The Book of Daniel and Prophecy
Part 2, World History told in advance.
In Daniel part 1 we covered evidence for the dating of the book of Daniel. Daniel was written in the 6th century BC. The reign of
Nebuchadnezar whom Daniel served under in the first part of the book of Daniel was approximately 561 B.C - 605 B.C.
The Bible tells us that God has control over kings and governments. God can take governments out or replace them at anytime
that he chooses.
Now we will take a look at some of the prophecy of Daniel and how it was fulfilled in history. There is far more detailed
prophecy in Daniel then what will be dealt with here. This is only a small taste of what can be found in Daniel. Hopefully this will
wet your taste buds for wanting to study prophecy yourself. This prophecy in Daniel chapter 2 continues even into our future and
end times. For our purposes we will only be dealing with those parts that have already come to pass. Some key passages are
printed here for you. However it would be to the readers benefit to read each chapter in Daniel before reading the commentary
here. In the beginning of Daniel we find that Nebuchadnezzar is king of Babylon. It is interesting to note that Nebuchadnezzar is
king because God has placed him there. In the Bible we can see that God not only can forecast the future, but he controls the
future.
Jer 28:14 'For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that
they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. And I have also given him the beasts of the field."
Daniel speaking to Nebuchadnezzar said Dan 2:37 "You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given
the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory;
In Daniel chapter 2 we find that king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which he could not remember. He told his wise men that
they must tell him both the dream he had and the interpretation. Daniel was the only one who could do this after seeking God in
prayer. Following is Daniel's response to the king.
Dan 2:31-40 (NAS) 31 "You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large
and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. 32 "The head of that statue was
made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and
partly of clay. 34 "You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and
clay, and crushed them. 35 "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time, and
became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But
the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 "This was the dream; now we shall tell
its interpretation before the king. 37 "You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the
power, the strength, and the glory; 38 and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He
has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold. 39 "And after you there will
arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. 40 "Then there will
be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will
crush and break all these in pieces.
God was not revealing spiritual truth to Nebuchadnezzar, rather he was showing him what would take place in history
concerning himself and the governing authorities after him. Later in Daniel chapter 4 we find that Nebuchadnezzar has his
sanity taken from him until he recognizes God as the one in authority.
We learn in this passage that the dream that was given to king Nebuchadnezzar was about future kingdoms. In this dream he
saw a large image and we are told Nebuchadneazzar was the head of gold verse 38. Following him there are 3 other
kingdoms mentioned verse 39-40.
We do not have to guess as to the interpretation of this prophecy. Nebuchadneazzar the king of Babylon was the head of gold.
Following him are 3 other kingdoms. As for the 2nd kingdom in king Nebuchadneazzar's dream we are only told (verse 39)
"And after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, This inferior kingdom is represented as the breast and arms of
silver in the dream. (verse 32) "The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its
thighs of bronze,
The interpretation of who this second kingdom is can be found later in the book of Daniel. However Isaiah actually tells us who
will overthrow Babylon at least a hundred years before the writing of the book of Daniel. Remember Daniel was written in the
6th century BC. The reign of Nebuchadnezar was approximately 561 B.C - 605 B.C.
(While reading don't forget that on the time line numbers or dates get larger the farther back you go. BC 600, 500, 400, 300,
200, 100, 1, 100, 200, 300 AD)
Webster's Family Encyclopedia, 1989 edition, vol. 6, pg. 1329
Isaiah, (8th century BC) Old Testament Prophet. He was influential at the court of the rulers of Judah until the Assyrian invasion
(701 BC) and. according to tradition, was later martyred.
Isaiah 13:17-20 17 Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold,
18 And their bows will mow down the young men, they will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, nor will their eye
pity children. 19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans' pride, will be as when God overthrew
Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; nor will the Arab pitch his tent
there, nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
Remember Daniel was written in the 6th century BC. The reign of Nebuchadnezar whom Daniel served under in the first part of
the book of Daniel was approximately 561 B.C - 605 B.C. Webster's Family Encyclopedia gives us the date 701 BC as the
later part of Isaiah's ministry. (701 BC - 605 BC = 96 years) Keep in mind the Medes and the Persians took over after
Nebuchadnezzar. This means that approximately a hundred years before Daniel God told his people through Isaiah
that the Medes would rise up against Babylon. We will soon see that Babylon will be destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah
and will never be inhabited again.
Daniel chapter 4 is the last we see of king Nebuchadnezzar. In the beginning of Daniel chapter 5 we are introduced to
Belshazzar. In my study I found some people have questioned Daniel because Belshazzar is said to be the son of
Nebuchadnezzar (Dan.5:22). I will explain this before we go on to the fulfillment of prophecy. The Aramaic word translated
"father" here however does not necessarily mean immediate father. It can also mean grandfather or an ancestor as shown in
the following Hebrew\ Aramaic reference works.
Strong's Definitions of Biblical words
2 'ab (Aramaic) (ab); KJV-- father.
corresponding to 1: 'ab (awb); a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application):
KJV-- chief, (fore-) father ([-less]), X patrimony, principal. Compare names in "Abi-".
Brown, Driver, Briggs Lexicon
1 'ab-
1) the father of an individual
2) used of God as Father of His people
3) the head or the founder of a household, a group, a family, or a clan
4) an ancestor
a) a grandfather, the forefathers --of a person
b) used of people (in general)
So the word translated "father" in the following passage can also mean a grandfather or descendant.
Dan 5:2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his
father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines
might drink from them.
This same Aramaic word is translated as "fathers" speaking of ancestors in the following passage.
Ezra 5:12 'But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
We find further indication that the passage in Dan. 5:2 is speaking of a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar rather than an
immediate son in the book of Jeremiah.
Jer 27:6-7 "And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have
given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. "And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his grandson,
until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant.
In this text we can see that the rule of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon will continue at least until his grandson. As we have
already seen in Isaiah the Medes will rise up against Babylon.
In Daniel chapter 5 Belshazzar brings in some silver vessels that were taken from the temple in Jerusalem so they could use
them to toast to the foreign gods and idols. After doing this Belshazzar sees some handwriting supernaturally being written on
the wall. Daniel is called in to give King Belshazzar the interpretation. Daniel rebukes him by reminding him that he knew how
God humbled King Nebuchadnezzar causing him to lose his sanity for a while. Yet knowing this he used the sacred vessels to
toast to the foreign gods and idols. Daniel then gives him the interpretation. (read Daniel chapter 5)
Dan 5:22- 29 22 "Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, 23 but you have
exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your
nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold,
of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your
ways, you have not glorified. 24 "Then the hand was sent from Him, and this inscription was written out. 25 "Now this is the
inscription that was written out: 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.' 26 "This is the interpretation of the message: 'MENE'--
God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. 27 "'TEKEL'-- you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
28 "'PERES'-- your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians." 29 Then Belshazzar gave orders,
and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that
he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
Remember that in Daniel chapter 2 in king Nebuchadnezzar's dream we are told that another power inferior to
Nebuchadnezzar and represented by its breast and its arms of silver would arise. (Dan.2: 32 & 39). Here we are told that this
2nd kingdom would be the Medes and the Persians. One should not overlook the fact that Daniel includes the
Persians with the Medes in the take over of Babylon. Also Belshazzar speaks of making Daniel the 3rd ruler of the kingdom.
So the question is: What actually took place in history?
1. Did Babylonian rule under Nebuchadnezzar last at least until Nebuchadnezzar's grandson as foretold by Jeremiah?
2. Did the Medes and the Persians conquer Babylon?
3. How would Daniel be labeled the 3rd ruler in the kingdom under Belshazzar?
4. Was Babylon destroyed never to be inhabited again as foretold by Isaiah?
Part 2, World History told in advance.
In Daniel part 1 we covered evidence for the dating of the book of Daniel. Daniel was written in the 6th century BC. The reign of
Nebuchadnezar whom Daniel served under in the first part of the book of Daniel was approximately 561 B.C - 605 B.C.
The Bible tells us that God has control over kings and governments. God can take governments out or replace them at anytime
that he chooses.
Now we will take a look at some of the prophecy of Daniel and how it was fulfilled in history. There is far more detailed
prophecy in Daniel then what will be dealt with here. This is only a small taste of what can be found in Daniel. Hopefully this will
wet your taste buds for wanting to study prophecy yourself. This prophecy in Daniel chapter 2 continues even into our future and
end times. For our purposes we will only be dealing with those parts that have already come to pass. Some key passages are
printed here for you. However it would be to the readers benefit to read each chapter in Daniel before reading the commentary
here. In the beginning of Daniel we find that Nebuchadnezzar is king of Babylon. It is interesting to note that Nebuchadnezzar is
king because God has placed him there. In the Bible we can see that God not only can forecast the future, but he controls the
future.
Jer 28:14 'For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that
they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. And I have also given him the beasts of the field."
Daniel speaking to Nebuchadnezzar said Dan 2:37 "You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given
the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory;
In Daniel chapter 2 we find that king Nebuchadnezzar had a dream which he could not remember. He told his wise men that
they must tell him both the dream he had and the interpretation. Daniel was the only one who could do this after seeking God in
prayer. Following is Daniel's response to the king.
Dan 2:31-40 (NAS) 31 "You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large
and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. 32 "The head of that statue was
made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and
partly of clay. 34 "You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and
clay, and crushed them. 35 "Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time, and
became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But
the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 "This was the dream; now we shall tell
its interpretation before the king. 37 "You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the
power, the strength, and the glory; 38 and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He
has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold. 39 "And after you there will
arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth. 40 "Then there will
be a fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will
crush and break all these in pieces.
God was not revealing spiritual truth to Nebuchadnezzar, rather he was showing him what would take place in history
concerning himself and the governing authorities after him. Later in Daniel chapter 4 we find that Nebuchadnezzar has his
sanity taken from him until he recognizes God as the one in authority.
We learn in this passage that the dream that was given to king Nebuchadnezzar was about future kingdoms. In this dream he
saw a large image and we are told Nebuchadneazzar was the head of gold verse 38. Following him there are 3 other
kingdoms mentioned verse 39-40.
We do not have to guess as to the interpretation of this prophecy. Nebuchadneazzar the king of Babylon was the head of gold.
Following him are 3 other kingdoms. As for the 2nd kingdom in king Nebuchadneazzar's dream we are only told (verse 39)
"And after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, This inferior kingdom is represented as the breast and arms of
silver in the dream. (verse 32) "The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its
thighs of bronze,
The interpretation of who this second kingdom is can be found later in the book of Daniel. However Isaiah actually tells us who
will overthrow Babylon at least a hundred years before the writing of the book of Daniel. Remember Daniel was written in the
6th century BC. The reign of Nebuchadnezar was approximately 561 B.C - 605 B.C.
(While reading don't forget that on the time line numbers or dates get larger the farther back you go. BC 600, 500, 400, 300,
200, 100, 1, 100, 200, 300 AD)
Webster's Family Encyclopedia, 1989 edition, vol. 6, pg. 1329
Isaiah, (8th century BC) Old Testament Prophet. He was influential at the court of the rulers of Judah until the Assyrian invasion
(701 BC) and. according to tradition, was later martyred.
Isaiah 13:17-20 17 Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold,
18 And their bows will mow down the young men, they will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, nor will their eye
pity children. 19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans' pride, will be as when God overthrew
Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; nor will the Arab pitch his tent
there, nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
Remember Daniel was written in the 6th century BC. The reign of Nebuchadnezar whom Daniel served under in the first part of
the book of Daniel was approximately 561 B.C - 605 B.C. Webster's Family Encyclopedia gives us the date 701 BC as the
later part of Isaiah's ministry. (701 BC - 605 BC = 96 years) Keep in mind the Medes and the Persians took over after
Nebuchadnezzar. This means that approximately a hundred years before Daniel God told his people through Isaiah
that the Medes would rise up against Babylon. We will soon see that Babylon will be destroyed as Sodom and Gomorrah
and will never be inhabited again.
Daniel chapter 4 is the last we see of king Nebuchadnezzar. In the beginning of Daniel chapter 5 we are introduced to
Belshazzar. In my study I found some people have questioned Daniel because Belshazzar is said to be the son of
Nebuchadnezzar (Dan.5:22). I will explain this before we go on to the fulfillment of prophecy. The Aramaic word translated
"father" here however does not necessarily mean immediate father. It can also mean grandfather or an ancestor as shown in
the following Hebrew\ Aramaic reference works.
Strong's Definitions of Biblical words
2 'ab (Aramaic) (ab); KJV-- father.
corresponding to 1: 'ab (awb); a primitive word; father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote application):
KJV-- chief, (fore-) father ([-less]), X patrimony, principal. Compare names in "Abi-".
Brown, Driver, Briggs Lexicon
1 'ab-
1) the father of an individual
2) used of God as Father of His people
3) the head or the founder of a household, a group, a family, or a clan
4) an ancestor
a) a grandfather, the forefathers --of a person
b) used of people (in general)
So the word translated "father" in the following passage can also mean a grandfather or descendant.
Dan 5:2 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his
father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines
might drink from them.
This same Aramaic word is translated as "fathers" speaking of ancestors in the following passage.
Ezra 5:12 'But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.
We find further indication that the passage in Dan. 5:2 is speaking of a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar rather than an
immediate son in the book of Jeremiah.
Jer 27:6-7 "And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have
given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. "And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his grandson,
until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant.
In this text we can see that the rule of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon will continue at least until his grandson. As we have
already seen in Isaiah the Medes will rise up against Babylon.
In Daniel chapter 5 Belshazzar brings in some silver vessels that were taken from the temple in Jerusalem so they could use
them to toast to the foreign gods and idols. After doing this Belshazzar sees some handwriting supernaturally being written on
the wall. Daniel is called in to give King Belshazzar the interpretation. Daniel rebukes him by reminding him that he knew how
God humbled King Nebuchadnezzar causing him to lose his sanity for a while. Yet knowing this he used the sacred vessels to
toast to the foreign gods and idols. Daniel then gives him the interpretation. (read Daniel chapter 5)
Dan 5:22- 29 22 "Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, 23 but you have
exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your
nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold,
of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your
ways, you have not glorified. 24 "Then the hand was sent from Him, and this inscription was written out. 25 "Now this is the
inscription that was written out: 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.' 26 "This is the interpretation of the message: 'MENE'--
God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. 27 "'TEKEL'-- you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.
28 "'PERES'-- your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians." 29 Then Belshazzar gave orders,
and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that
he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom.
Remember that in Daniel chapter 2 in king Nebuchadnezzar's dream we are told that another power inferior to
Nebuchadnezzar and represented by its breast and its arms of silver would arise. (Dan.2: 32 & 39). Here we are told that this
2nd kingdom would be the Medes and the Persians. One should not overlook the fact that Daniel includes the
Persians with the Medes in the take over of Babylon. Also Belshazzar speaks of making Daniel the 3rd ruler of the kingdom.
So the question is: What actually took place in history?
1. Did Babylonian rule under Nebuchadnezzar last at least until Nebuchadnezzar's grandson as foretold by Jeremiah?
2. Did the Medes and the Persians conquer Babylon?
3. How would Daniel be labeled the 3rd ruler in the kingdom under Belshazzar?
4. Was Babylon destroyed never to be inhabited again as foretold by Isaiah?
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