1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring in some Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—

— Daniel 1:1, 3

19 During the night, the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision, and he blessed the God of heaven

20 and declared: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him.

21 He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

22 He reveals the deep and hidden things;
He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.

— Daniel 2:19-22

But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days.

— Daniel 2:28

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from to you from God.

The Book of Daniel is better studied in the context of Revelation because doing so allows us to see clearly the continuity of biblical prophecy from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Daniel, set apart by God to speak as His prophet, amazingly foretold the rise and fall of empires and the exaltation of the Son of Man. The accuracy of Daniel’s fulfilled prophecy validates God’s sovereignty over history and the certainty of prophecy in Revelation yet to be fulfilled.

Though Daniel, born to a noble or royal family of faith, was swept up with Judah into exile in Babylon, yet he exhibited courageous, flourishing faith while living amid a foreign culture. In exile, Daniel understood that the Lord, not the Babylonian army or foreign kings, determined the course of world history through God’s revelation to him. Daniel chose to thrive, not merely survive, while living as an exile. When Daniel and three exiled friends from Judah were kept inside the Babylonian palace walls, despite their difficult circumstances, they remained committed to God. And God’s powerful hand enabled them to be faithful overcomers.