Introduction: These transcripts are from Kay Arthur's lectures on the old course on Daniel and not the new lecture series circa 2006. They are provided as a service to the body of Christ with the written permission of Precept Ministries International. This material is the property of Precept Ministries International and all rights are reserved.

The transcripts are for the most part verbatim with deletions identified by the characters (...). The utilization of italics, bolding, hyperlinks and pop up notes represent editorial additions. Any written additions are identified by the designation "Ed note".  All references are the NASB unless otherwise indicated.

Please note that these lectures by Kay Arthur supplement the excellent Precept Upon Precept inductive Bible study on the Daniel. Click on the link below and note that you can download lesson 1 free of charge.

Daniel 1-6 - Part 1 - Living Out a Biblical Worldview
Daniel 7-12 - Part 2 - Gaining Understanding of the Time of the End

Below are links to the excellent Precept study of the Revelation. If you are planning on doing this four part study, I would strongly encourage you to first complete the Daniel study, as knowledge of the prophecies in Daniel is critical to a full understanding of the prophecies in the Revelation.  Note that for each part, you may download a PDF of lesson one at no charge.

Revelation 1-3 - Part 1 - Jesus' Message to the Church
Revelation 4-22 - Part 2 - The Unveiling of the Book of Revelation
Revelation 5-22 - Part 3 - What is the Sign of His Coming and the End of the Age?
Revelation 5-22 Part 4 - Interpreting Revelation in the Light of Biblical Prophecy4

Israel was divided in  931BC . As a result of this division King Jeroboam (Northern Kingdom) "made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt." And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan." (1Ki12:28-30) The people refused to believe the Word of God but instead chose to believe the lie that the golden calves had brought them up from Egypt.

In response to Jeroboam's golden calves, a man of God gives a prophecy against the idolatrous altar at Bethel in about 931BC.

"Now behold, there came a man of God (here the specific prophet remains anonymous) from Judah (southern kingdom prophet) to Bethel (in the northern kingdom) by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, "O altar, altar, thus says the LORD, 'Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.'" Then he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken, 'Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.'" (1Ki13:1-3)

About 300 years later, this remarkable prophecy was fulfilled by  King Josiah just as the man of God had predicted. In (2Ki23:15-20) we read "the altar that was at Bethel and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down. Then he demolished its stones, ground them to dust, and burned the Asherah. Now when Josiah turned, he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sent and took the bones from the graves and burned them on the altar and defiled it according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things. Then he said, "What is this monument that I see?" And the men of the city told him, "It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel." And he said, "Let him alone; let no one disturb his bones." So they left his bones undisturbed with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. And Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made provoking the LORD; and he did to them just as he had done in Bethel. And all the priests of the high places who were there he slaughtered on the altars and burned human bones on them; then he returned to Jerusalem."

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

Isaiah is prophesying during the reigns of four kings - Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah from about 790 to 686 BC.

(Ed note: Isaiah 7:2-8:10 actually has five prophecies [Isa7:2–9, 10–17, 18–25; Isa8:1–4, 5–10] predicting both Judah’s deliverance from the kings of Syria and Israel and the northern kingdom's [Israel] downfall at the hands of the Assyrians).

As you study any specific prophecy remember that as a general rule when a prophet speaks, his prophecy relates to...
 

(Ed note: Remember also that a specific prophecy may have more than one literal fulfillment, the first being in the near future and another in the distant, future, as in Isaiah's famous prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 below).

At the time of the prophecies in Isaiah 7, King Ahaz was reigning over the southern kingdom of Judah which was being threatened by her neighbors (Ed note: This section can be somewhat confusing. Read Isaiah 7 slowly and just keep in mind that Aram/Syria had formed an alliance with the Northern Kingdom of Ephraim [synonymous with the name "Israel" which was generally applied to the 10 northern tribes] this alliance aiming to strengthen them against Assyria which was rising to power. King Ahaz of the Southern Kingdom of Judah was frightened because Syria and Israel sought to depose him and crown a new puppet king in Judah. In Isa 7:4 Isaiah tells King Ahaz "'Take care, and be calm, have no fear and do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering firebrands", sarcastically referring to Aram/Syria and Ephraim/Israel, going on to add in Isa 7:8 that "within another 65 years Ephraim [the Northern Kingdom] will be shattered." Assyria shattered the Northern Kingdom in 722BC fulfilling this prophecy in Isaiah's time. Then in Isa 7:9 Isaiah challenges King Ahaz to believe the prophecy saying "If you will not believe, you surely shall not last." which can also be translated "If you will not be sure, you cannot be secure").

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

The second specific prophecy in Isaiah 7 is found in (verses 10-17)
(Ed note: For background context read Isaiah 7:10-12 "Then the LORD spoke again to Ahaz, saying, "Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven." (The Lord was willing to give King Ahaz a sign that he had nothing to fear from the Aram and Ephraim alliance, but Ahaz was unwilling even to consider God's Word, answering in essence "no"!) But Ahaz said, "I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD!" Ahaz's response sounds "spiritual" but  actually shows his dependence on man not God. How so? Ahaz had formed an alliance with Assyria and that is where he intended to place his trust - see this alliance in  [2Ki16:7-9] So it is with this as a background that God says He will give Ahaz a sign anyway.)

Isaiah 7:14-16 "Therefore (because Ahaz would not ask for a sign validating God's prophesy against the Northern Kingdom) the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin (Hebrew word "almah" refers simply to "a young woman of marriageable age" but the Greek translation or Septuagint has the specific Greek word "parthenos" which means "virgin") will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. 15 "He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.16 "For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken. (Ed note: Before the promised son was old enough to make moral choices, the kings of Aram/Syria and Ephraim/Israel would meet their demise at the hands of the Assyrians as recorded in 2Ki16:9 "So the king of Assyria listened to [King Ahaz's plea for help] and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus [Aram/Syria] and captured it, and carried the people of it away into exile to Kir, and put Rezin to death")"

So the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14-16 was (1) fulfilled in the prophet's time with the defeat of the kings of Aram/Syria and Ephraim/Israel, and had a (2) distant future fulfillment in the virgin birth of the Messiah.

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

In Isaiah 8:1-4 God told Isaiah "Take for yourself a large tablet and write on it in ordinary letters: Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey. And I will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah." So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the LORD said to me, "Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Ed note: This name means ”swift is the booty, speedy is the prey“ and was shouted by soldiers as they defeated and plundered their foes) for before the boy knows how to cry out 'My father' or 'My mother,' the wealth of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria."

(Ed note: Isaiah's sons were to be prophetic signs to the nation of Judah as recorded in Isaiah 8:18 "Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.")

Isaiah had two sons, one who Isaiah predicted would be named ''Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey'' and another mentioned in the previous chapter. "Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the fuller's field..." (Isaiah 7:3) where the name "Shear-jashub" means a ''remnant shall return'', which in essence was a promise from God to King Ahaz of Judah that regardless of what happened, there would be a remnant of Judah.

(Ed note: Isaiah’s sons proved to be accurate prophetic signs: Maher-shalal-hash-baz  speaking of future judgment was fulfilled when Assyria conquered Aram/Syria and invaded Israel before "the boy knows how to" speak [normally about age 2 years]. In 732 BC, about two years after Isaiah’s son was born, Assyria swept into and conquered Aram/Syria and began to invade the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Ki15:29), the Assyrian army fulfilling the prophecy "swift is the booty, speedy is the prey".)

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

Did Israel and Judah heed the warnings of the God's prophets?

2Ki 17:13-15: records that they although "the LORD warned Israel and Judah, through all His prophets and every seer saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets...they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers, and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them."

And so God was forced to carry out His judgment against Israel first and in  722BC  Assyria defeated the Northern kingdom. "So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day." (2Ki17:23) In addition, "the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Avva and from Hamath and Sephar-vaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the sons of Israel. So they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities." (2Ki17:24) These became the ancestors of the "Samaritans", derived from Jews who were left in the Northern kingdom who intermarried with the transplanted pagan Gentiles. These "half breed" Jew and Gentile "Samaritans" were considered to be defiled and were hated by full blooded New Testament Jews.

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

Isaiah 36-37 chronicle the Assyrian assault on Jerusalem (about 701 BC or almost 21 years after the Northern Kingdom had fallen). (Ed note: This Assyrian invasion was in fact another "fulfilled prophecy" for Isaiah had warned King Ahaz that placing his trust in an alliance with Assyria would result in God's judgment for "The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that Ephraim separated from Judah, the king of Assyria." Isaiah 7:17 And so, as described in Isaiah 36-37, God's "sure word of prophecy" had come to pass in the reign of Ahaz's son, Hezekiah, all of which could have been avoided had Judah chosen to heed the warning and trust the LORD.)

Isaiah records that "Now it came about in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them. And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool on the highway of the fuller's field." (Isaiah 36:1-2) The Assyrian field commander Rabshakeh proceeded to reproach Judah and King Hezekiah in one of the most insolent and blasphemous speeches in all of Scripture (Ed note: read the entire tirade in Isaiah 36) Specifically he reproved them for seeking aid from Egypt declaring "Behold, you rely on the staff of this crushed reed, even on Egypt; on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him." (Isaiah 36:6) Remember that God had warned the Jews not to go down to Egypt. It would not be by their might that they would be delivered but by God

Isaiah 37 records Hezekiah's response to the Assyrian's reproach: "And when King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth and entered the house of the LORD. Then he sent Eliakim who was over the household with Shebna the scribe and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz. And they said to him, "Thus says Hezekiah, 'This day is a day of distress, rebuke, and rejection; for children have come to birth, and there is no strength to deliver. 'Perhaps the LORD your God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the remnant that is left." (Isaiah 37:1-4)

The prophet Isaiah's response was "Thus you shall say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD, "Do not be afraid (Ed note: the same assurance the prophet had spoken to Hezekiah's father King Ahaz years earlier - click note) because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. "Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land." (Isaiah 37:6-7) In other words, God says He will fight for Judah -- if God is for us who can be against us?

Faced with another challenge by the Assyrian commander Rabshakeh, Hezekiah responded by going to the LORD. Isaiah records "Hezekiah prayed to the LORD saying,"O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who art enthroned above the cherubim, Thou art the God, Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made heaven and earth. Incline Thine ear, O LORD, and hear; open Thine eyes, O LORD, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God. Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have devastated all the countries and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. And now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that Thou alone, LORD, art God." (Isaiah 37:15-20)

In answer to King Hezekiah's prayer, God sent His answer that He would deliver Judah out of the hands of the Assyrians  "saying, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Because you have prayed to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria, this is the word that the LORD has spoken against him... "Have you not heard? Long ago I did it, From ancient times I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps. ...Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, 'He shall not come to this city, or shoot an arrow there; neither shall he come before it with a shield, nor throw up a mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come to this city,' declares the LORD. For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.'" Then the angel of the LORD went out, and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead. So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh. And it came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place." (Isaiah 37:21-22, 26, 33-38)

And so just as God had predicted the Assyrians were struck down and withdrew to their land. 

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

 712-612BC  Assyrian empire came to an end-everything God had said would come to pass did come to pass.

 612BC  Nineveh is destroyed by the Babylonians and Medes

In this next section we will look at some prophecies concerning Babylon

ISAIAH'S PROPHECY TO BABYLON

"At that time (about 703 BC) Merodach-baladan son of Baladan, king of Babylon (not a great world power at this time), sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered (the reason for the diplomatic mission was ostensibly to honor Hezekiah who had recovered from a mortal illness, see Isaiah 38) And Hezekiah was pleased and showed them all his treasure house (the reason he did so is not stated but the context suggest it may have been because of flattery - in any event God allowed this to test Hezekiah's heart, see 2Chr 32:31) the silver and the gold and the spices and the precious oil and his whole armory and all that was found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah did not show them." (Isaiah 39:1-2)

Isaiah then shows up (Ed note: without an invitation - Hezekiah should have consulted with him prior to showing his treasures!) and confronts King Hezekiah asking "What did these men say, and from where have they come to you?" And Hezekiah said, "They have come to me from a far country, from Babylon." And he said, "What have they seen in your house?" So Hezekiah answered, "They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasuries that I have not shown them." Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,' says the LORD. And some of your sons who shall issue from you, whom you shall beget, shall be taken away; and they shall become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.'" (Isaiah 39:3-7)

God's prophet Isaiah gives a sure word of prophecy that everything Hezekiah and his fathers had stored up would be taken away to Babylon, along with some of his sons. This prophecy was given in about 703Bc (and certainly before 686BC for that date marks the end of Hezekiah's reign) and was eventually fulfilled in 605BC. Some of the sons taken away to Babylon included Daniel, and his associates.

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

In Isaiah 47 God speaks a sure word of prophecy against Babylon declaring to Babylon that "I was angry with My people. I profaned My heritage, and gave them into your hand (Ed note: Babylonian captivity for 70 years). You did not show mercy to them, On the aged you made your yoke very heavy. Yet you said, 'I shall be a queen forever.' These things you did not consider, nor remember the outcome of them." (Isaiah 47:6-7)

God gave Judah into Babylon's hands in three stages...

Isaiah prophesied that since Babylon showed no mercy to the Jews, and God would judge them accordingly in a prophecy given over 150 years prior to its fulfillment.  God allowed Babylon to be a dominant world power from 626-538BC. God then used the Medes and Persians to bring about Babylon's defeat.

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

Even in the face of sure judgment to come on Judah and Jerusalem God reminds His people of His character and His covenant promises declaring "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. And who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it; Yes, let him recount it to Me in order, from the time that I established the ancient nation. And let them declare to them the things that are coming and the events that are going to take place. Do not tremble and do not be afraid. Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none...Remember these things, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant, O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me...It is I who says of Jerusalem, 'She shall be inhabited!' And of the cities of Judah, 'They shall be built.' And I will raise up her ruins again." (Isaiah 44:6-8, 21, 26)

God is Israel's unchanging Rock and wants Israel to know that He will not forget them. Even though God through Isaiah prophesies destruction and captivity, he also predicts their restoration ("Jerusalem...shall be inhabited!" Isaiah 44:26). This recalls the name of Isaiah's son mentioned earlier (click here for note on "Shear-jashub") which was a prophetic sign that ''a remnant shall return''.

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

Finally in Isaiah 44, God gives a remarkable prophecy regarding Cyrus 175 years before he was is even born and eventually became King of Persia (reigning from 554-529 BC)! God declared "It is I who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.' And he declares of Jerusalem, 'She will be built,' And of the temple, 'Your foundation will be laid." (Isa 44:28)

And so God's sure word through Isaiah predicted that God would use a yet unborn Persian king named Cyrus as His "shepherd" to...

This is the same Cyrus is mentioned twice by Daniel: "And Daniel continued until the first year of Cyrus the king."(Da1:21) and  "So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian." (Da6:28)

"We have a sure word of prophecy"

In Daniel chapter one, God was fulfilling a sure word of prophecy "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god."  (Da1:1-2)

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The prophet Daniel was raised in Judah during the reign of King Josiah described in 2 Kings 22-23. (Ed note: recall that King Josiah fulfills the prophecy of "a man of God" given some 300 years earlier - click here to review)

 Scripture records that "Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem...and he did right in the sight of the LORD and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he turn aside to the right or to the left. Now it came about in the eighteenth year of King Josiah (622BC) that...Shaphan the scribe...found the book of the law in the house of the LORD...And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. And it came about when the king heard the words of the book of the law, that he tore his clothes." (2Ki22:1-3, 8, 11)

Josiah's response indicates that he had a sense of  God's impending wrath. Josiah humbled himself, bringing himself in submission to the Word, so that he was enabled to see sin for what it really was, which explains why he tore his clothes and was grieved over what he had heard.
 

King Josiah went on to send his leaders "to Huldah the prophetess...and she said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Tell the man who sent you to me, thus says the LORD, "Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the LORD thus shall you say to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel, "Regarding the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD. Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil which I will bring on this place."' (2Ki22:14-20)

For years Judah had been groping in darkness because they did not have the prophetic word like a light shining in a dark place.  Josiah's appropriate response to the sure words of prophecy stimulated the him to call for radical reformation in the land of Judah (as described in 2 Kings 23). Ezekiel and Daniel would have been young men who experienced this reformation in Judah. In addition, Jeremiah was prophesying during this time and in the years leading up to and including the final exile to Babylon in 605BC.

Scripture records that "In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. And King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at Megiddo." (2 Ki23:29) Josiah was succeeded by his son, Jehoiakim, who "was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem" (2 Ki23:36)

In the days of Jehoiakim "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him." (2Kings 24:1). This event brings us to 605BC. This same year Egypt under Pharaoh Neco was defeated by Babylon at the crucial battle of Carchemish, the Babylon emerging from this battle as the new leading world power.

King Josiah is described as having a "tender heart". Dearly beloved, will you be willing to ask God to give you a tender heart as you study Daniel? Daniel is not just prophecy but is a book about how we should live in difficult times.