Finding Hope in a World of Empire: The Good News in Daniel 7
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.
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How Daniel and the Lion's Den Parallels Jesus' Death and Resurrection - A Bible Study on Daniel 6
Daniel didn’t have to stop praying to God—he could have just hidden. But he didn’t. He kept doing exactly what he’d been doing before. Long obedience in the same direction built his courage. This week, Nicole walks us through Daniel 6 and the famous lion’s den—showing how Daniel’s unchanging prayer rhythm collided with a world of schemes, pride, and fragile power. You’ll see how a faithful life can bless even imperfect leaders, why Daniel kept his practices public instead of hidden, and how this chapter foreshadows the death and resurrection of Jesus (John 19). Nicole closes by inviting you to build a simple Daniel-style prayer habit and to root your courage in the hope that anchors the soul. What We Cover: Faithfulness outlasts schemes. Daniel’s integrity and consistency (not clever arguments) exposed the emptiness of power games. Habits form holy courage. Daniel didn’t adjust his prayer life “for 30 days.” Long obedience prepared him for a sudden test. Bless your leaders by your life. Like Joseph, the presence of a righteous person improves the whole house—Daniel made everyone around him better. Empire is fragile; God’s Kingdom is not. Darius is swayed by ego and pressure, but God’s purposes stand—and He rescues. Christ's Death and Resurrection in Daniel 6. The innocent condemned, the sealed place of death, the powerless ruler, and the deliverance by God all foreshadow Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 19). Your trials matter to God. Whether your “lion’s den” is public or painfully ordinary, Jesus has gone before you—and hope anchors your soul. 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. Watch the bonus segment on YouTube ("How to Start a Prayer Habit Modeled After Daniel's Life"): 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.
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Want Godly Wisdom? Practice These Things - A Bible Study on Daniel 5
In this week's Bible study on Daniel 5, Nicole unpacks the famous scene of the writing on the wall and shows how it exposes the danger of pride, the fragility of earthly empires, and the steady faithfulness God calls us to in “upside-down” cultures. You’ll see how Daniel models faithful service over time, refuses worldly rewards, and operates with wisdom from above—a pattern modern disciples can emulate at work, at home, and in leadership. Nicole also highlights historical notes that parallel Scripture and offers a simple four-question framework (“ALIVE Method”) to help you study any passage with clarity and confidence. What We Cover This Week in Daniel 5 - Understand “the writing on the wall.” Discover what Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin means and how it reveals God’s verdict on pride and misuse of power. Spot the difference between words and fruit. Learn why religious language isn’t the measure of faith—fruit over time is (character > charisma). Live unshaken in a shaking world. Daniel shows how to serve faithfully across regimes without compromising devotion to God. Choose the right reward system. Earthly power and gifts are temporary; Kingdom reward frees you to tell the truth with courage. Practice wisdom from above. James 3 says that wisdom looks like purity, peace, consideration, mercy, and sincerity—use it as your checklist for influence. Study the Bible with confidence. Use Nicole’s ALIVE Method each week: What does it say? What’s the backstory? What does it mean? What does it mean for me? Recommended Resources and 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. Watch the bonus segment on YouTube ("4 Rules for Life That Jesus Gives Us"): 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.
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Why Conviction Isn't Conversion - And Why The Difference Matters - Daniel 4
How do we know who is a genuine believer? And why does it matter to know the difference between conversion and conviction? Those are the questions we're wrestling with in this episode How to Study the Bible. Today, we're studying Daniel 4 in our Living Right Side Up in an Upside Down World series. After dreams, miracles, and multiple warnings, the king still resists repentance—until God graciously brings him low and restores him when he finally acknowledges: “Heaven rules.” Nicole distinguishes religious conviction from Christian conversion, names how pride hides in plain sight, and calls listeners to examine their allegiance—not to personalities, parties, or echo chambers, but to Jesus as Lord. You’ll learn how to read Daniel 4 with context, spot the turn from “the tree” to “the man,” and apply the chapter’s timeless truths to your life today. Key Takeaways from Daniel 4 - Religious conviction does not equal Christian conversion. Interest, morality, or “saying the right words” is not the same as repentance and allegiance to Jesus. Heaven rules. God is sovereign over kings, kingdoms, and timelines—even when He seems slow. Pride is subtle and stubborn. It hides in control, certainty, self-reliance, and power. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. God is patient. Nebuchadnezzar receives 12 months to repent—Scripture shows a God who warns, waits, and still welcomes. Read carefully. Daniel 4 shifts from describing a tree (it/its) to a person (him/his)—a textual clue that the dream is about the king himself. Escape echo chambers. Anchor teaching in Scripture, not personalities or algorithms. Measure fruit, not just words. Repentance is a turn, not a tweak. Conversion means leaving the kingdom of self for the kingdom of God—a new operating system. Recommended Resources and 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. Watch the bonus segment on YouTube ("How Am I Meant to Operate as a Christian in a Broken, Fallen World?"): 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.
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How to Have Faithfulness in the Fire - Allegiance, Idols, & ‘Even If’ Kind of Courage - Daniel 3
What do we do when the heat around us rises and our allegiance to God is tested? This week, we're continuing our Fall Bible Study on Daniel: Living Right Side Up in an Upside Down World. Nicole walks with us through Daniel 3—the fiery furnace moment with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Using the ALIVE Method (What does it say? What’s the backstory? What does it mean? What does it mean for me?), Nicole shows how this ancient story speaks directly to modern disciples who feel pressure to assimilate to cultural idols. Key theme: Perspective matters. True allegiance shows when pressure rises. The three friends’ confession—“even if He does not”—models a courageous, non-anxious faith that resists idolatry and trusts God’s authority over our trials. In this episode, Nicole covers: How to read Daniel 3 with the ALIVE Method so you see the text, its context, its timeless truth, and its personal application. Why allegiance precedes outcomes: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s “even if He does not” (Daniel 3:18) courage shows faith isn’t transactional. Idolatry isn’t only “bad things”: As Tim Keller noted, a good thing that becomes an ultimate thing is an idol. Even noble causes, work, or ministry can become ultimate. (From Keller’s teaching on counterfeits; see Counterfeit Gods for a deeper dive) What to do when the heat rises: Don’t panic—pray. Seek community and God’s wisdom (cf. Daniel 2). How to interpret miracles and suffering: Miracles are a sign of God’s authority; they don’t establish it. And Scripture prepares us not to be surprised by “fiery ordeals.” Living in “Babylon” today: Practice holy resistance without withdrawal—hold firm convictions with humility, love, and clarity. Modern idolatry and competing allegiances: how to spot them, surrender them, and seek God’s kingdom first. Bible Verses Mentioned (linked) Daniel 3 (entire chapter): BibleStudyTools — Daniel 3 Daniel 3:18 (“even if He does not”): Daniel 3:18 1 Peter 4:12–13 (don’t be surprised by fiery ordeals): 1 Peter 4:12, 1 Peter 4:13 Matthew 6:33 (seek first the kingdom): Matthew 6:33 Luke 10:27 / Matthew 22:37–39 (Great Commandment): Luke 10:27, Matthew 22:37–39 Mark 2:1–12 (paralyzed man lowered through the roof—Jesus addresses the deeper need first): Mark 2:1–12 Recommended Resources and 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. Watch the bonus segment on YouTube (Who is the “fourth man in the fire?): 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.
About How to Study the Bible - Bible Study Made Simple
As Christians, we want to experience God through the Bible… we really do!But our good intentions fall flat when reading the Bible just doesn’t seem to help us experience God in a real way. What should feel dynamic and important and alive often feels confusing and boring and irrelevant. But it doesn’t have to feel this way.In this bible study podcast, pastor and Bible teacher Nicole Unice brings life back to reading the Bible by walking listeners through her Alive Method of Bible study, helping us personally encounter God through His Word by giving us a practical, clear road map for understanding, interpreting and applying Scripture to our lives.
Topics covered in this podcast:
💡 Three Common Obstacles to Understanding the Bible💡The Basics of Bible Study (Observation, Interpretation) and How to Apple the Bible to Your Life💡Deep Dive into Bible Studies by Books of the Bible (We've covered Ecclesiastes, Romans, Matthew, and more!)💡 Topical Bible study lessons on Joy, Contentment, Prayer and more💡 Spiritual Rhythms: Creating New Rhythms in Your Life💡 4 Principles You Need to Interpret Difficult Scripture
To find more from Nicole, visit https://nicoleunice.com/.
Listen to How to Study the Bible - Bible Study Made Simple, After School Is After School With Sis G.U and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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