A LOOK AT THE BOOK

DANIEL


Ralph Porter

© 2003


AUTHOR


    Daniel's ministry was long--essentially the entire length of the Babylonian 

        Empire + the beginning of the Persian Empire


              Assume he was 20 years old when taken captive to Babylon

                   605--3rd year of Jehoiakim

                536--3rd year of Cyrus

                 69        years of service

                     89        years old (at least) --not the days of Abraham and Moses when people

                                                          lived over a 100 years!


    Contemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel

         Jeremiah--in the land

         Ezekiel--in Babylonia (among the people)

         Daniel--in the court (in Babylonia and then in Persia)


    Daniel was NOT a clergyman.

    Daniel was NOT a prophet.

    Daniel was a POLITICIAN!   1:3-5



BACKGROUND


    Time of sorrow and captivity


    Daniel loved God, His law, and His people.


    Daniel wanted to see the salvation and restoration of God's people.


         He does reveal this--but it's going to be a long-term project.


         He is called on to reveal a program which will place Israel under subjection to gentile

              (pagan) nations for a long time (2500 years so far!)



PURPOSE AND MESSAGE


    Daniel reveals four purposes for writing:


         1.    To reveal God's program for His people.


         2.    To encourage His people in the midst of affliction.


         3.    To demonstrate God's control of historyeven over pagan nations.


         4.    To motivate Israel to trust God and be faithful to Him.

                        --Keeps their eyes on the right place in difficult times.

                        --We will never lack distractions--Satan wants to get our eyes off the Author

                        of history and onto the problems of history.



SUMMARY


    THE FAITHFUL WILL ULTIMATELY TRIUMPH!


                         HISTORICAL                                         PROPHETICAL

 

                              1-6                                                      7-12


                   Historical evidence of                             Prophetical evidence of

                   God's control in history                           God's control in history

                   and the triumph of the                           and the triumph of the

                   faithful.                                                faithful.



HISTORY   1-6


    6 EXAMPLES which demonstrate that God is able to control even the pagan governments

         of this world.


    Each example contains certain common characteristics:


         1.    Conflict                          4.    God is glorified

         2.    Faithfulness                     5.    Faithful is exalted

         3.    Triumph


PROPHECY   7-12


    After describing the six historical examples which demonstrate God's control over

         political events, even under pagan governments, Daniel moves on to present the

         program for the future.


              He describes future events among the pagan nations and their results for Israel.


              He describes the affliction Israel will suffer under Gentile dominion.



    GOD'S PROPHETIC PROGRAM FOR THE GENTILE NATIONS   7-8


        Overview of the future program for Gentiles: Vision of the 4 Beasts   7


            How does God's program for Israel relate to His program for pagan nations? 

            Will they survive? How?


         Detailed view of the future program for Gentiles: Vision of the Ram and the Goat   8


    GOD'S PROGRAM FOR ISRAEL IN THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES   9-12


        Daniel 9              Overview                 Vision of the 70 Week


        Daniel 10-12       Specific details         Prophetic History of the 70 Weeks



What lessons do we learn about life today from the study of this book?

 

 

 

 

 

DANIEL


The faithful ultimately triumph!                                                                                 Ralph Porter

HISTORIC REVELATION 

1-6

Daniel's 

Personal 

History

1

Nebuchad-

nezzar's 

Dream

2

The Fiery 

Furnace

3

Nebuchad-

nezzar's 

Humiliation

4

Belshazzar's 

Feast and Downfall

5

Daniel in 

the Lion's 

Den

6

Captivity of Jerusalem

1:1-2




Preparation 

of the young 

men

1:3-7




Abstinence 

of Daniel

1:8-16




Exaltation of 

the young 

men

1:17-21

 

 

 





God will 

bless the 

obedient 

even in

adverse 

situations

 

The king's 

demand

2:1-16




Dream 

revealed

to Daniel

2:17-23




Dream 

revealed

to the king

2:24-45




Daniel

honored

2:46-49

 

 


God will 

answer 

prayer and 

do the

impossible 

even when Israel is

under

pagan

dominion

 

The king's 

decree

3:1-7


Report of disobedience

3:8-12


Their trial

3:13-18


Their 

punishment

3:19-23


Their 

deliverance

3:24-27


Their 

exaltation

3:28-30

 

 


God will 

protect

Israel in

persecution

The king's 

address

4:1-3


The vision 

of the tree 

hewn down

4:14-18


The inter-

pretation

4:19-27


The

fulfillment

4:28-33


The king's 

restoration

4:34-37


(God's

exaltation

6:37)

 

 

 


God has set 

up the rulers 

of the earth 

and will re-

move those 

who fail to

acknow-

ledge Him

 

The king's 

revelry

5:1-4


Revelation 

to the king

5:5-12


Request

of the king

5:13-16


Cause

of the

revelation

5:17-24


Interpretation 

of the 

revelation

5:25-28


Daniel's 

"reward"

5:29


Fulfillment 

of revelation

5:30-31


(Exaltation

6:3)


God will 

destroy 

those

who rebel 

against

Him and 

desecrate 

His sacred 

things

Daniel's 

prominence

6:1-3


Plot by the 

leaders

6:4-9


Daniel's 

prayer

6:10-11


Daniel's 

judgment

6:12-19


Daniel's 

preservation

6:20-24


Pronounce-

ment by

the king

6:25-28


(Daniel's

exaltation

6:28)

 

 

 

 


God will 

protect His 

servants 

when they 

are faithful 

to Him

 

 



PROPHETIC REVELATION 

7-12

Prophecy concerning 

Gentile Nations

7-8

Prophecy concerning Israel

9-12

Overview


7

Detailed

View

8

Overview

9

Detailed View

10-12

Vision of 

the four 

beasts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vision

7:1-14


  Four

  beasts

1-8


  Ancient

  of days

9-12


  Son of

  man

13-14



Inter-

pretation

7:15-18



Daniel's 

problem 

with fourth beast

7:19-22



Expla-

nation

7:23-28

 

Vision of 

the ram 

and goat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Intro-

duction of the vision

8:1-2


Vision

8:3-14

  Descrip-

  tion of

  the ram

3-4

  Goat

  defeats

  ram

5-8

  Little

  horn

  rises

9-14


Inter-

pretation

8:15-27

  Revelation

  presented

15-19

  Identity

  of ram

20

  Identity

  of goat

21-22

  Identity

  of little

  horn

23-27

 

Vision of 

the 70 

weeks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The

occasion

9:1-3






His 

confession 

and prayer

9:4-19






Revelation introduced

9:20-23






Revelation 

of the 

seventy weeks

9:24-27

 

Prophetic

 

 

Prophet's preparation

 

10:1-19

 

 

 

Daniel's 

fast

10:1-3






Vision of 

heavenly messenger

10:4-8






Delay 

of the messenger

10:9-15






Daniel's 

troubled 

spirit 

streng-

thened

10:16-19

 

history of

 

Sixty-nine weeks

10:20-

11:35

 

 

 

Divine 

preser-

vation

of Israel

10:20-

11:1





Details of history 

under

second 

and third empires

11:2-35


  Persia

11:2


  Greece

11:3-35

    Alex-

    ander

3

    Division

4-20

    Antio-

    chus

21-35

 

the 70


Seventieth Week

11:36-

12:3

 

 

 

Irresistible 

king 

described

11:36-39








Irresistible 

king 

attacked

11:40-45








Israel delivered

12:1-3

 

weeks


Conclusion

12:4-13

 

 

 

Sealing of 

the book

12:4












Appendix:

Length of 

days of tribulation

12:5-13

 



 

 

A LOOK AT THE BOOK

DANIEL

THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD!


Ralph Porter


AUTHOR


    Daniel's ministry was long--essentially the entire length of the Babylonian 

        Empire + the beginning of the Persian Empire


              Assume he was 20 years old when taken captive to Babylon

                   605--3rd year of Jehoiakim

                536--3rd year of Cyrus

                  + 69     years of service

                  = 89     years old (at least) --These weren't the days of Abraham and Moses, when

                                                        people lived over a 100 years!



    Contemporary of Jeremiah and Ezekiel


         Jeremiah--in the land


         Ezekiel--in Babylonia (among the people)


         Daniel--in the court (in Babylonia and then in Persia)



    Daniel was NOT a clergyman.


    Daniel was NOT a prophet.


    He was a POLITICIAN! 1:3-5

         A politician willing to obey God "at the office".

         High risk



BACKGROUND


    Time of sorrow and captivity


    Daniel loved God, His law, and His people.


    Daniel wanted to see the salvation and restoration of God's people.


         He does reveal this--but it's going to be a long-term project.


         He is called on to reveal a program which will place Israel under subjection to Gentile

              (pagan) nations for a long time (2500 years so far!)



PURPOSE AND MESSAGE


    Daniel had four main purposes for writing:


         1.    To reveal God's program for His people.

 

         2.    To encourage His people in the midst of affliction.


         3.    To demonstrate God's control of history--even over the pagan nations of the

                 world.


         4.    To motivate Israel to trust God and to be faithful to Him.

                        Keeps their eyes on the right place in difficult times.

                        We will never lack distractions

                        Satan wants to get our eyes off the Author of history and onto the problems

                             of history.



SUMMARY


    God's plan for Israel will take them through four major periods of domination by pagan

        nations.


    That time is short beside the eternal kingdom of the saints.


         God is in control, even in times of affliction.

 


THE FAITHFUL WILL ULTIMATELY TRIUMPH!


                         HISTORICAL                                                 PROPHETICAL


                              1-6                                                                7-12


                        Historical evidence of                                 Prophetical evidence of

                        God's control in history                               God's control in history

                        and the triumph of the                               and the triumph of the

                        faithful.                                                    faithful.



HISTORY 1-6


    Because of the sorrow, affliction and uncertainty of the future, Daniel begins with some

        historical reminders.


    6 examples demonstrate that God is able to control even the pagan governments of this

         world.

              He uses them according to His plan.

              He uses them to reward the faithful.


    Each example has certain characteristics:


         1.    Conflict--for the faithful.


                        •    Greatness, power and pride of a human leader confronted.

                    •    Creates a conflict for God's servant.

                    •    He must make a choice, or do something.


         2.    Faithfulness of God's servant.


                    •    Faced with the conflict, he makes the right choice.


         3.    Triumph


                    •    God's control over pagan governments demonstrated.

                    •    The faithful ultimately triumphs.


         4.    God is glorified.


         5.    Faithful is exalted.


                    •    Does not promise "human success" always (Compare Heb. 11:32-39).

                                  Some do die by the sword and the flame, but not this time!

                    •    God is always in control (even over pagan governments).

                    •    Faithful always triumph in the end.

                                  Revelation demonstrates that "the end" is sometimes after death

                                       (compare the martyrs of Heb. 11 and of Rev.)


    Daniel is not affirming that there will always be success by human standards.