It might sound strange to hear that Old Testament contain Gospel, Because according to book titles only New Testament has 4 Gospels, while there is no Gospel in Old Testament. Gospels were writen by apostles based on events happened to Jesus Christ, and witnessed by the writer. However, prophet Daniel described these important events related to Messiah surprizingly 600 years before it was fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ! Some texts written by prophet Daniel represent the gospel written centuries in advance, before these events occurred. Four Gospels do not describe all the events of Jesus' life, but only those that are the most important from God’s perspective. One third of apostle John’s Gospel describes the last 7 days of Jesus' life and His resurrection. In a similar way, the sixth chapter of prophet Daniel’s book describes Daniel’s suffering and redemption that has incredible overlap with the suffering and resurrection of Jesus Chist. These parallels are so specific that no one could suffer and happen to be rescued on a similar way. Also, the fulfillment of some similarities depended on Christ's and Daniel's enemies, and it is clear that they would do everything not to fulfill prophecies, but to deny fulfilment. Instead, their actions confirmed that Jesus is the Messiah foretold by the prophet Daniel. Let’s check one prophet Daniel’s text to establish if these parallels really exist, and if anyone else can fulfill Messianic prophecies by accident. Daniel 6.17 “Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.” Does this text remind you of some other Bible text? Where did you hear this before? Here we see a pit that should be a tomb of one innocent person sentenced to death. At the entrance of the tomb a large stone was placed, sealed by the emperor’s ring. Where did you heard these details before: a sealed stone, an innocent man was convicted and placed in a cave, ruler sealed the tomb? It is very easy to associate these details with Jesus Christ. Jesus was condemned to death, although he was innocent, He was placed in a tomb, and at the entrance soldiers placed a large stone, sealed by the Pilate’s ring. This short text brings extraordinary parallels between Daniel and Jesus Christ. The question is whether these parallels are the only parallels we can find, is this just an accident, or events before and after placing Daniel in the lion’s pit also have parallels with Jesus Christ? Before the cave, coutry managers accused blameless Daniel, as well as Jesus Christ was accused by Sahnedrin. After the pit, both Daniel and Jesus come out alive, although spectators expected both of them to remain in the grave. So we see that there are similar details before and after, and we will look this text in detail to see to what extent these events are similar. Let me remind you, these are biographical details of the life of Jesus Christ, written in the book of Daniel hundreds of years before they occurred. Book of the prophet Daniel speaks mainly about eschatological events, related to the second coming of Christ, but chapter six describes in detail the most important events during the first coming of Christ, which many people miss when they read this Bible text. In order to understand the Bible, we need to ask ourselves this question: where did I heard elsewhere? If these two texts are similar, if we found rare details to be parallel, so no one can re-live Daniel’s experience by accident, then we found the message God intended for us to see. Jesus interpreted the Bible this way, and he even considered unreasonable whoever did not interpret the Bible this way: “Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself… Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." Luke 24.25-27,44 Christ's disciples should not be disappointed, because Jesus expected them to understand what will happen with the Messiah, if they understand the Old Testament correctly. Unfortunatelly, people read the Bible like a lullaby, a story which we heard many times in the past. It seems to us that we know all the details, that there are no deeper message that we did not fouond yet. However, the Bible is inspired by God, and in it we can find a lot more complicated information then what is understandable by superficial reading. Jesus says: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” John 5.39 At the time when Jesus said this, only the Old Testament has been written. The New Testament was not written yet. So, Jesus claims that the Old Testament testify about Him. The apostle Paul from the early morning till the evening explained texts about Jesus, not from the New Testament, but from the Old Testament: “…many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.” Acts 28.23 Where did apostle Paul found so many places in the Old Testament that describe Messiah, so he was able to talk about these verses from the morning till evening? One of these Scriptures must be Daniel chapter 6. Let's look at the similarities between Daniel in the lions den and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Text Analysis The tribe of Judah, royal descendant, the prince The first parallel between prophet Daniel and Jesus Christ is that they were both from the tribes of Judah, the royal descendants and princes. Daniel was from the tribe of Judah: “Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.” Daniel 1:6 Let us now see what tribe Jesus is from: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: 2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers...” Matthew 1:1,2 We can see that Jesus was from Judas tribe, as well as Daniel! Daniel was a prince of the royal family: “Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king's descendants and some of the nobles” Daniel 1.3 Likewise, in Isaiah’s prophecy Jesus is called "Prince of Peace", who has the power: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 We can find many confirmations for royal origin of Jesus: The wise man looked for a king that was born, and they found Jesus: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” Matthew 2:2 Even skeptical Nathanael called Jesus the king: “Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"” John 1:49 Even in court, Jesus was accused to be the king of Judea: “Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” John 19:19 It was foretold that the imperial scepter will not depart from Judah until comes he to whom it belongs - the Messiah: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.”. Genesis 49:10
No flaws Another similarity is that they both have no flaws. At the very beginning of this event Daniel is in a group of young men, choses by the king because he was flawless: 1.4 " young men in whom there was no blemish." We will see in greater detail that in sixth chapter the idea that Daniel has no blemish is continuously repeated, the idea that he has no sin, which surely makes him appropriate type of Jesus Christ. Guided by the Holy Spirit Next parallel is that both are led by God's Spirit. “Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.” Daniel 6.3 As Daniel was led the great Spirit, which is an obvious association with the Spirit of God, so the Holy Spirit was poured out on Christ in baptism and led him into the desert to be tempted, as well as everywhere during His mission. “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.” Matthew 3:16 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1
Group of state leaders against an individual In both cases, the group that runs the country stands against an individual who is on God's side. In Daniel chapter 6, jealous managers and state officials see Daniel as their opponent: “So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.” Daniel 6.4 Instead to praise Daniel for being flawless, this group of Medo-Persia managers envied him and decided to make a conspiracy to eliminate Daniel, whom they perceived as a competitor. All this is entirely consistent with how the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes treated Jesus. Elders of Israel also perceived Jesus as a political competitor and created a conspiracy against him. They sent spies to watch for Jesus, but they did not find any secret offense to accuse Jesus. “So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.” Luke 20:20 In both cases, spies have not found a reason for the accusation: “Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?" The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"” John 7:45,46 “And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.” Mark 11.18 “Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.” Matthew 26.3,4 Thus, the conspiracy was not just to compromise Jesus’ reputation, but they wanted to kill him. In both cases, a group of people in power was against one person.
Conspirators envied Daniel / Jesus for higher position they had Daniel was above the other officials and managers, which sparked jealousy among them. “Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.” Daniel 6.3 Although they did not have Daniel abilities, they wanted Daniel’s high position. Similarly, the Pharisees treated Jesus. They saw miracles Jesus was doing and how people recognized him as the Messiah they expected, But they feared this will weaken their position, so they started to conspire against Jesus. They could not perform miracles like Jesus or to heal the sick and raise the dead, but they still wanted to be in charge, to rule over Him: “And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:28,29 “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs. If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation." And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."” John 11:47-50 However, the career seeking conspirators did not jus wanted to compromise Daniel or Jesus, they want to kill him. Their envy did not stop at small consequences, but they distorted their ethical values and were able to kill an innocent person for their goals.
Convicted because of devotion to God Another similarity is that both Daniel and Jesus were sentenced because of their piety, because they placed trust in God above the obedience to political and religious rules that people set up instead of God’s. The elders were looking to find a point that does not agree with their traditions, since they could not find a weak point in Daniel’s or Jesus' devotion to God. Note that the motive for the prosecution is religious in nature, and the political offense was not mentioned in the beginning: „Then these men said, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God."“ Daniel 6.5 Administrators knew that Daniel would not stop to obey God. Instead of admiring his devotion to God, they used it to accuse him. Similar devotion to God was seen at the trial of Jesus Christ. High priest forced him to say in public that he was the Messiah, Son of God, which was true; However, Sanhedrin used Jesus’ statement to accuse him for blasphemy: “But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!" Jesus said to him, "It is as you said.” Matthew 26:63,64
The political "enemies" Although Daniel and Jesus were not political enemies of the government, they ware accused of ploting against the emperor: “So they answered and said before the king, "That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day."” Daniel 6.13 “And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King."” Luke 23:2 So, Jesus was also accused of pretending to take the title of Caesar. In any other situation, elders of Israel would be happy to overthrow the Roman government, but they hypocritically accuse Jesus of revolting against Caesar, although in fact it was their desire. Persian rulers represented their law as immutable, although only God has never changed His law. The law of God is absolutely just and should not be changed. People throughout history have tried to present their human laws as immutable as the imitation of God's law, but sooner or later people change their wrong laws. However, if religious people respect the law of God, the world's governments often impose penalties for non-compliance with radical, illogical human laws. In the future, this will be a threat to the God’s people.
Upper Room The next parallel between Daniel and Christ is that they were both in the upper room for spiritual activities. Daniel went to the upper room to pray: “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.” Daniel 6.10 Hebrew word “עלּית” alit has meaning "room on the second floor." Where did you elsewhere heard the term "room on the second floor", "room upstairs", or upper room? Of course, the term "upper room" reminds us of Jesus Christ. Upper Room was mentioned in a similar context as with the prophet Daniel. In the upper room Jesus prayed with the apostles, and ate last supper before they went to Gethsemane where he waited to be arrested. For both Daniel and Jesus, upper room was a place of prayer and communion with God, after which they were soon arrested. The apostles prepared the Passover in the upper room: “Then he will show you a large upper room, (ἀνώγεον - "room on the second floor”), furnished and prepared; there make ready for us." Mark 14:15 The Greek word ἀνώγεον (anogeon) used here, means “above the ground”, “a room on the second floor”. Notice that Jesus personally asked to eat the Passover right there in the upper room. It appears that Jesus wanted to draw attention to the fact to events that happened to prophet Daniel, so apostles would realize what will happen soon to the Messiah. Also, the conspirators knew exactly where to look for Daniel to arrest him, because he was praying at the same place, in the upper room. Jesus also went to pray in the same place "as usual" (Luke 22:39) and the Pharisees knew exactly where Jesus went to pray because his traitor Judas lead soldiers to Gethsemane to arrest him. If you pray to God in the right way, the state could condemn you to death penalty!
The sequence of events Notice the same sequence of events since the beginning in both events: Daniel and Jesus were above state officials because of their extraordinary abilities, but officials envy them, and they conspire to kill them even though they were flawless. Daniel and Jesus went to the upper room, and they both pray, when conspirators came to arrest them. Daniel prayed in the upper room facing Jerusalem immediately before he was arrested, and Jesus prayed in Jerusalem and in Gethsemane, immediately before he also arrested. We can see that parallels between Daniel and the Messiah were not randomly scattered without order, but they have the same sequence of events. We will see the same pattern in the events that follow. If all this was a coincidence, the sequence of events would have been in a different order. But if one after another events happened in the same order, we can not call this a coincidence. We are able to see the intention; we see God's plan in the repetition of sequence of similar events. We can see God’s hand that leads these events, to show an important message to mankind.
They are not hiding from their enemies - although they knew that prey on them Neither Daniel nor Jesus hide from their enemies, although they knew conspirators intention. “Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.” Daniel 6.11 “So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words… And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.” Matthew 26:44,47 We can notice that Daniel did not hide, did not close the window, did not close the curtain, but he continued to openly serve God, although he knew he will be sentenced to death for doing it. Likewise, Jesus told apostles in advance that time is coming for him to be handed over to the Gentiles to die. He told them that his betrayer is coming, but Jesus did not run away, but waited for the soldiers to come and arrest him. Even when soldiers fell on the ground knocked down by the glory of God, Jesus did not use this moment to run, but he let them to arrest him. Daniel and Jesus knew what is going to happen, but they did not change their righteous behavior when ungodly people threatened them. There was no compromise, they remained firmly on God's side.
They were brought before the king to be judged Another similarity is that both were judged personally by the state ruler. How often happens that the ruler of a state judge someone? The king is there to govern, not to be a judge. If a king of a country judge someone who is charged, that is an exception. However, this exception happened in both Daniel and Jesus’ case. Daniel was brought before the emperor Darius, and Jesus was brought before Pilate, who ruled Judea. Both Daniel’s and Jesus' case were exceptional, and personally head of the state was asked for the final decision. These details were very difficult to be fixed by a convict. If we have a prophecy that both will be judged by a judge, it would not be significant, because everyone is judged by a judge. However, the parallel is that they are judged by a someone who is not a judge by profession. It was a case of national importance. If someone wanted to deceive people to believe that he fulfilled this prophecy, How he could force officials of the state to plot the conspiracy against him, to arrest him even though he is innocent, and then to force officials to ask the emperor to judge him? Who would fix to be killed just to play a scheme with no gain? A whole range of details fulfill this prophecy dependends upon God's enemies, those who fought to prove that Jesus is not the Messiah, but unconsciously fulfilled prophecies and proved the opposite - that Jesus is the Messiah. The next similarity between the prophet Daniel and Jesus Christ also depended on God’s enemies:
Cunning prosecutors manipulated the judicial system Cunning prosecutors distorted facts before the king and manipulated judicial system to condemn an innocent person. Persian oficials asked the emperor to set a prohibition of prayer. They knew that Daniel will not stop praying because of his devotion to God, and thereby they forced the emperor to sentence loyal Daniel to death. On the other hand, elders of Israel accused Jesus for blasphemy in the court, although Jesus did not blasphemed God. However, the Romans would not have condemned a person to death only because he violates some rule of someone else's religion. Therefore, Pharisees rewrote accusation to be political, and presented to the Emperor that Jesus called for a revolution against the Roman government, which was also untrue. In both cases cunning prosecutors manipulated the judge and judicial system so that the accused was sentenced to death, and the ruler was legally powerless to prevent this manipulation.
Ruler wanted to set the accused free Mutual characteristics is that ruler of the country wanted to set the accused free. King Darius knew that this was a trap, because he knew Daniel is innocent. The king did not want to convict the accused. However, officials knew that Darius would react like this, so they asked the king in advance to sign a decree that he could not deny. “And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.” Daniel 6.14 In Christ’s case, Pilate realized that Jesus is not a problem for the Roman government and wanted to set him free. “said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him 15 no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him.” Luke 23:14,15 “Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.” Matthew 27:17,18
They did not defend themselves in the court An amazing parallel between Daniel and Jesus is that they did not defend themselves in the court. When a person is in court and possible sentence for him is death, usually he tries in every possible way to present all arguments to judge, to defend himself and stay alive. However, Daniel and Jesus were silent. Daniel did not say anything in court. A for Jesus it says: “And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing. Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing? See how many things they testify against You!" But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.” Mark 15:3-5 “Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.” Luke 23:9 So, we see one parallel after another, And details are specific events, that rarely occur, And it is unlikely that someone can accidentally fulfill all these details in his life, especially in the same order. It is obvious that a higher mind inspired prophet Daniel to write down only details which will occurre the same way in Jesus Christ’s life hundreds of years later.
Religious intolerance and political indictment Also parallel is that the plaintiffs were bothered by religiosity of Jesus and Daniel, but the indictment in court was political in nature, disrespect for the king. “"That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day."” Daniel 6.13 Of course, it was not true. Daniel was honest worker and the emperor Darius was very pleased with him, and gave him the highest position next to king. Again, it is a political indictment, but in both cases religious motives moved accusers to be intolerant toward flowless godly person. “From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar." John 19:12 Jesus was accused for prohibiting giving taxes to Caesar, though it was obvious lie. “And they began to accuse Him, saying, "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King." Luke 23:2 In contrast to the indictment Pharisees raised, Jesus publicly said that taxes should be paid to Caesar, because the money is forged by Caesar. As a contrast, God seeks spiritual values from men, to reflect God’s character, not king’s: (do not read quotation) “"Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it." 16 So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." 17 And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him.” Mark 12.14-17 So accused person was charged to be the emperor's enemy, which was incorrect. Darius and Pilate knew that Daniel and Jesus were not their enemy, but they were powerless to save them, without placing themselves at risk.
Judge’s career depends on his verdict Political career of both rulers depended on the verdict toward the innocent prisoner. Darius did not want to admit that his prayer ban was a nonsense, even when an innocent man could die because of it. “And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king's decree: "Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?" The king answered and said, "The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter." Daniel 6.12 If the king withdraw unalterable law, Persian legal system would be undermined. If Darius overturn his own command, he would admitt that he is not proper to be unmistakable king, and his opponents could replace him for his weakness. Pilate also did not oppose Pharisees because in the eyes of Caesar it could appear that he does not protect the interests of Rome, and that enslaved Jews care more to protect Roman power than he as a Roman governor. If he protects accused, the ruler could lose his position, because political rebellion would follow. “From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar." John 19:12,13 When rulers faced a choice where their personal careers are in question, both rather chose their own interests, both neglected justice, and condemned an innocent man to death.
Death penalty on the same day The next parallel between Daniel and Christ is the fact that they were sentenced to death and that the sentence should be executed on the same day. The execution of the death sentence on the day of the verdict is a risk of making drastic mistake, and is uncommon in the judiciary. When someone’s death sentence is executed, there is no correction. If later evidence shows that the convicted was not at fault, it is impossible to resurrect executed convicts to be rehabilitated. That is why a period of time is allowed to reassess facts, to prevent an innocent man to be convicted. However, Daniel’s and Jesus' enemies knew that delaying death sentence carries a risk to expose their manipulation, and they pressured king to enforce death sentence immediately. Rushing the death sentence was justified by religious reason - the proximity of Passover, to be able to celebrate the holiday.
They were placed into the cave / grave before sunset It should also be noted that Daniel was thrown into a pit around sunset to die, and Christ was placed into a stone cave around sunset, because he was dead. “Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him.” Daniel 6.18 “Now when evening had come (ὄψίος opsios – early afternoon, before evening), there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.” Matthew 27:57,58
Surrounded by Lions Daniel and Jesus have in common the fact that they were surrounded by lions. The Bible describes the Devil as a roaring lion, looking out to kill people who obey God. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1.Peter 5:8 Also, word “lions” in the plural in the Bible was used as a symbol of ungodly men who attacked God's people, such as Assyrians and Babylonians. “Israel is like scattered sheep; The lions have driven him away. First the king of Assyria devoured him; Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones." Jeremiah 50:17 So, those who arrested Christ were a group of Jews who rejected God's prophecies and principles of life, and handed him over to the Romans - ungodly “lions”. Confirmation that lions are a symbol of ungodly people seeking to kill godly men, we can find in Psalm 22. This Psalm Jesus quoted on the cross, to explain why His Father left him to die on the cross for our sins, why Messiah needed to suffer first. Psalm 22:1 “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?… 7. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8 "He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!"… 16… They pierced My hands and My feet… 18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. And then the writer describes ungodly as lions: “They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion.” Psalm 22:13 … “Save Me from the lion's mouth” Psalm 22:21 These verses show a direct connection between prosecutors and roaring lions, and shows Satan as the one who inspired these two death sentences. Jesus was crucified on Golgotha, which means “a place of a skull”, and daniel’s lions den was definitely full of the bones of previous convicts.
The same order of events We can clearly see that in both cases the sequence of events continues to coincide chronologically. The accused did not hide his religiosity, both were judged by the ruler of the country, cunning prosecutors manipulate the legal system to get the unjust sentence, ruler wants to set free the defendant, But both accused did not defended themselves in court, judge career depends on the verdict and death sentence was carried out on the same day. Because these details were fulfilled in the same order, we can conclude that this is not a random similarity, but God's intention to combine events in prophet Daniel's life with death and resurrection of the Messiah. If you are studying statistics, try to calculate the probability that 14 specific details related to prophet Daniel occur in the same order with Jesus Christ. 14! = 87178291200 This is 87 billion variants of which only one is correct. Also, we can include in our calculation how many factors can influence the fulfilment of these 14 similarities. Similar details are rare events and similarity depended on people who’s interest was to deny fulfilment of the prophecy. When we multiply all these probabilities, total probability that 600 years later one person experiences these details in the same order is practically equal to zero, virtually non-existent.
Pit - Grave So Daniel was thrown into a lions cave, and Jesus was buried in a cave. In the Bible, a cave is associated with tomb. Before the cross, Jesus prophesied that he will be in the grave the same length of time and in a similar fashion as the prophet Jonah was in the belly of a whale, or a big fish, 3 days and 3 nights. Let’s see how Jonah described his stay in a big fish: “…Out of the belly of Sheol (grave) I cried, And You heard my voice…” Jonah 2.2 Prophet Jonah did not say that he was in the belly of a big fish, but in the grave, as if he's dead, which exactly happened to the Messiah. Then Jonah adds: “…Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.” Jonah 2.6 Now Jonah is even more specific: instead of saying that he is in the belly of a whale, Jonah said that he is in a pit or a cave, which supposed to be his grave! Does that remind you about prophet Daniel in the lion’s den sentenced to death? Writer chose the same wording, and association is clearly there. Another confirmation that a cave is grave in the Bible can be seen when Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave: “Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.” John 11:38 “σπήλαιον” Spelaion = pećina, jama. Again we have a stone at the cave entrance, similar like on Jesus tomb, and Daniel’s lion’s den. Notice that the lion’s den as a punishment was a choice of Daniel’s enemies (do not read - "All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions." Daniel 6.7). So, God did not chose the punishment, neither Daniel could force his enemies to chose punishment to be a prediction of Messieah’s suffering and resurrection. Neither religious people could find a way to influence Pilate or Sanhedrin to fulfill these prophecies. They could only watch from a distance. Fulfillment of this prophecy depended on God’s opponents who wanted to deny that Jesus is the Messiah. Godless Persian officials asked the emperor to place Daniel in a cave closed with a stone, and Messiah’s accusers requested from Pilate to seal the stone at the Jesus’ cave. So, those who oppose God in fact, gave us the proof that God fulfilled his detailed plan to save his people.
The first and only one convicted of such an offense Another similarity is that Daniel and Jesus were the first and only convicted for such a so called “crime”. No one else but Daniel risked his life to publicly pray after strange emperor’s ban. Also, no one but Jesus was charged to make himself God, or claims to be the Son of God. How many people you know in the history that are condemned to death because they proclaimed themselves to be equal to God? It seems only one person in history. So, Daniel and Jesus had unique accusations. This prophecy did not predict some common behavior, such as “someone will be dressed in a dark suit and tie”, so that a billion people can fulfill the prophecy. It was specific and unique. When we have so many specific details, we can see that it did not happen by chance with some random person. This specific accusation targeted prophet Daniel and Jesus Christ and other people have did not meet specific details of these prophecies. It is very rare to find a person people talk about as someone without flaws, or sincerely on God's side. Daniel and Jesus were sentenced for unusual offenses, and majority would not be in that category. Beynd this point, similarities become even more direct, and still the order of both events coincide greatly. In both cases someone chalenge God to deliver Daniel / Jesus, thinking that will not happen King Darius was a sad and angry because Daniel was willing to die instead of giving up his obedience to God. Desperate because he could not set him free, he said: “Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you." Daniel 6:16 Darius chalenged God to rescue Daniel, but he did not actualy believe that God will really defend Daniel. On the other side, Jesus would never give up his obedience to God, and he was determined to fulfill his mission. People standing below the cross, instead of compassion for a suffering person, decided to mock Jesus' unwavering trust in God and challenge Him to give up his mission: “He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' " Matthew 27:43 “…But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God." 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine 37 and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself…" “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." Luke 23:35-37,39 “And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Matthew 27:39,40 Of course, mockers said that because they did not believe that Jesus can come out of this situation.
The stone was placed at the entrance of the pit At the entrance of both caves soldiers placed a stone. “Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den” Daniel 6.17 “and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.” Matthew 27:60
Ruler sealed the stone At the climax of these two events, both Darius and Pilate sealed the stone at the entrance, to stop anyone from thinking that Daniel and Jesus can come out alive. “Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.” Daniel 6.17 Note that Pharisees insist that Pilate place soldiers and seal the tomb: “saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first." Matthew 27:63-64 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard." Matthew 27:65,66 With asking the stone to be sealed and guarded, elders wanted to stop people from believing that Jesus is the Messiah, but they actually fulfilled the prophecy that proves that Jesus is the Messiah! Again, fulfillment of the prophecy depended on Jesus' enemies, and without knowing they did exactly what prophet said they will do. It was not possible for Jesus to force his enemies to fulfill details of this prophecy, which makes a great argument in favor of His Messianic mission He came to accomplish. It is amazing how God could predict behavior of Jesus’ enemies and gave us a clear understanding that he knows what he's doing, and the history of our planet will end as he predicted.
Judge regrets the convict Note that in both cases the judge regrets the person he has to sentenced to death. Darius mourns Daniel: “Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him.” Daniel 6.18 Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, he admired his attitude. Pilate said that Jesus is innocent, and Pilate's wife (as well as king Darius), she could not sleep because God has shown her conspiracy against the innocent Messiah: “While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him." Matthew 27:19
Someone came early to the tomb, although believed that Daniel / Jesus was dead The next parallel is that in both cases, someone is coming early to the tomb, but their sorrow turns into joy: “Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" Daniel 6.19,20 Takođe i žene dolaze rano na Isusov grob: “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.” Matthew 28:1 Note that king Darius did not expect to find prophet Daniel alive. The same way, women did not expect to find Jesus alive. In both cases, they came sad to the tomb, because they believed Daniel and Jesus are dead, but they left the grave with a great joy.
Leaving the cave - resurrection Now follows the most important event: Daniel leaves the cave alive, and Jesus comes out from the grave alive. Without resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christianity would be just one more religion but because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can trust God that He forgave our sins and He will resurrect us as He promised, on a day of His judgment. This is still not the end of parallels between Daniel and Jesus Christ.
Angels appear in the grave Look what Daniel told us how he survived: an angel shut the lions’ mouths: “My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you." Daniel 6.22 Do we have also angels mentioned at Christ's tomb? Of course, angels came to the tomb, removed the stone from the entrance to let resurrected Jesus out. “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.” Matthew 28:2,3 So, in both cases angels appear at the tomb. “And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.” John 20:12
Great joy And now great joy at the tomb followed in both cases. Daniel is came out from the cave alive to a great joy of emperor Darius. “Then the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den.” Daniel 6.23 The same way disciples of Christ rejoiced when they saw him alive after the resurrection. “So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.” Matthew 28:8 “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” John 20:20 Even today, a large number of people on our planet joyfully celebrate the resurrection of Christ as a guarantee of our salvation.
Penalty for officials However, not even this is the end of parallels between Daniel and Jesus. The penalty innocent person had to suffer, at the end was executed on jealous conspirators. In both cases unfair administrators were punished for manipulating the judge and justice. Persian administrators were thrown into the lion’s den, they intended for Daniel. “And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions...” Daniel 6.24 Similarly, those who condemned Jesus to death were killed just as Jesus foretold. When Jesus quoted prophet Daniel, he refers to the prophesied punishment for the elders of Israel. “Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” Matthew 24:15,16 “"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21.20-24 Jesus did not quote many Biblical books, but he cited prophet Daniel to explain his prophecy. Christ's prophecy has multiple meanings and points toward ungodly force that will persecute God's people before the second coming of Christ. Jesus made a parallel between the siege of Jerusalem and the last time events, and he predicted that all who disobey God will die at that time. The Pharisees, scribes and Sadducees manipulated judge to condemn Messiah to death, but God still provided a chance for them to repent. Since they did not repent, Jerusalem was besieged by Romans and destroyed. Descendants / Notice also that not only those who sought the death penalty for an innocent man suffered, but also their descendants: (“And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children." Matthew 27:25) Israelites were so self-assured that they told Pilate they take the responsibility on them and on their descendants, and the same happened to Daniel’s prosecutors: “And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions--them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.” Daniel 6.24
Unbroken bones It is emphasized that bones of accusers were broken, as a contrast to Daniel whose bones were unbroken: “So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.” Daniel 6.23 Thus, the plaintiffs’ bones were broken, and Daniel’s were not. Similarly, according to Biblical prophecy Jesus had no bones broken. Soldiers broke knees of two robbers on the cross to accelerate their death, and since Jesus was already died, they did not break his knees. “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs… For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." John 19.31-33,36 Thus fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.” Psalm 34:19,20 Obviously to have unbroken bones at the cross was an exception to the rule. Soldiers were surprised that Jesus was already dead, and to have unbroken bones in given situation was a surprise forseen by God.
Coming back from death announced to all nations And when it was all over, the news was announced to all nations. Darius was delighted and had no doubts that God intervened to keep Daniel alive, so he wanted everyone to know about this: “Then King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you.” Daniel 6.25 Let’s look how similar greeting Jesus used after the resurrection to address apostles. His first words to them were: “Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you." Luke 24:36 Darius continues his letter to all nations this way: “I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.” Daniel 6:26,27 As Darius let all nations know how God delivered Daniel from the death sentence, In a similar way Jesus' disciples went to all nations to tell everyone how God raised Jesus from the grave: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.” Matthew 28:19,20 Darius sended his men to tell everyone how God rescued Daniel from the grave, and Jesus sended his disciples to tell that everyone that He was resurrected from the grave.
The same order of events If we look again at the sequence of events that happened to Daniel and Jesus, we can only conclude that everything happened in the same order. Daniel and Jesus were the first and only convicted of a such violation, When placed in the cave, soldiers closed the entrance with a stone, which they sealed with emperor’s ring. In the early morning someone comes sad to the tomb because he does not believe that Daniel and Jesus are alive, but their sadness turns into joy. Angels were present in both caves. Then Daniel and Jesus came out of the cave, which followed a great joy. On the other hand, government officials and their families suffered the same punishment they enforced on innocent Daniel and Jesus. News about God's miracle was announced worldwide.
Flawless Entire text particularly emphasized that Daniel had no single flaw. Both Daniel and Jesus kept God's law and were without blemish. However, they were accused of breaking the law that contradicted God’s law. Information that Daniel is without blemish repeats several times during this event. First the king looked for young men without blemish, and Daniel was one of them. 1.4 Even state officials said that they can’t find in him any fault. Daniel 6.4 If anyone could find a fault in Daniel, that would be these jealous administrators who followed closely Daniel to find something to accuse him. Because the fact that Daniel was without blemish is repeated so many times, it is clear that God underlined this detail as important. Also, the king indirectly said that Daniel does not have a flaw: “And when he came to the den, he cried out with a lamenting voice to Daniel. The king spoke, saying to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?" Daniel 6.20 The fact that Daniel served God without lowering high standards tell us in a different words that Daniel does not have a flaw. People who sin against God, they do not serve Him. If Daniel at all times serve God, that means that Daniel is sinless. Daniel survived lion’s den because he was flawless: “My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you." Daniel 6.22 The fact that Daniel was without blemish give us a hint that Messiah will be sinless, yet sentenced to die instead of sinners who ask God for mercy. The same way as Daniel, Jesus was without sin: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2.Corinthians 5:21 When Pharisees sent out spies, even these spies said that they did not find anything in Jesus to accuse him. Pilate repeated three times that hedid not find any guilt on Jesus: “Pilate then went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him." John 19:4 “Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him." John 19:6 “…he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all. "But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?" John 18:38,39 Even Judas Iscariot admitted after he betrayed Jesus: "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." Matthew 27.4 Daniel has become the amblem of righteousness in the Old Testament. When God described how consequences of sin will affect sinners, he said that He will deliver righteous people like Noah, Daniel, and Job, but even they would not be able to rescue their family members, because everyone has to develop the same trust in God to be consecrated to Daniel’s level. “Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness," says the Lord God… even though these three men were in it, as I live," says the Lord God, "they would deliver neither sons nor daughters; only they would be delivered, and the land would be desolate.” Ezekiel 14.14,16,20 Noah with his family survived the flood because he was righteous before God. Job was absolutelly innocent, but even while he suffered as no one else, Job’s devotion to God was absolute. He believed that God has a good reason why he allowed misfortune on him. Along with righteous Noah and Job, God listed Daniel, for holding God’s principles under the most difficult circumstances. It is always easy to find someone’s flaw. Even if someone does not have a flaw, he would not be tolerated among sinners. Someone’s life without blemish rebuke other’s who compromise with sin, who do things they recognize as wrong. Liers do not like a man who speaks the truth. Among immoral people, a person with high moral standards is undesirable. This is why righteous Daniel was hated among people who disrespected God, and for the same reason they hated Christ too. There is always someone who does not like what we do, and it is impossible to please everybody. No matter if we keep universal justice principles, there will always be someone who does not like what a blameless person do. When you hear that someone is “without fault”, what Bible text that reminds you to? In Revelation we can find a group of people absolutely devoted to God In the time of trouble, just before the Christ's second coming: “And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.” Revelation 14:5 As Daniel followed God in everything, so will 144,000: “These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” Revelation 14:4 In other words, we are called to be without blemish as prophet Daniel, if we want to be protected by God at the peak of ungodliness in the history of this planet, to welcome Christ's second coming.
Why all this is important for us? We can see God’s hand that leads history for the benefit of mankind at the end. We established the parallel between prophet Daniel in the lion’s den with the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a fact. Some other individuals from the Bible also reflected life of Messiah, such as Joseph, Moses, and the prophet Jonah. The Book of Daniel was written long before Jesus Christ was even born, yet details look as we read the Gospel. If we wonder why God placed so many similarities between Messiah and the Old Testament heroes, it is logical that before Messiah’s appearance, people needed something to test their faithfulness to God. God saves people because they regain absolute trust in God, and because Messiah paid for our transgressions. While reading the Old Testament, people should be able to see these prophecies which explained what Messiah will do for our salvation. The Old Testament showed that we believe everything what God said to be truth, as a contrast to unbelief of Adam and Eve. We need the same faith in God as Abraham showed us Messiah’s sacrifice through the Isaac on the mount Moriah. There are many anti-types of Messiah in the Old Testament. Those who did not understand from Daniel 6 that Messiah will suffer before His resurrection, were terribly disappointed at the time that happened. Apostles hid in the upper room because of fear they will die as Jesus, because they did not understand from the prophecy that Messiah will die and be raised again. Misunderstanding of Biblical prophecy lead to bitter disappointment and fear. If they properly understand Daniel’s text, they would be encouraged. Messiah’s resurrection is a foundation for our salvation. A proper understanding of biblical parallels can help us to make a decision in the most important choices we make in our life. If they understood from Daniel 6 and Isaiah 53 that Messiah will suffer first and be resurrected, they would be encouraged to see how God leads history of the world toward salvation of God’s people. If God lead us here as He predicted, then He will lead us till the end. Prophecies about second coming of Christ will also be fulfilled. It’s a choice between eternal death without God and eternal life with God. Whoever misinterpreted the Bible, if they did not interpret the Bible as Jesus did, they were bitterly disappointed when events happened as predicted by God, and not as expected by men. God foretold one thing, but people expected something else. Apostles were disappointed when Jesus was arrested and sentenced to death, and Judas even killed himself because he betrayed him. The Pharisees and scribes thought about themselves they were experts for the Old Testament, but the lack of understanding Bible prophecies lead them to condemn their Savior to death. This means: If you do not understand the Bible as God want us to understand - we will be disappointed. If we understand the Bible as inspired by God - we will be encouraged. Today many theologians criticize Sola Scriptura principle, that Bible is a source of truth. Instead of listening what God said, people rather follow their tradition, their intuition, their false reasoning, instead of relying on the Bible text as the best path toward eternal life. If we want to see how deep is God's wisdom, take a look how complicated is only one human body cell, invisible to our naked eye. Although so small, our cells can breathe, converts food into energy, eliminate toxic substances, and perform very complex chemical processes. Each cell poses in genes a complete blueprint of everything our body has. When our cells divide, at the place where we need our brain to be, our cells will produce brain cells, and at the place where skin or liver has to be, cells will divide to create skin or liver cells! We do not know how cells know where they are in the body, and what kind of cell they need to produce to have a functional body. Nothing man-made is as complicated as one human body cell. When we need to do laboratory analysis of blood, a doctor will sent us to the lab, At lab technician will took a blood sample for analysis, and in a few hours the doctor will get our results. The next day, doctor would call us and give us a prescription to correct out of normal range results. In a week or two we will repeat the analysis to see if the dose is sufficient or we need to increase or decrease the dose. Unlike this slow and questionable process, our body miraculously does hundreds of blood analysis every second, and depending on results, our body automatically produce substances to increase or decrease certain chemical element or compound in our body, to the level required for normal functioning. In comparisson to slow and imperfect process done by medical professionals, our body works quickly, efficiently and accurately, and we are not even aware of what is happening. Do you know normal concentration of potassium, calcium or sodium in your body? I do not know, you don’t know, but your body knows what’s normal range and how to maintain it, even though value can be measured in milligrams or micrograms. For example, potassium range must be between 3.5 - 5.5 (mEq/L) and an excess or deficiency of potassium may cause death. Such a precision is an automated process embedded in us when we were created, Possibility that potassium level in our body is regulated by pure chance is zero, because it would result in death of every out of range milliEquivalent result. This process of measuring and adjusting levels of chemical compounds in our blood takes a place continuously, even while we sleep. However, everything works perfectly well in our body, because an incredibly intelligent Creator brought this process to perfection. It works well as long as people do not destroy this perfect mechanism by disobedience to God's principles. The same God who created this incredibly precise laboratory in our body, inspired prophet Daniel and other Bible writers to give us amazing messages, such precise parallels, incredible prophecies and life-saving truth that can refine even enemies of God. Understanding of these messages can make a difference between disappointment and encouragement, between death in sin, and life with God. When you read the Bible, expect to find the greatest depth, multiple meanings of the text, messages that no man could made up, but only God. God who began with fulfillment of his plan of salvation, will surely complete it in a way described in the Bible prophecies. Read the Bible and search for the richness of God’s truth, ask God in prayer to be changedand let God save you when you sincerely trust Him. If we understand who God is, we will have confidence in Him that He will lead our lives in the best direction, even if we go through troubles like prophet Daniel. To understand the Bible the way Jesus Christ interpreted the text, will bring encouragement and open our eyes for the future events ahead of us.