InstaStudy

Survey of the Book of Daniel

A study of the book of Daniel, exploring its historical context, prophetic significance, and enduring message of God's sovereignty.

1. Daniel's Early Life and Faithfulness

1.1 The Deportation to Babylon

Verses: Daniel 1:1-7
  • Daniel and his companions are taken captive to Babylon.
  • They demonstrate faithfulness to God by refusing to defile themselves with the king's food.
  • God grants them favor and understanding.

1.2 Nebuchadnezzar's Dream

Verses: Daniel 2:1-49
  • Nebuchadnezzar has a troubling dream that only Daniel can interpret through divine revelation.
  • The dream reveals a succession of kingdoms, culminating in God's eternal kingdom.
  • Daniel acknowledges God as the source of all wisdom and power.

2. Demonstrations of God's Power

2.1 The Fiery Furnace

Verses: Daniel 3:1-30
  • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzar's golden image.
  • They are thrown into a fiery furnace but are miraculously preserved by the presence of the Son of God.
  • Nebuchadnezzar recognizes the power and sovereignty of the Most High.

2.2 Nebuchadnezzar's Humiliation

Verses: Daniel 4:1-37
  • Nebuchadnezzar boasts of his own power and is struck with madness.
  • He lives as a beast for seven years until he acknowledges God's sovereignty.
  • Nebuchadnezzar is restored and praises the King of heaven.

3. Judgment and Deliverance

3.1 Belshazzar's Feast

Verses: Daniel 5:1-31
  • Belshazzar profanes the vessels from the temple and is judged by God.
  • A mysterious hand writes on the wall, and Daniel interprets the message of impending doom.
  • Belshazzar is killed, and the Babylonian kingdom falls to the Medes and Persians.

3.2 Daniel in the Lions' Den

Verses: Daniel 6:1-28
  • Daniel continues to pray to God despite a decree forbidding it.
  • He is thrown into a lions' den but is miraculously protected.
  • Darius acknowledges the living God and decrees that all should fear Him.

4. Prophetic Visions

4.1 The Vision of the Four Beasts

Verses: Daniel 7:1-28
  • Daniel sees a vision of four beasts representing successive world empires.
  • The vision culminates in the establishment of God's eternal kingdom.
  • The saints of the Most High will possess the kingdom forever.

4.2 The Ram and the Goat

Verses: Daniel 8:1-27
  • Daniel sees a vision of a ram and a goat, representing the kingdoms of Media-Persia and Greece.
  • The vision foretells the rise of a powerful king who will oppose God's people.
  • The vision is sealed up because it concerns the distant future.

4.3 Daniel's Prayer and the Seventy Weeks

Verses: Daniel 9:1-27
  • Daniel prays for the restoration of Jerusalem and confesses the sins of his people.
  • Gabriel reveals the prophecy of the seventy weeks, foretelling the coming of the Messiah.
  • The prophecy outlines the timeline for the Messiah's ministry, death, and the establishment of His kingdom.

5. The End Times Prophecy

5.1 Daniel's Great Vision

Verses: Daniel 10:1-21
  • Daniel mourns for three weeks and seeks understanding from God.
  • An angel appears to Daniel and reveals a great conflict in the heavenly realms.
  • The angel explains that he has been hindered by spiritual forces but has come to reveal what will happen to Daniel's people in the latter days.

5.2 The Kings of the North and South

Verses: Daniel 11:1-45
  • The angel reveals a detailed prophecy of the conflicts between the kings of the North and South.
  • This prophecy describes the political and military struggles in the region surrounding Israel.
  • The prophecy culminates in the rise of a powerful and ruthless king who will exalt himself above all gods.

5.3 The Time of the End

Verses: Daniel 12:1-13
  • Michael will stand up to deliver God's people during a time of great distress.
  • Many will be resurrected, some to everlasting life and others to everlasting contempt.
  • Daniel is told to seal up the book until the time of the end, when knowledge will increase.