The Book of Daniel Chapter 2 Pt. 1

 The following is our continuing study of the Books of Daniel and Revelation - we are seeking only truth in prophecy, and a better understanding of the heavenly Sanctuary and its continued importance for all of us today. May God bless us richly and the Holy Spirit guide us only to truth!  *For those who don't have time (or desire) to search for the answers to filling in the blanks - the answers are at the end of this page.

READ Daniel 2:1 -- And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was (1)_________, and his sleep brake from him.

As we studied in chapter one, Daniel was taken into captivity in the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. For three years he along with his three friends were schooled extensively on things concerning Babylonian life, things that pleased Nebuchadnezzaer to realize when he tested them that they’d learned better than all those native to his realm.

A question comes to mind that if Daniel was being schooled those three years and didn’t see the king until the end of them, how he could go to the king in the second year stated here and help him. The answer lies in the fact for two year Nebuchanezzar reigned alongside his father Nabopolassar. By the second year of his reign without his father at his side it was a year after Daniel completed his studies.

Having clarified that it’s understandable Daniel at this point would be accounted among his people and not a boy studying to show himself worthy to the king.

READ Daniel 2:2 -- Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to (2)____ the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

Men throughout the ages have pretended to foretell the future through the stars and it was no different then, and no surprise a king would have magicians, astrologers and sorcerers and the Chaldeans, at his beck and call.

Sorcerers feigned communication with the dead to guide the living, just something to show how long spiritualism has been alive and flourishing. The Chaldeans were a group of philosophers very much like the others who claimed extraordinary abilities to deal with the unknown. All these groups flourished in Babylon. 

Having his own group of these men the King having had his troublesome dream wanted them to help him out. What a dream it had to have been to weigh so heavily upon his mind.

READ Daniel 2:3,4 -- And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to (3)____ the dream. Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriac, O king, live forever; tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.

Obviously these men weren’t used to such a request. They wanted at least enough information so they could make a great show of pretending to know what it was all about and what it all meant, it was in fact how they’d always done their so called magic.

And Syriac was a learned language of intellectuals so addressing the king in that language was once more a show trying to impress the king with their intellectual prowess as they had in the past.

READ Daniel 2:5-13 – ‘he king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is (4)___ from me; if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honor; therefore show me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it. The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you; for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed; therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can show me the interpretation thereof. The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is (5) ___ a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter; therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be (6)_____; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.’

Obviously the soothsayers and such are stalling and trying to convince the king what he asks for is impossible. Does the king just accept this? Does he let himself be convinced that no one in his realm of the brightest in all the land could help him with this troublesome dream? He wasn’t asking for just an interpretation, he was asking to be told what the dream was first. How could anyone give an interpretation without being told what they’re supposed to be interpreting? Even today we would call someone crazy if they came up to us and said, ‘Hey, what’d I dream last night?’ This is the impossible the king wanted surely he had to see reason.

Yes, Nebuchadnezzar is so bothered by this dream eluding him that he can’t accept the impossibility of what he’s asking. He refuses to believe that none of his supposed wise men can help him, if they can’t help him they’re useless to him. He was furious. Not just a little upset, he was furious and gave a command that all the wise men be killed. 

READ Daniel 2:14-18 -- Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the (7)____ men of Babylon. He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation. Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions; That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

God’s hand is seen here so vividly. This dream given to the king and yet withheld from his memory is something powerful as we’ve seen. This dream is exposing the falsity of those normally held in high esteem, the magicians, the sorcerers, the astrologers and the Chaldeans, all of them were being exposed as charlatans. They are unable to do that which they’ve claimed over and over the ability to do.

Just a short while before Daniel and his companions had been found by the king to be ten times better than all the other wise men and yet the king hadn’t asked to see them which proved to be even more valuable to exposing the false sects for what they were. God wanted to expose the false, He wanted the king himself to see their ineffectiveness so his divine purpose could be seen.

Being considered as one among the wise men- Daniel is going to be put to death and what does he do? He asks for an audience with the king. The king is furious with all wise men and he grants Daniel this request. God’s hand surely guiding matters. After Daniel went into the king he then went to his companions. He didn’t stay by himself, he went to those he knew could help him, to join with him in supplication to God. We know that were two or more are gathered God is there.

READ Matthew 18:19, 20 -- Again I say unto you, That if (8)___ of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’

This was no less true back in Daniel’s day. He knew there was spiritual strength in numbers.

READ Daniel 2:19-23 -- ‘Then was the (9) ______ revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his; And he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding; He revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee; for thou hast now made known unto us the king's (10)_____.’

Whether God revealed the dream to Daniel while he was asleep or awake is unknown. Night vision could have meant a dream of his own, or it could have been a vision given him while he was awake and his companions and he were praying. God did answer their prayers and Daniel immediately praised and thanked Him. How important is it that we acknowledge the source of all good and praise God. God is honored when we praise him and thank him for what He’s done in our lives. We need to use Daniel’s recorded behavior as an example to us. No blessing of God’s to us should go without acknowledgement. 

READ Luke 17:11-19 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up [their] voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw [them,] he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice GLORIFIED God, And fell down on [his] face at his feet, giving him THANKS: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where [are] the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

The one who returned to give thanks to Him, pleased Jesus. The man’s faith made him whole. We need to give thanks and remember to give thanks for God’s blessings in our lives.

Daniel didn’t receive an answer to their prayers and run off to tell the king what he wanted to know, the first thing he did was thank and praise God. He wasn’t going to take honor onto himself at all, he knew where the honor and glory belonged and that was to God. Including those praying with him, he didn’t even presume to give thanks in his own name, but as a group who offered up prayers to God, who desired of Him an answer of those prayers, he praised and thanked God who answered them.

To be continued…

(1) troubled Daniel 2:1

(2) shew Daniel 2:2

(3) know Daniel 2:3

(4) gone Daniel 2:5

(5) not Daniel 2:10

(6) slain Daniel 2:13

(7) wise Daniel 2:14

(8) two Matthew 18:19

(9) secret Daniel 2:19

(10) matter Daniel 2:23

The Book of Daniel Chapter 1 Pt 1

 I went to a series of Prophecy Lectures that were being given at a nearby church in 1982.  I don't have access to the actual material given back then, but there are other studies with a lot of the same information.  The study we are going to go through is more in-depth. We are living now, 42 years after the last known end time prophecy was fulfilled. There are more end time prophecies that have to be fulfilled and the majority of those it appears will happen very rapidly extremely close to our Lord returning. You read those words and what do you think about them? I hope they arouse your curiosity and don't dissuade you from seeking truth. The above facts can be proven, pray for God's guidance, God's grace, God's mercy, pray for the Holy Spirit to be your guide through all of these studies.  Please, open your Bible - whether an actual book of paper, or an online Bible, it doesn't matter- open your Bible and with a prayerful heart begin to study. 

Remember there are going to be blanks for you to fill in by reading from your Bibles- this is to reinforce what you are studying, giving you a real opportunity to look for yourself upon God's word, and not just read something I've put here for you to read.

Daniel Chapter 1

Let’s begin with a bit of historical background on the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel was written by Daniel Himself that cannot be disputed. Ezekiel, a prophet and a contemporary of Daniels has this to say--

READ Ezekiel 14:19, 20. "… though Noah, 1______, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness."

Daniel is ranked up there with who? Noah and Job, two very important Biblical figures.

Ezekiel also has this to say of Daniel--

READ Ezekiel 28:3 "Behold, thou art wiser than 2______; there is no secret that they can hide from thee."

And even Jesus recognized Daniel and did so recognizing him as a prophet of God. 

READ Matthew 24:15, 16. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by 3_______ ___ ________, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand), then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains."

(The following may read as if you are a Bible scholar, or serious student who knows Biblical history- dates and whatnot. If you do not have this education, I don't, then you may have to pause and look up some facts if you don't want to just accept them as truth. Don't hesitate to do so now, or any time in the future of this study, research.) 

What we know of Daniel begins when he is taken captive in the first year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzer (Babylonian King). The first year that began the seventy years of enslavement, 606 BC when Habakkuk and Jeremiah were giving their prophecies. A short while after that Ezekiel began his prophesizing and then Obadiah, both finishing their prophetic work long before the end of Daniel’s prophesizing.

Three prophets went after Daniel—Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Both Haggai and Zechariah briefly prophesized in 520-518 BC and then Malachi for a short while in 397 BC. All Biblical history, documented well.

Jeremiah wrote the following prediction--

READ Jeremiah 25:11 -And this whole land shall be a 4___________, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

70 years of captivity was predicted and 70 years of captivity there were.

Daniel was taken captive during that time and at his peak he saw the kingdom decline and even go into other hands. Daniel was given by God knowledge which surpasses any man could have given him. He was honored and loved of God and his words are available to us today to study and learn much from.

He reveals history many centuries into the future to the end of all time. He offers us an account of the timeline of the coming of the Messiah as well. The prophecies of Daniel are amazing as you’ll soon discover.

Historical data tells us that Daniel is supposed to have died at Susa in Persia (today’s Iran), about the year 530 BC, at about 94 years old.

Let us begin--CHAPTER -- I

READ Daniel 1: 1 - In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto 5__________, and besieged it. 2. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his god.

Starting with an historical background, he states that Jehoiakim was the king of Judah at the time, that Nebuchadnezzer was king of Babylon and that Nebuchadnezzer besieged Jehoiakim’s reign. He also tells us that it was 3 years into the reign of Jehoiakim and that Jehoiakim was given into Nebuchadnezzar’s hands. Nebuchanezzer took some of the sacred vessels from the house of God into Shinar, the country of Babylon.

READ Genesis 10:10 ‘And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.’

Jerusalem’s capture was predicted by Jeremiah, and accomplished, in 606 BC.

READ Jeremiah 25:8-11-- Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

Jeremiah places this captivity in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Daniel is in the third. This seeming discrepancy is explained by the fact that Nebuchadnezzar set out on his expedition near the close of the third year of Jehoiakim, from which point Daniel reckons. But he did not fully capture Jerusalem till about the ninth month of the year following; and from this year Jeremiah reckons. (Prideaux, Vol. I, pp. 99, 100 -https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Old_and_New_Testament_Connected_in_t/dvKBrDj1bnAC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22fourth%20year%20of%20Jehoiakim%22)

Jehoiakim humbled himself and was allowed to remain as ruler in Jerusalem, tributary to the king of Babylon. This was the first time Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar. 

Twice after that because the people revolted, it had to be recaptured by the same king, being dealt with more harshly each succeeding time. Of these subsequent overthrows, the first was under Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim in 599 BC when all the sacred vessels were either taken or destroyed and the best of the people along with the king were led into captivity. The second was under Zedekiah, when the city fought the most formidable fight for control except that by Titus, in 70 AD. During the two year siege the city dwellers had to endure the horrors of extreme famine. The king attempting to escape from the city along with his garrison, were captured by the Chaldeans. The sons of the king were slain before him. His eyes were put out, and he was taken to Babylon; and fulfilled was the prediction of Ezekiel who declared that he should be carried to Babylon, and die there, but yet should not see the place.

READ Ezekiel 12:13 - ‘My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.’

The city and temple were at this time completely destroyed, the entire population of the city and country, with the exception of few, were carried captive to Babylon, 588 BC.

Had the Israelites been faithful to God and kept his Sabbath, Jerusalem would have stood forever. READ Jeremiah 17:24-27 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently 6_______ unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the 7________ day, but 8_______ the sabbath day, to do no work therein; Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain forever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the 9 _____.  But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

TO BE CONTINUED…