A voice for the word of God
Daniel
Daniel served God faithfully in the courts of Babylon, an exile who rose to prominence without compromising his devotion. Known for the lions' den and for interpreting dreams, his visions reach to the end of history and the coming of the Son of man. He models faith that holds firm under pressure.
“But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;”Daniel 2:28
His life and calling
His life and calling. Daniel was a young man of Judah taken captive to Babylon, roughly in the early sixth century before Christ, and trained to serve in the royal court. From the start he resolved not to defile himself with the king's food, and "Daniel purposed in his heart" to remain faithful (Daniel 1:8). God gave him wisdom and the ability to interpret dreams, and he served under a succession of rulers from Nebuchadnezzar to the Persian kings. His steadfast prayer life led to the famous test when jealous officials had prayer to any god but the king forbidden; Daniel kept praying toward Jerusalem three times a day "as he did aforetime" (Daniel 6:10), and was cast into the den of lions, from which God delivered him. Beyond his courage, Daniel received a series of visions of world empires rising and falling under God's sovereign hand. Though often classed among the prophets, his book is unusual, part court narrative and part apocalyptic vision. Throughout, Daniel was a faithful witness in a pagan empire, showing that God rules over all kingdoms and preserves His people.
His message
His message. Daniel's central message is that the Most High God rules over the nations and the sweep of history: "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will" (Daniel 4:17). Earthly empires rise in their pride and fall, but God's kingdom endures. In Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great statue, Daniel foretold a kingdom that God would set up which "shall never be destroyed... and it shall stand for ever" (Daniel 2:44). His visions gave suffering exiles hope that evil powers do not have the last word. His own life proclaimed a quieter message too, that faithfulness is possible in a hostile culture, that one can serve earthly rulers with excellence while worshipping God alone. Whether refusing the king's food, praying at the risk of death, or interpreting handwriting on the wall, Daniel testified that the God of heaven is worthy of unwavering trust, and that He honors those who honor Him.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Daniel's most striking vision is of "one like the Son of man" coming "with the clouds of heaven" to receive an everlasting kingdom that "shall not pass away" (Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus took the title Son of man as His own and, when the high priest asked if He was the Christ, answered with these very words: "ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62). The kingdom that God sets up in Daniel, unbreakable and eternal, is the kingdom Christ proclaimed and inaugurated. Daniel's deliverance from the lions' den and his companions from the fiery furnace foreshadow the God who saves through death itself. Daniel wrote of a coming Anointed One in his vision of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9), which Christians read as pointing toward the Messiah's work. God spoke through Daniel's visions, and has spoken finally in the Son of man who reigns for ever (Hebrews 1:1-2).
Questions people ask
Who is the Son of man in Daniel 7?
Daniel saw "one like the Son of man" come with the clouds to receive an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus repeatedly called Himself the Son of man and applied Daniel's words directly to Himself before the high priest (Mark 14:62), identifying Himself as the figure Daniel saw.
Is Daniel a prophet or a historical book?
The book blends both: narratives of Daniel's faithfulness in Babylon and apocalyptic visions of the future. Jewish tradition places it among the writings, while Jesus referred to "Daniel the prophet" (Matthew 24:15). Either way it delivers a prophetic message about God's rule over history.