Biblical prophecies and the ‘end times’ 1 study
The Revelation of Daniel 14 studies
- 2Structure and Organization of the Book of Daniel
- 3Daniel 2 – The God who reveals mysteries and directs history
- 4Daniel 1 – Faithful in Babylon: living in a foreign world without losing one's identity
- 5Daniel 2 – The statue and the kingdoms: when God reveals the meaning of history
- 6Daniel 3 – Faithful even in the furnace
Biblical prophecies and the ‘end times’
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General introduction to the book of Daniel
General introduction to the book of Daniel, a major prophetic text of the Old Testament. This article lays the historical, literary and theological foundations needed to understand this apocalyptic book, addressing its structure, author, main themes and the exegetical debates over its date and reliability.
Daniel 7.1 (King James Version) :In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.Notehad: Chaldee, sawNotematters: or, wordsNoteand it: or, wherewith itNoteit raised…: or, it raised up one dominionKing James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org
The Revelation of Daniel
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Structure and Organization of the Book of Daniel
The complex, bilingual book of Daniel presents narratives and prophetic visions illustrating the succession of human kingdoms and God's eternal sovereignty. Faithful in exile, Daniel becomes a prophet, revealing major prophecies culminating in deliverance and resurrection.
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Daniel 2 – The God who reveals mysteries and directs history
Daniel 2 reveals God's sovereignty over history. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, receives an inexplicable dream that the wise men cannot interpret. Through God, Daniel describes a statue representing successive kingdoms. God, rather than empires, rules history. This affirms Daniel's faith and divine power.
Daniel 2.37 (King James Version) :Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
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Daniel 1 – Faithful in Babylon: living in a foreign world without losing one's identity
Daniel 1 shows how Daniel and his friends manage to remain true to their faith in a foreign setting, despite attempts at cultural transformation, through wisdom and faithfulness to God.
Daniel 1.8 (King James Version) :But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.Noteworse…: Heb. sadderNotesort: or, term, or, continuance?NoteMelzar: or, the stewardNotepulse: Heb. of pulseNoteto eat…: Heb. that we may eat, etcKing James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
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Daniel 2 – The statue and the kingdoms: when God reveals the meaning of history
This article analyses Nebuchadnezzar's dream described in Daniel 2, in which a multicoloured statue projects an image of future empires. The importance of this vision lies in the final emergence of God's eternal Kingdom, surpassing earthly kingdoms.
Daniel 2.38 (King James Version) :And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
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Daniel 3 – Faithful even in the furnace
Three Judeans refuse to worship a golden statue during Nebuchadnezzar's reign, risking their lives out of faithfulness to God. Thrown into a furnace, they are miraculously protected by an angel. This account illustrates the conflict between human authority and faithfulness to God.
Daniel 3.29 (King James Version) :Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
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Nebuchadnezzar humbled: the king's pride before God's sovereignty
The article recounts how King Nebuchadnezzar's pride is confronted with divine sovereignty through a dream of an immense tree being cut down. Daniel interprets this dream as a divine warning against the king's arrogance and urges him to repent. After a period symbolized by 'seven times', Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges God's supremacy, regains his sanity, and restores his kingdom.
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Daniel 5 – Belshazzar's feast: when Babylon is weighed and judged
Daniel 5 tells of the fall of Babylon under the reign of Belshazzar, who desecrates the sacred vessels. A mysterious inscription, interpreted by Daniel, predicts the end of the kingdom. God judges human powers, illustrating Belshazzar's arrogance.
Daniel 5.1-30 (King James Version) :Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.Notefather: or, grandfatherNotetaken: Chaldee, brought forthBelshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.Notecountenance: Chaldee, brightnessesNotewas changed: Chaldee, changed itNotejoints: or, girdles: Chaldee, bindings, or, knotsNotealoud: Chaldee, with mightNotescarlet: or, purpleNotecountenance: Chaldee, brightnessesThen the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:Notefather: or, grandfatherNoteinterpreting: or, of an interpreterNotedissolving: or, of a dissolverNotedoubts: Chaldee, knotsNotefather: or, grandfatherNotemake interpretations: Chaldee, interpret, etcThere is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.Noterewards: or, feeNotein pride: or, to deal proudlyNotedeposed: Chaldee, made to come downNotehis heart…: or, he made his heart equal, etcO thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.Notebeing…: Chaldee, he as the son of, etcNoteabout: or, nowKing James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
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Daniel 6 – Daniel in the lions' den: staying faithful when faith becomes dangerous
Daniel 6 tells how Daniel, despite a decree forbidding any worship other than of the king, continues to pray to God. Jealous of his position, his adversaries use the decree to trap him. Thrown into the lions' den, Daniel is miraculously protected by God. His unshakable faith leads Darius to acknowledge the eternal power of God.
Daniel 6.21 (King James Version) :Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
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Daniel 8 – The ram, the goat and the little horn
Daniel 8 prophesies the transition of the empires from Babylon to Greece, with the persecuting rise of Antiochus IV. This vision illustrates the coming of divine authority after the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem by Judas Maccabeus.
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Daniel 9 – The seventy weeks: from Daniel's prayer to messianic hope
Daniel 9 begins with a prayer and ends with the prophecy of the seventy weeks. Daniel discovers that the exile of Jerusalem is drawing to an end, then receives from the angel Gabriel the vision of a larger period, symbolized by 490 years leading to the messianic era. His prayer emphasizes the confession of Israel's sin and the pursuit of divine mercy. The first 69 weeks lead to the ministry of John the Baptist, with the last weeks anticipating an eschatological horizon.
Ezra 7 (King James Version) :Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,Notebegan…: Heb. was the foundation of the going upThe son of Shallum, the son of Zadok, the son of Ahitub,The son of Amariah, the son of Azariah, the son of Meraioth,The son of Zerahiah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Bukki,The son of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the chief priest:This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.Noteunto…: or, to Ezra the priest, a perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven, peace, etcNoteof the king: Chaldee, from before the kingNotemeasures: Chaldee, corsNoteWhatsoever…: Chaldee, Whatsoever is of the decreeNoteto banishment: Chaldee, to rooting outArtaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure house.And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
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Daniel 7 – The four beasts and the kingdom of the Son of Man
Daniel 7 details a key prophetic vision using four beasts to symbolise kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. The text illustrates the temporary nature of human powers in comparison with God's eternal reign, entrusted to 'one like a son of man'.
Revelation 12 (King James Version) :And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
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Daniel 10 – Behind visible history, the invisible battle
Daniel 10 reveals an invisible conflict between spiritual powers. Daniel prays for three weeks with no apparent answer. A heavenly figure explains to him that he was hindered by the prince of Persia, but helped by Michael, a heavenly chief. This highlights the need for persistent prayer and the reality of a hidden spiritual battle, while affirming that the future is in God's hands.
Jude 1.9 (King James Version) :Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org -
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Daniel 12 – Until the resurrection: God's final victory
Daniel 12 is a prophecy about the resurrection and God's final victory. It foretells a time of distress before the deliverance brought by Michael. The prophetic times point to periods of trial for the faithful people, but resurrection and eternal life are promised to those who persevere.
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Daniel 11 – The wars of the kings and the time of the end (Educational version)
Daniel 11 sets out prophecies about historical conflicts, including Antiochus IV, and foreshadows future tensions. Despite persecution, faithfulness to God is brought to the fore.