DANIEL
When Nebuchadnezzar began his conquest of Judah in 605 b.c., he deported a number of Jews to Babylon, including Daniel and his friends, who were probably teenagers at the time. God blessed Daniel and gave him important places of service under four different rulers who represented three different kingdoms. When you read about Daniel, you meet a man of God who was faithful to the Lord and glorified Him in the enemy’s land.
The emphasis in Daniel is on the sovereign will of God in the affairs of nations (4:25). In a series of dreams and visions, God showed Daniel the course of gentile history until the establishing of the promised kingdom on earth.
Chapters 1 and
With Babylon’s taking of Jerusalem, the “times of the Gentiles” began (Luke 21:24) and will continue until Christ returns to set up His glorious kingdom. God is in control of history and will work out His perfect plan. God also wants to have control in your life, as He did in Daniel’s life; and He will—if, like Daniel, you determine in your heart to serve Him faithfully. Daniel was a man of personal integrity who had nothing to fear because he feared the Lord and served Him.