Daniel
Who Was Daniel?
The book of Daniel is prophetic and apocalyptic literature about a faithful servant of Yahweh living in Babylonian exile. Watch our overview video on Daniel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. His story motivates faithfulness despite exile in Babylon. His visions offer hope that God will bring all nations under His rule.[1]
• Watch this 2016 overview video by BibleProject on Daniel (9 min.): narrated by Timothy Mackie and Jonathan Collins.
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Daniel’s prophetic visions offer hope that God will bring all nations under his rule. His visions are packed with apocalyptic imagery, offering hope to Israelites living in exile under Babylonian rule. He remains faithful to the God of Israel, while maintaining influence in the surrounding culture of Babylon. His visions offer guidance for faithfulness and hope of a future where evil hearts and rulers will one day come under the authority of the one true God.
Daniel’s visions also introduce us to the “Son of Man,” a Messiah figure who will come to restore Israel to their God and bring about a new Jerusalem. Throughout the Gospel accounts, Jesus uses this title to refer to himself, activating the prophetic hyperlinks of the Hebrew Scriptures and pointing to his identity as the long-awaited Jewish Messiah.[2]
