Daniel, from the Hebrew, literally translates to English as “God is my Judge.”
This is where my first big takeaway came from, while working in India to capture the first scenes of our new film. My brothers and I at Unveil have been 600BC deep into a meditation on this righteous saint for the last eight months, so it’s kind of surprising it hadn’t hit me quite so hard a little sooner.
Daniel, and his three beloved friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego all had a special gift from God. Not only were they Daniel’s equal in wisdom and good looks according to Daniel 1:4, but they all came to know something that we would do well to take note of, too.
Men judge others. Human beings are naturally wired for it. After all, we bear our Creator’s image. And man’s judgment counts for something in the physical realm, because the judgments of human beings can land their fellow souls in good or bad places. Thrones or prisons, mountaintops or caves. Homeland or exile.
But it’s God’s judgments that matter more. Because after this world ends, and it will end one day, as surely as the Lord lives. God’s judgment is the final judgment. Thank God, because He judges all things rightly.
He’s the Alpha and Omega. He spoke it all INTO existence, and He will also get the last word.
After months of scripting Daniel, that plainly obvious hinge point of Daniel’s story in the Book of Daniel finally hit home. The twelve chapters, and not surprisingly even the extended 2 from the Vulgate, tell a story that you should actually consider a full reread of the text just to feel for yourself in this context! Test it to see if it’s true. My take is this:
The writer (almost surely Daniel himself) lays out story after story, and chapter after chapter from the standpoint of man making primary judgments. And the twist you can almost start to see coming is that in the end, each story climaxes with GOD bringing a second judgment. A righteous judgment.
In reality, the judgment of God brings JUSTICE. True and righteous judgment gets the last word. Even if you have not seen it yet.
Here is a powerful example of the pattern:
The men will not bow to the false god of King Nebuchadnezzar. The edict of the king passes first judgment, which carries a crushing penalty: death by fiery furnace.
Second judgment: God sends a Fourth Man into the fire to pronounce a better judgment, which results in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being miraculously delivered from the staggering flames. Somehow, all three come out of the fire unharmed!
You find the same pattern of first judgment, second judgment, and deliverance in Chapter 1 with the diet, Chapter 2 with the King’s dream, Chapter 3 with the fiery furnace, and even in Chapter 4 with the declaration of the King to the nations of the free world! The pattern, shockingly, can be found in all 12 chapters according to my reading.
But why wouldn’t it? Maybe I’ve just revealed the entire Easter egg of the film and the book and the Biblical narrative all at once, but I believe it’s so powerful you should know it!
There are no secrets in the Kingdom, just mysteries to be uncovered and rejoiced over.
Daniel means, “God is my Judge.” He wrote a book of 12 chapters, plus 2 bonus ones for the curious, which reveal this in miraculous and consistent, nearly unthinkable ways.
To help summarize the theology, Daniel even gives us this in Chapter 3, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
It could be the thesis of the book. God is able. He will. And even if He doesn’t…we choose to trust His judgments more than man’s.
It’s why the book is about the Fear of Yahweh, and how that FEAR alone can overcome the Fear of Man.
Take this to heart if you’re either feeling judged in some way in your life right now, or if like the faithful before you, are properly aware that you’re in need of Yahweh’s timeless hand of deliverance.
In the coming weeks, months, and maybe years, I plan to share updates on DANIEL alongside my other posts, with you here, along with insights I’ve learned from the study of Daniel and the associated characters from his miraculous life. Not every post will be about him, but I hope to share meaningful insights from this adventure in faith and film with you all.
The accompanying video of our behind-the-scenes journey shares a first look behind the scenes of production on the scaled up movie. Bringing a film to the big screen is no small undertaking. And my brothers and I sincerely ask for your partnership in faith, and in finance if you are in a position to contribute. Know that this request comes with gratitude and from a place of genuine need to take the film project on the right path… forward.
A first point of need is prayer. Even a 3 minute prayer when you get to this part of the post could be the tipping point in our films success. We already have a lot of the pieces together. Please pray specifically for favour with investors, key actor commitments, and the best possible path for distribution.
Secondly, you can chip in. For $100 in your local currency you can add your name to the credits of the film. This is cash that literally goes directly into the daily production work we are doing right now to prep this film for principal photography in September. The first 10% of the movie has already been filmed. “A good ways to go yet,” he said, as Frodo looked up towards the mountain peaking beyond a distant, shadow-cast valley.
Thirdly, if you feel led to learn more about investment in Daniel, simply reply to this email and I will send you the investment memorandum and some of our projections for the successful global release we are creating alongside a talented international team, and some big pieces I’m not ‘allowed’ to put out on the newsletter just yet.
In all of it, I sincerely add my faith to Daniel’s of old, and say, “God is our Judge.” He will make a way, break a way through the fire and carry us home if we put our faith and fear in Him, rather than men. I believe in Him, and I believe this film will rock the foundations of many people’s lives so that the King of Glory will come in. God will deliver us too….And even if He does not :)
Thanks for being part of the adventure.
Keep Breathing,
Daniel Kooman
If you know people who like to watch faith and family content, spread the word. And, if you know people with resources to invest in projects like this, please tap them on the shoulder. We need both audiences and investors to bring this film to life!
DANIEL - God is My Judge