Why Daniel Matters

The prophetic book of Daniel is more important than most realize for understanding the teaching and ministry of Jesus. During his ministry, Jesus identifies himself with the messianic “son of man” figure in the book (Mk 14:61-62; Matt 26:63-64), a figure who is to usher in the new, everlasting kingdom of God. The book explains, albeit cryptically, as is so often the case with apocalyptic literature, that the everlasting kingdom prophesied to arise will do so after a period of 490 years (Dan 9:24), which history indeed affirms. Furthermore, according to the prophet’s visions it will (Dan 7:1-8) arise after four great empires have ruled the earth, which history again confirms. Daniel thus explains Israel having been exiled will be made to suffer under these four successive kingdoms for a 490-year period; history indeed vindicates these claims of the book. 

Daniel points to Jesus and the kingdom He inaugurates. History later reveals that Jesus not only fulfills the prophecies in Daniel but also at the exact time predicted in the book, thus revealing a true prophet and the text to be inspired writ. Furthermore, the book of Daniel also makes explicit the truth of individual resurrection (Dan 12:2). For these reasons, Daniel is an important book, one that points to and is fulfilled in the person of Jesus the Christ. To a large extent, the book of Daniel can be conceptualized as a giant prophecy that points to Christ, and one that He fulfills. Jesus affirms it, linking himself to the “son of man” when he quotes the book and applies the title to himself. The Jewish leaders at the time saw this as scandalous and heretical (Mk14:61-63; Matt 26:64-65).  

The structure of Daniel consists of the tales of the prophet and of his three friends in Babylon (chapters 1-6) followed by the prophets four visions (chapters 7-12). The book then concludes with the story of Susannah and Bel and the Dragon (chapters 13-14). These latter two chapters are not part of the Protestant canon of Scripture. Daniel fits into salvation history in that the book predicted how and when the sixth major covenant of God will be initiated. 

It is the case that salvation history can be understood as God making covenants with humanity, which is unique in antiquity, as covenants were between rulers and their vassals, not a god and his people; the Bible is unique in this. Israel is also unique in antiquity in that the texts to which it gives posterity also give us monotheism, prophetic books and Torah as law code, all unprecedented at the time, hinting at the Bible’s divine origin. 

God makes six major covenants in the Bible with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. A final seventh covenant is foreshadowed in the book of Revelation, a covenant between the Lamb and his bride, namely Jesus and his Church. Fittingly, it is the seventh covenant in salvation history, for in Hebrew seven signifies “wholeness” or “completeness,” as in the seven days of creation in Genesis. Thus, the story of the Bible and salvation history comes to completion in this final covenant. Christ and his bride, the Church, become one flesh. The book of Daniel fits into salvation history in that it prophesied about the coming of the sixth covenant, the New Covenant in Christ’s blood. 

In Daniel 7:1-8 the prophet has a vision of four beasts coming out of the sea. These have traditionally been interpreted as empires, specifically and sequentially the Neo-Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and finally Roman empires. We read in Daniel that the kingdom to follow on the heels of these will be an everlasting one, which a “son of man” eschatological figure will lead (Dan 7:13-14). This is the kingdom Jesus inaugurates. No wonder Jesus refers to himself as the “son of man,” which in the Gospels sometimes refers to the eschatological figure of Daniel and other times it merely refers to a “human being.” Context is therefore important. One of the main theological messages of the book is that it is not human kingdoms and principalities that ultimately reign, but God and his kingdom. We should not fool ourselves and find our hope in them, but rather in God’s providential reign. 

In Daniel 9:24 we read:“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city: to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.” To “atone for iniquity” is precisely what Jesus does in his sacrifice; it is indeed stunning how specific this prophesy is about Jesus. This calculation adds up to 490 years and is a prophecy of when God will have mercy on those in exile and His kingdom will arrive. Providentially, this foreshadows the coming of Jesus, as he arrives on the scene after this time-period has elapsed and ushers in God’s mercy and kingdom. Historically speaking, there is no doubt this prophecy coincides with what we know from history, namely Jesus came after these four kingdoms, after 490 years passed. That is, he came under the forth group, the Romans and brought in the true kingdom of God, not a mere earthly one. Jesus therefore ushered in God’s kingdom exactly when Daniel explained God’s reign would come. Hence, Jesus fulfills the great prophecy of Daniel. 

In portraying himself as this “son of man” figure in Daniel who will user in the new kingdom, Jesus quotes Daniel on how this figure “rides on the clouds” (Matt 24:30; 26:64). Interestingly, the origin of this imagery derives from the deity Baal. On this see James S. Anderson, Monotheism and Yahweh’s Appropriation of Baal, 2015. Chapter 3 of this work entitled “Baal” contains a full treatment of this deity who proved so enticing to the ancient Israelites. It contains an examination of the term “rider of the clouds” and delineates how the term is appropriated by the Israelite God. Daniel 7:13- 14 reads regarding the future kingdom of this figure:

As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.

To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.

In Matthew 24:30 Jesus will say in a discourse to his disciples: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory.”

In the same gospel, Jesus is questioned by the high priest and responds with recourse to Daniel. Matthew 26:63-68 reads:

“Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” They answered, “He deserves death.”Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?”

The high priest tears his cloths, accuses Him of blasphemy and calls for is death. All of this occurs because Jesus equated himself with God. Indeed, no one would do such lest they were a madman or who were who they claimed to be, as C.S. Lewis popularly argued. Only God is a “rider of the clouds,” as this imagery applies to the Lord in the Old Testament (Ps 68:4;104:3).        

Finally, Daniel along with 2 Maccabees is important because it reveals individual resurrection. The prophetic book of Daniel indeed makes explicit the truth of individual resurrection. Earlier books of the Hebrew Bible had not been as explicit on this and there were even debates about this point within the different sects of Judaism at the time of Christ (recall the Sadducees did not believe in an individual resurrection and this can be seen in Matthew 22:23 and Acts 23:8). Daniel 12:2 reads: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” This coheres with Christian teaching on the afterlife, heaven and hell.

In conclusion, the prophetic book of Daniel is important for us Christians for all these reasons. That Jesus quotes it and equates himself with the messianic, eschatological figure whose kingdom shall have no end is most consequential. Jesus fulfills the book’s prophecies and Daniel points to Jesus’ everlasting reign which began after the four kingdoms prophesied. Jesus instituted a New Covenant in his blood, one already predicted by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34). History vindicates Daniel’s claims. Even the timeframe of 490 years prophesied about in Daniel is accurate, for Christ came after this length of time under the Romans. Is that not evidence enough! Jesus fulfills the prophecies of Daniel and He explicitly points to this fact in referring to himself as the “son of man.” That the book sets the record straight regarding individual resurrection is of no small matter as well. For these reasons, Daniel matters.