OUTLINE OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL

By Gene McCarty

    The book of Daniel begins giving the account of the boy Daniel in the year 606 B.C. when he and others were carried off to Babylon and captivity. We know more about Daniel than we do about any other prophet. 
    This prophesy is one of the most used books of the Old Testament. Some men today spend much time in study as they attempt to apply information from this prophesy to events of our day. This usage is often made by those who take a premillennial view of the kingdom. It is my belief that there is no part of this prophesy that was not complete by the time the church was established, so I see no need to study this book in an attempt to learn about specific events of our day. 
    I do believe the book is very important. Like the other books of prophesy, it shows us the plan and working of God as he moves among his people. Others of our day will question the authenticity of this book because of the language used, but there is no good reason to say that Daniel was not the writer. The book is first an account of Daniel's life and work for the Lord, and second an account of the prophesy that he received from the Lord. 

1. The 1st chapter of the book tells us of Daniel in Babylon as he is chosen for the kings service. As he is put into training and given the kings food he requested that he not be required to defile himself. As result of his request eventually the diets for all the young men in training were changed to a vegetable diet.
    

2. In the 2nd chapter king Nebuchadnezzar has a dream, and in the course of events that followed Daniel shows him the dream and the interpretation. Not long after the dream was revealed Nebuchadnezzar set up a huge golden idol and decreed that all the people who live in the land should worship this vain form. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the idol so they were thrown into the blazing furnace. When these men came out of the furnace unharmed the king sent fourth a decree that no man in his kingdom should speak against Jehovah.
    

3. The 4th chapter tells us of another dream that came to king Nebuchadnezzar in the night, and the interpretation. Daniel tells the king that it is time for him to repent and turn to Jehovah. His alternative is to have his sanity taken from him and to live as an animal. He chose to live as an animal for a period of time before repenting and turning to Jehovah.
    

4. Chapter 5 moves to a period much later in Babylonian history. Belshazzar is now king and Daniel would be about 70 years old. Belshazzar set himself up against the God of heaven and received his judgment and was killed. Darius the Mede then took over as king at the age of 62. Daniel is again noticed by the king and soon in line to receive control of the entire kingdom. Because of this the wise men of the country work a trap for Daniel and succeed in getting him thrown into the Lions den. When Jehovah protects Daniel from harm and he comes out of the den without a scratch, those who had arranged the trap for Daniel are thrown to the Lions and are immediately destroyed. Again, the decree goes forth that the God of Daniel is to be honored by all in the kingdom.
    

5. Chapter7 begins the account of the visions of Daniel. The first is the vision of the 4 beasts. This vision tells of four kingdoms that will rule the earth from this time to the coming of Christ. The 1st of these kingdoms is Babylon and the last is Rome with the ten kings. This is a very frightening vision that truly shows the tremendous power of God. In the next chapter the vision of the ram and the goat is recorded. The ram pictures the Medo-Persian Empire and the goat Greece under Alexander the Great. Following this vision Daniel was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Chapter 9 begins with the statement that the desolation of Jerusalem should last for 70 years. The chapter continues with the prayer of Daniel as he ask God to return his blessings to his people. He then receives another vision that gives further detail about the 70 years of desolation.
    

6. The next vision begins in chapter 10, and is dated in the 3rd year of Cyrus the king. It is a vision that so accurately pictures the future of the kingdoms of the area, that some will not accept that the book was written by Daniel. They say that to have been written in such great detail, the writer must have seen the events take place. It is worthwhile at this point to consider if we believe in prophesy, or even perhaps in God. If we truly believe in God we should have no trouble with a book of history written before the events happen. The last chapter is the description of the end time that compares with the book of Revelation and Matthew chapter 24.