Winter Bible Study 2010
Daniel:
God’s Royal Messenger
Bibliography:
Selected Bibliography of the Book of Daniel at bible.org.
E.A. Wallis Budge, Babylonian Life and History. New York: Dorsett Press, 1992 edition. This book was written in 1883.
Raymond B. Dillard, Tremper Longman III, An Introduction to the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.
R.K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2004. (first published in 1969; an oldie but goodie.) Harrison includes an excellent description of Nebuchadnezzar’s boanthropy based on his personal examination of a patient suffering from the disease.
Allen Ross, Studies in the Book of Daniel (available online).
This page presents the New Hope Baptist Church Winter Bible Study for 2010. We began our study of Daniel on 7 February and continued through the book to its conclusion.
Session 1: Babylonian History. Session 1 covers the historical background of Daniel’s entry into Babylon. This session briefly covers the history of Babylon through its conquest by Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C.
Session 2: Daniel 1-3. Session 2 covers the period of Daniel chapters 1 and 2. Daniel’s story in these chapters includes his arrival in Babylon, his resolve to maintain his purity by the Mosaic Law, and his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
Session 3: Daniel 3-4. This session covers Nebuchadnezzar’s building of the golden image; the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to worship the image; and Nebuchadnezzar’s last dream and boanthropy.
Session 4: Daniel 5. This session covers the last night of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Events included Belshazzar’s feast, God’s judgment (interpreted by Daniel), and the fall of Babylon to Persia.
Session 5: Daniel 6. This session covers the experience known as “Daniel in the lion’s den.”
Session 6: Daniel 7. This session covers Daniel’s vision of chapter 7. This vision accurately describes the next 4 major world empires from Daniel’s time to the Roman Empire. The “little horn” described also resembles descriptions of the Antichrist as mentioned in St. Paul’s letters (especially 1 and 2 Thessalonians) and the Revelation of St. John.
Session 7: Daniel 8. This session covers Daniel’s vision of chapter 8. The vision recorded there accurately predicts the exploits of Antiochus Epiphanes IV (ruled 175-164 B.C.), including his desecration of the Jewish Temple and its purification by Judas Maccabaeus in 165 B.C. Jews today celebrate Hanukkah in celebration of the purification of the Temple.
Session 8: Daniel 9. This session covers Daniel’s intercessory prayer on behalf of Israel following Cyrus’ conquest of Babylon. Daniel’s prayer ranks as one of the most beautiful and eloquent prayers of the ancient world and serves as a model for believers’ prayers today.
Session 9: Daniel 9:20-27. This session covers Gabriel’s answer to Daniel’s prayer. The 70 Weeks Prophecy ranks as the most precise prophecy in the book and among the most precise you’ll find in Scripture.
Session 10: Chapter 10. This session begins Daniel’s account of the final vision recorded in his book. The vision of chapters 10-12 — more specifically, chapter 11 — accurately described events in the Intertestamental Period (c. 450-4 B.C.)
Session 11: Chapter 11. This session continues Daniel’s account of the final vision recorded in his book. Chapter 11 accurately describes events in the Greek wars between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Empires in the Intertestamental Period (c. 450-4 B.C.), but the vision skips to the end of time in the final verses to describe the battle between the Antichrist and Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Session 12: Chapter 12. This session concludes our study of Daniel. In chapter 12, the angel who visits Daniel describes the resurrection at the last day and gives further details regarding the end of time.
