As we come to study this book we are again dealing with the captivity of the Jews in Babylon.

OUTLINE OF DANIEL

I. HISTORICAL

1:1-21 DANIEL PLACED IN THE COURT OF BABYLON AND RAISED TO POWER. He would have been educated in languages, history, geography, sciences and, also, “the language of the Chaldeans” — a dead language known only to the wise men. > Note Daniel’s refusal to eat the food in the court of Babylon. His > reasons would be:

  1. The food would be unclean according to the covenant laws of
  1. The animals would not be killed according to Levitical Law (Lev.
  1. The food had been first offered to idols and to eat of it would

2:1 – 4:9 NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM INTERPRETED. Compare this dream with chapter 7:1-14. In these two visions Daniel sees the unfolding purposes of God over the following centuries. The nations will rise and fall, but God’s purpose shall be achieved. Realize the hope these words give. The covenant people are in captivity. All of God’s promises to them seem to have been forgotten through the disobedience of the people. But Daniel announces that God’s purpose will come to pass in spite of them. In order to make the heathen world aware of His purposes, God gives a dream to a heathen king and has a covenant Hebrew interpret it. The visions of chapter 2 and chapter 7 fit together. Chapter 2 is a panorama of world history as seen from a human point of view — as precious metals. Chapter 7 shows us the same nations from God’s viewpoint — as vicious beasts.

  • The following comparison should be helpful:
  • The head of Gold = the winged lion = Babylon
  • The breast of silver = the bear = Medo-Persia
  • Belly and thighs of brass = winged leopard = Greece
  • The legs of iron and feet of clay = the monster = Rome

Each empire was swallowed up by its predecessor. Each conqueror absorbed something of the conquered; and so by the time Rome ruled the world, it had within it the elements of all the empires gone before. In the days of the fourth empire there appears a kingdom that is quite apart from all the other kingdoms. It comes from the outside. it is “cut without hands” — i.e. the work of God, untouched by human hands. The kingdom is unconquerable and eternal, set over against the temporal kingdoms of the world that were conquered and absorbed. The Person of the stone is crowned in 7:13,14. These verses can only be understood in the light of Genesis 49:10, and II Samuel 7. This One is the long awaited covenant King. 3:1-30 THREE HEBREWS DELIVERED FROM THE FURNACE 4:1-37 NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM RELATING TO HIS INSANITY 5:1-30 FEAST OF BELSHAZZAR AND OVERTHROW OF BABYLON 5:31 – 6:28 DANIEL THROWN TO THE LIONS

II. PROPHETIC

7:1-28 THE FOUR BEASTS (SEE ABOVE DIAGRAM.) 8:1-27 THE RAM AND THE GOAT These symbolic visions describe the following history of Persia and Greece, a vital time in preparing the world for the birth of Jesus. 9:1-23 DANIEL’S PRAYER Compare Jeremiah 25:11,12; 29-10. This is one of the great prayers of Scripture. it is akin to the prayer of the high priest made over the sin offering on the Day of Atonement. Daniel is begging forgiveness now that the appointed time of judgment is over. The answer to his prayer was the prophecy of 9:24-27. Although they would return and Jerusalem would be rebuilt at the end of the seventy-year captivity, there was a further period described as seventy units of seven (NASV margin) before the Messianic longing of Daniel’s prayer would be answered. At the end of the seventy units of seven, all contained in verse 24 would be fulfilled. It should be noted that this is substantially what Jeremiah stated in the new covenant passage. 9:24-27 THE SEVENTY UNITS There has been much discussion over the meaning of this cryptic prophecy. The key to understanding it is to see the vents that are to take place when the end has been reached. These events are listed:

  1. To finish or restrain the transgression. The idea in the Hebrew is
  1. To make an end of sin. The word here indicates a taking away of sin,
  1. To make atonement for iniquity. The phrase can be better rendered
  1. To bring in everlasting righteousness. God would give His
  1. To seal up the vision and prophecy. All the prophecies would be
  1. Anointing the most holy. Christ is the most holy, and the anointing
  • All of this was to be accomplished at the end of the seventy units

THE UNITS OF SEVEN:

It is generally agreed that a unit stands for a year (Ezekiel 4:5), so making the end of the decree four hundred ninety years away from when Daniel prayed. The decree is divided into:

  1. Seven units of seven (forty-nine years)
  1. Sixty-two units of seven (four hundred thirty years)
  1. One unit of seven (seven years)

The decree was to begin with the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (the decree of Cyprus) (Daniel 1:21; Ezra 1:1-4). The prophets confirm this (Isaiah 44:28, 45:13). Sixty-nine units of seven would pass until Messiah is revealed. In those sixty-nine units, apart from Jerusalem being rebuilt in troublesome times, nothing took place. We place the revealing of the Messiah as the anointed One at His baptism by John. Note carefully Luke 3:1, the detail concerning world rulers. A new era is about to begin. 9:26 After His revelation the Messiah was to be cut off, an expression indicating violent death and used to describe the death penalty. As a result of His being cut off, the city and sanctuary would be destroyed. (This was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70). 9:27 Informs us that the cutting off of the Messiah was in the middle of the last unit of seven. If take a unit to be a year, it is saying that He would be cut off three and one half years from when He was revealed, which corresponds to the ministry of Jesus. The expression “make a firm covenant” would be better translated “confirm a firm covenant. The covenant that had waited since Abraham, and lately described in detail by Jeremiah, would finally be confirmed, ratified and fulfilled. His being cut off would cause all sacrifice to cease. In the death of Jesus, all Old Testament sacrifices found their fulfillment and had not more usefulness. We are given no details regarding the last half of the seven. It may be speculated that approximately three and one half years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Stephen was stoned and Saul became a Christian. This was the beginning of the Gospel going to the peoples of all nations. The end of verse 27 is difficult to understand. When Christ made sacrifice to cease, all that took place in the Temple became an abomination for it was an act of defiance, refusing Him as the only sacrifice. Because of that, desolation comes over the Temple, finalizing its destruction in A.D. 70. 10:1 – 11:1 VISIT OF THE DIVINE MESSENGER 11:2 – 12:3 VARIOUS PROPHECIES. 12:4-13 CONCLUSION OF VISIONS.

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