We now await a revival of the last empire noted in NebuchadnezzarвЂ™s dream-a revival that is prophesied to exist at ChristвЂ™s return. The successive empires following Babylon did occur. God, through Daniel, revealed that this dream meant that three great world-ruling empires would follow after the Babylonian Empire. The prophecy in this book begins in chapter 2 with King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian Empire receiving a strange dream of a great image. The book of Daniel contains much prophecy-some that has been fulfilled and some that will be fulfilled in the future. Read more about these issues in the article вЂњ DanielвЂ™s Three Friends.вЂќ NebuchadnezzarвЂ™s statue Their tests of faith in regard to their diets and threats of the loss of their lives remain as timeless encouragement for us today to live similarly. While understanding the background of the names of DanielвЂ™s friends is interesting information, these menвЂ™s outstanding examples of faith are much more important. They explained that their God could save them, but even if He did not, they would not bow down to the kingвЂ™s image. Fewer still know what their Babylonian names mean and why they were likely given these names.ДЄlthough DanielвЂ™s three friends also served with him in King NebuchadnezzarвЂ™s Babylonian government, they are likely best known for their example of faith in refusing to bow down to an image created by the king.ДЄfter being told that they would be thrown into a fiery furnace if they did not worship the image, the three respectfully told the monarch that they would not do so. If you would like to learn about the style of writing used in the book of Daniel, read the article вЂњ Apocalyptic Literature.вЂќ DanielвЂ™s friends: Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-NegoДЇew people know DanielвЂ™s three friends by their original Hebrew names: Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. To learn more about the use of Aramaic in the Bible, which includes the book of Daniel, see вЂњ Biblical Aramaic.вЂќ Daniel has the largest collection of Scripture that was originally written in Aramaic.ДЇor a more thorough explanation of what makes the book of Daniel so interesting and how it complements the book of Revelation, see the article вЂњ The Book of Daniel.вЂќ Not only do both Daniel and Revelation contain end-time prophecy, but both books are also written in a similar style, known as apocalyptic writing.ДЄnother little-known fact about the book of Daniel is that approximately half of it was written in Hebrew (as were the other books of the Old Testament), and approximately half of it in Aramaic, another language used only sparsely in the Bible. Today we find the book of Daniel in the prophets section of the Old Testament in English Bibles, and this location is supported by ChristвЂ™s recognition of Daniel as a prophet (Matthew 24:15) and by the similarities between the book of Daniel and the New Testament book of Revelation. Because its author, Daniel, was recognized for his wisdom (Daniel 1:17 2:14), his work is included in the Writings section, also called the wisdom section, of the Old Testament in the Jewish canon.

The book of Daniel is one of the most intriguing books in the Old Testament. Here are some of the key issues regarding the book of Daniel that are covered in articles in this section of our website.

He also left a legacy of faithful obedience to God in spite of grave trials and difficulty. God was revealing through him major prophecies of future world-ruling empires.ДЄs a resident of the worldвЂ™s premier capital city and an honored wise man in King NebuchadnezzarвЂ™s court, Daniel demonstrated GodвЂ™s superiority over the pagan gods of Babylon. While such an event normally led to a life of misery as a slave, God had something else in mind for this young man.Дaniel-the teenager who had been taken captive-came to realize that God was miraculously working with him, and not just to preserve his life.

Roughly 2,600 years ago a Judean teenager was taken captive by the rapidly ascending Babylonian Empire-a governmental juggernaut of unstoppable military strength, great wealth and technological advancement.

The book of daniel chapter 1