Daniel
Purpose
The
book
of
Daniel
emphasizes
the
sovereign
plan
of
Godeven
during
the
darkest
period
of
Israels
history.
The
nation
had
been
broken
and
Davids
line
was
no
longer
on
the
throne,
but
Daniel
emphasized
that
God
was
still
in
control
and
that
His
purposes
would
still
be
accomplished.
Authorship
&
Genre
Many
who
are
critical
of
the
Bible
have
questioned
the
authorship
of
Daniel
due
to
the
very
precise
nature
of
his
prophecies,
which
predicted
the
rise
and
fall
of
four
great
world
empires
long
before
they
actually
occurred.
However,
this
poses
no
problem
for
those
who
accept
the
Holy
Spirits
role
in
inspiring
Scripture.
Daniel
uses
the
first
person
in
the
prophecies
of
chapters
7-12,
suggesting
that
he
wrote
the
book
himself.
Chapters
1-6
consist
of
narrative
and
are
relayed
in
the
third
person.
Key
Verse
Daniel
[Link]
How
great
are
His
signs,
and
how
mighty
are
His
wonders!
His
kingdom
is
an
everlasting
kingdom,
and
His
dominion
is
from
generation
to
generation.
(NASB)
Structure
1
Daniel
in
Captivity
2
Nebuchadnezzar
Dreams
of
Four
Future
Kingdoms
3
Rescue
from
a
Fiery
Furnace
4
Humiliation
of
Nebuchadnezzar
5
Humiliation
of
Belshazzar
6
Rescue
from
the
Lions
Den
7
Daniel
Dreams
of
Four
Future
Kingdoms
8
Vision
of
the
Ram
and
the
Goat
9
Vision
of
the
Seventy
Weeks
10-12
Vision
of
the
Last
Days
A
B
C
C
B
Gods
Sovereignty
over
the
World
Aramaic
Language
Gods
Sovereignty
over
Israel
Hebrew
Language
Theological
Themes
Human
Pride:
Over
and
again,
the
pride
of
Babylons
kings
is
contrasted
against
the
absolute
power
and
sovereignty
of
God.
Gods
Sovereignty:
The
book
as
a
whole
is
a
treatise
on
the
sovereignty
of
God,
who
is
able
to
preserve
His
people
even
while
exiled
in
a
foreign
land.
Kingdom
of
God:
Daniel
focuses
on
the
absolute
power
of
Gods
coming
kingdom.
No
human
government,
past
or
present,
can
rival
the
perfect
reign
that
God
intends
to
establish
on
earth
one
day.
Through
this
kingdom,
Gods
created
order
will
be
restored
once
and
for
all.