The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Daniel Panel: Favorite Passages – Part 2


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We are continuing to share with you the opinions of 17 Bible prophecy experts concerning various questions related to the book of Daniel. You should find these interviews fascinating and very informative. The interviews were conducted at a national Bible prophecy conference that was held in the Dallas, Texas area.

The fourth question is based on the fact that one of the most fascinating books in the Hebrew Scriptures is the book of Daniel. It contains many interesting and informative prophecies about the end times, and in that regard, it is a key to understanding the book of Revelation. The book of Daniel also contains a lot of insights about how to live a righteous life in the midst of a pagan society. In short, the book is full of scriptural nuggets that are precious to Christians today.

So the question for our experts is this:

#4. What is your favorite prophetic passage in Daniel and why?

Daniel 9 contains two great passages. One is the prophecy of the 70 Weeks of Years and the other is Daniel’s fervent prayers in behalf of the nation of Judah. Daniel’s great prayer begins the chapter and is one of the longest prayers in the Bible. It’s a classic prayer of repentance that was uttered by a man who is identified by Ezekiel as one of the three most righteous men who had ever lived up to that time, together with Job and Noah.

Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries
Of all the Messianic prophecies about the First Coming, my favorite prophetic passage is Daniel 9:24-27. It’s the only passage that provides a timetable for the First Coming. It shows clearly that the Messiah has to come and die before the Temple is destroyed. No matter how you calculate it, the Messiah must come and die before the year AD 70. There’s no other way around the passage.

Andy Woods, Sugar Land Bible Church
My favorite prophetic passage is Daniel 9:25. It says in-between the decree of Artaxerxes, which is in Nehemiah 2, and when the Messiah would show up, which is Palm Sunday, there would be exactly 483 years. Scholars like Dr. Harold Hoehner and Sir Robert Anderson have looked into that prophecy very carefully and they’ll argue that prophecy was fulfilled to the exact day.

The reason that’s my favorite prophecy is because it shows me how prophecy is to be understood. Since the prophecies of Christ’s First Coming were so literally fulfilled, so too the prophecies about His Second Comings will be literally fulfilled as well. This insight also helps us understand what was going on during the Palm Sunday event. Jesus in Luke 19:42 held the Jews accountable when He said, “If you had known this day.” That statement Christ made doesn’t make a lot of sense unless you understand the exact timetable that Daniel revealed. And so, Daniel 9:25 really helps us there. It unpacks for us a lot of the statements Christ makes concerning timing. It also unpacks for us the hermeneutic regarding how prophecy is to be understood.

August Rosado, Today in Bible Prophecy Ministries
I would have to say bar none my favorite Daniel passage is Daniel 9. Daniel 9 is one of the most awesome mathematical prophecies in the entire Word of God, because Daniel gives us the timeline for Bible prophecy and he gives us the timeline for the coming and the death of the Messiah in Daniel 9:25. And yet, he tells us there is light at the end of the tunnel, because one day Yeshua the Lord Jesus Christ is going to physically and bodily reign on this earth in the city of Jerusalem in the land of Israel. And so, every time I read Daniel 9, it just blows my mind, because Daniel is just so accurate and precise in giving us the timeline of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The reason why the rabbis tell their people there are two passages in the Scriptures you should never read unless the rabbis interpret it is one, Daniel 9, and two, don’t read it Isaiah 53. Why would they say that? Because it points to the Lord Jesus Christ. I don’t know of anyone else who could have fulfilled those prophecies other than Jesus Christ Himself.

Michael Norten, Author of Unlocking the Secrets of the Feasts
Daniel 9 is probably the most exciting and the most amazing prophecy in all the Bible. It shows exactly what God has planned for the whole scheme of things. If it wasn’t for that passage, we wouldn’t have understood the Tribulation as being seven years long. There’s just so much we wouldn’t know, and Daniel 9 has unfolded so much.

Remember when the actual Temple was really destroyed in 70 AD, after Jesus 37 years earlier had said the Temple would have no stone left on another? I’d always thought that strange, until I found out from a historian that while the Romans were trying to destroy the Temple, they were trying to melt it down for the gold. The limestone in the Temple was so filled with moisture and it heated up so much that the fire actually caused the Temple to explode. About 1,700 people were killed in the northern part of the Temple due to the shrapnel. I then asked the historian about the Wailing Wall. He said the Wailing Wall was an extension and so it wasn’t an actual part of the Temple. And so, Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled explicitly.

Daniel 9 is so exciting to me, especially when during prayer Daniel gave 18 reasons why God shouldn’t show any mercy. But, Daniel said that the only reason we can ask for mercy is because of God’s loyal love and grace, and not because of anyone’s own effort, as we certainly don’t deserve mercy. God’s mercy was proven 18 different ways. Amazing! That’s a prayer we should be praying for the United States. God gives answers because of faith and prayer.

Al Gist, Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries
Daniel 9 to me is the central theme of Daniel. That chapter opens up with one of the most beautiful intercessory prayers that you can find anywhere in the Bible. Daniel is pleading with God to restore the people of Israel and their beautiful city in Jerusalem. One of the great things about that prayer is that Daniel never says, “God, they have sinned,” talking about the people of Israel. Instead, Daniel said, “We have sinned.” From that we can see the humility of the great prophet.

Daniel 9 also is where Daniel is given this information about the 70 Weeks of Daniel. Having an understanding of that 70 Weeks of Daniel to me gives us a picture of the overall master plan of God. And so, I would say that the prophecy concerning the 70 Weeks of Daniel in chapter 9 is central to the book.

Daniel 9 tells me personally that everything is still in God’s control. He’s working everything out according to His plan, and we can rest assured in that. We can find peace in that. That God is still taking care of things the way He intended to do is one of the great prophetic message of Daniel. God is still taking care of things.

In the twelfth part of this series on the book of Daniel, two members of our panel of Bible prophecy experts will share why both Daniel chapters 2 and 9 are their favorite prophetic passage in Daniel.

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

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