Summary and Introduction to Daniel

The book of Daniel is the key foundational OT book for Endtimes prophecy. I like to call it the Book of Empires. This serves as a reminder of its amazing predictions foretelling each future world empire from Daniel’s day to the Second Coming and Millennial Kingdom. (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and the Millennial Kingdom of Messiah.)

The book also introduces us to the Messiah, the time of his proclamation as King, his death, the AntiChrist, the Tribulation period and much more. These prophecies written from the time of Daniel’s exile in the Babylonian kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar will help us to understand comments that Jesus made in Mathew 24, and the narrative of the book of Revelation. For example…

Matthew 24:15 – (Jesus) “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.”

Daniel Chapter 9 is where we learn that there is a previously unknown gap between Jesus crucifixion and the Day of the Lord Tribulation. This is the Church Age.

The Context of the Book

The context is found in the first chapter and verse. (Most referenced verses will have a link as there are too many to display.)

Daniel 1:1 – In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, ⁴youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans

Daniel, a faithful Jewish youth meeting the requirements of the King is taken into captivity by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. The Captivity was the judgment from God against Israel’s southern kingdom of Judah. (The northern kingdom of Israel was previously exiled by the Assyrians.) Nebuchadnezzar also carried away objects from the Jewish Temple that would make their way back to Jerusalem many years later. According to previous prophecy from the prophet Jeremiah, (Jeremiah 25) the captivity would last 70 years.

Seventy Years Captivity

It is important to keep in mind that Daniel knew the prophecy of Jeremiah, and that 70-Years would always be in his mind. This will be important later when we look at Daniel 9.

The King’s Dream: The prediction of the World Empires

In Daniel chapter 2, Daniel interprets King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The dream is a prophecy about the future world kingdoms, starting with Nebuchadnezzar and ending with the final Messianic Kingdom. An amazing prophetic timeline.

This is key to the book and it lays out the framework for the rest of the prophecies. God used this opportunity with Daniel to give us a kind of Timeline for the future. 

• The Head of Gold was King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire.
• The Breast of Silver would be the Medo-Persian Empire.
• The Belly and Thighs of Bronze would be the Greek Empire
• The Legs and Feet of Iron and Clay would be the Roman Empire.

Note that there is a gap in-between the Roman Empire and the Millennial Kingdom. That also will be explained in Daniel 9 and the gap of the Church Age.

Key Endtimes teaching from Daniel

• The Purpose of the Endtimes
• The Antichrist
• The timeline of world empires
• The timeline of God’s dealing with Israel (70 weeks)
• The gap in that timeline to allow for the mystery Church
• The timing of the Tribulation periods
• The details of the AntiChrist
• The Son of Man prophecy