Probably the best way to introduce the book of Daniel is to do nothing more than quote from the first nine versus of the first chapter of the book. It will briefly tell you all you need to know about the early life and character of Daniel. Not only is Daniel a book of historical facts but it also describes incidents that happened to Daniel and three of his friends after they were carried away to Babylon as slaves. It is also a prophetic book that describes the events of world history down to this present time…in detail.
“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.
“Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names; he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.” – Daniel 1:1-9.
Because Daniel lived his life as God had wanted him to, God worked in his behalf. As a result Ashpenaz was especially kind to Daniel.”
The book of Daniel is named after its principal character. The traditional view of both Jews and Christians is that the book was written about 600 B.C. There are those however, who believe that the book of Daniel was not written by Daniel at all but was written by some unknown author about 168 B.C.
Those who think that way also believe, that if they can claim that Daniel never wrote the book that is called by his name and say it was written by some unknown person in the mid-second century B.C., then the power of the book as a prophetic writing would be destroyed and its prophecies could then be shown to be false. History however, proves that the historical events written about and predicted are exactly as the book of Daniel describes...in spite of the identity of the author or of the later claim for when it was written.
In chapter 2, and in chapters 7 through 12 are prophecies giving a clear and brilliant outline of the history of the entire world, beginning with Babylon and continuing on to this present day. Even the most skeptical have been hard pressed to give an account of these prophecies without admitting to supernatural knowledge on the part of the one who wrote the prophecies more than two thousand years ago.
I will begin with a brief description of Chapter 2 to set up the prophecy that it contains.