Key word: Sovereignty
The book of Daniel is a fascinating Old Testament book, and one of the best-known books in the Bible. It is known on the one hand because its marvelous stories of God’s protection and providence, which has thrilled children and adults alike for generations. Who hasn’t heard of Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego’s rescue from the fiery furnace (3:1-18), Daniel’s rescue from the Lion’s Den (6:1-28) and the hand writing on the wall informing Belshazzar that, well, the hand writing was on the wall for him, and doom was approaching. In all of these accounts, and some lesser known ones, we witness the sovereign work of God.
But Daniel is also known for its prophecies: Nebuchadnezzar’s fate (4:1- 37), the coming of four great kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome (2:1-43), and ultimately God’s kingdom (2:44-45) (see also chapters 7-8). Then there are the great end-time prophecies of chapter 9-12. The most celebrated and studied of these prophecies is Daniel’s 70 weeks (9:24-27), which provides the accurate time-table for the coming and death of Christ, as well as the outline of the Tribulation period and the reign of the Antichrist. Even the clearest teaching in all of the Old Testament on the resurrection from the dead is here (12:1-12). This is an incredible book.
But in all of its diversity one thread runs through it all – the sovereign hand of God. Whether the Lord is rescuing His people, humbling monarchs, or prophesying the future, we find Him totally in control of all things. Nothing happens apart from His providence and will.
Key verse: Daniel 4:17b – “The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind.”
