Daniel – Summary
Daniel Outline
I. God’s Man in Babylon (1-6)
a. Daniel’s Preparation (1)
b. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2)
c. The Fiery Furnace (3)
d. Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation (4)
e. Handwriting on the Wall (5)
f. The Lion’s Den (6)
II. God’s Prophet for Israel (7-12)
a. His Vision of the four beasts (7)
b. His vision of the Ram and the Goat (8)
c. His Vision of the 70 Weeks (9)
d. His Vision of Israel’s Tribulation and Triumph (10-12)
Message
I. God’s Man in Babylon (1-6)
a. Daniel’s Preparation (1)
The Babylonian monarch Nebuchadnezzar attacks and conquers Jerusalem. He orders Ashpenaz, the head palace official, to begin training some of the most promising Jewish captives for public service. Daniel (Belteshazzar, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) are among those chosen.
Determined not to defile himself by eating the king’s food and wine, Daniel seeks permission to eat other, more wholesome food. The prince of the eunuchs feared death if the four Hebrews diet made them look worse. So Daniel suggests a 10 day test.
The result is that these four boys are healthier than the rest, and at the end of the training programme Nebuchadnezzar declares that the four young men are ten times smarter than all the magician and astrologers in his kingdom. Daniel now begins his service in Babylonian politics.
b. Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2)
The king has a disturbing dream and he calls his wise men and commands them to tell him what he dreamt and what the dream means. As the wise men are unable to do this they are sentenced to death.
Daniel learns that he and his friends are among those to be executed, although absent from the initial meeting, and he asks the king for more time. After he and his friends pray, God tells Daniel the dream and its meaning, he then praises God for His omnipotence and omniscience.
Daniel reveals the dream to the king, he saw a huge statue with a gold head, silver chest and arms, brass belly and thighs, iron legs, and feet that were a mixture of iron and clay. Then a massive rock was cut out from a mountain and it struck the feet, smashing them to bits so that the whole statue collapsed.
Daniel then gives the dreams meaning. The statue represented four successive Gentile powers – Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The Stone represented Christ and His coming Kingdom that will one day destroy this pagan power.
An amazed Nebuchadnezzar recognises the superiority of Daniels God and he appoints Daniel to be ruler over the entire province of Babylon as well as chief over all his wise men.
c. The Fiery Furnace (3)
Nebuchadnezzar builds a gold statue that is 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. All of the political leaders are summoned to the statues dedication and when the music plays all are to bow down and worship the gold statue. All those who refuse to bow down will be thrown into a fiery furnace.
The king is then told that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego have refused to bow down and the king offers the three men a second chance. They still refuse to bow. Nebuchadnezzar orders the men to be thrown into the furnace which has been heated 7 times hotter than usual.
Looking into the fire an amazed king sees that not only are the three men still alive, but they have been joined by the Son of God. The king calls the three men out of the fire and out they walk, not even smelling of smoke. Nebuchadnezzar then imposes the death sentence on anyone who speaks against God and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are promoted to higher positions.
d. Nebuchadnezzar’s Humiliation (4)
The king issues a special decree throughout the kingdom testifying to God’s awesome power, however, the king becomes proud of his achievements and is given a second dream. He sees a large tree reaching up to heaven and spreading out over the earth. Then a “holy one” cuts down the tree and says that this represents a man who will lose his mind and live like a beast for seven years.
Daniel identifies the tree as Nebuchadnezzar who will suffer from a divinely caused insanity as a result of his pride. However, in seven years, after he acknowledges God’s power, his kingdom will be restored. Daniel urges the king to repent and avoid this terrible judgement.
Refusing to repent, the king remains arrogant, boasting to everyone about his achievements and the building of Babylon. As predicted, the king is given a beasts mind for seven years. Upon receiving his right mind and being restored to the kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar, praises, extols and honours Daniel’s God.
e. Handwriting on the Wall (5)
We move on some years and we see that Belshazzar is now king of Babylon and he is having a feast to which he invites a thousand of his lords. He then asks for the vessels Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple. As he and his guest are drinking wine from the holy vessels and praising their gods, Belshazzar sees a hand write a message on the wall, and he is filled with fear.
The queen mother advises that he call for Daniel and as when the prophet arrives the king offers to promote Daniel to the third highest position in the kingdom if he can interpret the writing. Daniel has no interest in this bribe and offers to interpret the message free of charge.
Daniel then speaks about the difference in the reigns, Nebuchadnezzar had testified to God’s sovereignty after his bout of insanity and Belshazzar, well aquainted with Babylonian history, chose to defy God and insult Him. Daniel tells the king that his kingdom will be given to the Medes and Persians and that he will soon die.
In a futile attempt to escape judgement, the king clothes Daniel in purple and proclaims him as the third ruler in the kingdom, however, that very night Darius the Mede enters Babylon, kills Belshazzar, and rules over the city.
f. The Lion’s Den
Darius now appoints Daniel as one of the kingdoms three top positions. Those envious of Daniel try and find something in his life that can be used against him and they realise that he can be trapped by his religious life. Darius is tricked into signing a decree that imposes the death penalty upon anyone who prays to any god except the king for thirty days.
Even though he knows about the decree Daniel continues his usual prayer time to God three times a day, as a result of his devotion he is reported top the king. Realising he’s been tricked Darius spends the rest of the day trying unsuccessfully to find a loophole in the decree to free Daniel.
With great sorrow the king orders Daniel to be thrown into the lions den and then he returns home to spend a sleepless night. Early the next morning he runs to the lions den and calls out, “Daniel, is thy God… able to deliver thee from the lions?” Daniel replies, “God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouth!”
Overjoyed the king orders Daniel to be removed and his accusers are thrown in the same den of lions and immediately torn apart. Darius sends a message to all in the kingdom “tremble and fear before the God of Daniel!”
II. God’s Prophet for Israel (7-12)
a. His Vision of the four beasts (7)
During the first year of Belshazzar’s reign Daniel has a dream. He sees four beasts. A lionlike beast with eagles wings; a bearlike beast with three ribs in its mouth; a leopardlike beast with four wings and four heads; a terrible beast with ten horns and a little horn replacing three of them.
Then Daniel sees God seated in all of His heavenly glory, preparing to judge the world. A river of fire flows from His presence, millions of angels minister to Him, even more millions of people await judgement and the beast is thrown into the burning flame. Then Christ approaches the throne and is given an eternal kingdom.
So what does this dream mean? The beasts represent the four ancient kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, they will give way to God’s glorious Kingdom. Daniel desires more information about the fourth beast, he is told that it will devour the earth, defy God and that it will also be destroyed by God. Daniel is terrified by this vision.
b. His vision of the Ram and the Goat (8)
During the third year of Belshazzar’s reign Daniel has another vision. He sees a two horned ram that is able to defeat and crush all of its enemies. Then Daniel sees a one horned goat who attacks and destroys the ram. At the height of its power, the goats horn is replaced by four smaller horns. A little horn comes from the goat and invades the Holy land and challenges God.
How long would it take for Daniel’s vision to be fulfilled? How long until the defiled Jewish Temple would be purified allowing the daily sacrifices to once again take place? 2,300 days!
Gabriel then gives Daniel some more information about the vision. The two-horned ram represents the Medo-Persian empire, the one-horned goat represents Greece which will be split four ways following the death of Alexander the great. The little horn probably refers to the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes who defiled the temple 167 B.C.
c. His Vision of the 70 Weeks (9)
In this chapter we see two time periods of 70, one historic and the other prophetic. We are now in the first year of Darius and Daniel understands that Israel’s 70 year captivity, prophesied by Jeremiah, is almost over. Daniel then prays and asks God to forgive the Jews and to restore them to the land.
As Daniel is praying Gabriel has been sent to help Daniel understand God’s future plan for Israel. God’s plan will be accomplished during a specified number of years, 70 weeks (seventy sets of sevens) or 490 years beginning with the command to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. These years fall into three categories. 7 weeks (49 years) – Jerusalem will be rebuilt; 62 weeks (434 years) – Messiah will be cut off (crucified); 1 week (7 years) a reference to the coming Tribulation.
d. His Vision of Israel’s Tribulation and Triumph (10-12)
Daniel’s last vision occurs during the third year of Cyrus. Daniel is fasting for three weeks as a result of his visions. He is visited again by heavenly beings. The first one is Christ, eyes of fire and feet of brass and the voice of a multitude; Daniel feels faint and week in His presence.
Then Daniel is comforted and gently lifted to his feet. There is a message for Daniel about his people’s future. Another angel speaks and tells Daniel why it has taken him 3 weeks to arrive. Gabriel was hindered by the “prince of Persia” en route and he was helped by Michael the archangel.
Daniel learns that three Persian kings will succeed Darius the Mede, followed by a fourth ruler who will use his great wealth and power to wage total war against Greece. The mighty king is a reference to Alexander the Great, he will die young and his kingdom will be divided into four.
We then go back and forth with the kings of the north and south. The daughter of the king of Egypt will be given in marriage to the king of Syria to secure an alliance. The king of Egypt will carry Syria’s treasures back to his land. Syria then strikes back and destroys Egypt. Then the king of Syria gives his daughter to the king of Egypt in marriage to overthrow the kingdom from within.
We are then introduced to an evil man who is a perfect picture of the Antichrist. Antiochus Epiphanes comes to power in 175 B.C. He will secure his kingdom by flattery, he will capture powerful strongholds. After being defeated by Egypt he turns against the people of the covenant, Israel, whom he has a hatred for. He will desecrate the temple and cause the daily sacrifice to cease. He will kill many Jews.
As evil as Antiochus is, he is nothing compared to the Antichrist. He will blaspheme God in unthinkable and unheard of ways and will sweep through Israel, Egypt and Libya like a flood. He hears alarming news from the east and the north and as the armies gather for the final battle of Armageddon God will utterly crush him.
During the Great Tribulation, Israel will suffer as never before, they will be helped at this time by Michael the archangel. All those whose names are written in God’s book will be delivered. In the last day, all will be resurrected, some to everlasting life, others to everlasting punishment. The righteous will shine like stars.
Daniel is then given three time periods, 1, 260 days – that last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation. 1,260 days – 30 days after Christ’s 2nd coming (possibly Feast of Purim) 1,335 days – 45 days after Feast of Purim (feast of first fruits) resurrection of Old Testament Tribulation saints.
