Lessons From the Life of Daniel by A. J. Clark

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · May 14, 1914

Lessons From the Life of Daniel

By A. J. Clark

THE prophecies of Daniel are, in many respects, the most remarkable in the Word of God. Each one foretold the history of this world from the day it was revealed to the end of time; and at the close of these most interesting revelations, Daniel was told to "shut up the words, and seal the book." The book was not always to be sealed, however; for at the time of the end the wonderful truths which it contained were to be unfolded.

John the revelator, as recorded in the tenth chapter of Revelation, was shown the time when this book was to be opened. With the opening of the book a message was to go to all the world, as is revealed by the angel with one foot on the land and the other on the sea, delivering a message from the book. His message was in connection with the first angel's message of Revelation 14. In fact, it was a part of it. This shows that the prophecies of Daniel were to play an important part in the giving of the threefold message to the people of this generation.

From what has already been said, we see that to Daniel of old, God gave the message which he expects this people to give to the world.

Let us take a little time to study the character of the man to whom God revealed this truth; for does not our Heavenly Father desire the people who handle this message to be in character the same as the man to whom he revealed it? We believe that he does. In studying these characteristics, let us compare his character and time with our time, and see the lessons we can draw from them.

In the first place, Daniel was not willing to defile himself with the customs of his day in the matter of diet. In the test which followed his declaration of these principles, he proved that his reform in the matter of diet was truly a reform conducive of health.

In the giving of our message God has given to this people a reform in the matter of diet, by which he wishes to show the people of our day a method of living that will make them the peer of the most healthy. Nebuchadnezzar called for Daniel to interpret his dream because he knew Daniel had the Spirit of God (Dan. 4:9), and on the night when God gave the warning to Belshazzar of the overthrow of his kingdom by the handwriting on the wall, Daniel was called to interpret it because the queen gave a similar testimony concerning him. Dan. 5:10, 11. Does not our Heavenly Father wish us to have that same reputation in the world and to receive like declarations from the men of our time?

Again, after the overthrow of Babylon, Daniel, because of his faithfulness as prime minister of the realm, was immediately elevated to the same office by the Medes who conquered Babylon. This is an honor such as no other man has ever received. The jealousy of the other officials was so aroused over the honor conferred on Daniel that they sought to find somewhat against him, but no fault could be found with him except concerning the law of his God. Then Daniel, rather than give up the custom of prayer which had made him the great man that he was, faced death among the lions in their den; but it was here that he felt the protection of the angels of heaven. It was when Daniel entered the den of lions that he realized the presence of angels. It was when the three Hebrew worthies entered the fiery furnace that they saw the Son of God in their midst. It was when Daniel continued in prayer that Gabriel touched him.

This people must face conditions and trials similar to those of Daniel's. The Lord desires to give to us his Spirit as he did to Daniel. We shall have to be what no other people have been, and do what no other people have done. The spirit of prophecy has told us that our faithfulness and fidelity to God and his commandments will yet bring upon us the persecution of the world; but when this comes, we shall feel the angels' touch and the presence of the Son of God.

The fact that Daniel had the Spirit of God was known from the days of Nebuchadnezzar to those of Belshazzar, and on to the days of Darius the Median; for when Darius commanded that Daniel be cast into the lions' den, he said, "Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee." This same Darius had made Daniel head over the presidents and princes, "because an excellent spirit was in him." These leaders came from all over the then-known world. Esther 1:1. The character of the people who make the prophecies of this book known to the world must be like that of him to whom the prophecy was given.

There are many things in the prophecies of Daniel which find a very striking parallel in the advancement of our work under the advent movement. For instance, Nebuchadnezzar, like the people of our time, was compelled to turn from the learned of his day to a man of God for information revealing the events that were to take place in his kingdom and throughout the history of the world; and Daniel, like God's people of our own time, bore to the king the message of Christ's second advent and of the setting up of his kingdom.

In the night of revelry, when the king had called together a thousand of his lords, the Word says they drank wine from the vessels of God. These were the vessels that were set apart for the service of the Lord in his temple at Jerusalem, vessels that were sanctified by God. Babylon was now using them and drinking from them the wine of Babylon. The Babylon of modern times is taking the sacred things of God, his commandments, and dealing from them the wine of Babylon. Rev. 18:3. The Sunday institution is surely a modern Babylonian creation, and the fourth commandment is being given to fasten the institution upon the people.

While Babylon that night drank wine from these golden vessels, God sent a message, and it was written on the walls of the palace. He also sent a messenger to declare that message. The message was: "Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. Peres; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." Does not this picture the fall of Babylon? In our time, while the world is made to drink the wine of Babylon from the vessels of God, God has sent a message and a messenger. That message is, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen;" and that messenger, the advent people of today.

Daniel's greatest test came when he was called to pray to no other god than the king who represented the government of his time. By signing the decree which forbade any one to worship any god but himself, the king put himself in the place of God. This is what Rome has done in our day; and she will demand that every one worship only her. Our message today is the message of the third angel, which says, "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God." Like Daniel, the people who refuse to worship at the dictation of the state are the people who will be saved by the mighty hand of God. By meeting the test, Daniel met the conditions of the third angel's message of Revelation 14.

To Daniel was given the vision of the 2300 days, and the cleansing of the sanctuary, or the judgment. He therefore received from God the time of the judgment, the first angel's message. He declared the overthrow, or fall, of Babylon, the principle of the second angel's message, and met the test in the third angel's message.

Daniel was always true to the trust placed upon him, and faithfully gave the messages God gave him to give; and now the Lord is seeking for Daniels to deliver those messages to the world.