Summary
Daniel records the experiences and visions of a Jewish exile who rises to prominence in the Babylonian and Persian courts. Its apocalyptic visions reveal God's sovereign control over world empires and point to the coming of an everlasting kingdom.
Outline
- Daniel and Friends in Babylon (1)
- Nebuchadnezzar's Dreams and the Fiery Furnace (2–3)
- Nebuchadnezzar's Humbling and Belshazzar's Feast (4–5)
- Daniel in the Lions' Den (6)
- Apocalyptic Visions of World Empires (7–12)
Key Verses
"The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people."
"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it. But even if he does not, we will not serve your gods."
"There before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power."
Christ in Daniel
The Son of Man (7:13–14); the fourth figure in the furnace; the stone cut without hands (2:34); the seventy weeks prophecy (9:24–27)