Daniel – Evidence for Christianity

Is there solid evidence that Old Testament prophecies such as those in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Nahum and Jeremiah were given before the events prophesied?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Daniel, General Apologetics, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Is there evidence that Old testament prophecies like those in Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Nahum, Jeremiah etc. were made prior to the events they prophesied? Answer: Yes, of course. Many of the prophecies in the Old Testament certainly were fulfilled after the prophecies were written down. However, there are also Old Testament prophecies–especially in Jeremiah and […]

Is it possible that the vile ruler of Daniel 11:21 is Emperor Vespasian?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: Is it possible that the vile ruler of Daniel 11:21 is Vespasian? As he seized the kingdom by intrigue, he wasn’t a Roman royal and he plundered and looted etc. Answer: The vile ruler is Antiochus Epiphanes, who ruled the Seleucid territories from 175-164 BC. I believe that if you look into it, you […]

Because the Jews use the 360 day calendar, when we calculate the 70 weeks in Daniel 9, and begin in 457 BC (Ezra 7), we end up at AD 18, which does not fit Jesus. How can this be reconciled?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, History, Q & A .

Question: Since the 360 day Hebrew calendar should be used when calculating the 70 weeks, if we calculated from 457 BC we would end up in 18 AD before the ministry of Christ. How can this be explained? David: According to whose authority must the 360 day Hebrew lunar year be used to make this […]

What is your response to those who day that Daniel was written in the second century BCE?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A .

[Editor’s note: This question involves a personal Bible study which has been used in the International Churches of Christ called the “kingdom study.”] Question: I’ve been writing an article for my blog, theWitheredFigTree.com, about the Kingdom-related prophecies in Daniel. In the process of researching this, I found several articles on the web about the authorship […]

What is the meaning of the talk about Libya and Ethiopia and the kings of the North in Daniel 11:43?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A .

Question: I have a question concerning Daniel 11:43 where it talks about Libya and Ethiopia being at the northern kingdom leaders steps, do you have a clue what that means? Answer: This question is dealt with in my book, Daniel, Prophet to the Nations (www.ipibooks.com). You definitely should get a copy! But… I better answer […]

When Jesus talked about the fall of Jerusalem, did he also warn the Jews? Is there evidence of the church fleeing to the mountains?

John Oakes wrote in Church History, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A .

Question: When Jesus said the the Church of Jerusalem will fall, did he advise the Jews about the fall as well, or was it a prophecy and is there evidence of the church fleeing to the mountains? Answer: Actually, it was not the church in Jerusalem which fell in AD 70. It was the Jewish […]

Do history and archaeology confirm the historical accounts in Daniel?

John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Daniel, General, History, Q & A .

Question: Many thanks for your kind replies to my recent questions. They are helpful. Ancient history books of Iran & Iraq confirm incidents such as the dream of Nebuchadnezer, Daniel’s interpreteion of it, God saving Daniel & his friends from fire and the mouths of lions. They also confirm both Nebuchdnezer accepting Jehovah/God is real […]

Who is the “man of lawlessness” in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12? Is it the Roman papacy as I have read?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, End Times, General, Q & A .

Question: First I’d like to thank you for your teaching and answers on the Evidence for Christianity website. You helped me in understanding some parts of the scriptures that troubled me. I have had paranoid schizophrenia for several years and I can easily get fearful of the future. I can feel that I could be […]

Did Evil-Merodach rule Babylon before Belshazar (a question related to Daniel 5)

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A .

Question: I have a question on the dates when the kings of Babylon ruled. To be more specific I am referring to Nebuchadnezzar’s sons Belshazzar and Evil-Merodach. So my question is did Evil-Merodach rule Babylon before Belshazzar? Answer; Yes, Evil-Merodach ruled before Belshazzar. Evil-Merodach was legitimate heir of Nebuchadnezzar. Nabonidus had him assasinated after only […]

Scholars say Daniel 9 is a Jewish interpretation of Jeremiah and not a prophecy about Jesus. What is your response?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

[Editor’s note: This is a rather long question, but the answer is below!] Question: This is on Daniel 9 and what Wiki has been saying about it. First of all, they say this has nothing to do with Jesus and the temple but it is about Jeremiah. As stated here: “The seventy weeks prophecy is […]

How can Daniel be a prophet is none of the prophecies in Daniel 9:24 are fulfilled? Also, how do we know Mark was written in the 50s AD?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: My friend asked “Does Daniel live up to the criteria for a true prophet laid out in Deuteronomy 18? Daniel 9:24 says that 70 weeks are decreed to put an end to sin, bring in everlasting righteousness and seal up vision and prophecy. Sin continues to this day, everlasting righteousness has not been brought […]

In your book Daniel, Prophet to the Nations you make the inaccurate claim that much of Daniel is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Why do you make this inaccurate claim?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Daniel, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

[Editor’s note: this is part of an interaction with a questioner who feels my treatment of Peter Enns’ book How the Bible Actually Works is not fair. The article is found here: https://evidenceforchristianity.org/a-review-of-peter-enns-book-how-the-bible-actually-works/ ] Question: I have worked my way through some fairly lengthy portions of your sermon at the Boston Church of Christ on […]

Why does the Old Testament not mention heaven and hell?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, End Times, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Questions: I have two questions that cause a lot of troubles to me: Some people believe that the concept of hell is a pagan idea which Jesus copied from Egyptian and Greek culture. In the Old Testament they find nothing about the existence of hell and believe that the idea of hell was born in Egypt and […]

Is Daniel 9:24-27 a credible messianic prophecy? What is the decree of Dan 9:25? Is it Neh 2:1 or Ezra 7:13?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A .

Question: I’ve been trying to understand if Daniel 9 actually presents a credible prophecy. I’m at least familiar with (though do not completely understand) all the different perspectives. I’m aware that some interpretations involve the beginning of the “decree” [Daniel 9:25] in 444/445 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1). You begin the period of 490 years from 458 […]

Could the empty tomb of Jesus be the result of a conspiracy rather than Jesus actually resurrecting?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

[Editor’s note: I am dispersing my answers among the questions. They will be in italics.] Question: I have been a believer of Jesus Christ for more than 10 years. Recently my brother who is an atheist challenged me with many absurd theories he found on the internet. That provoked me to look for solid evidence […]

Who are the sixth and seventh kings in Revelation 10-12? Could they be Vespasian and Titus? Who are the kings who had not yet come?

John Oakes wrote in Church History, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A .

Question: Doesn’t Revelation 17: 10 show that John got his vision during the sixth king, who is Vespasian? and the seventh king who is to come is Titus, who according to this verse will rule for a short time, and he did, from 79 till 81 AD? If this is true, then John got […]

Could the little horn in Daniel 7:24 be the Roman Catholic Church?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A .

Question: I have a question concerning the little horn of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:24. While you claim that the little horn was Domitian, http://www.end-times-prophecy.org/who-is-the-bible-antichrist-today.html claims it represents the Catholic Church. Would you have any thoughts on this claim? Answer: I believe that those who claim that the eleventh horn in Daniel 7 is the Roman […]

In Daniel 10 the response of the angels was delayed for 21 days. I am having trouble making sense of this. An explanation?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A, Supernatural .

Question: I know you are a Daniel expert. I heard a sermon recently regarding a scripture in Dan 10 about an angel being delayed for 21 days. I am having a hard time making sense about this, because this says to me that Gods army is finite and limited. Which makes me question God’s power […]

Is the Codex Vaticanus of Daniel 9:26 right, so that our translations are wrong?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Daniel, General, Q & A .

Question: I found a claim that in the Codex Vaticanus, “Messiah the Prince” is instead ” anointed place.” Also a Dead Sea Scroll states that Messiah is to come after the seven weeks instead of 62 sevens. Can these be proven wrong or is our translation incorrect? Answer: I did a bit of research and […]

Could the three kings subdued by Domitian in Daniel 7:24 be a reference to the three kingdoms he subdued?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: I’ve been doing some sermons on Revelation and it obviously intersects with Daniel 7. I’ve been reading some of your Q/A, and I have a few thoughts to offer regarding the following section of Daniel 7. “After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.” We understand this to […]

Did you know that Darius the Mede from Daniel 6 has now been identified as Cyaxares II the Mede?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, History, Q & A .

Comment: I googled “Is Darius the Mede real?” and your article was #1 on the list. https://evidenceforchristianity.org/if-darius-the-mede-daniel-6-is-a-real-person-why-does-the-cambridge-history-of-judaism-not-mention-him-as-it-lists-all-the-rulers-of-bablyon-after-the-persian-conquest/ But your article did not have the amazing and powerful evidence that is now available. So I want to share it with you. You can talk directly to the author of the book himself (I recommend it) to […]

Did the second coming of Jesus occur invisibly in 1914 as the Jehovah Witness claim?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, General, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: Did the second coming of Jesus Christ occur invisibly in 1914, as claimed by the Jehovah Witness organization? Answer: The Jehovah Witness group is obviously wrong on this claim. The claim that Jesus came back in 1914 is clearly wrong biblically. If you look at the history of this claim, it will become even […]

Can it be proved that Daniel chapter 9 is about Jesus?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Can you prove Daniel 9 is about Jesus? Jeff: The word “prove” has a range of meaning. In a mathematics class or in a philosophy class it has the meaning of demonstrating with absolutely certainty that a particular proposition must be true. It is like proving the angles of an equilateral triangle are equal. In […]

In Daniel 8:26 what date corresponds to “the distant future?” Also, in verse 17 what is “the time of the end” a reference to?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: My wife and I recently were having a conversation about the book of Daniel. She had been reading Daniel 8, and was wondering what it meant, especially about the part with the goat overthrowing the ram. After pondering the imagery for a while, I recalled a few points from your teaching on the subject […]

When was the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem issued? (Daniel 9:25)

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: When was the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem issued? Answer: This is somewhat debatable, as there are at least three “decrees” in the Book of Ezra. The first is in Ezra 1:1-4. This is a decree of Cyrus that the Jews can go back to Judah and Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. This […]

How can Octavian, a Roman, be the one referred to in Daniel 11:45, since the prophecy is calling him a “King of the North?”

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, History, Q & A .

Question: It is my understanding that Octavian, otherwise known as Augustus died in Rome. This does not seem to agree with Daniel 11:45 and therefore does not support him as being the final “King of the North.” What do you say about this? Thanks and God bless. Answer: You are doing a great job here of […]

Does Daniel 9:25 prophesy that the Messiah will come to Jerusalem before the destruction of the city in AD 70? How would a Jew respond to this?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, General, Q & A .

Question: Does Daniel 9:25 say that the Messiah should come before the destruction of the second temple as some claim? I find that verse hard to comprehend. If yes, then could we directly show this verse to the Jews and make them believe that Jesus indeed was the Messiah? Answer: I believe that Daniel 9:24-27 […]

How do you respond to the claim of Bill Maher that “The Bible was written by men and edited by men as well”?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I recently heard an argument that Bill Maher uses to debunk the authority and authenticity of the Bible. It says, “the Bible was a book written by men and edited by men as well”. How would you respond to this? Answer: My response would be to say that this is true. Maher is right. […]

Can we prove that the prince in Daniel 9:27 is not prophesying about Jesus?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: Is there proof that the prince in Daniel 9:27 is not Jesus of Nazareth? Is there hard proof that psalm 22 is speaking about the Messiah? Answer: First of all, such things do not lend themselves to “proof.” Anyone who claims he or she has “proved” who the prince in Daniel 9:27 is should […]

Could Daniel 9 be a prophecy about Herod Agrippa II rather than the Messiah?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: I wanted to ask if it is possible Daniel 9 doesn’t refer to the MESSIAH but just refers to a mere king such as Herod Agrippa II. Answer: You know what they say, “Everything is possible.” But in this case, it is not possible that Daniel 9 refers principally to someone like Herod Agrippa. […]

I recently heard the claim that the idea of Satan as an enemy of God and of us is an invention of the second century BC–not found in the OT. Can you respond to this claim?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

I have a question regarding an article that was posted a few days ago. In this article it talks about how Satan is linked to the serpent in Genesis. The author then goes on to state that the idea of a “prince of darkness” only came about in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC and […]

Did the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy of abomination of desolation happen during the time of Antiochus IV. If so, what is Jesus talking about in Matthew 24?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Uncategorized .

Question: I read your book Daniel: A Prophet to the Nations (editor’s note: available at www.ipibooks.com) and enjoyed it very much. I was going over my notes from it and got to the part where you talked about the prophesies in Daniel about Antiochus IV and how he was going to desecrate the temple and […]

What is the evidence from the Aramaic for the date of writing of Daniel?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Daniel, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I have seen so many contradictory claims about the philological and linguistic analysis of the Book of Daniel. Does the Book of Daniel resemble Aramaic and Hebrew dialects from an earlier or later period? Does this depend on what part of the book one is looking at? Typically the sources I have found on […]

Why do some commentators interpret the 70th week in Daniel 9:27 to end in the future?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, End Times, General, Q & A .

Question: On what basis do some commentators say the 70th week of Daniel 9:27 is still in the future? Why would the 70 week prophecy be broken down as 69 continuous weeks with the 70th week potentially some 2000 years detached from 69th week? Answer: Good question. There are two reasons that many commentators delineate the […]

How did Daniel die?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A .

Question: How did Daniel the prophet die? Answer: The answer to this question is simple. We have no idea how Daniel died. There is no source which is helpful on this at all. However, from Daniel chapter six we know that Daniel survived at least a couple of years into the administration of Persia after […]

Can you prove Daniel 9 is about Jesus? Jews always criticize this conclusion.

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: Jews always criticize the Christian explanation of Daniel 9… https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/ Can you prove that Daniel really spoke about Jesus in Daniel 9? Answer: I cannot “prove” that Daniel is talking about Jesus in Daniel 9. Such things do not allow for mathematical-type proofs. However, I can show sufficient evidence that any open-minded person would […]

Can the tribulation fit into the second half of the last “week” in Daniel 9:27?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, End Times, General, Q & A .

Question: Read your excellent answers to Dan.9:27… What do you think about interjecting Luke 4:18-21 as first half (Yeshua’s ministry being first half of 9:27 while all things being put under His feet during completion of Eph.4:13 during Great Tribulation Period second half of week… The adoption process of Romans 8:18-23 coming into the mind,will,and purpose […]

Why did Daniel get all of the historical facts wrong in Daniel 11:35-35?

John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I am happy to find your resourceful website and I hope you can help solve my puzzle. Why did the book of Daniel get all the history wrong from verse 11:35 to the end? I tried to find answers in your power point but you list the historical facts just up to 11:35. This […]

My university prof. claims Daniel was written after AD 164, and is fake prophecy. Comment?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: My teacher at my university claims that Daniel was written in 165BCE. [editor’s note: probably the professor meant that it was written after 164 BC when the events surrounding Antiochus Epiphanes occurred] He says that it was written with the Babylonian setting to make it look like it was prophesying the future. He also […]

Your interpretation of Daniel 11:36-45, that it is about Rome and Egypt is problematic.

John Oakes wrote in Church History, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Comment: I’ve been reading your book “Daniel: A Prophet to the Nations” and I’ve been very inspired and overwhelmed by the very specific prophecies. I’m thankful for how God is using you to reveal his word to others. So suffice it to say, while I have a problem with your response to Daniel 11:36-45 my […]

Can you justify biblically identifying the King of the North in Daniel 11:40 as Rome?

John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Bible Interpretation, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History .

Question: I read in a question at the web site concerning the prophecies of Daniel 11 in which you said that the Kingdom of the North which were the Seleucids become later identified as the Romans. Why is it that this change seems random as if to accommodate for the fact that Antiochus IV did […]

Can you explain all the unfulfilled Old Testament prophecies listed at RationalWiki?

John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Reliability of the Bible .

Editor’s note: This is a series of about ten questions. For ease of following the arguments, I will intersperse my answers between the questions. Question: I stumbled upon a website known as “RationalWiki” which lists supposed unfulfilled prophecies of the Bible which deeply trouble me in my understanding of the Bible. The most difficult of […]

Was Daniel written in the 2nd century BC by a person pretending to be Daniel like a Christian friend of mine claimed?

John Oakes wrote in Apocrypha, Archaeology and the Bible, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I am writing to ask you a quick question: a Christian friend of mine shared his conviction that Daniel was not truly written by Daniel, but was written some time in the second century BC. I would like to know what are the arguments for and against this view, and the same for the […]

Is Daniel 2:43 parallel to Daniel 11:6,17? Is it about the Ptolemies and Seleucids?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A .

Question: We have met in Berlin. This is a topic that seems to have stuck with me since being a teenager (I am 34 now) and I would be very glad if I could have some exchange with you on this. To equate the first three empires of Daniel 2 as Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece is beyond […]

How do you understand the statement in Daniel 9:27 that "all rulers will worship and obey him."?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, General, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I am re-reading your awesome book: “Daniel, Prophet to the Nations”. I am using this to study with a pre-millennial believer to show the kingdom came “in the days of those kings”. (2:44) As you may already guess, the going is slow. But the argument should be easy if we get through Daniel… The […]

Who are the beast from the sea in Revelation 13:1 and the beast from the earth in Revelation 13:13?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History .

QUESTION: Hi Dr J. I have just clipped your interpretations of the four parts of the great statue in Daniel for my study: nice summary. But I have been struggling with the origin of the two beasts in Rev 13:1,11. Antichrist-beast comes from the sea – apparently the disorganised nations (whatever they are); but what […]

Is Daniel 11:37 (the one desired by women) a prophecy about the Roman emperors?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General .

Comment: I’ve been reading your book on Daniel [editor’s note: Daniel Prophet to the Nations www.ipibooks.com] with considerable interest and coming across your note on 11v37 regarding “the one desired by women” wanted to put a consideration that this might refer to the fact that the Roman Emperors (mere men “the one desired by women”) […]

Are "double prophecy fulfillment", such as that done by JWs interpretations always wrong?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Daniel, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy .

Question: I am deeply grateful for your research and teaching for brothers and sisters in the faith. Your web-site and publications have been so helpful, insightful and informative. I have been a Christian for over 21 years now, and your works, and those of other teachers, have proven helpful as tools to help deepen my […]

Can you respond to a number of criticisms raised by a Rabbi in a debate I saw recently?

John Oakes wrote in Church History, Daniel, End Times, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Questions: I was listening to a Rabbi debate with a Christian and wanted to ask you about some of the points that the Rabbi made that the Christian didn’t respond to, if i may. 1. Christians had to “make up” the second coming of the Messiah to harmonize why Jesus did not restore peace in […]

Are the additions to Daniel (Prayer of Azariah, Suzannah, Bel and Dragon) inspired and reliable?

John Oakes wrote in Apocrypha, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Daniel, General, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I wanted to ask you a question in regards to the book of Daniel. The LXX [editor’s note: this is the Septuagint Greek version] version of the book of Daniel has three additional passages, “The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children, the stories of Susannah and the Elders and Bel […]