By comparing the texts of the elephantine papyri to the texts of daniel, scholars have concluded that the textual style of daniel places the book within the era of the 5th century bce. The book of daniel is often read for its contribution to our understanding of endtimes events, but sometimes christians have been so obsessed with this that we have missed its main message. God is a triune god, meaning three persons in one, and at different times ancient of days refers to jesus christ and at other times, to god the father. The book of daniel is followed by the prophet hosea, the first of the prophets in the book of the twelve. These kingdoms are finally overthrown when the ancient of days sits in judgment over them on his glorious throne and gives dominion and an eternal kingdom to one like a son of man whom all peoples are to. Does days in prophecy equal years daniel 9 stack exchange. Learn what the bible teaches in the book of daniel. Though daniel heard, he didnt understand, so he asked, what will mark the end of these things. Discover the meaning of this biblical phrase and its influence in culture and art. Would people living in 165 bce accept daniel as a prophet if daniel was written at that time. The ancient reference in verse is most interesting.
All these occurrences show up in the book of daniel, the seventh chapter, in verses 9, and 22. The most common designation this obviously divine character is god himself. Verse 7 mentions the three and a half times, 3 12 years, or 1260 days verse 12 mentions the 1290 days and the 35 days. The hero of the book of daniel in the ketuvim section of the bible is one of the jews exiled in babylonia, a soothsayer at the babylonian court under nebuchadnezzar who died in 562 b. See more ideas about book of daniel, bible and bible knowledge. While in exile, jehoiakim ate every day at nebuchadnezzars table in babylon. Spirituality, the second coming of the lord, the return of the messiah, proclamation of the state of israel. Well there is the story of shadrach meshach and abednego, who were smart jews that were exiled from the holy land after the destruction of the first temple. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire. The book of daniel is the apocalyptic book of the hebrew bible.
Taken into slavery after the fall of jerusalem in 605 b. Leonard j greenspoon, in between alexandria and antioch. The book of daniel is one of the books in the old testament. Book of daniel overview insight for living ministries. Daniel s aramaic is closer to eastern aramaic rather than western aramaic much like that which is found in the elephantine papyri fifthcentury b. Babylon, by the way, was located about 60 miles from presentday. The book of daniel records the actions, prophecies, and visions of the prophet daniel. The ancient of days is a figure in one of daniels visions that unquestionably represents god. Documents written in 5th century bce egypt 495 bce to 402 bce reveal unique textual and linguistic styles from that era.
Later in the book, daniel prophesied of terrible trials still to come in the promised land daniel 11. Daniel 12 nkjv prophecy of the end time at that bible gateway. Part of the reason for this confusion is that the book of daniels got a bit of a split personality. By referring to daniel, jesus was drawing our attention to some of the most amazing last days prophecies of the bible. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history with an eschatology a portrayal of end times cosmic in scope and political in focus. Two of the most familiar passages of the biblepsalm 23 and the lords prayerhave been given new life. Twice, in two different visions in the book of daniel the question is asked, how long daniel 12. The book of daniel, though its likely derived from some oral traditions and legends that had been floating around for a long time, was put together in its final form sometime around 165 bce, when the israelites were squabbling with the evil antiochus iv epiphanes, a leftover greek general jockeying for influence in the postalexander the great era.
Doctorow tells the story of paul and rochelle isaacson corollaries to the rosenbergs through the persons of their older son, daniel, and his sister, susan, who are college students deeply involved in 1960s politics. The lord said, go thy way, daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end. Daniel 6 niv bible it pleased darius to appoint 120. Doctorow, loosely based on the lives, trial and execution of julius and ethel rosenberg. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. In addition, some pseudo daniel compositions have emerged from authors who wished to imitate daniel, 32 along with imaginary compositions partially based on daniel.
These kingdoms are finally overthrown when the ancient of days sits in judgment over them on his glorious throne and gives dominion and an eternal kingdom to one like a son of man whom all peoples are to serve or worship. Daniel the prophet book entitled florilegium or commentary. Jan 02, 2020 god is a triune god, meaning three persons in one, and at different times ancient of days refers to jesus christ and at other times, to god the father. The ancient hebrew prophet daniel lived in the fifth century. A major contribution of the book is the interpretation of the kings dream in which the kingdom of god in the last days is depicted as a little stone that is cut out of a.
And in fact the book of revelation is largely a christian interpretation of the. Book of daniel read, study bible verses online bible study tools. This passage from daniel tells about, and actually describes, the ancient of. The first part chapters 16 is all courtly legendsreal sockittoem celebrations of daniel and pals as they outwit babylonian and persian kings and stand up for their faith. In more mundane language, it is an account of the activities and visions of daniel, a noble jew exiled at babylon, its message being that just as the god of israel saved daniel and his friends from their enemies, so. Jesus claim to be the ancient of days, hence a divine being resulted in his conviction of a crime worthy of crucifixion. In todays excerpt from the most recent edition in the story of god bible commentary series, author wendy l. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him.
Well, i believe that the book of daniel was written in the 6th century bc. Verse can only refer to the father because, of course, the son of man who camebefore him is christ. The book of daniel holds the distinction of being one of the most important prophetic books in the bibleand one. Though hes the secret wizard of oz behind the scenes, clicking the switches, god seems to hang back a little in this book. This prophecy aligns with jesus speaking in matthew 24, and the book. The first half of the book chapters 16 contains stories in the third person about the experiences of daniel and his. The book of daniel 1971 is a semihistorical novel by e.
In addition, the captivating prophecy, imagery, and symbolism make the book of daniel one of the most read of hebrew scripture, our old testament of the bible. The angel assures daniel that everyone written in the book will be delivered 12. Understanding the book of daniel free bible booklets. The actual number of days between the rapture and the millennium, a total of 1,335 11.
The book of daniel is one of the most significant prophetic books in the bible. Foretold to occur in the days of the persians, greeks, and romans 3. Daniel 7 describes a succession of kingdoms appearing as various beasts. The solution to the identity of the ancient of days is in my opinion, one that is without controversy.
Daniel generally presents him in the early days of his reign from the region of his origins. If you are a serious student of the prophesies of the bible, you might also want to read his book ancient messianic festivals. Daniel continues to pray three times a day to god towards jerusalem. This prophecy aligns with jesus speaking in matthew 24, and the book of the revelation of jesus christ by the apostle john. Daniel 7, a hotbed for eschatological theorizing, continues to baffle commentators, past and present. Daniel, book of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Also, the daily, is spoken of as being taken away and the abomination. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history. The earliest christian writings outside the bible also frequently point to this interpretation. Arguments for earlylate date of authorship of daniel. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Daniels friends shadrach, meshach and abednego served as advisers to king nebuchadnezzar of babylon.
Darius the mede and the four world empires in the book of daniel. And the prophecies they reveal and ancient book of daniel as well as ancient prophecies revealed. Finding biblical clues to support the meaning of these time lines. The book of daniel can be divided into two partsstories and prophecies. A lot of theologians take daniels seventy weeks and interpret the seventy weeks to be 490 years, a year for each day. Father, the very last prophetic period presented to the prophet daniel was the 35 days. Enrich your faith and grow in spiritual maturity with the incredible bible study and devotional books listed below. Also, the daily, is spoken of as being taken away and the abomination that brings desolation being set up in its place.
The book of daniel, a book of the old testament found in the ketuvim writings, the third section of the jewish canon, but placed among the prophets in the christian canon. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance. Jesus makes a similar promise when he says to the churches. Daniel and his godfearing friends were forced to live in babylon, far from home and far from the land their lord had promised them. This therefore proves that the book of daniel was written in the traditionally accepted time of 450550 bc. Its prophecies of worldruling empires are closely related to revelation. As we recall during the olivet discourse jesus directed our attention to the prophet daniel matthew 24. A careful study of the text helps reveal the identity of this supernatural being. The ancient hebrew prophet daniel lived in the fifth century bc and accurately predicted the history of the nation of israel from 536 bc to ad 1948. The book of daniel opens with a major conflict in the middle east. He also predicted the date of the death of the messiah to occur in ad 32, the date of the rebirth of the nation of israel in ad 1948, and the israeli capture.
This book of daniel highlights and aligns the prophecy of daniel to the historical facts and dates up to and beyond our present day, this proving the fulfilment of these prophecies. There are three time periods announced in daniel chapter 12. The term ancient of days is one i had heard before. The only other place in scripture where i can find days equaling years is in ezekiel 4. The account of a controlled dietary trial in the book of daniel thus reflects. Consider the following and you will notice that this title positively refers to both the father and christ.
His garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool. The ancient of days god doesnt get any lines in the book of daniel, but hes the hidden master, pulling all the strings, controlling every event in the story as it moves along. But in the prophetic sense, it clearly refers to jesus, the ancient of days returning to pronounce judgment on the world daniel 7. Read on to discover seven things about daniel we think youll find.
In this book, we learn that the rule of god would be especially manifested. Eight copies of daniel were found at the qumran community with one copy dated to 125 bce using carbon dating techniques. Ancient of days is a name for god in the book of daniel. The book of daniel has been opened the mystery of the 129035 days of daniel 12 revealed. Daniels 1290 and 35 days and from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination of desolation set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Vision of the ancient of days i watched till thrones were put in place, and the ancient of days was seated. It pleased darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was daniel. Daniel 12 niv the end times at that time bible gateway. Jan 02, 2020 daniel served in the royal court of nebuchadnezzar and several rulers who followed nebuchadnezzar. The book of daniel is an apocalyptic of the old testament. The purpose of the book of daniel in the book of daniel the scriptures foretell how the lord will deal with the people of daniel the jews and the gentile nations. Daniel served in the royal court of nebuchadnezzar and several rulers who followed nebuchadnezzar. As long as we see the book in this light, we can read into daniel 9.
The book of daniel is an apocalypse, a literary genre in which a heavenly reality is revealed to a human recipient. The identity of the ancient of days is an interesting question. Daniel s 1290 and 35 days and from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination of desolation set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. The book of daniel is found among the dead sea scrolls dating from about 125 bc, there are several fragments, and they do not all agree, that is, there were different schools of documents, one close to the masoretic text, and one nearer the septuagint. I knew it meant god, but i really didnt know any more about it until i got to todays scripture. The phrase ancient of days is unique to the book of daniel. Through a series of dreams and visions and their interpretations daniel is shown an outline of future kingdoms of the world. From a hermeneutic standpoint, i seek to know if this type of calculation is good hermeneutics. This chapter documents a dream and visions that daniel received to show there would be four powerful human kingdoms followed by the kingdom of god verses 1, 1718. The phrase you are referring to, the ancient of days, only occurs three times in the entire bible. Finally, the book of revelation gives clues as to the true identify of the ancient of days. The book of daniel is often read for its contribution to our understanding of endtimes events, but sometimes christians have been so obsessed with.
Whatever the trial was, though, it was always the result of sin. Ancient of days is a name for god found numerous times in the book of daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Nov 01, 2008 book of daniel s prophecies of the end explained. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my father and his angels rev.
Jews and judaism in the hellenistic period, published in the oxford history of the biblical world, page 322, describes the book of daniel as a novel. The title ancient of days is from the old testament prophetic book of daniel. The first six chapters are the history section, telling of a jew named daniel of royal descent, who was taken captive along with the rest of the people from the city of jerusalem. The prophecies reveal when these lastday events will occur. The stories reveal how to be ready for earths final days.
Who is the ancient of days referred to in daniel 7. Does days in prophecy equal years daniel 9 seventy. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that daniel was written in 165 bce. It also records the his apocalyptic visions, actions as well as his prophesies. Ancient book of daniel kindle edition by ken johnson. Watch our overview video on the book of daniel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
Daniel translated by ferial moawad the book for every believer the book of daniel has a special significance in the life of believers, for it is not a record of daniels life nor to an era of the history of the israelites during the babylon captivity, but rather it is a divine book, which the holy spirit offers us to instill hope in the hurt. Lets ask god to help us, before beginning this lesson. The phrase ancient of days occurs three times in the bible, and all three references are found in chapter 7 of daniel verses 9, 22. Ancient of days sermon by shelly griffin, daniel 7. A historical study of contemporary theories cardiff. The reason we divided this into 30 days and 15 days is because of the three feast days. Study scripture verses with commentary, concordances, and use highlighting, underlining, take notes in the bible.
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