THE POPULAR ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLE PROPHECY

DANIEL, ESCHATOLOGY OF

IN THE JEWISH RECKONING OF THE OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS,  Daniel is not found in the second division( the Prophets ) but in the third division ( the Kethubhim, the writings). Some believe the reason is that Daniel was written much later than many of the other prophetic books, after the close of that section. In the narrow sense, Daniel was not a prophet but a statesman in the courts of the pagan monarchs of Babylon and Persia. He had the gift of prophecy but did not hold the office of a prophet. It is in this sense that Christ confirm Daniel historicity and refer to him as a prophet ( Matthew 24:15 ). Daniel is included among the minor prophets, but He is scarcely “minor” in his prophetic utterances. He stand along side the major Prophets of Isaiah; Jeremiah, and Ezekiel ( unger, commentary P. 1603 ).

ORTHODOX JEWISH VIEW OF DANIEL

According to rabbinical scholar Judah J. Slotki, Daniel 7-12 shows “that the course of history is determined by a Divine plan, and it is part of that plan to end, in God’s own time, the trial of the righteous” ( Slotki, P. XV ). He adds that the idea of the establishment of the Kingdom of God and the final triumph of righteousness is not confined to Daniel. The same theme appear  repeatedly in the earlier prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Amos. Jewish tradition interprets all these predictions as eschatological and does not recognize differences in kind between their prophecies of a universal kingdom of heaven and those of Daniel. Many biblical books imply the immortality of the soul, but the doctrine of the resurrection is explicitly enunciated in Daniel ( Slotki P. XV ).

THE PROPER INTERPRETATION OF DANIEL

In Order to correctly interpret Daniel, three assumptions are important. (1) Daniel is a genuine book penned by the prophet Daniel in the sixth century B.C. Many critics argue that Daniel is part of what is call apocalyptic literature, which did not arise until well into the Hellenistic period. Critic argue that false Author ships dates are part of such literary genre. But these rationalistic assumptions are unacceptable ( Unger, Commentary, P. 1605 ). 

The interpretation of any book labeled as apocalyptic does not require a special hemeneutic or interpretative system. To change one hermeneutic is to place Bible prophecy out side of historical fulfillment. It is a liberal attempt to assigned future prophecy to myth or fictional fancy. This destroyed the prophetic message. (2.) Right interpretation depends upon the facts that predictive prophecy is not only possible but is actually the warp and woof of true and genuine biblical prophetic writing. Predictive prophecy have caused the so called scholarly rejection of the genuineness of Daniel visions. Many critics reject outright what is clearly predictive prophecy. The only way for such scholars to account for Daniel’s meticulously accurate prophesied is to explain them away by relegating them to a later time and another author( Unger, Commentary PP. 1605 – 06).

(3.) A correct interpretation of Daniel clarifies the scriptural revelation that God has a future for God’s People Israel. Critical thinking about the prophetic message of Daniel creates a makeshift argument for the importance of the book. Such mishandling of the book removes the meaning of the prophecies and makes the writing of Daniel a travesty ad a sham. Daniel is the key to all biblical prophecy. Without Daniel the far distant eschatological revelations and the prophetic scope are unexplainable. The Lord great prophecy in the Oliver Discourse ( Matthew 24 -25); Mark 13; Luke 21 ), as well as 2 Thessalonians 2 and the book of Revelation( which both speak of the Antichrist O Daniel II), can only be understood with the help of Daniel’s prophecies ( Unger, commentary P. 1606).  

PROPHECIES OF DANIEL – NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM OF A STATUTE

Daniels first prophecy was to relate to King Nebuchadnezzar the details of a dream the king had, and also its interpretation.  Daniel said to the king ” I will declare the interpretation to the king”( 2:24 NASB ),  and then he proceeded to interpret for this powerful monarch his vision of an “extraordinary”(2:31) Statute with a head of gold, breast and arm of Silver, stomach and thighs of bronze, and legs of Iron (2:22-33). This was a dream of future worlds powers. The head of gold is Babylon, the breast and arms represents  the medes and the persians, the thigh of brass picture Greece, and the legs and feet stand for Rome in it primacy and decline. Finally, a stone would arise, representing Israel’s Messiah, Who would strike ” the statue on it feet of Iron and clay and crush them” (2:34). Then God will establish a kingdom “Which will never be destroyed”  referring to the far future messianic reign of Christ (2:44 ).

This Prophecy Spanned the full range of history and showed that aspect of all these nations would lead into the millennial Kingdom. “The temporal aspect will merge into the eternal phase with the creation of the new heaven and earth” ( Unger, Commentary p.1619 ). With Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, God reveled through Daniel the full scope of all history. No other Prophet was given such a full and concise Revelation.