Media Presentations - McLean Bible Church

Daniel
Week 2
~900 Miles
~500 Miles
Prophetic Time Periods
Prior to Assyrian
Invasion of Israel
Obadiah
Joel
Hosea
Amos
C - Jonah
Isaiah
Micah
722 BC
Prior to
Babylonian Exile
of Judah
Nahum
Zephaniah
Habakkuk
Jeremiah
Lamentations
605..597..586 BC
Babylonian Exile
Ezekiel
Daniel
605-536 BC
Post-Exilic
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
536 - 400 BC
Daniel 1 – How to live…
… to resist the pressure to conform
1. Make up your mind who is number
one in your life (define who you are)
2. Be prepared for temptations
3. Develop creative alternatives
4. Trust God with the results
Regional Power Struggles
911-612 BC: Neo-Assyrian Empire
722: Captured Samaria
715-686: Hezekiah’s reign
626-539: Neo-Babylonian Empire
550-330: Achaemenid (MedoPersian) Empire
Neo-Babylonian Empire
Timeline
Babylonian Kings
626-605
605-562
562-560
560-556
556
556-539
553-539
Nabopolassar
Nebuchadnezzar II
Evil-Merodach
Neriglissar
Labashi-Marduk
Nabonidus
Belshazzar
Nabopolassar (626-605)
Former Assyrian official
Allied with Cyaxares, king of Medes
612: Sacked Nineveh
605: Defeated Assyrians and
Egyptians at Carchemish (Jer 46:2)
Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562)
Son of Nabopolassar
Led army at Carchemish
Married daughter of Cyaxares
601: Attempted invasion of Egypt
597: Captured Jerusalem
(2 K 24:8-17; cf. Isaiah 39)
587: Destroyed Jerusalem (2 K 25)
Ishtar Gate
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Evil-Merodach (562-560)
aka Amel-Marduk
Son of Nebuchadnezzar
Released Jehoiachin from prison
after 37 years (2 Kings 25:27-30;
Jer 52:31-34)
Murdered in plot orchestrated by
brother-in-law
Neriglissar (560-556)
aka Nergal-Sherezar
Son-in-law and high official of
Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 39:13)
Labashi-Marduk (556)
Son of Neriglissar
Murdered after 9 months
Nabonidus (556-539)
553: Left capital for
Arabian oasis of Tayma
Belshazzar (553-539)
Son of Nabonidus
Co-regent
Killed by Cyrus the
Great of Persia
“Darius the Mede” (539-???)
Daniel 5:30-31; 6:28; 9:1; 11:1
Identity is debated by scholars
Another name for Cyrus
Gubaru (Gobryas), general put
in charge of Babylon
Cyaxares II
Not Darius the Great (522-486)
Detailed Timeline
Daniel chapters 2-7
1:1 – 2:4a in Hebrew
2:4b – 7:28 in Aramaic
Aramaic was the international
language of the day
God is King over the Gentiles!
Daniel 2-7 were written in a
chiastic structure
Daniel 2-7 Chiasm
Ch 2 – statue 604/2 BC
Ch 3 – fiery furnace 595/4 BC
Ch 4 – image of the tree 570 BC
Ch 5 – writing on the wall 539 BC
Ch 6 – lion’s den 539/8 BC
Ch 7 – four beasts 553 BC
Daniel 2-7 Chiasm
Ch 2 – statue
Ch 3 – fiery furnace
Gentile kingdoms
Protection of the Jews
Ch 4 – image/tree Pride/downfall of Gentile ruler
Ch 5 – writing/wall Pride/downfall of Gentile ruler
Ch 6 – lion’s den
Ch 7 – four beasts
Protection of the Jews
Gentile kingdoms
Daniel 2:1-18
604 (or 602) BC
Nebuchadnezzar’s troubling
dream
The wise men are called in to:
Tell the king the dream
Tell the king its interpretation
Wise men request time - denied
Daniel 2:1-18
2:11 – “no one else…except gods
whose dwelling is not with man”
Neb is furious decrees all wise
men are to be killed
Daniel and his friends too!
Daniel requests time - granted
Daniel 2:1-18
King Nebuchadnezzar
Urgency and Anger
Daniel
Discretion and Discernment
Daniel gathers his friends and
prays to God
Prayers for compassion
Daniel 2:19-30
The mystery is revealed to Daniel
Daniel praises God for answering
the specific prayer
Daniel gives the glory to God
when before the king
Twice – 2:28, 30
Daniel 2:31-35
The king’s dream revealed
The statue
Head of gold
Arms and chest of silver
Belly and thighs of bronze
Legs of iron
Feet of iron and clay
Daniel 2:31-35
The stone was cut out without
hands
The stone stone struck and
crushed the statue
The stone became a great
mountain and filled the whole
earth
Daniel 2:36-45
The interpretation
Gold – Babylon (626-539 BC)
Silver – Medo-Persia (539-330 BC)
Bronze – Greece (330-63 BC)
Iron – Rome (63 BC-476 AD)
Feet/toes of iron and clay –
a divided kingdom
Daniel 2:36-45
The Divine Kingdom
God will set it up in those days
It will never be destroyed
It will put an end to all other
nations
It will endure forever
The stone – two main views
Amillennialist - The stone was
Christ at His first advent, Rome
fell, the Church is the mountain
Premillennialist view - The stone is
Christ at His second advent,
nations crushed, Christ’s kingdom
on earth is the mountain
Daniel 2:36-45
Nebuchadnezzar gives homage to
Daniel
Daniel’s God is the God of gods!
Revealer of mysteries
Daniel is promoted
Chief over the wise men
Daniel remembers his friends
Daniel 2 – How to live…
… honoring God and man
1. Know that God is great, wise and is
in total control of events on earth
2. Know your gifts and use them
3. Give God all the glory
4. Trust God with the results