Understanding Daniel Its Histories and Prophecies

Clarence Duff Th.D. Ph.D.

Description

Get a firm grasp of what the Book of Daniel says, why it’s still relevant, and how it can help you understand unfolding events.

The Book of Daniel is among the most talked about books in the Old Testament—and by far the most difficult to understand.



One reason is because a large portion of the book is written using prophetic symbols and language. To understand the Book of Daniel, you must understand these symbols and the language of prophecy—and also know about world history. Perhaps most importantly, however, you must have special guidance from the Holy Spirit.



Clarence Duff, Th.D., Ph.D., a Bible teacher, author, pastor, and professor, makes the Book of Daniel accessible to a general audience, including students pursuing theological education, ordinary Christians, and even those uncertain about their faith.

Even if you’re unfamiliar with biblical prophecy, this book will help you quickly come to appreciate its importance and benefits to the Christian life. In straightforward language, the author reveals the essential elements of the Book of Daniel.



Get a firm grasp of what the Book of Daniel says, why it’s still relevant, and how it can help you understand unfolding events as you seek to live a better life in anticipation of the coming of Christ’s kingdom.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie
• Daniel

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 13 janvier 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664288096
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

UNDERSTANDING DANIEL ITS HISTORIES AND PROPHECIES
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Clarence Duff, Th.D., Ph.D.
 
 
 
 

 
Copyright © 2023 Clarence Duff, Th.D., Ph.D.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
WestBow Press
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
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ISBN: 978-1-6642-8810-2 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-8811-9 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-8809-6 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022923932
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 01/13/2023
 
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.
 
Scripture quotations marked “NKJV” are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
 
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
Scripture quotations marked “NASB” are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
CONTENTS
Preface
 
Chapter 1       Historical Background
Chapter 2       The First Captives from Judah (1:1–21)
Chapter 3       The King’s Dream of Empires (2:1–49)
Chapter 4       Nebuchadnezzar’s Image of Gold (3:1–30)
Chapter 5       Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride and Humiliation (4:1–37)
Chapter 6       Belshazzar’s Feast and the Fall of Babylon (5:1–30)
Chapter 7       Daniel’s Commitment to God (6:1–28)
Chapter 8       Daniel’s Vision of Four Beasts from the Sea (7:1–25)
Chapter 9       Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and Goat (8:1–27)
Chapter 10     Daniel’s Prayer and the Seventy Weeks (9:1–27)
Chapter 11     An Introduction to Daniel’s Final Vision (10:1–21)
Chapter 12     Daniel’s Final Vision (11:1–45)
Chapter 13     The Time of the End and Final Deliverance (12:1–13)
 
Endnotes
 
For those who love and are dedicated to the study of God’s word
PREFACE
I was a bit over fifteen years old when I came to know the Lord as my Savior. About two years later, in a Bible study my pastor conducted, I was introduced to the study of the book of Daniel. My pastor was a man who had great interest in history and prophecy, particularly the books of Daniel and Revelation. From these early years, I developed a profound interest and appetite for the study of the prophetic scriptures. I was fascinated with the imageries and charts my pastor used to explain the prophecies. Although I didn’t understand much of the complexities and imageries then, they nonetheless fascinated me, and I literally, as you might say, fell in love with the book of Daniel.
As the years passed, my love for the book of Daniel and my passion to understand it didn’t diminish; rather, they grew. Recalling and taking what my pastor had said about prophecy seriously—that is, “To understand prophecy, one must know history”—I devoted myself to study the history of the ancient Near East, including the rise and fall of ancient kingdoms and their relationship to Israel. My initial motivation to enroll in Bible college and pursue theological degrees was to understand how to interpret the scriptures, particularly Daniel, through their original languages.
I start writing Understanding Daniel: Its Histories and Prophecies in the summer of 2003, but because of my commitment to other pursuits and activities in my life, I put the manuscript on hold and didn’t return to it for seventeen years. It wasn’t that I had forgotten the manuscript or lost interest in Daniel; they had never left my mind.
In the fall of 2020, during the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, I returned to my Daniel manuscript. My motivation to return to my writing of Understanding Daniel: Its Histories and Prophecies was fueled not only by my love for the book but also by my desire to share my understanding of the book with those unfamiliar with its content.
Many books on the market have been written about the book of Daniel. Almost all such books are unnecessarily detailed and advanced for the everyday reader who wants to understand Daniel but lacks a background in ancient history, language, biblical prophecy, and symbolism to do so. Although the book of Daniel contains a vast amount of history as well as complex prophecies, I have made considerable effort to make this book accessible to a general audience. In writing the book, I had in mind both students pursuing theological education as well as the ordinary Christian who has no theological background. Although knowledge of theology, ancient history, and prophecy is a plus, no special background is necessary to grasp the material in this book.
For those unfamiliar with biblical prophecy, I hope you will quickly come to appreciate its importance and benefits to the Christian life. My intention is to make even the most complex material in the book of Daniel easy to understand, at least in its essential elements.
My goal is for readers to come away with some understanding of the histories and prophecies in Daniel and the part they play in helping us understand unfolding events in our world. At the same time, I would like them to appreciate that the point of the revelation of such events isn’t just to satisfy our curiosity but to help us live better lives in anticipation of the coming of Christ’s kingdom.
CHAPTER 1
Historical Background
The book of Daniel occupies a unique place among the prophetic books in the Bible. It is among the most talked about and by far the most difficult books of the entire Old Testament scriptures. However, although it is among the most well-known and talked-about books, due to its difficulties, it remains one of the least-understood books of all the prophetic books of the Old Testament. This is because a major portion of the book is written using prophetic symbols and language. To understand the book of Daniel, the reader is required not only to understand the prophetic symbols and language of prophecy but also to have a knowledge of world history, beginning with the history of the ancient Near East and extending through the major empires of the world. Further, understanding the book’s prophecies also requires special guidance from the Holy Spirit. This is because what the Spirit reveals requires understanding through the Spirit.
The narrative portion of the book contains the story of young Daniel, who was taken as a captive from his home and family in Jerusalem to be educated for royal service in Babylon. He was among the first group of captives taken from Jerusalem in 605 BC. Within a few years of his captivity, without conceding to Babylonian pagan practices, young Daniel became one of the most respected officials in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar. His loyalty to his beliefs and commitment to God continued through the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, the fall of Babylon, and even to the rise of the Medo-Persian Empire. Over sixty years of his life were spent in Babylon. Throughout these years, his devotion to his faith remained steadfast, and his reputation and wisdom were unmatched. Even as he got older, Daniel never broke under pressure to conform. He was somewhere in his eighties when God revealed to him the vision of the seventy weeks recorded in chapter 9.
Not much is known about Daniel’s family and personal life. What we know appears from the fact that Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, the captain of his court administrators, to bring young men born within the royal line (Dan. 1:3–4); Daniel met these criteria. In fact, according to 2 Kings 20:16–18, we may conclude with some degree of surety that Daniel was indeed from the royal line. In 2 Kings 20:16–18, we read, “Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear the word of the LORD . “Behold, the time is coming when everything that is in your house, and that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,” says the LORD . “And some of your sons (descendants) who will be born to you will be taken away [as captives]; and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon . ”
From the start, Daniel differentiated himself from all the other young men in the royal university of Babylon. He demonstrated excellent moral and religious attributes and was unsurpassed in wisdom and intellectual gifts. From these early years, Daniel