The book of daniel was written not to remind israel of her glory days, it was written to describe the bleakest point in israels historya time that appeared to be utterly chaotic and unpredictable. The book of daniel is particularly concerned with events as they impact daniel s people the jews. Jan 11, 2018 ralf prepared a number of slideshows on the book of daniel, which i hope to put up soon. The widely held view that the book of daniel is largely fictional rests mainly on the modern philosophical assumption that longrange predictive prophecy is impossible. Daniel, theology of daniel is one of the most controversial books of the bible, yet its message is clear and unmistakable. The recurring theme in the book is how god delivers his faithful servants in the midst of trouble and adversity. Daniel 1 msg daniel was gifted by god it was the bible gateway. The message was true, and it concerned a great conflict. The book of daniel plays several roles in the bible. The book of daniel is often read for its contribution to our understanding of endtimes events, but sometimes christians have been so obsessed with this that we have missed its main message. They focus in particular on the pressure two nations would place on israel, but the twelfth chapter of daniel assures that israel will be delivered in that final day daniel s final vision begins with a date formula, just as it also appeared in 1. The master handed king jehoiakim of judah over to him, along with some of the furnishings from the temple of god.
Most of the others delve into history and prophecy, but this one is a bit different. The most high god is sovereign over the kingdoms of men. Only daniel could interpret the writing, a message of coming judgment from god. This book is parts of the evergrowing series called the bible speaks today, produced by ivp academic. The book of daniel differs from the majority of hebrew prophecy. It reminds us that faithfulness to god is our glad duty no. The book is a biblical commentary of the book of daniel. As we come to the end of this book, daniel is an old man nearing the end of 70 years of ministry for god. 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 israels homelessness. Through the powers of babylon, persia, greece, and rome, god would bring to bear his purposes.
While bible scholars debate issues like when it was written and whether it is historically accurate, the book of daniel consistently calls gods people of. Dale ralph davis explores the book s background, discusses significant interpretive issues and problems, and offers a lively exposition of daniel s message, which may be summed up in the words of jesus. The message of the book of daniel reaches right through to today for both jew and gentile. Daniel explained that the hand was sent from god, thus identifying the message as coming from a divine source. Daniel was a jew who lived far from his homeland, about six hundred years before christ. Without his prophecy, we cant understand matthew 2425, luke 21, mark, or most of the book of revelation. Essay about the book of daniel 1550 words bartleby. On a theological level, the book of daniel is clear god established babylon as an empire and has replaced babylon with persia. The message of the book of daniel is that, just as the god of israel saved daniel and his friends from their enemies, so he would save all israel in their present.
That god is sovereign over the world is a theme found throughout scripture but it is in the forefront of the book of daniel. Daniel unravels the meaning of the words daniel then delivered a message of disaster and catastrophe for the king and the babylonian empire. Jan 01, 20 these are the words you will be thinking when you finish the message of daniel by dale ralph davis, as it is one of the most well exit books on daniel that i have had the privilege of reading. The book of daniel is encouraging as it provides a portrait of what faithfulness in such situations looks like. The message of daniel the bible speaks today series. The last days according to daniel keep believing ministries. The message and purpose of the book of daniel the primary theme the primary theme of the book of daniel is the revelation of israels future in relation to the gentile kingdoms now that the nation has gone into exile in babylon, and gods exaltation of daniel as a channel of revealing his will. The message of daniel the bible speaks today series davis, dale ralph on. In the hebrew bible, and in most recent protestant versions, the book of daniel is limited to its protocanonical portions.
The book of daniel is a realistic survival manual for the saints, still vitally relevant for the church in todays world. Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. May 02, 2020 daniel chapter 5 records nebuchadnezzars son belshazzar misusing the items taken from the temple in jerusalem and receiving a message from god, written into the wall, in response. Daniels book sought to bring comfort and encouragement to those in such distress. As daniel was supplicating god for the fulfilment of his promises of mercy in jeremias, xxix, 10 sq. The book of daniel the book of daniel took place in between 605 bc and 530 bc however the message is still relevant in todays society, 2544 years later. Throughout the book of daniel, we encounter the conflict. While it is included among the prophets in our english bibles as well as the septuagint, in the hebrew scriptures it is actually included among the writings ie psalms, proverbs, etc. A key principle related to these messages from god is that when god sends such a message, he also provides a means for clearly understanding what has been communicated. These themes teach a lesson which can be used into todays society. And he is to be turned to in faith, trusted without fear, and worshiped in praise. Daniel 1 msg daniel was gifted by god it was the bible. What the book of daniel teaches us about living in.
Jan 30, 2016 the book of daniel is one of the most prophetic books in the old testament. The main message of the book is the sovereignty of god. In the bible, what is the overall message of the book of daniel. In the septuagint, the vulgate, and many other ancient and modern translations of holy writ, it comprises both its proto and its deuterocanonical parts, which two sets of parts have an equal right to be considered as inspired, and to be included in a. In the book of daniel, we are reminded that in the midst of great turmoil, our god reigns. Daniel and his friends lived in a hostile environment in. Therefore, let us not be hypocrites without discerning this time and let us unseal the book of daniel. Approximately eight of these instances are found in the book of daniel.
The theological theme of the book is summarized in 4. It is complex in its historical and prophetic account of things now past, and things to come. Daniels birdseye view reveals successive earthly kingdoms interlocked togetherthe babylonian kingdom succeeded by the persian, the persian by the greek, and the greek by the romanexactly as it happened in history. Daniel 12 brings us to the end of his career as a prophet. Daniel the book of daniel is another book of the old testament that documents the various trials that members of the jewish faith are forced to endure at the hands of nonbelievers, this time focusing on the titular individual. King nebuchadnezzar and daniel are the primary individuals with whom god communicated in the book of daniel. The bible speaks today bst 9780830824380 by dale ralph davis. How could gods people find a sense of their identity. The message of daniel is that because god is sovereign and his eternal kingdom will reign, his people should and must be faithful to him.
The global message of daniel for today the book of daniel has much to say to the global church today. But the book of daniel was to set the record straight. It deals with the core message of the bible, and the book of daniel. Ministry magazine the gospel in daniel and revelation. What the book of daniel teaches us about living in uncertain. It gives an account of the activities and visions of daniel, a noble jew exiled at babylon, and its message is that just as the god of israel saves daniel from his.
The book of daniel presents a collection of popular stories about daniel, a loyal jew, and the record of visions granted to him, with the babylonian exile of the 6th century bce as their background. For later reader living under the greek or roman empires, this message provides hope for a coming kingdom of god to replace the kingdoms of man. Daniel 11 the message msg 11 and i, in my turn, have been helping him out as best i can ever since the first year in the reign of darius the mede. Jun 21, 20 in the message of daniel, the author essentially follows the book of daniel, from chapter one straight through to chapter twelve. Beautifully written and the author focuses the reader on the spiritual dimension rather than the academic study. The message of daniel, and of dale ralph davis, is meant to bolster faith and faithfulness. The whole church needs reassurance, especially in view of marxist claims to be able by human effort to introduce a utopian world government. Daniel s life serves as an example of godly integrity. The book of daniel, a book of the old testament found in the ketuvim writings, the third section of the jewish canon, but placed among the prophets in the christian canon. Book of daniel overview insight for living ministries. The book of daniel is particularly concerned with events as they impact daniels people the jews.
The book is not strictly prophecy, though it does contain prophecy. A brief consideration of the circumstances under which the book of daniel was written will contribute to a clearer understanding of its message. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. This chapter introduces a vision that comprises the last quarter of the book of daniel and forms the backdrop for the prophecy described in the last two chapters, 11 and 12. The book of daniel recounts events of worldwide proportion in daniels own day that. Then the fingers of the hand were sent from him verse 24. Dale ralph davis explores the books background, discusses significant interpretive issues and problems, and offers a lively exposition of daniels message, which may be summed up in the words of jesus. Although it does not actually claim to have been written in the sixth century bce, the book of daniel gives clear internal dates such as the third year of the reign of king jehoiakim, that is, 606 bce.
Daniel is one of the most controversial books of the bible, yet its message is clear and unmistakable. 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. Mar 26, 2000 studying this book ought to increase our confidence in the sovereignty of a god who makes no mistakes. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bce biblical apocalypse with an ostensible 6th century bce setting, combining a prophecy of history with an eschatology a portrayal of end times both cosmic in scope and political in focus. He is sovereignly guiding history according to the counsel of his will. Gods sovereignty over history is not an end in itself. Rather the book is prophetic and as such it gives a remarkable forecast of future events some fulfilled within the time of the book itself, others still being fulfilled today. The book, however, was written in a later time of national crisiswhen the jews were suffering severe persecution under antiochus iv epiphanes reigned 175164163 bce, the second. Three more kings of persia will show up, and then a fourth will become richer than all of them. The head of the palace staff, by gods grace, liked daniel, but he warned him, im afraid of what my master the king will do.
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. The first half of the book chapters 16 contains stories in the third person about the experiences of daniel and his. The message daniel was gifted by god 1 12 it was the third year of king jehoiakims reign in judah when king nebuchadnezzar of babylon declared war on jerusalem and besieged the city. The heavenly messenger explained to him how the seventy years of desolation foretold by jeremias should be understood. The message of the book of daniel faithlife sermons. God had let nebuchadnezzar win for the moment and for his own greater purposes. Nov 09, 20 daniel is the last of the major prophets the others are isaiah, jeremiah, and ezekiel, and he was a captive of judah. Daniel is a difficult book, but it is a book about the meaning of historyand people today need its message.
God is in control, no matter how things look, and his kingdom will one day fill the earth. The title chief princes, rightly explained in the margin, shows that the charge of israel had been entrusted by god to the highest of the heavenly powers. The overall message of daniel is that the living god knows the end from the beginning. The first look at the book of daniel is exciting and tough at the same time. Best commentaries and books on daniel logos bible software. The book, however, was written in a later time of national crisiswhen the jews were suffering severe persecution under antiochus iv epiphanes. The message of daniel by dale ralph davis goodreads. It definitely serves as a wonderful entry point into the book of daniel. Daniel then delivered a message of disaster and catastrophe for the king and the babylonian empire. In the eighth chapter of the book of daniel there is further revelation of the details regarding the worldruling empires first identified in daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar took king and furnishings to the country of babylon, the ancient shinar. Chapters 8 and 11 have some sections that are hard to distinguish between the historical figure antiochus epiphanes and the antichrist.
The global message of daniel daniel in redemptive history. The purpose of the bible is to bring us back into harmony with god. Themes behind a rather odd book 7 may 2009 daniel is a rather odd little book in the bible. While bible scholars debate issues like when it was written and whether it is historically accurate, the book of daniel consistently calls gods people of every generation to faithfulness. He doesnt work it out like a normal commentary, verse by verse, with tons of hebrewaramaic syntacticalgrammatical verbosity cluttering up the page. First, the main theme of daniel is god is sovereign. The last three chapters of daniel 1012 form one final vision and the most complete revelation daniel received. The description of this angel is curiously similar to that given of the glorified lord jesus found in revelation 1. Daniel 11 msg and i, in my turn, have been bible gateway. He is the one who assigned this diet and if he sees that you are not as. His visions paint a prophetic landscape for daniel s contemporaries. Jan 20, 2020 daniel looks forward to a time when god will restore his people and fulfill all of his promises made to abraham, david, and the prophets. Feb 01, 2020 daniel 5 declares those prophecies are fulfilled in a spectacular manner. The book of daniel speaks profoundly to us this week.
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