Week # 2
Part I Continue: Daniel Chapters
1-6
"THE BOOK
OF DANIEL"
Chapter One
The book opens
with the first deportation of Jews to Babylonian captivity (605 B.C.), and the
selection of Daniel and his three friends for special training (1-7). Daniel is commitment to remain undefiled is blessed
by God, and he along with his friends are given wisdom that is acknowledged and
rewarded by the king of Babylon (8-21).
POINTS TO PONDER:
* Young
Daniel's commitment to God in pagan environment
* How
Daniel was able to keep both his faith to God and service to the king
Chapter Two
Nebuchadnezzar
has a dream, challenging his would-be interpreters to first tell him the
contents of the dream (1-13). God
reveals the dream to Daniel (14-23) who then interprets it for the king
(24-45). Impressed, the king promotes
Daniel, and in turn, his three friends
(46-49).
POINTS TO PONDER:
* The
kingdoms represented by the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream
* The
kingdom which shall never be destroyed:
its identity and establishment
Chapter Three
Nebuchadnezzar
builds a large image of gold, demanding all to worship it (1-7). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refuse, and
are thrown into a fiery furnace. Yet
they are saved by God (8-25), prompting King Nebuchadnezzar to praise their God
as the Most High (26-30).
POINTS TO PONDER:
* Faith
in the face of fire
* The
fourth person in the fiery furnace (angel or Christ?)
Chapter Four
Nebuchadnezzar
has another dream, this one of a great tree that fills the earth and then is
cut down but its trunk left intact, followed by a man whose heart is changed
and becomes like an animal (1-18).
Daniel interprets the dream as applying to the king, that he might know
that God rules in the kingdoms of men (19-27).
A year later the dream is fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar praises, blesses
and honors the Most High God, King of heaven (28-37).
POINTS TO PONDER:
* The
Most High rules in the kingdoms of men
* He
sets over the kingdoms of men the lowest of men, or whomever He
chooses.
Chapter Five
This chapter
fast forwards to 539 B.C. and the last night of Babylonian rule. King Belshazzar (grandson of Nebuchadnezzar)
throws a drunken, idolatrous feast that is interrupted by a hand writing on the
wall (1-12). Daniel is brought in, and
explains that it proclaims the judgment of Belshazzar and the fall of Babylon
into the hands of the Medes and Persians (13-29) which occurs that very night
(30-31).
POINTS TO PONDER:
* The
character of King Belshazzar contrasted with that of Daniel
* The
meaning of the writing on the wall as explained by Daniel
Chapter Six
Daniel's
character, conviction and courage are seen once more in this well-known account
of "Daniel in the lion's den".
Despite his age (nearing ninety), Daniel serves his king with an
excellent spirit and his God with unwavering faith. A plot by enemies is set to destroy him (1-9)
and he is cast into a den of lions (10-17).
God sends an angel to deliver him (18-23), prompting King Darius of the
Medes to praise the living God of Daniel (24-28).
POINTS TO PONDER:
* The
excellent character and faith of Daniel, the man of God
* Daniel
as a role model for young and old, statesmen and administrators
Daniel Chapter 7-12
Chapter
Seven
In
the first year of Belshazzar (552 B.C.), Daniel receives two visions. The first is of four beasts from the sea (1-8). The second involves a judgment by the Ancient
of Days, and the coronation of the Son of Man (9-14). The interpretation describes persecution by
elements of the fourth beast (kingdom), with ultimate victory by the saints of
the Most High (15-28).
POINTS
TO PONDER:
* The
identity of the four kingdoms represented by the four beasts
* The
identity of the Son of Man and the timing of His coronation
* The
conflict between the fourth kingdom and the saints of the Most
High
Chapter
Eight
In
the third year of King Belshazzar (550 B.C.) Daniel has another vision: a swift goat defeating a mighty ram. The goat's large horn is then broken into four horns, followed by a little horn
that brings desolation to the sanctuary and the host of heaven (1-14). The angel Gabriel interprets the vision
which foretells the rise of a fierce and mighty king (Antiochus IV Epiphanes,
175-164 B.C.) that would bring desolation against the holy people (15-27).
POINTS
TO PONDER:
* The
interpretation of Daniel's vision in this chapter
* The
meaning of the expression, "the time of the end"
Chapter
Nine
In
the first year of Darius (539 B.C.), understanding that Jeremiah's prophecy of
70 years of captivity has been fulfilled (Jeremiah 25:11), Daniel confesses
his nation's sins and prays that God will restore them (1-19). In response, Gabriel is sent to give Daniel
understanding of key events that will take place in a time period of 70
"weeks" (lit., "sevens"), one of the most challenging
prophecies in the Bible (20-27).
POINTS
TO PONDER:
* Daniel's
prayer, confessing the sins of his people Israel
* The
difficulty in interpreting the vision of seventy weeks
Chapter
Ten
In
the third year of Darius (ca. 535 B.C.) Daniel receives a vision that will
affect his people (Israel) "in the latter days" (Daniel 10:14), its words
to be closed and sealed "till the time of the end" (Daniel 12:9). "The
Vision Of The Time Of The End" begins with an appearance of a "glorious
man" to Daniel beside the Tigris River (1-9), with an explanation
for his delay in coming (10-21).
The prophecy of the vision continues in chapters eleven and twelve.
POINTS
TO PONDER:
* The
meaning of the phrase "in the latter days" as used in the vision
* The
angelic conflict behind the scenes briefly described by the "glorious
man"
Chapter
Eleven
After
introductory comments in chapter ten, "The Vision Of The Time Of The
End" begins in earnest. A brief
prophecy of a Persian-Greek conflict (2-4) is followed by the description
of a lengthy Egyptian-Syrian conflict (5-19), with focus on a vile king
from the North who will bring blasphemies against Daniel's people, but who will
ultimately be defeated (20-45).
POINTS
TO PONDER:
* The
prophetic detail of the Persian-Greek and Egyptian-Syrian conflicts
* The
identity of the vile king from the North
Chapter
Twelve
"The
Vision of The Time of The End" concludes with assurance of ultimate victory
for Daniel's people (Israel), in words suggestive of the final resurrection (1-3). Daniel is given instructions to seal the book
because it concern things in the future.
Asking when these things will be accomplished, he is given cryptic
answers, but is reassured that he himself shall rest and rise to his inheritance
at the end of the days (4-13).
POINTS
TO PONDER:
* Identifying
the "time of trouble" and "time of the end" in this chapter
* The
instructions for Daniel to "shut up the words, and seal the book"
DID YOU KNOW?
The prophet
Daniel spoke of the coming Antichrist changing “times and law” as the ruler of
the world (Daniel 7:25). Such a radical transformation of societies and
commerce would be an attempt to break any and all connections with religious,
commercial, and legal precedents, all to be replaced by the Antichrist’s rule.
This was tried during the French Revolution when, from 1793 to 1805, the French
Republican (or Revolution) Calendar was instituted. There were still 12 months,
but weeks were changed from seven days to 10 days. Days were 10 hours of 144
minutes each. These and many other societal and economic changes were a revolutionary
attempt to cut all ties to the previous government and way of life. WOW!!!
QUESTIONS: WEEK
# 2
How many
deportations is mention of the Jews to Babylon in captivity?
What was
Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream?
What did
Nebuchadnezzar build that is compared to what the Beast built in Revelation?
What was
Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream?
How did
Nebuchadnezzar respond to Daniel’s interpretation?
Who was
Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson?
Explain why
Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den.
Explain why
Daniel companion was thrown in the fiery furnace.
How many visions
did Daniel receive during Belshazzar reign in (552 B.C.)?
Who are the four
Beasts Daniel speaks of in (1-8).
Explain what
Gabriel told Daniel in (9:20-27).
What chapters
give us the details of “The Vision of the Time of the End”?
What agent is
the vile king of the north?
After reading
chapter 8:22 what do the horns represent?
SALVATION PRAYER:
Dear Lord Jesus,
Heavenly Father, I confess that I have sinned
against You and need Your salvation. Please forgive me. I believe Jesus died
for my sins and rose from the dead. I
receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, fully trusting in the work He
accomplished on the cross on my behalf.
Thank You for saving me, accepting me, and adopting me into Your family.
Guide my life and help me to do your will, and walk in close step with You,
amen.
In your name, Amen:
Reading
Assignment: Week # 2 Daniel
4-6 Monday-Wednesday-Friday
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