Daniel: mighty rivers, mighty heavenly warriors and mighty men. Daniel 10:1-27 Chapters 10-12 form the last section of the book of Daniel. Chapter 10 is a lengthy introduction to the final vision that is revealed to Daniel. And as we meet Daniel in chapter 10 we catch him in a bit of a crossroads and […]
Daniel: a powerful prayer life. Daniel 9:1-27 In our modern fast-food and consumer culture we expect that God is giving to work in much the same way as the drive through at Macdonalds. As soon as we ask for what we want it, it is delivered to our car windows within moments. If this is our […]
Daniel: the powerful ram and the speedy goat. Daniel 8:1-27 Daniel 2, 7 and 8 each in their own way explore the final manifestation of evil government that shall be destroyed by the coming of Christ. They each take both a short view and a long view on history speaking both to times that have already […]
Daniel: who’s who in the zoo? Daniel 7:1-28 Daniel 7 commences now the vision portions of the book of Daniel. From a chronological perspective this vision ought to be placed before Daniel 5 as it occurs 10 years prior to Belshazzar’s fateful feast. But Daniel chooses to organise his book with these particular visions together because […]
Daniel: which city do you live for? Daniel 6:1-28 In Daniel 6 it is now the Medo-Persians under the rule of Darius (also known as King Cyrus) who have risen to power. It was the largest empire the world had yet seen and so it required a well oiled system of governance and administration hence why […]
Daniel: the writing is on the wall. Daniel 5:1-30 We now turn our attention from the first king of the Babylonian empire (Nebuchadnezzar) to the last king of the Babylonian Empire (Belshazzar). Two very different men, both with power, both with pride, but both respond to God differently. Chapter 5 relays the account in which […]
Daniel: a tree chopped down in order to truly thrive. Daniel 4:4-36 King Nebuchadnezzar has been on a journey. A journey in which the Almighty God has been steadily pursuing and provoking him to wake up to the reality of who really has the power and authority over the earth. First there was a dream […]
Daniel: a time to fast and pray. The spiritual life of a stand up person. As we have been exploring the book of Daniel together as a community this week we are taking a moment to pause and reflect upon what God has been teaching us through Daniel. We are also pausing this week on wednesday […]
Daniel: facing the fire. Daniel 3-4:3 Just as an immense statue featured in Daniel chapter 2 now also another immense statue features. This time instead of a dream it is a golden image that Nebuchadnezzar himself erects. It was an immense idol that would have loomed over 27 metres tall; a symbol of Babylon’s dominance serving to […]
Daniel: the stone not cut by human hands. Daniel 2:31-49 This week we begin to look more closely at the content and interpretation of the dream that strikes fear into King Nebuchadnezzar. As we venture into the world of prophecy it is interesting to note that many scholars date the book of Daniel as later […]