A Study of Daniel Workbook by Chad Sychtysz

Daniel has a reputation for being the hardest book in the Old Testament — and the most fascinating. This 12-lesson workbook walks through all twelve chapters and hands you a clear framework for the visions, the empires, and the seventy weeks.

A Study of Daniel is a twelve-lesson workbook by Chad Sychtysz covering the entire book of Daniel, from the throne room of Nebuchadnezzar to the final words spoken to an old prophet at the end of his life. It's built to serve two purposes at once: a study guide for an adult Bible class, and a working commentary for the person who wants to understand what's actually going on in chapters 7 through 12.

Sychtysz opens with a substantial introduction that does the groundwork most studies skip. He lays out the case for Daniel as a genuine sixth-century BC record written by the prophet himself, and he takes the revisionist dating arguments one at a time — the "too new" vocabulary, the three Greek musical terms in chapter 3, the Aramaic sections, the Belshazzar question — and answers them. He also explains what apocalyptic literature is and how it works, which turns out to be the key that unlocks the back half of the book. Once you know how the symbols function, the visions stop feeling like a code you're not smart enough to crack.

The great theme running through all of it is that God rules. Judah was in captivity, the temple vessels were sitting in a pagan treasury, and the most powerful man alive answered to no one on earth — and God was still directing every bit of it. That's the message Daniel's readers needed, and it's the message the workbook keeps returning to.

What's Inside

Twelve lessons across the two halves of Daniel:

Section One: The Book of History (chapters 1–6)

• Lesson 1 — Daniel Becomes a Servant to Nebuchadnezzar (chapter 1)
• Lesson 2 — Daniel's Extraordinary Gift (chapter 2)
• Lesson 3 — The Trial of Daniel's Friends (chapter 3)
• Lesson 4 — Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream (chapter 4)
• Lesson 5 — The Handwriting on the Wall (chapter 5)
• Lesson 6 — Daniel in the Lion's Den (chapter 6)

Section Two: The Book of Visions (chapters 7–12)

• Lesson 7 — Daniel's Vision of the Four Beasts (chapter 7)
• Lesson 8 — The Vision of the Ram and the Goat (chapter 8)
• Lesson 9 — God Answers Daniel's Prayer (chapter 9)
• Lesson 10 — Daniel's Encounter with an Angel (chapter 10)
• Lesson 11 — The (Future) Assault against the Jews (chapter 11)
• Lesson 12 — The Final Words to Daniel (chapter 12)

Format & Features

Each lesson moves through the chapter section by section with running commentary, then closes with a set of discussion questions and generous space to write out answers. The questions aren't fill-in-the-blank recall. They push readers to think — why Daniel's diet decision matters for Christians facing pressure today, whether civil disobedience in the name of religion is ever justified, how the lion's den foreshadows what happened to Jesus, what "resurrection" in 12:2 actually implies.

Sychtysz doesn't dodge the disputed passages. He works through the four Gentile empires of chapters 2 and 7, the little horn, Antiochus IV and the abomination of desolation, and the seventy weeks of chapter 9 — laying the premillennial, liberal, and conservative readings side by side before making his case for a symbolic seventy weeks that terminate in AD 70 and the establishment of Messiah's kingdom. He also draws the line from Daniel to Revelation, showing how the two books serve as bookends on the same scene.

Scripture quotations come from the New American Standard Bible (1995). Endnotes and a full source list are included, drawing on Hailey, Coffman, Barnes, Harrison, and others, so teachers can chase a point further when they want to.

Who It's For

Adult Bible class teachers looking for a quarter's worth of material on Daniel, preachers building a sermon series, small groups willing to tackle something meatier, and any Christian who has started Daniel on their own and stalled out somewhere around chapter 7.

About the Author

Chad Sychtysz has been a full-time minister since 1994 and has worked with churches in Alaska and Washington state. He holds a Bachelor of History degree (summa cum laude) from the University of Alaska Anchorage and has written extensively for the Lord's church, including the Quick Study Commentary and Personal Study Series, and books on grace, forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, and the kingdom of God. His writing is careful and well-researched without ever getting stiff. He can be reached at chad@booksbychad.com.

Related Studies

Pairs well with Sychtysz's other Old Testament workbooks on Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Psalms, and with The Kingdom of God: A Biblical Perspective, which develops the kingdom theme Daniel introduces.

Product Details

• Author: Chad Sychtysz
• Publisher: Spiritbuilding Publishers, 2026
• Format: Paperback workbook, 6″ × 9″, 108 pages
• Lessons: 12, divided into two sections
• Translation: New American Standard Bible (1995)
• ISBN: 978-1-964805-76-4
• Includes: Chapter-by-chapter commentary, discussion questions with write-in space, endnotes, and a full source bibliography
• Also available as: eBook (PDF and ePub) for individual use, and PDF class-use license