Prophecy in the Book of Daniel

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I. INTRODUCTION

Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks refers to an end time vision that God had given him through his servant; angel Gabriel. This vision came to him as he was praying after perceiving that the time period that had been prophesied by Prophet Jeremiah concerning their seventy year captivity period had already passed. This vision came to him as an answer to his prayer since after realizing that the time period had passed, he went ahead and started repenting for the sins of his people so that God may have mercy upon them and forgive them their sins, and if possible allow them to go back to their country.

Synopsis

Daniel was brought into Babylon during the reigns of king Jehoiakim when the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, and carried them away as captives. They were taken captive together with Mishael, Azariah, and Hananiah all of them being descendants from the royal lineage. He was given the name Belteshazzar by Nebuchadnezzar the then most powerful king in the world after being selected together with his three companions to be trained for service in the king’s palace. It is in this king’s training school that he together with his three companions distinguished themselves with excellent ability and wisdom concerning all knowledge. Daniels fame as a seer and an interpreter of dreams rose when he interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams as well as the mysterious handwriting on the wall during the reign of Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s son.

Daniel’s ability to interpret dreams through the power of God made him rise in ranks and become second only to the king in the Babylonian kingdom, a position which exposed him to some many enemies due to his Jewish culture of praying everyday th...

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... due. His visions outline events from the rebuilding of the temple to the time of the ministry of Jesus Christ, to the time the temple was destroyed again. This vision also contains the unfulfilled portion, specifically the last seven weeks, which talks about the reign of the antichrist on earth.

Works Cited

Albertz, Rainer. Israel in Exile: The History and Literature of the Sixth Century B.C.E. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2003.

LaHaye, Tim, and Edward E. Hindson. The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy: Over 140 Topics from the World’s Foremost Prophecy Experts. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2004.

Miller, Stephen R. Daniel Vol. 18. Oxford: B & H Publishing Group, 1994.

Obrien, David and Leon J. Wood. A Survey of Israel’s History. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.

Quidera, Tasso. From Here to Eternity. Fairfax: Xulon press, 2005.

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