You were probably taught to read Daniel like a codebook with beasts to identify, timelines to chart, and an Antichrist to spot. Dr. Jim Hamilton thinks the church has been missing the point, and he makes a compelling case that the key to Daniel's strangest visions is hiding in the stories of chapters 1–6.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
Dr. Jim Hamilton, professor of biblical theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and senior pastor of Kenwood Baptist Church, joins Joshua Lewis to walk through his book With the Clouds of Heaven: The Book of Daniel in Biblical Theology. His central claim: Daniel wrote real history and real prophecy, and the apocalyptic visions of chapters 7–12 aren't a departure from the narratives of chapters 1–6, but rather a projection of them.

Look to the patterns: Nebuchadnezzar attacks God's people, plunders the temple, and tries to indoctrinate the faithful in Daniel 1, and that same pattern gets pressed onto the end times, again and again, until it culminates in resurrection of the dead (Daniel 12:2). Dr. Hamilton makes the case that Daniel interpreted his own God-given visions through a mind saturated with earlier Scripture, describing Nebuchadnezzar's shattered statue in the language of Psalm 1 and Psalm 2.

However, the sparks fly on the fourth man in the fiery furnace. Dr. Hamilton argues it was an angel, not the pre-incarnate Christ, and Joshua isn't ready to concede. You'll also get his take on the 70th week of Daniel, resurrection hope in the Old Testament, and why Daniel parallels the book of Revelation.

ABOUT THE GUEST:
- https://jimhamilton.info
- With the Clouds of Heaven: The Book of Daniel in Biblical Theology https://a.co/d/00WPN6Zr
- Typology: Understanding the Bible's Promise-Shaped Patterns https://a.co/d/0d5vWjzG

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
- Waking from the Dust: Daniel 12:2 and Resurrection Hope in Biblical Theology by Mitchell L. Chase https://a.co/d/02n8iyCx
- Knowing God by J.I. Packer: https://a.co/d/0bSWnkek
- The Book of Revelation (NIGTC) by G.K. Beale: https://a.co/d/0dUD4rQ9

0:00 – Introduction
2:40 – Daniel's Theology Overview
4:30 – Dating Daniel's Prophecies
6:59 – Nebuchadnezzar Patterns Repeated
13:07 – Daniel in the Writings
16:29 – Eden to Daniel
19:57 – Nebuchadnezzar's Dream, Psalm 1
28:46 – Fourth Man Debate
46:02 – Daniel 10 Angelic Visions
49:08 – Resurrection in Daniel
57:03 – Daniel's 70th Week
1:02:42 – Closing Encouragement