The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history with an eschatology a portrayal of end times cosmic in scope and political in focus. The purpose of the book of daniel in the book of daniel the scriptures foretell how the lord will deal with the people of daniel the jews and the gentile nations. The book of daniel, a book of the old testament found in the ketuvim. Daniel expounds the prophecies in four distinct visions of. But thou, o daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Through a series of dreams and visions and their interpretations daniel is shown an outline of future kingdoms of the world. The book of daniel identifies the prophet daniel as its author daniel 9. He is the prophet of dreams and visions, who enjoyed a divine gift, a heavenly wisdom and a surpassing understanding. In the first year of belshazzar, king of babylon probably 553 bc, daniel receives a dreamvision from god. In addition to interpreting the two dreams of king nebuchadnezzar and the writing on the wall for king belshazzar, daniel also received several messages from god.
Those who conspired against daniel are fed to the lions, and daniel s position is restored. The biblical character he identifies with was an interpreter of dreams for a. Daniels advice the prophets advice is given in daniel 4. Jesus mentions daniel as the author as well matthew 24.
Witness faith and visions come to pass in the book of daniel. The book of daniel records the actions, prophecies, and visions of the prophet daniel. The book of daniel was likely written between 540 and 530 b. List of books and articles about book of daniel online. Only a portion of daniel chapter 2 is relevant to a portion of daniel. Jan 02, 2020 daniel is also well known for the prophetic dreams and visions god gave him, recorded in the book of daniel. God then revealed both the kings dream and its meaning in a vision to daniel. Nebuchadnezzars dream in the second year of his reign, nebuchadnezzar had dreams. Dec 07, 2015 this book is a full commentary on the book of daniel. The first six chapters are a collection of historical papers written by.
After daniel was given the interpretation for the kings dream, he went on to have several prophetic visions of his own. Apr 03, 2016 ancient historians never mention darius the mede as king of babylon, as daniel 6 does. The book of daniel is one of the most significant prophetic books in the bible. The book of daniel certainly has plenty of dreams, toobut theyre actual dreams, weird things nebuchadnezzar sees in his sleep. Understanding dreams and visions is an integral part of the book of daniel. All dates are approximate and may vary according to scholar. The book of daniel makes historical sense daniel man of. Daniel is also well known for the prophetic dreams and visions god gave him, recorded in the book of daniel. One of the dreams he interpreted prophesied coming world empires. In the second chapter, daniel describes and interprets a dream of nebuchadnezzar. The last six chapters contain prophecies written by daniel himself.
The king of babylon had a dream which daniel interpreted showing. The rest of the book involves an intense, apocalyptic vision of daniel. The balance of daniel s book contains four visions concerning world powers, but also other visions of future events and an appearance of gods angel. The book of daniel refers to various historical events during the neobabylonian period, but there is no evidence that the daniel character or his three friends actually existed. It reveals the keys that the prophet daniel has presented to unlock the prophecies of the bible. God gives him important dreams and the ability to interpret them for everyone. Dream and their interpretation ebook copy daniel amoateng. Daniel also had insight into all visions and dreams. Its prophecies of worldruling empires are closely related to revelation. T i m e of the g e n t i l e s head of gold like a lion with eagles wings babylon 606539bc chest and arms of silver like a bear. For an overall summary, see appendix 1chart of daniels dreams and visions. This is when the babylonian empire truly began its worldwide domination.
As isaac newton in his observations on the prophecies of daniel 1732 put it. Daniel belongs to the latter group, a type of writing that in many respects sharply contrasts prophetic literature. Chapters 10, 11 and 12 in the book of daniel make up daniels final vision, describing a series of conflicts between the unnamed king of the north and king of the south leading to the time of the end, when israel will be vindicated and the dead raised to shame or glory the book of daniel was written in reaction to the persecution of the jews by the greek king antiochus iv epiphanes in. The beast had a head of gold, its breast and arms of silver, the belly and. The stone and the statue the key points of the story are briefly told.
For further details on the amazing book of daniel, see the other articles in this. The great image and the four beasts 3 daniel and the empire of babylon in 607606 bc, nebuchadnezzar, king of babylon, conquered the empire of assyria, and became the ruler of the world. Dreams, visions and messages in the book of daniel. May 02, 2020 daniel served in the royal court of nebuchadnezzar and several rulers who followed nebuchadnezzar. The five visions of daniel daniel 2, 7, 8, 9, 1012. I looked at the dream itself in a previous thread, without touching on the encounter between the two men. The bible is a history book, it tells the pastbut like no other history bookit tells the present and future just as clearly. This summary of the book of daniel provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of daniel. Dream and their interpretation ebook copy since not many people have grasped the importance of what dreams are. Wiseman, some historical problems in the book of daniel, in notes on some problems in the book of daniel, p.
The following chart provides a list of these divinely inspired messages from god recorded in the book of daniel. The five visions of daniel daniel 2, 7, 8, 9, 1012 the. The book of daniel was written in reaction to the persecution of. The book of daniel has sometimes been classified with the prophetic books of the old testament, a mistake owing largely to a failure to distinguish between the predominant characteristics of prophetic and apocalyptic writings. Watch our overview video on the book of daniel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Daniel 2 niv nebuchadnezzars dream in the bible gateway. In the book of daniel, doctorows third novel, published in 1971, the narrator is an. Dreams are a prominent feature of the first half of the book of daniel. Jan 01, 2006 some dreams or visions, if they are symbolic in nature, require an interpretation. In the days of these kings book perfectbound paperback 740 pages. Daniel the prophet chapter two the image in the dream daniel 2. The prophecy of daniel is a series of five visions occurring over a period of about 70 years.
He was taken captive to babylon when he was 16 and became prime minister because of his interpretations of nebuchadnezzar dreams. Some dreams or visions, if they are symbolic in nature, require an interpretation. Nebuchadnezzars madness of seven years, recorded in daniel 4 but in no other ancient source, is further proof of the legendary nature of the book. The book of daniel in preterist perspective and in the days of these kings shall the god of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. Daniels friends shadrach, meshach and abednego served as advisers to king nebuchadnezzar of babylon. Throughout the book of daniel, daniel and his closest peers choose to honor god rather than the words of the king, whether it be nebuchadnezzar, belshazzar or darius. Nebuchadnezzars dream and daniels vision freebibleimages. Understanding the dreams and visions unlocks and explains the structure and mysteries of the prophecies in the book of daniel.
It addresses the colossal image, the 70 years of captivity, the four beasts of daniel 7, the 70 weeks of daniel 9, whether or not daniel 10 is a picture of angelic warfare, the history between the testaments and the resurrection scene in daniel 12. Daniel is taken to babylon in captivity, but remains faithful even in dark times. The book of daniel portrays him as the babylonian king in the first year of whose reign daniel has his dream of the four great beasts. All of these dreamsthe statue destroyed by the rock, the tree that gets cut downare wishes that the hebrews had for the future. The king saw a gigantic statue made of four metals, from its gold head to its feet of mingled iron and clay. First i will give you an overview of the next 6 chapters then we will go into detail about the visions and their historical fulfillment. The book of daniel is a collection of papers written at several times. Daniel was the prophet for the israelites in babylon. Its moved from showing the courage of ideal heroes from the past to relating it to the courage that people are going to need to have in the books present day. The book of daniel stands as a unique mix in the old testament, for while it begins with history, it makes a strong transition at chapter 7, where it contains visions of future events significant to the jews. Teaching the story of daniel to teenagers provides lessons in spiritual identity, faithfulness, the dangers of pride, and gods incomprehensible wisdom and greatness. Horn has identified, in his article new light on nebuchadnezzars madness.
The balance of daniels book contains four visions concerning world powers, but also other visions of future events and an appearance of gods angel. These dreams robbed him of rest, as pharaohs dreams did him genesis 41, and ahasuerus dream did him esther 6. Nebuchadnezzar dream interpreted by daniel chapters 2. The first three verses of the chapter are very significant. Nebuchadnezzars dream, daniel volunteers to interpret the kings dream.
The book of daniel is a great revelation of future events, particularly those things that shall happen in the last days. Last month we examined the fourth chapter of daniel, which is the account of nebuchadnezzars other dream which became a reality. Correlation of dreams and visions in the book of daniel prophet charts images from chapter 2. The book of daniel and the book of revelation complement one another, but revelation brings more revelation and details and projects further into the future. The book of daniel is an apocalypse, a literary genre in which a heavenly reality is revealed to a human recipient. Chapters 2 and 7 of the book of daniel consist of nebuchadnezzars dream chapter 2 and daniels dream chapter 7, yet both represent the same things. Daniel dream interpretation daniel dream interpretation. Chapters 10, 11 and 12 in the book of daniel make up daniel s final vision, describing a series of conflicts between the unnamed king of the north and king of the south leading to the time of the end, when israel will be vindicated and the dead raised to shame or glory. For instance, a signer of nehemiahs covenant in 444 b. Evidently he had a recurring dream or similar dreams that he later described as one dream daniel 2. The book of daniel is the only book in the old testament which prophesied in details about kings and kingdoms, which he had declared by name like persia and greece. From daniel and his three friends, we will learn the power of faith and commitment b. How to teach the story of daniel to teenagers synonym.
As with all of scripture, the book of daniel is profitable for our study 2 ti 3. The book implies that daniel was its author in several passages, such as 9. In more mundane language, it is an account of the activities and visions of daniel, a noble jew exiled at babylon, its message being that just as the god of israel saved daniel and his friends from their enemies, so. It is necessary, therefore, to analyze both chapters in parallel to fully appreciate the significance of the dreams. Daniels prophecies cover a broad range of human history, as he predicted the rise and fall of the greek and roman empires and the rise of a powerful king who will do as he pleases. This book is a full commentary on the book of daniel. Here, the book of daniel isnt talking about the courage of daniel or shadrach, meshach, and abednego. Book of daniel overview insight for living ministries. Mackey the book of daniel is commonly charged with all sorts of historical inaccuracies, a fault more likely of the perceived history, as we are finding, rather than of the book itself.
Daniel 2 the second chapter of the book of daniel tells how daniel interpreted a dream of nebuchadnezzar ii, king of babylon. In parallel to nebuchadnezzars dream of an idol made of four metals, daniel dreams of four beasts, each representing four future kingdoms that will attempt to dominate the world. Although prophecy is scattered all through the bible, two books focus almost entirely on symbolic representations. Rather, the character is used as a narrative device for two reasons. They point to several key events in the future history of the jews. Those who conspired against daniel are fed to the lions, and daniels position is restored. Persons named daniel god has judged are mentioned in babylonian records and in the bible elsewhere.
The second chapter of the book of daniel is one of the bestknown prophetic passages in the bible. Daniels prayer, and the vision of the seventy weeks 9. Yet, like uncle sigmund freud always says, every dream is a wish. Daniels vision of the four beasts nebuchadnezzar was not the only one to have a vision of the future course of world history. The chapter is set in the second year of nebuchadnezzars reign. Illustrations of nebuchadnezzars dream of a statue and daniels vision of four beasts emerging from the sea.
640 160 101 176 576 1110 835 98 654 1652 9 457 822 1319 1262 1626 686 839 208 262 1579 962 105 389 1363 1388 71 1478 322 944 1033 1063 749 1130 493 998 741 1196