“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8).
THE GREAT PROPHET
Many years ago, God told my mother-in-law that I was destined to be a preacher of the end times. Remember that I barely knew how to read when she said that, let alone stand in a pulpit to preach. I kindly smiled in disbelief. Then she gave me books and resources on the eschatological elements of the Bible, which included Dr. Charles Hoff, Oliver Greene, Charles Layman, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, and a host of others. Talk about a fish out of water. Since I trusted her implicitly, I carefully treasured these resources throughout my life. It took me a few years to pick up these books and read them, primarily because I had to learn to read. When I did, though, a new world opened to this frail, dependent mind of mine. When I look at my life today and the works that pour forth from my hands, I see the prophetic nudging of my precious mother-in-law. I am eternally grateful for this traditional Dutch woman and her obedience to the Lord’s prophecies.
A mentor of mine once said these words to me: “God is about to do great and mighty things through you.” While you would think that I’d be excited, I was not. It promoted my childhood flesh pattern of fear. This mentor, a conservative Baptist pastor, then laid hands on me and prayed a bold prayer of release. It was as if someone had poured a bucket of warm water over my entire body. I got up from this experience, and without hesitation, I began speaking Hebrew. Both of us were amazed. I studied Hebrew first, Greek second, Latin third, and then English from that day forward. This is how I studied the book of Daniel.
You see, my love for the book of Daniel erupted out of necessity. I had a gift within my mortal soul where I viewed all of life through the prophetic elements of the Holy Scriptures. I couldn’t deny it. I was unable to stop it. And it consumed my worldview 24-hours a day.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DANIEL’S BOOK
Daniel is considered as important as Noah and Job (Ezekiel 14:14). He is also considered to be the man God used to set up the book of Revelation. The book of Daniel in the Old Testament is the twin to the New Testament’s book of Revelation. Of all the honored characters found in the Word of God, there is none more intriguing, appealing, loveable, and pure than Daniel. Like Joseph, Jacob’s son, no accounts of evil were recorded against Daniel’s life.
The book of Daniel is most remarkable. It is packed with prophecies that flow into modern culture. Like Daniel himself, it is a unique and supernatural work. It records the course of the history of the nations from Daniel’s day until the end, as stated in Revelation. Critics throughout the ages have groaned in despair in their attempts to discredit the book of Daniel, but there’s no other book in the Bible that has been so completely and accurately vindicated by history.
Another intriguing fact that makes this book important is that every prophecy in Daniel, up until this hour, has been meticulously, accurately, and minutely fulfilled in every detail stated. His imparted prophecies will continue to unfold until the last hour, and we can expect the fulfilled prophecies that are stated in Revelation’s books to align with God’s timeline.
There is no better way for humanity to reject the supernatural, verbal inspiration in the Bible—the infallible dictation of the Scriptures by the Spirit of God—than to delude and destroy Daniel’s writings in our modern culture. Skeptics hate prophecies and are afraid to consider them as the projected truth that prepared Jesus for establishing the New Covenant Church. By denouncing the Old Testament prophets and their prophecies, skeptics think they will somehow unravel the truth that Jesus indeed exists within the born-again believer and grafts them into the Body of Christ. Despite all these hellish doctrines hurled at the book of Daniel, it still stands as the most historic, futuristic writing of all time. If Satanic critics continue trying to discredit Daniel, Satan’s attack upon the Word of God will continue through the ages until he arrives at his position as the Antichrist.
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Narrator | Dr. Stephen Phinney
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Daniel: The Great Prophet Daniel