Everything in Daniel's exceptional life and ministry arose from his first test on arrival in Babylon. This, with later tests, and his revelations, maintained him for 70 years at the top of an empire, for the preservation of Zion, and for imparting unique prophecies on historic eras and the last…

An extremely long life of remarkable instrumentality in the preservation of God's people along with unique prophetic insights began with a pivotal and risk-laden test. Here is the proving of Daniel and other young Israelites by which they denied the world and obeyed God.

In the mighty Babylonian empire human power seemed to have extinguished the people of God and the Messianic promise. Then God revealed the coming sequence and end of world empires and the day of Christ. Here is the startling rise of Daniel, prophet and guardian.

Nebuchadnezzar's 'image' was Satan's scheme to achieve submission to paganism or execution of all Jews at court, and through the empire, eliminating any remnant of faithful Israel and the plan of redemption. A miracle averted all with minimal deaths. Here are mighty spiritual encouragements.

The purpose of God in the humbling (though not the conversion) of a seemingly invincible emperor shortly before his death and then the fall of the empire. Daniel is assured of God's sovereignty overall, and we glean promises for the present turmoil.

Seventy years earlier, Nebuchadnezzar was indifferent to the true God. Later, God punished his pride (and stopped the genocide of the faithful). Belshazzar now adds insolent derision, always the last stage before judgement, and spurns repentance. Here is the 'true story' of that last night.

— or the Hebrew original: the untangling of knots. A survey of doubts, firstly Genesis 3 and their satanic origin, then Peter's doubting of Matthew 14, then praying without doubt (other texts), backsliding doubts, and different forms of doubt and how to confront them (Ephesians 6).

Daniel's vision of four beasts extends the prophet's picture of the four empires, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, that would precede the coming of Christ, with emphasis on the 'little horn', antichrist, that would devour the earth and attack the church until Christ's return.

Persecution of the seed of the woman by that of the serpent flares up when subordinates of Darius plot Daniel's death, but his faith and deliverance lead to religious freedom for Jews, attestation for the prophet, worldwide testimony, and a challenge for us.

Daniel's vision of the Persian and the Greek empires, from which would come Antiochus Epiphanes, who would inflict seven years of woes upon Jerusalem, being a type and figure of the last-days antichrist, providing a picture of his last offensive against the faith.

Here is Daniel's prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem, and the vision of seventy 'sevens' and how, by the traditional evangelical view, the prophet's eyes are lifted to Calvary and Christ's six accomplishments there.

How the prophet's prayers, longing for knowledge, and self-abasement before God, are rewarded by the most detailed prophecy of future events in the Bible. Here also is insight into the unseen spiritual warfare involving a principal demon and the victorious Saviour.

This astonishing chapter falls into three parts: first, detailed prophecy of events up to 175BC (all fulfilled and here summarised); then the tyranny of Antiochus toward Palestine; then the end-times acts of Antichrist, now being fulfilled before our eyes in church and state.

Here is the climax of persecution of the church by Antichrist, cut short by the return of Christ. We look at the church militant, the future glory, and the significance of the symbolic time to the end, with the encouragements and lessons for the church.