God “girded” Cyrus in two ways: (1) He gave Cyrus supernatural power in overcoming his enemies. (2) God prepared Cyrus as a child and fashioned him for his future work; He trained him for his position as general and renowned conqueror. Not only was God’s providence over the victories Cyrus later attained, but that providence operated from his earliest youth—even from his baptism, as it were, when he was given the name Cyrus. Thus God’s remarkable foreknowledge was displayed 150 years before the events occurred.

After plotting and conspiring against Daniel, the other two presidents and the 120 princes assembled together and suddenly broached the suggestion of a royal statute to the king. Of course to the king the suggestion seemed very complimentary, for it ostensibly showed how much they appreciated and liked him as a leader. Darius was already reorganizing, and now the religious decree would further consolidate the empire. For 30 days, no one in the empire was to heed or give credence to “any God or man” but the king and his god. There was to be no diversity of thought. How flattering to the king! Darius did not see that the real purpose was to entrap Daniel.

The angel Gabriel did not interrupt Daniel’s prayer, but when Daniel had finished, Gabriel made him aware of his presence. Daniel looked to see who had touched him and recognized Gabriel as the one who had spoken to him in the previous vision of Chapter 8. In one sense, Chapters 8 and 9 are together—with Part A being the vision and Part B being Daniel’s long prayer.

Gabriel was “caused to fly swiftly” so that he touched Daniel “about the time of the evening oblation,” or 3 p.m. The “evening oblation” is sometimes called the “time of incense” or the “hour of prayer,” an example being when Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was praying in the Temple and Gabriel appeared to him (Luke 1:8-11).

This golden image on the Plain of Dura corresponds to the image of the beast. Both are statues. Some call Daniel the Old Testament Book of Revelation, and others give Ezekiel that title. A lot of pictures and subpictures from both books are reflected in the Book of Revelation. Incidentally, the “gold” suggests divinity—false divinity in this case.

While the drinking and the carousing were going on, there “came forth fingers of a man’s hand.” The word “wrist,” as well as certain other words pertaining to parts of the human anatomy, is not found in the original manuscript. The thought is that the lower part of a man’s arm (that is, the wrist, hand, and fingers) were seen. How mysterious—especially when seen by flickering candlelight! In that area, the wall would have been bare, and the light of the candlestick shone on it to look like an illuminated page. Suddenly a hand came forth and wrote words or symbols on the wall. Those present would have reasoned that someone, an intelligence, was behind that hand. Imagine! In the midst of the boasting at the great feast, a portion of a man’s arm suddenly came forth and wrote words that the king knew were ominous.

This talk covers Daniel chapters 2 and 7, also looks at Chronology, the Fig Tree and the length of a generation. What is the significance of the Smiting of the Image? What is signified by the different parts of the image and the metals used to denote the different governments? Is the Image instantly destroyed by the stone or ground to powder? Who and what is pictured by the stone? What does the prophecy of the Fig Tree have to do with the Image? All these questions are answered by this talk given by Br. Frank September 16, 2003