v. 14 is applied to the people of God in verses 18 and 27

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     [1]Terry C. Muck in the “General Editor’s Preface” to Tremper Longman III, Daniel—NIVAC (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999), 14.

     [2]Tremper Longman III, Daniel—NIVAC (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999), 19.

     [3]See William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Jr. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation—Revised and Expanded (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 385-387.

     [4]Tremper Longman III, Daniel—NIVAC (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999), 178.

     [5]Tremper Longman III, Daniel—NIVAC (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999), 178.

     [6]Tremper Longman III, Daniel—NIVAC (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999), 179.

     [7]Tremper Longman III, Daniel—NIVAC (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999), 183.

     [8]Tremper Longman III, Daniel—NIVAC (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999), 186.

     [9]E. C. Lucas, “Daniel: Book of” in Dictionary of the Old Testament Prophetsedited by Mark J. Boda and J. Gordon McConville (Downers Grove, Ill: Intervarsity Press, 2012), 121.

     [10]Tremper Longman III, Daniel—NIVAC (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1999), 187.

Some Resources on Prostitution

Life Site ran an article on prostitution today: Media, 'Human Rights' Orgs Making Prostitution Attractive to Children

In light of this I found these resources on prostitution.

Prostitution is Not Sex Work

Theory Versus Reality: Commentary on Four Articles About Trafficking

Ten Reasons for Not Legalizing Prostitution

Prostitution, Trafficking, and Cultural Amnesia

God & Truth VII: Philosophical and Religious Views on Immigration and Community

Glendale Community College

God & Truth VII

"Philosophical and Religious Views on

Immigration and Community"

October 22, 2019

Panelists:

Derek Ayala

"Buddhism: The Middle Path of Community and Immigration"

Richard Klaus

"The Contours of Community: Christians as Resident Aliens and National Citizens"

Peter Lupu

"What Does Faith-and Reason-Have To Do With Immigration?"

0:00-3:02-- Introductory comments by Derek Ayala

3:02--28:30-- Derek Ayala: Set up topic and presentation

28:40-47:23-- Richard Klaus presentation

47:40-1:21:30-- Peter Lupu presentation

Question & Answer:

1st Question (1:22:30): Basis of legal immigration; merit based

2nd Question (1:29:27): Biggest challenge for Christians regarding current policies; charity to other countries; mercy and compassion; balancing goods of helping other countries vs. our own

*Note: In my comments I mention Evangelical charitable giving versus giving to "culture war" institution--these comments are based on the research of David French here.

3rd Question (1:36:25): Three questions--one for each panelist

a) to Derek: Buddhist perspective on open borders and foreign aid

b) to Richard: Which perspective--Creation or Fall--is most helpful in analyzing policies

c) to Peter: Examples of specific policies to consider

4th Question: to different panelists

a) to Derek: Caste system and immigration

b) to Richard and Peter: Evangelical voting in regards to abortion and immigration

* Peter offers critique of both Buddhist and Christian views of the afterlife (2:00:10).

* Question from audience about enlightment (2:03:15).

* Peter and Richard go back-and-forth on Genesis and the notion of the "Fall" (2:11:30--2:25:00).
___________________

Some resources:

* Peter and Richard both mentioned the important essay: Two Theories of Immigration by Mark R. Amstutz.

* Here are some further resources I (Richard) put together: Resources on Immigration

Resources on Immigration

* The following are some essays I found helpful on the issue of immigration.

Two Theories of Immigration by Mark R. Amstutz

Ten Theses on Immigration by Russ Douthat

Immigration: Can We Talk About This? by James E. Hartley

Immigration: Winners and Losers? by James E. Hartley

A Biblical Perspective on Immigration Policy by James R. Edwards, Jr.

Immigration Policy Must Be Based on More than an Appeal to Compassion by Kevin DeYoung

Thinking Clearly About Immigration by Timothy Hsiao

No One Has a 'Right' to Immigrate Into the United States by Timothy Hsiao

The following series of articles by Alastair Roberts and Respondents:

True Hospitality and the Immigration Debate by Alastair Roberts

We the Church, Us Immigrants: A Response to Alastair Roberts by Robert W. Heimburger

On Immigration: A Response to Alastair Roberts by James R. Rogers

Stay in the Story: A Response to Alastair Roberts by Peter Leithart

Welcoming the Stranger: A Final Immigration Response by Alastair Roberts

There is the important book by Dr. James Hoffmeier:

The Immigration Crisis: Immigrants, Aliens, and the Bible (Crossway, 2009)

Here is an article by Dr. Hoffmeier summarizing some of the main points of his book: 

The Use and the Abuse of the Bible in the Immigration Debate

An interview with Dr. Hoffmeier: 

What Does the Bible Teach on Immigration? An Interview with James Hoffmeier

Living in an Alien Culture: Daniel 6

Living in an Alien Culture

Daniel 6

“The story of Daniel in the lions’ den has captivated children over the

centuries, and rightly so.  It is a thrilling story with a strong moral

dimension—courage in the face of extreme danger, a remarkable

deliverance from wild animals, and the ultimate vindication of a

principled stand. Yet it is no fantasy.  And as we have seen, it is 

far from being only a story for children.  It is an analysis of 

the nature of law—its use and abuse.”[1]

Chapter 1[2] Nebuchadnezzar reverently places God’s vessels In his idol’s temple. Daniel and others refuse to indulge in pagan impurities. Court officials sympathetic. Daniel and his colleagues’ physical and mental powers vindicated. They are promoted to high office.

Chapter 6 Darius bans prayer to God for thirty days. Daniel refuses to cease practicing the Jewish religion. Court officials intrigue against him. Daniel’s political loyalty to the king is vindicated. He is restored to high office.

·     v. 1: Darius[3]

·     Daniel is much older now (maybe in his 70’s or 80’s): his is a life of faithfulness

o   v. 3: “possessed an extraordinary spirit”—Daniel must have been an amazing and competent man!

§ cf. Proverbs 22.29

·     v. 4: they could find no ground of accusation or corruption

o   he holds a position of power without corruption: difficult to do!

·     vv. 5-9: Collusion to bring down Daniel

o   Specific legislation designed to make Daniel a “law-breaker”

o   “came by agreement” (vv. 6, 11, 15)

·     v. 10: Daniel knew the document had been signed

o   Full awareness of law and its consequences

§ Disobeys the law so as to obey God’s law

·     Cf. Acts 4.18-20; Exodus 1.15-21

o   Public: Daniel’s spirituality is publicly known

§ Windows open

·     “Open toward Jerusalem”: see 1 Kings 8.47-50

“Daniel did as King Solomon suggested and prayed towards Jerusalem—a city we have not heard named since the beginning of the book.  Daniel lived in Babylon, and was faithful in the service of its rulers; but the secret of his integrity and faithfulness was that he did not live for Babylon.  He lived for another city, in the spirit of Abraham and the patriarchs who were looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God(Hebrews 11:10).  Daniel lived for all that Jerusalem stood for.  He knew that the future lay there and not in Babylon.”[4]

o   Hebrews 11.8-10, 13-16; 12.18-24; 13.11-14 (cf. Galatians 4.25-26)

§ Posture: on knees before the Lord[5]

o   Q: Is there enough evidence in your devotional life to “convict” you?

o   Q: Do you have a set time and place for prayer? Or is always on the way, in the car, in the shower, etc.?

·     “the law of the Medes and Persians”—vv. 8, 12, 15

o   Lex Rex: the law is king; the king must abide by the law

§ Development in the history of ideas for these pagan nations

·     Deuteronomy 17: Israel’s king was to write out the law

·       

o   Applications:

§ Problem with Ballot Initiatives in Arizona: our elected officials cannot make changes to the law once put into effect

§ Problem with “legislating from the bench” in our courts

·     Roe v. Wade

·     Obergefell v. Hodges

·     v. 23: “no injury whatever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God”

o   Trust and faithfulness all the way to where it hurts and you lose everything

§ Daniel had reached the pinnacle of power in his old age and is thrown down into the lion’s den

·     v. 24: Daniel’s enemies destroyed by the lions

o   Those who live by the arbitrary power of the state, die by the arbitrary power of the state

§ If the state can arbitrarily create a law to hurt Daniel (vv. 6-9) then the state can arbitrarily put to death malicious accusers and their families (v. 24)

§ Psalm 7.15-16: “fallen into the hole which he has made”

·     Darius makes two decrees in chapter 6

o   (1) Self-serving and idolatrous: worship only me

o   (2) Praising the God of Daniel and encouraging service and praise to him (vv. 25-27)

·     What does Daniel 6 show us about Jesus?

o   Jesus protects his people: Romans 8.28-39; 1 Peter 5.8-11; Colossians 2.15; Hebrews 2.14-15

o   Daniel 2.23: “taken up out of the den…” and exalted

§ Jesus raised from the dead and exalted: Acts 2.22-36

o   Faithful witness: Revelation 1.5 (cf. 2.13 Antipas)

·     Exercise: Detail out some of the conceptual links and thematic overlap between Daniel 6 and 1 Peter 5.6-11.

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     [1]John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Monarch Books, 2015), 210.

     [2]Chart from John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Monarch Books, 2015), 198.

     [3]See my paper “Reflections on the Accuracy of Daniel” for some brief comments on the identity of Darius—online: https://www.academia.edu/35244641/REFLECTIONS_ON_THE_ACCURACY_OF_DANIEL.

     [4]John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Monarch Books, 2015), 203.

     [5]See my essay “Bodily Postures in the Worship Service” White Rose Review(April 12, 2013)—online: https://whiterosereview.blogspot.com/2013/04/bodily-postures-in-worship-service.html.