See April 16 Entry Below
A Bare Bones Study for Those Hungry To Go Deep into the Word. So far we have learned that Nebuchadnezzar represents the natural mind that dissociates to protect itself. It rules in us and keeps the spiritual side of us subdued. Daniel is our spiritual mind. We will learn how to listen to our spirit which is in union with God's Spirit as we progress in this study.
Click on Daniel Bible Study tab at top of web site to read Daniel Chapter One and Chapter Two part 1.
[Verse 19] [Verses 20 & 21] [Verse 22] [Verse 23] [Verse 24] [Verse 25] [Verse 26] [Verses 27 & 28] [Verse 29] [Verse 30] [Verse 31] [Verse 32] [Verse 33] [Verse 34] [Verse 35] [Verses 36 - 38] [Verse 39] [Verses 40 & 41] [Verse 42]
March 28, 2009
So far we have seen that the natural mind (Nebuchadnezzar) is so frustrated over not knowing who he is in Christ that he has decided to dissociate. However, the spiritual mind (Daniel) has persuaded him to be patient and not do so because he will be able to tell him who he is (give him the interpretation). As Daniel goes to prayer, God reveals the king’s vision to him.
Dan 2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
There are some encouraging things to be seen here. First, if your life is filled with the turmoil and frustration of dissociation, or even if you don’t know you are dissociated, but just feel your life is out of control, as a Christian there is a part of you that knows God and can access him. This part is your spirit.
God longs to speak to us and reveal truths to us that can help us, but first our spirit needs to swing into action. Notice the secret was revealed here in a night vision. A night vision suggests to me time alone with God. If we are never alone in a quiet place where we can concentrate on God and seek his face, then we probably won’t receive the revelation regarding our identity. Night can mean different things to different people. For me, night is very early before the sun is up when most of the world around me is asleep. Then I know the phone will not ring, my work projects can wait and I can concentrate on God.
God is pleased and honored when we determine to spend time with him every day no matter what. It is important that there be no distractions. It is good to have a certain place to go…a favorite chair in a room alone for example. Remember Jesus taught us to enter our closet when we pray. I like a small room or nook of a large room where there is good light and I have my Bible and resource books at my fingertips. If we will commit to spend daily time with God in a quiet place and talk to him about our concerns, he will begin to reveal to us who we are in him. I want to emphasize here, this involves commitment on our part. If we do this for one week and then quit, that is not commitment. Commitment is closely tied to perseverance and patience. If we will persevere and wait patiently before the Lord every day, he will begin to tell us who we are in him.
Of course, a night vision can be a literal vision or a dream. I have found that God is much more likely to speak to me in this way when I have spent that time alone with him and in his Word consistently. There is always the danger that supernatural revelations could take the place of Bible reading and study. If that happens, we can be easily deceived. All things must be filtered through the Word of God.
[Back to top]
March 29, 2009
Dan 2:20, 21 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Daniel’s prayer here reveals that he knows who God is. He recognizes that all wisdom and power come from God. He sees the faithfulness of God in the changing of the seasons, his sovereign control of earthly governments, and his generosity in giving his wisdom and knowledge to those who seek him. The Bible tells us Daniel was a man of prayer, faithfully on his knees three times a day seeking a relationship with his God.
The historical Daniel knew of God from his life as a Jew and particularly his experiences of temple worship before being taken captive to Babylon. It is much easier for us today to know God because we have Bibles and all manner of resource books to open the scriptures to us. Even though we may have never studied Greek and Hebrew—the original languages of the New and Old Testaments—we can study in those languages because of the work of James Strong and others who have given us concordances and lexicons.
Daniel drew upon every resource he had to know his God and we must do the same. The Bible has much to tell us about who we are in Christ. We are his beloved bride. We are his children, joint heirs with Christ to all the riches of the Father. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. We are his workmanship in Christ Jesus. Jesus is our brother. We are part of the body of Christ. He is in us and we are in him. Every longing of the human soul can be fulfilled in knowing a loving God who died for us…but it is up to us to discover this for ourselves. We must pick up our Bible and read it every day…consistently.
[Back to top]
March 30, 2009
So far in our study in Daniel, we have seen that the natural mind (Nebuchadnezzar) in his pain and desperation of not knowing his identity in Christ, has tried to dissociate. If he does so, he will cut off his access to the spiritual mind (Daniel) and lose much of his wisdom and the good things that God has given him to help him. As soon as the spiritual mind discerns this, he swings into action and persuades the king to wait and give him time to seek God on this matter. He promises to make known to the king the interpretation of his dream…he will tell the king who he is in Christ.
These verses we have been looking at for the past few days have been part of Daniel’s prayer as he seeks God regarding this matter. Today’s verse will offer more hope to those who suffer with the effects of dissociation as well as to those who minister to them.
Dan 2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
There is darkness in every one of us because none of us has yet come into the perfection of the church of the end times when we will be without spot or wrinkle. Those who have been abused in satanic cults or in abusive families have a lot of darkness within. And in their darkness are hidden away many parts of their soul that split off from the main stream of consciousness in order to survive their abuse. They may be hidden inside in dungeons, caves, prison cells, dark rooms, etc. But wherever they may be, Jesus knows where they are. He knows everything that was done to them, and when we pray, he will come and find them.
For those of us who were not abused, we still have places within where darkness is hiding sins that we are not aware of. We don’t know our own heart. It is easy for us to think we are good persons…we don’t commit crimes or participate in the evil things we hear about on the evening news. We think we are good Christians living a sin-free life. However, the Lord knows what is there, and he has ways of putting us in situations where those sinful attitudes we are not aware of begin to come to the surface.
The Lord knows our darkness and loves us in spite of it. As we seek him, he will come and shine his light into our darkness. His love and forgiveness will minister to us as we acknowledge our sinfulness and choose to follow him. There is nothing he does not know. There is no darkness too dark for his light and love to dispel. It is our spirit that knows this and can help us access Christ. To split off from our spirit in dissociation will make accessing him more difficult but not impossible.
[Back to top]
March 31, 2009
In our spiritual and inward interpretation of Daniel, we have been learning about a person living in the end times who struggles with the problem of not knowing his identity in Christ. He wrestles in his natural mind (Nebuchadnezzar) wondering if his life counts for anything…if he is valuable and loved. His spirit (Daniel) has a relationship with God and is able to hear from God concerning this problem. We have been examining his prayer for the past few verses. Our verse today is the final verse of this prayer.
Dan 2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
God has answered Daniel’s prayer with a revelation, and he is now worshiping and thanking him. When we go to God asking him to help us find out who we are in him, he is always going to answer that prayer. He wants nothing more than to demonstrate to us that he loves us and values us. However, we need to demonstrate to God that we value him and love him too. We cannot hear him if we are willfully walking in disobedience to him.
Love does not have to be a feeling. Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey his commandments. Love for God begins by obeying him and later becomes a feeling. We demonstrate that we value him by spending time with him and reading (and studying) his Word. Over the years, as I have prayed about many things, I’ve noticed certain prayers God always answers. He always answers my prayers concerning my character. When I repent of bad thinking and bad attitudes, God is quick to help me overcome these things.
Daniel has received a revelation from God regarding this person’s identity in Christ, but we will see as we continue our study that it will take time for the natural mind to be able to truly believe this revelation. Knowing who we are in Christ is a process that takes place over years of relationship with Christ. However, I believe God is doing a quick work in these end times. He is revealing more of his Word and he is drawing closer to us in many ways. He wants us to be prepared for what is coming upon this earth. It is not going to be pretty, and we need to learn how to hold onto God for all we are worth right now. We must cling to him and seek him with all our heart. He is the only person (or thing) we will be able to depend on as the events of the one world government quickly descend on us.
[Back to top]
April 1, 2009
In today’s verse we see how the spiritual mind (Daniel) takes charge over the problem of the natural mind (Nebuchadnezzar) deciding to dissociate.
Dan 2:24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will show unto the king the interpretation.
As I stated in an earlier verse, Arioch represents the function of dissociation. His name means “lion like.” Lions tear things apart, and this is what dissociation does to a mind…it tears it into pieces. Dissociation does not take place this time because the spirit has received a word from God. This word is to be conveyed to the natural mind. Our natural mind is not able to hear from God. God’s word comes to the spirit that conveys the message to the natural mind.
We saw in an earlier verse that to destroy the wise men of Babylon is to dissociate and cut oneself off from the good qualities in the soul. People who grew up in extremely abusive homes, especially families involved in Satanism, learned to dissociate as infants or even in their mother’s womb. Dissociation often becomes their only coping mechanism. In such cases, the good qualities become vastly separated. For example, one alternate personality may be excellent in math, another alter excels in verbal skills, while another part is social and takes over at parties. Such persons may find themselves at a restaurant with a group of friends being the life of the party, but when the bill arrives, they can’t figure out the math. That part is stored in another alter…the wise man of Babylon got “cut off” (the definition of the Hebrew word for “destroy”).
Not only are they cut off from the wise parts of themselves, but they are also cut off from their spirit and have difficulty accessing God. We will see more about the true self in tomorrow’s verse. It would be good to read at this time the article on this site under the heading of “Satanic Ritual Abuse” entitled “The Wounded Child, Co-dependency and Dissociation As Seen in Scripture: The Dysfunctional Patriarchal Families” (article #13 under satanic ritual abuse).
In today’s verse, we are seeing the spiritual mind take charge of the situation in a powerful way. “Daniel went in unto Arioch” is actually saying (according to the Hebrew), “Daniel thrust himself into Arioch.” “To thrust” is to push with sudden force; shove; drive; lunge, or pierce. This whole function of dissociating is interdicted forcefully by the spiritual mind.
His command, “bring me in before the king” has different ramifications when the word translated “bring” is examined in the Hebrew. This was surprising to me in that I checked three concordances and a lexicon and no one said this Hebrew word, ‘ella’, means “bring or take.” It means “over” and “above.” So the translators took a lot of freedom here in order to make this word fit into the historical story. For our spiritual interpretation, I’m choosing to use the literal meaning of the word which is “above and over.” The spirit is thrusting itself into the situation and maintaining his position of being above and over the king in this situation. The spirit is backed by the power of God, and he is using that power here to block the process of dissociation. God does not usurp the decisions of the natural mind, but Daniel had Nebuchadnezzar’s permission; therefore, God backs up the decision of the spirit and gives him the power to execute that decision. The spirit in this case is going to the natural mind with a message from God…a very important message that will convey to the natural mind that for which he has so desperately been searching…that he is valuable and loved.
[Back to top]
April 2, 2009
There is a quick response to Daniel’s forceful interdiction of the function of dissociation (Arioch meaning “lion like”) as seen in today’s verse:
Dan 2:25 Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation.
At last, the natural mind (king) is going to hear someone tell him who he is in Christ. This answer is coming from his spiritual mind that has been in communion with God. This spiritual mind (Daniel) is indeed a captive, but not of Babylon (confusion) or Nebuchadnezzar (the natural mind). The spiritual mind is a captive of the Lord Jesus Christ. As such he has found total rest and peace. He is able to dwell in the presence of God continually and drink from his inexhaustible supply of love and wisdom. Some of this is now going to be made known to the natural mind who so desperately longs to know he is loved and valued for who he is.
Daniel is from Judah. Judah is a type of our true self…the person we were before there was any dissociation. The revelation that Judah represents our true self is explained in the article under the heading of “Satanic Ritual Abuse” entitled “The Wounded Child, Co-dependency and Dissociation As Seen in Scripture: The Dysfunctional Patriarchal Families” (article #13 under satanic ritual abuse).
I first became aware of dissociation in 1992 when I began ministering to persons who were satanically ritually abused (SRA). As I ministered to these people, I met many of their dissociated parts or alternate personalities. Back then, the term MPD (multiple personality disorder) was more commonly used than dissociation. At any rate, the personalities I met in those persons were highly developed. Each one had a name and an identity based on whatever it had been assigned by cult perpetrators or by the survivor of the abuse who created them in order to survive.
It was many years later that I began to see that dissociation is much more common than anyone thought. Not only was I seeing it in most of the people around me, but I was finding it all over in the Scriptures. Once one has a working knowledge of dissociation, it begins to become evident in Scripture as well. It is not only in the deep allegorical studies, but also in just surface reading. For example, read James I with dissociation in mind. A double-minded man is a dissociated man. One Greek definition of “double-minded” is actually “two-souled.”
Hence there is another dimension of dissociation that is not like what I see in those who are satanically ritually abused. There is a very subtle dissociating that all of us have participated in at some time in our life. Most persons are split off from their true self but don’t know it. Their different parts don’t have names, and no one knows they are there. What we consider being moody, is actually a mild form of dissociation. One day a person is friendly and outgoing. The next he is withdrawn and quiet. What happened? He switched to another part.
God has revealed to me that dissociation is a major revelation for the church of the end times. Until we accept this message and receive ministry for it, we will not be able to come into the fullness of Christ. All of us are inwardly broken to a certain extent…the more painful our childhood was, the more broken we are inwardly. Until we can live entirely out of our true self (Judah), we will not have full communion with Jesus. There will be a part of us that is false that cannot come into relationship with Christ.
The true self is also the part of us that has authority. If we are to walk in the power of the Spirit with full authority over the principalities, powers and spirits of wickedness in high places, we must be living out of our true self.
[Back to top]
April 3, 2009
The natural mind (Nebuchadnezzar) is about to discover that the key to finding his identity lies within his own being. This is not to say it is of his own making, but that it comes from within his spirit (Daniel). He has been looking to outward people and things to establish his identity—what he perceives others think or say about him—but nothing and no one can make him feel he is valuable and loved. Let’s look at today’s verse:
Dan 2:26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
Within his own being is one who has been in communion with God and can help lead him into a relationship with him that will satisfy the deepest longing of his heart. Daniel, as we see here, has two names. Daniel means “judgment of God” and Belteshazzar means “one who lays up treasures in secret.” Daniel was the name he had first, and he had to experience the redemptive judgment of God before he could be one who stored up the treasures of God in secret. Without God’s judgment, our spirit would be polluted with sinful desires and motives. God works first in our spirit and then outwardly into our soul with our spirit’s help.
Ephesians 4:23 says, “…be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” The Expanded Strong’s Concordance states regarding “renewed” (ananeoo in Greek), “The renewal here mentioned is not that of the mind itself in its natural powers of memory, judgment and perception, but ‘the spirit of the mind’; which, under the controlling power of the indwelling Hoy Spirit, directs its bent and energies God-ward in the enjoyment of fellowship with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ, and of the fulfillment of the will of God.”
This is what the spiritual mind, Daniel, has been doing. Now, out of the treasures gained through this relationship with God, he is able to minister to the natural mind.
[Back to top]
April 4, 2009
In today’s verses, as the spiritual mind begins to reveal God’s answer to the natural mind, we see his character displayed…character that is just like Jesus’. One thing that was always evident in Jesus was his humility. He never wanted to take credit for anything he did, but rather gave his Father all praise and recognition for every miracle that he accomplished.
Dan 2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king;
Dan 2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
Daniel, in all humility, even before giving the dream and its interpretation, wants the natural mind to know with certainly that what he is about to say could only come from God Almighty. He makes it clear that no man on earth could possibly know what he is about to reveal. God’s work in the spirit and the spirit’s unity with God are evident in his great humility. Then he reiterates that none of the wise men of Babylon could possibly help the king in his quest for identity.
If we look at this listing of “wise men” with an outward perspective, we notice that they belong to the forbidden realm of the occult. It seems that often when people are hungering for God, they turn to the evil supernatural realm seeking to have their hunger satisfied. At first it may seem exciting, but in the long run they are just as empty, and even more lost, than when they first sought these experiences.
As we stated earlier, when we look to others around us to validate us in our identity, we are attempting to give them power over us in a way God never intended. Mothers and fathers along with other significant persons in a child’s life are supposed to help them build a sense of being valued and loved. As Christians in fellowship with one another, we are to love, encourage and esteem one another in ways that demonstrate that we value and love one another. However, ultimately only God can answer that deep longing in our heart for identity.
Now our story is really getting exciting. God is about to reveal to Nebuchadnezzar a secret that is for the “latter days.” There are things to be revealed in this vision that are only for the great church of the end times…the people that God is even now raising up in power. This power that can only be given to a people who know who they are in Christ…people who have the same humility we see demonstrated in Daniel. To have power and not have humility would result in that power being misused for selfish purposes. If we are to have this power, we must know God as surely as Daniel knew God. God is going to give us a deep understanding of the human mind, how it functions and why it struggles. Then he will show us what he is going to do to bring it into perfection in the latter days. We have many exciting verses ahead of us!
[Back to top]
April 5, 2009
The natural mind (Nebuchadnezzar) starts to worry about his identity when he is lying upon his bed. He also has concerns about his future.
Dan 2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
It is when we are alone and trying to rest that worries and fears start to crowd into our mind. When we don’t know who we are in Christ, we are vulnerable to the lies of the enemy that try to wear us down. Worries and accusations crowd into our minds that are so overwhelming we can’t sit still, let alone go to sleep. The enemy says things such as, “Why did you make that ridiculous comment at the meeting tonight? Now everyone thinks you are a nincompoop!” or “You should have worn a dress. You were the only woman there in slacks and everyone was noticing how out of style you were. Now you won’t be invited back by that group.” So often our fears are about what other people think.
Other fears are about our future and finances. “What will I do if they raise the rent again? We’re barely able to make our payment now. Fred lost his job last week. I wonder if I’ll be next. I noticed the boss looking at me with a strange look on his face. Maybe he is trying to find a way to tell me they’re letting me go too.”
Health issues can also cause worries. If we are in a close walk with God, our heart can rest assured that he is in control of these things and we have nothing to fear.
When we know who we are in Christ, we won’t have these worries. First of all, we won’t care what others think about us since we are not looking to them to validate our identity. We are secure in our relationship with God and can look with compassion upon others who are worried about what they say or how they dress around certain people. None of this matters when we are secure in God’s love. Our only concern about what we say is that we not impugn the character of God or say something that would hurt another person. If we say something wrong, we can apologize, ask forgiveness, pray about it and God will make all things work together for good.
When we know the character of our Father God and our own innocence before him, we know he will take care of us financially also. Whatever worries would come upon us can be dispelled with a word from God. When we are in a close relationship with God, we expect him to speak to us and tell us what we need to know to rest in him. Relationship is the key to everything.
God will tell us of his plans for our future. God has wonderful things in store for his church of the end times. As all around us crumbles, we are not to fear because God has a plan that will keep us in “Goshen” with him as long as we continue to seek and obey him. There are things we will enter into with God that were reserved only for the church of the end times. As our prosperity ends, as all that we trusted in falls apart, we can rejoice that the Kingdom of God is coming nigh us and we will enter in with God. (I am not speaking about physically leaving the earth in what has been called the “Rapture of the Church.”) However, there are other realms and dimensions in God that we have never before experienced. We can expect to rise up into them as events of the end times transpire…but we will still be on this earth. (Some of this is explained in my book The Four Living Creatures…Entering God’s Kingdom in the Age of Terror.)
[Back to top]
April 6, 2009
Once again, in today’s verse we see the humility of Daniel (the spiritual mind). He makes it perfectly clear that this revelation of Nebuchadnezzar’s (the natural mind’s) identity is not from the spirit itself but from God as being revealed through the spirit.
Dan 2:30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
Our true identity is a secret that only God can reveal. He alone knows the human heart. We know what the Bible says about us, but until the Spirit of God quickens it to us, it is just words on a page. The only way those words can become alive to our own heart is through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Unless we spend time in prayer, in the Word, and with Christ’s body on earth (the church), our identity will remain a secret from us.
Then Daniel says something most remarkable. This identity is to be revealed to us “for their sakes.” Who is he referring to here? The Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is for their sakes that we will learn our true identity. God wants a relationship with us…a deep, intimate relationship such as a bridegroom with a bride. One cannot have a relationship with another person if that person has no identity or a very immature identity. It is only as we know ourselves that we can know God. People with deep emotional needs cannot truly see others for who they are. They can only see through their own brokenness which causes them to judge others unrighteously. (All men are abusers, for example.) Have you ever seen a car windshield after an accident that is still in place but broken into thousands of pieces? No one can see through that. We can be that way within—so fractured by abuse, neglect and the enemy’s lies that we cannot see the truth about others. Only when our eye is single, can we perceive the light and be filled with it (Matt. 6:22).
[Back to top]
April 7, 2009
The revelation of who we are in Christ will come slowly, a little at a time. It is not a burst of insight that illumines our soul to the point we suddenly see who we are. The following verse reveals this:
Dan 2:31 (1) Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. (2) This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; (3) and the form thereof was terrible.
The image here speaks of our identity. The words “the form thereof was terrible” when examined according to the Hebrew meaning actually says, “the appearance or perception (from) will come upon us slowly (terrible). The Hebrew word for “terrible” means “to slink, to creep along, to crawl.” It means “terrible” by implication. So we see the literal meaning here is that it moves slowly.
One does not have to be a Christian for long to learn that we change slowly. We perceive something intellectually but it takes time for what our head knows to make its way into our heart. This will be seen more clearly as we explain the various aspects of the great image that Daniel reveals to Nebuchadnezzar (the natural mind).
This great image had “brightness that was excellent.” Brightness can be best explained by the definition found in Webster’s dictionary, “Brightness is the luminous aspect of a color (as distinct from its hue) by which it is regarded as approaching the maximum luminance of pure white or the lack of luminance of pure black.”
Christ, of course, is the luminance of pure white. Remember how he appeared to Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration? “…he was transfigured before them.
And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them (Mark 8b, 9). Satan, on the other hand, is black…the total absence of light.
When we struggle with identity we are “regarding” or judging ourselves according to white (good) or black (evil). On our own we can’t do this because (1) we don’t have a true concept of good and evil until God quickens it to us in his Word, and (2) only God can show us what is in our heart. So we are in total dependence on God for this revelation…and that is exactly where he wants us…in total dependency on him.
[Back to top]
April 8, 2009
This whole chapter has been building up to this moment…an explanation of what the king has seen that no one has been able to reveal to him. At last we get to examine this great image with the head of gold. I have made a diagram of this that you will want to refer to often for the next dozen verses. This is a complex concept, and having a picture helps us decipher and remember what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us.
Dan 2:32 (1) This image's head was of fine gold, (2) his breast and his arms of silver, (3) his belly and his thighs of brass,
In the next few verses, the Holy Spirit masterfully lays before us a picture of a human identity. As we should know by now, our minds are complex. Men have studied the human mind for ages. Out of this has arisen the whole field of psychology that has revealed some things that are true and some that are false. How wonderful that we can go to God’s Word and know the truth!
The head of fine gold: Gold is highly valuable…so valuable in fact that it is, and always has been, the most desirable element in regards to wealth. It is the standard for the currencies of the world. The head of gold reveals that we are valuable. However, we only know this intellectually until we walk with God a few years and he makes himself known to us.
His breast and arms of silver: Silver represents redemption. Just as the head is supported by the upper part of the body beneath it, our value is based upon the shed blood of Jesus Christ by which we have been redeemed. We were purchased with the most valuable thing in the entire universe…the blood of Jesus Christ. This gives us great value.
His belly and his thighs of brass: In the Hebrew language, the word translated “belly” means “heart.” Brass is defined as being “hard.” Put these together and we have a hard heart. This is indicative of an immature Christian. He has a basic intellectual knowledge that he is valuable to God based upon the sacrificial death of his Son Jesus Christ, but his heart is yet hard and unable to receive this truth.
The thighs are defined in the Hebrew as the generative parts. The fruit that comes forth from such a life is not the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is fruit that is self-serving and worldly. Before we can have the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our life, our heart must be softened and changed.
[Back to top]
April 9, 2009
Yesterday we learned about the upper levels of our identity in Christ. The head of gold represents the truth that we are valuable. This value is based upon our having been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ (silver breast and arms). This is all head knowledge because our hearts are hardened (belly of brass) and we produce self-serving and ungodly fruit (thighs of brass). Today we will look deeper into this identity:
Dan 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
In the J. I Rodale book, The Synonym Finder, we learn that our legs are a framework and also a pillar. Think about legs: the legs of a table support the table top. The legs of a chair support the cushion we sit upon. The legs of an animal support its body. Our mind also has legs that support it. These legs are our perceptual framework.
Our perceptual framework supports our natural mind. According to Robert Mulholland in his book, Shaped by the Word, “we all have deeply ingrained perceptual frameworks that shape our lives in the world: structures of habit, attitude, perspective, relational dynamics, and response mechanisms. Our perceptual frameworks shape our understanding of God, our understanding of ourselves, and our understanding of others….These frameworks can, and most often do, become our prisons. We find ourselves in bondage to them. Our future becomes a replay of the past.”
This perceptual framework (legs) is made of iron. Iron is a type of bondage. When someone is in prison it can be said that they are “in irons.” Prison bars have typically been made of iron. We are all in bondage to original sin. In Christ we have been given power to overcome this tendency, but it is still there. This perceptual framework is built by our responses to all our experiences in life. Most of our responses have been sinful because prior to becoming Christians, we responded out of our natural tendencies which are the opposite of God’s ways. Our perceptual framework is something that hinders our ability to know God for who he is. It clouds our vision of all of life. It is another thing that keeps us from truly realizing what great value we have to God.
We will learn about the feet that are part of iron and part of clay tomorrow.
April 10, 2009
What wonderful things God is showing us here about our identity. We have value (head of gold) based upon the redemptive work of Jesus Christ (breast and arms of silver). However, we have trouble truly knowing ourselves and God because we have a hard heart (brass belly) that produces self-serving fruit (brass thighs). Our perceptual framework (legs) holds us in bondage (iron) because of our sinful responses made to all of life’s circumstances. Today we will learn about the feet:
Dan 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
The Feet
The feet represent our walk in life. The following are a few examples from the Psalms:
Psa 119:59 I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.
Psa 73:2, 3 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
Psa 94:18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
Psa 116:8.9 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
Clay
There are six different Hebrew words translated “clay” in the Old Testament. The one used here in Daniel is different in that it is the only one from a root meaning “to peel.”
The other words for clay mean, “dense clay,” “clay as heaped,” “sticky clay,” “smooth clay,” and “thick clay.” No other word means clay “as peeled.” “To peel,” according to my Thesaurus is “to detach, separate, come off, and split.” This Hebrew word, khas-af', is used nowhere else in the Bible but here in Daniel Two. This must be a very significant word.
When we use the words “detach, separate, come off and split” with regard to our mind, it can only mean one thing…dissociation. The clay speaks of the brokenness of our soul. We have seen earlier in our Daniel study that dissociation is the predominant defense mechanism for this natural mind. Chapter three of Daniel will also be about dissociation. All of us are divided in many ways because of our sin nature. We are separated from God until we are reconciled; we suffer separations in our relationships with others; and we are divided within our own soul. We have all split away from our true self in some form or other during our times of intense pain. This is part of our human condition that Jesus will restore to wholeness in these end times. As we read in Ephesians, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him” (Eph. 1:9, 10). We may have only viewed this scripture outwardly, but there is also an inward application.
Iron
We have already learned that iron is symbolic of the bondage of sin. We are all subject to this tendency even though Jesus triumphed over sin and in him we too have victory. Even though we have this victory, we will not experience the completeness of this victory until we go through the process God is showing us in Daniel. Only in the end times, as the judgment of all things comes upon this earth, will we enter into this dimension of victory. The whole book of Daniel will explain thoroughly how we will triumph over every dimension of sin’s dominion in our lives. Chapter Two of Daniel is giving us an overview of what we will see in detail later in the book.
Based on what I have written above, “his feet part of iron and part of clay,” we can see that our walk in life (feet) is subject to the bondage of sin (iron) that causes brokenness in our soul (clay).
[Back to top]
April 11, 2009
We have seen in the great image from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream a picture of our identity that has been formed in sin. Jesus Christ has come into this life and there is redemption for this person, but things in this life need to be changed in order to come into the fullness of Christ in the end times. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are not automatically changed persons. We have been reconciled to God and now the process of sanctification can begin in us. This next verse shows how God begins to work in our life.
Dan 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
A stone is, of course, a rock. Jesus Christ is our Rock. The Scriptures say that this Rock followed the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor 10:4 ).
This sounds so cruel. How could a loving God be a Rock that breaks our feet in pieces? God does all things with his people out of his great love for them. When this happens to us, things start to go wrong in our life. Things we trusted in begin to fall away. Idols we have built begin to crumble. Our walk in life is suddenly disrupted. Everything seems to go wrong.
“…we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
God has to allow this so we will learn to depend entirely upon him for all things. Out of our tribulations, we build a relationship with Christ. The Scriptures come to life as we struggle. Each trial reveals something negative in our character that we must bring before Christ in prayer that we may repent and be changed. The next verse in Daniel Two reveals more about why God has to allow this.
[Back to top]
April 12, 2009
Yesterday we saw that Christ is the Rock who crushes the feet of the image. He allows our walk in life to be disrupted with difficulties and trials that cause us to depend more on him. Today’s verse reveals more about why suffering must come into our lives even though we are Christians who love God.
Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
We are, in type, the earth. Christ wants to fill us completely with himself. In order to do this, all that is false must crumble and be removed. Our hard heart, our sinful perceptual framework (see diagram of image), our warped concept of what salvation is along with our false understanding of what it means to be valuable must all be crushed and blown away.
God works in conjunction with us in this process. We have to acknowledge our hard heartedness and repent. We can only see the truth about our heart as God reveals it a little at a time. If we choose not to repent, then it won’t be changed. God shows us what is there, but it is up to us to decide whether or not we will allow him to change it.
We must identity our sinful habits, our bad attitudes, our false perspectives and biases, our bitter root judgments and inner vows that were developed over many years of our responses to life. Only God can show us these things, and we need to be in difficult, trying circumstances in order to see that these sinful reactions are in our life.
Relationships are often the venue God will use to bring up what is hidden deep in our heart that we are unaware of. I’ve never been an angry person, but a few years ago God brought someone across my path that caused rage to come to the surface in me. I managed to control it, but the fact that it was there was a surprise to me. I could have blamed the other person for this, but I had to take responsibility, repent and ask God to take it from me.
When everything in our life seems to be falling apart, that is when most of us really get serious about God. We start asking questions of the Lord as we seek understanding. If we are wise, we will realize that what is happening outwardly is indicative of what we are within. God will help us change if we bring everything before him in prayer and humble ourselves in repentance.
[Back to top]
April 13, 2009
In the last four verses, Daniel explained to the king what he had seen in his vision. Now he will begin to give the interpretation of what he has seen.
Dan 2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Notice he says that WE will tell the interpretation. The spiritual mind (Daniel) in and of itself has no wisdom or understanding. It is, however, joined with the Spirit of God and they work together to help the natural mind (Nebuchadnezzar). To “tell the interpretation” is to tell the king who he is in Christ.
Dan 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
As long as we live on this earth in our natural state, the natural mind is king. It is here that all decisions are made regarding our life on earth, and these decisions even determine what eternity will mean for us based on these decisions. God does not usurp this authority and neither does our spirit that is joined with the Holy Spirit.
Dan 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
According to the early Church Fathers, men represent certain minds or the understanding. The children of men would represent the knowledge and deductions arrived at through our natural understanding. It is in our natural mind that we make decisions regarding what we know. We can decide to apply ourselves in school and learn the knowledge that comes through study and hard work, or we can sit around watching TV and reading tabloids. We can make something of our life and do things that help others, or we can live unto ourselves for our own pleasure. Our natural mind makes these decisions. We can choose to pursue God or ignore him. Our natural mind has been given freedom by God to choose. “…I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live” (Deut. 30:19).
In the Bible, beasts and birds represent certain emotions. This has been true of all cultures, not just those recorded in the Bible. The beasts of the field represent emotions connected to our will (Types in Genesis by Andrew Jukes, p. 37). It is when our will is crossed that we come to anger, self-pity, etc. The fowls of heaven represent emotions that are connected with our understanding and are therefore higher emotions.
The decision making power of our natural mind is the head of Gold.
[Back to top]
April 14, 2009
Today we begin our study of the four kingdoms as related by Daniel according to his interpretation of the king’s vision. The only commentaries I have read on Daniel have interpreted these kingdoms as being outward in the world representing different nations or periods of history. Our inward interpretation will be much simpler. According to my thesaurus, a kingdom is “a sphere of influence.” In our natural mind there are different “spheres of influence.” These will be described in the next few verses.
Dan 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
The first sphere of influence (kingdom) is the head of gold that represents the decision-making power of the natural mind we are born with. At a later time when we ask Jesus Christ to forgive us of our sins and be our Savior, another sphere of influence comes into our life in the form of the Holy Spirit. However, this godly influence is not on the throne of our life; therefore it is lower in influence.
The third sphere of influence is our heart. We make most of our decisions based on what is in our heart…most of our heart we are not aware of. Our heart is hard and unyielding to God (brass), set in its ways and centered on self. We may have high and noble intentions, but these are often overpowered by the rigidity and selfishness of our heart. Therefore, although the head of gold has the power to make decisions, these decisions are actually controlled by what is in our heart; therefore this sphere of influence “bears rule over all the earth.”
So we see that God has given us the power to make decisions, but since these decisions are dictated by what is in our heart and we have little understanding of what is in our heart or why it is there, we are foolish to try to live life without consulting God for his wisdom and instruction.
[Back to top]
April 15, 2009
The fourth sphere of influence over our lives is likened to iron. We have already seen that iron represents the sin nature…the curse put upon all living things and the earth after Adam and Eve sinned. This influence in our lives causes all things that are natural to eventually succumb to destruction and death.
Dan 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
Everything in our lives is under this influence, our soul, our body, all that we own and everything we do…nothing escapes this destructive influence. However, the next few verses give us hope that in Christ, all this can ultimately work for good.
Dan 2:41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
Until this verse in our chapter, clay was only clay. It represents our soul-life. Here that clay is now “potters’ clay.” This means that what may have been hard and unyielding is now pliable in the hands of the Master Potter. This shows that there comes a point in the work of God in our lives when we are softened enough that he can begin to mold us and shape us into his image.
This verse also introduces a new part of our anatomy…the toes. In Hebrew the toes are defined as “something to seize with.” This would represent what we have seized in life…our accomplishments. Even the good things we have done are mixed with sin. How can this be?...because in our humanness, impure motives are often behind the good things we do. We can preach a great sermon that brings many to repentance, but along with our good motives can be just a tinge of finding some sense of identity out of how we minster.
Even though the sin nature has been mixed with our soul and our accomplishments, (iron and clay mixed), God is going to separate the sin nature from the real part of us (the kingdom shall be divided). Even so, there will still be in us a sin nature that we must contend with (but there shall be in it the strength of iron). Part of us will have been purified, our accomplishments will be cleansed but we must always need to stand against the tendency to sin.
The last clause states that God is able to separate the sin from the true self because we recognized that sin…we acknowledged it (forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay).When we humble ourselves to the point that we can admit our sinfulness and repent, then God can separate out the sin for destruction and save our life to be conformed to his image. This is a picture of the process of sanctification.
[Back to top]
April 16, 2009
In yesterday's message from Daniel 2:41, we saw that the sin nature (iron) is mixed in with our soul (clay), and to some extent, affects all that we do (toes). We saw that God was separating out the good part of us from the sin nature (the kingdom being divided). Today we see the results of this process of sanctification.
Dan 2:42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
Even though we still have a sin nature, we see here that this kingdom of iron (sin nature) is not as powerful as it could be because it is only "partly strong." The word "partly" is defined in Hebrew as meaning "end" and "termination." This tells us that its strength will have an end. It will not always be strong in us. Additionally, it is "partly broken." The word "broken" means "fragile." So even though we feel the strength of this sin nature within us, it will come to an end, and it is becoming fragile.
Our previous verse, Dan 2:41, was showing the process of sanctification…that God separates out the good part of our soul from the sin nature as we obey him. Verse 42 shows us the results of that process of sanctification…the sin nature loses its power. Its strength is coming to an end (partly strong) and it is fragile (broken).
What an exciting message this is! We are the church of the end times. We are the people whom God is bringing to the point of being "without spot or wrinkle." This means there will not be any darkness of the sin nature left in us when we are joined with our Lord in the union of marriage. We are going to enter in to a place no one has been before while in human flesh. We will be without the sin nature. The curse from the fall will be lifted off us. However, there is a process we need to go through to come to this place. We must go through sanctification. This requires our total cooperation, and we must hand over to God our whole life.
Sanctification occurs as we meet the challenges and trials of daily life in a scriptural manner. As we obey God, we suffer even as Jesus suffered when he lived in this world. As we join in the sufferings of Christ, we will experience the power of his resurrected life within our own being. This power breaks the power of sin which is even now becoming fragile as we continue pursuing the Lord.
[Back to top]
Daniel Bible Study
