Daniel - Intro
At the end of the reign of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, we see him reported by the prophet Isaiah as falling into the crime of the devil's doing, pride. 1st Timothy 3:6 teaches that “(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)”
Isaiah 39 shows us that this type of falling away will lead the nation into Judgment and the House of David will, for a time, fall. “Behold the days come that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried away to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.”
About one hundred years later, around 600 years before Christ, this prophecy was fulfilled. The opening portion of the book of Daniel reveals it. The Babylonian king came and conquered Jerusalem and carried away his spoils, including Daniel as a young man, and his companions.
This young man, through the providence of God, would become, under Nebuchadnezzar, essentially the prime minister of the pagan nation.
Daniel led his companions to live a life in captivity that was loyal and true to Jehovah and God honored him for his faith and loyalty. God gave Daniel the great vision of the future and the ability to reveal it. The Lord appeared to him, he talked with angels, and the messenger Gabriel addresses him as “the man greatly beloved”. Even in his far older years, he still was able to speak clearly the will of the Lord and we shall see how the Lord delivers him from the mouth of lions.
We will see how very importantly Daniel teaches us the value of constant prayer and its communion with our Lord. While his name is not listed in the roll call of heroes in Hebrews 11 (the faith chapter), his spirit and deeds are given (Hebrews 11:33).
It may be that modern believers have come to neglect somewhat the wonder of prophecy. If we do accept that the Lord is surely in control of all things at all times (as taught in Hebrews 1:1-3) then we cannot join in this neglect. The strength of our faith rests in the whole counsel of God. Jesus himself spoke of the importance of his servant Daniel in Matthew 24:15 as he revealed events to follow in time.
Daniel's book generally may be divided into chapters 1-6 as history and 7-12 as visions, that relate primarily to the church. While originally 70 years of captivity were foretold, we will see in Daniel the time of separation expanded to 70 weeks of years. The crucial Time of the Gentiles is folded within this vision and it is important that we study and understand it, for prophecy is truth. We must not forget that God sees in foresight what man sees only in hindsight.
Daniel is the scribe of God in revealing for all believers for all time the will of the creator for His people. How strongly Daniel stands for us as God's mouthpiece. He describes the coming of the Savior and announces the end of the shadow of the law since the Christ will fulfill it forever. When he predicts the death of Christ, he shows the purpose of that death, which is the abolishing of our sin debt by His sacrifice, and how it will bring eternal righteousness. He warns that the state of the church will not be tranquil, either in the time of the Messiah or after. He teaches us that sons of God must be militant in worship and service , hoping not for any fruit of victory until the dead shall rise again and Christ arrive again to deliver His forever kingdom.
Just to be sure that we all accept the assurance of the truth of prophecy in God's Word, let's review the detailed prophecies that were foretold and all fulfilled in just the last week of the earthly ministry of Jesus:
Sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:12)
Betrayal by a friend (Ps 41:9)
Forsaken by disciples (Zech 13:7)
Accused by false witnesses (Ps 35:11)
Dumb before His accusers (Is 53:7)
Spit upon and scourged (Is 53:5)
Hands and feet pierced (Ps 22:16)
His garments divided by lot (Ps 22:18)
Mocked by enemies (Ps 22:7-8)
Given gall and vinegar (Ps 69:21)
Prayed for His murderers (Is 53:12)
Not a bone broken (Ps 34:20)
Crucified with thieves (Is 53:12)
His forsaken cry (Ps 22:1)
His side pierced (Zech 12:10)
Buried like a rich man (Is 53:9)
We learn and grow through scripture if we read it, study it, and accept what it reveals into our lives. Our true church is shown by revelation. Our Old Testament gives us teachings on Jews and Gentiles. Our New Testament gives us teachings on the one true church (that of all believers). Daniel has been said to be the Revelation of the Old Testament as it points forward to the opening of the curtain of the last book in the New Testament.
Josephus wrote that when Alexander the Great came to Jerusalem to conquer it in 322 B.C., he was shown by Juddua, the high priest, the prophecy of himself written by Daniel in chapter 8, and was so moved by this writing that he spared the entire city.
Daniel will allow us to see the opening of the issue of the Evil One, The Son of Perdition, that spawn of Satan which is the Antichrist. Scripture is forceful to warn us that he will indeed come upon our world appearing to be the answer to all hopes and to be initially accepted to be the long awaited messiah for the Jews.
In this regard we must not forget that 1st John 4:3 prepares us to view this matter in a longer time aspect than just the horror time of the tribulation.
“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.”
In every age the spirit of the antichrist has been active, capable of capturing the souls of the lost and diminishing the souls of those saved, and dragging to perdition entire nations and peoples, without the high drama of the Apocalypse. There have been many apocalypses since the time Jesus walked the earth. We saw them in the reigns of Nero, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and we will study an early example in Daniel that will be under the horrors brought to God's Holy City by Antiochus Epiphanes. These are all shadows of the Man of Sin to come. They are also warnings, which are reminders that we must not view the struggle against the final Antichrist as simply a huge drama to be played out during some distant future time. The actual battle against that spirit is waged from the very beginning of human history and continues without interruption until today.
In Daniel we will see the curtain lifted that obscures human sight of the savage spiritual warfare that occurs every day and night. The forces of God's righteousness are standing against these evil forces constantly. The truth of this matter is revealed in detail to Daniel and therefore to us who study and believe and trust in His Holy Word.
LET'S OPEN OUR HEARTS HUMBLY AND BEGIN
