Journey Through Daniel
Our journey through Scripture takes us to the final book of the major prophets. It is interesting because it is a very brief book. We will journey through Daniel. Of the five major prophets, Daniel is probably the book with which you are the most familiar.
For example, you know the story of Daniel in the lion’s den, where Daniel was punished for defying the king’s law and praying. You know the story of the Hebrew boys cast into the fiery furnace and Christ coming to be with them. There is biographical and historical information in this book, and there are some famous, well-known stories. Yet, the message of Daniel is often missed.
Listen to an Overview of Daniel:
Overview of Daniel
Daniel, whose name means “God is my judge”, is a fascinating character in Scripture. It is very possible that he was a descendant of King Hezekiah. Nothing negative is written about Daniel. Think of that for just a moment. Somewhere between his 16th and 20th year of life, he was taken captive. Remember, Jerusalem is destroyed. The people are carried away in the Babylonian captivity. Daniel was taken away on a journey in the first group of people that were deported.
That means that, as a young person, he grew up under the influence of a good king named Josiah and a great preacher named Jeremiah. I think this is wonderful. But it was in his youth that God prepared him to take his stand in Babylon. And with our children and our grandchildren, we must take the window of time God gives us to get them ready to live in this wicked world.
Daniel lived through the entire 70-year captivity, tying together the periods before, during, and after the exile. He was close to 90 years of age when he is writing this book of the Bible. We think of Daniel as being a very young man, but when he penned this book, he was an aged man.
That is significant because, like the psalmist, he could say, “I have been young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25) In other words, Daniel is a marvelous influence and testimony to the faithfulness of God, not just his own faithfulness, but the fact that God Himself is faithful to His people.
Key Verse of Daniel
The key verse of the book is found in Daniel 2:22. There, the Bible says of God, “He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him”. Would you meditate on those phrases for a moment? He not only knows, He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him. Daniel knew how to hear from God, who revealed the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar to him. He also knew to give God the credit.
Night and Light
I believe the entire book of Daniel revolves around this idea of night and light.
Daniel 1-6: The Historical Light
The first six chapters give us a glimpse of the historical night, and that section is mainly narrative. That is where you find the story of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Belshazzar, and Nebuchadnezzar. You get a glimpse of the historical night.
Daniel 7-12: The Prophetical Light
When you come to chapter seven, there is a definite movement. In chapters seven through twelve, we move from the historical night to the prophetical light. This is God’s plan for the future. He deals with the Gentiles, and He deals with Israel. There are even indirect lessons for us in the New Testament age found and hinted at in the Book of Daniel in that second section, because it speaks of the imminence of our Lord’s return, darkness, and light.
God is at work in history. God is at work in the nighttime eras. In those periods when we think nothing good is going on, God is at work, but He does not leave us there. He leads us out of that night into his marvelous light. He shows us that we are not stuck. There is a very bright future ahead, and God reveals it.
Secret Things
Daniel 2:22 refers to the deep and secret things. Nine of the twelve chapters in this book revolve around dreams. The word vision appears twenty-two times, and visions appear ten times. What are these? They are the secrets of the Lord. The things that God knows, but has kept hidden for a period of time. God reveals them progressively in Scripture. Many of those things are revealed to us now in Daniel, and as our journey through Scripture continues, we will eventually come to the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
Daniel and Revelation are closely akin to one another. Just as John is among the apostles in the New Testament, Daniel is among the prophets in the Old Testament. Both are called beloved, or greatly beloved. They both received visions from the Lord. Both of their writings are apocalyptic, dealing with the end of time. I challenge you to study the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation alongside one another, like two parallel tracks.
They are leading us somewhere. Where? They are leading us to Jesus! Some people study prophecy, and for them, it is all about events. Friend, it is not merely about events. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The Bible says it is not about knowing things. It is about knowing Him. (Jeremiah 9:23-24). All of these events are leading us to the Lord.
Theme of Daniel – Godless Kingdoms and the Kingdom of God
The great message of the Book of Daniel is about the godless kingdoms and the kingdom of God. There are many godless kingdoms, and that is the period known as the times of the Gentiles. Daniel details that for us in this book. It began with the Babylonian captivity, and it will end when Jesus Christ comes and sets up His throne to rule and reign on the Earth. Are you looking forward to that kingdom?
It is not just about the godless kingdoms. We are living right now in a period of godless kingdoms, godless rulers, all around the world. But remember, a man has his day, and then the Lord has His day. No matter who is on the throne, God is always on His throne. That is not just a message for Israel. That is a message for all of us. The only lasting kingdom is the kingdom of our God. The word kingdom is found fifty-seven times in this little book. It is the emphasis on the godless kingdoms and the kingdom of God.
Which kingdom do you belong to today? Are you merely a citizen of some nation here on earth, or are you a citizen of a greater kingdom with the greatest King, the kingdom of Heaven? The Kingdom of God. Is the Kingdom of God within you, in the person of the Holy Spirit? Because that is the great message in the Book of Daniel.
The Book of Daniel is About Jesus Christ
There are so many things that we could cover in this book. We could examine how Daniel teaches us to be thankful in difficult days. We could examine Daniel’s 70 weeks in Daniel 9. It is one of the great reasons why I believe the next thing on God’s agenda is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because we are not going to be here when all the tribulation breaks loose on this planet (more on that HERE). It is a beautiful truth.
But the great message of the book of Daniel is not about events. It is about the person of Jesus Christ!
- He is the Stone (Daniel 2:34)
- He is the Son of God (Daniel 3:25)
- He is the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:29)
- He is the Prince of princes (Daniel 8:25)
- He is the most Holy (Daniel 9:24)
- He is the Messiah (Daniel 9:25-26)
The book of Daniel is about the fourth Man who stood in the fiery furnace and is coming for His own. He is going to rule and reign, and those who know Him are going to rule and reign with Him.
I hope today, as you journey through Daniel, that you will not merely meet Daniel and other historical characters. That you will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ in a greater, deeper way. And I hope you will be reminded that He alone knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him.
Related Article and Broadcast Series: Thankful In Difficult Days
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