What are the major prophetic passages in Daniel?
I. Video Data. John Ankerberg Show. Dr. John Ankerberg, (M. Div., D. Min.), (Dr. Jimmy DeYoung (M. Div., Ph. D., 1940-2021).
II. Introduction. Dr. C.I. Scofield (D. D.; 1843-1921) Scofield Study Bible (1909, 1917, 1937, 1945, 1984, 1998, 2002, 2006, Editor, C.I. Scofield, Editorial Revision 1967 Committee Members: Charles L. Feinberg, Th. B., Th. M., Th. D., Ph. D., John F. Walvoord, Th. B., Th. M., Th. D.).
“Nebuchadnezzar’s Vision of the Statue.” VS 1-13: The forgotten dream. VS 14-18: Daniel requests time; seeks mercy from God. VS 19-30: The mystery revealed to Daniel. VS 31-35: The dream: the great image. VS 36-38: The interpretation: first world empire, Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar (cp. 7:4). VS 39: Second and this world empires: Medo-Persia (cp. 7:5: 8:20) and Greece (cp. 7:6; 8:21). VS 40-43: Fourth world empire: Rome (cp. 7:7; 9:26). VS 44-45: Christ’s kingdom to be established on earth (see Mt. 3:2 note). VS 46-49: Daniel promoted.
III. Overview. Dr. John F. Walvoord (Th. B., Th. M., Th. D., 1910-2002) Daniel Commentary.
Beginning with the second chapter of Daniel, the grand outline of the program of God for the period of Gentile supremacy and chastisement of Israel is presented for the first time. Tregelles, in his introduction to chapter 2 of Daniel, observes, “The book of Daniel is that part of Scripture which especially treats of the power of the world during the time of its committal into the hands of the Gentiles, whilst the ancient people of God, the children of Israel, are under chastisement on account of their sin.
IV. Scripture Text. Daniel Chapter 2.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+2&version=NASB1995
V. Verse Examination. Daniel 2:1-49. Dr. Charles C. Ryrie (Th. M., Th. D., Ph. D.; 1925-2016) Ryrie Study Bible).
2:2: “magicians.” Textual scribes of the religious ritual. “conjurers.” Enchanters. “sorcerers.” Those who deal in magic potions ; also enchanters. “Chaldeans.” Not all the Babylonians (as in 1:4) but a class of wise men priests.
2:4: “Aramaic” was the common language of the Assyrian Empire, and was used in both the neo-Babylonian and Persian empires as a diplomatic and commercial language. It is used appropriately in the Gentile-related portion of the book (2:4-7:28).
2:5: “The command from me is firm,” or the thing is gone, or the dream is certain to me. It is uncertain whether or not the king had forgotten the dream. If not, he was putting the wise men to the ultimate test, asking them to recall the past in order to give credence to their predictions about the future.
2:10-11: In effect, the wise men admitted that their previous interpretations were inaccurate and deceptive.
2:14-15: Apparently Daniel, keeping himself untainted by the heathen magic, had not gone to the king with the Babylonian wise men.
2:18: “mystery.” Something unknown (the dream and its interpretation in this instance) but later revealed and containing higher or deeper information. See note on Eph 3:3.2:27-30: Daniel disclaimed any natural or magical ability but credited the Lord with the revelation of the dream.
2:35: “the stone…filled the whole earth.” To refer this to the first coming of Christ and the victory of the gospel in the whole world is contrary to such verses as Matt:13:24-30, 36-43 and 2 Tim 3:1-13. It is a reference to the future millennial kingdom of Christ.
2:37-38: ‘The gold head of the image (v. 32) is interpreted as representing Babylon.
2:39: “The “beast and … arms of silver” v. 32) represented the kingdom that followed Babylon, i.e., the kingdom of the Medes and Persians (538-333 B.C.). The “belly and … thighs of bronze” (v. 32) stood for Greece (333-63 B.C.; cf. 8:20-21).
2:40: The “fourth kingdom (legs and feet, v. 33) was Rome.
2:41: “divided.” Better, composite, for it was composed of strong peoples (iron) and weak ones (clay).
2:42: “the toes.” Explained in verse 44 as 10 kings (or kingdoms) that will exist concurrently at the time God sets up His kingdom at the second coming of Christ (7:24). The present age of the church is omitted in the vision (not an unusual phenomenon; cf. Isa. 6:1-2).
2:44: This does not refer to the first coming of Christ (which would make the kingdom = the church), since Christ did not destroy the Roman Empire at His first coming, nor were there 10 kings ruling at the same time.
2:49: “the king’s court.” The royal offices, the chancellery.
VI. Summary. Dr. Orville J. Nave, Nave’s Study Bible, 1978 (D.D., LL. D., 1841-1917). Orville J. Nave (Editor). Anna Seamans Nave (Editor).
In this second chapter of Daniel we have considered:
VS 1-9: Nebuchadnezzar, forgetting his dream, requires his wise men to show it. VS 10-13: They (wise men) being unable are condemned to die. VS 14-18: Daniel obtains some respite. VS 19: The dream is revealed to him (Daniel).VS 20-23: His (Daniel’s) thanksgiving. VS 24-30: He (Daniel) is brought before the king. VS 31-35: The dream. VS 36:-45: Its (the dream’s) interpretation. VS 46-49: Daniel’s promotion.
VII. Parting Thought.
A. Daniel’s prophecy is of the world empires that will face Israel from the time of his prophecy, until the time of the revived Roman Empire which will be present during the Tribulation (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Final World Empire). In the following information, Dr.John Walvoord shows the preceding world empires that affected Israel, prior to the time of the Babylonian Empire’s overthrow of Israel.
B. Dr. John Walvoord’s Chart of World Empires Of The Bible In The History Of Israel (Every Prophecy Of The Bible).
1. Egypt: Gen 46 – Deu 34. Jacob and Family in Egypt until Exodus.
2. Assyria: 722 B.C. – 605 B.C. 10 Tribes of Israel in Captivity.
3. Babylon: 605 B.C. – 539 B.C. 2 Tribes in Captivity.
4. Medo-Persia: 539 B.C. – 331 B.C. Captives of Israel Return 536 B.C.
5. Greece: 321 B.C. – 63 B.C. Israel under Control of Syria.
6. Rome: 63 B.C. – A.D. 70. Israel under Rome. Jerusalem Destroyed A.D. 70. Decline of Rome in Church Age. Rome to Be Revived after the Rapture.
7. Millennial Kingdom Final World Empire.
Re: Daniel 2:44-45, The Millennial Kingdom, The Final World Empire, see the following comments from Walvoord’s Daniel Commentary.
The crux of the interpretation of the entire symbolic vision is found in the prediction of a kingdom which the God of heaven will set up. According to verse 44, this is a kingdom which will never be destroyed, will never be left to other people, shall destroy and break in pieces the preceding kingdom, and will stand forever. The kingdom which shall not be destroyed is indeed the kingdom of God…, the kingdom of God which is here mentioned is that which was introduced by Christ at His first coming….. There is certainly no evidence, nineteen hundred years after Christ, that the kingdom of God has conquered the entire world. Not only is there no scriptural evidence whatever that the first coming of Christ caused the downfall of Gentile world power, which is still very much with us today, but express prophecies relating to the second advent of Christ, picture just such a devastating defeat of Gentile power….Revelation 19:11-21 is a picture of the second coming of Christ, is expressly the time when Jesus Christ assumes command as King of kings and Lord of lords. It is declared that at that time “He should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron” (Rev 19:15).
C. Dr. John Walvoord’s Eschatological Works.
1. John Flipse Walvoord (1910–2002) was a renowned American theologian, pastor, teacher, and author. In 1928 Walvoord entered Wheaton College, majoring in Greek and minoring in Latin. With additional course work one summer at the University of Colorado, he was able to complete his undergraduate degree in 1931 with honors. Upon entering the Evangelical Theological College (today, Dallas Theological Seminary), Walvoord pursued a regular curriculum of seminary studies, graduating with both a ThB and a ThM degree in 1934. By 1936 he completed a ThD degree.
2. Along with the presidency of Dallas Theological Seminary, Walvoord was editor of Bibliotheca Sacra for 33 years and contributed a total of 127 articles between 1937 and 1990. Furthermore, he authored 30 books including, The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook available in Libronix. He is also the editor of several works such as The Bible Knowledge Commentary and Systematic Theology, and served on the committee that produced the New Scofield Reference Bible.
D. Daniel 2:44: Scofield Study Bible note: This passage fixes, in relation to other predicted events, the time when the millennial kingdom will be established. It will be “in the days of those kings,” that is the days of the ten kings (compare 7:24-27) symbolized by the image of the image. The ten kings did not exist at the advent of Messiah, nor was the federation even possible until the dissolution of the Roman Empire and the rise of the present nationalistic world system.
E. Daniel 2:44-45: The method by which the millennial kingdom will be established is repeated from vv. 34-35, that is the Striking Stone will crush the statue that represents the world powers that are hostile to God (Ps. 2:1-6, “Christ the Coming King;” Zech 14:1-9,”The Lord’s triumphant return to earth to bring deliverance; The kingdom set up on earth”.)
F. The Ryrie Study Bible shows the context of Zech 14 as, “The Lord’s second coming to Jerusalem. The prophecy is Messianic and relates to Israel. This takes place at the end of the Tribulation when Israel believes it will be decimated, and calls on Messiah (Jesus), in faith, to save them, Zech 12:10 (Ryrie note: At the second coming of Christ, Israel will recognize Jesus as her Messiah, acknowledging with deep contrition that He was the One whom their forefathers pierced (John 19:37). Prophecy is being fulfilled from Matt 23:39, “for I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord,” (Re: Psalm 118:26). Gentiles who will be left behind from the Rapture (1 Thes 4:13-18) will also witness the events of the Tribulation and Second Coming of Christ, which will initiate the Kingdom Age (Matt 3:2, “the Kingdom is at hand.” The kingdom was near, “but not here,” which was based on Israel accepting God’s choice of her king, with “Jesus” being God’s choice (Deu 17:15); but Israel did not accept Jesus as their King at that time, nor since then.
G. The kingdom will not come (Matt 6:10) until at the end of the Tribulation. The Matt 23:39 prophecy was spoken by Jesus to Jews (Matt 23:29), with the meaning of “Jew,” being Israel, which is the blood line of “Jacob, Israel” (Gen 28:13-14; 35:9-12). The words that Jesus spoke in Matt 23:39 were to Jews, and not to “the church,” or to any Gentiles, and related only to “Jews, Israel.” The words that God spoke to the Jewish prophets of the Old Testament were spoken to Jews, about the nation of Israel, and were to be fulfilled in Jews, and not in the Church or in any Gentiles. The Church will not be present during the Tribulation; un-raptured Gentiles and Jews will be present. Only un-raptured Gentiles and Jews will see the fulfillment of Matt 24:29-30, when “the whole world” will see the return of Christ to earth to set up His earthly kingdom (Zech 14:1-5, 9). It is important to remember that “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22), and comes only through Jesus (John 14:6).
H. In the closing video we see Paul Wilbur leading the singing of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Matt 23:39, which is about believing Jews calling on the Name of Jesus (Zech 12:10).
VIII. My Bucket List shows the references, of people and documents, that I use when I write my articles.
https://equippingblog.wordpress.com/bucket-list/embed/
IX. My Websites To Follow.
https://equippingblog.wordpress.com/ Eternity
https://untotheleastofthese.home.blog/ Commentary Preparation
https://newsandcommentary38395276.wordpress.com/ Thy Kingdom Come
Eternity 