DANIEL
Author:
Some modern critics of the Bible have denied that Daniel wrote this book, but see Dan 8:1, 15, 27; 9:2-4, 20; 10:2, 7; 12:5, 8. These verses indicate that Daniel was the author. Further evidence for this is in Matt 24:15 where the Lord Jesus stated that the prophecy concerning “the abomination of desolation” (Dan 9:27) was spoken through “Daniel the prophet”.
Date:
Babylon was captured by the Medes and Persians in 539 BC. Daniel must have written this book a short time after that.
Themes:
Two themes appear together throughout the book – the experiences of Daniel (and sometimes his Hebrew friends) in the city of Babylon, and the prophetic visions which came to Daniel. Over both themes we see the sovereign God fulfilling His purposes. In the prophetic visions we can see the rise and fall of empires, the very powerful empire that will rule the world in the last days of this present age, the coming of antichrist, the destruction of man’s kingdoms and the establishment of Christ’s eternal kingdom.
Contents:
The training of the young Hebrew men 1:1-21
Daniel’s noble resolve 1:8
The result 1:15
God’s gift 1:17,20
The dream of king Nebuchadnezzar 2:1-49
The dream itself 2:1-3
The failure of Babylon’s wise men 2:4-13
Daniel’s request, prayer, and thanksgiving 2:14-23
Daniel interprets the dream 2:26-45
The result 2:46-49
King Nebuchadnezzar makes an image 3:1-30
The king’s command to worship it 3:4-6
Shadrach and companions refuse to obey 3:8-18
The king’s fury 3:19-23
Saved from the fiery furnace 3:24-27
The result 3:28-30
King Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a tree 4:1-37
Daniel’s interpretation 4:19-27
The dream fulfilled 4:28-37
Belshazzar’s feast, and the writing on the wall 5:1-30
The writing 5:5-6
The failure of Babylon’s wise men 5:7-9
The queen’s advice 5:10-12
The king’s words to Daniel 5:13-16
Daniel’s words to the king 5:17-24
Daniel explains the writing 5:25-28
The fulfillment 5:30
Daniel in the lions’ den 6:1-26
The plot of Daniel’s enemies 6:1-9
Daniel’s faithfulness in prayer 6:10-11
The punishment 6:12-18
God’s protection 6:19-24
The result 6:25-28
Daniel’s dream of four beasts 7:1-28
The dream itself 7:1-14
The interpretation of the dream 7:15-28
Daniel’s vision of the ram and the goat 8:1-27
The dream itself 8:1-14
The interpretation 8:15-27
Daniel’s understanding of God’s word, his prayer 9:1-19
The angel Gabriel speaks of “seventy weeks” 9:20-27
Daniel has another vision 10:1—12:13
The vision itself 10:1-10
The message 10:11—12:4
War in the unseen world 10:12-14,20,21
Daniel gets strength 10:15-19
The struggle between various rulers 11:1-35
The kings at the end of this age 11:36-45
The great tribulation 12:1
Deliverance, resurrection and rewards 12:2-4
The vision and message concluded 12:5-13