These verses provide, in chronological order, events that would transpire from Daniel’s day clear to the end of time which is when the second coming of Jesus Christ occurs. See: 2 Peter 1:21, Deut. 18:20-22.
As you will see, God repeats and enlarges as you go through Daniel. More and more details are given in following chapters. Daniel then unlocks Revelation which provides even more detail regarding things related to the closing out of earth as we know it, the millennium in heaven, the destruction of the unrighteous, and the heaven and earth made new.
Do a cursory reading of Daniel 2:36-45. Consider this question: What does this experience mean to believers and non-believers today?
I Tell You Beforehand
Just imagine you are meeting me for the first time. I tell you my name is Kelly Frances and that I want you to trust me with your future…with all that you have. Most likely, you would look at me and say: you are crazy, I don’t even know you, and why are you talking to me? And I respond back with: No, I’m not crazy, please listen and trust everything I am going to say from now on. You tell me that I am nuts and start to walk away.
I say to you, please hold on for just one moment, because I am going to tell you 50 things that are going to happen to you over the next two weeks. Now you are looking at me and thinking this person truly has lost their mind, but for some reason you let me share with you those 50 things. I list 50 things that are going to happen to you over the next two weeks and I give very specific details like: You are going to see a black dog and it is going to bark at you five times, after the black dog barks it will begin to rain which will last for two minutes, then you are going to see five white SUV’s drive past you. And I continue to list those things that are going to happen with the fiftieth thing being the most outlandish thing ever.
When I am finished, you walk away thinking this was a bizarre encounter. As you walk away, you see a black dog and it barks five times, you begin to think this person just set this up and she knows that this dog barks. Then, it begins to rain and in two minutes the rain stops. Each thing happens in succession, about half way through the list of things mentioned; you begin to think this person may be on to something.
At this point, would you think that 100% of the rest of those things mention was going to happen? Most likely, but some may say I want to see ten more things first. Let’s say that it took 49 of the 50 things for you to be convinced, you would pretty much think as outlandish as the last thing seem…you are convinced that it will happen.
This is how God works to build our confidence and trust in him. As a believer, we walk with God as he reveals his word to us; but what about the non-believer, the skeptic, the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.?
I’m Good
The skeptic will say that “I am good”, so why should I believe in Christianity or your religion. The Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, etc. may very well say the same thing. Even among believers, there are many denominations, so why should one choose yours over someone else’s?
Someone might even say, Jesus changed my life. Well, one could say that Malcolm X’s life was change so why not follow Allah. We can point to people from every different persuasion whose lives were changed, and we are not saying that is a bad thing. We are just saying if one uses a change in their life as evidence for someone else to believe in their God, most people will dismiss it.
So, the only thing for a strong headed and/or a hard-hearted person is prophecy; because prophecy is the best opportunity for one to be converted. Nebuchadnezzar, a great skeptic, is a significant example of this.
God Uses Prophecy for Our Good
God is using the 50 things scenario, with prophecy. This is what we see God doing in Daniel 2. This chapter ends with some very outlandish prophecies. God says that this stone that is cut out without hands represents the second coming of Jesus Christ. This God-man is coming from outer space and he is going to gather his people and destroy this world. That is a big lump of information to swallow, so God gives great detail of events so when you get to the last outlandish, seemingly impossible thing, it will not be difficult for you to believe. God declares things before they happen, and brings them to pass because we are hard-hearted or hard to convinced. Prophecy is His method to get our attention and build credibility…He tells us, then shows us. See: Isaiah 48:3-4, John 14:29.
Satan Attacks Prophecy
We must not forget that Satan attacks prophecy, because he understands the power it holds. He uses skepticism as a way to diminish or devalue the message of God to broken humanity.
There are those that say the Book of Daniel was written in the first century BC, not in 600BC. They argue that this is the case simply because the characters and events represented as belonging to the sixth century are vague and the details allegedly erroneous, while descriptions around the first century fit much better.
Recent linguistical studies have demonstrated that the Hebrew in Daniel predates the Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls composed during the second century BC. The Aramaic in Daniel, when compared to official Imperial documents from the sixth century BC onwards, is the Imperial Aramaic that was used from 600-330BC, not the Aramaic of the second century.
There is also archaeological evidence that would suggest the book of Daniel accurately describes the world of the exiles in Babylon during the sixth century BC. Here are the top ten archaeological discoveries related to the book of Daniel:
- Nebuchadnezzar Stele
- Nebo-Sarsekim Tablet
- Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace
- The Esagila (Temple of Marduk)
- The Ishtar Gate and Processional Way
- Babylonian Chronicle 5
- Nabonidus Cylinders
- Nabonidus Chronicle
- The Cyrus Cylinder
- Dead Sea Scroll Fragments of Daniel
Jesus warned us to be careful not to be deceived (Matt. 24:4). Test all things with the Bible which is the standard. Be like those in Berea, “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. Acts 17:11-13
The book of Daniel accurately describes the Babylonian kingdom in the sixth century BC. The writer clearly had a grasp of Babylonian history unknown to later writers. Many of the cultural and chronological details would have been unknown to a pseudonymous author living over 400 years later. These ten discoveries, among others, testify to the authenticity and historicity of the book of Daniel.
Another way that Satan attacks it by mixing a whole lot of error with a little bit of truth. The Garden of Eden was a good example of that, the temptation of Christ was another, as well as when the spirit of Samuel speaking to Saul at En Dor…just to name a few. Satan twists every one of God’s truths, and we will talk about his greatest deception that will come upon the human race in the end time. Stay tuned…you don’t want to miss this.
For further study see:
https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2022/08/18/top-ten-discoveries-related-to-the-book-of-daniel/
https://adventistreview.org/magazine-article/2108-48/
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2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AND 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”