Daniel - Background & Introduction
The Book of Daniel is one of the most exciting books in the Bible. The first thing we think of when we hear the name Daniel is "Lion’s Den." However Daniel is a book of prophecy. A quarter of the books in the Bible are of prophetic nature. One fifth of the content of Scripture was predictive at the time of its writing; a large portion of that has been fulfilled. Therefore, the prophecy in Scripture can be divided into fulfilled and unfulfilled prophecy. We will find a great deal of fulfilled prophecy in Daniel.
The main subject of prophecy is the Lord Jesus Christ. Other topics include Israel, the gentile nations, evil, Satan, the Man of Sin, the Great Tribulation Period, and how this age will end. The church is also a subject of prophecy; however, the church is never mentioned in the Old Testament, and therefore there will be no reference to it in the Book of Daniel. Then, of course, there are the subjects of the kingdom, the Millennium, and eternity future. These are the great subjects of prophecy.
As we study the Bible, we need to have an understanding of prophecy, we need to have knowledge of Bible prophecy and we need to be able to study prophecy. The failure to study Bible prophecy correctly has produced many harmful results which are clearly evident today.
Many of the cults have gone off the track in prophetic areas. This is largely because the teaching of prophecy has been neglected by some denominations. They dismiss it with a wave of the hand as being unimportant. And those who do go into the study of prophecy often come up with that which is sensational and fanatical. The Book of Daniel, particularly, is the subject of many such sensational writers on prophecy.
(1) The Date of The Writing
The Book of Daniel, according to it own testimony is the record of the life and prophetic revelations given to Daniel, a captive Jew carried off to Babylon after its first conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. The record of events extends to the third year of Cyrus, 536 B.C., and accordingly, covers a span of about seventy years.
The Book of Daniel is a very important one, and it has therefore been the object of special attack by Satan. It is a battlefield between faith ands unbelief.
Isn’t it amazing how we will believe a history book with no questions asked, but when it comes to God¡¯s Word, it is attacked over and over again.
The Book of Daniel has been under attack when it comes to dating the writing. Porphyry, a heretic in the third century A.D., declared that the Book of Daniel was a forgery written during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabees. That would place its writing around 170 B.C., almost four hundred years after Daniel lived.
The reason that the unbelieving world thinks that the writings took place so late is because of the accuracy of Daniels prophecies. Here’s the thing, Daniel didn’t make those predictions, God did.
However, the very interesting thing is that the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, was translated before the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, and it contains the Book of Daniel! The liberal scholars have ignored similar very clear testimony from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Those scrolls confirm the fact that there was only one author of the Book of Isaiah. The liberal has wanted to argue that there was a duet or even a trio of Isaiahs who wrote that book. The Dead Sea Scrolls are very much alive, and they refute the liberal critic on that point.
It is interesting how these questions which are raised concerning the Bible are always answered in time. The heretic, the critic, and the cultist always move in an area of the Bible where we do not have full knowledge at the time. Everyone can speculate, and you can speculate any way you want to, generally the speculation goes the wrong way. However, in time, the Word of God is proven accurate.
Flavius Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, Vol. 1, p. 388) also records an incident during the time of Alexander the Great which supports the early authorship of Daniel. When Alexander’s invasion reached the Near East, Jaddua, the high priest, went out to meet him and showed him a copy of the Book of Daniel in which Alexander was clearly mentioned. Alexander was so impressed by this that, instead of destroying Jerusalem, he entered the city peaceably and worshiped at the temple.
(2) The Author of The Writing
Although Daniel does not speak of himself in the first person until chapter 7, there is little question that the book presents Daniel as the author. Daniel stands out as one of the greatest men in Jewish history. That he is a real person in history is proved by Ezekiel 14:14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
The Lord Jesus called the Pharisees "hypocrites" but He called Daniel "the prophet" (see Matt. 24:15; Mark 13:14). Very frankly, I go along with the Lord Jesus who, by the way, never reversed His statement. The endorsement of the Lord Jesus Christ is valid and sufficient for every believer.
We know more about Daniel the man than we do of any other prophet. He gives us a personal account of his life from the time he was carried captive to Babylon in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim (about 606 B.C.) until the first year of King Cyrus (about 536 B.C.). Daniel’s life and ministry bridge the entire seventy years of captivity. At the beginning of the book he is a boy in his teens. At the end he is an old man of fourscore and more years.
Here is God’s estimate of the man Daniel: "Daniel, a man greatly beloved" (Dan. 10:11). I would not want to be one of those critics who have called the Book of Daniel a forgery. Someday I am going to face Daniel in heaven and find that he has a pretty good reputation, "a man greatly beloved."
There are three words which characterize Daniel’s life: purpose, prayer, and prophecy.
1. Daniel was a man of purpose (Dan. 1:8; 6:10).
When the king made a decree that everyone had to eat the same thing, Daniel and his friends decided they would abide by the law of Moses, and they did. Daniel was a man of purpose, and we can see this all the way through his book. Here was a man who stood on his own two feet and had the intestinal fortitude to speak God’s Word.
God have pity today on men who claim to be His messengers to the world but haven’t got the courage to declare the Word of God. I also thank God that there are many who are declaring the whole Word of God, including prophecy, in our day. You see, the proper study of prophecy will not lead us to sensationalism and fanaticism, but it will lead us to a life of holiness and fear of God. John said in 1 John 3:3, "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." The study of prophecy will purify our lives.
2. Daniel was a man of prayer (Dan. 2:17¨C23; 6:10; 9:3¨C19; 10).
There are several incidents recorded in this book about Daniel’s prayer life. By the way, prayer got Daniel into the lion’s den. How about that for answered prayer? Well, God also miraculously saved him from the lions. Daniel was a man of prayer.
3. Daniel was a man of prophecy.
The Book of Daniel divides itself equally: the first half is history, and the last half is prophecy. Daniel gives us the skeleton of prophecy on which all prophecy is placed. The image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2) and the beasts (Dan. 7) are the backbone of prophecy; the Seventy Weeks (Dan. 9) are the ribs which fit into their proper place.
The key verse to the Book of Daniel is Daniel 2:44: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."
(3) The Purpose Of The Writing
In the dark hours of Israel’s captivity, with the tragic destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, there was a need for a new testimony of the mighty and providential power of God. Such is given us in the book of Daniel.
Daniel is to the Old Testament what the Book of Revelation is to the New Testament; in fact, we cannot fully understand the one without the other.
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan gave this theme for the Book of Daniel: "Persistent Government of God in the Government of the World." This is the book of the universal sovereignty of God. Prophecy is here interwoven with history to show that God is overruling the idolatry, blasphemy, self-will, and intolerance of the Gentiles.
Daniel deals with the "the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24), from Nebuchadnezzar to the Antichrist, or the time when Israel is without her king. That period of time began in 606BC with the captivity of Jerusalem and will end when Christ returns to earth to judge the Gentile nations and establish his Kingdom. "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Dan. 12:4).
The Book of Daniel is the key to understanding other Scriptures. Our Lord, in the Olivet Discourse, quoted only from the Book of Daniel. The Book of Revelation is largely an enigma without the Book of Daniel. Paul’s revelation concerning the "man of sin" (2 Thess. 2:3) needs Daniel’s account for amplification and clarification.
Unique Features
* Daniel has more to say about the Tribulation and the Antichrist than any other Old Testament Book.
* Daniel 11 includes a greater number of prophecies already fulfilled than any other single chapter in the Bible.
* Daniel 9:25-26 marks the only Old Testament occurrence of the Hebrew term "Messiah" (Anointed one)
* Daniel is the only Old Testament book to mention angels by name.
Gabriel, who interpreted visions for Daniel (8:16, 9:21) and would later announce Christ¡¯s birth to Mary (Luke 1:19, 26)
Michael the "archangel" seen here and elsewhere in the Scripture as a spiritual warrior and defender of believers (10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 1:9; Rev 12:7-9)
Except for the fallen angel Lucifer (Isa 14:12) Gabriel and Michael are the only two angels mentioned by name in all the Scripture.
