Submitted by Doc GP

CHRIST IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL

The prophecy of Daniel is one of the most important books in the entire Word of God, because it marks out the exact course the nations of the world will take. It tells how the kingdoms of this earth shall become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ (see Revelation 11:15).

It is important also because the Savior referred to this book when He spoke of the signs of His return to earth.

The Lord Jesus quoted from this book of Daniel (Mat 24:14,15,30; Luke 21:24-27; Mat 26:63,64). He used the prophecy of Daniel, about the coming of the Son of man in clouds of heaven, as proof of His messiahship and deity.

STONE CUT WITHOUT HANDS (Daniel 2:34-35, 44)

We cannot consider the prophetic Scriptures without coming eventually to the One who is the Spirit of prophecy, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Smiting Stone of Daniel 2:44,45. The Stone ”cut out of the mountain without hands”  i.e the stone is cut without human help This depicts Jesus Christ and His glorious appearing (v.45). His return will spell the destruction of Gentile dominion, and He will be exalted to world rulership.

God’s Son is the One who shall come to destroy Gentile dominion. It is He whose kingdom ”shall stand forever.” His messianic rule is a sovereign supernatural power (Cf. Dan. 4:3; Jn. 18:36; Lk. 1:33; Ps. 2:9;

Son of GodChap 3-

When Nebuchadnezzar looked into the fiery furnace and said, ”Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” ” (Daniel 3:25). Although Nebuchadnezzar did not know of whom he spoke,  this is no doubt was a theophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus.
According to His promise (Isa 43:2), the Lord was with them in the fire, ”and the form of the fourth was like the Son of God.” and He is still with His own when they pass through the fire, and many a saint has proved since then, as they did, that the only effect of the fire is to burn the bonds.

SON OF MAN (Daniel 7:13-14)

The term identifies Christ with humanity, lowliness, humility, patience, suffering and triumphant victory. Jesus used this title as a substitute for the pronoun “I” (Lk. 9:58; Matt. 11:19; 16:13; Mk. 8:27);

when speaking of His future glory (Matt. 19:28; 24:30; Mk. 13:26; Lk. 17:26, 30); His coming again (Matt. 24-25; Mk. 13; Lk. 17; Matt. 26:64);

When the High Priest said to our Lord, ”I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell me whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God,” Jesus saith unto him, ”Thou hast said: nevertheless, I say unto thee, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Then the High Priest rent his clothes, saying, ”He hath spoken blasphemy.” Our Lord applied these words of Daniel to Himself, and the High Priest immediately recognized in them His claim to deity. [Mat 26:63-65]

His coming judgment (Matt. 13:41; 25:31, 32; Lk. 21:36l);

His suffering, death and resurrection (Matt. 17:12, 22; 16:21; 26:2, 24; Lk. 9:44; 18:31, 32;22:22, 48), etc.

What a majestic scene in Dan 7:9-14 ! With the close of the vision of the four beasts, we have a further revelation of Christ in Daniel. The Ancient of days, God the Father, is seated upon His throne sitting there in judgment.

The time setting is immediately before the return of Christ to establish His kingdom. We read, ”I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days… and everlasting dominion and glory given to Him ” (Dan 7:13). The verses that follow are paralleled by the description of Christ in Revelation 5:1-7. ”And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Dan 7:14,15).

This scene also depicts in act what was said in words in David’s Psalm, which Jesus quoted as written of Himself, ”The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool” [Psa 110].

SAVIOUR  CHAPTER 9 – SEVENTY WEEKS & THE MESSIAH (Daniel 9:24-27)

Like a thread of gold, the assurance of the ultimate triumph of our Lord runs through the prophecy of Daniel. Indeed, He is Lord of lords, and King of kings.
Daniel 9 foretells the death of Messiah, the Prince.
Verses 24-27 refer plainly to the manifestation of Jesus Christ to fulfil all righteousness and to make full atonement for the sins of His people (compare 1John 3:8 and 2Cor 5:19).

”The language of the prophecy is clear: ‘From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks.’ ”And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself.” [Dan 9:26].

The Messiah, the Prince, would be ”cut off” 434 years (62 x 7) after the rebuilding of Jerusalem. This was fulfilled when Christ was crucified. .-After the 483 years were over, Messiah was cut off.

The seventy weeks began with the edict of Artaxerxes to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, in the Jewish month Nisan of the year 445 B.C. [Neh 2:1-8]. ” Sir Robert Anderson, with the assistance of astronomical calculations supplied by the Astronomer-Royal, Sir G. B. Airy, has calculated that this interval (seventy times sixty-nine prophetic years of 360 days) brings us to the very day of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the climax of His ministry, when the prophecy of Zechariah was fulfilled, ”Behold thy King cometh unto thee” [Zech 9:9], and the day of Zion’s irrevocable choice. The correct translation of our Lord’s words is: ”If thou hadst known, even on this day, the things that belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes” [Luke 19:42].

The prophetic clock stopped. The death of Christ broke the chain for the weeks; for that event sundered the relation then existing between God and the chosen people.

God’s dealings today do not center fully upon Israel; rather, He is taking out of the Gentiles ”a people for His name” (Acts 15:14).

Messiah comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to smear, to anoint, to spread a liquid.” Prophets, priests and kings were “anointed,” smeared with oil of anointing. Jesus is the Anointed of the Lord, or Messiah. He is the agent of God through whom Israel’s destiny was fulfilled (Lk. 4:16-21; 23:35; 24:26-27, 46).

”The Time of the End.”Daniel Chapters 11 and 12 point to the ”Time of the end,”2The 2; Rev 19), prophesy of predicts the mighty scenes and events of the Great Tribulation – a time of unparalleled trouble and Our Lord speaks of the same (Mat 24:21). They severally declare that the great adversary will be destroyed by the coming of Jesus Christ Himself. Our Lord’s own testimony is identical with theirs (Mat 24 and 25; Mark 13 and Luke 21). Our Lord quotes the words of Daniel about the daily sacrifice being taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate being set up.

Here the resurrection of the dead is more plainly foretold than anywhere else in the Old Testament: ”Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” The future joy of those that turn many to righteousness is revealed.