The Prophecies of Daniel

By Thomas S. McCall, Th.M., Th.D.
Senior Theologian, Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc., Dallas, Texas

Think of the prophecies of Daniel as the steel superstructure of a great building, to which walls, roof, floors, etc. are attached. All the subsequent Bible predictions are attached to the superstructure of Daniel. The two primary parts of the framework are the “times of the Gentiles” and the “seventy weeks” concerning Israel and Jerusalem: Daniel 9.24-27. Everything else, the broad expanse of human history, the first and second comings of Christ and all the details supplied by the Lord through His prophets and apostles are attached to this magnificent superstructure.

Already by Daniel's time, the following prophetic truths had been revealed to God's chosen nation:

1. Israel would be the channel of the Lord's great Messianic Kingdom on earth: the Abrahamic Covenant and Jacob’s prophecy concerning Judah, Genesis 49.8-10.
2. The Davidic dynasty would be the catalyst behind the Messiah’s authority with Jerusalem and Israel the bases of His ruling operations: the Davidic Covenant, 2 Samuel 7.12-16 and Psalm 2.
3. The Suffering Servant of the Lord would make possible future blessings with His redemptive sacrifice for sins and His resurrection from the dead, Psalm 16 and Isaiah 53.

All of this revelation and much more may not have been fully understood by Israel. After the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, the entire promised program of God appeared to be in total shambles. As Jerusalem and Israel lay in ruins, the Davidic dynasty was cut off in disgrace and the people of Israel and Judah languished in the heart of ancient paganism a thousand miles away from the land of promise. Many other prophecies about Israel’s glorious future appeared to be conditioned upon the obedience of Israel to the Lord and obedience seemed to be a rare commodity among God’s chosen people in Babylon in Daniel's time.

Daniel and the people had clung to the prophecy of their contemporary Jeremiah that the Babylonian captivity would last only 70 years, after which the people would return to Jerusalem. As the 70 years drew to a close and Daniel studied Jeremiah's prophecy even more closely, praying earnestly for the forgiveness of Israel and their restoration to Jerusalem to rebuild the sanctuary of the Lord, God sent His angel to reveal the new truth concerning the "seventy sevens" or "weeks" in Daniel 9.24-27, laying out the future schedule for Jerusalem, Israel and the coming of the Messiah.

Two great parallel events would have to transpire before the Messiah would fulfill the prophecies concerning His reign over the Kingdom of God on earth: the times of the Gentiles; see the article "The Times of the Gentiles;" and the 70 weeks of Israel and Jerusalem; see the article on "Daniel's Seventy Weeks."

The end of the 70 weeks of Daniel and the times of the Gentiles is the same: the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both prophetic streams reach their zenith in the person of the "prince who shall come" in Daniel 9.26, the counterfeit messiah or antiChrist, whom Christ will destroy at the time of His return.

The book of Daniel stands as a monument of predictive truth. It is often compared to the book of Revelation and in truth, the book of Revelation cannot be understood apart from the foundations laid in the book of Daniel. An understanding of Daniel and Revelation constitutes the basics of Biblical prophecy.

From Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible - King James Version
Published by AMG Publishers, 2000. Used with permission.