Continue with PAY ATTENTION TO GOD'S PROPHETIC WORD FOR OUR DAY

In this time of the end, many faithful Christians have 'roved about' in the pages of God's Word, the Bible.  The result?  With Jehovah's blessing on their efforts, true knowledge has become abundant. For instance, anointed Witnesses of Jehovah have been blessed with insight, enabling them to understand that Jesus Christ became heavenly King in the years 1914. In keeping with the apostle's words recorded at 2 Peter 1:19-20, such anointed ones and their loyal companions are 'paying attention to the prophetic word' and absolutely certain that this is the time of the end.

The book of Daniel is unique in a number of ways. In its pages, a king threatens to execute his wise men because they cannot reveal and interpret his puzzling dream, but God's prophet solves the puzzle. Three young men who refuse to worship a towering image are thrown into a super-heated furnace, yet they survive unsinged. During a festive celebration, hundreds behold a hand that writes mysterious words on a palace wall. Evil conspirators have an elderly  man thrown into a pit of lions, but he emerges without a scratch.  Four beasts are seen in a vision, and they are given prophetic significance that stretches right into the time of the end.

Clearly, the book of Daniel contains two very different threads. One is narrative, the other prophetic. Both can build our faith. The narratives show us that Jehovah God blesses those who maintain integrity to him. And the prophetic   portions build faith by showing that Jehovah knows the course of history centuries-even millenniums-in advance. 

Various prophecies recorded by Daniel direct attention to God's Kingdom. As we observe the fulfillment of such prophecies, our faith is strengthened and so is our conviction that we are living in the time of the end. But some critics  attack Daniel, saying that the prophecies in the book bearing  his name were really written after  the events that seemed to fulfill them. If such claims are true, that would raise serious questions about what the book of Daniel foretold regarding the time of the end. Skeptics also question the book's narratives. So let us investigate.

Next time: PAY ATTENTION TO GOD'S PROPHETIC WORD FOR OUR DAY -On  Trial!

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000