Studies In Daniel

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I have gleaned the information in this study from many sources. Where I could I identify them I have given them credit. However, since this was used as a study guide for many, many years it will be impossible to remember them all. For all of those authors and contributors that I could not remember, please accept my apologies. If you recognize your contribution, and I have not credited you, please let me know and I will correct the info. Everything that I have learned, I have learned from God and His word, and other Godly sources. I am not very original in most of my writings.
Brother Bliss

Introduction: (This is an outline study. It is a bare bones study. You will need to fill in the flesh.)

Daniel covers a period of time from about 607 B.C. to 534 B.C. or about 73 years. It was mostly written in the Hebrew language, but some was written in Aramaic which is virtually identical to the Chaldean language. It tells us about the trials, troubles, and triumphs of Daniel and three of his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They were taken into captivity by the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel actually served under three heathen kings, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Cyrus. Daniel was a descendant of the royal line of the nation of Israel. Daniel was probably about 17 years of age when he was taken captive and died in captivity about the age of 90. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ezra, and Zerubbabel (Nehemiah) were contemporaries of Daniel.

God the Holy Spirit was the Author, and Daniel was the human writer. It covers a great amount of history during the captivity of Israel. The nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms after the death of Solomon. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, 10 tribes, was taken into captivity around 722 B.C. while the Southern Kingdom, Judah, 2 tribes, Benjamin and Judah, was taken into captivity here during Daniel's life. It is also a book with a great number of very important prophecies, especially about Gentile nations. It is the key to the Book of Revelation, Matthew 24 and 2Thessalonians 2. It has been attacked by critics in many areas which we won't even consider because their attacks are nothing more than a clear indication of their unregenerate minds. The theme of the Book is the Omnipotence of God - God's Sovereignty. God reigns over the affairs of man. Daniel 4:17, 25, 32.

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter One

The Beginning Of The Captivity.

Verses 1-2 - The Fall of Jerusalem

Nebuchadnezzar - The Heathen King.

Jehoiakim - The Apostate King.

Verses 3-7 - The Attempt to Change the Hebrew Children.

Verse 3 - The Selection

Verse 4 - The Attempt to Change their Minds.

Verse 5 - The Attempt to Change their Bodies.

Verse 6-7 - The Attempt to change their Spirituality.

Daniel means "God is Judge" - Belteshazzar = "whom Bel favors"

Hananiah means "beloved of the LORD" - Shadrach = "lighted by the sun."

Mishael means "Who is as God?" - Meshach = "Who is like Aku? (Sun god)

Azariah means "The Lord is my help." - Abed-nego = servant of Nebo.

Verse 8-9 - Daniel's Purpose of Heart.

Would not defile himself with the king's meat.

Would not defile himself with the King's wine.

Made request through the prince of the eunuchs.

Verse 9 - Daniel had a good testimony in a bad situation.

Verses 10-16 - The Plan

Verse 10 - The Concern of the Eunuch.

Verses 11-13 - The Testing Period - Ten Days.

Verse 14-16 - God blesses them.

Verses 17-21 - The Blessing of God.

God always blesses obedience.

These four were superior in all matters of wisdom and understanding.

God gives Daniel a long life.

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Two

IThe Dangerous Vision.

Verse 1 - Nebuchadnezzar's Troubling Dream.

Dreams are a part of our subconscious mental life.

This one woke up Nebuchadnezzar

Verse 2 - He called upon his:

Magicians - fortune tellers.

Astrologers - studies of the stars.

Sorcerers - (Soothsayers) diviners.

Chaldeans - philosophers.

Verses 3-4 - The King tries to recall the Dream but it is "gone from him."

Verse 5-6 - The Impossible Demand.

Tell him what the dream is and then tell the interpretation.

If you don't tell - death.

If you do tell - great blessings.

Verse 7 - Their Request Again. Tell us the dream.

Verses 8-9 - The King's anger

He suspects them of being charlatans.

He accuses them of being fakes.

He makes his demand again - Tell me the dream and then give me the interpretation.

Verses 10-11- Their Protest. - They say that there is no man who can do what the King asks. This is wrong advice. There is a man who can! Daniel.

Verses 12-13 - The King's Decree.

Kill all of the advisors both here and throughout the kingdom.

They look for Daniel and his companions. God's providence.

Wisdom of this world brings death.

Make sure that you go to the right place for advice.

Verses 14-18 - Daniel's Dilemma.

Verse 14 - The King is going to have them killed.

Verse 15 - Daniel asks, "What for?"

Arioch make the thing known to Daniel.

Verse 16 - A Request of the King.

Give them time.

They will make the dream known.

Verse 17 - Call in some Godly advisors, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Verse 18 - Prayer time.

Verses 19-23 - God Answers Prayer.

Verse 19 - God reveals the secret in a night vision.

Verses 20-23 - Daniel praises God.

Verses 24-30 - Giving Praise to God before a Heathen King.

Verses 24-25 - Arioch has found a man "O King."

Verse 26 - the King's question.

Verses 27-30 - The King is instructed as to from where this information is derived.

Verses 31- 45 - The Dream and Its Interpretation

Verse 31 - The King dreamed of an Image.

Verses 32-35 - The description of the Image.

Head of Gold.

Breasts and arms of Silver.

Belly and thighs of brass.

Legs of iron.

Feet a mixture of iron and clay.

Verses 36-45 - The Interpretation of the Image. The descriptions are of the kingdoms of the world.

Verses 36-38 - The head of gold describes Nebuchadnezzar's Kingdom. His was the kingdom of Babylon. Dated from about 626-556 B.C.

Verse 39 - The breasts and arms of silver describes the inferior kingdom to follow his. We now know that this was the kingdom of Persia founded by Cyrus the Great. His kingdom lasted from about 539-331 B.C.

Verse 39 - Another inferior kingdom to follow. The belly and thighs of brass we now know to be the kingdom of Greece. It had many leaders of which Alexander the Great may be the best known. From 331-323 B.C.

Verses 40-45 - The mixture of iron and clay represent the Roman kingdom which dates from 58 B.C. to A.D. 476.

Verses 46-49 - The Worship by Nebuchadnezzar of our Sovereign God.

Verse 46 - The King Bows before Daniel.

Verse 47 - Daniel corrects the King who acknowledges the God of Daniel as "God of gods."

Verse 48 - Daniel is exalted.

Verse 49 - He does not forget his friends.

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Three
The Three Hebrew Children Who Wouldn't Bow, Budge Or Burn. (This is a title from a message given many years ago by my Pastor at the time in Key West, FL., Pastor M.O. Wright. He was a Godly man who has gone on to be with his Great Saviour.)
This is another of those great chapters in the word of God from which we may learn many great truths.

The Setup. Verses 1-7 - Some time has passed, and Nebuchadnezzar, inflated with his own ego, has decided to build an image to let everyone know of his greatness. It is interesting that this image was completely of gold even though Daniel's interpretation of the King's dream had only the head of gold. Nebuchadnezzar's advisors seize upon this opportunity to try to destroy the three companions of Daniel. It is not known why Daniel was not involved as the Bible doesn't mention him.

Verse 1 - The Image is made at the king's command and set up in the plain of Dura. Note its measurements - height = threescore (60) cubits, breadth = 6 cubits (66) Numbers of a man. Foreshadows the image spoken of in Revelation 13

Verses 2-3 - An order is given to bring the leaders of the nation to the dedication of the image. An attempt to bring about a one world government to worship a false god.

Verses 4-5 - The order is given to fall down and worship the image at the sound of the music. Music makes it easier to do right or wrong. It is a great motivation of the human being. Music affects the body, soul and the spirit of man. It can affect us for good or for bad. We had better be careful what kind of music we listen to in our lives.

Verse 6 - The command contains consequences for disobedience - casting into the burning fiery furnace.

Verse 7 - The vast majority of the people obey the command. Sometimes the majority is wrong.

The Situation - Verses 8-12

Verse 8 - The Accusers - The Chaldeans. No doubt they were envious of the high position of the Hebrews. Their jealousy over not being able to give the King his dream or the interpretation may have been eating at them since Daniel's victory.

Verses 9-11 - The Address to the King.

Verse 12 - The Accusation.

"They have not regarded thee..." - A personal insult.

"they serve not thy gods..." - An insult against his religion.

"nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." An insult to his efforts. He undoubtedly was very proud of the image and what had gone into its construction.

The Sovereign's Rage. Verses 13-18

Verse 13 - The King's fury and his command to bring the men to him.

Verses 14 - The King's inquisition. "Is it true?"

Verse 15 - The King gives them a second chance.

Verses 16-18 - The answer from the three Hebrew men.

Verse 16 - "We are not careful..." They knew what they were going to say and it didn't bother them because of their faith in God.

Verse 17 - "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O, king." Real conviction! Revelation 12:11

Verse 18 - They were determined to obey God regardless of the outcome. How could we make such a stand? With God's grace we can!
Philippians 1:21; 4:13; Hebrews 13:6; 2Peter 2:9; Job 13:15.

The King's Commands. Verses 19-25

Verse 19 - Heat up the Furnace. This was a common practice by Babylonians. See Jeremiah 29:22

Verses 20-23 - Cast into the furnace.

Verse 24 - The King's Astonishment.

Verse 25 - The King's Confession. "the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

The Deliverance and Exaltation. Verses 26-30

Verse 26 - Out of the Furnace. Isaiah 43:1-5

Verse 27 - The Miraculous Deliverance. Not a hair singed, not even the smell of smoke.

Verses 28-29 - God is the LORD. Nebuchadnezzar is impressed with God. He is religious.

Real Baptists are not in favor of what the king did. Enforced religion is not what God teaches. The State does not have the favor of God in enforcing a religion. Separation of the State from imposing its values and guidelines on the church is something that Baptists have always advocated. This is fundamental principle taught in God's word, and it was something that our founding fathers built into the constitution.

The State has two responsibilities:

Protect the citizens.

Make, enforce and carry out the laws of the land.

Verse 30 - The Promotion. Hebrews 11:34

There are many prophetic types and figures in Daniel three.

Daniel was not present. Christians will not be here when Daniel's 70th week occurs.

Nebuchadnezzar is a type of the coming Antichrist.

There will be a great image to worship during the tribulation. Revelation 13

God will be defied by man in the Tribulation. Revelation 13:6

The furnace pictures the Great Tribulation through which the Jews will pass.
Matthew 24:21-22; Jeremiah 30:6; Ezekiel 22:17-22

The three Hebrew men picture the faithful Jewish remnant. Revelation 7:3-8; 14:1-5

Conviction Or Preference?
By Dr. David Gibbs founder of Christian Law Association
Daniel 3

The experience that these three young Hebrew men just went through as recorded in Chapter three illustrates for us the truth about convictions. They knew what they believed and nothing was going to change their mind about this subject. They were not going to bow down to that image no matter what. That is conviction. What are your convictions? Dr. David Gibbs preached a message several years ago which was recorded and written down in a little pamphlet. This information which I am handing out tonight was excerpted from that pamphlet.

More and more Christians are being forced to defend what they believe in the courts of America. Our religious freedoms are disappearing slowly but surely. More and more Christians are being asked to define what their convictions are in this matter of religion. The word conviction has been used to describe our beliefs as Christians. However,, the truth of the matter is that much of what we believe and practice is nothing more than preferences.

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This means that we are a nation with freedom of religion. However, can we do anything we like if we call it part of our religion? The courts have ruled that you may not do anything you like simply because it is a part of your religion. Many of those decisions we have applauded, denial of polygamy as a part of the Mormon church, denial of the use of illegal substances by Indians in their ceremonies, and denial of the JW's refusal to be vaccinated for smallpox. Yet, daily we are seeing litigated in the courts practices that come close to home, discipline of children, licensing of Christian schools, and hiring of those who do not believe the way that Christians should believe.

The courts have ruled that a church is a church because of its beliefs, and those believers who follow those beliefs. There is to be a gulf between the church and the state, and the state cannot force its controls and aims upon the church. But remember, this only applies to what the courts define as a church, then the courts have said that a person or church must be able to:

Verbalize those beliefs. In other words break them down and simply vocalize what you believe.

Have knowledge of those beliefs. You must be able to describe your beliefs clearly. It is not enough to say, I am a Christian, you must be able to tell what a Christian is in simple specific terms.

In 1972 the United States Supreme Court made a landmark decision classifying all religious beliefs as either a conviction or a preference. According to the Court, only convictions are covered by the First Amendment.

When is a belief a preference?

A belief may be strong and intense but it may still be nothing more than a preference.

We may make great sacrifices based upon our beliefs, go into full time service, contribute money, spend great time proselytizing others, etc., but these beliefs still may just be preferences and not convictions. You may even teach it to your children, but it still may only be a preference.

According to the Court if a belief can be changed it is merely a preference and is not protected by the First Amendment. We must learn to be sure about the difference between our convictions and our preferences. The courts may require that of you personally. Most Christians operate on the basis of preferences and have no real convictions today. A true conviction cannot be changed!

What could cause one to change his/her beliefs?

Peer Pressure - A preacher says, "This I believe..." but peer pressure is put upon him and he bends and changes his belief.

Family Pressure - Wives, or children, or parents cause you to change your beliefs. You started out believing one way but changed.

Litigation Pressure - A lawsuit or fear of a lawsuit may cause someone to change their beliefs. A preacher may say, "I'm for this, but not if I have to go to court over it."

Jail Pressure - Many good men have gone to jail rather than change their beliefs. A good indication that they had convictions. John Bunyan, Lester Roloff, Levi Whisner. How about this? Could you watch your wife or children go to jail for what you believe? If not, then you have preferences not convictions. Remember the First Amendment only pertains to convictions.

Death Pressure - There are many things in life worse than dying! Denying the Lord and having to live with that denial is worse than death.

Remember, the Court has decreed that a conviction is a belief that will not change under any circumstance. A conviction is God-ordered. A belief that is God ordered is a conviction. It cannot, it must not change! Our heroes in Daniel 3 knew and followed convictions. Notice four things about these three young men.

Convictions are purposed. You cannot create a conviction. It must come from God. It is a heart resolve that underlies you entire belief structure. Daniel 1:8 "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself."

It is not something you accidentally discover.

If you need other people to stand with you it is not a conviction.

A conviction is not influenced by others say or do. You determine it yourself as you are directed by God's word. All of the other Hebrews bowed - but not Hananiah, Mishael or Azariah. They stood tall.

Convictions are not negotiable. Daniel 3:15-18 The king gave them a second chance. Still there was no change in their beliefs.

Convictions have assurance of victory. They wouldn't bow, bend, or budge, regardless of whether they burned.

What is victory? Winning in the courts? Some have lost.

Victory is standing for your God- centered, Bible-based beliefs regardless of the cost or outcome.

Jesus has already won the victory. Stand in Him. The stand for right is always victorious regardless of the earthly outcome.

Convictions are lifestyles. If a person holds true to their beliefs, those beliefs will evidence themselves in a life which is consistent with those beliefs. Convictions control a person's life and the life that he lives. James 2:17-20 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" Here is a thought, Dr. Gibbs says this, "If you believe that something that you hold dear is a conviction then you must be prepared to say that the opposite of it must be sin."

Conclusions?

What are your bedrock convictions? They will determine your lifestyle.

What must we do?

Know your Bible and know your beliefs. Know what you believe!

Live a consistent lifestyle with your beliefs.

Stand on your convictions.

Recognize your preferences.

Conviction vs Preference-MP3 The message by Dr. David Gibbs of C.L.A.

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Four
Nebuchadnezzar's Dream And Its Interpretation
This chapter was actually written originally by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. God chose to place it in the canon of Scripture because of the lessons that we may learn from it. It is the account of Nebuchadnezzar's second dream. It records the dream, the interpretation, and the result of God working in the life of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel's testimony and the testimony of the three Hebrew young men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah undoubtedly influenced this great king towards God. The chapter may be outlined in six sections.

The King's Testimony. Verses 1-3 This is the King relating how he came to God.

Verse 1 - He addresses the testimony to all the world. He is not ashamed of what happened.

Verse 2 - He believes that good will come from what God allowed to happen to him.

Verse 3 - He praises God for His works and wonders.

The King's Dream. Verses 4-18

Verses 4-5 - Nebuchadnezzar has a dream.

Verses 6-7 - He requests help from the wise men of Babylon to help him with the interpretation. But they failed again.

Verses 8-18 - Daniel arrives on the scene again. The King knows that Daniel can help him and begins to relate the dream to him. The main elements of the dream are:

A great tree.

It provided refreshments and refuge to all who abided in it.

A "watcher" came down from heaven and cut the tree down.

He left the root intact though.

The stump became wet, and it was cast out to abide in the fields with the beasts.

Seven Times would pass, and the stump would give glory to God.

The Interpretation of the Dream. Verses 19-27

Verse 19 - Daniel is deeply distressed by the meaning of the dream.

Verses 20-22 - The great tree is symbolic of the King and his kingdom.

Verses 23-26 - The "watcher" and the "holy one" are messengers from God sent down to earth to humble the King by removing him from the leadership of the kingdom. This removal and humiliation will continue until the King gives God the glory.

Verse 27 - Daniel begs the King to repent and do right.

The King Doesn't Heed Daniel's warning. Verses 28-30

Verses 28-29 - Twelve months pass. God surely must have forgotten.

Verse 30 - Pride fills the King's heart.

Judgment Comes. Verses 31-33

Verses 31-32 - A voice from Heaven speaks.

Verse 33 - God's word comes to pass. A sure sign that Daniel is a prophet sent from God.
Deuteronomy 18:22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Nebuchadnezzar's Reason Returns. Verses 34-36. In these verses we see a sure sign that Nebuchadnezzar had come to salvation and had a spiritual understanding of God's majesty.

Nebuchadnezzar's Testimony. Verse 37 He gives us a three point outline in this verse.

God's Works are truth.

God's Ways are judgment.

Man who Walks in pride God will abase.
He dies shortly after this episode in his life, but I'm confident that we will be able to talk to him when we get to heaven.
Lessons to Learn from Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel and the Dream in Chapter 4:

When we run into trouble we should go to God for help. God should be our first choice.
Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

Truth must be delivered even if it hurts. Use tact but be truthful. Daniel knew that the truth would hurt, but he delivered the message honestly.
2Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.

God's word will come true exactly as He has decreed. Men may make fun and scoff at the word of God, but it is true and its prophecies will be fulfilled exactly.
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Pride is an abomination to God.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Proverbs 14:3 In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them. Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
1John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

A man must be lost before he can be saved.
John 9:39-41 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Five
We now run into one of the strange anomalies about the Bible. Not all of the Bible is written in direct chronological order. The events recorded in chapters 7 and 8 occur between chapters 4 and 5. See chapters 7:1 and 8:1. This is not the only book in which this occurs. The Book of Revelation is not written in chronological order either. Don't let this disturb you as it is God's Book and He has His reasons for guiding His men the way that He did in the writing of the Bible.

In this chapter, five, the co-king of Babylon is Belshazzar. He is referred to as the "son" of Nebuchadnezzar, which is often the way that the Bible refers to descendants of someone. cf. - Matthew and Luke's genealogies of Jesus. Belshazzar is actually the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. The actual lineage is:

King of Babylon

Length of Rule

End of Rule

Nebuchadnezzar 43 years dies in 562 B.C.

Evil-Merodach (2 Kings 25:27) (son of Nebuchadnezzar) 2 years assassinated in 560 B.C.

Neriglissar (Brother-in-law, wife was Nebuchadnezzar's daughter ) 6 years dies in 556 B.C.

Larorosoarchad (imbecile child) 9 months killed in 556 B.C.

Nabonidus (Marries Neriglissar's widow) 17 years Babylon falls under his reign.

Belshazzar (Son of Nabonidus) Co-regent with his father Nabonidus.

When Nabonidus leaves on a military expedition against Persia, he leaves Belshazzar in charge. Nabonidus is captured by the Persians and does not return to Babylon. Belshazzar is the only king in Babylon for a few months during his father's absence, therefore Daniel 5:7, 16, 29. He was a pleasure loving youth and was having a drunken orgy when the city was captured by Darius (a title similar to Pharaoh or Caesar) of the Medo-Persian Empire.

The chapter is divided into essentially five sections.

The Feast of the King. Verses 1-4

Verse 1 - The Contempt of the King. The city was under siege by the Persians. However, Belshazzar felt that the city was impregnable and therefore issues orders to have a party in contempt of the Persians.

Verses 2-3 - The Blasphemy of the King. He orders the Jew's sacred vessels to be used in the feast. They had captured these vessels about 60 years earlier when the Babylonians had conquered Jerusalem. This was a great mistake that provoked God to action and anger.

Verse 4 - The Drunken Party - Idolatry rules the scene.

The Fingers of God. Verse 5 God comes on the scene and writes on the wall with His hand. The King saw what was happening.

The Frightened King. Verses 6-16

Verse 6 - His knees started knocking.

Verses 7-8 - For the third time in Daniel we see the futility of man's wisdom. All of his counselors failed to be able to interpret the writing.

Verse 9 - The King is really astonished now. He doesn't know what to do.

Verses 10-12 - The Queen's wisdom and Counsel. This is Nabonidus' wife. She was not at the feast, but came into the room. She remembered Daniel and knew that he could interpret the writing. She may have been a godly woman.

Verse 13 -Daniel is summoned. The King inquires of him and his background.

Verses 14-16 - The King tells Daniel the story of the writing and the failure of his magicians to be able to interpret the writing. He then promises to make Daniel the third ruler of the kingdom if he can interpret the writing on the wall.

The Faithful Messenger Daniel - Verses 17-28

Verse 17 - Daniel's Disdain of the King's Gifts. Daniel tells the King to keep his gifts. Notice how Daniel talks to this King. Not the same way that he talked to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel obviously knew how wicked this man was and was not impressed with his ways. Daniel also probably knew that Babylon was about to fall and that he would have no need of the King's gifts.

Verses 18-21 - Daniel's History Lesson. He recounts what had happened in the kingdom to Belshazzar's father (grandfather). We see what men learn from history - nothing usually.

Verses 22-24 - Daniel's Rebuke of the King. In spite of what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar had not humbled his heart. Therefore God's judgment was coming. Robert Sargent says that Daniel's sermon was Pointed, Plain, and Personal.

Verses 25-28 - The Message from God.

Mene = Numbered

Mene = Numbered

Tekel = Weighed

Upharsin = and divided (Peres is the singular of Pharsin)

The King Fulfills His Promise and God Fulfills His. Verses 29-31

Verse 29 - Daniel is made the Third Ruler. He rules for maybe an hour. Shortest reign in History?

Verses 30-31 - Babylon falls October 13, 569 B.C. The Persians diverted the river and then sent about a third of their army by the way of the river bed under the wall and attacked the drunken Babylonians and conquered them.

Prophecies found in Jeremiah 50, 51 and Isaiah 13, 21 and 44 were fulfilled.
Jeremiah 50

The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.

Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.

For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.

A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.

The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.

Jeremiah 51

The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.

One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,

And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Six
President at 90
Blandina was a young Christian woman of the early Second Century who was taken to the Roman amphitheater to be fed to wild beasts. The beasts refused to dine upon her not once but three times, and finally she was taken out, tortured, and killed by her captors. Her only crime? She was a follower of Jesus Christ. Over the centuries many Christians have been treated just like her. Most of them perished although a few were delivered. God is the One Who ultimately decides who survives and who does not. But regardless of whether we live or die we have the opportunity to bring honor to God in all of our circumstances.

Here in chapter 6 Daniel is given the opportunity to bring glory to God in the lion's den. The new king of the Medo-Persian empire was pleased with Daniel's testimony and had made him the President of all the presidents and princes. This obviously did not set well with the others. A Hebrew slave over them? The old green eyed monster "jealousy" rises up and sets in motion a plan to kill Daniel. Since they could find no fault in Daniel's character by which to trap him they devised a plan to trap him exploiting his faith in God.

A Preferred Leader. Verses 1-3

Verse 1 - Darius, the king of the Medes, organizes the new kingdom and sets up 120 leaders.

Verse 2 - Over them he sets up 3 presidents that report directly to him.

Verse 3 - He sets Daniel up as the chief President. Daniel is about 90 years of age and is still serving God faithfully. "...an excellent spirit was in him;"

The Profession of Daniel. Verses 4-5

Verse 4 - He still has a good testimony - Daniel's practice matched his profession. "...but they could find none occasion nor fault..."

Verse 5 - Daniel's faithfulness was used to trap him. The presidents and princes didn't believe that God was real.

The Petition of the Presidents and Princes. Verses 6-9

Verse 6 - They addressed King Darius as usual.

Verse 7 - They lied to the King. "All the presidents..." They also appealed to his vanity and pride.
Beware of vanity and pride. Proverbs 11:21; Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 29:23 - A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Verse 8 - They demanded that the king sign the petition. One part of their law was that once the king signed a decree it could not be changed. The king's pride had blinded his judgment and wisdom.

Verse 9 - The king signs the decree not realizing how it would affect Daniel.

The Prayer of Daniel. Verse 10

It was purposeful. He gave thanks

It was in a set place.

It was persistent.

It had a set position.

It was pointed.

It had a pattern.

The Perverseness of the Princes. Verses 11-13

Verse 11 - They knew Daniel's habit patterns and gathered together to listen for his prayer. Sure enough, just like they had planned, they found him praying.

Verse 12 - They run to the king and remind him of his petition. The king answers that he remembers the petition and reaffirms that the decree cannot be changed.

Verse 13 - "Guess what King, Daniel has been praying three times a day!"

The Perturbed King. Verses 14-20

Verse 14 - The king was upset, not so much with the princes, but with himself for not seeing through the initial deception. He was upset at those princes too, as we shall see later. The king labors hard to try to find a legal way to deliver Daniel from the penalty.

Verse 15 - The king is prodded into carrying out the penalty. These men don't know it but they are dealing with God here, and they will regret their actions. Often times we forget that, God is real, and He will act in our behalf. We are not just playing at religion. We are involved with the God of the Universe, and no one pulls the wool over His eyes! This is what is wrong with society today; there is no indication of the reality of God in the lives of His children. Hypocrites in the church deny the reality of God, if God is not real to those who attend church, why should the world think that He is real? How do you prove to your friends, neighbors and relatives that God is real? John 3:33

Verses 16-17 - The king's belief in God. He must have been really impressed with Daniel's God. The den is sealed with the king's signet and the lord's signet. They must have insisted on a double sealing. This certainly was a slap in the king's face. No natural way for Daniel's escape. "But God..."

Verse 18 - The king can't sleep so he fasts the night away. This king has a real compassionate spirit in him.

Verses 19-20 - He waits impatiently for the morning and then runs to the lion's den. His lament reveals some of his doubts.

The Power of God Revealed. Verses 21-23

Verses 21-22 - The Creator of the lions is their Controller also. God sends His angel (I believe this was Jesus) to protect Daniel.

Verse 23 - The king was "exceeding glad." I know some princes that weren't! However, the penalty had been paid. The penalty was to be cast into the den of lions not to be eaten by the lions. Therefore, the penalty was paid in full. This reminds us of Jesus paying the penalty in full for us.

The Punishment of the Princes. Verse 24 - Persian custom was that families should share in the punishment of evil. The Law of Moses forbids this. Deuteronomy 24:16; 2 Kings 14:6, also see Galatians 6:7.

The Prospering of Daniel. Verses 25-28

Verse 25 - The king writes another decree. It would be good if it was followed today. However, again we are reminded that a king establishing a state religion is not of God. Our experiences with God must be voluntary and not forced by the state. It's a matter of our heart not the state.

Verses 26-27 - The elements of the decree include a great testimony to God. "He is the living God..." far different from the gods of the nations around them. Daniel's God is a God that is real.

Verse 28 - Daniel continues to prosper because he is faithful. According to historians not long after this Darius the Mede died, and then Cyrus became the sole king of the Medo-Persian Empire. This is just as Daniel prophesied in Chapter 2.

What if you were going to be punished for your Christianity?
Would you stand or would you fail God?

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Seven
We now return in time to the period between Daniel chapters four and five. We also leave the primary historical portion of Daniel and begin the prophetic portion. In the remaining six chapters in Daniel we will see prophecies made by Daniel that are absolutely breathtaking. There is no way that Daniel or any human being could make these prophecies with any degree of accuracy, yet they are made, and they are minutely accurate. The prophetic utterances found in Daniel and the word of God could not have been fulfilled unless God was behind them. Daniel is one of those books that contains many prophecies that come true literally to the details and the day. That is why the book of Daniel has been vehemently attacked by critics. However, we have learned what to do with critics. Ignore them. They display their ignorance of God's word by their criticisms. They also give us an indication of their destiny if they don't change their beliefs. Now in Daniel so far we have seen Daniel interpret some visions that men have had of some beasts. These beasts were viewed from man's point of view. They were great in splendor, power and wealth. Now we will look at them as Daniel sees them, from God's point of view, and they are spoken of as vicious beasts which use brute force to achieve their aims.

Daniel's Vision Introduced - Verses 1-2 "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea."

The Year of the Vision - Probably about year 553 B.C. The first year of Belshazzar's reign.

The Place of the Vision - Upon Daniel's bed at night.

The Elements of the Vision -

"...the four winds of the heaven..." Could mean:

The Providential hand of God? Psalm 75:7

The Angels of God? Daniel 10

The Powers of the Air? Ephesians 6:12

"...the great sea."

This could mean the Mediterranean Sea? Joshua 1:4

The restless mass of humanity? Isaiah 7:12-13, 57:20; Matthew 13:47; Revelation 13:1; 17:1,15; Daniel 7:17

The Four Beasts of the Vision. = Represent kings or kingdoms. Verses 3-8, 15-17.

The Lion with Eagles wings. Verse 4 - "The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it."

Babylon? - Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom and those that followed him. 606-538 B.C.

In the ruins of Babylon they have found numerous winged lion sphinxes.

The Beast like a bear. - Verse 5 - "And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh."

The Medo-Persian empire? Persia being the stronger of the two. 538-332 B.C.

A bear is huge and relatively slow moving. It conquers by crushing.

The Winged Four-headed Leopard - Verse 6 - "After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it."

The Grecian Empire headed by Alexander the Great? 332-323 B.C.

His Empire was swift and powerful and was divided into four kingdoms, Thrace, Macedonia, Syria and Egypt.

The Monster - Verse 7 - "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; (there is a great parenthesis in time here representing this present age) and it had ten horns."

No name for this beast, just a description. Dreadful, terrible, strong exceeding, diverse, iron teeth with ten horns. Is this the Roman Empire or maybe something else - could it be Islam?

The Ten horns are future and represent a ten nation confederacy yet to be established.

Verse 8 - "I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things."

This verse has yet to be fulfilled.

This "little horn" is a king - Verse 24

It is a person - Verse 25

Gives us more information that found in Daniel 2.

Powerful -

Blasphemous -

This is the anti-Christ. - Revelation 17 - We will say much more about this person later.

The Judgments Spoken of in the Vision. - Verses 9, 12, 26.

Verse 9 - "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire."

"...thrones cast down..." symbolic of judgment. The overthrowing of power.

"...Ancient of days" = God - Verse 13

Reminds us of the description of Jesus in Revelation 1:12-15.

Verses 10-11, 26 - Details of the Judgment. "A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame."
Verse 26 "But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end."

The "fiery stream" = The power of God

The millions present.

"...the books were opened..." - God has recorded the deeds of all lost men for judgment.

"...the voice of the great words which the horn spake..." The Anti-Christ still rebels against God.

He will be destroyed.

God's Great Kingdom. Verses 13, 14, & 27

Verse 13 - The Son of Man. This is of course a reference to Jesus Christ. "Ancient of Days" is a reference to God the Father. John 10:30

Verse 14 - Jesus is given the Kingdom. This is the millennial kingdom that He will rule over with a rod of iron right after the tribulation period.

Verse 27 - The Saints will Rule with Him.

Further Revelations about the Coming Kingdom. Verses 15-28

Verse 15 - Daniel's Consternation over these Revelations.

Verse 16 - Angelic help in understanding

Verse 17 - The Key to Understanding the Vision.

Verse 18 - The Promise of Ultimate Victory for the Saints.

Verses 18-25 - More Details of the Fourth Beast. Verse 7 has already given many details but more are added here.

Of a Unique nature. The others will pass away shortly. Not this one. It continues for a long time.

Dreadful, terrible, teeth of iron, etc.

Out of this kingdom will arise the Anti-Christ.

Wars against the Saints. Notice that he is persistent. Verses 21 and 25.

Not afraid to speak against God.

Will have great power for a period of time. Verse 25.

He will be overpowered by Jesus. Verses 22a, 26.

Verse 27 - The Final Glorious Kingdom of Christ.

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Eight
This chapter goes on to describe a vision, not a dream as before, that Daniel had in the third year of Belshazzar's reign. What Daniel describes in this chapter gives us additional prophecies concerning the nations of Media-Persia, and Greece. Beginning in this chapter we switch back to the Hebrew language and leave the Aramaic. So we see a shifting away from Gentile associations to the nation of Israel. The key to the vision is given in Daniel 8:19-22:

Daniel's Vision - Verses 1-2

Verse 1 - The time of the vision was in the 3rd of Belshazzar's reign.

Verse 2 - The place where he received the vision.

Details of Daniel's Vision. Verses 3-12

Verse 3 - The Ram. - Has two horns, one higher that the other. Perfectly matched to the actual nations of Media and Persia. Conquers in three directions.

Verse 4 - The Power of the Ram. - "neither was there any that deliver out of his hand;"

Verse 5 - The He Goat. - Trouble on the horizon. The Greek nation begins its rise to power.

Verses 6-7 - The He Goat Conquers. - With swiftness, power and anger Alexander of Greece conquers the Ram and the rest of the known world. In 334 B.C. Alexander crossed the Hellespont, and with a vastly inferior army in numbers and in position, defeated the armies of Darius III at the battle of Granicus. One year later he defeated Darius III's armies again at the Battle of Issus, and one year later, in a final humiliating battle, he defeats Darius himself at the lead of an army of over 1 million men at the battle of Arbela. Darius was assassinated, and Alexander and the forces of Greece became the leading world power.

Verses 8-9 - The He Goat is Divided. Greece loses Alexander at the height of his power, and about 20 years later after much squabbling, his kingdom is divided among his four generals.

Cassandra.............Macedonia

Lysimachus.........Thrace

Seleucus..............Syria (The Little Horn is Antiochus IV, Epiphanes)

Ptolemy...............Egypt

Daniel's Vision of the Desecration. Verses 13-14

Verse 13- The Question. How long will the sanctuary and host be under foot? Antiochus was a murderous beast of a ruler. One time he ordered the murder of 40,000 Jews just because he was angry over a lost battle with an Egyptian army.

Verse 14 - The Answer. For 2300 days. God allowed this to go on for a specified length of time.

The Fulfillment - It was exactly 2300 days from the murder of Onias the High Priest of Israel to the death of Antiochus IV, "Epiphanes" which means "The Glorious One".

The Law of Double Reference. This is the Bible principle whereby there is sometimes a future fulfillment of verses under consideration. See:

Ezekiel 28 - The King of Tyrus - This also refers to Satan.

Hosea 11:1 - This refers to Israel, but it also refers to God's son Jesus.

Jeremiah 50 and 51 - This refers to Israel being overthrown by Babylon and Persia, but it also has a future fulfillment during the time of the Great Tribulation.

There are many others like these, you should get the idea.

Future Fulfillment of Daniel's Prophecies. (We have already discussed verses 19-22 so we will go on to verse 23 and following.) Verses 23-26 These particular verses refer to Antiochus IV, but they also are predictions about the antichrist who is spoken of in the book of Revelation. How do they refer to the antichrist?

In Verse 23 he is spoken of as a king.

In Verse 23 he is described as being very intelligent with possible occultic powers.

In Verse 24 he gets his power from Satan.

In Verse 25 he is a master of deceit, will exalt himself, will oppose Jesus and will bring a false peace.

In Verse 25 he will be destroyed supernaturally.

It is obvious that this wicked king is described here so that we might get a picture of the coming antichrist.

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Nine
This is one of the most important and exciting chapters in the entire word of God. It contains Daniel's vision of the "Seventy Weeks of Years." We will see that this vision is arguably the most important single prophecy in the word of God concerning future events for the Nation of Israel and even the world. It gives us specific details concerning God's plan for Israel. Many have called this chapter "The Backbone of Bible Prophecy."

Much of the information in this study of chapter 9 comes from the book by Sir Robert Anderson called "The Coming Prince." His book has been attacked and vilified by infidels, agnostics and other dimwits for years but has never been successfully refuted.

The Time of the Chapter - Verse 1 - The first year of Darius was 538 BC. So the dreams and the visions of Daniel 5, 8, 9 and maybe 6 all took place all in the same. year. Daniel was a busy man. So he was studying the Bible, at least what Scriptures that he had available. He certainly had the writings of Jeremiah available. Jeremiah 36 indicates that, although the Jewish leaders rejected the Scriptures, many of the Jews accepted them as authoritative.

The Study of the Scriptures. Verse 2 - Daniel was studying them carefully to try to discover more about what God was doing with Israel. There was great political upheaval as Babylon had fallen, and it appeared to Daniel that God was about to visit His people. Jeremiah 29:10 It must have been an exciting time in Daniel's life. What did he do? He went to the Bible to find out answers. Just what we should do!! What did he find out from the Scriptures?

70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem would be accomplished. It had been 68 years so there was only two years to go from Daniel's perspective.

Jerusalem was to be rebuilt very soon. Isaiah 44:28 Cyrus was King of Persia.

They were in the Second of Four great Empires.

The Beginning of Daniel's Prayer for The People of Israel - Verses 3-4. Perfectly normal behavior for Daniel - Prayer.

The Right Direction - "And I set my face unto the Lord God,"

The Right Aim - "to seek by prayer and supplications,"

The Right Attitude - "with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:"

The Right Address - "O Lord, the great and dreadful God,"

Daniel's Penitence and Petition to God. - Verses 5-15

True humility. Notice the pronouns "we" and "us."

Real Confession of sin. Acceptance of responsibility and agreeing with God as to our sin and need of forgiveness.

Disobedience of God's word.

Daniel's Request - Verses 16-19.

Forgiveness - "O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive;"

Restoration - "O Lord, hearken and do;"

Why? Because of God's Mercies. "defer not, for thine own sake,"

Daniel's Prayer is Interrupted by the angel Gabriel. Verses 20-23

Three Main Angels are mentioned in Scripture:

Lucifer - Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28

Michael - Daniel 10:13, 21 and 12:1

Gabriel - Daniel 8:16; 9:21 and Luke 1:19, 26.

Several things about this appearance of Gabriel:

Appears as a man. We are reminded again that angels always appear as men, not as blonde, longhaired females.

Capable of flying very swiftly.

Name means "strong one of the strong God."

Brought an important message to earth. The interpretation of the vision.

During the "evening oblation."" It has been about 38 years since the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, yet Daniel's habit pattern has remained the same. He has stayed faithful.

Daniel's Seventy Weeks. Verses 24-27

Five Important Principles to Remember:

Verse 24 - Gives us an overview. Part of this prophecy is general and part is specific.

The Seventy Weeks are 70 weeks of years.

70 x 7 days = 490 days. The events described herein could not occur in just 490 days.

They could not refer to 70 years as the 70 years of captivity prophesied by Jeremiah was about over.

The word seventy comes from a word that means groups of sevens like our word dozen or our words decade or millennium.

In Numbers 14:34 we see the same kind of usage mentioned.

God has dealt with Israel like this before:

Abraham to Canaan............490 years

Joshua to the Kingdom.....490 years

David to the captivity........490 years

A prophetic year is 360 days.

Compare Genesis 7:11 with Genesis 8:3-4. (5 months = 150 days).

Compare Revelation 12:6 with Revelation 13:5. (42 Months is equal to 1260 days).

Our Julian calendar has 365¼ days in a year.

The Jews used a lunisolar calendar of 12 months of 29½ days or 354 days. Theirs was very complicated. They actually had 12 months of 29 and 30 days alternatively with a 30 day leap month added every 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 11th year of a 19 year cycle.

The 70 weeks of years fits prophetically perfectly as we shall see.

Four groups or individuals are mentioned.

Thy people = Israel - verse 24

Messiah the Prince = Jesus Christ - Verse 25

The people of the coming prince = The Roman people - Verse 26

The prince that shall come = The Antichrist - Verse 26

Eight events are mentioned.

Verse 25 - "...the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem..." It is from this point that the 70 weeks of years are to begin. There are four decrees by kings that could have been this statement.

Cyrus' Decree in 536 BC - Ezra 1:1-4; 2 Chronicles 36:22-23
Note that this decree was to rebuild the temple not the city.

Darius' Decree in 519 BC - Ezra 6:1-12
This was just a reaffirmation of Cyrus' decree.

Artaxerxes' Decree in 457 BC. - Ezra 7:11-22
This was a decree that only deals with the purchases of sacrifices for the temple.

Artaxerxes Longimanus' Decree in 445 BC - Nehemiah 2:1-8
This is the decree by which the 70 weeks are reckoned. This date has been determined to be 14th day of March, 445 BC. The day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem was April 2. AD 30. We have already learned that a prophetic year is 360 days. In solar years the time between these two dates is 476 years.

Multiply by 365 (a solar year) = 173,740 days.

Add 119 days for leap years 119 days.

Add for the time between 14th of March and the 2nd of April = 20 days.

Total 173,879 days

Divide by 360 (prophetic year instead of solar year) = 483 years.

Daniel's 69 weeks of years. 69 x 7 = 483 years.

Verse 25 - "...the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." We read of this being fulfilled in Nehemiah.

Verse 26 - "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off," This is an obvious reference to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.

Cut off = sudden death.

not for himself = His death was for others not Himself.

Verse 26 - "...the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary..."

the people of the prince that shall come - Satan's emissaries.

the city and the sanctuary is to be destroyed - fulfilled in AD 70 by the Roman Emperor Titus.

Verse 26 - "...and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined..." is a reference to the continuous troubles that Israel experiences over the next 2000 years.

Verse 27 - "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:"

This speaks of the peace that "he," the anti-Christ, will attempt to make with Israel at the start of the Tribulation. He will attempt to establish a covenant (promise, agreement) with Israel.

Secondly this gives us the time - "...one week," again a reference to 7 years.

Daniel 11:39-43 indicates that the "glorious land" will be involved. Israel has been promised by God to that nation since Genesis 12, 13, 15 and 17. this has been the problem since then. The descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs, believe that the "land" belongs to them. Israel knows that it was promised to the descendants of Isaac. This is what all of the hatred in the Middle East is about. Who gets the "glorious land?"

Verse 27 - "and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate..." In the middle of the week, 3 � years, the Antichrist will break off the covenant, stop the sacrifices, and declare himself as God. This abomination is described in Matthew 24:15, Daniel 11:36, and Revelation 13.

Verse 27 - "...even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." The consummation involves the judgment of the antichrist (Revelation 19:20), the anointing of the Most Holy (Isaiah 9:7), and the establishment of Everlasting Righteousness (Revelation 20:2).

There is a gap in time between the 69th and 70th week. This is what none of the prophets understood. The 70th week is yet to come. It has not been fulfilled. It will be fulfilled during the Tribulation Period when God begins to deal with Israel once more.
Why do we know this? There are several reasons:

The consummation has not occurred, everlasting righteousness has not been brought in, and the city was destroyed in AD 70.

This gap is in keeping with several other gaps separated by nothing but a comma. One is the time gap found between the "acceptable year of the LORD" and the "day of vengeance of our God" in Isaiah 61:2. Compare to Jesus' reading in Luke 4:16-21.

God prophetic clock stopped with the "cutting off" of the Messiah.

Daniel's 70th week is the only part of the prophecy yet to be fulfilled. All of the rest of the prophecies were fulfilled literally.

Daniel was told to seal up the prophecies of this book, but in Revelation 5 the sealed book is opened.

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Ten
Verse 1 "In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision."

The time frame for this chapter is found in Ezra 1-4. It is about 534 B.C. since Babylon fell in 536 B.C. Daniel has been in captivity for many years now and is a fairly old man. Both of his names are used here which has confounded the critics for a long time. However, if you notice the past tense "was" is used in mentioning his Babylonian name.

Verses 2 and 3 - Daniel's Mourning Period of Three Weeks

Why did Daniel mourn? Robert Sargent, of Bible Baptist Publications, Oak Harbor, WA gives these four possibilities.

Because of the apathy of the Jews who were in captivity. Only a relative few of the Jews returned to help rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Ezra 2

Because Daniel could not return to help with the rebuilding.

Because of the reports of opposition during the rebuilding. Ezra 4

Because of the lack of understanding by Daniel about the many details of the vision.

Daniel's Response to His Consternation - He fasted and prayed. Verses 4-6 The Description of the Person

The Place - Near the river Hiddekel (Tigris). (Not the same river that is mentioned in Genesis 2.

The Person - Obviously a Pre-incarnate Vision of Jesus Christ.

The Preeminence - This description of the Person is obviously designed to emphasize His Deity. Reminds us of the description of the Lord in:
Revelation 1:12-16 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Daniel's Exhaustion Verses 7-9
One of the most strenuous exercises that one can engage in is spiritual warfare. Daniel was experiencing this at the age of about 90. It is no wonder that he is exhausted.

The Next Man Verses 10-12
This appears to be another personage rather than the one spoken of in verses 5-6. Daniel 12:5 indicates that there are several spiritual beings in contact with Daniel. This is similar to the episode in Genesis 18. Who is this being? We do not know for sure but it could be Gabriel.

Spiritual Opposition Verses 13-15

The prince of the kingdom of Persia. A powerful spiritual being withstood God's messenger to Daniel for a period of 21 days.

Michael came to help. One who is described in Jude 9 as "Michael the archangel."

Spiritual Warfare. This passage reminds us of the great spiritual warfare that we are involved.
Ephesians 6:10-20; Job 1:6-1; 2 Corinthians 10:4-6, 11:13-16.

Spiritual Help Verses 16-19

Verse 16. We are not in this battle alone. God will always provide us with the help that we need at just the right time.

Verses 17-18 - Daniel strengthened.

The Angel's Mission Verse 20-21

Fight with the prince of Persia. This is the evil spirit that is opposed to God. Note verse 13

Reveal the scriptures to Daniel. Note what was to be revealed to Daniel is called the "scripture of truth."

Helped by Michael. Note verse 13 also, "one of the chief princes."
Michael - "who is like God" "one of, the chief, or the first archangel who is described as the one who stands in time of conflict for the children of Israel." Strong's concordance. (There are eleven Michaels mentioned in scripture) This one is a warrior angel, and may even be the leader of the hosts of God. He may even be the one spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:"

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Eleven
This chapter has so many detailed and intricate prophecies in it that it is often misunderstood and passed up by many preachers. It would be almost impossible to just listen to the chapter read and keep the details sorted out in your mind. Again, Robert Sargent in his excellent study on Daniel is the source for much of this information. However, there are several keys which will us help to arrive at an better understanding of this chapter. They are as follows:

It is divided into four main sections:

Verses 1-4 serve as an introduction by Gabriel. He is the angel that was speaking at the end of chapter 10. His conversation continues on in this chapter. Remember, chapters 10, 11, and 12 are to be viewed as one episode in the life of Daniel. He relates to Daniel that he is going to give him the truth about coming events.

Verses 5-20 speak of the wars between two of the four kingdoms that resulted from the breakup of Alexander the Great's kingdom. These verses were fulfilled to the smallest details by the Ptolemaic and Seleucid dynasties that warred for about 150 years.

Verses 21-35 speak of the activities of Antiochus IV Epiphanes - one of the most evil kings of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

Verses 36-45 speak of the coming kingdom of the antichrist. These verses have not yet been fulfilled, but they will be during the time of Jacob's trouble, Daniel's 70th week. This will occur shortly after the rapture of the church which is spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4. I believe that that event is not too far away.

Understand The Persons and Places.

"...the glorious land." - The land is Israel or Palestine. The "land" was located between the Northern and Southern kingdoms of the split Grecian kingdom. Therefore, the armies that were at war traveled back and forth through Israel and often used the people of Israel as a punching bag or as a means of releasing frustrations and anger over their losses. Scofield's apt description was "between the anvil and the hammer." Jerusalem is the reference point for all directions. North is north of Jerusalem. South is south of Jerusalem.

The King of the North. - (Seleucid) This is largest of the four kingdoms and is the general area that we know today as Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and runs all the way to India and near western China. This is area is north and east of Jerusalem. Some of the kings were, Seleucus, Seleucus I Nicator, Seleucus Callinucus, Seleucus III Ceranus (225-223 B.C.), Antiochus III the Great (223-187 B.C.), Seleucus IV Philopater (187-175 B.C.) and Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

The other two kingdoms, run by Lysimachus and Cassander and their successors, were much smaller and were north/northwest of Jerusalem

The King of the South. (Ptolemaic) - This is the next largest of the kingdoms and is the general area that we know today as Egypt and maybe some of Arabia. These are some of the kings of this are which is south of Jerusalem. Ptolemy I Soter (323-285 B.C.), Ptolemy II Philadelphia (285-246 B.C.), Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-221 B.C.), Ptolemy IV Philopater (222-203 B.C.), Ptolemy V Epiphanes, and Ptolemy Philometor.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes - Verses 21-35. - He is described as "...a vile person" in verse 21. He is a type or a figure of the antichrist that will arise and is described in verses 36-45. It is during his reign that the Jewish Maccabean family led the Jews in rebellion against him. Josephus, the Jewish historian, has much to say about the heroic exploits of these courageous men and their troops. Scofield has a note in his reference Bible (pages 985-986) about this inter-testamental period giving some broad details of the era.

The Antichrist "king." Verses 36-45. The description of this "king" is a prophetic description of the antichrist who will arise and attempt to overthrow the Lord and His nation of Israel in the "...time of Jacob's trouble." This time is known as Daniel's 70th week which we studied in chapter 9. Verses 36-39 describe the antichrist in great detail and supplement what we have already learned about him in chapter 9. Verses 40-45 tell of what he will do during his attempt to rule the world from Israel. In these last verses we read of three great battles. One will fulfill the prophecies of Ezekiel 38 and 39. It is not clear as to the details of the second battle but may be spoken of in Revelation 16:12-16. The Final battle will be where the antichrist will be defeated. Revelation 19;11-21, and Zechariah 14:2-7

It Covers Many Years. Since this prophecy covers many years, the various times that the expressions, "king of the south" and "king of the north" refers to many different kings. In order to see exactly what happened and how detailed Daniel predicts the events, one must coordinate the events of history with the verses of Daniel 11. It has been done and the amazing details confirm clearly that Daniel was in touch with the Lord. This is why the skeptics cannot accept the book, they leave out the God of heaven and earth. Daniel 2:28 "There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets..."

Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chapter Twelve
This chapter finishes up Daniel's vision that we have been discussing in the last two chapters. There are three main themes to this chapter-the Tribulation, the books, and the Resurrections.

The Tribulation - Verses 1, 5-7.

Verse 1 - "And at that time..." This is a continuation of chapter 11. It is at the time of the end of the present age.

Verse 1 - "...shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:" This great being will lead the armies of God into battle against the Devil and his armies. This One is a great leader of the people of Israel.

Verse 1 - "...and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time:" This is the time known as Jacob's trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), great tribulation (Matthew 24:21, Revelation 2:22 and 7:14).

Verse 1 - "...and at that time thy people shall be delivered..." The nation of Israel will be delivered at the end, and then will be established in their land. This is in keeping with God's promise to His people today that we will be delivered from the judgment of god. We will not go through the tribulation; we will be delivered from God's wrath. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 There are several reasons why I don't believe that we will go through the tribulation:

There is no church mentioned in Revelation 4:3 - Revelation 19.

The Great Tribulation is where God refines and perfects the nation of Israel.
Ezekiel 20:34-38. 22:19-22; Isaiah 66:7-8; Hosea 3:4-5 and Zechariah 13:8-9, 12:10, 14:2-3.

The church is being perfected now, not in the tribulation. Ephesians 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." We will be presented to Jesus before the tribulation without spot or blemish.

The antichrist will not be revealed until the Holy Spirit is taken away.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way."

Verse 1 "...every one that shall be found written in the book." This is of course the book of life.
Philippians 4:3, Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, and Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Saved Jew and Gentile shall be written in the book of life. However, this is a different book that the one mentioned in verse 4.

Verse 2 "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."
This verse introduces us to the fact that there are several resurrections. Two are mentioned here but in fact there are several more.

The first one mentioned here is the resurrection of the just. "...some to everlasting life," 1 Corinthians 15:51-51; 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

The other one is the resurrection of the unjust. "... and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Luke 16:22-23; Revelation 20:5, 13

Jesus was resurrected from the dead. Matthew 28:5-6 "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

There was a resurrection of some Old Testament Saints right near the end of the crucifixion. Matthew 27:52-53 "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

There will be a resurrection during the tribulation of the two witnesses. Revelation 11:11

There will be resurrection of saints during the tribulation. Revelation 6:9, 7:13-14

There has already been a spiritual resurrection of those of us who have been born again.
Ephesians 2:6 "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"

Verse 3 "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."
This verse's primary application is to the Jew who refuses to bow under the heel of the oppressors. Many have resisted unto death over the years and this verse indicates that they will have a heavenly reward. However, a secondary application has been made to those who tell others about Jesus and see them respond by getting saved. It is the soulwinner's verse.

Verses 4, 8-12 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. ...8-12 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
These verses are a reference to the end times and in particular the book of Revelation. Daniel is a "sealed" book until you get to the Revelation. We will see how much it helps to understand Daniel when we get into our study. cf. Revelation 5:1-7, and Revelation 22:10
Not much is understood about the days mentioned here. There have been several try to give us their views, but I don't understand the extra days. However, we can be sure that Jesus Christ is going to come back and reign for a 1000 years.

Verse 13 "But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."
Daniel is told to go and be faithful. And we can be sure that he did. He is also promised a reward.

Bibliography

The following books were studied in the preparation of this outline. An attempt was made to be original in the final drafting of the study, but if one or more of the authors recognizes their material in the study, thank you for your contributions.I have tried to identify and give each author his due, but I'm sure I could have been more specific. Everything that I have learned I have learned through the Holy Spirit, His Book and the writing of others. I thank each of them for their contribution to this study of Daniel.

Anderson, Sir Robert, The Coming Prince, Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel 1967
Gibbs, D., Conviction or Preference,
Larkin, C., Dispensational Truth, Philadelphia: Larkin Estate
Pentecost, J.D. Things to Come, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1973
Ruckman, P.S. The Book of Revelation, Pensacola, FL: Pensacola Bible Press, 1970
Sargent, R.J. Outline Studies in the Book of Daniel, Oak Harbor, WA: Bible Baptist Church Publications: 1997

There are many other good studies that have been done on the Book of Daniel that you may refer to. Those listed above and others that you may find are not all true to the word of God (KJV 1611) in all respects. We take what good we can find and grow thereby. Robert E. Bliss, Th.D.

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King of Babylon	Length of Rule	End of Rule
Nebuchadnezzar	43 years	dies in 562 B.C.
Evil-Merodach (2 Kings 25:27) (son of Nebuchadnezzar)	2 years	assassinated in 560 B.C.
Neriglissar (Brother-in-law, wife was Nebuchadnezzar's daughter )	6 years	dies in 556 B.C.
Larorosoarchad (imbecile child)	9 months	killed in 556 B.C.
Nabonidus (Marries Neriglissar's widow)	17 years	Babylon falls under his reign.
Belshazzar (Son of Nabonidus) Co-regent with his father Nabonidus.

Multiply by 365 (a solar year) =	173,740 days.
Add 119 days for leap years	119 days.
Add for the time between 14th of March and the 2nd of April =	20 days.
Total	173,879 days
Divide by 360 (prophetic year instead of solar year) =	483 years.
Daniel's 69 weeks of years. 69 x 7 =	483 years.