Known by multiple names—the antichrist, the man of sin and the false prophet—this religious power will play a prominent role in the deception of mankind prior to Christ’s return. 1-12; Ezekiel 14:14, 28:3; Matt. This reference does not necessarily mean that the four young Jewish boys were eunuchs themselves. It’s very helpful as a Sunday School teacher. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans. Learn More About Prophets: True or False? Daniel was given the name “Belteshazzar” (Daniel 1:6-7). But God sent an angel that “shut the lions’ mouths” (Daniel 6:22), and Daniel was miraculously spared. by Jeffrey Kranz | Oct 29, 2016 | Bible characters, Bible facts | 18 comments. Earlier in the history of the kingdom of Judah we find Hezekiah—king of Judah—unwisely showed the treasures of his house to the emissaries of the king of Babylon (Isaiah 39:2). You may have heard that there are two good angels who are explicitly named in the Bible: Gabriel and Michael. The murals are now on display in the Istanbul Archaeology Museums (photo by David Treybig). Who are Daniel's People? Are they the Jewish nation, 16 million? That’s a long time, and so it probably makes sense to point out that …. Through Isaiah, God declares: “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure’” (Isaiah 46:9-10). But guess where we meet them first? Daniel in the Den of Lions - It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. We don’t see any conversations between Daniel and Michael, but he is working behind the scenes in the later chapters of Daniel. Noah got drunk and naked (Gen 9:21). John Calvin’s commentary on Daniel mentions, “‘The chief of the eunuchs’ seems the correct definition of his office … and the office is similar to that … exercised at the courts of Turkey and Persia as the kislar agha, ‘high-chamberlain of the palace.’ So much confidence was necessarily reposed in these domestic officers, that many affairs of the utmost importance and delicacy were [entrusted] to their care. While Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah are not specifically mentioned as descendants of Hezekiah, the prophecy was made during the time that Baladan was king of Babylon. On another occasion the record shows Daniel praying and fasting for his people’s sins and asking for God’s mercy on himself, his fellow captives and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Daniel 9). If you’re a Bible geek like me, you might want to check it out. You know what the magicians’ response is? These circumstances include what Daniel faced in the den of lions, and what his three friends faced when thrown into the fiery furnace. I would like to name my future son Daniel =), I wonder why you are following this website…. I prefer to read as much as I can to learn for myself. 24:15. Ashpenaz was a member of the court who the king knew could be trusted to perform important duties, such as instruction of the princes in the ways of their host nation. We do not need to consider any kind of extraordinary means of his death. “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed [that no one could petition any god or man except the king for 30 days], he went home. The angel Gabriel tells the prophet Daniel, "Seventy Weeks are determined for your people". ■Daniel’s life was characterized by: • Faith • Prayer • Courage • Consistency • Lack of compromise Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; … Daniel maintained a vibrant faith in God despite living and working in an ungodly culture surrounded … Nebuchadnezzar’s criteria for serving in his court includes physical appearance (Da 1:4). Similar to the instruction he had received to “seal up” a vision he had been given earlier (Daniel 8:26), Daniel was again told, “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:4). That was really interesting. Daniel’s role in the Bible. Many thanks for this great article. Never miss a post! His life and prophecies are recorded in the Book of Daniel. When that happens, Daniel goes for option #2 of those listed above: he asks one of the people in his dream to interpret what is happening for him (Da 7:15–16). The Hebrew Scriptures were probably originally canonized into a two-fold division: the Law and the Prophets12. But there’s a lot more to this character than the Sunday school lessons let on! This is the same Cyrus who decrees that the Israelite exiles may return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed (Ezra 1:1–4). Harold Dressler is well qualified to discuss the Dnil of the Ras Shamra texts since he wrote his doctoral dissertation on that very topic.5He outlines four arguments which “have been advanced for denying that the Daniel of Ezekiel xiv and xxviii is to be identified with the Biblical Daniel” (p. 155). All rights reserved. In fact, Daniel has trouble interpreting some of his own dreams. Daniel Bible Story. Find out how the book of Revelation is relevant to our lives today. His Hebrew name, which means "God is my judge," appears many times throughout the Bible. Few Bible characters have the kind of status that Daniel does. Daniel is the last of the major prophets (the others are Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel), and he was a captive of Judah. A noble Jewish youth of Jerusalem, he is taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and serves the king and his successors with loyalty and ability until the time of the Persian conqueror Cyrus, all the while remaining true to the God of Israel. His visions paint a prophetic landscape for Daniel… “Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. In this article, I answer who is the god of forces. At times, God sent an angel to deliver prophetic messages to Daniel, who then copied them down. He’s painting a picture to say that if God chooses to destroy a nation, it gets destroyed—and even three uber-righteous people like Daniel couldn’t save their children. This is a summary of the Biblical account of Daniel's refusal to bow to man and how God used Daniel to save a nation. This is how she describes him: [Daniel] was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Was Jesus in the fiery furnace with Daniel? Therefore, Daniel was at least eighty-two years old when the events of Daniel six happened, so he easily Could have died of the normal processes of old age at this point. How should Christians live in but not be of the world? For hundreds of years, a descendant of David had been on the throne in Jerusalem—well, besides one imposter queen (2 Ki 11:1–3). “And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon”’” (verses 5-7). This is when the whole lions’ den episode takes place. Daniel is a Hebrew name meaning “God is my judge” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “Daniel”). Thanks for bothering to share the results of your study and work – it’s really helpful. Sign up to receive the week's latest articles, blog posts and updates. Moses struck the rock and was banned from Canaan. During this time, Daniel served in prominent positions in the governments of several Babylonian and Medo-Persian rulers, including Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius and Cyrus. When King Nebuchadnezzar threatened to destroy all the wise men if one of them didn’t tell him his dream and interpret it, Daniel and his friends asked for time so he and his three friends could beseech God in prayer to reveal this information (Daniel 2:18). God saw these fruits of Daniel and his three friends and gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom. These lion murals once lined the streets of ancient Babylon, the city where Daniel the prophet spent much of his life. He lived a long life, but the Bible does not tell us how old he was when he died. These three friends’ names were changed by the Babylonians to Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, respectively. To be removed from his homeland and taken to a foreign country probably in his teens must have been traumatic. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version (© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). In fact, Daniel is presented as such a righteous person in Scripture that …wait, you know what? Daniel, from the Hebrew word meaning God is my Judge, is one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, and of the New Testament since much of the prophecy given to him corresponds to that given to the apostle John in the Book of Revelation, and for our time now - Jesus Christ Himself specifically referred to events recorded in The Book of Daniel (Matthew 24:15) that would occur just … Daniel is told that at the time of the end, Michael will arise on behalf of Israel again (12:1). As far as these magicians are concerned, Daniel is a freak of nature. This has caused Bible scholars to posit that Darius was appointed viceroy over Babylon by his nephew, King Cyrus. Later, Daniel again demonstrated his faith by praying to God even though he knew that doing so would endanger his life! He’s characterized by his unwavering faithfulness to the Law of Moses. There is no reference in Scripture to Daniel being married. The end of the 70 years was approaching at that time. Daniel was a young man of Jewish nobility taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar in the third year of Jehoiakim and renamed Belteshazzar. I named my only child Daniel and he has made me more proud than I could have imagined. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Thanks. When someone gets a weird dream like this, there are a few ways they can interpret it: He gains notoriety for understanding dreams in his youth (Da 1:17). The Beginner’s Guide, Nebuchadnezzar, after Daniel interprets his dream (2:48), Belshazzar, after Daniel reads the original “handwriting on the wall” (5:29), Darius the Mede, because Daniel had an “extraordinary spirit” (, Cyrus the Persian, for reasons unknown … but the guy had a great résumé by then (. Though there were restrictions in Israel attached to being a eunuch (Leviticus 21:16-20), Jesus Christ shows that even if they were eunuchs, the attitude shown by people like Daniel and his three friends is the same attitude that will enable us to be part of the Kingdom of God: “For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. There are several dreams in the Bible, and many of them seem to be straightforward instructions from God. ), Daniel came to understand, or simply proved to himself again, the prophecy of Jeremiah that predicted a 70-year captivity of his people (Daniel 9:1-2). It gives "an account of the activities and visions of Daniel, a noble Jew exiled at Babylon ", and its message is that just as the God of Israel saves Daniel from his enemies, so he would save all Israel in their present oppression. This critical end-time Bible prophecy relates to Daniel's people. Who was Daniel in the Bible? Daniel was taken to Babylon as a young man—likely before he had finished puberty. God, through the prophet Ezekiel, stated: “‘Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,’ says the Lord GOD” (Ezekiel 14:14, emphasis added). But other dreams use bizarre symbolism to communicate something to the dreamer. Some have wondered if Daniel was a eunuch because the book of Daniel mentions the young princes from Judah were under the supervision of “Ashpenaz, the master of his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] eunuchs” (Daniel 1:3). Daniel was seperated from his family when he was a child because the Babylonian soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar took the youngs from the elders to teach them new the life and religion of Babylon.Daniel grew up there but always worshipped the True God. You have to be a looker and a thinker to make it in the palace. Well done for this good work. Among them wereDaniel, Chananya,Mishael and Azaryia (from the tribe of Judah1), all extraordinarily gifted young princes,2selected to serve as chamberlains in t… You have summarized the life of Daniel in plain and understandable contemporary language which I appreciate as a Bible Study teacher of men. And those other two sterling examples of righteousness, Noah and Job? In a way, God uses Daniel’s wisdom to show up the gods of Babylon on their own turf—even though his (God’s) own temple has been destroyed by the Babylonians. (Da 2:11). This has always been my favorite book of the old testament. You really ought to dig into Daniel with a Bible study and commentary to learn about this character for yourself, but for starters, here’s 12 biblical facts about Daniel that don’t get a lot of screen time in church. (Da 5:11). But that doesn’t mean Daniel can interpret every dream. Jesus’ only reference to the book of Daniel is to … Logos Bible Software 9 review: Do you REALLY need it? This is very helpfull. Additional accounts of an angel coming to Daniel are found in Daniel 9:20-23 and Daniel 10:5-14. Download the free booklet. Nebuchadnezzar also captures some young men of the royal family with him to serve him in his court (Da 1:3). Daniel’s wisdom makes him a legend in his own time. You can read the whole story in Ezekiel 14:12–23. Beautifully done, thoroughly enjoyed reading through this and using some of this material. The Book of Daniel makes so much more sense if you read the full version, left out of the Protestant Bible for some reason which I cannot comprehend. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (Daniel 6:10). When God answered his prayer, Daniel remembered to praise and thank God for giving them what they had requested (verses 20-23). As was the standard practice ofinvading rulers, Nebuchadnezzar deported theJewish intelligentsia and forced them to relocate to Babylon. And Daniel’s fame isn’t a royal family secret. Who would the Antichrist find worth honoring? I love how you write! The biblical account of Daniel the prophet begins as he and other young men from Judah were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (Daniel 1:1-4) in approximately 604 B.C. I am a sundayschool teacher for toddlers age 3 & 4. Throughout the centuries, God has drawn people to be part of His Kingdom who have faced severe adversity. What happened? Daniel Esterhuizen ( also a Daniel). Daniel’s three Jewish friends who were taken captive with him were Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. When King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him in the second year of his reign, God revealed the meaning of the dream to Daniel in a night vision (Daniel 2:19). 605 BC: Daniel Refuses the King's Portion: Daniel 1: 604 BC: Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar Dream: Daniel 2: 585 BC: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Daniel 3 Moses: The Old Testament’s Greatest Prophet, Who Was King Solomon? Congrats! That's exactly the situation Daniel (of the Old Testament) found himself in. God blessed their effort and after a 10-day test, their appearances were found to be healthy by the steward who had been appointed over their care (Daniel 1:8-15). How Should a Christian Deal With the Coronavirus Pandemic? But that’s not all he takes. Whatever the case, he makes a good choice to pick Daniel. The king doesn’t make it any easier on the magicians and diviners, either—he doesn’t even tell them what the dream was. May the Lord continue to bless you and your work! To Daniel, God also gave understanding in all visions and dreams (Daniel 1:17). Daniel is the hero of the biblical Book of Daniel. We create research-based articles and handy infographics to help people understand the Bible. Bible Verses about Daniel. Expositor’s Bible Commentary notes: “Obviously, pagan theophoric names like these must have been assigned arbitrarily to these four Israelite students without any consultation with them, since the new names contained the names of false gods” (ed. Daniel Removed to Babylon (Genesis 11:1-9) 1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. His faithfulness to God earns him another honorable mention from the prophet Ezekiel. Beloved and chosen by God to foretell future events, Daniel the prophet prophesied as moved by God through visions and dreams about what was going to happen throughout history, including what would happen to Daniel’s people in the “latter days” (Daniel 10:14) and to the whole world. ■Of the 2,930 Bible characters, Daniel is one of the few well- known characters about whom nothing negative is ever written. For the early church, Daniel symbolized the wisdom and virtue of the persecuted believer in the midst of a polytheistic society (one that worships many gods). As a result of God’s blessings upon Daniel and his three friends, the king “found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm” (verse 20). So let’s say he was between 10 and 18 years of age. Daniel’s life serves as an example of godly integrity. He’s a righteous and wise hero of the Old Testament whose decisions save the lives of many. For further study, see our article “What Is the Kingdom of God?”. I heard that ancient Babylonion records actually mention Daniel (by his Babylonion name Belteshezzar). Used by permission. I have also read some of the apocryphal books. Simplied; Precise; Inspirational. In the first year of the reign of Darius (around 539 B.C. The story of Daniel in the lion's den teaches us about the promises and faithfulness of God, even if we feel like everything has been lost. Daniel is placed in a position to oversee the people who relied on other gods to enlighten them. This little horn that Daniel in vision saw “making war against the saints, and prevailing against them” (verse 21) is a religious power that will persecute God’s people at the end of this age (verses 24-25). In fact, when his political opponents tried to get dirt on him, their only option was to make it illegal to obey God (Da 6:4–5). This probably takes place before Daniel has finished adolescence. Michael is a warrior angel who combats opposing forces from Persia and Greece (10:13, 21). Gabriel shows up later to tell Daniel that God has plans to make an end to Israel’s sins (9:21–27). Daniel is made the chief prefect of the wise men in Babylon after interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream (Da 2:48; 4:9, 5:11). This would be demonstrated multiple times in the events told in the book of Daniel. I used my favorite Bible study tool, Logos Bible software, to do research that made this post possible. Hi Jeffrey. If this is true I’d like to see those references. When Nebuchadnezzar’s son sees a terrifying vision, his mother refers him to Daniel. Daniel is captured as a young man in Nebuchadnezzar’s first siege of Jerusalem, and he lives in Babylon right into the reign of Cyrus the Persian. I am beginning a new study tomorrow on the prayer life of Daniel and your excellent background on his life helps the process. *OK, full disclosure, it’s possible that there was an ancient legendary figure named Daniel who has nothing to do with our prophet. This site uses cookies to analyze traffic and ensure you get the best experience. Frank Gaebelein). After graduating with high honors, Daniel and his three friends were … Well done. We know the Babylonians have a temple because that’s where Nebuchadnezzar stashed the treasures of Jerusalem’s temple (Da 1:2). Wait… There Were How Many Herods?! Daniel meets Gabriel during one of Daniel’s troubling visions (it involves a ram, a goat, and a crazy talking horn). In 605 B.C., the dynasty was in its twilight years. Even though Daniel prophesied during the early part of the sixth century B.C., his prophecies were sealed until the end time. Daniel wrote the book of Daniel during the sixth century B.C. Maybe he just wants to show off “pet” Israelite royalty to people who visit his palace. Thank you so much for this article! The book of Daniel plays several roles in the Bible. Daniel (דניאל, meaning God is my judge) was a Jew prophet who lived during the last years of the Kingdom of Judah and of the Babylonian Empire, and during the early years of the Achaemenid Empire. Maybe Nebuchadnezzar assumes Jerusalem’s leaders won’t give him any trouble if their sons are off in Babylon—kind of like high-profile hostages. Bill Swanson was a retired pastor of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association before his death in 2019. “Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon” (Daniel 2:48). As an example of godly integrity from life, however, was become! 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