Daniel, Volume 2: God’s Plan for the Future

While the first half of Daniel focuses on personal integrity in a pagan culture, the second half (Chapters 7–12) shifts toward the mysterious and the prophetic. In this 9-part series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll helps demystify Daniel’s visions of beasts, world empires, and angelic warfare. By providing a clear framework for understanding these end-times prophecies, Chuck shows how God’s sovereign control over the future provides absolute stability and hope for His people today.

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1. A Prophetic Collage (Daniel 7)

• Overview: Daniel’s vision of four great beasts emerging from the sea, representing a succession of world empires. It introduces the “Ancient of Days” who remains sovereign over all human kingdoms.
• Key Fact: Prophecy is not intended to scare us, but to prepare us by showing that every human empire has a beginning and an end, while God’s kingdom is eternal.
• Scripture: Daniel 7:14 – “And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom… His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.”

2. The Final World Dictator (Daniel 7:15–28)

• Overview: A closer look at the “little horn” that arises from the fourth beast—a figure commonly identified as the Antichrist who will speak out against the Most High.
• Key Fact: Despite the temporary power of this final dictator, his dominion will be taken away and destroyed forever by the judgment of God.
• Scripture: Daniel 7:25 – “He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints… but the court will sit for judgment.”

3. The Living End (Daniel 8)

• Overview: Explores the vision of the ram and the goat, which historically predicted the clash between the Medo-Persian and Greek empires.
• Key Fact: The precision of these prophecies (written years before the events) serves as an “authenticated signature” of God on the book of Daniel.
• Scripture: Daniel 8:19 – “Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation.”

4. True Confessions (Daniel 9:1–19)

• Overview: After reading the prophet Jeremiah, Daniel is moved to a profound prayer of national confession and intercession for his people.
• Key Fact: Prophecy should always lead to a life of prayer and holiness; knowing God’s plan for the future drives us to seek His face in the present.
• Scripture: Daniel 9:3 – “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.”

5. The Backbone of Biblical Prophecy (Daniel 9:20–27)

• Overview: A study of the “Seventy Weeks” of Daniel—one of the most critical chronological prophecies in the entire Bible, mapping out the history of Israel and the coming of the Messiah.
• Key Fact: This passage provides the “backbone” or skeletal structure upon which almost all other biblical prophecies are built.
• Scripture: Daniel 9:24 – “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression… and to anoint the most holy place.”

6. Supernatural Phenomena between Heaven and Earth (Daniel 10)

• Overview: Pulls back the curtain on spiritual warfare. Daniel’s fasting and prayer trigger a cosmic conflict between angelic and demonic forces.
• Key Fact: Our prayers play a vital role in a spiritual realm that is largely invisible to us, yet more real than the physical world.
• Scripture: Daniel 10:12 – “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding… your words were heard.”

7. Wars and Rumors of War (Daniel 11:1–35)

• Overview: Details an incredibly specific series of historical conflicts in the Middle East, confirming God’s detailed knowledge of every political and military move.
• Key Fact: Because God knows the details of ancient wars with such precision, we can trust Him with the “rumors of war” in our own headlines.
• Scripture: Daniel 11:32 – “But the people who know their God will display strength and take action.”

8. A Prophetic Quartet (Daniel 11:36–12:4)

• Overview: Shifts from past history to the final “Time of the End,” focusing on the resurrection of the dead and the ultimate deliverance of God’s people.
• Key Fact: In the end, those who are “wise” will shine like the brightness of the expanse of heaven.
• Scripture: Daniel 12:3 – “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven.”

9. The End of the Age (Daniel 12:5–13)

• Overview: The series conclusion, where Daniel is told to “go your way” and rest, with the promise that he will rise again for his allotted portion at the end of the age.
• Key Fact: The final message of prophecy is not “calculate the date,” but “be faithful until the end.”
• Scripture: Daniel 12:13 – “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

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Common Questions: Daniel, Volume 2

1. Why are Daniel’s visions so full of “beasts” and strange symbols? As Pastor Chuck explains in “A Prophetic Collage,” symbols were used to represent the character of world empires. For example, a leopard with wings illustrated the incredible speed of Alexander the Great’s conquests. These symbols make the broad strokes of history memorable and vivid.

2. What is the significance of the “Seventy Weeks” prophecy? In “The Backbone of Biblical Prophecy,” it is noted that this prophecy gave the specific timeline for the first coming of Christ and sets the stage for the final seven-year period known as the Tribulation. It is the key to understanding the “calendar” of God’s redemptive plan.

3. Does Daniel 10 mean that our prayers are sometimes delayed by demons? The message “Supernatural Phenomena” suggests that while God hears us immediately, there is an active spiritual battle involving “princes” (fallen angels) that can affect the timing of God’s response. It encourages us to persist in prayer even when we don’t see immediate results.

4. How can I “display strength” in a world that seems to be falling apart? Drawing from Daniel 11:32, Chuck emphasizes that strength comes from knowing your God. When you understand His sovereignty and His plan for the future, you aren’t paralyzed by fear but are empowered to “take action” in His name.

5. What should be our main takeaway from the end of the book? The takeaway from “The End of the Age” is peace. Daniel was told to “go his way” and rest. We don’t need to have every prophetic puzzle piece perfectly placed to have peace; we just need to know the God who holds the puzzle.