The King’s Decree
(6:25-27)
25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language who were living in all the land: “May your peace abound! 26 “I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. 27 “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”
The king’s decree is similar to that of his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. It sounds something like the Hallelujah chorus to me. I cannot imagine these words coming from anyone other than a true believer in the God of the Jews. The decree, like that of Nebuchadnezzar, is addressed to all the people of his kingdom, and perhaps anyone else who would hear and heed it.
It acknowledges the God of Daniel as sovereign. Darius declares that Daniel’s God is a far greater king than he, and that God’s kingdom is much greater than his earthly kingdom. He is the one who delivered Daniel. By inference, He is also the One to whom men should rightly address their petitions. Since God had done what the king could not do in delivering Daniel, God is the One whom men should worship and the One to whom their petitions in prayer should be made.
25-27 As Nebuchadnezzar had done, Darius made a public proclamation giving glory to the God of the Hebrews, commanding all citizens of the realm to honor and respect him (v. 25). The sense of vv. 26-27 is like the last clause of 3:29 ("no other god can save in this way"--i.e., the way the three were saved from the fiery furnace) and like 4:34 ("His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation"--words Nebuchadnezzar spoke on recovering from his madness).
Three emphases stand out in this passage: (1) Daniel's God is alive and shows that he lives by the way he acts in history, responding, like a real person, to the requirements of justice and the needs of his people; (2) God's rule is eternal and will never pass away (as do empires built by human power), even though the Hebrew monarchy did not survive its apostasy; (3) God miraculously delivers his true worshipers performing wonders both in heaven and on earth. He has furnished objective proof of his eternal power and godhead, in contrast with all other deities, whose existence is at best conjectural and traditional.
Once again, during this time of Israel's helplessness with her survival in doubt, Yahweh of hosts acted redemptively to strengthen his people's faith in him. On the eve of their return to the Land of Promise under the leadership of Zerubbabel, God reassured them that he was still the same as in the days of Moses and was able to take them back to Canaan, where they could establish a new commonwealth in covenant fellowship with him.
Epilogue
(6:28)
28 So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. 11
These closing words in chapter 6 inform us that while the careers of Daniel’s enemies came to an abrupt halt, Daniel’s life was preserved. His effective ministry continued, not only throughout the administration of Darius, but also into the reign of Cyrus, through whom God would deliver the captive Jews back to their land to rebuild the temple.
28 The chapter ends with this notice to Daniel's continued usefulness throughout the rest of the reign of Darius (Gubaru) as king of Babylon and in the reign of Cyrus (cf. 1:21) as king of Babylon. After this Daniel apparently retired from public service and gave himself to Bible study and prayer. He received the revelations of chapters 10-12 in the third year of Cyrus (cf. 10:1). Apparently it was during his retirement that he revised his memoirs. A likely date for the publication of the Book of Daniel would seem to be about 532 B.C., judging from linguistic evidence (cf. Introduction).
SESSION 9:
Daniel’s Dream of World History
(Daniel 7:1-28) Introduction Josephus says this about this Chapter:
Daniel wrote that he saw these visions in the Plain of Susa; and he hath informed us that God interpreted the appearance of this vision after the following manner: He said that the ram signified the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians, and the horns those kings that were to reign in them; and that the last horn signified the last king, and that he should exceed all the kings in riches and glory: that the he-goat signified that one should come and reign from the Greeks, who should twice fight with the Persian, and overcome him in battle, and should receive his entire dominion: that by the great horn which sprang out of the forehead of the he-goat was meant the first king; and that the springing up of four horns upon its falling off, and the conversion of every one of them to the four quarters of the earth, signified the successors that should arise after the death of the first king, and the partition of the kingdom among them, and that they should be neither his children, nor of his kindred, that should reign over the habitable earth for many years; and that from among them there should arise a certain king that should overcome our nation and their laws, and should take away their political government, and should spoil the temple, and forbid the sacrifices to be offered for three years' time. And indeed it so came to pass, that our nation suffered these things under Antiochus Epiphanes, according to Daniel's vision, and what he wrote many years before they came to pass. In the very same manner Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate by them. All these things did this man leave in writing, as God had showed them to him, insomuch that such as read his prophecies, and see how they have been fulfilled, would wonder at the honor wherewith God honored Daniel; and may thence discover how the Epicureans are in an error, who cast Providence out of human life, and do not believe that God takes care of the affairs of the world, nor that the universe is governed and continued in being by that blessed and immortal nature, but say that the world is carried along of its own accord, without a ruler and a curator; which, were it destitute of a guide to conduct it, as they imagine, it would be like ships without pilots, which we see drowned by the winds, or like chariots without drivers, which are overturned; so would the world be dashed to pieces by its being carried without a Providence, and so perish, and come to nought. So that, by the forementioned predictions of Daniel, those men seem to me very much to err from the truth, who determine that God exercises no providence over human affairs; for if that were the case, that the world went on by mechanical necessity, we should not see that all things would come to pass according to his prophecy. Now as to myself, I have so described these matters as I have found them and read them; but if any one is inclined to another opinion about them, let him enjoy his different sentiments without any blame from me.
Daniel has proven to be a man of unshakable faith and appears brave in the face of danger, yet in chapter 7 Daniel is shaken twice:
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me” (verse 15).
“At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself” (verse 28).
Subsequent revelations in the Book of Daniel which Daniel received were closely associated with some kind of agony or distress (see 8:17, 27; 9:20-21; 10:2-3, 7-10, 17; 12:8).
A look through the Scriptures shows that Daniel’s response to the prophecies he received was not unique. Many Old Testament prophets shared Daniel’s agony in the prophecies they received or conveyed to others.1 Why does the prophecy of Daniel 7 cause this godly man so much consternation? What so upset Daniel about the future? Should we be troubled as well?
Rabinical sources state that Daniel Chapters 1-6 were written by the men of the great assembly as orally presented after the exciles returned to Jerusalem.
They also say that Daniel 7-12 are written by Daniel himself, then carried to Jerusalem where the men of the great assembly edited and recorded the words as God inspired them to do so.
They also state that a scribe must vocalize every word before writting it. They believe that Daniel was writting scripture, but it needed to be copied in Jerusalem to make it sacred.2
This chapter was written FOURTEEN__ years before the fall of Babylon.
*CHAPTER 5:26-30 TALKS ABOUT THE FALL. OFTEN BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ARE NOT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
In this chapter we will get another preview of the empires of the world(1ST VIEW WAS IN CHAPTER TWO - IMAGE OF NEB.), from the Babylonian to the Millennial kingdom where _WE WILL REIGN___ with Christ.
LETS STUDY THE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE!!
INTRO TO CHAPTER SEVEN
The book of Daniel is divided into two sections. Chapters 1-6 deal with Daniel interpreting visions and being _VICTORIOUS_____ in the midst of trials. Chapters 7-12 are an account of Daniel's _VISIONS_____ and their meaning.
WE ARE ABOUT TO GET A GLIMPS OF THINGS YET TO COME IN THE NOT SO DISTANT FUTURE - WE WILL WITNESS THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT!!
DANIEL'S VISION
Structure of the Text
Two major divisions comprise our text: (1) Daniel’s dream—verses 1-14 and (2) the interpretation—verses 15-28. In more detail, the outline would be as follows:
Daniel's vision can be divided into _FOUR__________ sections.
1._THE FOUR BEASTS OR EMPIRES VS.2-7______
2._THE ANTICHRIST VS.8-11_________________
3._THE 2ND COMING OF CHRIST VS.12-14______
4._THE INTERPRETATION VS.15-28____________
(1) Daniel’s Dream verses 1-14
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The Four Beasts — verses 1-8
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The Ancient of Days — verses 9-12
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The Son of Man — verses 13-14
(2) The Divine Interpretation — verses 15-28
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Daniel’s distress — verse 15
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A General Interpretation — verses 16-18
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A Fuller Interpretation — verses 19-27
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Daniel’s Response — verse 28
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