19. The Twelve Chapters of Daniel

Time:  605 BC - 536 BC
Place:  Babylon
Scripture: Daniel - 12 Chapters


As we study the book of Daniel, you will discover that the Book of Daniel is not written in chronological order.  The structure of the book is not designed to read from the chronological order of events taking place.

Daniel was writing to the people in his time so the people knew the times of events taking place so it is easy for them to absorb the content in the book of Daniel by jumping back and forth as Daniel related different events to them.

Daniel's book also has a prophetic element to our times.  So, for us later people who desire to understand the spiritual significance of the historical events taking place "in context", we need to work out the 'chronological order' of the Book of Daniel.   Only in this way will we be able to draw out spiritual principles taking place in their times so as to apply to our times.

The chronological order  in the Book of Daniel:

605 BC - Chapter 1
603 BC - Chapter 2
580 BC - Chapter 3
570 BC - Chapter 4
553 BC - Chapter 7
551 BC - Chapter 8
539 BC - Chapter 5
539 BC - Chapter 9
538 BC - Chapter 6
536 BC - Chapter 10, 11, 12


We will proceed our study in the above chronological order.
Today, we will begin with Daniel Chapter 1. :)


Take out your Timeline Graph and put in "1" for Daniel Chapter 1.

Read Daniel Chapter 1 in your devotion today! :)


:)

18. The 70 Years

Let's continue with our panoramic view of how God acts out His salvation plan in His time.

Daniel 9:2 "I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, 70 years.

Jeremiah prophesied that Judah's captivity in Babylon would last 70 years.

Jeremiah 29 contains the transcript of a letter which Jeremiah wrote to the captives in Babylon.  This letter was written possibly after the second captivity in 597 BC . It is probably from this letter that Daniel learned of the 70 year prophecy.

Jeremiah 29:10 

This is what Yahweh says: "When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place."

Many people have wondered just exactly how those 70 years were to be counted.

There are many ways to count that "70 years".  For our present study, one of the "70 years" is to count from the time of the 1st Babylonian Exile 605 BC to 536 BC, Cyrus decree to return to Jerusalem. God worked in Cyrus' heart to fulfill His covenant promise to His people.  God is faithful to His covenant.  The question is whether God's people are faithful?  Will God's people respond to Yahweh God?  Will Yahweh's people respond faithfully to God?  Will they obey & return to Jerusalem?

Homework:

Take out your Timeline Graph and put in "70 years".

17. Cyrus Decree - 536 BC

The Babylonian captivity ended in 536 BC when King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree that the exiles from Jerusalem could return to their city.  



2 Chronicles 36:22-23

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:  “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may Yahweh his God be with him. Let him go up.’”

Ezra 1:1-4

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:  “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.  Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of Yahweh, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem.  And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

Cyrus The Great, on this cylinder, describes how he conquers the old city of Babylon and how his mighty army in peace marched into the city. 

There were three main premises in the decrees of the Cyrus Cylinder: 

• the political formalization of racial, linguistic, and religious equality, slaves 
• all deported peoples were to be allowed to return to home
• all destroyed temples were to be restored. 

Later on in my articles, I will develop more on the spiritual significance of this event that was prophesied long ago in the book of Isaiah.   Yahweh God had told Isaiah about Cyrus.   157 years later, Cyrus came on the scene to rule and issued this decree as Yahweh God had already revealed to Isaiah.  Even before Cyrus was born, his name was already recorded in God's book of prophecy. God reveals many spiritual truths of great importance in the Bible. Read your Bible carefully with spiritual eyes.

Suffice for today that you keep this important date in your heart. :)


Homework:

Take out your Timeline Graph and Enter "536 - Return to Jerusalem - Cyrus Decree "

:)

16. The Three Prophets - Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel

When we study Daniel, bear in mind the other 2 prophets: Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Take a look at the following "Highlighted Pink Box" below so that you can look at the significance of these 3 dates in the lives of the 3 prophets:

These 3 prophets lived in the same time period and they all experienced God's final judgment on Judah with the destruction of Jerusalem.

605 BC 1st Exile - Daniel 1:1-7
597 BC 2nd Exile - 2 Kings 24:10-11, 13; 2 Kings 24:14,16
586 BC 3rd Exile - 2 Chronicles 36:17-21

As you can see from the above graph:

• Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel were prophets living in 'extraordinary times'.
• Ezekiel (25 years ) and Daniel (15 years ) had the privilege of sitting under Jeremiah's prophetic ministry in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah:

• Jeremiah started his ministry quite young and prophesied for 40+ years.

• For 40+ years, he continuously warned the Israelites to repent and not to trust in deceptive words saying "this is the Temple of Yahweh, this is the Temple of Yahweh, this is the Temple of Yahweh." (Jeremiah 7:4)

• He pleaded the Israelites to repent from their rampant idolatry for God's judgment is at hand.

• Jeremiah kept close in touch with the far away exiles in Babylon.  He wrote a letter to the exiles in Jeremiah 29.

•  The Israelites did not heed the warning.  Finally at the end of Jeremiah's ministry when he was about 60,  the words of  Yahweh came true as Jeremiah prophesied:  the temple of Yahweh was finally destroyed in Jerusalem.

Ezekiel:

• Ezekiel was 25 when he arrived Babylon.  11 years later, Jerusalem was finally destroyed.

• When Ezekiel began his ministry in Babylon, he was 30 (Ezekiel 1:1) at 593 BC.  He was a priest (Ezekiel 1:3) and  would be very familiar with the temple layout as priests would normally begin to minister in the Temple at 30.  

• Ezekiel knew about the warning of the destruction of the Temple from Jeremiah's preaching.

• You need to be aware that much of Ezekiel's prophecy is related to the leading up to the Temple destruction.

• The false prophets in Jerusalem gave false hopes to the Israelites, so much so that the exiles believed the "false hope" that everything would be fine and that their exile would be short and soon to return back to Jerusalem.  But that was not so.

• Ezekiel spent a great time of his ministry correcting "false hope" warning the Israelites that the temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed.  

• With this knowledge, this will help you to understand the Book of Ezekiel better.

• Ezekiel was dealing with a hardened and rebellious people who were disillusioned, cynical, bitter and angry at Yahweh God.

• Therefore, Ezekiel used prophetic oracles, symbolic actions, allegories, visions and historical accounts to proclaim Yahweh's message to the Israelites to shock and awaken them of their false hopes and spiritual numbness. Isn't this so true of today's spiritual climate we are in?

• After the destruction of the Temple, Ezekiel continued to prophesy in Babylon to give hope that the temple will be rebuilt and a remnant of God's people would return to Jerusalem.  We see this promise coming true at the end of the Book of Daniel.

Daniel:

• Daniel was the first group exiled to Babylon.  He lived through all 3 groups of exiles arriving Babylon.  This is the first time the Israelites lived in a Gentile pagan world.

• There was a span of 19 years from the 1st exile to the 3rd exile.

• Daniel was already in his mid 30 when Jerusalem was destroyed.

• Look at how his peer, Ezekiel, describe Daniel in Ezekiel 14:14, 20.  Daniel is put in the same class with  Noah and Job for their "righteousness".  In the eyes of Ezekiel, Daniel was a man of holiness, purity and righteousness.

• Though Daniel was exiled to Babylon in his teens and had not seen Jeremiah for years, he held very close to his heart Jeremiah's words.  Daniel 9:22, "I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that according to the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah the prophet..."  Daniel often read the writings of Jeremiah and recognized Jeremiah's words are inspired by God, long before the book of  Jeremiah would become part of the Hebrew canon.

• Daniel lived in a turbulent world politically with the transition to the dominant Babylonian Empire and the Persian Empire.  Daniel directed the heathen kings to recognize the one God of heaven who reigns above all. What a testimony!  The kings listened to Daniel.

:)

15. The Three Dates of the Exiles

Time:  622 - 586 BC
Place: Jerusalem & Babylon
People:  Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel

When we study Daniel, we need to be aware of the 3 prophets that Yahweh God raised up to shepherd His people during this tumultuous time.

They all experienced the three dates of the Babylonian captivity when Israelites were driven out of their land to Babylon:

605 BC 1st Exile - Daniel 1:1-7

Daniel and other members of Judah's elite were taken into captivity.

597 BC 2nd Exile - 2 Kings 24:10-11, 13; 2 Kings 24:14,16; 2 Chron 36:9,10

Ezekiel along with 10,000 men of valor were taken into captivity.  King Jehoiachin along with other members of the royal family were taken to Babylon.

586 BC 3rd Exile - 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36:17-21

After a siege of lasting approximately one and a half years, Jerusalem was conquered and destroyed. Most of the people were taken into captivity along with articles from the temple. Jeremiah and  the poorest people remained.

Take out your Timeline Graph and fill in Ezekiel and Daniel's age when Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC.  While we know Ezekiel's age, Daniel's age is an approximate estimation.

Ezekiel's age: 36
Daniel's age:  34

Please Take Note:  This is the first time in history when Israel as a nation was driven to a Gentile world.


:)

14. Jeremiah weeping for Jerusalem - 586 BC

Date:  586 BC
Place:  Jerusalem
People:  Jeremiah


It was a sad day when the Temple of Yahweh was burned.  The Israelites did not heed Jeremiah's warning.

Jeremiah 52:12-14

In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.  And he burned the house of Yahweh, and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.  And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 

Jeremiah 52:17-14

And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of Yahweh, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon.  And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service;  also the small bowls and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and the lampstands and the dishes for incense and the bowls for drink offerings. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver.  As for the two pillars, the one sea, the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea,  and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of Yahweh, the bronze of all these things was beyond weight. As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, its circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow.  On it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was five cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates.  There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.

Jeremiah looked at the ruins ... cried and lamented for the desolation of Jerusalem.

It was just as Jeremiah had prophesied "Thus says Yahweh.....I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,    a lair of jackals, and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,     without inhabitant."  (Jeremiah 9:11)

• Jerusalem finally fell!  
• David's house was cut off.  
• The temple was razed to the ground
• The nation of Israel was exiled from the Promised Land.
• There was no one to rescue them.

"Yahweh gave full vent to his wrath; he poured out his hot anger and he kindled a fire in Zion that consumed its foundations.  The kings of the earth did not believe,  nor any of the inhabitants of the world, that foe or enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem."  (Lamentations 4:11-12)

This also raised a lot of questions in the minds of the Israelites about Yahweh God (Jeremiah 7:1-15), thus Ezekiel's prophetic messages.  

• Had Yahweh God finally been conquered by a pagan nation more powerful?  
• Could it be that Marduk, the god of the Babylonians had prevailed?  
• In the puny mind of many, "what use is a God who cannot even protect His own land or keep His own Temple from falling?"  
• So therefore the struggling question: "Could it be that God was unfaithful to His promises and abandoned or betrayed His people?"  

This will whet your appetite to dig into the Book of Ezekiel.

 

Jeremiah was already an old man by this time at the destruction of Jerusalem - around 60 years old.  His ministry was coming to an end while Ezekiel takes over to proclaim Yahweh's words in Babylon, "Thus says Yahweh...."

Homework:

Take out your Timeline Graph and fill in the approximate age of Jeremiah at the time of Temple destruction: 

- Enter his age "60".

We must realize that Yahweh God is a cosmic sovereign God of all creation (Ezra 1).  Yahweh God was not Israel's puppet and no need to be held captive in Israel's box.  As we see in Daniel, Yahweh God is the King who is in control of all things including the judgment on Judah.  Our God is not limited to the land or to the 'Temple' made with hands, which the nation of Israel would never have learned without going into exile.  Yahweh God continued continued to be on His throne even in Babylon.

When His people disobey Him, even today in our churches, God's judgment will come upon His churches first.  Do not believe in deceptive words, "This is our church ... This is our church ... This is our church ..."  History warns the danger of apostasy.

:)

13. The prophet Jeremiah in Jerusalem

Time:  622 - 536 BC
Place:  Jerusalem
Event:  Preaching of Jeremiah

When Jeremiah preached in Jerusalem, his main message was to call the Israelites to repent from their idolatry and sins.  As young boys, Daniel and Ezekiel would have had many opportunities to listen to his sermon messages.

Jeremiah 7:3-7

Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel:  Amend your way and your deeds and I will let you dwell in this place.

He goes on to plead the people who are entering the temple that they should "not trust in deceptive words saying, "This is the Temple of Yahweh, the temple of  Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh."

For if the Israelites truly amend their ways and deeds and turn away from walking after other gods and return to Yahweh true God, then Yahweh God will let them dwell in Jerusalem, the land that Yahweh God gave to their fathers.

For more than 40 years, Jeremiah warned the nation of Israel to repent so that they could continue to dwell in the land of Judah.

Did the Israelites believe in Yahweh's words?

We shall find out in tomorrow's article.


Homework:

Take out your Timeline graph and let's fill in the first orange block - "Jeremiah".

Now you can see these 3 prophets living parallel to one another in their times.

:)