Daniel (My Judge is God)
Daniel lived over 2,500 years ago, about 500 years before the birth of Jesus. He was a Hebrew exile brought from the city of Jerusalem to serve in Babylon. Over time, he served in a high capacity and proved to be unwavering in his faith to Almighty God, the God of Abraham.
The main theme of Daniel is the succession of Gentile (Non-Israelite) kingdoms up to the ushering in of God’s kingdom to rule over the entire earth!
The end of the rule of the Gentile nations is known to some as “The end of the world!” But upon examination with scripture, it is not. It is just the end of an era where Gentile nations rule the earth. And at the end of that era is the beginning of a grand new era of righteousness, good health, and the resurrection of those who have died – All with the rule of God’s kingdom! (Isaiah 11:6-9; 33:24; 35:5,6; Daniel 12:1,2; John 5:28,29)
But before God’s kingdom begins ruling, there is tribulation. Jesus taught his disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to come. Jesus also talked with his disciples about the treacherous times ahead and referred to the writings of Daniel the prophet by name. (Matthew 6:9-13; 24: Mark 13; Luke 21)
We can learn a lot from Daniel regarding time periods. In fact the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1984 Reference Edition) has used the words “time” and “times” approximately 85 times in just the book of Daniel itself! When one studies the book of Daniel, one can see that it is not all in chronological order, as in Isaiah. Sometimes a point is re-illustrated or elaborated on somewhere else in the book. The book of Daniel is not impossible to understand.
Basically every religion has it’s own interpretation of Daniel or “the end days.” But have you taken the time to investigate to see for yourself if something is true or not? I am going to attempt to explain Daniel as simply as possible. By the end of this, you may know more about prophesy then your religious leaders! I find it a sad reality that many of those who are supposed to be teaching about God and his kingdom are teaching man’s ideas over God’s.
Personal notes:
I had put a note concerning Dan. 12:4, “Seal up the book until the time of the end” back on August 31, 2010. I felt that once the book was fully understood, we would be in the beginning of “the time of the end.” Well, I don’t really know how to describe it but I had what I would call a “mini-revelation” on January 17, 2016, concerning parts of Daniel chapter 7. Now parts are fitting together better than ever! Could we be on the edge of that time period now? Only time will tell. The important thing is that we continue to try to refine our worship and reject falsehood to the glory of God! I’m excited! I will be focusing on the information of which I believe is critical.
Daniel chapters one through six are basically in order. The other chapters, seven through 12 elaborate on each other and are not in order.
Daniel and his three companions introduced
The king of Babylon demands to be told about a dream and its meaning. Lives are at stake!
The king is told of God’s incoming kingdom, to rule all the world. (Compare Matthew 6:9,10)
Daniel’s three companions are thrown into a fiery furnace!
The king of Babylon goes mad!
The writing on the wall and Babylon’s fall.
Daniel is thrown into the lion’s pit!
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This is the beginning of the book of Daniel where the chapters do not run in order. Chapters 7 and 8 are of two different visions covering two different time periods which overlap some. These visions correlate with the struggles of the king of the north and south in chapters 11 and 12 and the appearance of the messiah mentioned in chapter 9.
The vision of the four beasts out of the sea
The vision of 2 beasts and the identification of Jerusalem
The identification of the appearance of the Messiah
Michael, the prince of Daniel’s people, comes to help Gabriel.
Introduction to chapters 11 and 12.
Struggles between the king of the north and south identified.
The sign to identify when God’s kingdom begins its world wide reign, immediately after the destruction of the king of the north!
A grand resurrection begins! (Compare John 5:25-29; 6:39-40)