 Previous Chapter |
 Return to Outline |
 Ask Questions |
 Next Chapter |
Daniel was the last of the five Major Prophets. The name literary means "God's Judge." He was a celebrated prophet in the 6th. Century BC. during the Chaldean and Persian period. He was born in 606 BC. and died in 520 BC. according to "The Bible Timeline", other sources say he was born in 621 BC. and died in 529 BC. which agrees this his age being 92 at his death.
He was a descendant of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob. He was taken captive to Babylon in 607 BC. at the age of 14. There he was educated by King Nebuchadnezzar and became the kings cupbearer and was allowed to eat at the king's table. At this time his name was changed to Belshatzer, meaning "favorite of Bel" a Babylonian- Assyrian form of Baal.
Three years later he was called and was able to interpret a dream had by the king, which the king's "wise men" were not able to interpret. For this service, he was made ruler over the Providences of Babylon. His interpretation of the king's second dream resulted in his being removed from office.
During this time of his life, he lived at the city of Susa (Shushan) one of the three capitols of the Persian Empire. Also during this time, the episode of his three friends being delivered from the fiery furnace, took place.
When the Persian king Darius became King of Babylon, he made Daniel the First President of the Empire, but because of his observance of religious rites, he was thrown into the lions den from which God delivered him.
When Cyrus became king of Persia as well as Babylon, Daniel found favor with him by interpreting four visions that the king had. These visions revealed the course of history from 600 BC. to 164 BC. They were of four beasts who were symbolic of Babylon, Media, Persia and Greece. The interpretation of the "other Horn" has been identified by many as the "Anti-christ". Daniel, himself, was mystified by his lack of understanding of what he saw.
Daniel closes his prophecy with an account of the Resurrection, Chapter 12 verses 1-3, and the "end of the age", Chapter 12 verses 4-13. This portion of the Book of Daniel ranks with the Book of the Revelation in describing the "last days".
Daniel died at the age of 92 at his home in Susa where there was a monument erected in his memory in the 12th. Century A.D.
Ezekiel covered the early years of captivity in Babylon. Daniel covered the later years. Josephus, the first century historian, calls Daniel the greatest of the Prophets, but the Jews, because he wrote in a heathen country and because he lived in the court of heathen kings and not in poverty like most of the other prophets, downgraded him. The truth was probably that they did not like his speaking so plainly about the time of the coming of the Messiah.
The original text began in Hebrew, changed to the Chaldean dialect in the middle of the book and then back to Hebrew at the end. The first six chapters are historical and are easy to understand. The last six chapters are prophecy and difficult to understand. On this basis we have divided the book into two lessons:
With this introduction, lets look briefly at the book.
Previous Chapter |
Return to Outline |
Ask Questions |
Next Chapter |