Theres more to it than Daniel in the lions den. A reference to this prophecy is found in the book of Daniel because Daniel happened to be studying this prophecy and came to understand its meaning. The Prophet Daniel was one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, and possibly one of the most influencial of all the Bible Prophets. That's serious prayer. A final beastwill be destroyed and Gods kingdom will be ushered in. What is the abomination of desolation in the Bible? 15-16After Arioch filled in the background, Daniel went to the king and asked for a little time so that he could interpret the dream. They actually tried to administer an empire. If our youth are wild today, it's because we raised them that way. And look what he says in verse 4, "And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, 'O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and your judgments.'" He's a Pharisee. And you don't see any of that with Daniel, all you see is this desperate need for God, this humility before God. He went to God with this desperate need and he was thankful for the answer. We are going to have to turn to God. What years of time was the separate but equal doctrine the law of the land in the US? Specific Issues A variety of issues affect the interpretation of Daniel. Daniel 1 MSG - Daniel Was Gifted by God - It was the - Bible Gateway That's a long time when your foot hurts. It doesn't say "I was just seeking God," it says he was mourning. second century, just before the Maccabean revolt. After being told that they would be thrown into a fiery furnace if they did not worship the image, the three respectfully told the monarch that they would not do so. And we see all these big events. All right, what does Daniel say? How can you tell is a firm is incorporated? And in the The Beast From the Sea Part 1: Seven Heads, The Beast From the Earth Part 1: The False Prophet. He works for the pagans that hate God the most and that's who he works for. Daniel Was Gifted by God. What can we learn from the 70 weeks of Daniel? Notice the humility here in verse 18. Be Reasonable with Your Faith In the first chapter, Daniel and his companions are supposed to eat of the king's meat and drink the wine of the kingdom. We forget what the man experienced and he's now three weeks mourning before God, for God to answer him, for God to help him. He was superior to the Babylonian gods, and He could still protect those who honored Him. This should give us confidence and reassurance that God is sovereign over each of us even when it seems like Hes not working to our benefit! ", And Daniel goes to his three friends that we know in their Babylonian names, to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. While you were looking at this statue, a stone cut out of a mountain by an invisible hand hit the statue, smashing its iron-ceramic feet. Notice that chapters 5-6 and chapters 7-8 are flip-flopped with each other. I thirst for you." An Angel Comes to Daniel with a Message - In Cyrus' third year as king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel (who had been renamed Belteshazzar). Because we cant we have to pray always and not lose heart. He says, "I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled." In the midst of the great events of history, the salvation history, what God is doing, God is intimately involved on the micro level, with the individual is involved. Now, this is a huge warfare going on between angels and Satan and the demons. The Message of Daniel - Theologian When you get to the end it's overwhelming. Even though this will be a time of trouble unlike any other, the encouragement for Gods people is that after Christ returns they will receive eternal life and be glorified (verses 1-3). Find answers to your Bible questions with Bible Gateway Plus. The concept of seeking God because I desperately need Him, you know, read the Psalms and see how many times David says, "Oh, my God, I seek you. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ( 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). He's probably there crying out or actually crying when he says it. While most people, especially kings, dont like to admit their faults, King Nebuchadnezzar had an experience that led him to share his mistake and punishment from God via an edict written to all nations and peoples. He says, "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, they cry out day and night. And Daniel said, "No, my communion with my God is too important. They would come in, say, "Pay us money, pay us, you know, tribute." He carried these off to the land of Shinar, a to the house of his god, where he put them in the treasury of his god. Nebuchadnezzars dream indicates that when Jesus returns to earth, another kingdom will conquer all the human governments and remain forever. God ensured that this kings message was recorded in His Word because it still has relevance for us today. He wasn't trying to be traitor towards Darius. In this study, were going to look at some of Daniels prayers as he experienced the adventures and dangers of being at the seat of Babylonian and Persian power. And still there are times when he's faced with seeking God and His mercies and not understanding and not knowing what to do and worried and anxious and distraught. Daniel could not give that up, it's who he was. And there's a plot against him because he is now successful. The reason God could use him was because of the micro way, the little way, and there's all these great events he was living his life. I want to go back to Judea, that's my home. Daniel referred to these leaders as the king of the South and the king of the North (Daniel 11:5-6). Finally, the book of Daniel plays its role, along with every other Old Testament book, in preparing us for the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. You made me wise and strong.And now youve shown us what we asked for. And he said, "Well, if you can't tell me what the dream is I don't believe you have any connection with the supernatural, therefore, I'm going to kill all of you." If God seems to be or not to be more directly involved in your life then maybe you need to ask yourself a couple questions that we can take from this very simple example. Nebuchadnezzar took king and furnishings to the country of . Read the story of Paul and you find out about a man who trusted himself and despised others so much that he killed them, right? This is how he lives his life. And of course, Daniel 12 ends with the perseverance of Gods own people at the end of this present evil age and the reality that God will win in the end! This is an individual who suffered mentally, emotionally the same way we do but he was able to get through it and God did great things in his life, and we read about him thousands of years later because of this prayer relationship that he had with God. God of all my ancestors, all thanks! How do you want the answer given? As a very old man, Daniel lived to see the fall of Babylon. "Yeah, but look my toe now is turning black." You can imagine what happens to a Pharisee if he's confronted by Jesus Christ. 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to sending him over the whole realm. In other words, I'll make you my chancellor. And he solves all mysteries, I know, because youve solved this mystery.. Daniel was a Jew who lived far from his homeland, about six hundred years before Christ. This was your dream. He first served under Babylons King Nebuchadnezzar, and then under the Persian king Cyrus. So even in the midst of trouble, God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose! 70 Weeks of Daniel: What Does the Prophecy Mean? It is with me, you know, stub your toe and it hurts for 24 hours. For a full explanation, see Daniel 9: The 70-Year Prophecy of Jeremiah.. were killed by the heat. When was the last time you prayed for the council, for the United Church of God for Gods involvement in their lives? When/Where Will the Antichrist First Be Seen? Now, we're going to read the prayer in a minute but before we get there I want you to understand the first thing he did was he said, "We must seek God's mercy." It would crush all the governments of this world. His specialties include studies/teachings on the books of Daniel and Revelation. He is famous for successfully interpreting the proverbial "writing on the wall" and miraculously surviving the lions' den. And Nebuchadnezzar has told all his astrologers, these soothsayers, that he wanted them to interpret the dream. 1-2 It was the third year of King Jehoiakim's reign in Judah when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon declared war on Jerusalem and besieged the city. They're going to be out there watching me, if I shut the window they'll just come through the door. Jesus spoke of a mysterious abomination of desolation as an end-time sign before His second coming. Where is the tallest General Electric Building located? Luke 18, that desperate need to seek, the desperate need to seek, that understands You are God, I'm just walking through this life for this short period of time and I need You to guide me and show mercy and forgive me, I need You to help me because I can't do this." Now that we have seen the major themes of each chapter, we can conclude that the main message of Daniel is that God is sovereign over everything! King Nebuchadnezzar had a puzzling dream that no one could explainuntil God gave the interpretation to Daniel. Down in Tennessee where we live it's cold for that part of the country and it got to minus nine last week but no snow. What is the word that goes with a public officer of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace? because he was writing about Daniel from the perspective of the This sovereignty of God can be seen from the very onset of the book. None of us have more responsibilities in life than Daniel or Jesus, okay? King Cyrus overthrew the city just as the prophets had foretold. So distinct, in fact, that an entire genre of literature has emerged from them. So go to it: Tell me the dream and its interpretation., 7They answered, If it please your majesty, tell us the dream. He called in all the Babylonian magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and fortunetellers to interpret his dreams for him. Daniel has the largest collection of Scripture that was originally written in Aramaic. Replies to my comments He sure didn't know the answer to this dream. Because who did he collect taxes for? The prophecy in this book begins in chapter 2 with King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian Empire receiving a strange dream of a great image. Daniel (literally meaning " God is my judge") is a Hebrew name recorded in Scripture outside the book of Daniel. That wasn't strange in that day. Some of their messages are more dramatic than others: some prophets (like Ezekiel and Zechariah) see elaborate visions, while others simply call the people to remember their allegiance to Israel's God and the Torah (like Haggai and Malachi ). Daniel the prophet warns us of terrible end-time events that will affect the entire world! Jesus says, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" Most wonderfully, we see in Daniel the sure hope of a coming ruleran anointed one, a prince (Dan. Who Were the Major Prophets and What Did They Do? Now, at this point he's probably an old man, I havent Mr. McNeely might know exactly how old he was at this point. He's talking about the macro stuff that goes on, this big stuff that God is involved in. He probably wasn't an extortioner or unjust or an adulterer, now, he might be unjust, so maybe he's one. Daniel was a Jew who lived far from his homeland, about six hundred years before Christ. The prophecy that was revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2, that there would be four world-ruling empires, was repeated about 50 years later in Daniel 7. For Daniel himself lived in a time of unprecedented international strife. A "Mary" or a "Martha"? His need for God was so great, he trusted in God. If I don't answer the text I'll go into some kind of fit, I'll feel shaken, I've got an What do you mean? The account of Daniels being thrown into a den of lions is found in Daniel chapter 6. This time, however, the message came directly to Daniel, and there were added details. Or reference: Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Ezekiel & Daniel, Volume 9, p. 597-606 & 617-622 Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, Massachusetts, March 2006. Can't wait til next time! What is the Purpose of the Book of Daniel? An | Zondervan Academic In order to understand the books main message, we must start by looking at the forest, the birds eye view of the book. For a thorough explanation of its historical and future fulfillments, see What Is the Abomination of Desolation?, Writing from his location in the Middle East, Daniel wrote of other powers coming into the region from the north and south. Process of transferring data to a storage medium? What it tells us and helps us understand is that God can be working in our lives in the midst of our little events and you and I aren't involved in the great events of the world today, are we? And our last prayer is in Daniel 10. At least two aspects of the book highlight this truth: terms and titles used to describe God, and his interactions with foreign kings. Big deal. He says, "I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. That alone, we could spend an hour talking about that. For further explanation of these prophecies, how long this time of trouble will last, and the correlation of these prophecies with Christs teaching, see the article Daniel 12: End-Time Events.. Which country agreed to give up its claims to the Oregon territory in the Adams-onis treaty? When was the last time you prayed for every member of your family for God's involvement in their lives? In this chapter, Daniel sees in vision a ram with two horns and then a male goat with a single notable horn between his eyes conquering the ram. This book was included in the Tanach because it was deemed 14-15When Arioch, chief of the royal guards, was making arrangements for the execution, Daniel wisely took him aside and quietly asked what was going on: Why this all of a sudden?. But there is only one such person whose words comprise an entire chapter in the Bible. There's no sacrifices they could give to make God do this. He just, "I can't give up this relationship with God." But every time we felt bad we always looked at the temperature up in Wisconsin where my kids live and we were happy. You know of anybody who could have trusted in himself I think it was Daniel, right? You and I need daily communion with God. This prophecy is known as the 70-year prophecy of Jeremiah because God gave it through Jeremiah. There was a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard men. But if you kept rebelling they actually came in and just destroyed you, which is what, the Assyrians did with Israel, and what the Babylonians did with Judah. Three weeks his desperate need for God was not fulfilled. Ostensibly "an account of the activities and visions of Daniel, a noble Jew exiled at Babylon", it combines a prophecy of history with an eschatology (a portrayal of end times) both cosmic in scope and political in focus, and its message is that just as the God of Israel saves Daniel from his enemies, so . That's not a prayer. This is a man whose relationship with God, everybody knew the reason they did this, everybody knew that three times a day Daniel went to a place, you know, in a room probably upper story of a building with the windows opened and prayed to his God. Some are yet to be fulfilled and God will perfectly carry them out according to Scripture! Is this how God speaks to us today? Can you imagine how other Jews may have looked at Daniel, maybe as a traitor? What is the relationship between Commerce and economics? All these years I want to give my opinion I don't think I really want to. He was ordained a minister in 1984 and has served congregations in Longview and Houston Texas; Rockford, Illinois; Janesville and Beloit, Wisconsin; and San Antonio, Austin and Waco, Texas. Now, let's stop and think about this, you know what Daniel could have said? Those who strive for the mastery must be temperate in all things. And God will give me the answer and everything will be okay.". The Global Message of Daniel Daniel in Redemptive History The book of Daniel recounts events of worldwide proportion in Daniel's own day that continue to have decisive significance for the global church today. Daniel's Chaldean name is Belteshazzar. successor, then the Persian Empire and the kingdom of Alexander, King Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. I think I'm going to make Daniel, the slave boy, who came here, you know, 50 years ago, 40 years ago, whatever, I'm going to take that slave boy and I'm going to make him the second the ruler over Persia." By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. This is the only chapter in the Bible where we find this name. Lesson Text: Daniel 2:1-49 Memory Verse: Daniel 2:44 Background Texts: Luke 3:1-15; Matthew 16:13-28; Mark 8:31-9:1; Acts 1:1-11; 2:1-36 Questions for Discussion 1. Introduction | Bible.org You and I live in a perilous time as we head closer and closer to the end time and all these great events will happen and it will be a footnote in the history of God's Church, you know. Daniel's End Time Prophecies Is Revelation in Chronological Order? So let's go to Daniel 9:1-3. Understanding dreams and visions is an integral part of the book of Daniel. Most of the others delve into history and prophecy, but this one is a bit different. He will have to give to me His mercies. He's a practicing Jew. Get the latest blog posts from Life, Hope & Truth straight to your inbox. Some of these aspects of Christs ministry were partially fulfilled, and other aspects of this prophecy are still awaiting fulfillment. Two of the ways God communicated with people in the Old Testament were through dreams and visions. kingdom. As mighty King Nebuchadnezzar confessed, all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand (Dan. The Old Testament book of Daniel is like no other book of the Old Testament. Rather, God governs all world events through his sovereign power and good pleasure, and he is determined to bring his saving presence to all the ends of the earth. The book of Daniel, according to its own testimony, is the record of the life and prophetic revelations given to Daniel, a captive Jew carried off to Babylon after the first conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 b.c. What will he do? 1. It goes on clear down to verse 19 where he prays this heartfelt, I mean, it gets desperate again, this heartfelt, "God, we have failed." These prophecies, which were written during the sixth century b.c., find incredibly accurate fulfillment in past history. So let's go seek God's mercy. And this man is seeking God's mercy. Bible Gateway passage: Daniel 2 - The Message He's kept the Sabbath since he was born. 15. Daniel | Bible.org You don't see any of that. Daniel the Prophet - Life, Hope and Truth The Bible was primarily written in Hebrew and Greek. 3:1618). This message was true and concerned a great war. Chapters 4 & 5 tell the story of two rulers, Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, whom a sovereign God brought under His judgments. I desire God. "Okay. Seeking God, desperately aware of his need for God, praying in communion with God. Daniel would not give that up. The Major Prophets Listen to Chuck Swindoll's overview of Daniel in his audio message from the Classic series God's Masterwork. It is so that we can interact. Please note that from the Jewish perspective, Daniel was not a I mean, he worked for the people who had destroyed their nation. Understand this is not an act of defiance. The Pharisee had no desperate need for God. In Daniel we see God exercising his sovereign wisdom over all world affairs, even the actions of the most powerful individual rulers of his day. It is possible he was simply using a literary device. This angel came because God sent him because of a prayer but he waited three weeks. Today we find the book of Daniel in the prophets section of the Old Testament in English Bibles, and this location is supported by Christs recognition of Daniel as a prophet (Matthew 24:15) and by the similarities between the book of Daniel and the New Testament book of Revelation. It was interesting that Persians tried to actually divide up the empire and rule over it with governors. What Are the Seventy Weeks of Daniel? (Daniel 9) - Crossway In Daniel 7 we find three references to a being called the Ancient of Days (verses 9, 13, 22). Required fields are marked *. Sometimes God will answer a prayer to our own harm because He gives us what we ask for. What Is Spiritual Formation and Is It Biblical? Copyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. 21-3In the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar started having dreams that disturbed him deeply. First, Daniel reminds us that God will not abandon his people. Here's a person who worships God at the temple. What they basically did was conquer you and then say, "Pay us taxes" and guess what had happened when Judah didn't pay their money. And He told the multitudes to go away and He's alone. I can't seek His mercies anymore." PrivacyPolicyTerms ofUse. There's an incredible humility here. To see a fuller explanation of this timeless story, see the article Daniel 6: Daniel in the Lions Den.. 9:4). The angel touched Daniel's lips, and . Its prophecies of world-ruling empires are closely related to Revelation. To see a chart listing these occurrences and further explanation of how Christians should view dreams today, see the article Interpretation of Dreams.. I don't like being virtually a slave, oh, it's a nice slave, you know, I'm a house slave but I'm a slave." Luke 18, we were just there. But a small portion, including several chapters in Daniel, was written in Aramaic. Book of Daniel - Wikipedia He did not trust in God, he trusted in his own goodness. First tell me the dream, then Ill know that youre on the up and up with the interpretation and not just blowing smoke in my eyes., 10-11The fortunetellers said, Nobody anywhere can do what you ask. Daniel 6, well, Daniel's lived through the collapse of the Babylonian empire, now the Persians have come in, he's living under the rule of the Persians. Daniel - The Main Message - Practica Prophetica How many of you have a parable in mind? He is considered a prophet in Christianity, and although he is not mentioned in the Quran, Muslim sources describe him as a prophet. But he's also in the midst of all these macro things that God is doing in the world. 2023 - Use Freely, Keep Free - Practica Prophetica 27-28Daniel answered the king, No mere human can solve the kings mystery, I dont care who it isno wise man, enchanter, magician, diviner. Look what it says, here in verse 20, so this is what Daniel says to God. The great God has let the king know what will happen in the years to come. While there are a vast number of angels, we know very few of their names. As a resident of the worlds premier capital city and an honored wise man in King Nebuchadnezzars court, Daniel demonstrated Gods superiority over the pagan gods of Babylon. But notice the motivation and that's what you don't see in Daniel. Daniel: Prophet of God, Companion of Kings (Daniel) - The Church of And they said, "You can't do that anymore." So look at verse 1, "It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps." The actual chronology is: chapters 1-4, 7-8, 5-6, 9-12. His prayer was driven by seeking God. It wasn't like, "Oh, home, you know what? This new name means "Bel protect him," with Bel being the name of a Babylonian god (4:8). Okay. Their tests of faith in regard to their diets and threats of the loss of their lives remain as timeless encouragement for us today to live similarly. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. the Babylonian Exile, tells of the miracle in which Daniel's Israels homelessness. How aware am I of my desperate need for God so that I will seek, I will search out, I will work at, I will find because He gives to me, and if He doesn't give to me I'll never find it. This is an accurate telling of the dream, and the interpretation is also accurate., 46-47When Daniel finished, King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face in awe before Daniel. These lion murals once lined the streets of ancient Babylon, the city where Daniel the prophet spent much of his life. I'm going to search what I don't know in my desperate need for His mercies, for my desperate need for Him, because I cannot do this.. Usually what we do is our prayers are made up of asking God for things from Him, and there's nothing wrong with that except that that's all we're doing, we're missing something. This tax collector is a practicing Jew. He's getting up and he said, "Wow, this 70 years prophecy is going to be fulfilled." In the New Testament, the way it would be put is we must seek God's grace. Chapters 2, 7, 8, 11 reveal four great beasts (the earthly kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome) that will be set against Gods people.
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