Exilic Prophets to Southern Kingdom

Prophets Overview

#5

Exilic Prophets to Southern Kingdom

● Daniel – 605 BC

● Ezekiel – 593 BC

Daniel – 605 BC

The book of Daniel is unusual in that it was written partly in Hebrew (ch 1, 8-12) and partly in Aramaic (ch 2-7). The book of Daniel is not in chronological order, and it contains what many call God’s blueprint for prophecy. There are many parallels between the book of Daniel and Revelation. In Daniel, we are introduced to many apocalyptic concepts such as the anti-Christ, and the 7-year tribulation.

Main Idea: God’s Plan for Israel

● Ch 1-6 – Daniel’s Personal Encounters

○ Ch 1 Daniel and his resolve

○ Ch 2 The Statue that Falls

○ Ch 3 The Friends who won’t Bow

○ Ch 4 The King’s Vision of a Tree

○ Ch 5 God Writes on the Wall

○ Ch 6 The Decree of Darius

● Ch 7-12 – Prophetic Events

○ Ch 7 The 4 Beasts – Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome

○ Ch 8 The Ram and Goat

○ Ch 9 70 Weeks

○ Ch 10 Spiritual Warfare

○ Ch 11-12 69 Weeks, 70th Week

● 9:25-26 – The vision of the 69 weeks pinpoints the coming of the Messiah. The decree took place on March 4, 444 BC (Nehemiah 2:1-8). The 69 weeks of 7 years equals 483 years, or 173,880 days (using 360-day prophetic years). This leads to March 29, AD 33, the date of Jesus Triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This is confirmed by noting that 444 BC to AD 33 is 476 of our Gregorian calendar years. 476x365.242 days per year equals 173,855 days. Adding 25 days for the difference between March 4 and March 29gives 173,880 days.

Ezekial – 593 BC

Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon, along with his countrymen. God gave many visions, symbols, signs, and parables to Ezekiel to communicate His holy standard in contrast with the unholy conduct of Judah. Some of these visions were of dread and terror, others of hope and restoration. From 592 BC to 586 BC his ministry was to convince the exiles who had false hope that deliverance would not come immediately (ch 1-32). Once the captives received the news that Jerusalem had been destroyed, their false hopes were dashed, and the message of Ezekiel turned to one of restoration (ch 33-48).

Main idea: Restoration of Israel

● Ch 1-3 – The Call of Ezekiel

o 2:1-3

● Ch 4-24 – The Judgment of Judah

o 5: 1-4 God gave a sign; 5:11-13 the explanation

o 8:5-12 Vision of abominations in the temple

● Ch 25-32 – The Judgment of the Gentiles

● Ch 33-48 – The Restoration of Israel

o The prophecies in these chapters occur after Jerusalem is overthrown. Now that the promised judgment has come, the emphasis turns to the promise of restoration.

o Ch 34 – They have had false shepherd, but the True Sheperd will lead them in the future.

o 36:23-26 God will cleanse them and give them a new heart

o 37:1-10 Vision of valley of bones; 37:11-14 Explanation

o Ch 40-48 tell of a New Temple, New Worship, and the New City

o 48:35.