Daniel
God’s Kingdom Will Not Be Destroyed and His Dominion Will Never End
Central Teaching
Daniel’s life and message exhort God’s people to live faithfully and trust in God in all circumstances; God alone controls history and will bring about his sovereign reign in his own good time.
Memory Verse
Setting
Daniel dates the beginning of his story to the third year of Jehoiakim (605 BC). The final date given in the book is tied to the third year of Cyrus king of Persia (537 BC). Thus Daniel is a contemporary with Ezekiel and overlaps with the older Jeremiah by several years. Like the ministry of Ezekiel, Daniel’s prophetic ministry takes place in Babylon. He lives through the devastating and tumultuous times when the Babylonians completely destroy Jerusalem and carry off most of the surviving Israelites into captivity.
Lions like these, made of glazed ceramic tile, lined the roadway that approached the Ishtar Gate in Babylon at the time of Daniel.
Message
The book of Daniel is comprised of two major units. Daniel 1–6 contains stories about Daniel and his friends standing strong for their faith. However, the major theme in this unit focuses on God, demonstrating that God is more powerful than the kings of Babylon and Persia. The second half of the book, Daniel 7–12, broadens the view to encompass God’s great plan for the future, especially in regard to humanity’s world empires, as opposed to the establishment of God’s world empire. The book of Daniel conveys that, even in difficult times, when it appears that forces hostile to God are dominating, God wants his people to live faithfully, trusting in him and in his promise that he alone controls world history and will bring about his glorious kingdom in due time.
Mesopotamian courts often kept lions in cages so that the king could hunt them. The lions of Daniel 6 are probably lions kept for that purpose. Above is an Assyrian wall relief depicting the release of a lion for the hunt.
Interesting Features
- Daniel contains several riveting stories (i.e., fiery furnace, lions’ den) about how he and his three friends remain faithful to God.
- King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel both have startling and symbolic visions portraying four world empires.
- Daniel sees a vision of the “Ancient of Days” (7:9) seated on his throne, holding court.
- Daniel sees a vision of “one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven” (7:13), an image that the New Testament connects to Christ.
- Daniel’s visions pertain to the near future (events prior to Christ) as well as to the far future (events yet to come).
- The book of Daniel is written in two different languages: Daniel 1:1–2:4a is in Hebrew; 2:4b–7:28 is in Aramaic (the language of the Babylonians); and 8:1–12:13 returns to Hebrew.
The ruins of Persepolis, one of the capitals of Persia
Connections
The courage and faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace and the steadfast faithfulness of Daniel in the lions’ den still stand as models for us today. These men refused to waver in their commitment to God, remaining totally obedient to God in spite of the unpleasant and seemingly overpowering circumstances that engulfed them. These stories encourage us to stand firm for our Lord regardless of the pressure exerted upon us by our culture or by unfortunate circumstances. These men did not compromise their faith, even at the risk of losing their lives. They challenge us to do the same.
Likewise, Daniel’s overall message has special relevance to us today. Daniel reminds us that God is sovereign and that his kingdom will ultimately triumph over all hostile world powers—a triumph that includes our resurrection from the dead.