The End of Days (Daniel 12)

Do you think the Mayans were right about 2012? Why or why not? Do you think anything will happen by the end of this year?

How do you feel when you think about the end times (excited, nervous, terrified, apathatic...)?

Read Daniel 12:1-13.

The first phrase of this chapter is "At that time". At what time is it speaking about? (you may have to go back to chapter 11)

How many mentions of end times are in Daniel 12?

Go through the chapter and make a note of every question that is asked. How are these questions similar to questions we ask God today? How are they different?

Read Revelation 20:11-15. Do you think the books mentioned in Revelation are the same as the book mentioned in Daniel 12:1?

How does someone get their name into these books?

Daniel 12:2 talks about "everlasting life" and "everlasting contempt". Do you think this word really means eternity? Why or why not?

Is it unfair for God to punish people for eternity, even though they only sinned for 100 years or less? Why or why not?

Is it unfair for God to reward people with eternal life even though they spent most of their time on earth sinning? Why or why not?

Daniel 12:3 talks about leading people to righteousness. How can we be wise and lead people to righteousness?

What people in your circles of influence need to be led to righteousness? How are you working to accomplish that?

Why do you think God didn't answer all Daniel's questions? Why do you think he told Daniel to rest? What can we learn from this?

From what tension in your life do you simply need to rest?

Behind the Scenes Spiritual Warfare (Daniel 10)

What kinds of "battles" to people face in their every day lives? What kinds of battles have you fought this week?

Read Daniel 10:1-21. Which parts of this passage are inspiring? Which parts are confusing? Which verses do you think are most important?

Who do you think is the man Daniel saw in verse 5? What is most striking about the description of him?

What truth about prayer can we learn from verses 11-13?

Where do you think spiritual battle happens? What impact does this spiritual battle have on us? Who is going to win the spiritual battle? (Read Revelation 12 and discuss how it applies to this discussion)

Read Ephesians 6:10-12. What does this passage have in common with Daniel 10?

How does Paul suggest we prepare ourselves for struggles against "spiritual enemies?" What do you do you think it means to put on God's armor?

Of all the "spiritual beings" discussed in this chapter, who do you think is most powerful? Why? How do you think this makes a difference in your life?

What is a hopeless situation you have experienced or are experiencing? How do you think Satan might use that situation to discourage you? What things or people has God put into your life to help you through the situation (this might require some thought)?

How would you live differently if, in every situation, you reminded yourself that "God is in control!"

Daniel's Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9)

Talk about a time you were really confused. How did you resolve the situation?

Which parts of the Bible are most confusing to you?

Sometimes, when the Bible seems confusing, we need to simply try to find the simple truths about God and then let Him apply those to our lives.

Read Daniel 9:20-27 together.

Who are the key characters mentioned in this passage? What is one thing that stands out to you about each of them?

What are some of the sins of America that need to be confessed? What are some of the sins of the church that need to be confessed?

Do you think churches have sins they need to confess to the communities they are in?

When have you had a prayer answered quickly by God? When have you had to wait for your prayer to be answered? Why do you think God doesn't always answer prayer right away?

How should we respond when God doesn't answer prayer the way we want Him to?


When is a time you have felt particularly close to God? How do you think Daniel felt when Gabriel told him that he was "highly esteemed" by God?

Verse 24 contains a list of six events. What do you think each of these means?

Verses 25-27 are very confusing. What do you think are the most important things we can learn from these verses?

Who is the "Anointed One" that gets cut off? Why is this person important?

How do prophesies like this remind us that God is in control?

Knowing that God is in control of the future should impact the way we pray. How do you want to pray differently this week? What are the important things for which you are going to pray?

Powerful Prayer (Daniel 9)

Read Daniel 9:2 and Jeremiah 25:11-14. How often do you think Daniel read Scripture? How do you think he discovered this passage in Jeremiah?

Why do you think Daniel immediately began praying after he understood this passage? What is symbolized by fasting and wearing sackcloth and ashes?

Which parts of the Bible cause you to mourn or repent?

Read Daniel 9:4-11. In his prayer, how does Daniel describe God? How does he describe himself and the people of Judah?

Do any of these descriptions of Judah feel like they could be talking about you? Which ones? Why?

Read Daniel 9:13. What do you think it means to "seek the favor of the LORD?" If someone told you to seek God's favor, what would you do?

How do you feel about the idea that God continued to bring disaster on the people of Judah? Do you think God does this kind of thing today? Is every disaster a result of God's wrath? Why or why not?

Verse 14 says that God is righteous no matter what He does. Why do you think obedience is the only proper response to God's righteousness?

What do you think it means to be obedient to God? When have you felt like you were doing well at obeying Him? When have you struggled?

Read Daniel 9:18-19. Is it ever okay to ask God to do something for our sake? Why or why not? How would God have been glorified by restoring Jerusalem? What is something you would like God to do in your life that might bring glory to Him?

Is it okay to ask God to do things that won't bring glory to Him? Why or why not?

How will you pray differently this week as a result of this study?

God Doesn't Keep Short Accounts... (Daniel 8)

What was your greatest success this past week? What has been your greatest success in the past year?

Who do you consider to be a successful person?

How do you decide whether you are succeeding or failing in life?

How do you think God measures whether or not we are succeeding or failing?

Read Daniel 8:1-4 (the ram is representative of the Medo-Persian empire which was soon to come).

The ram was able to "do as he pleased" and it "became great." Do you think God considered the Persians to be successful? Why or why not?

Why do you think God allowed the Persians to have great success for several centuries? Can you think of ways in which God used the Persian empire to accomplish His will?

Read Daniel 8:5-12 (the goat represents the Greeks, and the four horns represent the four generals who divided Alexander the Great's empire).

Verses 9-12 tell of another horn that came from one of the four. Based on these verses would you describe this king/kingdom as good or bad? Why?

Verse 12 says that this king/kingdom "prospered in everything it did". Why do you think God would allow someone like this to prosper?

Read Luke 13:1-5. The Roman ruler, Pilate, had put down a Jewish rebellion by killing several men and mixing their blood with the sacrifice. Jesus compared their deaths to the deaths of eighteen people who died when a tower fell.

Did Jesus think these people died because they were worse sinners than others? How do you know?

Why does God not always reward the righteous and punish the sinners immediately? What is the implication of Luke 13:5?

If you aren't "successful" in life does that mean you aren't living right? Why or why not?

Does material success indicate that someone is living right? Why or why not?

What do you need to change about your life in view of this discussion?

The Future: Dreadful Yet Hopeful (Daniel 7)

What future events are you looking forward to? What future events do you find yourself dreading?

Compare verses 3-7 with Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter 2. How do the four beasts seem similar to the four elements of the statue?

Which world empires are represented by these beasts?

Read verse 18. How does this verse demonstrate the difference between the kingdoms of men and the kingdom of God?

How do people sometimes set up their own kingdoms while they live on earth? What kingdoms have you set up for yourself? What would God say to you about your own man-made kingdoms?

Compare verses 9-14 with Revelation 4 and Revelation 20:11-12. What similarities do you see? Do you think Daniel was seeing the same place as John saw in Revelation? Why or why not?

What kind of emotions are stirred within you when you think of God's final judgment?

Who do you think the "more imposing horn" (vs.20-21) represents? Are there people in the world today who act this way?

What are ways you sometimes find yourself rebelling against God? How can you avoid these kind of situations?

How many of these prophesies do you think have already come true? Which ones are yet to come? How does this make you feel about the future?

Read verse 27. How would you rephrase this in your own words? How should the promise of this verse impact the way you live today?

How is this passage troubling to you? How does it give you hope?

How can this group pray for you this week?

Even Detroit's Lions are More Fierce Than Persia's (Daniel 6)

When have you been rescued by another person? How did you respond to your rescuer?

When have you rescued another person? How did they respond to you?

Read Daniel 6 (the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den)

As you read this story, what is your overall impression of King Darius? What were his strengths? What were his weaknesses?

Verses 3 and 4 seem to indicate that some of the rulers were jealous of Daniel. When has your jealousy motivated you to do something you later regretted?

What are some silly things that have caused you to become jealous in the past? Why do you think we become jealous so easily?

The king's decree is found in verse 7. Daniel chose to disobey this decree. When is it okay to disobey the government? When is it not okay?

Why do you think Daniel chose to pray in a public place? Why couldn't he have just gone and prayed in a place where no one could see him?

According to verse 10, Daniel prayed three times every day. Is it important to have a "prayer routine"? Why or why not? How can a prayer routine be harmful? How can it help?

Why do you think God chose to rescue Daniel from the lions? Why does it sometimes seem that God doesn't rescue people?

Read Darius' decree in verses 26-27. Which statement means the most to you? Why?

Make a list of ways God rescues people. Add to the list the ways he has rescued you.

What are three things for which you are thankful?

Close out your time by praying prayers of thanksgiving for God's acts of rescue.

When There's Something Strange, Writing on the Wall... Who You Gunna Call? (Daniel 5)

What is an area of life in which you consider yourself to be an "expert?" What is an area of life in which you don't know anything at all?

What are some things about God that you have a hard time understanding?

When you have a question about God, is it better to think about it and figure it out on your own or to seek help? Why?

Read Daniel 5:1-12

What is your initial impression of King Belshazzar? How is he like Nebuchadnezzar? How is he not like Nebuchadnezzar?

What do you think he hoped to accomplish by throwing this party? When do you find yourself working extra hard to impress the people around you? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

There were likely people of Jewish descent at this party. How do you think they felt when the treasures from the temple were brought out? Why do you think Belshazzar wanted to use those goblets? What did it symbolize to him?

What do you think is meant by the gods of “gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.”? If you were to describe the gods of our culture, what words would you use?

How many times in the book of Daniel do the “wise men” fail when asked to explain something? Why do you think these repeated failures are included in the stories? What can we learn about God and about ourselves from these repeated failures of Babylons wisest men?

How does one need to live in order to have reputation like Daniel's?

Daniel is often referred to as having the “spirit of the gods” in him. Do we have that same spirit? How should that spirit influence the way we live our life? How do we sometimes resist the work of the Spirit in our lives?

How can God's Word help you develop a “keen mind and knowledge and understanding” like Daniel?

What will you do this week to gain a better understanding of God?

The King Who Lost His Mind (Daniel 4)

When you hear the word "witness" what do you think about?

What was greatest event that happened to you in the past year? Who did you tell after it happened?

What do you think it means to be a witness for the great things God has done? What kind of testimony would you give about the things He has done for you?

Read Daniel 4:1-3. This was apparently written by King Nebuchadnezzar. How would you summarize his testimony about God?

These words spoken by Nebuchadnezzar were the result of a dream he had and the difficult fulfillment of the dream. Read Nebuchadnezzar's description of his dream in Daniel 4:10-17 and then read Daniel's interpretation in verses 19-27.

If you were King Nebuchadnezzar, how would you have responded to Daniel? Which of the suggestions Daniel makes in verse 27 would be most difficult for you? Which would be easiest?

The rest of the chapter explains that 12 months later, Nebuchadnezzar's dream came true, and he lost his mind and wandered in the woods and fields for a long time.

Why do you think God caused this to happen? Was it a good thing or a bad thing? Why?

Why does God sometimes have to bring us low in order to get our attention? What are the benefits we might experience after going through a very difficult experience? How is this encouraging?

If God wanted to get your attention, what do you think He would say to you? How can this group help you walk through a difficult time right now?

Miracles Still Happen (Daniel 3)

What is the most miraculous experience you have had? How did you respond afterward?

As a group, read Daniel 3. Have a few people talk about their favorite parts of this story.

How do you think you would have responded if you were in the same situation as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

How are people today faced with similar choices as these three (perhaps with less severe consequences)?

Why do you think the faith of these three men was so strong?

Read verses 16-18. Knowing they were about to be "executed" how difficult do you think it was to say the words, "even if he does not..."?

Have you ever been in a situation when God did not deliver you as you hoped he would? How did you respond?

Do you think this is a true story? Why or why not? Does it matter?

Is God capable of accomplishing a miracle like this? What other miracles in the Bible did God do?

Does God still do miracles? Can God still do miracles?

If God can still do miracles, how can that change the way we view our own life's difficulties? How can it change the way you respond to life's difficulties?

What miracle are you waiting for right now? How can the group pray for you and support you?

How Do You Respond to Trouble? (Daniel 2)

This chapter is mostly about a dream God gave to King Nebuchadnezzar. The second part of the chapter records Daniel's interpretation of this fantastic dream. This discussion won't really touch on that part of the chapter, but it is important to point out that the main idea of the dream is that God is control of all kingdoms present and future and He will someday set up an eternal kingdom which will be greater than any kingdom ever create by man.

This study will primarily focus on how Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar responded when they encountered trouble in their lives.

Tell a story from your childhood about a time you got in trouble. Do you have any stories about getting in trouble even though you were innocent?

What types of trouble and suffering do people face in their lives today? Why do you think God allows this? How can good innings happen as a result of our suffering?

Read Daniel 2:1-12. What was the trouble that King Nebuchadnezzar faced? On whom did he rely to fix his problem? Why do you think he turned to these people?

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the severity of Nebuchadnezzar's trouble? On a s ale of 1-10, how would you rate his reaction? Why?

Hve you ever reacted to a problem the way Nebuchadnezzar did? What was the outcome? What would have been a better response?

Read Daniel 2:13-19. What was the trouble Daniel faced? On whom did he rely to fix his problem? Why do you think he turned this direction?

What can we learn from Daniel's response to a pretty serious problem? What can we learn about friends? What can we learn about prayer?

How do you think Daniel's faith in God enabled him to respond this way? What foundational beliefs do you think Daniel held that empowered him?

What are some words you would use to describe Daniel in this story? How can you make these kind of words a bigger part of His life?

Read Daniel 2:20-23. What can you learn about thanksgiving from Daniel's prayer? What are the things for which you can be grateful tonight?

Decisions, Diets, and Defilement. (Daniel 1)

What is your favorite food that you know is not good for you? How often do you eat it?

Daniel 1 is a story about four young men who chose to obey God by not eating food that was defiled. But it's also about much more. It is about how God actively intervenes in our lives and it is about how we interact with the world around us.

As a group, read Daniel 1:1-21.

Why do you think God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to defeat Jerusalem? How could the defeat of God's people bring glory to God? How could their defeat have been beneficial for the Jewish people?

When have you experienced a defeat in your life which ultimately was for your benefit? How did you (or didn't you) use the experience to bring glory to God?

Why do you think the king changed the names of the Jewish exiles? Why do you think he wanted them to assimilate into Babylonian culture?

In what ways are Christians often encouraged to assimilate into the culture of the world? Is this always a bad thing? Why or why not?

Give an example of a situation in which Christians should not assimilate into the culture of the world. Give an example of a situation in which Christians should assimilate into the culture of the world. How can you find life balance in this issue?

Look for all the times God intervenes in this chapter. Make a list. Do you believe God still intervenes in our lives the way He did for Daniel? How are His interventions similar? How are they different?

In what ways has God intervened in your life lately? How have you responded to that intervention?

As you think about this story, how are you most challenged? How would you use this story to encourage the others in the group? How can the group pray for you this week?

The Promise: Honoring God Above All and In All (Daniel 3)

• What commands of the Bible seem to be unreasonable or impossible to keep?  How should we respond to these kind of difficult commands?
• What type of situation (in America) might cause a Christian to be uncomfortable or endangered if they are obedient to God?
• Read or recap Daniel 3 (the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  If you were to rewrite the story in modern-day West Michigan, what would be the image the boys were commanded to bow to?  What are the things our society encourages us to honor above God?
• Are there some Biblical commands you would be willing to compromise if it meant saving your life?  Which ones?  Why or why not?
• Read or recap Daniel 6.  Why do you think Daniel was so obsessed with his daily prayer time?  Do you have any daily habits that are “can’t miss” times?  Why or why not?
• Why do you think Daniel was willing to die for something as insignificant as a prayer time?
• What is a “small” area of your life that you need to demonstrate more faithfulness to God in?  What actions can you take this week to accomplish this?  How can this group help you