Page 33 - Daniel

view of Israel’s history, may be considered fulfilled today with the
exception of verse 27, another prophecy of the role of Israel in the years
immediately preceding the second advent.

Taken as a whole, the interpretation of Daniel provides a broad
outline of God’s program for the Gentiles from Daniel to the second
advent, and the program for Israel for the same period with Daniel 9:24
beginning in Nehemiah’s time. The support of these interpretations as

opposed to contrary views will be presented in the exposition.

THEOLOGY

In its broad revelation, the book of Daniel provides the same view of
God that appears elsewhere in the Old Testament, namely, a God who is

sovereign, loving, omnipotent, omniscient, righteous, and merciful. He is
the God of Israel, but He is also the God of the Gentiles. Both of these
theses are amply sustained in Daniel.

Although Daniel does not concern himself primarily with messianic
prophecy, the first coming of Christ is anticipated in Daniel 9:26,
including His death on the cross and the later destruction of Jerusalem.
Details of Christ’s second advent are illuminated in chapters 7 and 12.

The doctrine of angels is prominent in the book of Daniel, with Gabriel
and Michael named and active in the events of the book. In this, Daniel
adds to other Old Testament accounts, but the liberal criticism that
Daniel borrowed angelic lore from Babylonian and Persian sources is
unjustified and not supported by the text. 35

In his doctrine of mankind, Daniel fully bears witness to human
depravity, to God’s righteous judgment on sinful human beings, and the
possibility of mercy and grace, as illustrated in chapter 4 in the

conversion of Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel’s clear testimony to resurrection in chapter 12 has been
attacked by critics as being out of keeping with his times, as being

borrowed from pagan or apocryphal sources, and as being unnoticed by
the Minor Prophets who followed him. All of these allegations are
without adequate foundation. The doctrine of resurrection is brought out
clearly in Job 19:25–26 as normally interpreted. The resurrection of