Ed Gallagher, The Book of Daniel: Explorations in Christian Scripture (Florence, AL: Heritage Christian University Press, 2024)
Although many view the book of Daniel as a blueprint for what will happen in the End Times, I don’t think Daniel intended to write it. He had something more pressing to attend to.
If we accept that Daniel was written by the real Daniel in the 6th century BCE, or that Daniel wrote Daniel in the 2nd century BCE, the difference is not that significant. In both cases, the prophet acts as a prophet, i.e., to speak on behalf of God. He wants to bring this message to the people:
Things are not going to get better immediately.
God is in control.
Human rulers are not in control.
God has a plan for bringing an end to sin.
It is “a book about conformity, and the resistance to it.” (chapter 1) The oppression is so great that people lose faith in God. They think God is not in control. The prophet admonishes the people to remain faithful to God, regardless of the circumstances.
The story in Daniel is about the Babylonian Empire. Jews were captured and exiled when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.
The background may be the Greek Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who oppressed the Jews so hard in the 2nd century BCE.
When Revelation employs the images and motifs from Daniel, it serves a similar purpose, namely, to offer hope and encouragement to those who are suffering. Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Matthew 24, and Revelation dealt with their only historical situation. They use the same kind of language and motifs, but they refer to different people and different times.
Therefore, people often miss the point when they seek a blueprint of God’s end-time timeline in these prophecies. Prophecies do not function thus in OT and NT. Apocalyptic language is used in these prophecies, and literal interpretation won’t work. Numbers are symbolic and figurative, be it Four or Seven, Ten, or Seventy. Dreams and visions might not have counterparts in real life. “The identity of the four kingdoms is irrelevant.” (chapter 1) “The characteristics of these kingdoms remain true for all kingdoms all over the world throughout time.” (chapter 7) “From the perspective of Daniel and Babylon, the kingdom of God is not only future but already present.” (chapter 1)
In short, “It is not the nature of biblical prophecy to give a literal account of events before they take place.”