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01:53, 15 September 2015 [[Daniel]] is to the [[Old Testament]] what Revelation is to the [[New Testament]]. In fact, we cannot understand one without the other. Prophetically, [[Daniel]] deals with the times of the Gentiles, the period of time that began in 606 b.c., with the captivity of the [[Jews]]. It will end when Christ returns to earth to judge the Gentile nations and establish His Kingdom. In the various visions and dreams in the Book of [[Daniel]] we see the program of Gentile history from the arrival of [[Babylon]] to the conquest of the Medes, Persians, Greeks, and [[Romans]], until the rule of the Antichrist just before the return of our Saviour, [[Jesus]] Christ. This book proves there is a [[God]] in [[heaven]] (chapter 2:28) and that the Most High ruleth the kingdom of man (chapter 4:25). [[Daniel]] makes it clear that [[God]] Almighty is sovereign in the affairs of this world. [[God]] can take the rulers off their thrones; He can defeat the strongest nations and turn them over to their enemies.
[[Daniel]] stands out as one of the greatest men of [[Old Testament]] history. That he was a real man in history is proven by [[Ezekiel]] 14:14; 28:3; [[Matthew]] 24:15; and Hebrews 11:33. He was a teenager in the year 605 b.c., when [[Nebuchadnezzar]] came to [[Jerusalem]] and began his conquest of [[Judah]]. There were several deportations of [[Jews]] to [[Babylon]], and [[Daniel]] was in the first group because he was of the princely line. It was the practice of [[Babylon]] to deport "the cream of the crop" and train them for service in their own palaces. [[Daniel]] held several important positions and was promoted greatly because of his character and wisdom, and because of the blessings of [[God]] upon him. [[Nebuchadnezzar]] named him chief of the wise men and the ruler of the land, a position similar to a modern Prime Minister.
The personal history of [[Daniel]] is recorded in chapter 1. There are three different times of difficulty recorded in chapters 1--6. The testing of the four Hebrews when they arrived at [[Babylon]] is found in chapter 1. The fiery furnace is seen in chapter 3; and the lion's den in chapter 6. In each of these experiences, [[Daniel]] and his friends won the [[victory]], but the first [[victory]] (chapter 1) was the foundation of the other two. Because these Jewish boys were faithful to [[God]] while they were yet teenagers, [[God]] was faithful to them in the years that followed.