101 Myths of the Bible: how ancient scribes - Conscious Evolution TV

yth #100:
Daniel predicted the future.
The Myth: As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in
all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
(Dan. 1:17)
The Reality: The predictions attributed to Daniel were written after the occurrence
of the events described.
The Book of Daniel can be divided into two categories of story. The one tells of
how Jews during the Babylonian Captivity can, through faith in God, rise to positions
of high power in foreign countries. The other describes and interprets a series of
dreams and visions about strange creatures and unusual events.
In the first category, we have the stories of Daniel in the lion’s den and Shadrack,
Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. In each of these stories, the central characters
defied certain directives of King Nebuchadnezzar that would interfere with
their worship of God. As punishment, they were to be put to death. In each case, however,
an angel of God came to protect them. When they emerged unscathed from
their ordeal, the King elevated them to positions of high authority in the kingdom.
Daniel, the central character, had been blessed by God with the gift of dream interpretation,
which enabled him to predict events in the future. He had been brought to
Babylon at about 587 B.C. when King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and
removed the Hebrews from Canaan. Daniel and three companions were singled out
by the king’s staff and educated in the royal academy. As with Joseph, Daniel’s skill in
dream interpretation led to positions of high authority in the kingdom.
Daniel presents us with a series of unusual dreams and visions, which when interpreted
reveal the political events of the future down to the final days. In one episode,
for instance, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of an unusual and frightening creature. It had
a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet
of iron and clay. A stone was hurled at the creature’s feet and the entity broke into tiny
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