NUMEROUS biblical prophecies that have already been fulfilled represent the living proof of their heavenly origin and divine accuracy. They are a firm confirmation that one should have a total and unreserved trust in them.

The Prophesy of Daniel should be studied with the greatest consideration and regard, being one of the most important. It deserves special attention, furthermore, because of the fact that there are many undeniable parallels in the book of Daniel with   the book of St John the Divine, who wrote it six hundred years after Daniel. These two books are offering us the wealth of fore knowledge through the divine predictions of near future as well as the very end of life on this planet as we know it.
Daniel’s writings had a great impact on many of the world’s greatest minds, throughout the centuries. Amongst them is Hippolytus the Roman, who wrote a considerable commentary on the work of Daniel.

In the Middle Ages Richard the Lionhearted made a special request to be closely acquainted with this book while fighting in the Holly Wars.  Christopher Columbus was studying it during his long days at the sea. Martin Luther made a special contribution by translating the Bible into German, and choosing to put the book of Daniel ahead of all other prophetic scriptures. Sir Isaac Newton dedicated forty-two years of his life to detailed studies of the visions revealed in this book. He commented that the ones rejected Daniel’s prophesies are rejecting the Christian faith, since that very faith was clarified in this very scripture.

The book of Daniel is definitely the most disputed book of all the books in the Bible. While the God fearing people were abiding by it’s every word, the people that had no faith in god were attacking it most ferociously, for a simple reason that it was disputing their ideology very clearly.

Let us remind ourselves that Porphyrius the Pagan the lived in the last part of 300AD, and the beginning of 400AD, wrote all together fifteen books attacking Christianity, dedicating twelve of them to criticism of Daniel.
 
 
 

 THE VALUE OF DANIEL’S PROPHECY IS UNQUESTIONABLE
 

It is very important to mention that the Book of Daniel was already translated into many languages including Greek from the original language of ancient Hebrew and the language of the Chaldeans, by the time of Alexander the Great.

The Book of Daniel is also included in the Jewish canon, which by itself confirms its spiritual, political, and historical importance.  However, it belongs in the third and the last part of the canon, which contains biographies, rather than the second part, that is concerned with the prophetic writings. That points out at its multilevel importance. The thoughts expressed there were not only prophetic, and abstract, but also concerning some other much broader aspects of human life.

However, its particular placement could also mean that Daniel’s visions and prophecies could have for some reason been upsetting, or did not exactly suit the priests or the current rulers, so they simply placed it there to undermine it.

 There is, however another explanation in the Jewish canon. The Jews actually divide their scriptures into three basic groups:

The First Group consist of the Books of Laws, which represent the foundation of the revelation.

The Second Group encapsulates the scriptures of the people that served as conventional prophets.

The Third Group includes the writings of people, that were prophesising and foretelling, however, the current establishment did not employ them. Since Daniel was not one of the conventional or so to say employed prophets, it is understandable that his writings were included in the third group.

Nevertheless, The book of Daniel gradually gained more and more respect within the Jewish canon. It was probably its literary value at the beginning, but as the time went by the prophetic elements started to gain further and much greater importance.

The accuracy and Divine inspiration of Daniel’s scriptures, were further confirmed by Jesus Christ himself: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, stand in the holy place, who read it let him understand”(Mathew, 24:15)

The question is, why did this book maintain such a powerful grip over those who read it whether they believed in God or were atheistic.

The answer is not really in human spirituality. These scriptures actually contain some very important political and strategic insights. The writings acquaint one with empires that were created and devastated throughout the millenniums, as well as the realms that are to come in the future, until the end of time.

Therefore, this Prophecy reveals and foretells of the creation and destruction of the greatest worlds empires, as well as the destinies is the greatest leaders and heads of states.
This prophecy provides the gift of Divine illumination, which gives a clear view of the historical events, as well as the future.

WHEN DID DANIEL’S PROPHECY BEGIN?

In the 612 B.C., the Babylonian King Nabopolassar (605-562 B.C.), whilst conquering his neighbours, levelled at the time the very famous city of Nineveh.  That marked the Assyrian superpower.  Nabopolassar’s son, Nabuchodonosor II, also commonly referred to as Nebuchadnezzar, conquered the armies of the Egyptian pharaoh in the battle of the river Euphrates, and therefore proved himself a ruthless warrior and unstoppable conqueror.  After his victory over the Egyptians, Nabuchodonosor II easily went on to conquer Judah under King Johoiakim, pillage Jerusalem, and take many Judeans into captivity in Babylon.  At the time, Nabuchodonosor II was a young and powerful man, witty and intelligent, but also an evil despot.  He mercilessly removed anyone who in any way threatened his power.

How long could the Babylonian Empire sustain its power?
How long could Nabuchodonosor II rule and do what he pleased?
How long could the cunning and devious Nabuchodonosor II avoid the pitfalls of such a wicked rule?

Nabuchodonosor II was aware that many rulers that ruled in a similar manner were overthrown.  These issues were constantly plaguing his soul.  He was afraid that the hand of destiny would interfere with his own reign.  Obsessed with the possibility of losing his own power, Nabuchodonosor II was unable to ever sleep peacefully.  Biblical reports chronicle that during the second year of his independent reign (for the first two years of his reign he shared the throne with his father) something very significant occurred.

While he was partying with his courtiers one night, Nabuchodonosor II drank much more than was his usual habit, and at dawn he lay down to sleep.  As Nabuchodonosor II slept, he had an extraordinary dream.  This dream must have greatly disturbed him as he immediately awoke.  However, by God’s providence, he also immediately forgot the dream.

Nabuchodonosor II could not remember the dream at all; all he could recall was that the dream was very frightening and important.  Determined to find the meaning of his dream, Nabuchodonosor II, a pagan, searched for help among the only sources familiar to him.  The highest religious and scientific elite were immediately summoned before the king.  One should keep in mind that at this time, Babylon was the greatest world power, not only militarily but also intellectually.  Conquering and enslaving their neighbours, the Babylonians were very similar to present-day superpowers in that they brought the conquered nations’ brightest minds, astrologers, architects, literary scholars, painters, musicians, and other cultural elites to work for them.  Therefore Nabuchodonosor II had a grand assortment of top intellectuals and of course distinguished magicians at his disposal.  In this occasion he had a gathering of these wide people at his court.  This time, all of his advisors had only one task: they had to discover the meaning of the king’s dream.  This created a great problem as the king could not tell those asked to advise him what his dream was.  Nabuchodonosor II simply could not forgive this incompetence.  Immediately he ordered that all of the wise men and magicians asked to interpret his dream should be put to death without exception.  The people responsible for the selection of magicians and wise men did not choose to invite Daniel.  They did not invite Daniel because, although he was a court advisor, he was not an official wise man or magician.  However the real reason Daniela was not invited to advise the king was because those people responsible for inviting the advisors were jealous of Daniel.  The king’s advisors used every occasion to undermine Daniel because he was intellectually and spiritually superior to them.  Contrary to all logic, the king’s advisors did include Daniel in the list of people to be put to death.
 
 

WHO WAS DANIEL?

 In the ancient Hebrew language, the name Daniel means ‘God is my judge’.  Daniel belonged to a respected Jerusalem family, most likely of royal or aristocratic descent.  He was born about 620 B.C. and died when he as 94 years of age.  Daniel was taken into Babylonian slavery as a young man in or around 605 B.C.  Babylonian rulers had a custom of classifying the young slaves they took by intellectual merit, and sent the most talented ones on to further education.  Judging by this practice, one would think that the ancient Babylonians were very democratic, but this is only a superficial analysis.  The Babylonians educated the slaves and used their talents and abilities, but more precisely, they abused the capabilities of the slaves they took.  In fact, these young intellectual slaves helped their conquering nation to secure Babylonian rule in the conquered nations.  Unfortunately none of these above average and intellectually gifted young people, who were not Babylonian by birth, were allowed to marry or have children.  The Babylonians castrated these intellectuals immediately after their capture.

For ‘understandable’ reasons Babylonians did not allow these foreigners to produce another generation of superior ‘foreigners’.  Daniel also met with unfortunate fate.  Immediately after being taken into captivity, Daniel was tested and showed that he had the highest intellectual and other capabilities and was therefore castrated.  After this, he was taken to the royal court in order to be taught the language of the Chaldeans and to undergo further education.  Thanks to his God-given wisdom, Daniel gained the full rights of the courtier class even before he completed his education.

At that time, by God’s providence, the Lord was going to make known to the world His will and design through Daniel.  God wanted to say what worldly kingdoms actually were to Him and how meaningless and weak they really were, these very kingdoms whose sovereigns thought were they were omnipotent and beyond destruction.  The Lord wanted to make known, through Daniel, the destiny of these worldly kingdoms and their rulers and that these rulers did not comprehend their human weakness and powerlessness while they were handing out justice and judgment to the whole world.  These powerful rulers were supposed to understand that humankind was not meant to judge, this was the sole domain of God, and that all people were equal – the king and his subject were both created in the image of God.
 
 

DANIEL DIMINISHES THE TYRANNICAL KING’S WRATH

 When Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, which was in charge of executing the wise men and magicians, told Daniel what the king’s order was about, Daniel demanded an audience with the king.  The king decided to see Daniel as he held Daniel in great esteem.  But why?  It was not only because of Daniel’s wisdom and goodness.  It may have been because Daniel’s God fearing life appealed to this curious and unpredictable king from time to time.  In addition, the king may have been influenced by the fact that Daniel was referred to as ‘the man without fault’ by the courtiers.

 On this occasion, the wise and God-inspired Daniel succeeded in gaining the goodwill of the king.  He appeased the king’s wrath to a certain extend and succeeded in postponing the king’s cruel and bloody order.  Daniel asked the angry and worried king to give him some time and he would be able to tell the king what his dream meant.  Surprised, the king accepted with disbelief.  After all, Daniel’s offer was all that was left to the king as he could not get any answers from the Babylonian wise men.  The king already caught his wise men and magicians in a lie while they tried to contact their gods and other unworldly powers.  The king knew beyond doubt that these men had no further knowledge than their own imaginations.

 Daniel then went back home and told his God fearing friends Ananias, Misael, and Azarias (who were given the Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego respectively) about the events at court.  The four friends began to pray for God’s help in solving the mystery of the king’s dream.  They asked for God’s help and protection in order that they would not die with the rest of the Babylonian wise men.  Daniel knew that his life hung by a thread and was completely in the hands of the merciless king and that the executioner could end his life at any moment.  For a long time Daniel fervently prayed to his heavenly Father as he was certain that his sincere prayer was the key to salvation.

 After that, God answered the prayers of his faithful servants.  The secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision while he was sleeping.  The Lord that “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” (Daniel 2:21, KJV), revealed the king’s dream.

 After a while, the answer of the Supreme Judge came just in time.  The Heavenly Father was not late.  The Bible does not record whether or not the night revelation came to Daniel during his prayers or in a dream, but it definitely came from God.  The vision accurately and clearly said everything the king demanded, and even exceeded it.
 
 

DANIEL REVEALS THE KING’S DREAM

 “Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; ‘Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.’” (Daniel 2:24, KJV)  Therefore the first step Daniel undertook was to save the very wise men and magicians who wanted Daniel’s death.  What was the reason for this?  The reason was Daniel had the Lord in his soul.  His heart was not ruled by human passions and the desire for revenge, but rather his heart was ruled by God’s mercy.

 Arioch took Daniel (whom the Babylonians called Baltassar, also spelt Belteshazzar, and in the Chaldean language meant ‘Bel protect his life’) before King Nabuchodonosor II and said that he had found a man who could reveal the secrets that had been worrying the king.  The king, with great suspicion, asked Daniel if he could tell him what the dream was and what it meant.  The Bible reports on the ensuing events:

Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days.  Thy dream and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.  But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.
Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image.  This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form was terrible.  This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his legs or iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.  Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.  Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
This is dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.  Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.  And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and made thee ruler over them all.  Thou art this head of gold.  And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.  And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.  And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.  And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.  And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.  And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall com to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.  (Daniel 2:27 – 45, KJV)
 
 

THE KING IS GRAVELY WORRIED

 After Daniel reminded the king of his dream, and told him precisely what the king had dreamt, the surprised king became gravely worried.  The king had no doubt in Daniel’s words.  In his dream, King Nabuchodonosor II stood in front of an idol like statue that looked powerful and great.  The king admired the statue and had left a great impression upon him.  However, even though powerful and frightening, the statue, just like all the world’s governments and rulers it represented, was standing on weak feet.  This very weakness worried the king, because he saw himself in the statue; he thought himself to be strong, powerful, and resolute.  He thought his kingdom would never collapse and that generations of his lineage would rule forever.

 The stone that suddenly destroyed the statue frightened the king to death, and after that sight the king awoke.  This piece of information, in a sense, confirms the old saying that ‘rulers could not sleep peacefully since the beginning of time’.  Rulers have always been afraid for their throne because the throne has a mystical power . . . .  Especially King Nabuchodonosor II since he regarded himself as the king who should have ruled the whole world.  That is why he secretly feared the powerful attack of the stone that destroyed the statue.

 “Who could be so powerful so as to destroy a colossal statue and then fill the world with himself?” the king asked himself with despair.  In a very brief and succinct manner, Daniel explained the history of the world in its full reality, from the glory and the power of all worldly empires starting with the Babylonian empire to the very last one, including the collapse of all worldly kingdoms and their power, until the establishment of God’s rule on earth.