A STUDY GUIDE Dear Redeemer Church Family,

This semester we are going to work through the Book of . It’s fi lled with heroic stories, historical events, heavenly perspectives on current and future events; and while this book was written in the 6th century BC, it’s still incredibly relevant for us today.

Daniel was taken into exile as a teenager and spent the majority of his life in a culture completely opposed to God, yet he remained faithful. If you’re like me, it can feel like our world is pushing harder and harder against those who live to follow . It can be discouraging. It can feel hopeless. And we can wonder if there’s a way forward. STUDY GUIDE Thankfully, nothing we’re going through can compare to what Daniel and his friends went through, which means if there was hope for them, then there’s hope for us!

So, my prayer is that you’ll dive into Daniel, learn applicable lessons, grasp -truths, and see a way forward to thrive in our current culture.

In Christ,

Jeff Martin How to Use this Guide

For the next few months, the Redeemer Preaching Calendar will center on the . This guide, however, is not for the purpose of going deeper into the sermon, but to go deeper into the text before you listen to the sermon.

Each week has two main components: Personal Study and Questions for Discussion; and there will also be other helpful tools thrown in from time-to-time.

The “Personal Study” can be taken at your own pace, but it’s recommended to pick one day, hunker down, read the whole chapter, and answer the provided questions corresponding to each section of Scripture. Some of the answers will be easily found in the text, but others might require a quick google search.

The “Questions for Discussion” work best in a Redeemer Small Group or with a small group of friends, coworkers, or neighbors. Some of the questions have right and wrong answers, but a lot of them are open-ended to encourage conversation.

Then, last but not least, we want to pray God’s Word from our heads to our hearts. After your personal study and group discussion take time to pray through three categories: Adore, Admit, Aspire.

Adore = What is something from this text that causes you to admire God to a greater degree? For example, “God, I am amazed by Your knowledge of the future. You know what my life holds, it’s in Your control, and I know I am in good hands.”

Admit = Confess where the text has convicted your heart. For example, “I confess that I am more inclined to go with the crowd than to stand for You. Please forgive me for allowing my life to be more shaped by our culture than by Your Kingdom.

Aspire = Ask God for the strength to apply something from the text to your own life. For example, “Daniel represented You well through his work-ethic. Help me to do my job with excellence and in a way that honors You.” Introduction to Daniel

Author Daniel wrote this book in the 6th century BC, recording the events of his life as well as visions he saw from the time of his exile in 605 BC until 536 BC, the third year of King Cyrus.

Historical Setting • Daniel Exiled to in 605 BC • Babylonians Destroy 586 BC • Decree of Cyrus Allowing Jews to Return 538 BC

Reading Daniel Two things that will keep us from seeing the beauty of the gospel in Daniel are: 1.) Thinking that Daniel is the primary hero of the story, and 2.) Making the second half of Daniel all about end-times debates.

Yes, Daniel is heroic, but his faithfulness is always a response to the grace God repeatedly provides. Also, it’s important to note that his life isn’t just an adventure story. His escaping the lion’s den and his friends being rescued from a fi ery furnace should be seen as the exception, not the rule. Often, people with strong faith in situations similar to these experience opposite fates. And what we’ll see through this book isn’t Daniel pointing us to himself, but Daniel pointing us to the greater One to come!

Then, as we get to Daniel’s visions (chapters 7 – 12) we’ll see some of the most amazing and detailed prophesies in all of Scripture. These are important, but if we spend all our time trying to understand the obscure, we might miss the obvious. The central message isn’t to interpret the time of Jesus’ return, it’s to see how God will rescue His people from their sin and misery by the work of a Messiah.

The important things to see as we read Daniel is how God saves sinful and weak people; how He preserves young men from impurity and old men from lions; how He answers prayers and interprets dreams; how He exalts the humble and humbles the proud; how He vindicates the faithful and vanquishes the profane; and how He rescues His people by returning them to their land. Outline

1. Daniel and His Three Friends (1:1 – 6:28) • Prologue (1:1-21) • Dream statue representing four kingdoms (2:1-49) • Worship the golden statue or perish in a pit (3:1-30) • Judgment on Nebuchadnezzar (4:1-37) • Judgment on (5:1-31) • Worship Darius or perish in a pit (6:1-28)

2. The Visions of Daniel • Dream of four beasts representing four kingdoms (7:1-28) • Vision of the ram, the , and the little horn (8:1-27) • Daniel’s prayer and its answer (9:1-27) • Daniel’s vision of the fi nal confl ict (10:1 – 12:13) Before diving into the book of Daniel, take a few minutes to read 2 Kings 20:12-19 and Isaiah 39. In Leviticus 26:33 and 39, God warned His people that their faithlessness would result in exile. Now, after a lengthy history of disobedience, Nebuchadnezzar becomes the instrument of God’s discipline.

Read :1-7 • If you underline in your , underline the phrase “the Lord gave” in verse 2 and continue to underline or take note of this phrase as you read Daniel • Why do you think Daniel wants us to read this book WEEK through the lens of God’s control? • In verse 2 we read about the “land of Shinar”. Where else is this land mentioned in the Bible? • What kind of people did the king take? Personal • What did he want to do with them? Some things to think about: Study • Babylon was evil, worse than any recent or current power (even Nazi Germany!). They were demonically infl uenced. • The three-year study program was designed to certify Daniel and his friends as enchanters and magicians, experts in the dark practices of the occult. • Daniel’s name means “God is my judge”, but his Babylonian name meant “Bel’s prince” (Bel being the title for their demonic god, Marduk). This would be like having your name changed from Christian to Satan’s Prince. • Most of the food at the king’s table would have been expressly forbidden in the Law of Moses. • Something you don’t learn about in Sunday School is Daniel and his friends were most likely castrated and turned into eunuchs. Notes:

Read Daniel 1:8-21 • Take note of the phrase “God gave” • How did Daniel respond to the king’s assignment? • What does God give to Daniel and his four friends during this season of life? Something to think about: When it came to staying kosher, Daniel won. But when it came to his name, the things he had to study, and the wicked king he had to serve, he lost. What does it mean for God to be in control? It means in the biggest scheme of things, there are no accidents. His plans will not be thwarted. He is never surprised. In the end, everything works for the good of those who love Him. Even when evil seems to prevail, God is at work.

WEEK

Christians are either being conformed or transformed. We’re either being squeezed into the world’s mold or we’re transforming things in the world which God has put us. Transformers don’t always have aneasy life, but it’s an exciting one, and it gives you great delight to know that God is using you to infl uence others. How does God’s discipline show God’s Questions faithfulness to His people? for discussion Describe a time God’s discipline was needed in your own life to pull you back to Him.

Where do you fi nd yourself naturally conforming to patterns of the world?

God gave Daniel to Babylon. Where has He given you? (think of specifi c places and people)

How can you use your unique talents, passions, and resources to change your spheres of infl uence?

WEEK As you turn from chapter 1 to chapter 2, the atmosphere of the king’s palace changes radically. Chapter 1 closes with recognition and security, but chapter 2 introduces rejection and danger. The hero of the story is not the king, but the Lord God who “reveals the deep and secret things”. As you read this chapter, you witness the God of Israel in complete control of every situation and accomplishing His purposes even through superstitious Gentile unbelievers.

Read :1-16 • Nebuchadnezzar was leading the biggest kingdom in the world. If this was you, what kind of things WEEK would keep you up at night? • Why do you think he wanted the interpreters to know the dream on their own? Was this reasonable or an impossible task to guarantee their death? • How did the Chaldeans respond? Personal • If you were in Daniel’s shoes, what would your initial thoughts be upon hearing the king’s decree? Study Read Daniel 2:17-30 • How does Daniel demonstrate his dependence on God? • In verses 20-23, what all does God do? (note: changes, removes, gives, etc.) • Who gets the credit for the revelation of the dream?

Read Daniel 2:31-45 • How does Daniel describe his God? • Which historical kingdoms might be represented in this dream?

Read Daniel 2:31-45 • What was communicated to everyone in the court by the king’s response to Daniel and his God?

Notes:

WEEK

“Whatever God can do faith can do, and whatever faith can do prayer can do when it is off ered in faith. An invitation to prayer is, therefore, an invitation to omnipotence, for prayer engages the Omnipotent God and brings Him into our human aff airs.” – A.W. Tozer When faced with challenges, is your fi rst Questions response to lean into your wisdom or to seek for discussion God’s wisdom?

Where have you seen God show up through your own prayer life?

How does God’s complete knowledge and control of the future give you confi dence for today?

If God knows the future, do our actions today even matter? Why or why not?

WEEK The devil tempts us to destroy our faith, but God tests us to develop our faith, because a faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted. False faith withers in times of trial, but true faith takes deeper root, grows, and brings glory to God. This explains why God allowed three Hebrew men to be tested and then thrown into a fi ery furnace. And their experience helps us examine our own faith and determine its authenticity.

Read Daniel 3:1-15 • Who all was invited to the dedication ceremony? • Why do you think the story lists seven diff erent WEEK types of government offi cials? • How were people supposed to respond? • This ninety-foot statue was a tribute to his personal power and fame. He demanded everyone to bow town and worship it, and those who refused were Personal to be immediately put to death. • Do you think the king understood why Daniel’s Study friends refused to obey him?

Read Daniel 3:16-18 •What did the three guys expect to happen? • Does that show a lack of faith? Shouldn’t they be confi dent that God will save them? Read Daniel 3:19-23 • How did the king react to the stand these three were taking? Notes: Read Daniel 3:24-30 • What did the king see in the fi re? • What did the fourth person look like? • Who do you think this was? • How did the king change his tune?

WEEK

Those who walk away from God in anger and disillusionment in the midst of suff ering never do so because the test was too hard.

They do so because their faith was not genuine. Describe a time you had to go against the grain Questions because of your faith in God. for discussion These men wouldn’t compromise, but do you think there are situations when compromise is the better solution? Explain

Read verses 17 and 18. We love to celebrate victories, and we should! But how should we walk through the times when it feels like God doesn’t show up?

Why do you think God wanted you to hear this story this week? How might He want this to encourage you for where you are in life?

WEEK This is a unique chapter in the Bible because it’s an offi cial autobiographical document, prepared by the king of Babylon and distributed throughout his vast kingdom. That Nebuchadnezzar should openly admit his pride, his temporary insanity, and his beastly behavior, and then give glory to the God of Israel for his recovery, is remarkable! He learned an important lesson the hard way – pride goes before destruction.

Read :1-3 At the end of chapter 3 the king praises God but WEEK does not honor Him as his God. Now things change, and the rest of the chapter explains why.

Read Daniel 4:4-18 • Who does Nebuchadnezzar turn to, and why? • In verse 8 Nebuchadnezzar shows that he still has his own god (note: “my god”) Personal • What is the important lesson this dream is meant Study to teach? (v.17) Read Daniel 4:19-27 • What was Daniel’s fi rst response to the dream? • How do you think the king felt when he saw the look on Daniel’s face? • Nebuchadnezzar had built an amazing kingdom, but he was taking all the credit for his achievements. • What would be God’s purpose through the fulfi lment of this dream? (v.25) • How does God show grace? (v.27)

Read Daniel 4:28-33 • How much time does God give Nebuchadnezzar to repent? • Note the I’s and my’s of verse 30 • How does God feel about pride? (James 4:6)

• What happened to the king? Notes: Something to think about: Who knows if the king came down with this or not, but there’s a strange mental disease called lycanthropy in which people think they are animals and they start to look and act like animals.

Read Daniel 4:34-37 • What’s the fi rst thing the king does? • Who does Nebuchadnezzar now think has control? (v.35) • How has Nebuchadnezzar’s view of God changed? • What is the result of his conversion? (v.36) • How long did Daniel testify of his God before the king fi nally knew the True King as his own?

WEEK No one is too far gone to experience God’s grace.

Don’t give up! When you think about your life, where are Questions you tempted to take all the credit for your for discussion achievements? How can we acknowledge our hard work in a healthy way?

Daniel called the king to obedience, the king refused, nothing happened for 12 months, then the bottom fell out. How should that experience shape our understanding of things going well when we’re knowingly disobeying God?

It took Nebuchadnezzar 40 years to turn to God. How does this encourage you in your pursuit of others who still seem so far away from trusting in Jesus?

WEEK Many people who know little or nothing about the book of Daniel will use the phrase “the handwriting on the wall.” Turns out, it comes from this chapter in the Bible as God announces His impending judgment. Belshazzar, his wives and concubines, and a thousand notable guests were feasting and drinking while the army of the and Persians waited at the city gates, ready to invade. The city of Babylon boasted that it was invincible and that there was enough food stored away to feed the population for twenty WEEK years! But the Lord said the Babylonian’s time had come to an end.

Read Daniel 5:1-4 • Who’s now ruling the kingdom? • Who does Belshazzar worship?

Read Daniel 5:5-9 • How do you imagine the atmosphere of the Personal banquet hall changed in this moment? Study • How did the king’s posture change? Read Daniel 5:10-12 • The queen basically told her son, “It’s not as bad as they appear!” Why do you think she was so optimistic? • Did her attitude match the gravity of the situation?

Read Daniel 5:13-23 • If Daniel was 16 when taken to Babylon in 605BC, and Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in 539BC, about how old would he be now? • What did the king off er Daniel? Was Daniel interested? • Why is it important for a servant of God not to be “for sale”? • Note all the times Daniel says “you have” in Notes: verses 22-23

Read Daniel 5:24-31 • What does the king have coming? • Who takes over the kingdom? • What part of the vision from chapter 2 has now been fulfi lled? (see 2:31-45)

WEEK

No matter how secure a rebellious person might feel in the present, they will eventually reap God’s wrath. Like King Belshazzar, we can sometimes forget Questions heroes from older generations. Who are some for discussion heroes of the faith, older than yourself, who we could all benefi t from leaning into and learning from?

If the king’s party showed a complete disrespect for things God wanted people to honor, what are some areas in our lives and worship that could be approached with more reverence?

In chapter 4 we see a picture of God’s grace, and now we see a picture of His justice. How does understanding what we deserve make us fully appreciate what we receive in Christ?

When we see God more holy and our sin more vividly, we will begin to see the cross more gloriously. How can you grow in your awareness of God’s holiness, your sinfulness, and the beauty of the cross this week?

WEEK Babylon has fallen, and now has stepped onto the stage (Note: This isn’t the same Darius who ruled Persia and allowed the Jews to return to their land). After a conquest, new rulers often reorganized the government of the kingdom they conquered. Darius, however, kept much of the structures in place, and this led to a confl ict between his offi cers and Daniel who was veteran administrator in his eighties. And today, wherever you fi nd dedicated believers living and working with unbelievers, you will often see the same forces at work which are described in this chapter.

Read Daniel 6:1-5 • What was Daniel’s role in the government? WEEK • How did the other leaders feel about this? • What did they try to do about it? And what did they fi nd? Personal Read Daniel 6:6-9 • What did Daniel’s enemies convince the king to do? Study • How do you think King Darius felt about that? •Why was it important that he “put it in writing”?

Read Daniel 6:10-13 • How do you think Daniel responded when he heard about this? • Do you think it would have been a better idea for him to pray quietly, privately, with the windows closed? (see Matthew 6:6) Daniel knows his enemies are watching, and any change to his pattern would be a strong statement that “I’m going to stop worshiping my God – or pretend to – and I’ll start worshiping the king.” That was a statement he didn’t want to make. Notes: Read Daniel 6:14-18 • How did the king respond? • Why couldn’t he deliver Daniel? • If the king couldn’t deliver Daniel, who could?

Read Daniel 6:19-24 • What happened? • How did the king feel about this?

Read Daniel 6:25-28 • How does this fulfi ll Genesis 27:29?

WEEK

The account of the lion’s den ends with a reminder that events have been set in motion for the coming of a Savior who will forever defeat God’s Enemy! Daniel was basically persecuted for being too Questions good of a person. Do you think Christians are for discussion more often persecuted for their Christ-likeness or for other reasons? How have you personally seen this?

What are some ways Daniel stood out?

Daniel did his job with excellence, he was a moral person, a man of prayer, and he always had a good attitude. What are some other things that should stand out about our lives because of our faith in Christ?

What does it look like to honor Christ at work? With our morality? In our attitudes?

WEEK The vision explained in this chapter parallels the vision God gave Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2. King was monarch over the empire, but he made his son Belshazzar ruler of Babylon; and the fi rst year of his reign was probably 553. This means that the events described WEEK in chapter 7 and 9 preceded those described in chapters 5 and 6, and Daniel was nearly seventy years old at the time these events occurred. Why would Daniel arrange the material in this book like that? He wanted the records of his interpretations of the dreams and visions of others to come before the visions the Lord specifi cally gave to him, which are much more applicable.

Read :1-8 When Nebuchadnezzar saw godless nations, he saw them as precious metals, but Daniel sees them as dangerous beasts. • What four beasts are mentioned? Personal • If the lion with wings is the ruler of Babylon, what does the ruler’s transformation from an animal Study to a man remind us of from chapter 4? The lion with wings of an eagle represents the empire of Babylon. The bear symbolizes the empire of the Medes and Persians. The leopard with four wings represents and Greece. And the dreadful beast represents the ; and this makes it clear that God knows the future and controls the rise and fall of nations and rulers! The little horn represents the last world ruler, the man called .

Read Daniel 7:9-12 • Who is the Ancient of Days? • What stands out to you from his description? • What happens in verse 11 to the horn from verse 8? Notes:

Note: The main thing to understand from these verses is God calls every nation that opposes him into judgment and destroys them.

Read Daniel 7:13-14 • The appears to be both fully human and fully divine. Which traits describe his humanity and which traits describe his divinity? • Where do the beasts come from and where does the Son of Man come from? • How does this compare to Matthew 24:30; 26:64; Mark 14:61-62; and Acts 1:11? • What confi dence should this give us in a world that often seems dominated by evil?

Read Daniel 7:15-18 • How did Daniel respond to the visions? WEEK • Take note of the word “saints” (verses 18, 21-22, 25, and 27). This refers to the people of God living during the time this vision unfolds. • What hope is given for the saints of the Most High?

Read Daniel 7:19-27 • What will happen to the saints before they possess the kingdom? • Take note of how the saints get the kingdom in verses 18, 22, and 27. Why is it signifi cant that the kingdom be something we receive instead of something we take?

Read Daniel 7:28 • How would you describe Daniel’s demeaner after seeing what he saw? • Why do you think he chose to keep it to himself? It might seem weird that Daniel goes from writing narrative in the fi rst half of the book to writing apocalyptic in the second half, but he’s writing to Jews suff ering in exile and apocalyptic writing was designed to comfort the oppressed and to encourage the faithful in distressful times. It’s written for those who feel powerless or helpless, under pressure, marginalized, left out; for those who have become the objects of scorn and ridicule for their faith; for those who suff er and cry out, “How long?” It is for anyone who feels burned out and tired, who wonders if life is passing them by. It is for all who grieve, who do not get out of life what they expect, who are frustrated and angry. And it’s used to give us perspective! Daniel’s vision paints a much darker picture of Questions godless nations than Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. for discussion Where Nebuchadnezzar saw godless things as attractive, Daniel saw them as dangerous. Are there things in our culture we see as attractive that need to be seen as dangerous? If so, what?

The spirit of the antichrist is always pushing back on God’s people. What are some ways we experience that spirit today?

How does our confi dence in God’s knowledge of the future give us perspective on handling the hard times of today?

WEEK In the original language chapters 2 – 7 are written in , but for the remainder of the book, the author switches back to Hebrew. This section describes the heinous evil the saints will face in near history as a precursor to the apocalyptic end of time. Chapters 8 – 11 cover periods of Medo-Persia and the Greeks, but they are meant to be read as a paradigm of all of history, culminating in a fi nal confl ict, a universal resurrection, and WEEK the inauguration of the rule of the saints. Read :1-4 The vision takes place in the period of the golden head of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the Babylonian era. The ram represents Medo-Persia, which each horn representing a people-group (Persia catching up with and eventually surpassing Media).

Read Daniel 8:5-8 Personal • Which kingdom is represented by the goat, or which kingdom historically follows the Medes Study and Persians? • Which animals from chapter 7 are now seen as a ram and a goat? This would mean the large original horn represents Alexander the Great, who very quickly conquered the known world. He died suddenly at age thirty-three, leaving no heirs. His kingdom was divided by four generals, who are the four prominent horns. Fun Fact: A large band of Greeks followed a heard of based on an oracle which led them to the city now known as Aegae, which means “goat city”.

Read Daniel 8:9-14 The little horn that came up out of the four horns was Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who became king of about 200 years later; and it was after his death that the Roman Empire began to extend its rule. Notes:

For further study, use the internet to research the Maccabean Revolt • What led to this revolt? • What did Antiochus forbid? • What did the do after the victory? • How does this historical event the Jews went through foreshadow what Christians will one day go through?

Read Daniel 8:15-26 • How did Daniel gain understanding of this vision? • Who do you think is speaking to ?

Read Daniel 8:27 • What was Daniel’s emotional response?

WEEK

Christians sometimes treat prophesy as if it were something fun to study, an amusing diversion, a mentally stimulation exercise in puzzle-solving. But the visions of Daniel were emotionally traumatic to their recipients. So, how were these visions meant to encourage the oppressed? Against a dark backdrop of loss and pain, there was great hope in knowing that God not only knows the future, He also controls the future! The forewarning was to keep God’s people from being surprised or having doubts of God’s power. Be honest, when you read stuff like Daniel 8, do Questions you get excited, want to skip it, feel confused, or for discussion something else? Why is it good for us to read prophesy even if it’s confusing?.

What are some pitfalls we need to avoid when it comes to studying prophesy?

The spirit of Babylon, the spirit of the antichrist, and the spirit of Antiochus are all the same. They want to tear down what God has built and replace it with counterfeits. How are we experiencing this same spirit today? Where are the things of God being torn down, and what is being built in their place?

How should we as Christians respond?

How can our understanding of Christ’s future victory provide us hope today?

WEEK The people of Israel hadn’t obeyed what the commanded, so they were exiled in Babylon where they learned to take God’s prophetic word seriously. As Daniel approaches God in prayer asking for deliverance, he does so with a humble heart using the language of prayer, supplication, fasting, and sackcloth and ashes.

Read Daniel 9:1-3 • Chronologically, where would this prayer fall amongst diff erent kingdom reigns? • How did Daniel discover how many years the exile WEEK was too last? Something to think about: God commanded Israel to rest their land every seventh year. They disobeyed this command for 490 years. If those years of rest were put on credit, how Personal many years did they owe God? If Daniel was taken to Babylon in 605 BC, and he Study discovered Jeremiah’s prophesy in 539, then he had been in Babylon sixty-six or sixty-seven years. The next year (538), Cyrus would make his decree permitting the Jews to return to their land. At his age (80+!), Daniel wouldn’t be able to return home, but he was praying for and rejoicing with those who would.

Read Daniel 9:4-19 Daniel uses the word Yahweh (translated “LORD”) seven times in this chapter, and it’s nowhere else in the rest of the book. It reminds us of God’s covenant faithfulness to His people. • Take note of how Daniel uses communal language (we, us, and our) • Why was Israel in exile? • What is Daniel counting on for God to hear his plea? (v.18) Forgiveness comes not on the basis of human deserving but on the basis of God’s gracious character. Notes: Read Daniel 9:20-23 • How does God respond to Daniel’s humble prayer? Gabriel, as God’s representative, shows us God’s swiftness (v.21), personal care (v.22), and compassionate love (v.23).

Read Daniel 9:24 • What does Gabriel promise for this sinful people? • The timing of the rescue is diffi cult to understand, but the nature is not. What will be brought about through Christ’s gracious work on behalf of his people? (3 have to do with sin and 3 have to do with righteousness)

Read Daniel 9:25-27 Jerusalem and the temple will be restored, followed by a time of trouble, culminating in the appearance of the Messiah, who himself will be “cut off ” before Jerusalem and its sanctuary are destroyed.

WEEK • Historically, who destroyed the fi rst temple, and when was it rebuilt? • Who is the anointed one, the prince, and when did he come? • When was the temple destroyed again, and who led this charge? All of the details from the verses align with Cyrus’s release of the captives, Jerusalem’s rebuilding, Christ’s coming, his crucifi xion, and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem by the future Roman emperor Titus in 70 AD.

Verses 24-27 can be hard to understand, but we must remember: God does not give the vision to puzzle us, but to comfort sinful people with the assurances of triumphant grace. How is Daniel’s communal understanding of sin Questions diff erent than our typical western view? for discussion Do you ever fi nd yourself burdened for the sins of the community? If so, which ones? If not, do you think that should change? Why or why not?

Because of Jesus we have full access to God the Father in prayer. This however sometimes leads to a very casual approach to His throne. Do you think we should take anything from Daniel’s posture of humility (sackcloth and ashes) now that Jesus has come? Why or why not?

Daniel prepared for prayer, started with worship, confessed sins, then asked for mercy. What can we practically apply from this structure in our own prayer life?

WEEK The third year of Cyrus would have been 536 BC, which is the latest date given in the book of Daniel. This statement doesn’t contradict 1:21, which tells us how long Daniel continued in the king’s court. As we have seen, Daniel lived long enough to see Jeremiah’s prophesy fulfi lled and the fi rst group of Jewish exiles return to their land and start to rebuild the temple. If he was fi fteen when he was taken to Babylon, then he would be eighty-four or eighty-fi ve years old at this time. Chapters 10 – 12 form a single vision of a great confl ict, which expose the ongoing spiritual warfare in the heavenly realm; and chapter 10 shows how the challenges to God’s people on earth are paralleled by battles in the spiritual realm.

WEEK Read Daniel 10:1-9 • Why is Daniel mourning? Personal • Who appears to him? • Who all was able to see the vision? Study Something to think about: Why lamenting is good for the soul • You allow yourself to feel • You process pain in the present • You process fears for the future • You empathize with others who are hurting

Read Daniel 10:10-14 • How does the care for Daniel? • Why was the angle delayed? • What does the angel off er him? (v.14)

Read Daniel 10:15-21 • What does Daniel receive with the fi rst touch? • What does he receive with the second touch? • What’s happening in the spiritual realm as earthly battles are being fought? Notes: Daniel 10 helps us to understand is the existence of a spiritual realm that we are unable to see. This realm has a ranking system (prince, chief prince, king) and this realm has strategic geographical outposts. Spiritual warfare is a real thing and we shouldn’t take it lightly! Ephesians 6:10-18 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against fl esh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand fi rm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the fl aming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints WEEK Life won’t always be easy and, as Daniel shows, it’s ok to lament and not be ok, but we must be aware that our pain on this earth is part of a great, spiritual war in an unseen realm. Some things that helped Daniel get through this crisis include:

• Ministry of presence from God • Being reminded that he was greatly loved • A reminder to not fear • A strengthening touch from God that brought peace and courage • A reminder that God knows and rules history

WEEK When you think about the reality of spiritual Questions warfare, what goes through your mind? for discussion What are some spiritual battles we’re seeing the physical eff ects of that could use our lamenting?

What were some things that helped Daniel get through this crisis?

What does it look like for us to apply Ephesians 6:10-18 to our own lives?

WEEK This passage gives a selective yet detailed overview of the fl ow of history from the time of Daniel in the late sixth century BC until the end of the world, the fi nal climactic confl ict and victory of God. Some scholars regard this as a “prophecy after the fact” that was actually written later than the events in the mid-second century BC because of the detail and accuracy of its predictions (in the fi rst 35 verses there are 135 that have been fulfi lled!), but Isaiah 44:6-7 asserts the Lord’s ability and purpose to declare ahead of time what would happen in order to demonstrate his power and sovereignty. Such an assurance of God’s sovereign control of history would have been profoundly relevant for Daniel’s day. The nation of Judah was about to be restored from exile, and yet it was not really free. It would be subject to the Persians, and then to Alexander’s Greeks; after that it would be caught in the middle between powerful heirs WEEK of Alexander’s empire, the Seleucids and the Ptolemies. Pious Jews would readily fall into bewilderment: how do these circumstances display God’s concern for his people, Personal and how will God ever use his now-insignifi cant people to bring blessing to the whole world? The vision is therefore Study reassurance for the faithful.

Read Daniel 11:1-4 Verses 1-4 are about Persia and Greece. Cyrus issued the important edict that permitted the Jews to return to their land and rebuild their temple (Ezra 1:1-4). The four kings that would rule in the future were Cambyses, Pseudo-Smerdis, Darius I Hystapes, and Xerxes (known as Ahasuerus in the book of Esther). • Who was the mighty king that brought down the Persian Empire? • What happened after Alexander the Great died? Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, leaving his mentally ill half-brother Philip III and his son Alexander IV in charge. These two were eventually murdered, and power passed into the hands of Alexander’s four leading generals. Notes: Read Daniel 11:5-20 The nations here are Egypt (south) and Syria (north). The rulers of the south and north changed regularly. And Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel after the nation split), was right in the middle of Egypt and Syria. It was often caught between these two great powers in their confl icts and found itself being passed back and forth. God knows and directs the aff airs of this world for His ultimate glory and our ultimate good.

Read Daniel 11:21-35 • If the “contemptible person” is the little horn of chapter 8, then who is this man? • How did be obtain the kingdom? In verse 28, Antiochus IV Epiphanes returned to his land after plundering Egypt in 169 BC, and on his way home he stopped in Palestine where he killed eighty thousand Jewish men, women, and children and plundered the temple. This is what sparked the Maccabean Revolt. • What did the Greeks do in the temple that is described as the abomination that makes desolate? • Why do you think some of the Jews were able to be bribed to follow the Greeks?

WEEK God knows and directs the aff airs of this world for His ultimate glory and our ultimate good. How do we presently see bad people prospering Questions and good people suff ering? for discussion These scenarios might make it seem like God is not in control, but Daniel 11 provides us hope. How so?

For some, God’s control over history is a philosophical problem (do any of our actions really matter?), but for Daniel and his readers it was something positive because they were in captivity, and this gave them assurance of future freedom. How can God’s control of the future be good news for us when we’re facing hard trials?

WEEK Toward the conclusion of this section of prophesy (chapters 10 – 12), the vision seems to shift focus and address a situation that transcends Antiochus IV, which would mean the rest of the chapter deals with the Antichrist at the end times.

Read Daniel 11:36-45 • If Antiochus IV was a type of antichrist, but not the Antichrist; who might be some other antichrist- types we’ve seen throughout history? • What will happen to God’s people during the Antichrist’s reign? • Will the Antichrist or any antichrist ultimately prosper?

WEEK Read Daniel 12:1-4 • What happens at the resurrection for those whose Personal names have been written in the book? • What will happen to those whose names are not in Study the book?

Read Daniel 12:5-13 • What are the two questions asked in verses 6 and 8? A “time, times, and a half of time” could be a literal three in a half years; or, if God’s completed judgment of His creation had a numerical symbol, it would be 7, thus making this period of time not a literal period of days to determine, but half of the total time of judgment, however long that judgment might last. We should study Scripture even when it’s hard to understand, but when it comes to end times prophesy don’t get too caught up in fi guring out when Jesus will return. We aren’t the planning committee, but the welcoming committee. How does ’s understanding of Questions what happens after death diff er from other for discussion worldviews? Why is it dangerous to get bogged down in the obscure parts of prophesy?

Do you fi nd yourself worrying about the end times? Why or why not?

How should we live in response to people’s eternal states being one of two destinies: everlasting life or everlasting contempt?

What’s been the best part of Daniel for your own spiritual journey?

WEEK