DANIEL 6
WHEN CYRUS TOOK THE PERSIAN THRONE
HE GAVE TO DARIUS BABYLON'S RULE
WHILE HE CONTINUED TO EXPAND
HIS ROLE AS KING IN EVERY LAND.
SO DARIUS PARCELLED INTO SHARES
ONE HUNDRED TWENTY RULING PARTS
AND OVER THEM HE PLACED THREE MEN
ON WHOM THE KINGDOM COULD DEPEND.
SOON JEALOUSY BEGAN TO SPREAD
TOWARDS DANIEL, AS THEIR RULING HEAD
SO PLOTS WERE MADE TO BRING HIM DOWN
INCURRING WRATH FROM THOSE AROUND.
SOME TOP OFFICIALS SET A TRAP
WRITING A LAW THAT WOULD DECLARE
"DARIUS THE KING, FOR THIRTY DAYS
THE ONLY GOD TO WHOM MAN PRAYS!"
THEN DARIUS SIGNED THE NEW DECREE
WHICH NO ONE LIVING COULD RESCIND
AND ANY WHO WOULD DISOBEY
WERE FED TO LIONS THAT SAME DAY.
NOW DANIEL KNEW THAT GOD ALONE
IS SOVEREIGN LORD UPON HIS THRONE
DEMANDING WORSHIP EVERY DAY
BY CALLING EVERY MAN TO PRAY.
SO WHEN THE SPIES STAKED OUT HIS HOME
AND FOUND HE PRAYED THREE TIMES A DAY
THEY SHOWED THE KING HIS EVIL DEED
WHICH MEDO-PERSIAN'S LAW DECREED.
AS DANIEL STOOD BEFORE THE KING
TO HEAR THE VERDICT OF HIS FATE
THE HUNGRY LIONS PROWLED AROUND
AWAITING FOOD TO HIT THE GROUND.
WHEN THEY THREW DANIEL IN THE DEN
THE SEAL OF DEATH WAS STAMPED IN PLACE
BUT LITTLE DID THEY KNOW THAT DAY
HOW SHORT A TIME WOULD BE HIS STAY.
WHEN DARIUS COULD NOT SLEEP THAT NIGHT
HE KNEW THAT DANIEL'S GOD WAS RIGHT
YET WAS NOT SURE HE WOULD SURVIVE
UNTIL HE FOUND HIM STILL ALIVE.
THE KING THEN ASKED HOW THAT COULD BE
WITH HUNGRY LIONS ALL AROUND?
"THE ANGEL OF THE LORD TOOK FLIGHT
AND SHUT THE LIONS MOUTHS ALL NIGHT.
SO DANIEL WAS RELEASED THAT DAY
AND THOSE WHO PLOTED HIS DEMISE
WERE ORDERED TO BE THROWN INSTEAD
AS LION FOOD, TILL THEY WERE DEAD.
THEN DARIUS MADE IT VERY CLEAR
THAT DANIEL'S GOD WAS LORD OF ALL
WHO MUST BE WORHSIPPED AND ADORED
AS KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
--B.Pent
DANIEL 5
BABYLON SEEMED IMPREGNABLE
ITS DOUBLE WALLS BECAME THEIR BOAST
AGAINST THE MEDO-PERSIAN THREAT
SURROUNDING THEM AS IN A NET.
BUT CYRUS WHOM ISAIAH SAID
WOULD ONE DAY WALK EUPHRATES SHORE
BEGAN TO GROW IN POWER AND MIGHT
DESTROYING NATIONS LEFT AND RIGHT.
TO SHOW CONTEMPT FOR YAHWEH'S WORD
BELSHAZZAR THREW A LAVISH FEAST
FOR ALL HIS WIVES AND NOBLE LORDS
DEFYING THREATS FROM PERSIAN HORDES.
WHILE SELF-INDULGENT DEVILTRY
AND DRUNKEN STUPOR FILLED ITS HALLS
THE KING HAD JUDAH'S TEMPLE BOWLS
FILLED UP WITH WINE AS SCRIPTURE SHOWS.
WITH TEMPLE GOBLETS ON DISPLAY
AS OFFERING TO THEIR GODS THAT DAY
A FINGER WROTE UPON THE WALL
A MESSAGE THAT WAS MEANT FOR ALL.
THE KING BEGAN TO SHAKE IN FEAR
SO ASKED HIS WISE MEN TO COME IN
BUT GOD MADE DANIEL UNDERSTAND
THE COMING JUDGMENT HE HAD PLANNED.
THE PROPHET MADE IT VERY CLEAR
BELSHAZZAR'S WEIGHT OF SIN WAS GREAT
AND THAT HIS KINGDOM SOON WOULD END
BY PERSIAN FORCES ROUND THE BEND.
THE PROPHET DANIEL THEN RECEIVED
THE OFFERED PROMISE THAT WAS MADE
THE PURPLE ROBE AND GOLDEN CHAIN
DECLARED HIM AS THE THIRD TO REIGN.
THAT VERY NIGHT THE PERSIANS MARCHED
ALONG THE DRY EUPHRATES BANK
THEN KING AND NOBLES MET THEIR FATE
FULFILLING GOD'S PRE-WRITTEN DATE.
--B Pent
Daniel 4
SOME THIRTY YEARS HAD NOW GONE BY
EACH CONQUERED LAND WAS HIS TO RULE
THE ROYAL PALACE OF THE KING
WITH HANGING GARDENS BLOOMED ALL SPRING.
THERE WAS NO KINGDOM TO COMPARE
AS ONE WALKED THROUGH THE ISHTAR GATE
ALONG WIDE STREETS WITH BUILDINGS RARE
AND SCORES OF TEMPLE-GODS TO SHARE.
BUT BABYLON'S KING WITH HEAD OF GOLD
BEGAN TO BOAST OF ALL HE HAD
SO AS HIS HEART FILLED UP WITH PRIDE
NARCISSISTIC THOUGHTS BUILT UP INSIDE.
ONE EARLY MORN AS HE AWOKE
NEBUCHADNEZZAR HAD A DREAM
IN WHICH A TREE WITH BRANCHES WIDE
PROVIDED SHADE FOR ALL TO HIDE.
BUT WHEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD
ANNOUNCED THE FELLING OF THE TREE
AND LEAVE THE STUMP TO FILL ITS PLACE
A SENSE OF FEAR CAME TO HIS FACE.
THE WISE MEN SOON WERE CALLED TO GIVE
A REASON FOR THIS MYSTERY DREAM
BUT ONLY DANIEL COULD REVEAL
WHAT GOD WAS READY TO UNSEAL.
THE KING WAS TOLD HE WAS THE TREE
PROVIDING FRUIT FOR ALL TO EAT
BUT ONE DAY HE WOULD BE CUT DOWN
AND LIVE LIKE BEASTS THAT PROWL AROUND.
WITHIN A YEAR HIS BOASTING HEART
FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YAHWEH'S PART
SO LIKE A WILD BEAST OF PREY
HIS KINGDOM WAS CUT SHORT THAT DAY.
FOR SEVEN YEARS HE LIVED APART
UNTIL ONE DAY HIS SENSE RETURNED
AS HE CONFESSED THAT GOD WAS KING
HIS THRONE WAS THEN RESTORED TO HIM.
A FEW MORE YEARS WERE GIVEN BACK
BECAUSE HIS LIFE HAD CHANGED WITHIN
HE OFFERED PRAISE TO GOD ALONE
WHO RULES AND REIGNS FROM HEAVEN'S THRONE.
--B. Pent
DANIEL 3
When gods of gold are sought by man
Demonic forces rule the mind
As evil plots begin to form
Narcissistic grandeurs soon are born.
Ishtar, Marduk, Nabu and Bel
Were eastern gods that they would choose
But Babel's god was made of gold
So all could worship, they were told.
Along the plains of Babylon
This massive frame of ninety feet
Became the sign of unity
While honoring kings as deity.
The call was sent both far and wide
Upon the sound of horn and flute
All subjects must bow down and pray
Or be destroyed that very day.
So when the pipes and harps were heard
All kingdom subjects bowed as one
Except for three who would not go
Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego.
When news arrived accusing them
The king demanded they repent
But calmly they gave reasons why
And gladly they would rather die.
The angered king spoke from his throne
And ordered guards to fuel the flame
Then these three men were cast alive
Knowing they could not survive.
But God had other plans in store
He stood amidst the furnace flame
So when the king saw Yahweh near
His hardened heart began to fear.
The order to "come forth" was made
And Yahweh's name was given praise
Then Babylon's king let these three go
Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego.
--B. Pent
DANIEL 12:1-13
THE FINAL PICTURE DANIEL SEES
ARE SCENES TOO GRUSOME TO DESCRIBE
AS WORLD-WIDE ARMIES FACE THE BEAST
WITH MYRIAD SOLDIERS FROM THE EAST.
THE ANTICHRIST WHO COMES FROM ROME
TO RULE FROM ZION'S TEMPLE THRONE
WILL TURN HIS WRATH AGAINST THE JEW
BY KILLING MOST AND LEAVING FEW.
BUT WHEN THE ANGEL MICHAEL COMES
HE WILL PROTECT GOD'S CHOSEN ONES
REFINED BY FIRE, RELEASED FROM SIN
THEY'LL SERVE AS PRIESTS WITH ISRAEL'S KING.
SO LOOKING AT THAT KINGDOM AGE
THE PROPHET SOUGHT TO KNOW THE TIME
WHEN OFFERING PIGS WOULD FINALLY CEASE
AND HOLY DAYS RESUME IN PEACE.
YET QUESTIONS FROM THE PROPHET'S SCROLL
WERE LEFT UNANSWERED FOR THE END
WHEN KNOWLDGE GROWS AND TRAVEL FLOWS
AND JUDGMENTS FROM THE HEAVEN SHOWS.
THEN YAHWEH MADE A SOLEMN VOW
BY PROMISING A FUTURE DAY
WHEN HE WOULD RISE TO TAKE HIS STAND
AND REIGN WITH CHRIST IN BEAULAH LAND.
--B. PENT
