Daniel chapter 8 focuses on the two empires of Persia and Greece. During the Persian control of the Middle East, the Israelites/Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city, homes and temple. During the Greek dominion (particularly during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes) the city of Jerusalem and the temple were once again destroyed. The vision that Daniel records in chapter 8 actually took place during the reign of the Babylonian king Belshazzar making the events completely future or prophetic to Daniel at that time. We have the benefit of history and are able to see the fulfillment of much of these events during the course of historical Persian and Greek rule. There is a rather intriguing character (an insolent or brazen king) that Daniel sees in his vision who is probably fulfilled through the historical figure named Antiochus IV. This character actually has some unique and interesting parallels or foreshadowing to the “boastful one” that the Apostle John speaks of in Revelation 13 and who the Apostle Paul speaks of in II Thessalonians 2. Once again Daniel provides us with a clear understanding of God’s Prophetic Timetable and how that relates to you and I even today.

I will be continuing this series on Daniel at Valley View Church beginning after the New Year (2013) begins. For more information feel free to contact me at mikesouthwick@gmail.com and if you are interested check out the tabs at the top of the home page (http://goodnewsbiblestudies.com) and click on Old Testament Studies for the full slide presentations and answers to the fill ins.

Lesson 8 – The Vision of the Ram and the Goat – Daniel 8 (Student Copy)

Lesson 8 – The Vision of the Ram and the Goat – Daniel 8 (Teacher Copy)

Lesson 8 – The Vision of the Ram and the Goat – Daniel 8 (PPT)

Daniel begins chapter 7 by describing a new dream that he received during the reign of Belshazzar the king of Babylon. It is important to note that although chapter 6 records the fall of Babylon and the beginning of the Medo-Persian Empire, the dream that Daniel records for us in chapter 7 actually occurred prior to the events of chapter 6. The dream that Daniel describes in chapter 7 according to John Walvoord in his Commentary on Daniel, “is the most comprehensive and detailed prophesy of future events to be found anywhere in the Old Testament”.

Contained throughout this chapter is a record of future world events that occur in both the immediate future to Daniel as well as unfulfilled future events that will occur at the Time of the End which some refer to as the Tribulation. It will be during the Tribulation in which the one known as the son of destruction or the man of lawlessness (II Thessalonians 2:1-4) will be a fulfillment of this one that Daniel speaks of who will speak boastful, prideful and blasphemous against the Most High. This “little horn” as Daniel calls him will also set out to persecute and wage war against the saints of the Most High during the Time of Jacob’s Trouble as defined by Jeremiah the Prophet (Jeremiah 30:7), with the hopes of overthrowing the Lord Himself. This of course will not happen and judgment will come to all evil forces and the Lord will establish an eternal kingdom that will be ruled by Jesus Christ.

This dream that Daniel has is so compelling that it causes him great alarm and distress because much of what he sees impacts his brethren and those who will come after him. In the same way we should equally be concerned as the days that lie ahead appear to be moving in a direction where this final fulfillment of what Daniel describes will become a reality – are you ready?

One things is clear and that is that the Lord will triumph and evil will be destroyed and everyone will submit to the Lord one way or the other (Philippians 2:9-11). My prayer for you who read this is that you will choose to believe, trust and follow Jesus Christ who is the Only Way (John 14:6). I will be continuing this series on Daniel at Valley View Church beginning after the New Year (2013) begins. For more information feel free to contact me at mikesouthwick@gmail.com and if you are interested check out the tabs at the top of the home page (http://goodnewsbiblestudies.com) and click on Old Testament Studies for the full slide presentations and answers to the fill ins.

Lesson 7 – A Panorama of Future World History – Daniel 7 (Student Copy)

Lesson 7 – A Panorama of Future World History – Daniel 7 (Teacher)

Lesson 7 – A Panorama of Future World History – Daniel 7 (PPT)

The Medo-Persian Empire successfully conquers the Babylonians along with all its territories and during their 200 year + reign on earth they will also conquer and control the other kingdoms of Lydia and Egypt. This means they will continue to control and manage the Jews who still remained in Babylon. Sometime after the beginning of the reign of Cyrus, he will make a decree to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their city and their temple. Although Daniel will not write about this return to Jerusalem by the Jews (that will come later during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah), he will write about the beginning of this new Empire made up of the Medes and the Persians. As Daniel 6 begins, we quickly see that he is immediately placed in a position of trust and that was no doubt because of his consistent character of honesty and right living. Unfortunately, there will be those in the Medo-Persian Empire who will be jealous of Daniel’s success and he may well have been despised simply because he was Jewish. This will result in a number of government officials (satraps and commissioners) who will conspire together to encourage King Darius the Mede to make a decree that requires all of the subjects of the Empire to worship him and him alone.  Daniel of course will continue in his worship of the Lord and that violates the new decree by the king which causes Daniel to be thrown into the Lion’s den. The Lord miraculously intervenes and delivers Daniel from the lions and this results in Daniel influencing Darius so much that he too considers the God of Daniel to be the Most High God. It is thus easy to draw the conclusion that Daniel will also at a later time influence King Cyrus in such a positive way that at the time in which the Lord determined – King Cyrus will make a decree to allow the Jews to return to their home in Jerusalem.

This lesson “A Tribute to a Life of Faith” illustrates the consistent character of Daniel no matter what the outward circumstances may be and he chose not to violate his beliefs even if it meant putting his life at risk. We have much to learn from such a humble and dedicated man of God. For more information take a look at the complete lesson or feel free to contact me for the answers to the fill in blanks. I will be teaching this series in the fall at Valley View Church in Lincoln – contact me for more details – mikesouthwick@gmail.com

Lesson 6 – A Tribute to a Life of Faith – Daniel 6 (Student copy)

Lesson 6 – A Tribute to a Life of Faith – Daniel 6 (Teacher)

Lesson 6 – A Tribute to a Life of Faith – Daniel 6 (PPT)

As we begin a new chapter of Daniel (Daniel 5) we are also introduced to a new king of Babylon and his name is Belshazzar. He is called the son of King Nebuchadnezzar but it is more likely that he is actually Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson. This chapter begins to show the transition and downfall of the Babylonian Empire and the judgment that awaited them for their mistreatment of the Jewish people they had conquered and captured. The best way to summarize the complete failure and downfall of this once prestigious and dominant Empire is to read what Daniel writes in the middle verses of chapter 5;“Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart even though you knew all this, but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven……..but the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your waysyou have not glorified” (Daniel 5:22-23). This passage truly depicts the pride and arrogance of a young king who shook his fist at Almighty God and out of defiance he desecrated that which was considered sacred to the Lord and His people. Instead of repenting like King Nebuchadnezzar did, Belshazzar instead throws a party and a hand appears that writes a message that Daniel interprets for him. The message to Belshazzar was clear – your days and the days of the Babylonian Empire are over. This is precisely what happens and sets the stage for the Persians to control the Land of Israel. It will be during the later reign of Cyrus the King of Persia in which the Jewish people will be allowed to return to their homeland in order to rebuild their Temple. All of this was in the plans that the Lord had for His people the Jews in order for Jesus the Messiah to become the Savior of the world! For more information take a look at the complete lesson or feel free to contact me for the answers to the fill in blanks. I will be teaching this series in the fall at Valley View Church in Lincoln – contact me for more details – mikesouthwick@gmail.com

Lesson 5 – Like Father Like Son – Daniel 5

Lesson 5 – Like Father Like Son – Daniel 5 (Teacher)

Lesson 5 -Like Father Like Son – Daniel 5 (PPT)

Chapter 4 of the Book of Daniel reveals a king, who after attempting to elevate himself to the status of a god and suffering the complete embarrassment of a failed attempt to kill 3 innocent young Jewish lads for doing nothing more than worshipping their Creator instead of worshipping Nebuchadnezzar, now finds himself once again troubled by a dream. This time the dream focuses on King Nebuchadnezzar and his arrogant and prideful life that is completely out of synch with the God of the universe. Fortunately for the king he is shown the grace of Almighty God and hears of that grace through the prophet Daniel. Even though Daniel, through the interpretation of the dream, provided plenty of detail as to what would happen if the king did not repent and submit to the sovereign will of the Lord, Nebuchadnezzar continues in his sinful and prideful ways and actually suffer 7 years of living a life of complete insanity. After his experiences of living among the animals and acting just like an animal, the king finally submits to the Lord and acknowledges Him as the sovereign King of the universe. What a telling chapter that reveals the depths to which rebellion from a Holy God can take us – a lesson we should all take to heart. For more information – take a look at the complete lesson or feel free to contact me for the answers to the fill in blanks. I will be teaching this series in the fall at Valley View Church in Lincoln – contact me for more details – mikesouthwick@gmail.com

Lesson 4 – Pride Comes Before a Fall – Daniel 4

Lesson 4 – Pride Comes Before a Fall – Daniel 4 (Teacher Copy)

Lesson 4 – Pride Comes Before a Fall – Daniel 4 (PPT)

Chapter 3 of the Book of Daniel begins with King Nebuchadnezzar erecting a huge gold statue and then requires all the subjects of the Babylonian Kingdom to fall down and worship it. Nebuchadnezzar showed the danger that awaits us when we allow power and pride to control our lives and he evidenced what an arrogant fool he actually was.

What King Nebuchadnezzar should have done after receiving the interpretation of his dream was to submit to and worship the Lord ,but instead he sets himself up to be worshipped and this will lead to his downfall (Proverbs 11:2). He continues with his error by punishing the three young men (Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego) who refuse to bow down to the image and throws them into a blazing furnace. The Lord will once again show His sovereign control by delivering these young men from the flames. Nebuchadnezzar will at least admit to the Lord’s power but he never really submits to the Lord which will cause Nebuchadnezzar to suffer the humiliation of losing his kingdom as we will see in Daniel chapter 4.

It would have done King Nebuchadnezzar well to have paid attention to the words of Daniel when he wrote these words in Daniel 2:20-22; “Daniel answered and said; blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belongs wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings, he gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. Here is the full lesson from Daniel 3 –

Lesson 3 – Power and Pride – A Dangerous Mixture – Daniel 3

Lesson 3 – Power and Pride – A Dangerous Mixture – Daniel 3 (Teacher Copy)

Lesson 3 -Power and Pride – A Dangerous Mixture – Daniel 3 (PPT)

This second lesson covers the dream that troubled King Nebuchadnezzar so much so that he threatens his wise men (astrologers and magicians) to reveal the dream and its interpretation. The wise men of Babylon will fail at that task; however Daniel will not only describe the dream but through special revelation from the Lord will also provide the interpretation. The dream provides a prophetic timetable of events that would have been future events to King Nebuchadnezzar and for the most part historical happenings to us. However, Daniel describes a yet future event in which a kingdom will be established that will last forever. Take a look for yourself…..

Lesson 2 – Disturbed By a Dream – Daniel 2  

Lesson 2 – Disturbed By a Dream – Daniel 2 (Teacher Copy)

Lesson 2 – Disturbed By A Dream (PPT)

I have been asked to teach a series on the Book of Daniel this fall so I will need to put my study regarding the Kings of Israel and Judah aside for a couple of months. I have taught this series on Daniel before but I have decided to do a revision much like I had done to my series on the Book of Esther. Keep checking back from time to time as I will post the lessons as I complete them. As always, if you have question or would like additional information then feel free to e-mail me; mikesouthwick@gmail.com

This first lesson covers chapter 1 of the Book of Daniel and some of the things you will learn here is how Daniel and the people of Judah ended up in Babylon to begin with. In addition to that you will learn how Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego maintained their testimony and did not compromise their beliefs even though that may have been the popular thing to do. This decision will put Daniel in a position to be noticed and will provide the means for him to be able to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and become a close advisor to the king. Take a look…..

Lesson 1 – Daniel in Babylon – Daniel 1

Lesson 1 – Daniel in Babylon – Daniel 1(Teacher Copy)

Lesson 1 – Daniel in Babylon – (PPT)

Lesson 3 in the series “The Rise and Fall of Israel’s Monarchs” covers the period of Israel’s history in which David is chosen by the Lord to be King of Israel and the one in whom a royal dynasty would be established. The Scriptures teach that it would be through David’s lineage that the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be born. This lesson also provides an overview of the life of King David, perhaps the most well-known and well-loved King of Israel.

“Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men on earth ” (II Samuel 7:8-9)

Lesson 3 – King David

Lesson 2 in the Series “The Rise and Fall of Israel’s Monarchs” covers the period of Israel’s history at the conclusion of the Judges and leading up to the selection of Saul as the first King of Israel. This lesson primarily incudes the events surrounding the life of Samuel and Saul. See link below –

Lesson 2 – From Samuel to Saul