2006-08-20 - Daniel

Installment 14 ~ Nightmares and Dreamscapes

Chapter 2:24-43

I have been using this study, at least part of the time, to demonstrate that one can have access to truth, come close to understanding it, and still miss the mark. For me, the saddest example of this is the Jewish people. Fortunately, we know that because they do have access to truth, one day they will understand it fully, grieve their disobedience, and the result will be restoration to their intended relationship with God.

"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives" (Zechariah 12:10-14).

"According to the commentators, Rome, in the heavenly vision (7:8) seen by Daniel and explained by the angel, undergoes a metamorphosis from the secular power of the old empire into the religious power, Christianity. The powerless orphan adopted by the mighty empire, originally by Emperor Constantine I and later by his successors, grew up to utilize its unique position as state religion of the great empire and moved on to a period of unprecedented growth. Its power, whether temporal or spiritual, eclipses that of kingdoms and empires. Thus throughout our exile, the fourth kingdom is represented by the Christian church, conceived of, despite all its diverse forms, as one unit.

"The coming of the Messiah, about whom the prophet Zephaniah prophesied (3:9); Then I will turn to the nations a pure language, that they shall all call upon the name of HASHEM, to serve Him in unison, is contingent upon and parallels the demise of the most powerful religion challenging the tenet of pure monotheism, which is the cornerstone of our religion.

... And all these matters - that of Yeshu the Nazarene and that of the Ishmaelite who arose after him - are only to prepare the way for the Messianic king and to perfect the whole world to serve God together, as it is written (Zeph. 3:9); Then I will turn to the nations a pure language, that they shall all call upon the Name of HASHEM to serve him in unison.

How? The world has already been filled with the subject of the Messiah, the subject of the Torah, and the subject of the commandments. These matters have already spread to the far isles and to many unrefined nations, who discuss these things and the commandments of the Torah. Some say that these commandments were true, but have been abrogated in our times and they are not binding for [all] the generations. Others say that the commandments have mystical meanings, and are not to be taken literally, and that the Messiah has already come and revealed their mysteries. But when the true Messianic king will come and succeed and be elevated and exalted, they will immediately recant, and they will know that they have inherited falsehood from their ancestors, and that their prophets and ancestors have mislead them." ¹

What the author doesn't realize is, he is right. But the ones who will recognize the true Messiah, will be the Jews. He is speaking of his own people and Christ, without understanding it.

1 Goldwurm, Rabbi Hersh, Daniel, Mesorah Publications, Ltd., Brooklyn, NY, 2002, p. 105.

To be continued.

Comments or Questions?
Geoff

GKragen@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org