Jehovah's Word Is Alive-Highlights From the Book of Daniel

WHAT DOES THE CHRONOLOGICAL ACCOUNT TEACH US?
(Daniel 1:1-6:28)


The year is 617 B.C.E. Daniel and three young friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, are in the Babylonian court.  During their three years of training in court life, the youths maintained their integrity to God.  About eight years later, King Nebuchadnezzar has a mysterious dream.  Daniel makes known the dream and then  interprets it.  The king acknowledges that Jehovah is "a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a Revealer of secrets." (Daniel 2:47) Before long, though, Nebuchadnezzar seems to forget this lesson.  When Daniel's friends refuse to worship a giant image, the king has them thrown into a fiery furnace.  The true God rescues the three, and Nebuchadnezzar is forced to recognize that "there does  not exist another god that is able to deliver like this one." -Daniel 3:29.

Nebuchadnezzar has another significant dream.  He sees an immense tree, which is chopped down and restrained from growing.  Daniel made known the interpretation of that dream.  The dream is fulfilled in part when Nebuchadnezzar becomes insane and then recovers.  Many decades later, King Belshazzar  holds a big feast from his grandees and disprespectfully uses vessels that were taken from Jehovah's temple.  That very night, Belshazzar is killed and Darius the Mede receives the kingdom.  (Daniel 5:30, 31) In the days of Darius, when Daniel is more than 90 years old, the aged prophet becomes the target of a murderous scheme by jealous officials.  But Jehovah rescues  him "from the paw of the lions." -Daniel 6:27.

Next time:  What Do Daniel's Visions Reveal?
(Daniel 7:1-12:13)

Watchtower, 2007