The Bible Series Daniel
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The Psalmist declares in Psalm 135:5-6:
For I know that the Lord is great And that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
This morning… do you KNOW the Lord is great?… Is He truly greater than all other gods?… Are you comfortable with God doing as He pleases?
Looking at Daniel…
Will help us determine in our hearts and minds His greatness
Demonstrates how He is Far Greater than any other god
And… whether you are comfortable or not we will see He does as He pleases and plans!
The book of Daniel declares more vividly than most other books in the Bible the SOVEREIGNTY of God and the working out of His Plan over the course of time, through the working through world leaders and dictators. NEVER ONCE HAS GOD NOT BEEN ON HIS THRONE & IN CONTROL!
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD Biblical teaching that God possesses all power and is the ruler of all things. God rules and works according to His eternal purpose, even through events that seem to contradict or oppose His rule.[i] Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
The opening verses describes God doing this very thing… Daniel 1:1-2
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.
Two men who felt they were the greatest… yet it is God who orchestrates and allows for the course of events to take place for His overall plan. While man may think himself the greatest and in control, it is our Great God who maintains that title and unfolds His plan through the pages of history and even today!
I want us today to understand He has a plan
Meet His Prophet Daniel
Look at the Powers He moves for His plan
Remember His Promise
And considering all those things… leave here today with a greater Peace in our hearts as we face tomorrow!
The Prophet / Overview
The Prophet / Overview
We see these two fore-mentioned men beginning in this book… but the book is not about them! This book captures the life and messages of a man by the name of Daniel…
Ch 1-6 Historic 7-12 Prophetic
Great detail in its prophecy
So much so that the authenticity of it has been questioned
8 Prophecies being fulfilled is a 1 in 10 to the 17 power
Silver dollars lying flat… fill Texas 2 ft. deep, Blindfold, walk, grab 1
In Daniel 11:2-31 alone there are over 135 FULFILLED prophecies!
With such accuracy many claim it could not have been written in Daniel’s day
This is true UNLESS we serve a truly SOVEREIGN and ALL KNOWING GOD!
Time of writing 605 AD-520 AD
The dead sea scrolls found in 1900’s reveal & proved Daniel was written in this time!
Languages:
Hebrew Ch. 1 & 8-12 (dealing with Israel)
God is working distinctly with His chosen people
Aramaic Ch. 2-7 (dealing with the Gentile Nations)
Consider Daniel: The Man
He records some of his life but there is a period of 50 years we don’t see much
Faithful day in and day out
Still following God in his old age (Finishing Well)
He records the words of God… a Prophet
We find no faults of Daniel
Yet... Daniel ask for forgiveness of his sins in a prayer to God Daniel 9
Ezekiel mentions Daniel three times referring to him being a man of Righteousness
Daniel serves in the courts of kings and rulers from his teens into his eighties!
Under multiple rulers
Under different empires
Never wavering in his faithfulness to the Lord
Daniel is the man God uses to share with not only God’s chosen people but the World His unfolding plan!!!
Jesus Himself in Matthew 24 addresses Daniel as a prophet affirming the message Daniel writes.
This book is going to take each of us on a journey to really examine our hearts and our lives.
The Powers
The Powers
Daniel 2:25-28 is such a powerful introduction to Daniel’s humility and God’s greatness!
Then Arioch hurriedly brought Daniel into the king’s presence and spoke to him as follows: “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. “However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed.
There is a CONTRAST with All the earthly kingdoms with the EVERLASTING & GLORIOUS Kingdom of God!
This is great prophecy!!! This dream and its interpretation is The Backbone of Biblical Prophecy!
What’s great is we don’t have to try and figure out what it means…
So many possibilities
Pastors could come up with anything
So could have Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men too!
GOD GIVES THE INTERPRETATION!!! Right in … Daniel 2:36-45
Daniel 8 gives us more insight to who these kingdoms are.
Observations of the Image in Dream...
The metals decrease in value YET increase in strength
We are moving down the image represented the passage of time
Since chapters 2–7 of Daniel deal with Jehovah’s rule over the Gentiles, Daniel wrote those chapters in the language that Gentiles could understand.
Had he written them in Hebrew, their message would have been missed by most Gentiles of that time.
God is giving a blueprint for the ages of time here
Head of Gold = Babylon / Nebuchadnezzar
GOLD is the richest metal
Yet soft as strength goes
Look at Daniel 2: 37 God gave this to the king!
“You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;
Interestingly King Nebuchadnezzar answered to no one and no law. He was supreme!
Most greeted the king “Oh king live forever” … nope! King you will have an end and so will your kingdom!
It must have amazed the king that an inferior kingdom would overthrow his kingdom
Just to show… God is the one directing things
The Chest & Arms of Silver = Medo-Persia
Of Silver and that it is inferior
Interesting we see this later shown in Ch. 8 as Medo-Persia (The Medes and the Persians) link arms together so to speak and conquered Babylon.
539 B.C. in Daniel’s lifetime!
The thing they were well known for was the silver coin as currency
Less in value monetarily yet a stronger metal
The Belly of Bronze = Greece
We also know this is Greece from Ch. 8
Interestingly this is a stronger metal
Greece was known for implementing the bronze in their armor for the soldiers
In fact, the shields of bronze would be polished and used to blind the enemy by reflecting the sun into their eyes
“Rule over all the earth”
In 331 B.C. Alexander the Great conquered the known world of that time
The Legs of Iron = Rome
God’s portrayal of Rome with two legs was very apt, for
The ancient Roman Empire ruled extensive areas of both the western and eastern divisions of the world.
In fact, in 364 ad the Roman Empire was divided politically into two divisions—the Western Roman Empire with Rome as its capital and the Eastern Roman Empire with Constantinople as its capital.
Rome came to power in 146 B.C.
The force and power of iron is intense, Rome even used iron in its military weaponry and force
This kingdom continues… later in Daniel we see that the man of lawlessness comes from this kingdom
Notice however the kingdom of iron begins to blend with clay
The Feet & Toes of Clay
There will be strong and weak governments mixed together
The two metals don’t mix. Clay is not even a metal. No strength, no value.
It appears that in the end there will be some form of a confederation of Nations. They will attempt to combine for military strength, but would keep their individual identity and not fully blend.
Clay is often indicative of man, there will be nations, nationalities
Each nation would keep its identity
This happens “in the days of those kings” a final kingdom is established…
The best form of government is a MONARCHY… lead by a Godly Righteous King!
The Mountain = The Kingdom of God
God is going to establish His Kingdom!
All the Gentile kingdoms will pass away
We see God’s marvelous plan for the ages in powerful detail, His plan to rule through the powers on earth, but in this book of Daniel we also see God keeping His Word to His People Israel… and blessing them and us with a powerful new promise!!!
The Promise
The Promise
Daniel’s View
Prayer & 70 Years Promise
Gabriel Responds and declares God’s View
God’s View Daniel 9:24-27
“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
70 Weeks
The Hebrew here reads seventy sevens. This is seventy groups of seven.
The context as we are reading here is years! Daniel is reflecting on 490 years, 70 years, etc.
Therefore 70 7s is… 70x7=490 years
This is a decree… it is set, it will be!
This is for “your people” Jews and “your holy city” Jerusalem
What we are looking at today is for them not the church, not the gentiles
In this 490 years there are listed 6 things which will occur…
1. Finish the transgression
The time of sin would be done
2. Make an end of sin
Sin no longer would have power it is dead
3. Make atonement for iniquity
Blood covered our sin
4. Bring in everlasting righteousness
5. Seal up vision and prophecy
6. Anoint the most holy place
Daniel is to “know and “discern” some things… verse 25
A decree will be given that will start the clock to when the Messiah would come!!!!
There were 4 decrees! Some even to rebuild the temple!
Only one is issued for the rebuilding of Jerusalem as a whole
Nehemiah 2:1-6 444 BC in the month of Nisan
7 weeks…seven sets of seven or 7x7=49 years to rebuild Jerusalem!
And the 62 weeks continue to follow this time… 62x7=434 years
I know 444+483=39 AD not 33 AD!?
Jewish years are lunar and therefore are 360 days and our years are solar 365 days
Over 483 years’ time this would be a 2,415-day difference or about 6.6 years’ time. (365 x 483 = 176,295 days)
IF… the decree was given on Nisan 1, 444 BC
173,880 days later would land on March 30, 33 AD
We read in Luke 19:35-44 Jesus Christ presenting Himself as the Messiah… the coming King!!!
The Rocks would cry out! They should have known the TIME!!!
After 62 weeks (483 years)
Messiah would be cut off (The Cross)
People of the prince… “Rome”
70 AD Jerusalem is destroyed (Fire & Blood)
There will be wars… this is what we still see today!
Then we see the final week!
7 years… one will rule, he make a covenant even with the Jews…
3 ½ years into it he breaks his covenant
God will destroy him!
At Christ return the final three things listed will be complete! Christ will rule!
For over 500 years after Daniel writes this the people look ahead to the coming Messiah, and they missed Him.
Today we look back and see Jesus Christ our Messiah! People don’t miss Him.
The Peace!
The Peace!
This book of Daniel carries some powerful prophecy, encouraging details, and with all of that we find it offers us true PEACE!
The nation no longer is following God
Leaders are corrupt, making decisions opposed to God
Even individuals called the people of God are straying from Him
There is global unrest, wars, leaders seeking power
God’s people are under attack
Leaders are seeking their own glory
This is not the list for today… this is what was occurring over 2500 years ago in Daniels day!
This book gives a strength for us today A Sovereign God
There is a real hope for us tomorrow! A Sovereign God
God remains… the same yesterday, today, and forever
He knows tomorrow as today (HE HOLDS IT)
God is in control!!! Even when the world around us feels so much out of control
God is NOT panicking…
He has a plan (Daniel shares that plan)… even though things seem to be falling apart around us … they are really falling into place
Nebuchadnezzar had something to say about this… Originally he would have declared that he was the greatest… yet God demonstrated to this Great King His Power, His Plan, His Sovereignty and this once proud Powerful Ruler declares the clearest description in scripture of God’s Sovereignty in Daniel 4:34-35 he says this:
“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation. “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’
We serve a GREAT GOD… GREATER than any other god.
I am COMFORTABLE with Him doing as HE PLEASES with HIS PLAN!!!
OUR GOD IS SOVEREIGN!!!