"Real prayer doesn’t stop at personal confession. It joins God in His redemptive work and asks, ‘Lord, act for Your own sake—so that Your name will be glorified.’"

This week, we are diving into Daniel 9, where Daniel reads Jeremiah’s prophecy about seventy years of exile and responds with a model prayer—humble, confessional, covenant-anchored, and intercessory. God answers through the angel Gabriel with the “seventy weeks” vision, pointing beyond the immediate return from exile to God’s larger plan to end sin and bring everlasting righteousness through the Messiah. Nicole outlines three historic interpretations of the prophecy (historic-messianic, preterist, futurist) and shows how all Scripture centers on Christ. The episode closes with practical ways to pattern our prayers after Daniel and to live confidently in the “already/not yet.”

Watch the bonus segment on YouTube ("Does God change His mind because of prayer?"): Join the conversation and get the extra content! https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

What We Cover:

• A pattern for prayer: Daniel 9:3–19 gives a four-part template—humility, confession (including corporate confession), appeal to God’s covenant character, and intercession for God’s people and God’s glory.

• Praying God’s promises: Daniel prays Scripture back to God (Jeremiah’s 70-year prophecy) as an act of trust and alignment, not demand.

• Prophecy centers on Christ: Whatever one’s view of the “seventy weeks,” Daniel 9:24 points to six promises fulfilled in Jesus—ending sin and ushering in everlasting righteousness.

• Knowledge → faithfulness: After a heavy vision, Daniel “got up and went about the king’s business,” modeling steady, everyday obedience.

• Hold mystery with confidence: Christians can disagree on timing/details while agreeing that God writes history toward redemption in Christ.

Next Steps:

• Get the free Daniel Study Guide: Daily 15-minute readings, reflection prompts, and prayer to help you engage Scripture all week. (Find it at NicoleUnice.com/daniel.)
• Subscribe & Review: If this helped you, follow the show and leave a quick review so others can find the podcast.
• Share the episode with a friend or small group studying Daniel.
• Study Bible Recommendation: Use a trusted Study Bible/commentary for historical background on Medo-Persia, Greece/Alexander, and the Seleucid period (helpful for Daniel 8).
• Watch the bonus segment on YouTube ("Does God change His mind because of prayer?"): Join the conversation and get the extra content! https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We can’t ignore evil—but we don’t have to fear it. God never forgets His people, even when the world feels dark. In this episode of How to Study the Bible, Nicole Unice unpacks Daniel 8—a vision set “in the third year of King Belshazzar”—featuring a ram (Medo-Persia), a goat (Greece under Alexander the Great), and a “little horn” that foreshadows vicious oppression against God’s people and ultimately prefigures end-times opposition. Nicole shows how Scripture itself interprets the symbols, why this prophecy likely emboldened Daniel in later chapters, and how the vision’s weight moved Daniel to both ponder and then “go about the king’s business.”

This chapter becomes a practical call: if we truly grasp God’s sovereignty and the sweep of history, how should we live right now—especially toward the “least of these”?

Main Takeaways / Learning Points

• Let Scripture interpret Scripture. Daniel 8 provides its own interpretation (Medo-Persia → ram; Greece → goat; post-Alexander turmoil → the “little horn”). We don’t need hidden codes; we need faithful reading.

• Prophecy forms character. Daniel is overwhelmed by the vision yet gets up and returns to his work in faithfulness (Dan. 8:27). What we know should shape how we live.

• Evil has a pattern—and a limit. History (e.g., Antiochus IV; later, Nazi persecution of Jews) shows how evil targets worship, dignity, and truth. Still, God preserves His people and sets an end to oppression.

• Discipleship looks like proximity and mercy. Jesus’ measure in the end is love in action—feeding, welcoming, visiting, clothing (Matt. 25:31–40). Right belief matters; embodied mercy proves it.

• When the world feels overwhelming, do the next faithful thing. Resist over-responsibility for the whole world and under-responsibility for your neighbor. Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly (Mic. 6:8).

Bible Verse References (linked)

• Daniel 8 — Vision of the ram, goat, and little horn; interpretation given

• Daniel 8:26–27 — “Seal up the vision… I, Daniel, was worn out… then I got up and went about the king’s business.”

• Matthew 25:31–40 — The Son of Man and “the least of these”

• Micah 6:8 — Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly

• (Context touchpoints mentioned) Daniel 5

Next Steps:

• Get the free Daniel Study Guide: Daily 15-minute readings, reflection prompts, and prayer to help you engage Scripture all week. (Find it at NicoleUnice.com/daniel.)
• Subscribe & Review: If this helped you, follow the show and leave a quick review so others can find the podcast.
• Share the episode with a friend or small group studying Daniel.
• Study Bible Recommendation: Use a trusted Study Bible/commentary for historical background on Medo-Persia, Greece/Alexander, and the Seleucid period (helpful for Daniel 8).
• Watch the bonus segment on YouTube ("Understanding American Christian Zionism"): Join the conversation and get the extra content! https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Kingdoms will come and go. Empires will rise and fall. But God is sovereign over all. In the end, there is nothing that can stop the Kingdom of God from crushing and dominating all earthly kingdoms. And that is good news for God’s people in exile - both in Daniel’s day, and today.

In this episode of How to Study the Bible, Nicole Unice dives into the visually stunning and deeply theological chapter of Daniel 7, where Daniel’s dream of the four beasts reveals the rise and fall of earthly empires—and the unshakable rule of the Ancient of Days. Nicole explains how this vision parallels Nebuchadnezzar’s statue in Daniel 2 and points ahead to Jesus as the Son of Man, whose eternal kingdom will never be destroyed.

Listeners will learn how to approach prophetic literature, understand historical context, and anchor their faith in the sovereignty of God—even when the world feels chaotic. Nicole also highlights what it means to live faithfully “in exile,” seeking the good of our communities while keeping hope fixed on Christ’s everlasting reign.

Main Takeaways / Learning Points

• God’s sovereignty is the story behind every story. Empires rise and fall, but God’s kingdom endures forever.

• Prophetic visions are meant to encourage, not confuse. Daniel’s dream reassured exiles that God was still on the throne.

• Be faithful in exile. Like Daniel’s people, Christians today live as “foreigners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11), called to pray for and bless their cities (Jeremiah 29).

• Jesus is the Son of Man. The vision in Daniel 7:13–14 directly foreshadows Christ’s eternal authority and glory.

• Hope wins. However dark the times or powerful the empires, evil does not get the last word—God’s justice and peace prevail.

Next Steps:

• Get the free Daniel Study Guide: Daily 15-minute readings, reflection prompts, and prayer to help you engage Scripture all week. (Find it at NicoleUnice.com/daniel.)
• Subscribe & Review: If this helped you, follow the show and leave a quick review so others can find the podcast.
• Share the episode with a friend or small group studying Daniel.
• Study Bible Recommendation: Use trusted commentaries and study notes to help unpack prophetic imagery (Daniel 7 parallels Ezekiel 1, Revelation 4–5).
• Watch the bonus segment on YouTube ("What Is Dispensationalism?"): Join the conversation and get the extra content! https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.