Daniel Chapters 1 - 5 Q&A: Bible Study by Atheists

[00:00:00] Welcome to Sacrilegious Discourse. For this is what the sovereign Lord says. Why do you need prophets to tell people who you are and what you want? If you can justify everything that the God of the Bible has done, then you can justify any of your behavior.

[00:00:15] A lot of this mentality is trickling into what is now mainstream right wing Christianity. I am capable of empathy greater than this God of the Bible. This is a Bible that they tell kids. This is the good Lord. This is the good book.

[00:00:33] He is fantasizing about murder, mass murder. And if we're going to sacrilegious discourse.com right now I got a Halloween as a review or some Buddhist on H.G. Wife!

[00:00:49] How much for God would to say? Do you know where we are? What we're doing and what today is and all that stuff? Well it is still Saturday so that means that today we're getting into our Q&A Saturday.

[00:01:00] That's right and what are we Q&A today? We are in the book of Danial. Danial yes. And we're covering chapters 1 through 5 and I have a bunch of notes. I bet this has been an odd set of chapters in the Bible and it doesn't go together real well.

[00:01:29] Well that in some of it is taking place during events that we already read and then some of it is taking place after. Yeah. And it's very weird. And a lot of it does not mesh up very well. It's not cohesive.

[00:01:44] So I am interested in this Q&A. Okay. I think there's a lot that we need to cover. There's a lot we need to cover. I'll try to talk fast and keep a raise.

[00:01:53] Yeah. Well I do want to apologize this didn't go out this morning but we are getting that out on the right day. And so let's get into this. Okay. All right. Let us get into the book of Danial. Did the book of Danial? Yes.

[00:02:13] And first we're going to just talk more about the book itself. Okay. I did not go over all of my notes for that and also there's stuff that it's not a horrible thing if I repeat myself. Sure.

[00:02:29] You never know when someone is joined us and what they haven't heard and what they have heard but you know when we're talking about stuff that is ancient and we need to go over it like you said. It doesn't hurt to cover a couple of times.

[00:02:41] Not only that, but sometimes it makes better sense when it's in a little bit more context. Yes. I know.

[00:02:47] Let's talk again about the books authorship because we mentioned that more than once and I think we had some of our dates we questioned so the book of Daniel was authored during the second century BC E likely around 167 to 163 BC E. Okay.

[00:03:06] But it is set during the sixth century BC E. So the 500s, the negative 500s. Yeah. It's generally accepted that the book of Daniel originated as a collection of aeromake court tales which were later expanded by the Hebrew revelations and let us not forget that.

[00:03:26] I think it was chapter three was the one that Daniel wasn't in that correct. It was two or three I can't remember exactly myself. Yeah. So that one was almost definitely by itself while these stories were circulating. Okay.

[00:03:42] So some of the other ones might have like kind of been together or circulating at the same time. Sure. But that one was along. Okay. Yeah. The author or editor was probably an educated Jewish person knowledgeable in Greek learning and of high standing in his own community.

[00:03:57] So we've said all that, but now that we've read some it's like, oh okay, that makes some sense. Okay.

[00:04:04] On the prophet Daniel lived in the sixth century during this approximate period, I'm going to name some other things that were happening around the time that Daniel was supposed to have lived.

[00:04:15] I have a question here is it like these scholars tend to agree that Daniel is a real and actual character or character not a character. Okay. That's how it feels.

[00:04:27] I wouldn't attribute a lot of like actual things to this person based on what we've read because it does seem very fictional. Right. Like more so than some of the other characters. Yeah.

[00:04:38] He's he's a malgamation of several different legends and his name was chosen because it means like, of God or high, high view by God or some shit like that. But just generally we can just accept that this is a beyond the fiction of the Bible itself.

[00:04:57] This specifically is actual fiction in the Bible that is based on ideas that they wanted to portray. Correct. Now, if you were having this conversation with a Christian, right?

[00:05:10] They would argue with you about it because they take this as actual things that happened and they would have to take it as actual things that happened because of some of the Christian takes on what happened. Well, the Christian takes and the prophecies. Right.

[00:05:27] So they're like no, no, no, he's giving prophecies here. Some of we haven't got to all of them. Yeah. Okay. So I mean the book gets crazier as we go and Christians are like absolutely this happened. Absolutely this dude was real and absolutely he said these things.

[00:05:42] I just don't even on the small amount of knowledge that we have on the Bible. I don't see how you can read these chapters and come to that conclusion, right? Like it doesn't make any sense to me how Christians are like this is real.

[00:05:56] And this is this has happened in blah, blah, blah. They're not reading the things that we're reading and they're not like they're not getting the extra notes. Right. And they're not getting the whole story because they're not reading it straight through. No, I get it.

[00:06:10] But somebody that put together their religion did. Right. And there are people in their religion that have read these and do know these things. Sure. And yet they still say that they're real.

[00:06:19] But the people that do that are the ones that are in power, why would they change the system? Much like centrist, democrat. No, I can say that it's cool is awesome. I completely agree with what you with what you're saying.

[00:06:33] It's just that I can't I can't see how unless you're in this for an affairious reasons and want to you know, you have a reason to share bad information. It just doesn't make sense to me why someone would. You know, and I get there's money behind Christianity.

[00:06:51] I think you're saying, but I think that you're coming at it of course from your atheist perspective. That's true. Somebody who is coming at it already believing that this stuff happened as it as one book for telephoto. And for tells another, it has a self validating coinage.

[00:07:15] Yeah, if you choose to look at what's you know what you're looking if you only look at what you're looking for. You're going to see what you're looking for.

[00:07:22] That and there's a place where okay I'm not even there yet but there's a place where in the thing where Daniel and company his friends get locked in the furnace because they wouldn't bow to the statue right?

[00:07:37] There is a place in Isaiah that talks about it's a prophecy. You will walk through the fire and not be burned. Oh, and if you are a Christian, how can you not be like, Whoa, dude.

[00:07:53] Right, we see that the way I take that is I look at when this was written it was written in the 200 BCE time frame 167 or whatever. And I'm I'm looking at it and I'm saying to myself, I'm saying,

[00:08:06] Oh, so they knew about this prophecy. They took these ideas and they made them work by taking this fictional character and making it fit these gaps that they needed to fill. Okay, but you're coming at it with me telling you this dude is a fictional character.

[00:08:22] I get it. These people don't know that. Right, no I understand. So they're like, whoa, this real person Isaiah prophecy that this real person Daniel would and his friends would go through these things. And of course, because fire is used both times and the situation is similar.

[00:08:40] It must be that this is what Isaiah was talking about. Period. It's so fulfilling. No, I and I get it. I get it.

[00:08:50] It just it it fills that whole cherry picking aspect of the Bible to me like that's exactly what I'm talking about when I say that the Christians cherry pick the Bible is that they make narratives fit what they want to see. Absolutely.

[00:09:04] And that's why you can't argue with them because you're trying to tell them that the thing that they believe that they know is true because the proof is in the circular logic right you're trying to take that away from them without taking the circle away.

[00:09:20] Well, and I would even argue that the New Testament is largely cherry picking things from the Old Testament to make a new religion. I haven't read it yet, so I don't know for sure, but I get the sense that you're not wrong.

[00:09:33] Okay, so I was going over a list of things that were happening during the time that quote unquote the prophet Daniel was living over in Babylon. Okay. So we're going to pretend he's real in canon for all intents and purposes. This is what was going on. Sure.

[00:09:51] So construction began on the Acropolis and Athens. Okay. The Mayan Civilization was flourishing in Mexico. Okay. Asop wrote his fables. Okay. Confucius and Buddha lived during this time. Okay. Greek art began to truly excel and the Greeks introduced the olive tree to Italy. Okay.

[00:10:15] The Phoenicians made the first known sea journey around Africa. So all of that was going on. The world was like awakening to the realization that it was larger than they thought.

[00:10:29] Yeah, no, that's really interesting context because it puts in perspective a lot of the thing like when we're reading the Bible and we're in these stories, it's very narrowly focused and it's hard to see what that other stuff is. And it's neat to see what else is happening.

[00:10:44] Yeah, when I when I fed that I got goosebumps not because any of that is particularly earth shattering. Right.

[00:10:52] But because it put the world together in context for me and that's the thing that was always missing for me in history classes in school and why I hated history. I couldn't understand how it all fit together. Right.

[00:11:08] I don't know if you understand, I think if you're if you're Christian right and you're listening to us for some odd reason.

[00:11:14] I don't you know, and I encourage that actually but if you are a Christian and listening to this, you know, it takes you out of that bubble of everything is centered around Israel and the Yahweh and this little bubble in the Middle East.

[00:11:26] Yeah, that would take you out and says, hey, this is what history is happening right now when this is happening. There's whole other civilization. So, it's a whole fucking world out there. Yeah. That's happening outside of what you're dealing with. Nothing to do with your little L. Right.

[00:11:43] Yeah. Okay. So that one's first attack on Jerusalem came in 605 BCE. Sure. During the reign of the Judean king, Joaquim, whose name I always missed pronounced and he was placed on the throne of course by the Pharaoh of Egypt. So he was a puppet king. Right.

[00:12:00] And over this material before in other chapters. Right, but not in Danielia. Right. Sure. So nebicadnezzar came against Jerusalem because the Pharaoh of Egypt invaded Babylon.

[00:12:13] In response, nebicadnezzar defeated the Egyptians at Karshamesh and then pursued their fleeing army all the way down to the Sinai along the way or on the way back. Mm-hmm. Yeah. He subdued Jerusalem, which had been loyal to the Pharaoh of Egypt. Right.

[00:12:31] So we had been hearing about this from the other side, you know, from like now we're learning about things from the Babylonian. Right. And it makes a lot of sense that that's kind of what we came to the conclusion of as we were reading through but it wasn't.

[00:12:46] It was definitely focused on it from a different perspective. Yeah. We were hearing very much the Babylonian side of it as opposed to like, No, we were hearing that not the Babylonian side. Well, we were hearing from Jeremiah and... Oh, man, man? Or whoever. But they were.

[00:13:06] No, Jeremiah who was like a traitor. Okay, yeah, yeah. I see what you're saying. Yeah. And so he was speaking to like, let's bow to Babylon when the other people around him were still wanting to work with Egypt.

[00:13:18] And then they were getting in trouble with Quadon Quagad for working with Egypt. We saw that they were working with Egypt, but the winds were blowing towards Babylon through that profit at the time. Right. But they were in Jerusalem.

[00:13:31] So we were seeing the war even though we were seeing it through the eyes of a Babylonian double agent. Right. We were in Jerusalem. Yeah. Okay. So now we're in Babylon looking at it the other way. Right. And we're in the moment.

[00:13:48] It's just different seeing the same events from different standing points. So I'm assuming Dan was hypothetically this fictional character was probably part of the first accident. He was. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. So much like a Zikyo. Okay. Yeah.

[00:14:04] This campaign of Nebuchadnezzar was interrupted suddenly when he heard of his father's death and ran back to Babylon to secure his succession to the throne. So that's why Nebuchadnezzar dropped everything in and off. Okay.

[00:14:15] Because you know, times were rough back then if you weren't there to call dibs on the phone or on the throne. Yeah. Somebody else gone taking it. Right. So he had to run back home and you know. Secure that. Yeah.

[00:14:30] He traveled about 500 miles in two weeks which was remarkable speed for travel in that time. Okay. He was booking it. Yeah. Okay. In keeping with the usual practice among conquerors in ancient times, the Babylonian king

[00:14:45] and the tribe of Cannezzar plunder the temple of the conquered people carried off its sacred objects and place them in his own temple, which we know. Right. In this way, Nebuchadnezzar demonstrated his belief that Babylonian gods were superior to the god of the Jews. Right.

[00:15:01] So it wasn't just about looting. It was also about destroying the god. The story of the god. Yeah. Showing the power that he had because every king believed himself to be the entire ruler of the whole world. Right. And therefore, God like. Sure.

[00:15:17] So they could not have the way I was calling bullshit on a lot of the stories in Daniel's so far because it just doesn't track in my mind. No, it doesn't. It doesn't. So this was a really low time for Judah and for gods people in general.

[00:15:30] It seemed that the god of Israel lost out to the gods of a Syria, Egypt, and Babylon. The book of Daniel shows God vindicating himself at a time when the conquest of Israel might have brought God's reputation into disgrace. Right.

[00:15:45] So the reason that I wanted to read that particular sentence to get there was because we were talking about reasons why Daniel was written. We agreed that it was to reunite the people and excite them, but it was also to show that God is not done. Right.

[00:16:06] And to try to rallying cry for God, not just the people. They had to portray strength from their God in the moment when he was weakest somehow and this fictional character of Daniel fills that gap at some level.

[00:16:21] What's interesting is that by making it seem in their minds like God made them lose on purpose, that did make them come together. And that did be the making a good reason for them getting beat and defeated. Right.

[00:16:40] And the impetus to come back together and to keep the story going so that we are still talking about it today. Right. So that is pretty fucking amazing. Sure. I'm not saying it's a good thing or bad thing, it's just amazing.

[00:16:54] Well, and I think that if you talk, like these are stories that they're really well written, they are very feel good. Right? Like if you love your God that is your way. And somebody tells you these stories from Daniel, they're very feel good stories.

[00:17:12] And if you don't have the larger context, if you don't study it in depth as to when this was written, why it was written, how it was written, et cetera, it doesn't really matter. It's just that like rallying point for your God. Right?

[00:17:26] Like you don't need to know, oh, these were actually aeromex stories. These were fables and all we did was change the name of the dude. Right. We've talked before about how this book can be divided into two parts.

[00:17:40] And we're still in the first part, which is a set of six court tales. And that is chapters one through six. So on Monday, we will finish up that first part. Yeah, okay. Yeah. With a bit of a roar. From what I understand, yeah.

[00:17:57] These were mostly written in aeromex. Okay. So just put that out there. The second bit is for apocalyptic visions, which are chapters seven through 12. And they're written mostly in Hebrew. Okay. Now the Dutero canonical books contain three additional sections,

[00:18:18] which we have talked about and we're very excited to eventually read. Yeah, which we, I think we discussed during them at the end of this book, right? Possibly. Yes. Squeeze them on in there and pretend they're in our body. Sure.

[00:18:30] It's the prayer of Azariah and song of the three holy children. Number two is Susanna. And number three is Belle and the dragon. Okay. This book, as we've seen a little bit, but it's going to get worse.

[00:18:44] This book is filled with monsters, angels, and numerology drawn from a wide range of sources. It's going to be fun. It's going to be so fun. Yeah. Yeah. Because we've already seen just the fact that these stories are based on aromantic fables. Yeah.

[00:19:02] We already know that these first ones are stories. You know what I mean? So when it says numerous sources, it's like, well, we know one. Well, I think the, the, the, the, the first six chapters are written an aromake and the last chapters are written in Hebrew, right?

[00:19:20] It kind of detracts from the whole continuity of the story, too. Yes. Right? And when you're studying it, when you're looking at it from an outside perspective. From a scholarly. Yeah, because why would that be the case, right?

[00:19:32] It's the case because these are, this is a fiction that has been written and put together. Right. Exactly. So it's obvious to me. But same same. We have to, we have to pretend like this is like this part of functional Christianity.

[00:19:47] Well, and that's why I said, you know, for all intents and purposes within Canon, this is the way this story goes. Right. You know what I mean? Yeah. Because this is what happened. Right.

[00:19:59] No, and I feel like if I was to sit down with someone who was a biblical scholar or someone who was Christian who had read these bits, I'd have to be like, can we just agree that these are fables? These are stories, right?

[00:20:10] Because we need to, we need to, we need to, we need to, we need to, we need to, we're having a discussion about, you know, the Bible and Christianity in general, I want you to be able to defend your faith on, on reasonable assumptions about things, right?

[00:20:23] And you have to reasonably assume based on the information that we do have about this book that there's something kind of fucked up about it. I, it is. It is. And I'm talking completely out of my ass here.

[00:20:36] I get the sense that Jewish readers of the Old Testament would probably agree with you. Right. But Christians are the problem. Because it's become a very important aspect in their, their New Testament. Yeah. So, yeah. I get it. I'm talking to. Right.

[00:20:55] But let's get into the chapter itself. Sure. Sorry, and I know I've been talking a lot. No, that's fine. That's fine. I mean, you asking questions and adding your opinions is what these are all about.

[00:21:04] So in chapter one, I called that intro to Daniel and Co who won't eat. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So chapter one, I think we said at the time, and now we know for sure was apparently added

[00:21:18] as an introduction to the tales when they were collected around the end of the third century BC. Yeah, it was very ill placed. Yeah. It was not, it was just like, oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Chapter one is just like, it's an intro. Right. Okay. Yeah.

[00:21:34] The education of Daniel and his friends, we're going to talk about that a little bit. Sure. Okay. This chapter tells how Daniel on his three companions were among captives taken by Nebuchadnezzar from Jerusalem to Babylon to be trained in Babylonian wisdom. Right. So we do know that.

[00:21:51] And we do know that this chapter was clearly added on later. Right. Nebuchadnezzar demonstrated that he was a wise administrator and a shrewd tactician. And I hadn't thought of this perspective taking these young men as hostages, reminded the people back at Jerusalem that they should not

[00:22:11] revolt against the recently imposed Babylonian rule. Because they have hostages essential? Yeah. They're like, we have your greatest kids. Right. Your best and brightest are up here with us. Yeah. So you all probably want to fuck in Chalax. Sure.

[00:22:26] And I just, I haven't thought of it from that perspective. Well, not only that, but once you have the best and brightest if you can bring them to your side. Right. You have some, you have some manipulation tactics that you can implement.

[00:22:37] And that's the part that we were introduced to was the indoctrination that they were receiving. And so we saw the whole conversion process part, but I hadn't thought of it that it wasn't the only reason that they're also hostages. Yes.

[00:22:52] So I don't, I like finding different reasons and different thought processes. I just think it's really cool. So you know, they were each renamed. Right. Daniel's name originally meant God as my judge. His name was changed to Belch's are, which is Bell's Prince. Okay.

[00:23:12] Hannah Nio was originally beloved by the Lord. And his name was changed to Shadrack, which means a lumened by Sun God. Okay. Michelle meant who is as God was changed to Mishash, who is like shash, a Babylonian goddess corresponding to Ishtar or Venus.

[00:23:36] So these names are all based on like Babylonian gods, which is very interesting because it's almost like setting up this fight. Between Babylonian gods and in Yahweh is actually right. That's kind of cool imagery and I applaud them for using that, I guess. That's actually pretty cool.

[00:23:53] It's a neat and easy symbolism. Right. Yeah. And then the last guy, Azariah, his name meant the Lord is my help. And it was changed to a bednego, which means servant ofnego, whoever the hell that guy is. Which has got to be something to do with Babylonian gods.

[00:24:09] I'm sure. I would imagine. Right. So okay, so these guys were told, hey, you got to come up here and eat. Now what we didn't realize or overlooked, I don't remember if it was actually in print or not. Right. These guys weren't just given food.

[00:24:29] They were given the same food that the king was eating. So they were getting all the choices, meat and bread and everything. They were given high-class food. Okay. And that was to help ease the transition and make them softer and make them more pliable to the indoctrination.

[00:24:50] Part of the manipulation process. Yes. So in not eating the food offered by the king, this was a big deal. Right. And something else that was pointed out by one of the apologists, significantly the root of San goes back to eating forbidden food.

[00:25:09] And these guys were like, I'm not going to eat the forbidden food. Okay. So I just, I was like, okay, I got to say that. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. So because this book, Christians pointed this as these boys were so perfect in the way they're supposed to behave. Right.

[00:25:26] We should all use them as our role model. Sure. So we should always stand firm against temptation as opposed to what Eve that horrible bitch did. Right? So the purpose of the food names and education was not just an effort at total indoctrination.

[00:25:42] It was also a method to tempt them into actively letting go of their old ways and actively embracing the ways of Babylon. Right. Okay. Then you're on his friends, considered the king's food defiled for at least three reasons.

[00:25:56] And we wondered what the fuck's a big deal just fucking eat it. I don't understand. Right? Well, here's why they were like actually but no. Right. First of all, probably wasn't kosher and it was probably sacrifice to idols. Oh, okay. It was not spiritually clean food. Sure.

[00:26:17] Also eating the king's food implied fellowship with Babylon's cultural system, which you know, was a heathen king and his idols. Right. Because back then, like food and meals, it very intertwined. Yeah. Well, it meant community. Right.

[00:26:33] So they were like no offense but I deny your offer of friendship and community. So it was a polite snub. So what they did though instead of saying no thanks, bitch, and go on a hunger strike.

[00:26:46] What they did was they talked to their guard and was like hey, I'm not trying to get you in trouble or anything because you're like dude, just eat your shell and get fired over you. Right.

[00:26:55] And then dudes were like okay but we just actually only want to vegetables and the nuts and greens and shit. Yeah. If you could do that. And guard was like absolutely not. Then we're like please and he was like you're going to starve and be gone and skinny.

[00:27:09] And then my ass is getting fired so fuck you know. Right. And they were like okay, okay, okay, just give us a week to eat this. To show you. You're still doing it. Yeah. And so that's what happened. Right.

[00:27:20] And so that's what they said in the story, but it actually refer to all kinds of greens and plants not strictly vegetables. Okay. And basically what they were requesting was a vegetarian diet. Right. And you know that makes sense.

[00:27:34] Daniel had a long successful career in the worst of circumstances and was still a person of importance even after the Babylonian empire had fallen. In this fictional take. Yes. Sorry. All right. So that's the end of chapter one. Yeah.

[00:27:51] I said all I got to say about chapter one. That it's some notes that I thought were interesting. Sure. Okay. So let's go on to chapter two, the king statue dream. Yeah. This was interesting.

[00:28:02] Chapter two is the first mention of the child hands as a class of suit sairs to the king. Okay. I had to look up the child hands and I'm glad I did because I had a misunderstanding of them.

[00:28:15] My understanding was that they were a tribe of smarty smarty astrology astronomers who got swallowed up by the Babylonian. That was kind of my understanding as well. And it's exactly the opposite of that. Okay. So I'm going to read what I learned about them. Yeah. Okay.

[00:28:34] Which fascinating for no reason other than fascinating. Sure. Okay. They were a semitic speaking people who lived in southern Babylonia, which is modern day southern. I rack. They were originally a nomadic tribe who migrated into southern Mesopotamia around the 10th or 9th century BCE. Okay.

[00:28:54] They eventually established themselves as a powerful force in the region. The child hands gained prominence when they established the neo Babylonian empire. So they established Babylon. Okay. So they were ruling Babylonia from around 626 BCE to 539. Interesting. Yeah. It's interesting.

[00:29:18] So it's almost like they were fighting over what they would be referred to as whether it be child hands or Babylonians. Yeah. Not so much. Because they were nomadic. They were like, where the child hands we sleep in tents and travel a lot.

[00:29:32] And then they were like, this land is great. I don't give a fuck that there's already people here. Let's settle. I want to sleep in tents anymore.

[00:29:39] And so then like the people that already lived there were like, okay we're Babylonian and they were like, that's what you think. And the Babylonians were like, well I mean, but we are though. And the child hands were like whatever you can call yourselves that.

[00:29:53] And since there were more of the Babylonians, they just were like, well I mean you guys are kind of cool, but we're still Babylonian. So it's like the compromise was will let you be in charge of us and live here.

[00:30:04] But we're still fucking calling ourselves Babylonians and the child hands were like sweet. That's an easy deal. Fine, we're all fucking Babylonians. Right. Okay. So the child hands made significant contributions to astronomy, mathematics, and law. And I was like, tell me more. Right. What do you mean? Yeah.

[00:30:23] Okay. So it's important to note that the term child day in is sometimes used interchangeably with Babylonian, which you know, is what I was just talking about, especially in the context of the Bible. However, while all child dams were Babylonians, not all Babylonians were child hands. Interesting.

[00:30:42] So that's how you know, okay? The child hands were Babylonians specifically a powerful group who eventually ruled the region. It's more accurate to say that the child hands rose to power in Babylonia and established the neo Babylonian empire.

[00:30:57] They were a dynamic and ambitious people who managed to overtake the existing Babylonian ruling class. Okay. Because they were smart. Right. Right. They made remarkable advancements in astronomy and mathematics, laying the foundation for much of our modern understanding of astronomy. Okay. Got it. Yeah. They were okay.

[00:31:20] With regard to astronomy, they were meticulous observers of the celestial bodies, recording their movements and positions with great accuracy. Like, very good accuracy. Right. Using their detailed observations, they developed sophisticated methods to predict eclipses, the movements of planets and other astronomical phenomena. So they were fucking smart. Yeah.

[00:31:43] They divided the day into 24 hours. Wow. The hour into 60 minutes and a minute into 60 seconds. Oh shit. A system we still use today. Wow. That's cool. Yeah. Yeah. I would rule live under your rule, you know? You're smart and good.

[00:32:01] Just something I, because I was kind of curious while we're sitting here talking about it. But I think part of the reason that we have them intermixed in the Bible is because one of the first famous child dance to rule Babylon was never considered the second.

[00:32:16] So like it's part of kind of the story that we're learning about. Right. And I didn't even realize that. Wow. I thought that was interesting. So that's probably why there's this confusion, they were coming to power at the same time.

[00:32:30] They were like, they were part of this community that is Babylon, but this group of child dances coming to power. Right. So like that's where the confusion probably settled in a little bit with something that was who yes. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. All right.

[00:32:47] So they divided the sky into constellations forming the basic for the zodiac today. Cool. I've developed a base 60 number system, which influenced our modern system of measuring angles, time and geographic coordinates.

[00:33:01] See now I feel a little bit jealous right now because we're spending all this time talking about God. Yah way in the Israelites. But I really like to talk about the child dance. Yeah. That's why I was like, I'm going to take a minute. Right.

[00:33:14] So that's what we're doing here for this little section. Yeah. No. They're so cool. Right? Like we're supposed to be talking about chapter two and I'm like, I'll get there. I need to talk about the child dance. They're so fucking smart. Right. Right.

[00:33:28] Their mathematicians made significant progress in arithmetic and geometry essential for their astronomical calculations and architectural endeavors. Okay. When the child dance admitted that they could neither reveal nor interpret the king's dream of furious Nebuchadnezzar sent us all his wise men to die.

[00:33:46] Yeah, I do remember they were going to have them in to pieces. He yeah. That's what he was going to do. He gave a command to destroy all the wise men. So all the wise men were child hands. Right. Right.

[00:33:57] And but Daniel wasn't called as one of them. Well, that's he was going to be murdered with them. Like that was part of the man who was like, we're not called into the court. Right.

[00:34:07] Nebuchadnezzar goes, hey, all you wise men get up in here and tell me, hey, what are you going to do? What did I dream again now? And what the fuck did it mean? And they all came running because as you do, when your king calls for him. Yeah.

[00:34:21] For sure. Except Daniel didn't. Right. And so then he's like, fuck all of you, you're all dead. And so then he like sent his guards out and, you know, the guard found Daniel was like, Oh, okay, you're supposed to be dead though. So that wasn't cool.

[00:34:35] Now I found this little tidbit interesting. Okay. So I was like, you know, we were just going to be talking, Nebuchadnezzar perhaps used the situation to test the suitability of his father's old advisors, The dream provided him with a good reason to clean house.

[00:34:51] Which I was like, damn. Okay, that that makes that as political intrigue that I am here for. Now that that's where assuming that this actually happened, right? But it's hard to, like, this is part of a story that was written for 100 years later.

[00:35:06] And maybe something like that happened. But maybe it didn't. Also, where is not the same way? Here's the thing, it's really hard to separate the two. Yeah. Because some of this shit actually did happen. Some of these people actually did exist. Nebuchadnezzar for the same reason. Right. Right.

[00:35:23] So it's kind of like when we talk about Solomon. Yeah. Do you remember Solomon? Like, we had all these stories in the song of Solomon. It's like, you're giving all of these stories to a person who actually existed.

[00:35:38] And some of the stories might have a kernel of truth in them. Right. And that's what's happening here. Sure. And I think it was important for them to write a kernel of truth because part of this whole endeavor

[00:35:49] to write Daniel by these people that were writing this 400 years later or bringing these together 400 years later, whatever the case was, it was to, to instill some sense of pride in the Israeli community and the Hebrew community. You know, like that's what their whole point of this was.

[00:36:05] It feels like. Right. So they had to have believable parts in order for the people to be like, yeah, that tracks with what I know that happened 400 years ago or whatever. I mean, that's how you do propaganda. Yeah. Yeah. The best lie has the picture. Yeah. Definitely.

[00:36:24] So with regard to the interpretation of the dream. Yeah. Okay. The child in empire represented by the head of gold, the metopersion, then the Macedonian, or Griechen and then the Roman, okay, from top to bottom. Sure. Okay.

[00:36:43] The Roman, which should break every other kingdom into pieces but which in its last stage should be divided into 10 kingdoms represented by the tentos of the image. Okay. So here's the problem with that that didn't happen.

[00:36:59] So the Babylonian Empire stood for 66 years, the metopersion empire, and by metoprenouncing that incorrectly it's the means. It's the Persians and the means combined. Okay. So the metopersion empire stood for 285 years. Wow. So the reason empire stood for 185 years. The Roman Empire stood for more than 500 years. Sure.

[00:37:26] Liberal commentators do not believe that the fourth kingdom is Rome. They say it's Greece because they separate the meets and the Persians. So they would say the top, the head is the child hands. The next one is the meets.

[00:37:41] The next one is the Persians and the next one instead of being Macedonia or Greek, it would just be Rome. Got it. Okay. So they're like, no, it's Rome. Not Rome, it's Greece. Okay. And that the second and the third kingdoms are media, Impersia, respectively, instead of

[00:37:59] the metopersion empire is a whole. So I got those all mixed up but what the fuck up. Sure. The point is we interpret it one way and Christians interpret it another way and either way it didn't happen so it really doesn't fucking matter. Right. Okay.

[00:38:17] They interpret this way because they believe it was impossible, liberals like Manu interpreted this way because they believe it was impossible for Daniel to predict the rise of these empires which it was possible for him to predict the rise of these empires. Because he doesn't even exist. Right.

[00:38:36] Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So whatever dude. Alright. So I'm going to read a verse. It's chapter 2 verse 44. Okay. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. Nor will it be left to another people.

[00:38:53] It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end but it itself will endure forever. Okay. Okay. Now given that Roman history provides no fulfillment of this Federation of kings. Yeah. This prophecy must still be in the future. Got it. Okay.

[00:39:11] Since the fall of the Roman Empire there is never been a world dominating empire equal to Rome. Christians believe that the Roman Empire and some form or another will be revived under the leadership of the final fallen dictator, the Antichrist.

[00:39:26] Which is why the United States gets kind of thrown into this mix a lot right here. Yeah. This is the reason. Okay. Because we often get this attributed to our rise and power on our place in this.

[00:39:39] We are clearly the force that is combining the world into one. We are that horrible nation. We're not Roman but we also do get compared to the Roman Empire quite often. Usually in a negative light and for good reason. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:39:58] And I would say I don't believe in any of this, but if anybody's the fucking Antichrist is definitely Trump. I mean, I look the way to the way.

[00:40:09] It's the way I view this is that in modern history and in the now and the right here and now, right? This plays very well into the hands of people who are the apocalyptic people in Christianity, right? Like they, they, they always, they like the doom and gloom.

[00:40:29] They love the end of times. They love the fact that, you know, the figure heads in our politicians can be related to biblical things. And so they love to compare and contrast these two things that they have learned about the Bible, right? Right?

[00:40:44] It just makes it that much more relevant to people today and that much more scary. So like when you can scare people into believing that these things in the Bible were written about today's politicians in our country and specifically,

[00:40:58] you are able to that much more effectively scare your parishioners. Exactly. And that's why we hear that a lot. I view. Yep, you're not wrong. All right, chapter three is the furnace. Yes. Okay.

[00:41:13] There is an obvious link between Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Daniel chapter two and the giant structure he made in chapter three. Okay. It seems that Nebuchadnezzar deliberately made an entire statue of gold as if to say that the day of his reign and authority would never end.

[00:41:30] So in the dream, only the head was of gold. Right. And God was like, that's because you're going get it. You're strong and good and pretty, but you're not lasting forever. Right. Yeah. He's like, I'll show you. I go whole fucking statue of gold. Yeah. Exactly. Okay. Yeah.

[00:41:48] Okay. Sure. Within Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom where people of many races, languages and religions in a plan to create greater unity among these people. Nebuchadnezzar made a huge image as a national religious symbol and demanded that all citizens great and small about before it.

[00:42:07] He set up the image in open plane country where it could be seen from afar. So that's why it was so big. He wanted it to be seen by all his people. Sure. Okay.

[00:42:19] The image was more like a stylized obelisk rather than a normal statue being 90 feet high and 90 wide totally aphalic. Right. So definitely. Right.

[00:42:30] Being so large, it was likely not made a solid gold, but probably would overlay with gold, which was a common method of construction at that time. And I think I even said that while we were reading it. I'm just going to point this out one more time here.

[00:42:43] We are talking about something that people wrote about 400 years after the fact we don't actually know probably that this thing actually existed. Right. Other than the account in Daniel, right? Exactly. So it's not. This isn't necessarily true.

[00:42:58] They have found some large giant structures that they possibly could be that statue because it's like made of I want to say like petrified wood or some shit clearly. I wouldn't have the gold covering on it anymore, but there there have been things found that are like,

[00:43:21] And maybe this is the so I don't know do what that would you will. So nebicin as are called all the officials right? So I'm going to read a verse chapter three verse two.

[00:43:34] Then some in the satrops prefix governors advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up.

[00:43:45] And I remember when we were reading that we were like, the book is a satrop whatever I guess it's an official of some sort because all the other guys were officials right? Right. So a satrop was a governor of a province in the ancient Persian and Median empires.

[00:43:59] And in some of their successor empires, the term satrop is a Greek transliteration of an old Iranian word, which means protector of the kingdom or keeper of the province. It refers to a specific category of public officials. Okay. So yeah, we were right.

[00:44:20] It is an official, but it just was another word for it. Got it. And borrowed from the language that came before it. Right. I got you. I'm going to read another verse here.

[00:44:34] Before you do that real quick, I did want to point out I did do a quick search about the statue from an ebicinizer and there's not any historical account of it outside of the Bible.

[00:44:45] It's not to say that there couldn't have been something similar, but there is no historical record written down anywhere else about it. And it is often thought that it was just uses a symbolic or literary device. So that makes sense. But that's just quick search.

[00:45:00] Just curious because I was curious. I was curious. I will get into some stuff that we actually have found that is in museums today. Okay. That is not that. Right. Sure. Which I always find interesting when people and things do exist. Yeah. So that's neat. Okay.

[00:45:19] So chapter three verse five reads, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flew, zither, liar, heart, pipe and all kinds of music. You must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Right.

[00:45:32] Okay. So the use of the aromantic words for liar, soltery and symphony, which those words are not in our translation liar is. But soltery and symphony are not. Okay. But in the earlier book, they actually are those words. Okay.

[00:45:48] So they suggest that the book of Daniel was written hundreds of years after the time of Daniel as these particular words are borrowed from Greek words. Oh. And Daniel did not really have these words that is disposal in the 6th century BCE.

[00:46:02] And they did not come into the Hebrew vocabulary until the 3rd century BCE. So this is part of our ability to place the count. How a thing is written. Part of it used. Later later day. That's interesting. Because when they know a thing that they shouldn't know, Right.

[00:46:20] That doesn't mean that they're brilliant and it means that they're post-dating. Yeah. Exactly. Right. Yeah. Alright. So let's read a couple more verses here. Chapter three verses 23 and 24. And these three men finally tied fell into the blazing furnace.

[00:46:37] Then King Nebuchadnezzar leap to his feet in amazement and asked his advisors, hey, were there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire? They replied certainly. Certainly your majesty could be called for right. So the sub to a gent and that's the Greek translation. Right.

[00:46:54] Says in Daniel chapter three verse 24 that Nebuchadnezzar's attention was caught when he heard the men singing praises within the furnace. So he heard them singing. Wow. Yeah.

[00:47:07] So I just thought that was an interesting tidbit and answer any questions, but, you know, neither did the tidbit about the child ayans. Sure. Just like to insert interesting things when I find them. Yeah.

[00:47:18] Okay. And here we're going to get into the thing that I read or that I discussed about the fire from the fire being mentioned in Isaiah. Yeah. Okay. Isaiah chapter 43 verses one and two. But now this is what the Lord says.

[00:47:33] He who created you Jacob, he who formed you Israel do not fear for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.

[00:47:45] And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the holy one of Israel, your Savior. Okay.

[00:48:00] So that is supposed to be foretelling. Yeah. Like, oh my God. And then I came to you and you. What? And I'm like, who? And I'm at the water part. Right. So anyway, whatever. That concludes chapter three. Let's move into chapter four. Sure. Okay.

[00:48:17] So that one is the King's madness. Okay. So chapter 4 verse 5 reads, I had a dream that made me afraid as I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed from my mind terrified me.

[00:48:30] There is a note that this is not the same dream as from Daniel chapter 2. Right. Remember we had a question about it and we were like, this, but he didn't tell him, oh wait. No, it's a different dream. For sure. It's not the same dream. Okay. Yeah.

[00:48:45] So okay. Verse 8 reads, finally Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. He is called Bell Tejasar after the name of my God and the spirit of the Holy God's is in him.

[00:48:56] I'm going to just stop here for just a moment because the fact that it is not the same dream, kind of calls into question the validity of a lot of the stories because we're talking about multiple accounts of things where Nebuchadnezzar literally like starts saying that this

[00:49:14] God Yahweh is the most powerful, the most right, the most correct God of the planet, right? He keeps getting like taught. Right. God is great. How many times does it take him to learn the same fucking thing over and over again? I do have an answer to that.

[00:49:28] Okay. I'm not there yet though. It isn't as he hardening Nebuchadnezzar's heart too, it's like Pharaoh or not. No, no, it's not that. I will get to it. Okay. So before Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the king could considered the Babylonian deity Bell his God. Sure. Okay.

[00:49:46] By referring to his God when he named dude and by saying, you know, He is called Bell Lushesar after the name of my God and the spirit of the Holy God's is in him.

[00:49:56] So by referring to his God, he is indicating that what he saw previously with Daniel and the three Hebrew young men, it was enough to impress him but not enough to convert him. So he's like, I recognize that your God is great.

[00:50:12] He is a great God indeed and I do celebrate him and I do recognize that you guys get a free pass and no way is going to fuck with you because I recognize your God. He's not my God though. Okay. I call bullshit here though a little bit.

[00:50:29] It doesn't feel like this is like a congruent tale. This is not like coming together for me. No, it's not but I think that that is the way to get him to be. That that is a fair argument.

[00:50:39] I will accept that as an explanation within the confines of this whole bullshit story. All right. Like it that tracks you know what I mean? Because you can see like it's like criticizing a company that you don't work for, right? Or singing the praises of your company's archnemesis.

[00:50:59] Like if I work for Coke, right and I'm like, well, I work for Coke and this is the best. But I do recognize that Pepsi makes some decent products. I really like their cherry Pepsi drink. Right? You recognize that they're contributing some great stuff.

[00:51:14] You still work for Coke though. So that's the analogy that I made in my mind. He's not converted. He's not like your drink is so fucking great. I'm going to quit my job at Coke and I'm going to go move over to work for Pepsi. All right. Okay.

[00:51:31] So I don't know. It felt okay to me. Remember how the king goes totally nuts and things is an animal? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. That's an actual thing that can happen. Right. Yeah. I had to look this shit up. Okay.

[00:51:46] So Zo Antwerp is a monomania in which a person believes himself changed into an animal and acts like one. Now, that is now called clinical like can therapy. Okay. Which you know, where what comes from the shirt? Yeah.

[00:52:05] It's a rare psychiatric syndrome that involves a delusion that the affected person can transform into has transformed into or is a nonhuman animal. Okay. It's name is associated with the mythical condition of like entropy, a supernatural

[00:52:22] reflection in which humans are said to physically shape shift into where was. Okay. So that's where the term like and throat comes from. This element where people believe that they are animals. Right. Okay.

[00:52:35] The term is used by researchers mostly in the broader sense of transformation into animals in general. That strictly speaking is described by terms. Theory and therapy or Zo Antwerp. Got it. Yeah. So, but then there's this specific thing that he thought he was.

[00:52:53] Psychological disorder in which the human believes themselves to be a bovine, which is a boanthropy. Interesting. Right. The fact that there are words for these things is also interesting. And moreover, would you like some modern day examples? Sure. I did. All right.

[00:53:13] So now I am going to read a couple of news reports. Okay. Because fuck me. This is interesting. Okay. On August 15th, 2016. Martin County Florida Sheriff's Office deputies found a 19 year old male on top of a bloodied

[00:53:33] 59 year old male, knowing on his face, eating pieces of flesh and making growling sounds. Oh, shit. Officers tased repeatedly kicked and ultimately required a police dog's assistance in subduing the 19 year old. Inside the garage of the home on southeast Kokomolane, just north of the Palm Beach County

[00:53:56] Line deputies found a 53 year old woman beaten bloodied and unresponsive. Ultimately, both the 59 year old man and the 53 year old woman would die from their injuries. This dude was eating them live. Right.

[00:54:11] In the weeks ahead of this incident, the 19 year old had told family members he believed he was either half man, half horse or half man, half dog. Clinical psychologists, Dr. Philip Resnick later assessed the 19 year old as having clinical like Canthropy. This was 2016. Wow. Yeah. All right.

[00:54:32] Here's another one. Right. A 20 year old man was admitted to a mental hospital due to his increasingly agitated and erratic behaviors. During his initial evaluation, he was guarded and preoccupied. He had no previous psychiatric history. Over the next few days, he displayed increasingly psychotic animal-like behaviors.

[00:54:52] These behaviors included, howling loudly, running abruptly and walking on all fours, which is known as Quadrobex. Yeah. He appeared to be internally stimulated when asked about these behaviors. He was initially evasive, but eventually admitted that he believed he was aware of.

[00:55:13] And with periodically transformed into a wolf, he started believing this after having visions of the devil years before and reported hearing random voices. The patient was started on zip rassidum and his symptoms gradually responded and his animal-like behaviors eventually ceased altogether. All right.

[00:55:34] One more, and then we're done. Okay. A 25 year old man was sent for treatment during a period of excessive handwashing, irritable behavior, decreased sleep, and act in like a buffalo. As you do. The patient, I mean, okay, you're laughing at a medical condition.

[00:55:54] No, I'm actually laughing because it reminded me a video. Man on a buffalo. Yes. What happened to that? Right. That's a real serious, sorry. I have to go in this for just a second. There's a whole series of stupid videos on YouTube.

[00:56:11] If you look up Man on a buffalo, there's like a whole series of them and you can, you can write me a hate mail letter later, but you'll watch them all I promise. Yes. And then get that earworm stuck in your head for the rest of your life.

[00:56:25] Right. Right. All right. So this dude thought he was not a man on a buffalo, but an actual buffalo. Got it. Okay. The patient reported that he had engaged in sexual activity with his buffalo and believed

[00:56:40] that buffalo cells had entered his body and were transforming him into a buffalo. Oh my gosh. He began obsessively washing his hands and genitals in order to avoid the transition. He saw himself as having buffalo body parts and became preoccupied with about his appearance. Okay.

[00:57:00] He then began to act as a buffalo by nodding his head, walking on no force and seeking out, hey, and grass to eat. Wow. I mean, he was all in. He really thought he was a fucking buffalo. Right. Right.

[00:57:12] He was ultimately diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder with delusional beliefs. He was treated with flu, ex-sitin and respiratory bone. There are six months of firm, firm cotherapy, chronic catheterapy. His body dysmorphia and hand washing were both reduced. Got it. Doesn't say it one away.

[00:57:36] Right. Just that it was reduced. Sure. So this madness that he had, um, it's actually a thing that exists. Right. So there might be a ring of truth to that because also during the time that this story says that this is supposed to have happened. Yeah.

[00:57:53] There is no record anywhere of this seven year time period that he was supposed to have undergone this madness. Interesting. Yeah. Okay. So it kind of like, I get the Christy has like a missing year that like, everything's like, what up and during that year where we're good.

[00:58:13] Yeah. As you're as a missing seven years. Yes. And speaking of which, it was seven years. Interesting. Yeah. But again, we're pretty in about this 400 years later. Sure. That probably started becoming lower of some type or any could have been based on some sort of fact or event.

[00:58:29] But let's think this out though. Dude starts acting like an animal. Right. Right. He was like, maybe there was some guy not Daniel, but maybe some guy that they, you know,

[00:58:43] liked to let and kind of put some character value on him and like wrote him as, as Daniel some character value on him. Sure. Right. And let's see that this guy's like, how can we make it to where this king is not crazy

[00:59:00] right or like the craziness has a reason for him walking on all fours and eating grass. Right. So maybe it started during that time like they wrote down like, God me this happened and then like later 400 years later they like, what is that? So further embellished. Yeah. Okay.

[00:59:22] So I just, I don't know. I thought it was so cool. This, this shit actually is a mental condition. Right. All right. Chapter five. This is the handwriting on the wall. When we come to Daniel chapter five, Nebuchadnezzar is no longer the king of Babylon. Right. The book.

[00:59:37] Yeah. Nebuchadnezzar died after a 43 year reign. Okay. So how did it go from him to belchisar like the fuck, right? Here's a little quick list of who it all went through. Okay. His son, a vell meridoc described in second kings chapter 25 and Jeremiah chapter 52,

[00:59:58] this dude ruled for only two years when he was assassinated by his brother-in-law, Neureglyzar because his role was arbitrary and licentious. So neureglyzar who had just you know killed his brother like me. He is mentioned in Jeremiah chapter 39.

[01:00:16] He ruled for four years until he died a natural death. Okay. And his son, Labora Sorsad, only a child and of diminished mental capacity, hmm. Maybe he was mentally impaired much like his grandfather. Sure. Right. Maybe it ran in the fucking family as mental illnesses often do. Okay.

[01:00:41] So this weirdo kid, he ruled for only nine months when he was beaten to death by a gang of conspirators. Holy shit. Right? Yeah. The conspirators appointed Nabonitis, one of their gang to be a lot of fucking people to go through. That's how, what's his name?

[01:00:58] What's dude's name, Daniel? That's how Daniel was still alive. Got it. Because these kids were like boom boom boom, one after the other. Right. So, conspirators appointed Nabonitis, one of their gang to be king. He ruled until Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon. Okay.

[01:01:15] During the last part of his reign however, Nabonitis lived in Arabia and he left the conduct of the kingdom of Babylon to his oldest son, Bolshazar. Okay. Okay. The Nabonitis cylinder, these are things that actually exist was discovered in 1854 and is now displayed

[01:01:35] in the British Museum in London. Yeah. Very cool. Highly recommend you all check it out. It tells some interesting things and just I love historical artifacts. Okay. According to Babylonian records, Belshazar became co-region in the third year of Nabonitis's reign in 553 BCE. Okay.

[01:01:58] And this is actual things that happen. You continue to continue to that capacity till the fall of Babylon in 539 BCE. Okay. It is most likely that at that time of Daniel chapter 5, Nabonitis had gone out to fight the Meadow Persian army and had been already captured.

[01:02:16] Those armies now surrounded Babylon and were looking for a way into the strongly defended city. Okay. Got it. Belshazar was not afraid of the siege surrounding the city. But it was confident because of Babylon's impressive defenses. Okay.

[01:02:32] Remember this was in this last chapter we read their party and it up. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So he was confident because of Babylon's impressive defenses, a system of inner and outer walls and moats that made the city very secure. And he had vast supplies.

[01:02:47] So he's like whatever we're good. Right. He was safe inside his palace party and it up while the hostile army surrounded the city. So chapter 5 verse 7 reads that King summoned the enchangers astrologers and divine Diviners.

[01:02:58] Then he said to those wise men of Babylon, whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck. And he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom. Remember we were like, there.

[01:03:10] That's random. Yeah. The fuck. Really was second because they were for him to the third of these kind of second and charred. But this other king is over there. In a radio. Yep. Exactly. Right.

[01:03:22] Belches are offered the interpreter of the during the third place in the kingdom because the real king was not a net, net, net, net, net, net, net, netis. That's the one. And I said, and Belches are ruled as the second in the kingdom.

[01:03:32] Belches of our couldn't give away the second place in the kingdom because he was the second. Right. So the best he had to offer was their place. And now we're like, oh, that makes sense. Okay. In October of 539 BCE, the Persian king Cyrus advanced into lower Mesopotamia

[01:03:48] and leaving Babylon to last conquered and occupied the surrounding territory. Seeing which way the win was blowing. Nebonitis of Babylon was like, I'm out peace. Be it is her to this city, leaving it in the charge of his son Belches are, which that's what we talked about. Right.

[01:04:05] So he's a nice, yeah. These dozer come in. I have meeting in Arabia. I have to go. Yeah. Okay. Cyrus conquered Babylon by diverting the flow of the new freddies into a nearby swamp. Remember hearing about that from a previous book that we were reading. Yeah. Yeah.

[01:04:21] Mabin kings or whatever. One of them, I don't know which one either but yeah, we did read about this. Yeah. This lowered the level of the river so it's troops marched through the water and under the river gates.

[01:04:31] The bronze gates of the inner walls had been left inexplicably unlocked. And everybody gasp and says, God did it. Sure. The taking of Babylon was as bloodless and effortless as Daniel chapter five implies. Okay. Yeah.

[01:04:49] Questions believe this was exactly what God predicted in Isaiah chapter 45 and Jeremiah chapter 51 that this even was put in writing 200 years before it happened. So let's read what it says and be like, okay. Okay. Okay. So Isaiah chapter 45 versus one two three and four. Okay. Yep.

[01:05:09] This is what the Lord says to his anointed to Cyrus who's right hand I take hold of to subduenations before him and to strip kings of their armor to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut.

[01:05:20] I will go before you and we'll level the mountains. I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places so that you may know that I am the Lord.

[01:05:34] The God of Israel who summons you by name for the sake of Jacob my servant of Israel my chosen. I summon you by name and bestow on you a title of honor though you do not acknowledge me again. Reaching, reaching, reaching. Right.

[01:05:50] And in the fact that this was written so much later, you know,

[01:05:53] more and more as we get further into the Bible and further into time with regard to the religions of, you know, Judaism and then following that Christianity that we're taking these instances to where we're writing things to make things happen. Right.

[01:06:15] To make them sound like they're coming true. Exactly. We did we stop having things happen and where exactly did we start filling back, back filling. Right. And that's ultimately the question right? Is how much this is just making this work for you? Right. Yeah.

[01:06:32] So there's no way I could ever believe any of this. Let's read what happened in Jeremiah chapter 51. Okay. Versus 56 57 and 58. A destroyer will come against Babylon. Her warriors will be captured and their bows will be broken for the Lord is a God of retribution.

[01:06:48] He will repay and fool. I will make her officials and wise men drunk. Her governors officers and warriors as well. They will sleep forever and not awaken to clear the king whose name is the Lord Almighty.

[01:07:02] This is what the Lord Almighty says Babylon's thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire. The people's exhaust themselves for nothing. The nation's labor is only fuel for the flames. Got it. Yeah.

[01:07:18] Well, and again, if I recall correctly, some of the things in Isaiah and Jeremiah might have been written later as well. Right? It's not. So like there's there's questions about a lot of that too. And not only that but it feels again.

[01:07:35] I'm just going to say it one more time that we feel very much like they're filling space to make these things more plausible and more realistic. Right? That's what this fiction is ultimately about is making this more real.

[01:07:52] Finding old prophecies, stapling it together and then writing them having come true. Right? Yeah. That's what the Bible is to me. Yeah. That's how it feels. So do we have anything else to cover today with regard to the Q&A? That is fucking it.

[01:08:10] Well, that is a long episode where over an hour just in the regular months. So sorry. It just stuck around for the whole thing. Thank you. I'm so interested in all of that. I wasn't too much. It was very good information. I appreciate it all.

[01:08:26] I appreciate it all. It was good to learn those things. I think it helps kind of fill in a lot of the gaps and makes it a little bit more clear as to what's going on. So that was a good episode. I felt like I think I hope.

[01:08:41] Well, I hope everybody likes it and poop on the ones that don't just get in. I don't poop on anybody. No, no, no. I might poop on Trump. I mean, I'm just saying if I had to choose somebody to poop on.

[01:08:54] I don't want him to post my ass. It's a good point. I would throw poop out of him though. Maybe, you know, I would have a bag over my hands and then I would pick up.

[01:09:03] Like, I'm just imagining that like a carnival with his head through one of those things where you. I'm for it anyway. Anyway, anyway. All right. So that was our Q&A for this Saturday. Q&A Saturday. And we will be back tomorrow with Patreon.

[01:09:25] And then I will get the weekly wrap up together and out. And then we'll be back on Monday with Danil, chapter six. Danil, chapter six. We'll see you then. Bye.