X Close Menu
  • Featured Posts
  • Show All Posts

One might well argue that Daniel 9:24-27 is both the most complex and the most crucial text in either testament bearing on the subject of biblical prophecy. Its complexity is questioned only by those who have not studied it, or perhaps by those whose conclusions concerning its meaning were predetermined by unspoken theological commitments. That Daniel 9 is as crucial as I have suggested can hardly be denied. For example, dispensationalists have largely derived from Danie...Read More

No book in the Old Testament, or for that matter in the New Testament, has been subjected to critical examination as thoroughly and often as unfairly as has the book of Daniel. The questions of authorship, date, structure, language, and especially literary genre simply cannot be ignored. The book of Daniel has for too long now been in the “critic’s den” and the mouths of these liberal lions must be firmly and finally shut.   A.   &...Read More

A.             Introduction 1:1-7 1.              Historical context 1:1-2 Several items of interest: *          The date For a solution to the apparent chronological discrepancy in 1:1, see the Introduction. *          Jehoiakim, king of Judah (Eliakim) a...Read More

A.             Nebuchadnezzar's Dream 2:1-2   1.              the dream 2:1 We face yet another issue of chronology here. If Daniel was brought to Babylon in the first year of Neb's reign and then began a three year training period (1:5), after which he served the king, how could chapter two describe events that occurred during the second y...Read More

Two introductory issues: *          Is there a parallel between the events recorded in Daniel 3 and those of Revelation 13:11-18? *          Where is Daniel? (1) As president or chief of the wise men he may have been excluded from the state offices mentioned in vv. 2-3 (cf. 2:49). Indeed, 'none of the 'wise men', over whom Daniel had been made chief, were included in the call for ...Read More

Introductory comments: First, some believe that 4:1-3 is more properly a conclusion to chp. 3 than an introduction to chp. 4. However, 3:28-30 is a perfectly adequate ending to the story of that chapter, even as 4:1-3 is an appropriate introduction to the narrative of chapter 4 in which God does indeed perform a 'sign for Neb in demonstrating that His kingdom and dominion are eternal (other 'signs would include the dream and its interpretation in chp. 2 and the three me...Read More

Introductory comments: First, we need to review the historical circumstances. Neb died in 562 b.c. after 43 years on the throne of Babylon. He was succeeded by his son Amel-Marduk who was assassinated by his brother-in-law Neriglissar (also spelled Nergal-shar-usur) after reigning only 2 years (562-60 b.c.; for more on Amel-Marduk, also called Evil-Merodach, see 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jer. 52:31-34). Neriglissar may well be the Nergalsharezer of Jer. 39:3,13, who, while an o...Read More

Introductory issues: First, is Daniel in general and this experience (Dan. 6) in particular typological of Jesus? Wisdom / prophetic powers / suffering / oppressed / condemned without justification through the activity of conspirators / den of lions = tomb (?) / both are shut with a stone and sealed / both men emerge victorious over death / etc. . . . Second, there are both similarities and contrasts between this event and the experience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed...Read More

In an earlier lesson we examined 7:1-8 and the vision of the four sea beasts. Our approach in this and the subsequent lesson will be more topical in nature. We will first focus on the identity of the Ancient of Days, the Son of Man, and the angelic interpretation of Daniel's visions. In the second part of our study on Daniel 7 we will look at the relation of the Messianic kingdom to that of the fourth beast and little horn, the identity of the little horn, and the refere...Read More

In the previous study we examined the identity of the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man. We will now examine the interpretation of Daniel's vision as given him by the angelic mediator (7:16). However, as with the preceding lesson, instead of engaging in a verse by verse analysis, we will focus on three crucial issues. Before doing so, a brief review is in order. According to Dan. 7:7b-8, the fourth beast, respresentative of Rome, had 10 horns, among which there emerged...Read More

First, with 8:1 the language of the original text in Daniel shifts back to Hebrew from Aramaic. As noted in our introductory lesson, no one is certain why the book was written in this way. The most frequently heard explanation is that those portions of Daniel dealing more directly with the destiny and experience of Israel (such as chps. 8-12) were written in Hebrew and those dealing with the Gentile nations were written in Aramaic. Second, the purpose of chp. 8 is to fi...Read More

Introduction: A brief overview of the nature and role of angels in the book of Daniel. 3:28 *          angels obey God, being sent to fulfill his purposes *          this 'angel (pre-incarnate Son of God?) is unaffected by fire and has the power to protect humans from fire 4:13 *          these are called 'watchers and 'holy ones *...Read More

Chapters 11-12 contain a vision communicated to Daniel by the angel Gabriel (11:2-12:3) as well as the latter's final instructions to him (12:4-13). The best way to proceed through the difficult 11th chapter is by reading the text with appropriate identifications of the principal figures involved. All are agreed that chapter 11 begins with a reference to the Persian kings who followed Cyrus, extends through Alexander the Great and his successors, and then provides a deta...Read More

Apocalyptic and the Literary Genre of DanielRead More

Bibliography for the study of the book of DanielRead More