INTRODUCTION: The Book of Daniel is unique among the prophetic books of Scripture in that it is the only Book that gives us a comprehensive and chronological view of God s plan for the nations and for Israel It is history written in advance and a good deal of the history written in Daniel is still in the future The most famous of which is the 70 th week of Daniel The Book of Daniel was written by Daniel himself Because he writes about the fall of Babylon and the events following, he probably lived in Babylon from 605 until 535 B.C. He was one of the first round of captives taken to Babylon He was young, good looking, mentally sharp and from nobility He must have been a strong young man when He was taken because he lives throughout the Babylonian Empire into the Persian Empire Some believe he would have been taken captive at the age of 15 We do know he was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel in fact Ezekiel mentions Daniel by name Though the Book of Daniel contains some of the most prophetic portions of scripture in the Bible, the Jews did not consider it a prophetic book Rather it is part of the section of the Bible known as the writings that includes Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon and others One of the reasons is the Book of Daniel is written in Hebrew and Aramaic Also, Daniel is never referred to as a prophet as God never delivered a message through Daniel publicly to the nation of Israel Yet Jesus referred to Daniel as a prophet in Matthew 24 The Book of Daniel is divided into 2 sections The first section covers the 1 st 6 chapters and deals with 6 historical narratives that occur in the life of Daniel such as Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego in the fire and Daniel in the Lions Den The second section covers the last 6 chapters and deals with 4 end times visions including the 70 weeks of Daniel We also see in Daniel one of the clearest pictures of prayer and what happens in the spiritual realm when we pray Daniel 1:1 7 (NKJV)
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god. 3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king s descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but goodlooking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. 6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego. The Book of Daniel opens with the first siege of Jerusalem in the year 607 B.C. when it was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar Jehoiakim is the king of Judah Now this is a fulfillment of Isaiah 39:6,7 Isaiah 39:6 7 (NKJV) 6 Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the LORD. 7 And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Now this prophesy was in response to Hezekiah showing the emissaries from Babylon all the treasures in the House of God So God says that the Babylonians will return and carry away all the treasure and carry away young men and princes as captives So here we are 105 years after this prophecy and it has happened Nebuchadnezzar came in and carried away to the land of Shinar some of the articles of the house of God
(Vs. 4) We see that he took the young men who were the best looking, the smartest, nice skin, quick learners in order to groom them to stand in the Babylonian court His plan was to teach them the Chaldean language and to educate them so they could become advisors to Nebuchadnezzar The King offered to feed them the king s delicacies Now the King s meat was meat that was sacrificed to pagan gods Whenever they sacrified a lamb or cow to the gods, whatever was left was brought to the king s table and so it This practice continued all the way into Paul s day That s why Paul said to the Corinthians, if you go into a butcher shop to buy a steak, don t ask if it was offered to a god. Just buy it and don t ask any questions fro conscience sake If you go to someone s house, don t ask if it was sacrificed to an idol Just eat it without asking questions because if you ask then it s on your conscience you ate something sacrificed to idols The truth is, it doesn t matter because we receive everything with thanksgiving from God not from an idol But Daniel didn t want any part of eating meat sacrificed to idols So he requested to be freed from having to eat from the King s Table In Vs. 6 we are told the names of the children of Judah Daniel whose name means God is my judge Hananiah whose name means beloved of the Lord Mishael or Michael whose name means who is as God Azariah whose name means the Lord is my help But the Babylonians gave them Baylonian names Daniel was called Belteshazzar which means Baal s prince Hananiah was called Shadrach translated illumined by the sun god, Rach Mishael was called Meshach translated who is like Shak also known as Venus, a fertility god. Azaraiah was called Abednego translated servant of the fire god, Nego So the Babylonians took from them their Hebrew names which related to God and gave them names which related to the false gods of Babylon
Daniel 1:8 (NKJV) 8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel purposed in his heart to not defile himself Daniel would not let the Babylonians degrade his identity So Daniel refused to eat from the King s table Now the prince of the eunuchs liked Daniel and he says to Daniel look I m afraid the king is going to notice that you guys are getting skinny and unhealthy and the king is going to hold me responsible So Daniel says let s do a 10 day trial period Daniel 1:12 16 (NKJV) 12 Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants. 14 So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king s delicacies. 16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. Now this is where we get the Daniel Fast There are those who will want to make a law out of this and try to make a case that says this is the healthiest way for man to eat Get rid of the delicacies, quit drinking wine and just eat a vegetarian diet If God would have wanted us to be vegetarians He wouldn t have created chicken and steak and tri-tip beef So I don t believe we can use the Bible to lay a trip on people about diet But what s interesting here is God uses Melzar, a Babylonian, to show favor to the Jews The Bible says that when we are walking in God s favor even our enemies will be at peace with us Daniel 1:17 21 (NKJV)
17 As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore they served before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. 21 Thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus. God gives these four young men knowledge, skill in all literature and wisdom and to Daniel specifically God gave understanding in all visions and dreams In fact, they were 10 times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were counselors to the king Daniel 2:1 6 (NKJV) 2 Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. 2 Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream. 4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation. 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. 6 However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation. Now from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2:3 the Book of Daniel is written in Hebrew But from vs. 4 to Chapter 7:28, the Book of Daniel is written in Aramaic And in vs. 4 the King tells the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans
I ve had a dream and I want you to interpret it for me So they ask what is the dream Nebuchadnezzar says, I m not going to tell you the dream, you tell me the dream and the interpretation and I will give you gifts, rewards and great honor but if you don t then I ll cut you into pieces Now, they respond by saying listen, that s not fair No man can know what another man dreams, that s impossible No king has ever demanded such a ridiculous thing Daniel 2:11 13 (NKJV) 11 It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. 12 For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. The magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans got it right Only God can reveal what s in a man s heart No demonic power can do that... no fortune teller can do that they are all frauds only God can do that Now, you don t want to get someone with a temper upset at you and that s what they did The king was angry and very furious, so he gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon including Daniel and his companions Because everyone liked Daniel, Arioch, the king s captain let s Daniel know what s going on So Daniel goes into the king and asks for time to tell the king the interpretation Daniel goes into his house and makes the decision known to his friends and they have a prayer meeting Vs. 18 says that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven so they wouldn t die Vs. 19 we read that God revealed the secret to Daniel in a dream Daniel has a revival meeting in his tent and worships the Lord I would be worshipping the Lord too Then he goes to the king and he says
Daniel 2:27 45 (NKJV) 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. 28 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: 29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. 30 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. 31 You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. 32 This image s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 [SLIDE # 1] This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all you are this head of gold. 39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another,
just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. God gives Nebuchadnezzar a comprehensive history of the governments of the world from Babylon all the way through until Jesus returns The period of time that is being described in the dream is referred to as the Time of the Gentiles when the Gentiles will rule the world The head of gold represents Nebuchadnezzar and the Neo-Babylonian Empire The Breast and Arms of silver would represent the Medo-Persian Empire The Belly and the thighs of brass would represent the Grecian Empire The legs of iron represent the Roman Empire The feet and the toes of iron and clay represent a revived Roman Empire that will be a combination of political power (iron) and religious power (clay) Scholars believe this will be a church-state federation There are 10 toes representing 10 nations The stone represents Christ and the Church who will destroy the revived Roman Empire at the Second Coming The stone become a great mountain and fills the whole earth And the King falls on his face, and we see the first of many near conversion experiences He gives Daniel his rewards and promotes him and his friends Daniel 2:47 49 (NKJV) 47 The king answered Daniel, and said, Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret. 48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Also Daniel petitioned the
king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. I just want to point out that Daniel took care of his friends He didn t take the promotion and leave his friends hanging He petitioned the king, so it took some risk for Daniel to care for his friends but that s what it means to be the Body of Christ We take care of each other, we help each other Daniel 3:1 2 (NKJV) 3 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Nebuchadnezzar has this dream that Babylon is a head of gold, so he decides to make a golden statute of himself 90 ft. tall He orders everyone in the nation to bow down and worship the golden image and if you don t, you ll be burned alive However Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego refuse to bow before the golden image This makes Nebuchadnezzar angry, so he orders them to be brought before him And he asks them is it true that you refuse to bow before the golden image? Because if it s true, you will be burned alive and who is god that He can deliver you from my hands? Daniel 3:16 18 (NKJV) 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up. Nebuchadnezzar decides to burn them alive
He is so upset at them that he orders the furnace to be heated up 7 times hotter than usual It s so hot that the servants who throw Shadrach, Meshach and Abed- Nego die as they are throwing them into the fire Daniel 3:24 25 (NKJV) 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the king, True, O king. 25 Look! he answered, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Here we see what is referred to as a Theophany An Old Testament appearance of Jesus Nebuchadnezzar makes a new proclamation Daniel 3:28 30 (NKJV) 28 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! 29 Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this. 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon. We will see that this is a temporary response to God Nebuchadnezzar had a crisis conversion, but it didn t take