Daniel: A Difficult Book with a Message for Today

Publisher Marketing: To say that Daniel is a difficult book would be an understatement. We can easily be seduced by seemingly intelligent but actually misguided interpretations of Daniel's esoteric visions. Or we can be tempted to just give up trying to understand them. There is a better way. In this informed and readable book, Colin Chapman guides us towards making good sense of the Book of Daniel. Far from being impenetrable or irrelevant, Chapman shows us how to hear its important message for the people of God today.

"Few books of the Bible have been subject to more misuse than the book of Daniel. Colin Chapman provides us with an incisive, skilled interpretation that not only reconstructs the original intentions of Daniel as only a professional theologian can--but he does so with a thoughtful eye on the church and its teaching. Expect surprises and warnings from a writer who is both expert and theologically faithful to all that scripture offers in this magnificent Old Testament book." --Gary M. Burge, Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

"In a helpful discussion of the main issues in interpreting Daniel, Colin Chapman presents his position while recognizing some alternative views. A valuable aspect of the book is the discussion of 'dispensational' interpretations of Daniel which have contributed to Christian Zionism. Chapman concludes with a very helpful exposition of the relevance of Daniel's message for today." --Ernest Lucas, vice principal emeritus, Bristol Baptist College

"Does the Old Testament book of Daniel speak into the apocalyptic events of today and the significance of the establishment of the modern state of Israel? Or have the dispensationalists got it wrong? Chapman's valuable book presents and challenges different interpretations of the visions and dreams in the book of Daniel and then explores what the book means for the global church today, ending each short insight with relevant questions for personal or group reflection." --Terence Ascott, founder and president, SAT-7

"Christians frequently approach Daniel with the assumption that it contains predictions awaiting fulfillment in today's Middle East. Colin Chapman provides an urgently needed antidote to that faulty understanding. He delves into the interpretive issues that must be addressed and then proceeds to critique the dispensationalist interpretation dominant among American evangelicals. Most importantly, he concludes by laying out the relevant message that Daniel provides for the twenty-first century church." --Frederic M. Martin, pastor emeritus, Evangelical Free Church of Bemidji, Minnesota