This is an introduction to the approach we'll use for interpreting Scripture.

It also gives us a birds-eye view of prophecy in Scripture. 

We finish the overview of prophecy, symbols, time, numbers, and the rise and fall of world powers. Then we move to Daniel Ch 1.

Daniel is taken captive as a teenager and possibly castrated.

Daniel gets a death warrant 

 

King Nebuchadnezzar orders the execution of all his spiritual advisors because no one can interpret his dream. Daniel and his friends spend the night in prayer and God gives Daniel both the dream and the interpretation! 

 

The dream spans all world history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar through to the second coming of Christ.

The Dream of the Awesome Statue

 

The head is gold, the chest and arms are silver, the belly and thighs are bronze, the legs are iron, the feet and toes are iron mixed with clay...and it is all crushed and blown away by a stone not cut by human hands!

What does it mean?

In Daniel's absence, the king orders everyone to worship an idol as big as two 18-wheelers. Daniel's friends refuse and are sentenced to immediate death! 

 

They are thrown into a white-hot furnace, but live through it by the hand of God. The king is astonished and his respect for their God grows. The king has another dream and the interpretation is not good news! The sentence passed on the king by God is so severe that even this pagan king is humbled.

Babylon is besieged but the king and his nobles party on! 

 

Suddenly, a ghostly hand writes a mysterious message on the wall. Daniel is called in to interpret and predicts the king's downfall. That very night, the king dies and Babylon falls to the Persians. The new king puts Daniel in a high-ranking job, causing the deep and bitter resentment of other high-ranking 'wannabees.' They hatch a plan to assassinate Daniel.

Daniel has a vision of four strange beasts rising up out of the sea

• Beast 1 is like a lion with wings that becomes man-like,

• Beast 2 is like a bear gnawing on three ribs,

• Beast 3 is like a leopard with four heads and wings,

• But Beast 4 is utterly terrifying with horns that change and grow.

 

It crushes and tramples and devours its victims. Then God comes and passes judgment. We learn a system for helping sort this all out and make sense out of it.

We use our system to interpret Daniel's vision. 

 

We now know the first beast is the kingdom of Babylon. The second beast is the Medo Persian Empire.The third beast is the Greek Empire.

 

The fourth beast is an Imperialist Empire that begins with the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. We look at the part of the vision that has not yet been fulfilled and begin to understand some of the events that will occur in the End-Times.

A third vision occurs! 

 

We make sense out of rams, unicorn goats, angels and evil kings. Is the king in this vision The AntiChrist? Or is he the Greek king Antiochus Epiphanes? Is this prophecy relevant today or is it just ancient history?

The more we look at Scripture, the more it looks like this king is the Antichrist - not Antiochus Epiphanes. 

 

We find out some startling information about the Antichrist and his influence on the hosts of heaven.

Daniel discovers a long-lost prophecy 

 

Daniel stumbles across a prophecy by Jeremiah that says the Babylonian captivity is only to last 70 years -- and time is nearly up! 

 

What is the significance of the 70 years? 

Does Daniel's prayer for mercy hasten the end of captivity?

God sends Gabriel to set Daniel straight 

 

Daniel gets the timing wrong on the events to follow the 70 years of captivity. Gabriel comes to clarify the prophecies and gives Daniel what has been referred to as "the backbone of Biblical prophecy." We also learn what is really meant by the term "righteousness" - and what we learned was not at all what we expected!

Gabriel Gives a Timeline in the famous prophecy of the "70 Sevens"

 

In this famous prophecy, the timespan from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah is revealed - and it is 100% accurate! We find new and deeper meaning to the prophecy's statement that the Messiah will be cut off. We discuss two possible timings for the destruction of Jerusalem and we find out the identity of "the many" who will make a covenant with the Antichrist.

The Reality behind National Power Struggles 

 

An awesome and mighty angel is sent to give Daniel understanding of the final vision recorded in this book of Scripture...but he is waylaid by the evil spirit ruling Persia.

The archangel Michael comes to the rescue, holding off the Persian spirit just long enough for the angel to come to Daniel with the message.We look at what these spiritual realities mean to a physical world.

 

Does this kind of power struggle still happen today?
What is really going on in the world?

History Recorded in Advance in Heaven

 

The angel reveals specific events to Daniel that span the next 350 years. Victories, defeats, alliances, murders and betrayals...Each revelation was fulfilled in the exact manner and exact order prophesied.

The Rise of the Antichrist

 

The last prophecy in Daniel reveals detailed information about the Antichrist. All the prophecies in Daniel fall neatly into alignment, giving us a history of the end of the world - written in advance!

The final chapter in Daniel

 

Although the Antichrist rises to power quickly, his reign is short-lived. When he declares himself to be god believers in the True and Living God fight back. The power of the Antichrist seems limitless, but just when the power of the saints is broken...God comes to their defense. Jesus Christ comes, the Antichrist is utterly defeated, the saints reign victorious!