Understanding Daniel Its Histories and Prophecies

By Clarence Duff Th.D. Ph.D.

The Book of Daniel is among the most talked about books in the Old Testament—and by far the most difficult to understand.

One reason is because a large portion of the book is written using prophetic symbols and language. To understand the Book of Daniel, you must understand these symbols and the language of prophecy—and also know about world history. Perhaps most importantly, however, you must have special guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Clarence Duff, Th.D., Ph.D., a Bible teacher, author, pastor, and professor, makes the Book of Daniel accessible to a general audience, including students pursuing theological education, ordinary Christians, and even those uncertain about their faith.
Even if you’re unfamiliar with biblical prophecy, this book will help you quickly come to appreciate its importance and benefits to the Christian life. In straightforward language, the author reveals the essential elements of the Book of Daniel.

Get a firm grasp of what the Book of Daniel says, why it’s still relevant, and how it can help you understand unfolding events as you seek to live a better life in anticipation of the coming of Christ’s kingdom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664288096

Clarence Duff Th.D. Ph.D.

Clarence Duff, Th.D., Ph.D., is a Bible teacher, author, pastor, and professor. He has taught many courses in theology and biblical studies and is known for his ability to simplify complex theological topics. He is the author of several books on biblical topics, including Leading, Growing, and Sustaining God’s Church: Concepts and Strategies for Success.

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CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1     Historical Background

Chapter 2     The First Captives from Judah (1:1–21)

Chapter 3     The King’s Dream of Empires (2:1–49)

Chapter 4     Nebuchadnezzar’s Image of Gold (3:1–30)

Chapter 5     Nebuchadnezzar’s Pride and Humiliation (4:1–37)

Chapter 6     Belshazzar’s Feast and the Fall of Babylon (5:1–30)

Chapter 7     Daniel’s Commitment to God (6:1–28)

Chapter 8     Daniel’s Vision of Four Beasts from the Sea (7:1–25)

Chapter 9     Daniel’s Vision of the Ram and Goat (8:1–27)

Chapter 10   Daniel’s Prayer and the Seventy Weeks (9:1–27)

Chapter 11   An Introduction to Daniel’s Final Vision (10:1–21)

Chapter 12   Daniel’s Final Vision (11:1–45)

Chapter 13   The Time of the End and Final Deliverance (12:1–13)

Endnotes

For those who love and are dedicated

to the study of God’s word

PREFACE

I was a bit over fifteen years old when I came to know the Lord as my Savior. About two years later, in a Bible study my pastor conducted, I was introduced to the study of the book of Daniel. My pastor was a man who had great interest in history and prophecy, particularly the books of Daniel and Revelation. From these early years, I developed a profound interest and appetite for the study of the prophetic scriptures. I was fascinated with the imageries and charts my pastor used to explain the prophecies. Although I didn’t understand much of the complexities and imageries then, they nonetheless fascinated me, and I literally, as you might say, fell in love with the book of Daniel.

As the years passed, my love for the book of Daniel and my passion to understand it didn’t diminish; rather, they grew. Recalling and taking what my pastor had said about prophecy seriously—that is, To understand prophecy, one must know history—I devoted myself to study the history of the ancient Near East, including the rise and fall of ancient kingdoms and their relationship to Israel. My initial motivation to enroll in Bible college and pursue theological degrees was to understand how to interpret the scriptures, particularly Daniel, through their original languages.

I start writing Understanding Daniel: Its Histories and Prophecies in the summer of 2003, but because of my commitment to other pursuits and activities in my life, I put the manuscript on hold and didn’t return to it for seventeen years. It wasn’t that I had forgotten the manuscript or lost interest in Daniel; they had never left my mind.

In the fall of 2020, during the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, I returned to my Daniel manuscript. My motivation to return to my writing of Understanding Daniel: Its Histories and Prophecies was fueled not only by my love for the book but also by my desire to share my understanding of the book with those unfamiliar with its content.

Many books on the market have been written about the book of Daniel. Almost all such books are unnecessarily detailed and advanced for the everyday reader who wants to understand Daniel but lacks a background in ancient history, language, biblical prophecy, and symbolism to do so. Although the book of Daniel contains a vast amount of history as well as complex prophecies, I have made considerable effort to make this book accessible to a general audience. In writing the book, I had in mind both students pursuing theological education as well as the ordinary Christian who has no theological background. Although knowledge of theology, ancient history, and prophecy is a plus, no special background is necessary to grasp the material in this book.

For those unfamiliar with biblical prophecy, I hope you will quickly come to appreciate its importance and benefits to the Christian life. My intention is to make even the most complex material in the book of Daniel easy to understand, at least in its essential elements.

My goal is for readers to come away with some understanding of the histories and prophecies in Daniel and the part they play in helping us understand unfolding events in our world. At the same time, I would like them to appreciate that the point of the revelation of such events isn’t just to satisfy our curiosity but to help us live better lives in anticipation of the coming of Christ’s kingdom.

CHAPTER 1

Historical Background

The book of Daniel occupies a unique place among the prophetic books in the Bible. It is among the most talked about and by far the most difficult books of the entire Old Testament scriptures. However, although it is among the most well-known and talked-about books, due to its difficulties, it remains one of the least-understood books of all the prophetic books of the Old Testament. This is because a major portion of the book is written using prophetic symbols and language. To understand the book of Daniel, the reader is required not only to understand the prophetic symbols and language of prophecy but also to have a knowledge of world history, beginning with the history of the ancient Near East and extending through the major empires of the world. Further, understanding the book’s prophecies also requires special guidance from the Holy Spirit. This is because what the Spirit reveals requires understanding through the Spirit.

The narrative portion of the book contains the story of young Daniel, who was taken as a captive from his home and family in Jerusalem to be educated for royal service in Babylon. He was among the first group of captives taken from Jerusalem in 605 BC. Within a few years of his captivity, without conceding to Babylonian pagan practices, young Daniel became one of the most respected officials in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar. His loyalty to his beliefs and commitment to God continued through the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, the fall of Babylon, and even to the rise of the Medo-Persian Empire. Over sixty years of his life were spent in Babylon. Throughout these years, his devotion to his faith remained steadfast, and his reputation and wisdom were unmatched. Even as he got older, Daniel never broke under pressure to conform. He was somewhere in his eighties when God revealed to him the vision of the seventy weeks recorded in chapter 9.

Not much is known about Daniel’s family and personal life. What we know appears from the fact that Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, the captain of his court administrators, to bring young men born within the royal line (Dan. 1:3–4); Daniel met these criteria. In fact, according to 2 Kings 20:16–18, we may conclude with some degree of surety that Daniel was indeed from the royal line. In 2 Kings 20:16–18, we read, Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear the word of the LORD. Behold, the time is coming when everything that is in your house, and that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your sons (descendants) who will be born to you will be taken away [as captives]; and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."

From the start, Daniel differentiated himself from all the other young men in the royal university of Babylon. He demonstrated excellent moral and religious attributes and was unsurpassed in wisdom and intellectual gifts. From these early years, Daniel was already more gifted and mentally prepared than all the bright minds in Babylon. His skills and wisdom became so renowned that they were compared only to those of the gods themselves (5:11). There was no dream he couldn’t interpret and no problem he couldn’t solve. Yet for all the prestige, positions, and recognition given to him, Daniel cared very little about Babylonian rewards and incentives. He was prepared to give it all up if it meant compromising his religious beliefs for the worshipping of false gods. His religious faith was more important to him than all the advantages and rewards in Babylon.

THE AUTHORSHIP AND DATE OF THE BOOK

Traditionally, Daniel has been accepted as the author of the book. Based on evidence within the book itself, several scholars agree that Daniel is its author. For example, Daniel is found in several places in the book itself. Further, 8:1; 9:2, 20; and 10:2 all affirm Daniel’s authorship. In 12:4, Daniel is told to shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end. In verse 9, we read, Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. In addition to the internal evidence of the book, evidence outside the book also speaks to its authenticity:

1. The prophet Ezekiel, also one of the exiles in Babylon, speaks of Daniel not as a fictitious person but as one who was well known (Ezek. 14:14, 20; 28:3). In 14:14 and verse 20, Daniel is referred to along with Noah and Job, two men who were known to have lived. In 28:3, Daniel is referred to as being wise.

2. One of the most authenticated pieces of evidence regarding Daniel’s authorship is the confirmation of Jesus in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14, where Jesus refers to Daniel not as some fictitious character but as a real prophet, whose prophecies were to be fulfilled in the future. Surely no one can dispute that the Lord was mistaken as to who the book’s real author was.

3. Although the writer of the book of Hebrews (Heb. 11:33) doesn’t specifically mention Daniel’s name, there’s no doubt who is being referred to and by whose faith the lions’ mouths were stopped.

4. Antiochus IV Epiphanes didn’t come to the throne until 175 BC. How then could this be when the book of Daniel is listed in the Septuagint, which was translated around 285 BC? Unless, of course, Daniel is the real author. This is well over a century before. But liberal critics would have us believe that following the death of Antiochus, some unknown or anonymous person wrote about his reign and wrote it so it appears predictive in nature, deceiving the reader to believe it was written centuries earlier.

5. In his account of Alexander the Great’s march on Jerusalem to punish the Jews for giving their loyalty to Darius, Josephus gives us further evidence in support of Daniel’s authorship. According to Josephus, Alexander was escorted into Jerusalem by the high priest and his attendants. He went up into the temple, where he sacrificed to God according to the high priest’s directions. And when the book of Daniel was shown to him, which predicted that one of the Greeks would destroy the Persian Empire, he thought himself to be the one so designated. ¹ Having read what was foretold about a Grecian king and believing it could only be him (Dan. 8:1–7, 20–21), Alexander is said to have turned his wrath away from Jerusalem, granting them several requests, one of which was to obey their own laws. It is interesting to note that all this is said to have happened before 323 BC. While some may doubt the authenticity of Josephus’s account, history is clear that after Alexander’s encounter with the Jews, he became favorable in his dealings with them. For example, instead of destroying and subjugating them, he is said to have come to an agreement with them. If they would be loyal to him and pay their taxes, they could remain a self-governing state. This was an unusual agreement seeing that Alexander was rarely that flexible to conquered subjects. Given this fact, there is no doubt that Josephus’s account gives a credible clue as to why Alexander would behave in such an accommodating manner to those who had showed loyalty to his enemies.

Although it’s not possible to pinpoint with any degree of exactness the precise year the book was written, based on internal evidence in the book itself, we can come close to approximately when the book may have been completed. For example, Daniel’s captivity lasted from 605 BC, the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (1:1–6), to the reign of Cyrus of Persia (10:1), about 536 BC. In Daniel 10:1, Daniel says he received his fourth vision in the third year of Cyrus (536 BC). This is approximately sixty-nine years after his captivity. This means he was somewhere over eighty years old when he received the fourth and final vision. It’s reasonable to conclude that the book must have been completed shortly after this time.

Most of the skepticism and assaults on the authorship of Daniel have focused primarily on the prophetic content and accuracy of the fulfilled prophecies recorded in the book. Because to accept the predictive nature of the book is to accept its divine authorship, these critics reject the authenticity of Daniel’s authorship. For example, Daniel revealed that Babylon would be succeeded by the Medo-Persian kingdom, the Medo-Persians would be succeeded by the Greeks, and the Greeks would be succeeded by Rome. According to historical records, these prophecies were fulfilled with profound accuracy. Among Daniel’s revelations, he also predicted the coming of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC.

Antiochus was the Greek ruler of Syria, under whom the Jewish people suffered persecution. The preciseness of these prophecies is so astounding that liberal scholars argue that Daniel couldn’t have written the book and considered it pseudepigraphic, which is a book written by an anonymous person and credited to Daniel. Rejection of a sixth-century date of the book goes back to a pagan Neoplatonic philosopher of the late third century named Porphyry (AD 233–304). Porphyry challenged the predictive nature of Daniel 7–12, arguing against any predictive element in the book and proposing that the content of the book was composed after the events it contained. He proposed that the book might have been written by someone who lived in Judaea during the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. In his commentary on Daniel, Jerome (AD 331–420) responded to each of these criticisms, ² from which most of our information on Porphyry has come.

Because the events that occurred during the period of 168–164 BC were in line with the predictions of Daniel (11:31–39), critics who accepted the argument of Porphyry against any divine elements in the book claimed that the book could have been written only sometime during the period of the events themselves. The period 168–164 falls within the Maccabean period and particularly the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, whose reign began in 175 BC and ended in 164 BC. If the period of 168–164 BC is accepted, it means that the book of Daniel was written about three hundred years later than the actual time of Daniel. By dating the book during the second century, these liberal scholars eliminate all predictive and divine elements from the book. To accept Daniel’s authorship means to accept the precision of supernatural revelation.

DIVISIONS IN THE BOOK

The book of Daniel is divided into two major sections. The first section covers chapters 1–6 and contains a collection of historical narratives of the experiences of Daniel and his three Jewish friends in pagan Babylon. This section gives us a backdrop view into the character and integrity of these four young men of Jewish birth. It also informs us of the type of persons God favors. This narrative section highlights God’s protective care and divine deliverance for those who put their trust in him.

The second section is predictive or prophetic in nature and covers chapters 7–12. This section gives us tremendous insight into the progression of history and the unfolding of historical events toward the end of the world. It contains visions of the rise and fall of major world empires from Babylon to Rome through the reign of the world’s final dictator, persecution, and resurrection of the saints to the establishment of the kingdom of Christ on the earth in the last days. Here we get a view of what world events would be like leading up to the consummation of all things. Chart 1.1 below illustrates the general organization of chapters.

Chart 1.1. General Organization of Chapters

Although chapter 2 contains both narrative and prophecies, because of its strong narrative emphasis, it is here classified as narrative rather than prophetic. For example, only fifteen of the chapter’s forty-nine verses are predictive in content, while the other verses are narrative. In addition to the two major divisions, both Aramaic and Hebrew are used in the book (see Chart 2 below). The Aramaic portion covers chapters 2–7, and the Hebrew portion covers chapters 1, 8–12. In 2:4, for example, the book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic and continues in Aramaic until 8:1, where it again shifts back to Hebrew.

Chart 1.2. Language Organization of the Book

Liberal scholars who argue that the book was written by two authors use the two-language situation to support their theory against the Daniel authorship. They argue that the presence of Aramaic style and inclusion of certain words of Persian origin are a clear indication of a third- or second-century composition of the book.

Why Aramaic? Why didn’t Daniel write his entire work in Hebrew? After all, he was Hebrew. A careful overview of the historical setting of Daniel and the audiences he had in mind might resolve the concern regarding why two languages were used. Most scholars agree that the Aramaic used in the book (2:4b–7:28) is a form of Imperial Aramaic, which was the international language of the Middle East during the period and would have contained a fair bit of Persian words. ³ Further, the presence of words of Persian origin in Daniel, according to many conservative scholars, reflects the interaction between different cultures throughout the Near East, particularly between Persian and Aramaic-speaking people of the sixth century as well as the geographical boundaries of the empires at the time of Daniel. ⁴ This makes perfect sense since Daniel’s prophetic ministry extended until the time of the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BC.

Most conservative scholars agree that the Aramaic chapters would appeal more and be relevant to the non-Jewish readers of the Babylonian and Persian Empires, whereas the other six chapters deal with information that would relate more to Jewish interest and God’s special plans for the future of Israel. Further, Aramaic was a common language during the period of the Babylonian and Persian Empires and remained so even in the Hellenistic period. There were also Jewish captives taken to Babylonia who obviously would have spoken Hebrew as their first language. After their return and due to the fact that many were born in Babylon, it appears that fluency in Hebrew was less prevalent. From Nehemiah 8:8, we gather that the law, which was in their native language, had to be translated into Aramaic for the people to understand. In fact, according to conservative scholars, the strong literary, thematic unity, and consistency throughout the book, even with the use of two languages, point convincingly to the work of one author.

Further evidence from manuscripts of Daniel found at Qumran support not only Daniel’s authorship but also a date in the mid-sixth century for the writing of the book. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered near Qumran have a large collection of manuscripts of the book of Daniel as well as discussions and references to Daniel in other works. ⁵ Scholars have identified eight fragmentary manuscripts of Daniel, in which every chapter of Daniel is represented except chapter 12.

The Qumran community believed not only that Daniel was a real person as well as a prophet of God but also that some of his prophecies pertained to the downfall of Antiochus Epiphanes, while others were for their times. ⁶ Further, several scholars have pointed to the large collection of Daniel manuscripts at Qumran as a clear indication of the high regard in which Daniel as a prophet was held among this community. The consensus is that the Qumran community may have relocated to the Dead Sea area sometime around 150 BC. This means they weren’t far removed in time from the events of the Maccabean period and the time of Antiochus. Given their nearness to the events of the second century, wouldn’t they have known the truth about the credibility and authenticity of the book of Daniel? The fact that they accepted Daniel’s work as prophetic is a strong argument for the book’s authenticity. This is a clear indication that the book of Daniel must have been firmly established and recognized as scripture before the mid-second century. Consequently, the fact that the Qumran manuscripts are evidence of an early date for the book of Daniel poses a challenge for those against an early date. Steinmann concluded, The Qumran evidence, like the evidence from Ben Sira, strongly implies that Daniel is older than the early second century, which would have necessity make it genuine predictive prophecy. This evidence is in harmony with the view of its authorship by Daniel around the year 536 BC. ⁷

DANIEL’S PLACE IN THE CANON

We now come to the issue of Daniel’s place in the canon. Challengers of the early date for Daniel point to the book’s place in the Jewish canon (and not among the prophets) as evidence for a late second-century date. It’s important to note that English versions of the scriptures are based on the canonical order of the Septuagint (LXX). As shown in Chart 1.3 below, the book of Daniel is grouped (placed last) with Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, three major writing prophets. On the other hand, in the Hebrew arrangement and classification, we don’t find Daniel grouped among the prophets. Instead, it is placed between the historical books of Esther and Ezra, which are listed among the much later writings called Hagiographa or Kethubhim (Writings). A few liberal critics, including Samuel Driver, ⁸ have argued that the reason for this is that the book of Daniel wasn’t in existence at the time of the collection of the prophetic writings. Therefore, Daniel couldn’t have been written in the sixth century.

Chart 1.3. Hebrew and English Arrangement

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A clear indication that Daniel was recognized as a real person who lived in the sixth century can be gathered from the words of Mattathias Maccabees. In the First Book of the Maccabees, Mattathias, just before he died in 169 BC, instructed his sons to be zealous and faithful for the Law and reminded them of the faithfulness of several patriarchs including Abraham, Joshua, Caleb, David, the three Hebrew youth. In addition, he said of Daniel, Daniel for his innocence was delivered from the mouth of the lions. ⁹ This presents one of many clear pieces of evidence that the book of Daniel was recognized as an authentic work among the accepted three-fold divisions of the Hebrew scriptures. This clearly shows that Daniel was recognized as the true writer of the book that bears his name and that his writing preceded the time of the second century BC.

The question as to why his book was placed in the division of the Writings and not in the division of the Prophets remains unclear. The fact that the Hebrew scriptures are divided into three divisions is important in our understanding of the placement of Daniel. It’s important at this point that the reader understand that there are three major perspectives on why the Hebrew canon is divided into three parts.

The first perspective proposed that the Old Testament canonization occurred in three stages. First was the Law of Moses, canonized around the fifth century BC; the Prophets, around the third century BC; and the Hagiographa or Writings, around the first century AD. In this case, the books in the third division, called the Hagiographa or Writings, weren’t recognized as scripture before the time of Christ.

The second perspective asserts that the second stage of the Hebrew canon was written by prophets while the third stage or Writings was written by individuals who weren’t prophets. This perspective asserts that while these individuals may have had prophetic gifts, they never occupied the prophetic office.

The third perspective holds that the books were divided and canonized according to their literary characteristics, such as Law, Prophets, and Writings. In this case, the three divisions have nothing to do with the order in which the books were composed or the time they were selected and placed in the canon. Most scholars including this writer hold to the third position that the books were canonized according to their literary characteristics. For example, many of the books in the Writings such as Job, Psalms, and the writings of Solomon are very old, much older than the book of Daniel. Further, there are books in the third division that are as old as and even older than some of the books in the second division. Two examples are the books of Job and some of the Psalms, which were written centuries before prophetic books such as Zechariah and Malachi, to name a few. Barns observed, If any of these books in the Hagiographa were in fact written at an earlier period than some in the second class—the Prophets—or if any other reasons existed for referring them to the class of the Hagiographa than the lateness of their composition, then the objection would have no force. ¹⁰ The argument that Daniel was placed in the division of the Writings and not in the division of the Prophets because of a late-date composition becomes weak because placement in the third division is arguably not determined by the date the book was composed.

Probably the most logical reason why Daniel wasn’t originally included in the prophetic books is that when compared to other writing prophets, the nature and emphasis of his revelations are quite different from those of most of the other prophets. In addition, while Daniel was clearly a prophet, he was primarily a Babylonian government official. Jensen notes that the overall historical thrust of the book with its revelatory visions of world history might have been the reason why the book was placed in the Writings as a historical book. ¹¹

There is also strong agreement among scholars that the placement of Daniel to the third division (Writings) of the Hebrew canon may also have been based on the fact that Daniel’s call to, and function of, the prophetic office differed from those of other Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others who ministered directly to the people of Israel. Daniel didn’t actually belong to this category of prophets. While separated by God to be a prophet, he was also a court administrator in Babylon. It is in this light that his book might have been more fitting among books such as Ezra and Nehemiah.

It’s also interesting to note that Daniel’s visions and prophecies were recorded rather than verbally proclaimed. In other words, he wasn’t a preaching prophet. This means his function as a prophet wasn’t as one who went directly to the people with a message. Rather, while he was confined to the royal courts of Babylon and Medo-Persia, God commissioned him to record his revelations for the future. Because of the prophetic nature of the book of Daniel, it is recognized in both the Septuagint and the Vulgate.

The final argument for the validity of Daniel’s position as a prophet pertains to evidence from the New Testament. To begin, the fact that the New Testament recognizes a three-fold division of the Old Testament, particularly Daniel as a prophet, is important. It is important for several reasons. First, it demolishes the argument that the third division of the canon was completed around AD 70. Second, it confirms without a doubt that Daniel is indeed a prophet and that his book is an authentic divine work.

Several passages bring our discussion to a conclusion. First, in John 5:30, Jesus indicated that the scriptures were complete. He said to the religious leaders, You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. This suggests that there was a completed body of written work that was divinely inspired, which Jesus himself recognized and authenticated.

Not only did Jesus confirm the existence of a divinely inspired body of scripture, but he also testified to the three-fold division as well. In Luke 24:44–45, we read, Then he said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

The term Psalms in Luke 24:44–45 refers to the entire third division of the canon called Writings and therefore wasn’t limited to the book of Psalms. Jesus recognized not only the existence of the three-fold divisions but also the prophetic ministry of