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Nov 265 min read

Daniel: Part 1



A Unique Book


As we conclude our series on the Major Prophets of scripture, we will be looking at the final prophet, Daniel. At the beginning of this month when we looked at Isaiah, we talked about how Isaiah was probably the most popular book because of its length and numerous prophecies of Christ. However, If Isaiah is the most popular, then Daniel is a close second. The book of Daniel isn’t just unique because it’s the last of the Major Prophets, it’s unique because the prophecies that are exclaimed in this book aren’t just about God’s people, but about the end times as well. If you’ve ever done a study on the book of Revelation or have researched what the Bible says about the end times, chances are you’ve seen the book of Daniel used as a cross-reference. These end-time events, however, only pop up at the end of the book. The first half is about Daniel and his friend’s entrance to Babylon as they are officially taken captive. As you can tell, this book is jam-packed with events and prophecies, which is ironic given the fact that Daniel is only 12 chapters long! Despite the number of chapters in this book, there is no doubt that there is much to learn from every chapter that this book has to offer. We will be looking at the first 6 chapters in this book today and concluding with the final 6 later in the week. For now, though, we will be looking at the beginning of the story as Daniel and his friends are brought to Babylon. As Scott Redd says, “​​Just as the righteous remnant of Israel must continue in spite of the ebb and flow of history, the followers of Messiah today should find hope in the prophecies of Daniel.” With this in mind, let’s see what God has to teach us through this amazing book. 


Prophetic Dream One


To start, we must note that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem becasue God allowed Him to take over. During this siege, we see Daniel and his friends captured and renamed. This renaming was a shameful act that took place because it was a way of changing this person’s identity. Daniel 1:6-7 says “Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the nameBelteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to MishaelMeshach, and to Azariah Abed-nego.” Now one very common theme that we see through the first 6 chapters of this book is God speaking to King Nebuchadnezzar through dreams. And these dreams are so troubling to the King that he seeks someone to interpret their meaning. This is where Daniel comes in. While the King can’t interpret his own dream, Daniel can. This dream that the King has is about a mighty statue that is made up of multiple layers of elements being destroyed by a great rock that falls out of the sky. King Nebuchadnezzar sought anyone who could interpret this dream but could no one until Daniel showed up. The ultimate meaning of this dream is revealed in chapter 2, and we’re going to focus in on one of the last verses. Daniel 2:45 tells us “Just as you saw that a stone was broken off from the mountain without hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is certain and its interpretation is trustworthy.” 

This statue that the king saw was a representation of multiple kingdoms, each one on top stronger than the one below it. However, the focus here is not on the strength of these nations, but rather what ultimately ends up happening to these nations. The destruction of these kingdoms is the fate for each of these nations and God makes it clear why. This statue didn’t just represent nations, it represented idolatry. All of these nations would turn away from the Lord and leave God to deal with them as He saw fit. What’s fascinating about this story is what takes place directly after Daniel interprets this dream. Right at the beginning of chapter 3, we see the King erect a Golden Image that he commands everyone to bow down and worship. This is where the famous story of Daniel’s 3 friends being thrown into the furnace and coming out unharmed comes from. I would certainly encourage anyone to read this story because of the great miracle that takes place here, but since this is more of a well-known story, we are going to look past this chapter and get to chapter 4 where the King has yet another dream. 


Prophetic Dream Two


In this dream, King Nebuchadnezzar has a vision of a giant, fruitful tree that reaches to heaven and feeds many beasts of the field. Then, all of a sudden, an angel of the Lord appears and has it cut down to the stump for seven seasons. When asked to describe this dream, Daniel warns the King that he wishes this vision was about the King’s enemies or someone else, but unfortunately, it was about the King himself. Daniel 4:24-25 says “this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the animals of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.” This judgment that God has in store is now for the King of Babylon. Up until this point, through many Major Prophets, it seems as if all the prophecies we’ve heard have been judgments upon the nation of Israel. But now, God has officially judged not just His people, but the wicked nations that are punishing His people as well. Right after this interpretation, we see this dream fulfilled. Nebuchadnezzar is out, and Darius his son, is in as King. Unfortunately, the sins of Nebuchadnezzar seem to be the sins of Darius as well, as Darius seeks to have all the land pray to and worship him. When Daniel refuses this order, this is when he is punished and thrown into the lion’s den. Again, another amazing story that I would highly encourage you to read through, but for now, we will skip over it due to its popularity and because of all the other stories we want to get to. This brings us to the conclusion of chapter 6 and our first part in this series. I hope that as you follow along, you will read through this compact book to see what God really has to offer us through these historic prophecies and especially for what is in store during the end times. 

 





Sources

[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/


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