Daniel - A Prophet at the Crossroads of History

ABSTRACT: The paper analyzes the historical context and impact of Daniel's life, emphasizing his loyalty to God while living in an unfamiliar land and culture. Daniel was born around 625 BC, about the time Jeremiah was beginning his prophetic mission, about the time King Josiah was reaching the climax of his religious reforms. The land of Daniel's birth, the kingdom of Judah, was on an upward, positive slope, with religious reforms taking place as the prophet Jeremiah began his sermons to the people. The genius of the pagan world, Nebuchadnezzar, meets Daniel, the most intelligent man in the Hebrew world at the time. Daniel, at the turning point of history, through his personality, his earnestness and his prophetic vision, which he had taken upon himself, succeeded in conveying to King Nebuchadnezzar the three things: the intelligence, the power and the sovereignty of God, and this was to be conveyed to a whole world through the interpretation of the dream. So at a turning point in history, Daniel was able to light a light, and it would reach the end of history.

KEYWORDS: Daniel, prophet, Nebuchadrezzar, Babylonian bondage, 70 years of servitude, historical time