Study Focus: Luke 24:25–27; 2 Pet. 3:11–13; Jon. 3:3–10; Num. 14:34; Dan. 9:23; Dan. 10:11, 12.
Introduction: In order to better understand, and benefit from, the book of Daniel, we shall take a look at three crucial and interrelated concepts: Christ, historicism, and apocalyptic literature.
Lesson Themes:
Christ. What Jesus said about the Old Testament Scriptures, as a whole (Luke 24:44, John 5:39), applies specifically to the Book of Daniel. Christ is reflected in both the broad themes and in specific instances of the narratives and prophecies of Daniel.
2. Apocalyptic Literature. Apocalyptic literature aims at encouraging God’s people in times of crisis and persecution by disclosing God’s overarching plans for history. These plans culminate with the deliverance of God’s people, the obliteration of evil, and the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom.
Historicism. The Adventist understanding of the prophecies of Daniel is based on the historicist principle, which sees the fulfillment of apocalyptic prophecies throughout history. This principle best explains the prophecies of Daniel (and Revelation).
Life Application: In spite of the apparent hopeless condition of our contemporary world, God is in charge. Hope shines through the pages of Daniel. Christ has been enthroned as our Supreme Commander and High Priest in the heavenly temple. As human history unfolds, God is working to defeat evil and establish His eternal kingdom. As Ellen G. White said, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us and His teaching in our past history.”—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 31. Therefore, let us study the book of Daniel with faith and understanding.
Part II: Commentary
Christ. One of the most important goals of Bible study is to learn about Jesus. After all, the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation testify of Jesus. There are about 200 references in the New Testament to the book of Daniel. Proportionately, Daniel is quoted as much as Isaiah and the Psalms, which are the books most quoted, or alluded to, in the New Testament. Most definitely, Daniel has a lot to say about Jesus. Let us examine six biblical principles that will give us better focus as we learn about Christ in the book of Daniel.
First, Jesus is revealed in the redemptive-historical progression of Daniel. Jesus is the goal to which the history of salvation depicted in the prophecies of Daniel unfolds. So, Jesus is revealed in Daniel, inasmuch as the historical trajectory of God’s dealings with His people and the world culminate in Jesus.
Second, Jesus appears in the pattern of promise-fulfillment conveyed in the prophecies of Daniel. For example, Jesus is the Son of Man and the coming Messiah announced in Daniel 7 and 9, respectively.
Third, as we study typology, we learn that God preordained some events and institutions to foreshadow important aspects of the plan of salvation. Hence, Jesus is revealed in the sanctuary/priesthood/sacrifice mentioned in the book of Daniel.
Fourth, we can also perceive Jesus by analogy in some explicit teachings of the text of Daniel that parallel Jesus’ own experiences. For example, the pressure on Daniel’s friends to “fall down and worship the gold image” (Dan. 3:5, NKJV) echoes the devil’s tempting Jesus: “And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me’ ” (Matt. 4:9, NKJV). The faithfulness of Daniel’s friends gives us a faint glimpse of the perfect obedience of Jesus to the Father.
Fifth, Jesus also appears in the longitudinal themes leading up to Jesus in the New Testament. For example, the broad theme of salvation points to Jesus as the ultimate Savior of His people.
Sixth, the New Testament references to the book of Daniel are another perspective through which we may find Jesus. For example, Revelation 13:1–8 alludes to Daniel 7; in Matthew 26:64 and Mark 14:62, Jesus refers to Daniel 7:13 and applies to Himself the designation “Son of Man.” See Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from Daniel (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2012).
Apocalyptic Literature. Two primary types (genres) of prophetic literature are found in the Bible. Classical prophecy depicts God as acting within history to restore the world according to the geographic and ethnic framework of the covenant established with Israel (see, for example, the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos). Apocalyptic prophecy shows God as destroying the old order before restoring the world. It is an approach most appropriate for times of crisis, when God’s people need hope and assurance that God is in full control of the course of history and will bring about the consummation of all things. In the Bible, apocalyptic prophecy appears mainly in Daniel and Revelation. Apocalyptic prophecies bear some distinctive features that we must take into consideration for a proper understanding of them:
Single fulfillment. Apocalyptic prophecy is unconditional and has one single fulfillment. It may have multiple spiritual or homiletic applications, but it points to a single prophetic fulfillment. This fulfilment is a logical consequence of the historicist approach, which sees apocalyptic prophecy as depicting history from the time of the prophet to the end of time (more on historicism below).
Recapitulation. Daniel (also Revelation) uses the principle of recapitulation or repetition. Daniel 2 provides the standard outline of world history from the times of the prophet to the end. Then chapters 7, 8, 10–12 recapitulate the basic outline of Daniel 2 with the addition of other details and perspectives. As one author put it, Daniel 2 depicts the restoration of the kingdom; Daniel 7, the restoration of the king; Daniel 8, the restoration of the sanctuary; and Daniel 10–12, the restoration of the people. A clear understanding of the principle of recapitulation provides an interpretative control for the study of the various prophetic chains of Daniel, including the challenging prophecy of Daniel 11.
Year-Day principle. Apocalyptic prophecy employs symbolism that includes certain time periods mentioned in such prophecies. A literal understanding of the time periods does not make sense given the magnitude of the events involved and the symbolic context of the apocalyptic prophecies. Such time periods must be understood according to the principle that one day in prophecy represents one year in actual history. Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:5, 6 are the classical passages in support of the year-day principle. However, there are a number of biblical passages that show the year-day correspondence in the Bible (Genesis 5, Gen. 6:3, 1 Sam. 1:21, Job 10:5, etc.). Finally, since the symbolism of the apocalyptic prophecies employs small entities to represent broader entities, it follows from this observation that the time periods are also “miniature symbolizations” of larger time spans, namely, a day for a year (see Alberto Timm, "Miniature Symbolization and the Year-Day Principle of Prophetic Interpretation,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 42, no. 1 [2004]: 149–167).
Historicism. In contrast to Preterism and Futurism, which conceive fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecies in the past and future, respectively, Historicism sees the prophetic fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecies as extending from the time of the prophet to the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. As such, Historicism is not just one school of prophetic interpretation among others; as a matter of fact, historicism is the approach that coheres better with the biblical text. The following arguments show the validity of historicism.
First, historicism is the method suggested by the Bible itself. For example, the prophetic chains of Daniel 2, 7, 8–9 are explained from a historicist perspective. The sequence of world empires that culminate in the establishment of God’s kingdom span a time period extending from the Babylonian/Persian times to the end of the world.
Second, the large time periods and the universal scope of apocalyptic prophecies (1260, 2300, 490 years), which span kingdoms and ultimately result in the kingdom of God, can be better explained according to the historicist approach.
Third, Jesus understood the future destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (Matt. 24:15–20, Luke 21:20–22) as a fulfillment of Daniel 9:26, 27. Paul refers to a number of successive prophetic events to be fulfilled within history before the second coming of Christ (2 Thess. 2:1–12).
Fourth, the historicist approach was used by the early Church Fathers and the Reformers. Augustine began a shift in perspective when he equated the kingdom of God with the Christian church and the millennium with the Christian Era.
Fifth, the historicist approach is based on the assumption that God works throughout the centuries of human history to bring the plan of salvation to its consummation. There are no gaps in God’s redemptive activities in the scenario depicted in the apocalyptic prophecies.
To conclude: “Seventh-day Adventists believe that historicism is the right method of prophetic interpretation to be used in the interpretation of the books of Daniel and Revelation. The method is supported by the Scriptures itself and was in use during the early church period. Moreover, they feel that in using this method they are also preserving an important aspect of the Reformers’ work of restoration.”—Don F. Neufeld, ed., Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1995), article entitled “Historicism,” p. 2.
Part III: Life Application
“There is need of a much closer study of the Word of God; especially should Daniel and the Revelation have attention as never before. . . . The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pp. 112, 113.
What is your first impression of the book of Daniel? Is it a book about prophetic chronology, stories with spiritual application, or about Christ? Explain.
How do you integrate these three aspects—prophetic chronology, stories with spiritual application, and Christ-centeredness—in your understanding of the book in light of the following statement by Ellen G. White? “The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God.”—Education, p. 125.
What view of God can you derive from the definition of apocalyptic prophecy offered above? How transformative is this perception for your relationship with Him?
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Key Text: Acts 8:30
Study Focus: Luke 24:25–27; 2 Pet. 3:11–13; Jon. 3:3–10; Num. 14:34; Dan. 9:23; Dan. 10:11, 12.
Introduction: In order to better understand, and benefit from, the book of Daniel, we shall take a look at three crucial and interrelated concepts: Christ, historicism, and apocalyptic literature.
Lesson Themes:
Life Application: In spite of the apparent hopeless condition of our contemporary world, God is in charge. Hope shines through the pages of Daniel. Christ has been enthroned as our Supreme Commander and High Priest in the heavenly temple. As human history unfolds, God is working to defeat evil and establish His eternal kingdom. As Ellen G. White said, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us and His teaching in our past history.”—Testimonies to Ministers, p. 31. Therefore, let us study the book of Daniel with faith and understanding.
Part II: Commentary
Christ. One of the most important goals of Bible study is to learn about Jesus. After all, the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation testify of Jesus. There are about 200 references in the New Testament to the book of Daniel. Proportionately, Daniel is quoted as much as Isaiah and the Psalms, which are the books most quoted, or alluded to, in the New Testament. Most definitely, Daniel has a lot to say about Jesus. Let us examine six biblical principles that will give us better focus as we learn about Christ in the book of Daniel. First, Jesus is revealed in the redemptive-historical progression of Daniel. Jesus is the goal to which the history of salvation depicted in the prophecies of Daniel unfolds. So, Jesus is revealed in Daniel, inasmuch as the historical trajectory of God’s dealings with His people and the world culminate in Jesus. Second, Jesus appears in the pattern of promise-fulfillment conveyed in the prophecies of Daniel. For example, Jesus is the Son of Man and the coming Messiah announced in Daniel 7 and 9, respectively. Third, as we study typology, we learn that God preordained some events and institutions to foreshadow important aspects of the plan of salvation. Hence, Jesus is revealed in the sanctuary/priesthood/sacrifice mentioned in the book of Daniel. Fourth, we can also perceive Jesus by analogy in some explicit teachings of the text of Daniel that parallel Jesus’ own experiences. For example, the pressure on Daniel’s friends to “fall down and worship the gold image” (Dan. 3:5, NKJV) echoes the devil’s tempting Jesus: “And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me’ ” (Matt. 4:9, NKJV). The faithfulness of Daniel’s friends gives us a faint glimpse of the perfect obedience of Jesus to the Father. Fifth, Jesus also appears in the longitudinal themes leading up to Jesus in the New Testament. For example, the broad theme of salvation points to Jesus as the ultimate Savior of His people. Sixth, the New Testament references to the book of Daniel are another perspective through which we may find Jesus. For example, Revelation 13:1–8 alludes to Daniel 7; in Matthew 26:64 and Mark 14:62, Jesus refers to Daniel 7:13 and applies to Himself the designation “Son of Man.” See Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from Daniel (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2012).
Apocalyptic Literature. Two primary types (genres) of prophetic literature are found in the Bible. Classical prophecy depicts God as acting within history to restore the world according to the geographic and ethnic framework of the covenant established with Israel (see, for example, the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos). Apocalyptic prophecy shows God as destroying the old order before restoring the world. It is an approach most appropriate for times of crisis, when God’s people need hope and assurance that God is in full control of the course of history and will bring about the consummation of all things. In the Bible, apocalyptic prophecy appears mainly in Daniel and Revelation. Apocalyptic prophecies bear some distinctive features that we must take into consideration for a proper understanding of them: Single fulfillment. Apocalyptic prophecy is unconditional and has one single fulfillment. It may have multiple spiritual or homiletic applications, but it points to a single prophetic fulfillment. This fulfilment is a logical consequence of the historicist approach, which sees apocalyptic prophecy as depicting history from the time of the prophet to the end of time (more on historicism below). Recapitulation. Daniel (also Revelation) uses the principle of recapitulation or repetition. Daniel 2 provides the standard outline of world history from the times of the prophet to the end. Then chapters 7, 8, 10–12 recapitulate the basic outline of Daniel 2 with the addition of other details and perspectives. As one author put it, Daniel 2 depicts the restoration of the kingdom; Daniel 7, the restoration of the king; Daniel 8, the restoration of the sanctuary; and Daniel 10–12, the restoration of the people. A clear understanding of the principle of recapitulation provides an interpretative control for the study of the various prophetic chains of Daniel, including the challenging prophecy of Daniel 11. Year-Day principle. Apocalyptic prophecy employs symbolism that includes certain time periods mentioned in such prophecies. A literal understanding of the time periods does not make sense given the magnitude of the events involved and the symbolic context of the apocalyptic prophecies. Such time periods must be understood according to the principle that one day in prophecy represents one year in actual history. Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:5, 6 are the classical passages in support of the year-day principle. However, there are a number of biblical passages that show the year-day correspondence in the Bible (Genesis 5, Gen. 6:3, 1 Sam. 1:21, Job 10:5, etc.). Finally, since the symbolism of the apocalyptic prophecies employs small entities to represent broader entities, it follows from this observation that the time periods are also “miniature symbolizations” of larger time spans, namely, a day for a year (see Alberto Timm, "Miniature Symbolization and the Year-Day Principle of Prophetic Interpretation,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 42, no. 1 [2004]: 149–167).
Historicism. In contrast to Preterism and Futurism, which conceive fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecies in the past and future, respectively, Historicism sees the prophetic fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecies as extending from the time of the prophet to the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth. As such, Historicism is not just one school of prophetic interpretation among others; as a matter of fact, historicism is the approach that coheres better with the biblical text. The following arguments show the validity of historicism. First, historicism is the method suggested by the Bible itself. For example, the prophetic chains of Daniel 2, 7, 8–9 are explained from a historicist perspective. The sequence of world empires that culminate in the establishment of God’s kingdom span a time period extending from the Babylonian/Persian times to the end of the world. Second, the large time periods and the universal scope of apocalyptic prophecies (1260, 2300, 490 years), which span kingdoms and ultimately result in the kingdom of God, can be better explained according to the historicist approach. Third, Jesus understood the future destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (Matt. 24:15–20, Luke 21:20–22) as a fulfillment of Daniel 9:26, 27. Paul refers to a number of successive prophetic events to be fulfilled within history before the second coming of Christ (2 Thess. 2:1–12). Fourth, the historicist approach was used by the early Church Fathers and the Reformers. Augustine began a shift in perspective when he equated the kingdom of God with the Christian church and the millennium with the Christian Era. Fifth, the historicist approach is based on the assumption that God works throughout the centuries of human history to bring the plan of salvation to its consummation. There are no gaps in God’s redemptive activities in the scenario depicted in the apocalyptic prophecies. To conclude: “Seventh-day Adventists believe that historicism is the right method of prophetic interpretation to be used in the interpretation of the books of Daniel and Revelation. The method is supported by the Scriptures itself and was in use during the early church period. Moreover, they feel that in using this method they are also preserving an important aspect of the Reformers’ work of restoration.”—Don F. Neufeld, ed., Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1995), article entitled “Historicism,” p. 2.
Part III: Life Application
“There is need of a much closer study of the Word of God; especially should Daniel and the Revelation have attention as never before. . . . The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pp. 112, 113.