An Introduction to the Book of Daniel.

 

Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

 

I remember relating to the people here, how when I arrived in Grove Baptist Church I felt like the Apostle Paul, when he arrived in Corrinth.

 

1 Cor. 2:3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.    

 

What a mighty task lay ahead of Paul.  How could he manage? Of course his total rejection of his own ability made him depend more and more on his God.  I also can thank God for his help even thus far.

 

I have to admit though, as I come to the Book of Daniel I do so with fear and trembling, this is a mighty book, this is a marvellous book and I really need God’s help. Do pray as we go through this book that I may have the help of God and that it may be a blessing to us all.

 

When I was on holidays recently I spent a considerable time meditating upon the book of Daniel. It is a thrilling and an amazing book, I hope you will find this to be true for you too.

 

Fred W Cropp president of the American Bible Society once received a letter with this question. “What do you recommend for keeping the leather on the back of Bibles from peeling cracking or getting stiff?” His reply was as follows.

 

“There is one oil that I recommend, palm oil, not the oil that can be purchased but that which comes from the palm of your hand, caused by constant usage.”

 

May your Bibles be well greased with palm oil as we seek to study the scriptures together.

 

I want to begin with an introduction to the Book of Daniel; there are certain facts that it’s good for you to know before we delve into this book. I need to lay some foundations before we start. 

 

I am sure most of you know that Daniel was taken captive by the king of Babylon, about the year 606 BC. Nebuchadnezzar took Daniel, along with others, captive and carried them into Babylon.  A captivity that would last seventy years.

 

The Book of Daniel was written at the time of the Jewish captivity in Babylon. We will look at another time at the reasons behind this captivity and why God permitted his people to be taken captive, but by way of introduction we need to know the circumstances of the writing of this book.

 

 

Let’s think about the treatment of this book. 

 

This book perhaps like no other in the word of God has been the subject of sustained attack by the so-called higher critics and modernists.

 

The first major doubt cast on Daniel was by a philosopher of the third century, Porphyry, his objections are the same that are used by many of the attackers of this book even today.  They haven’t come up with anything new, they are just revising his old arguments. This book, like it human author has been in the lion’s den, and praise God it comes out unscathed.

 

Any attack on the word of God must be answered, it is quite possible that even some who profess Christianity would tell you that the book of Daniel is not genuine. 

 

Sir Isaac Newton once said, “To reject Daniel is to reject Christian religion.”

 

I will mention a few of their arguments and show how these have been refuted.  I have no doubt that I can convince you, from scripture, that this book is genuine and is part of the word of God. 

 

The Jew divided scripture into three groups, The Pentateuch, the first five books, The Prophets, of which Daniel was not a part, and The Writings. Daniel was included in the writings.  Daniel was more than a prophet, he was also an historian.

 

To say that Daniel is not an inspired book because of where it was included is a very hollow argument. Daniel is still included in the Jewish writings so too are Job, Psalms and Proverbs.

 

Critics argue that no Belshazzar ever reigned in Babylon. This contradicts Daniel Chap. Five. History recorded that Nabonidus was the last king of Babylon and that he wasn’t killed surely then Daniel is in error!

 

Sir Henry Rowlinson during an archaeological dig discovered a cylinder in the Euphrates valley.  It described in detail how Nabonidus occupied a stronghold outside the city, his eldest son Bilsharuzzer  [Belshazzar] ruled in the city of Babylon. He was slain defending the city.

 

It’s not a case of trying to prove the Bible right, but showing how the record of history was correct. The Bible is infallible, this book is the word of God, and I believe it with all my heart.

 

There are many attacks on this book all of which have been refuted.

 

The miracles have been ridiculed and attacked, Daniel in the den of lions, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace!  Are these miracles any more extraordinary that any we find in scripture?  Reject these miracles and we could reject a lot of the Bible.

 

 

 

However the main cause of rejection is the fact that Daniel’s prophecies, many of which are fulfilled already, were so accurate. The critics say that they must have been written after the events by a man called Daniel. Daniel made it read like prophecy to make it more interesting. 

 

Although Daniel was living during the time of the Babylonian captivity, he foretold of the coming Medes and Persians, he gave great details about the Grecian Empire that would follow and eventually the Roman Empire. Such was the accuracy that critics have proclaimed the book of Daniel to be a fraud. 

 

Either Daniel is true or false, you cannot take part of it and reject the rest.  What a con artist Daniel must have been, he lied about himself, lied about God and he lied about the miracles. What a fake this book is if the critics are right.

 

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

 

God’s word is even above his name.  If his word fails then all falls.  We must defend the word of God.  I am sure that I can convince you quite easily. 

 

Consider the book of Ezekiel, here is one of three references to Daniel in that book. 

 

Ezekiel 14:14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.

 

Ezekiel is writing about eleven years after Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream [Chap. 2] . If Daniel was from Maccabean age [A period between the Old and New Testament] Ezekiel could not have known about a man called Daniel.

 

Ezekiel 14:14 Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God.

 

Notice the company he keeps.

 

·        Noah in a time of wickedness in the world was noted for his righteousness.

 

·        Job was a man above all other men in his day.

 

Job 1:8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

 

·        Daniel in a time of captivity in a land of idol worship was a great man of God. 

 

I wonder could you or I feature in such company?

 

 

 

 

We don’t need the word of Ezekiel let’s read the words of Jesus Christ.

 

Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

 

The Lord Jesus believed there was a man called Daniel, he believed he was a prophet not a fake. He quoted from the book of Daniel, I need no other argument what about you?

 

Matthew 23:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

   

The Lord called Daniel a prophet, he called the scribes and the Pharisees hypocrites. Who do you believe?

 

The Book of Daniel is the word of the living God.

 

The real problem with the critics is that they cannot accept anything that cannot be explained scientifically. They cannot believe in a god who can predict the future, how small a god they have?

 

1 Cor. 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

   

In spite of all their great learning they are dunces when it comes to the word of God. How big is your God?

 

Oh yes, we can criticise the attackers of the book of Daniel but they don’t know God they have never been saved. You know something of the unlimited power of God. You who were hell bound, held captive by the devil, a slave to so many sins of the flesh and yet Christ has set you free.  You have realised the power of the gospel, you have realised the power he gives day by day, and yet are you limiting God?

 

Why are you limiting God in your life?  Are you defeated and despondent? 

 

When Lord Nelson was reporting to the British admiralty about his victory over the French fleet he said,  “Victory was not a large enough word.”

 

When Paul was describing how he through Christ had won the victory over all the ills, adversaries, temptations and woes of this life the word conquerors was not enough.

 

Romans 8:35-36 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

 

   

 

Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

 

He said, ‘We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.’  That is amazing when we consider the troubles he mentions in Romans Eight.

 

·        Tribulation - squeezed under pressure.

 

·        Distress- hemmed in, no way out.

 

·        Persecution - affliction suffered for the sake of Christ

 

·        Famine- the early Christians knew more a lot about this, persecuted for their faith they found them selves, without jobs, money and food.

 

·        Nakedness - vulnerable, no covering, unprotected.

 

·        Peril - exposed to danger.

 

·        The sword- fear of murder, assassination.

 

What a list of difficulties and yet we are more than conquerors. We overwhelmingly conquer. We conquer with success to spare. It is through him that loved us.

 

Why then if we are more than conquerors, are we so often conquered?  Have we limited God?

 

Limiting him in our problems.  Oh it’s so bad I can’t manage, of course you cannot but we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

 

Limiting him in our prayers. My husband is so far away from God, my son/daughter is in the world.   Are they too far away for God?  Is anything too hard for God? Are we not more than conquerors?

 

Oh yes these critics attack the word of God, they know nothing of our all-knowing, all-powerful, ever present God.  We have no excuse, let’s make sure we don’t limit God.

 

See how these men treat this book of Daniel, how do you treat this book?

 

You see they look upon this like any other book. They view it under their educated, unspiritual eyes, and they reject it. They set it aside as not important and irrelevant.

 

How important and how relevant is this book in your life? If you lost your Bible how long would it take you to realise that it was gone?

 

Do you set it out for the meetings? The rest of the week is it gathering dust?

 

 

 

Backsliding begins with a dusty Bible and leads to filthy garments.

 

Do you day by day read this precious book?  Is it relevant and important to you? Is it your daily bread?

 

Let’s consider the testimony of Daniel. 

 

Daniel was perhaps only fifteen, when he was carried away captive. He lived throughout the Babylonian captivity, right up to the reign of the Medes and Persians.

He was of the tribe of Judah, we will see more of Daniel as we look into the book, but the scriptures describes Daniel three times like this.  “ A man greatly beloved”

 

Daniel 9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

   

As we move through the book we will discover how we can be greatly beloved of God, we will have great difficulty finding any fault in Daniel.

 

·        He was a man of perception - he understood what was going on. 

 

·        A man of purpose - he was busy for God.

 

·        A man of principle- he would not move from God’s standards. 

 

·        A man of prayer - we all have sang that little chorus. 

 

·        A man of purity - he lived righteously in the sight of God and of men.

 

·        A man of power - a man greatly used of God. 

 

As we study this book may something of Daniel’s character rub of on us.  A man greatly beloved, how can we be greatly beloved of God?

 

Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

   

Imitate not Daniel primarily, but imitate God’s beloved son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Let me mention something else that Daniel enjoyed as a young man.

 

2 Chron. 34:1-2 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. [2] And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.

 

   

 

 

 

Daniel lived under the reign of the godly king Josiah, it was he who when he heard the word of God rent his clothes. 

 

He had the Bible read to all the people.

 

2 Kings 23:2 And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.

 

He rid the temple of idols and images.

 

2 Kings 23:7 And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the grove.

 

He dealt with the sodomites, this was the regime under which Daniel lived.  Where the word of God was respected, the truth was not compromised and where wickedness was called wickedness. Sadly this is not the day in which we find ourselves now. 

 

The word of God is now irrelevant, experiences and feelings are more important.  Wickedness is tolerated.  We are told we should accept as Christian those who bow down to images.

 

May God help us to hold up a standard for him that we might produce more Daniels. 

 

He was greatly beloved and greatly used but he was just a man. He needed the help of God.

 

Daniel 10:18 Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,

 

We can think of so many today who have disgraced the high office, which they held. Nixon and Clinton to name just a few, allegation after allegation have surfaced.  It’s difficult for a believer to maintain a good testimony in any area of life, but especially in public life.

 

Daniel however was a statesman with an impeccable character like Joseph, it was hard but it’s not impossible.  May Daniel encourage us all, may we be touched of God as we look in Daniel.

 

Lets look at the theme of the book of Daniel. 

 

Daniel is historic and prohectic, it is the revelation of the Old Testament. Without an understanding of Daniel you will be lost as far as prophecy goes. 

 

We have in Daniel the prophecy of the Times of the Gentiles, that time when the world is ruled by Gentile rulers, which runs from Babylon until the second coming of Christ.

 

 

 

 

We also have the prophecy concerning Israel, their messiah and how he would be cut off, the time of tribulation, and the millennial kingdom which Christ shall set up when he returns. 

 

We discover the man of sin or the Antichrist. 

 

I am told ¼ books in the Bible are prophetic about 1/5 of scripture was predictive at the time of writing. Most of which has been fulfilled. Many of Daniel’s prophecies have already been fulfilled and without exception they were fulfilled literally. We can expect a literal fulfilment of the prophecies that remain outstanding. 

 

The study of eschatology is not to be sensational or fanatical but that you may have that blessed hope in your souls of the soon coming of our Saviour.

 

1 John 3:1-3 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. [2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. [3] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

  

A purifying hope, if we could grasp the fact that our Saviour is coming soon, what an impact it would have on our walk our witness.  What an impact that would have in this old world.

 

One commentator says the aim of this book is to lead to:

 

1.      Greater understanding of the divine prophetic programme.

2.      More insight into contemporary events.

3.      Brighter hope.

 

I would share that wish as we delve into Daniel.  There is much more in Daniel, the sovereignty of God is emphasised time after time personally believe we have in Daniel the recipe for godly living in an ungodly world, keeping our eyes on the soon coming saviour. 

 

This to me, is the aim of the book of Daniel, may it be our experience.

 

The story is told of a lion that escaped from a cage, people ran here there and everywhere, as the lion took a look at the world, he stepped back into the cage!

 

May we be able to get our eyes off the world and live with eternity in view.