Lesson 38: The Kingdom of Heaven 012320

The Bible Show
Lesson 38: The Kingdom of Heaven 012320
01/23/2020
EvolutionPOP.com

01.) Matthew 3:1-3 (John the kingdom of heaven is at hand).
02.) Matthew 4:12, 17 (Jesus the kingdom of heaven is at hand).
03.) Daniel 2:1-38 (Babylon is the head of gold).
04.) Ancient.eu
https://www.ancient.eu/Nebuchadnezzar_II/
Nebuchadnezzar II
Nebuchadnezzar II (r. 605/604-562 BCE) was the greatest King of ancient Babylon during the period of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626-539 BCE), succeeding its founder, his father, Nabopolassar (r. 626-605 BCE). Nabopolassar had defeated the Assyrians with the help of the Medes and liberated Babylonia from Assyrian rule. He then continued his conquest of the region and so provided for his son a stable base and ample wealth on which to build; an opportunity for greatness which Nebuchadnezzar took full advantage of in the same way that Alexander the Great (r.336-323 BCE) would later capitalize on the treasury and standing army left him by his father Philip II of Macedon (r.359-336 BCE).
05.) Daniel 2:39 (Second and third kingdoms after Babylon).
06.) Everything.Explained.Today
https://everything.explained.today/Darius_the_Mede/
Darius the Mede Explained
Darius the Mede is mentioned in the Book of Daniel as king of Babylon between Belshazzar and Cyrus the Great, but he is not known to history, and no additional king can be placed between the known figures of Belshazzar and Cyrus. Most scholars view him as a literary fiction, but some have tried to harmonise the Book of Daniel with history by identifying him with various known figures, notably Cyrus or Gobryas, the general who was first to enter Babylon when it fell to the Persians in 539 BCE.

Historical and Literary Background
The Medes and the Fall of Babylon
The Medes came to prominence in 612 BCE when they joined with the Babylonians in overthrowing Assyria. Little is known about them, but they were possibly a significant power in the Middle East for several decades thereafter. The fall of their empire is recorded in a Babylonian inscription from around 553 BCE (a second report puts the event in 550 BCE) reporting that the Median king has been conquered by "Cyrus, king of Anshan," in south-western Iran: this is the first appearance of Cyrus in the historical record, and the beginning of the rapid rise of the Persians.

After extending his empire from the Mediterranean to Central Asia, Cyrus turned his attention to Babylonia. The most important ancient sources for his conquest of Babylon are the Nabonidus Chronicle (Nabonidus was the last Babylonian king, and Belshazzar, who is described as king of Babylon in the Book of Daniel, was his son and crown prince), the Cyrus Cylinder, and the Verse Account of Nabonidus - which, despite its name, was commissioned by Cyrus.

Cyrus' Babylonian campaign began in 539 BCE, although there were presumably previous tensions. On October 10th Cyrus won a battle at Opis, opening the way to Babylon, and on October 12th "Ugbaru, governor of the district of Gutium, and the army of Cyrus entered Babylon without a battle" (Babylonian Chronicle). Ugbaru is presumably the same person as the Gorbyras mentioned by the Greek historian Xenophon, a Babylonian provincial governor who switched to the Persian side. Cyrus made his entrance into the city a few days later; Nabonidus was captured and his life spared, but nothing is known of the fate of Belshazzar.
07.) Daniel 5:1-31 (Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin).
08.) Britannca.com
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-the-Great
Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia
Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III or Alexander of Macedonia, (born 356 bce, Pella, Macedonia [northwest of Thessaloníki, Greece]—died June 13, 323 bce, Babylon [near Al-Ḥillah, Iraq]), king of Macedonia (336–323 BCE), who overthrew the Persian empire, carried Macedonian arms to India, and laid the foundations for the Hellenistic world of territorial kingdoms.
09.) History.com
https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great
Many conquered lands retained the Greek influence Alexander introduced, and several cities he founded remain important cultural centers even today. The period of history from his death to 31 B.C., when his empire folded, would come to be known as the Hellenistic period, from “Hellazein,” which means, “to speak Greek or identify with the Greeks.” Alexander the Great is revered as one of the most powerful and influential leaders the ancient world ever produced.
10.) Daniel 2:40-43 (The fourth kingdom).
11.) WDL.org
https://www.wdl.org/en/item/11739/
Kingdoms of the Successors of Alexander: After the Battle of Ipsus, B.C. 301
Alexander the Great (356–323 BC) died suddenly at the age of 32, leaving no apparent heir or appointed successor. Some 40 years of internecine conflict followed his death, as leading generals and members of Alexander’s family vied to control different parts of the vast empire he had built. The Battle of Ipsus, fought in Phrygia, Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) in 301 BC between rival successors, resulted in the empire’s irrevocable dissolution.
Four main kingdoms that emerged after the battle. The kingdom of Cassander (circa 358–297 BC), consisted of Macedonia, most of Greece, and parts of Thrace. The kingdom of Lysimachus (circa 361–281 BC), included Lydia, Ionia, Phrygia, and other parts of present-day Turkey. The kingdom of Seleucus (died 281 BC; later the Seleucid Empire), comprised present-day Iran, Iraq, Syria, and parts of Central Asia. The kingdom of Ptolemy I (died 283 BC) included Egypt and neighboring regions.
12.) Greece.MrDonn.org
https://greece.mrdonn.org/fall.html
The Decline and Fall of Ancient Greece
The time period called Ancient Greece is considered by some historians to begin with the Greek Dark Ages around 1100 BC (the Dorians) and end when Rome conquered Greece in 146 BC.
13.) Daniel 2:44-45 (God shall set up a kingdom).
14.) Psalms 132:13-14 (The Lord will dwell in Zion).
15.) Zechariah 14:1-4, 9-11 (The Lord will be king of the earth).
16.) Matthew 5:5 (Meek shall inherit the earth).
17.) Psalms 37:11 (Meek shall inherit the earth).
18.) Isaiah 2:1-5 (The law goes forth out of Zion).
19.) Ezekiel 43:1-9 (The place of Jesus's throne).
20.) Matthew 6:9-13 (Thy kingdom come).
21.) Revelation 21:1-3 (The tabernacle of God is with men).