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He was the prophet of the remnant and saw a glorious future for his people and for the earth. MONDAY, July 3. Daniel 2:31-35. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream. Daniel was a Hebrew exile and cap tive, probably born in Jerusalem and pos sibly of royal birth. Ch. 1:3. He was among those chosen by the king of Babylon to be trained as courtiers and statesmen in the Chaldean court. After the usual period of training he was ad mitted to royal favor. By his interpre tation of the king’s dream he was made governor of the province of Babylon and chief of all the great men of the kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar was a world ruler at the head of a world power. He was given the vision of the outward splendor of worldly sovereignty and its gradual weakening to its final and sud den overthrow, through the symbol of a colossal statue with a golden nead, silver shoulders, brazen torso and iron legs with amalgam feet. The vision reaches from the day of the dreamer to the day of the coming of Him who is to be the King of kings and the Lord of lords. It covers a period of twenty-five centuries known as the times of the Gentiles. Through sin and disobedience earthly power had been taken from Israel. The visible theocratic kingdom had come to an end. Earthly sover eignty was transferred to the Gentiles. TUESDAY, July 4. Daniel 2:36-45. Daniel’s Interpretation. The interpretation is one that could never have been discovered or invented by human ingenuity. The image was a symbol of the world kingdoms in their unity and historical succession. The image is top-heavy. Degeneration is hinted at in the decreasing value of the metals from top to bottom. Four great empires were to follow each other in the government of the world from Ne buchadnezzar to the second coming of Christ, viz., the Babylonian, the Medo- Persian, the Grecian and the Roman. The first was a unit, the second dual, the third became four-fold and the fourth would become ten-fold. The stone cut
SATURDAY, July 1. Ezekiel 1:1-14. Ezekiel’s Ministry. It is helpful to remember that certain prophets were contemporary. Ezekiel should be studied with Daniel and Jere miah. Indeed, these three, together with Habakkuk and Jeremiah, deal with the same period and to some extent with the same'events. Ezekiel continued the message of Jeremiah. He took up the theme of the future of the chosen peo ple and developed it more fully until we get in Daniel a complete revelation of the Divine purpose. The place where Ezekiel prophesied was at Tel Abib on the river Chebar. This was either a tributary of the Euphrates or one of the great canals that Nebuchadnezzar built. A colony of exiles was located here. The thirtieth year of ch. 1:1 probably refers to the prophet’s own age. According to Num. 4:3, the sons of Kohath, the priestly line, began their priestly duties at this age. In ch. 11:16 the Lord promises to be a little sanc- tuary_to the exiles in Chaldea. Ezekiel was the ministering priest to them at this place. There are always allevia tions and compensations in the afflic tions that God permits or sends. SUNDAY, July 2. Ezekiel 1:15-28. Ezekiel’s Message. Ezekiel’s name means “ God will strengthen.’ ’ His whole ministry is one of strength. He undertook to comfort the exiles in their loneliness and sor row, to fortify them against the idola trous practices of the surrounding heathen and to keep their faces turned toward the home land to which God would restore them if they should re pent and turn to Him again. He re sisted Jewish degeneracy and Chaldean pride. He passionately denounced the evils of the times, but he was as strong in his tenderness and love as in his warnings and reproofs. Unlike. Jere miah, he does not allow his personal feel ings to color and pervade his prophecies. Unlike Daniel, he has nothing to do with public affairs. His mission was to the exiles in Chaldea and he gave himself wholly and constantly to serve this end.
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