Daniel (1)
Preface
Daniel (1)
Foreword: From today on, I will translate into English Brother Chiang Jishu’s notes on the Book of Daniel. All the Bible study notes to be posted are for reference only. The Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth.
There are 17 prophetic books in Old Testament, and the Book of Daniel is one of them. Its prophecies concern not only the nation of Israel and Judah, but also concerning the entire world. Therefore, this book is very important particularly for all God’s people.
In Chapter 24 of Matthew, the disciples asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus quoted from Daniel, saying, “When you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ spoken of through the prophet …… “(Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11). So the Book of Daniel speaks of the end of the age.
If we want to know, through the Book of Revelation, what will happen at the end of the age, the Book of Daniel is a book that must be read, plus the book of Zechariah. Other prophetic books speak of the end-time situation, but none as clearly or completely as Daniel.
Daniel 1:1-2
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the LORD delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Shinar and put in the treasure house of his god.
• The opening of Daniel addresses one issue of history: “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah...”
Brief of the Last Five Kings
Josiah:
· The last good king of Judah reigned 31 years. (2 Kings 22:1-2)
Jehoahaz:
· also called Shallum; reigned 3 months (2 Kings 23:30-32, Jeremiah 22:11)
Jehoiakim :
· also called Eliakim; reigned 11 years (2 Kings 23:34-37)
Jehoiachin:
· also called Coniah; reigned 3 months (2 Kings 24:8-9, Jeremiah 22:24)
Zedekiah:
· also called Mattaniah; reigned 11 years (2 Kings 25:6-7)
The relationship between last 5 kings of Judah
• Josiah was the father of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. Jehoiakim was elder brother of Jehoahaz.
• Jehoiachin was Josiah’s grandson and Jehoiakim’s son.
• Zedekiah was Jehoiachin’s uncle.
★ After Josiah’s death, his son Jehoahaz became king.
· Jehoahaz was anointed by the people of the land, but Pharaoh Necho of Egypt removed Jehoahaz and installed Josiah’s another son Jehoiakim as king of Judah.
· Jehoiakim was anointed by Egyptian pharaoh. (2 Kings 23:31-34, 2 Chronicles 36:3-4)
★ After Jehoiakim’s death, his son Jehoiachin succeeded him as king (2 Kings 24:6).
· Jehoiakim is mentioned in the first verse of the Book of Daniel.
· In the third year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up against him, chained him with bronze chains, and took him to Babylon.
· Daniel was among those taken captive to Babylon with Jehoiakim (BC 606).
This is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim king of Judah:
“He will have no one to sit on the throne of David”
(Jeremiah 36:30)
★ Jehoiachin was taken captive by Babylonian king.
· Babylonian king installed Josiah’s other son Zedekiah as king. Zedekiah was Jehoiachin’s uncle.
· The LORD’s judgment against Jehoiachin:
This is what the LORD says:
“Record this man as if childless,
a man who will not prosper in his lifetime,
for none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.”
(Jeremiah 22:30)
★ Zedekiah was taken captive to Babylon by Babylonian king.
· Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, was installed as king of Judah by Babylonian king.
· He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. They killed his sons before his eyes. ……
· The Kingdom of Judah was destroyed in 588 BC.
★ The Kingdom of Judah was destroyed, becoming a province of the Babylonian kingdom. Babylonian king appointed Gedaliah as governor of the province of Judah. (2 Kings 25:22)
• The Kingdom of Israel which lasted 254 years was destroyed by Assyria in 721 BC. (2 Kings 17:5-6)
• The Kingdom of Judah which lasted 387 years was destroyed by Babylon in 588 BC. (2 Kings 25:8-22)
• After the fall of Israel, the Kingdom of Judah existed for another 133 years.
• After the fall of Israel, Judah was first controlled by Egypt (2 Kings 23:33-35); when Babylon rose to power, Judah was controlled by Babylon (2 Kings 24:1-4), until it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
★ History after Babylon:
• Babylon was conquered by the Mede and Persia.
• Persia was conquered by Greece.
• Greece was conquered by Rome.
Daniel lived through four gentile kings:
• Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Daniel 1:1)
• Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:1)
• Darius, king of the Mede (Daniel 5:31)
• Cyrus, king of Persia (Daniel 1:21, 6:28)