Babylon, Idolatry

Food Offered to Idols

Upon his arrival in Babylon, Daniel is confronted with a predicament. If he consumes the food and drink of the king, it might impinge on his ritual impurity. While he might wish to avoid eating โ€œuncleanโ€ meats, more likely, his concern is that consuming the โ€œkingโ€™s delicaciesโ€ means participation in the idolatrous rituals of the Babylonian court.

Continue reading “Food Offered to Idols”
Babylon, Empires, Nebuchadnezzar

Empires Rise and Fall

The Towerย ofย Babel incident is echoed inย Danielย when the new ruler of โ€œShinarโ€ gathers all nations to pay homage to his great imageย in the โ€œPlain of Dura.โ€ His empire was not a new political entity, but the latest incarnation of Satanโ€™s effort to control humanity, a plan that has been underway since human civilization began.

Continue reading “Empires Rise and Fall”
Babylon, Empires, Nebuchadnezzar

God Grants Sovereignty

God gave the kingdom of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, but He also equipped Daniel and his companions for service in the court of Babylon.

In its opening paragraph, the book of Daniel labels Babylon the โ€œland of Shinar,โ€ a verbal link to the โ€œtower of Babelโ€ incident. The Neo-Babylonian Empire has an ancient pedigree, and like his ancient forbears, Nebuchadnezzar determined to unite all men under one language and one government so all men might render homage to his great golden image.

Continue reading “God Grants Sovereignty”
Abomination of Desolation, Captivity, Seventy Weeks

In Plain Sight

Danielโ€™s โ€œseventy weeksโ€ prophecy presents a 490-year period that culminates in the โ€œAbomination of Desolation.โ€ Crucial to dating it and its proper interpretation is the identification of the โ€œcommandment to restore and build Jerusalem,โ€ and commentators have gone to great lengths to link it to one of several known decrees issued by Persian rulers.

Continue reading “In Plain Sight”