"But there is an Elah in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." - Daniel 2:28
About Daniel
When: Written ~550-530 BC during Babylonian/Persian exile
Who: Daniel - taken captive as a youth (~605 BC)
Where: Babylon (modern Iraq)
Theme: Yahuah's sovereignty over all kingdoms of men
Structure of Daniel
Chapters
Content
Language
1-6
Historical narratives
Hebrew & Aramaic
7-12
Prophetic visions
Hebrew & Aramaic
Why Daniel Matters
Daniel contains the most detailed prophecies in Scripture. These prophecies were written hundreds of years before their fulfillment and provide undeniable proof of:
Divine inspiration of Scripture
Yahuah's control over history
The accuracy of biblical prophecy
The coming of Messiah (timing given!)
REFLECT - Questions
1. When was Daniel written, and where was Daniel living?
2Nebuchadnezzar's Dream (Daniel 2)
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
"Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible." - Daniel 2:31
The Setting
King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream. He demanded his wise men tell him both the dream AND its interpretation - an impossible task! When they failed, Daniel received the revelation from Yahuah.
THE GREAT STATUE
Body Part
Metal
Kingdom
Head
Gold
Babylon
Chest & Arms
Silver
Medo-Persia
Belly & Thighs
Bronze
Greece
Legs
Iron
Rome
Feet
Iron & Clay
Divided Rome / Modern Nations
"Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron..." - Daniel 2:38-40
REFLECT - Questions
1. What did the head of gold represent?
2. Why did the metals decrease in value but increase in strength?
3The Four Kingdoms Identified
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
HISTORICAL FULFILLMENT
Kingdom
Dates
Characteristics
Babylon (Gold)
605-539 BC
Absolute monarchy, great wealth and glory
Medo-Persia (Silver)
539-331 BC
Dual monarchy, inferior in glory
Greece (Bronze)
331-168 BC
Alexander's conquest, Hellenistic culture
Rome (Iron)
168 BC - 476 AD
Iron legions, crushing power
Precision of Prophecy
Daniel wrote this prophecy around 550 BC:
Babylon fell: 539 BC - 11 years later
Persia fell: 331 BC - 220 years later
Greece fell: 168 BC - 380 years later
Rome fell: 476 AD - over 1,000 years later!
Only Yahuah knows the future with such precision!
RECALL - Remember It!
List the four kingdoms in order:
4The Stone Kingdom
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
"And in the days of these kings shall the Elah of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed... it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." - Daniel 2:44
THE STONE CUT WITHOUT HANDS
Not made by human hands: Divine origin
Strikes the feet: Comes during the divided kingdom phase
Destroys the statue: Ends all human kingdoms
Becomes a mountain: Fills the whole earth
Lasts forever: Yahuah's eternal kingdom
Interpretation
The Stone = Messiah Yahusha and His Kingdom!
Yahusha is the "stone the builders rejected" (Psalm 118:22)
He came during the Roman period (the legs of iron)
His kingdom began spiritually and will culminate in His return
The feet (modern divided nations) will be crushed at His coming
REFLECT - Questions
1. What does the stone represent?
5Four Beasts Vision (Daniel 7)
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
"Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." - Daniel 7:2-3
THE FOUR BEASTS
Beast
Description
Kingdom
Lion with eagle wings
Wings plucked, made to stand like man
Babylon
Bear raised on one side
Three ribs in mouth
Medo-Persia
Leopard with four wings
Four heads
Greece (4 divisions)
Dreadful beast
Iron teeth, 10 horns
Rome
Parallel with Daniel 2
Daniel 7 covers the same ground as Daniel 2, but with different symbols:
Beasts (ch. 7): Yahuah's perspective - savage kingdoms
Same prophecy, different viewpoints!
REFLECT - Questions
1. Why did the leopard have four heads?
6The Little Horn
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
"I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things." - Daniel 7:8
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LITTLE HORN
Rises among the ten horns: From divided Rome
Uproots three horns: Destroys three kingdoms
Eyes of a man: Human leader/intelligence
Speaks great things: Blasphemy against Yahuah
Makes war with saints: Persecutes believers
Thinks to change times and laws: Alters sacred calendar and Torah
Saints given into his hand: For "time, times, and half a time" (3.5 years/1,260 days)
HISTORICAL IDENTIFICATION
Protestant Reformers universally identified the Little Horn as:
The Papal system of Rome
Rose among the divided Roman kingdoms
Three kingdoms destroyed: Heruli, Vandals, Ostrogoths
Claims divine titles and authority
Persecuted millions during Inquisition
Changed Sabbath to Sunday, altered feast days
Ruled for 1,260 years (538-1798 AD)
REFLECT - Questions
1. What does "think to change times and laws" mean?
7Ram & Goat Vision (Daniel 8)
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
"The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king." - Daniel 8:20-21
THE RAM AND GOAT
Symbol
Identification
Historical Fulfillment
Ram with two horns
Medo-Persia
Higher horn = Persia dominant
Goat from west
Greece
Came swiftly from west
Great horn
Alexander the Great
Conquered Persia 331 BC
Four horns
Four generals
Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, Seleucus
Little horn (v.9)
Rome (pagan & papal)
Destroyed sanctuary, persecuted
The 2,300 Days
"Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." (Daniel 8:14)
Prophetic days = literal years (Ezekiel 4:6)
2,300 years from 457 BC = 1844 AD
Connected to the heavenly sanctuary judgment
REFLECT - Questions
1. Who was the "great horn" on the goat?
8The 70 Weeks Prophecy (Daniel 9)
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." - Daniel 9:24
THE 70 WEEKS BREAKDOWN
70 weeks of years = 70 × 7 = 490 years
Period
Weeks
Years
Event
1st
7 weeks
49 years
Jerusalem rebuilt
2nd
62 weeks
434 years
Until Messiah comes
3rd
1 week
7 years
Messiah confirms covenant
THE STARTING POINT
"From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem" (Daniel 9:25)
Decree of Artaxerxes: 457 BC (Ezra 7:12-26)
This decree allowed rebuilding Jerusalem AND restoring self-governance
REFLECT - Questions
1. How many total years are in "70 weeks of years"?
9The 70 Weeks Fulfilled
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
MATHEMATICAL FULFILLMENT
Event
Calculation
Date
Decree to rebuild
Starting point
457 BC
Jerusalem rebuilt
457 BC + 49 years
408 BC
Messiah appears
457 BC + 483 years
27 AD
Messiah "cut off"
Middle of final week
31 AD
End of 70 weeks
457 BC + 490 years
34 AD
Perfect Fulfillment!
27 AD: Yahusha was baptized and began ministry - "Messiah" means "Anointed One"!
31 AD: Yahusha was crucified - "cut off, but not for Himself"
34 AD: Gospel officially went to Gentiles (stoning of Stephen)
The ONLY prophecy that gives the exact timing of Messiah's coming!
"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." - Daniel 9:26
REFLECT - Questions
1. What year was Yahusha baptized according to the prophecy?
2. Why is this prophecy so powerful for proving Yahusha is the Messiah?
10Kings of North & South (Daniel 11)
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
"And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all..." - Daniel 11:2
The Most Detailed Prophecy in Scripture
Daniel 11 contains over 100 specific predictions, including:
Three more Persian kings, then a fourth wealthy one (Xerxes)
A mighty king (Alexander) whose kingdom divides into four
Wars between Ptolemaic Egypt (South) and Seleucid Syria (North)
Specific battles, marriages, betrayals - all fulfilled!
SAMPLE FULFILLMENTS
Verse
Prophecy
Fulfillment
11:3
"A mighty king shall stand up"
Alexander the Great (336 BC)
11:4
Kingdom divided to four
Four generals (301 BC)
11:6
Marriage alliance fails
Berenice to Antiochus II (252 BC)
11:21-35
Vile person persecutes
Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164 BC)
REFLECT - Questions
1. Why is the detail in Daniel 11 evidence for divine inspiration?
11The Time of the End (Daniel 12)
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered." - Daniel 12:1
EVENTS OF THE END
Michael stands up: Yahusha takes action for His people
Time of trouble: Great tribulation
Deliverance: Those written in the book are saved
Resurrection: "Many that sleep in the dust shall awake"
Two destinies: Everlasting life or everlasting contempt
The Time Prophecies
Time Period
Days/Years
Significance
1,260 days
1,260 years
Papal supremacy (538-1798)
1,290 days
1,290 years
Additional prophetic marker
1,335 days
1,335 years
"Blessed is he that waiteth"
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." - Daniel 12:4
REFLECT - Questions
1. What does "knowledge shall be increased" suggest about our time?
12Daniel's Relevance Today
RECEIVE - Learn About It!
What Daniel Teaches Us
Yahuah controls history: Every kingdom rises and falls by His will
Messiah came on time: The 70 weeks prove Yahusha's identity
We live in the toes: The final stage before the Stone Kingdom
Yahuah wins: The stone becomes a mountain - His kingdom is eternal
Where Are We Now?
The image's feet - divided nations that cannot unite
After the 1,260 years of papal dominance
Knowledge has increased exponentially
Waiting for the Stone to strike!
"And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom." - Daniel 7:27
RESPOND - Apply It!
1. How has studying Daniel strengthened your faith?
2. What will you share with someone else about Daniel's prophecies?