Daniel contains stories of faithfulness in exile and apocalyptic visions of God's sovereign control over empires and history. The first half records Daniel and his friends maintaining faith under Babylonian and Persian rule. The second half presents visions of successive world empires culminating in God's eternal kingdom through the 'Son of Man.'
Daniel's faithfulness in diet, interpreting dreams, fiery furnace, lions' den, handwriting on the wall.
Four beasts, ram and goat, seventy weeks, final conflict and resurrection.
God raises up and deposes kings; all empires serve His purposes.
Daniel and friends demonstrate that believers can remain faithful even in hostile environments.
God will establish an eternal kingdom that will crush all human kingdoms.
A divine-human figure receives everlasting dominion from the Ancient of Days.
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven... He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion.
The Son of Man vision, foundational for Jesus' self-designation.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it... But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods.
Bold declaration of faith regardless of outcome.
In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed.
Promise of God's eternal kingdom that will supersede all human empires.
Faithful Jewish exile who served in Babylonian and Persian courts
Babylonian king who had troubling dreams and eventually acknowledged God
One of Daniel's three friends who survived the fiery furnace
One of Daniel's three friends who survived the fiery furnace
One of Daniel's three friends who survived the fiery furnace
Jesus' favorite self-designation, 'Son of Man,' comes from Daniel 7, identifying Himself with the divine ruler.
MRK 14:61-62The stone that destroys the statue and fills the earth represents Christ's kingdom.
DAN 2:34-35Daniel 12:2 contains one of the clearest Old Testament references to bodily resurrection.
JHN 5:28-29The book of Daniel switches languages mid-sentence in chapter 2:4, moving from Hebrew to Aramaic and back to Hebrew in chapter 8. The Aramaic section (2:4-7:28) focuses on Gentile kingdoms, while Hebrew sections address Israel specifically.
Daniel 2:4Daniel's 12 chapters divide into two distinct sections: chapters 1-6 contain historical narratives (including the fiery furnace and lions' den), while chapters 7-12 record apocalyptic visions of future kingdoms. Remarkably, chapters 2-7 were written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.
Daniel