Mary and Joseph

Scriptural overview

Da 4:1-37. Dan Interprets Neb's 2nd Dream of the Tree. The egocentric king is warned that he will be stripped of his greatness & experience 7 yrs of insanity. Neb is given a 12 mos. grace period to repent, but refuses. Afterwards he is converted, makes a royal proclamation confessing that God is sovereign, and is restored to his kingship.

Da 3:1-30. King Neb Sets Up a Golden Image. The friends of Dan are maliciously accused b/c of their refusal to worship the image—a charge punishable by death. They keep obedience to God and place their trust in Him when being thrown into the fire. God miraculously delivers them unharmed, revealing to Neb that He is superior to all other gods.

Da 2:31-49. The Image of Neb's Dream. Each kingdom of man represented in the image is inferior to the one preceding it. Descending from Babylon, to Medo-Persia, to Greece, and the 2-staged Roman empire, God then sets up His own future kingdom bringing the time of the Gentiles to a close. This 5th kingdom, w/God ruling the world, will endure forever.

Da 2:31-38. Dan tells King Neb his dream & gives the interpretation. The statue represents the kingdom of man and pictures man's efforts to est. stability apart from God. God offers Neb the potential of world rulership, shifting to the time of the Gentiles because of Israel's failure to rule.

Da 2:12-30. In answer to the young men's prayer, God reveals the secret of the dream to Dan. He in turn offers a psalm of thanksgiving, focusing on God's omniscience & omnipotence as the Author of human history. Once in the presence of the king, Arioch tries to take credit for himself, but Dan gives all the credit to God.

Da 1:18-2:23. Anxious over his dreams, King Neb demands to know both the dream & its interpretation. Dan faces his 2nd crisis w/the potential of execution. The contrast is b/w Neb who operates on HVP, and calm Dan whose soul is filled with DVP. He successfully requests an audience before the king and petitions God in prayer for the secret.

Da 1:3-2:13. Daniel respectfully makes his request for a change in diet on the basis of what appeals to the Babylonian official. He submits to authority while neither compromising, nor causing offense. Thru the ability to understand visions & dreams, God gives Dan the gift of prophecy. Neb has a dream w/no one to interpret it.

Da 1:3-9. Dan & friends not only survive and succeed while immersed in a pagan environment, they excel. Cosmic thinking is based on the arrogance & antagonism of man. Beginning w/a change of name, the Babylonian training attempts to erase the Bible doctrine in these young men. Dan picks his battle, resists the diet, and God fights for him.