Daniel, God's Man

None of the sixty-nine books of the Bible has been attacked by so many of the enemies of the Word of God as has the book of Daniel. Crritics claim that Daniel, if such a person ever existed, had nothing to do with the writing of the book. They claim it was written

after the time of Antiochus Epiphanes in 165 B.C.

Josephus, the Jewish historian in his account of the Jewish persecutions and struggle with Antiochus Epiphanes tells us these things came to pass “according to the prophecy of Daniel which was given 408 years before.” He also tells us that when Alexander the Great came against Jerusalem in 332 B.C., Juddua the high priest showed him the reference to him in the book of Daniel (8:5-8) and he was so pleased with what Daniel had written that he spared the city.

Ezekiel, a contemporary of Daniel, in his book mentions Daniel three times (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3). Ezekiel tells us Daniel did live and was noted for his righteousness along with Noah, for wisdom which was equal to Job’s. But the highest authority that declared

Daniel actually lived during the time the book of Daniel was written was our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:15). Jesus referred to Daniel as, “the prophet” an actual person.

The denial that Daniel lived during the time of the Babylonian Captivity and wrote the book that bears his name is a denial of the integrity and wisdom of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said there was a prophet named Daniel and he fortold a time

when the “abomination of desolation” would appear and would stand in the temple in the holy place. When anyone claims Daniel never lived, the book of Daniel is fiction, that person has called Almighty God a liar and is on the verge of committing the unpardonable

sin.

In this life we may never fully understand all of what Daniel wrote, but we can understand all that God wants us to understand in our present situation. The Lord revealed to Daniel events that was going to happen during his life time and during the Gentile Age and in the tribulation period known as the time of “Jacob’s trouble” or the time of “great tribulation.”

Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were historical characters , but they were also a type of the nation of Israel. The experience of the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace and the experience of Daniel in the lion’s den typify the history of Israel during the time of the Gentile, the reign of the Antichrist, the time of Jacob’s trouble. The time when Satan will make his last and futile attempt to annihilate Israel. The deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego from the fiery furnace and the deliverance of Daniel from the lion’s den are examples of Jehovah’s present protection of Israel and her ulitmate deliverance from Satan and his demonic hosts and the restoration of the Promised Land.

God’s plan and purpose for Israel was to make her a leading nation of the world, but through disobedience and idolatry the plan was put on hold. In the year 721 B.C. the Northern Kingdom of the divided kingdom of Israel was defeated by the Assyrians. It was not long after the defeat of the Northern Kingdom (Israel), that the Sothern Kingdom (Judah) began falling away from the true worship of God. This resulted in the Babylonian Captivity.

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, the eldest son of godly Josiah, Nebuchadnezzar’s armies overran Jerusalem and Jehoiakim surrendered to

Nebuchadnezzar, but was again placed on the throne. Nebuchadnezzar was called back to Babylon at the death of his father, Nabopolassar, to be crowned king of Babylon. He reigned over Babylon for forty-three years (605-562).

When Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon he took with him some of the vessels from the temple, princes of royal blood and the most intellectual of the young men of Judah. Daniel was among those taken to Babylon.

Three years after he was placed on the throne of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar, Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. In the eleventh year of Jehoiakim’s reign Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, put Jehoiakim in chains and took him to Babylon where it is believed he was killed (2nd Chronicles 36:5-7). Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin replaced him on the throne.His reign lasted only three months, as he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all his father had done (2nd Kings 24:8-16). Jehoiachin’s uncle, whose name was changed from Mattaniah to Zedekiah by

Nebuchadnezzar, replaced Jehoiachin on the throne, but he did that which was evil and ungodly in the sight of the Lord and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reigh Nebuchadnezzar again besieged Jerusalem, and took the city after two