Daniel and Ezekiel were the prophets in the land of captivity.
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and carried away Daniel and his three friends (Dan. 1:1-6). They were chosen to be taught in the palace and prepared to serve the king, for they were well favored, skillful in all wisdom, and gifted in knowledge and the understanding of science.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel requested that they be tested ten days by being given only vegetables to eat and water to drink, after which their countenances would be judged. At the end of ten days, their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the rest. Hence, the prince of the eunuchs allowed them to take vegetables and water only (Dan. 1:8-16).
At that time, God’s people were carried away, the house of God was destroyed, and the vessels of the house were taken to the house of the false gods (Dan. 1:2; 2 Chron. 36:7). The dominion and glory of God on the earth were completely gone. The people were under the rule of the king of Babylon and were associated with demons, because even the food they ate and the wine they drank, being sacrificed to demons, were defiled and unclean. In such a time, God gained Daniel and his three friends, some who cared for the dominion and glory of God. They were determined that, by refraining from eating the royal food and drinking the royal wine, they would not be defiled. Hence, they were the overcomers in captivity.
In the first year of Darius, Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem (Dan. 9:1-2; Jer. 25:11). Daniel prayed and made confession unto the Lord with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes concerning his sins and those of his nation. He presented his supplication before the Lord concerning the holy mountain, Jerusalem (Dan. 9:1-20). Then God heard the prayers made by His people. According to His promise, in the first year of Cyrus, the king of Persia, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to make a proclamation allowing the people of Israel to go to Jerusalem of Judah and to rebuild the holy temple of the God of Israel (Ezra 1:1-3). Finally, Daniel saw the fulfillment of his prayer concerning Jerusalem (Dan. 1:21).
God gave Daniel extraordinary wisdom to interpret the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. This was a great image. Its head was of fine gold; its breast and its arms, of silver; its belly and its thighs, of bronze; its legs, of iron; and its feet, part iron and part clay. This was a prophecy concerning the nations of the earth. The head of gold symbolizes Babylon; the breast and arms of silver, Medo-Persia; the belly of bronze, Greece; the two legs of iron, the eastern and western Roman Empires; and the feet of iron mixed with clay, the nations, which in the period after the fall of Rome and before the second coming of Christ, would be part democracy and part autocracy. The prophecy concerning the nations represented by the image has been fulfilled in history. At the end of the dream, a stone, cut out without hands, smote the image upon its feet, which were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces. “Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together...that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (vv. 34-35). This is a prophecy concerning Christ. He is the stone, cut without human hands, which will come down from heaven to smite the image, the kingdoms of the earth, and break them into pieces. Then He will become a great mountain, the kingdom of God, which will fill the whole earth (Rev. 11:15).
Chapter seven presents the first series of visions seen by Daniel, that is, the visions of the four beasts, the ten horns, the little horn, the Ancient of Days, and the Son of Man. Chapter eight presents the second series of visions seen by Daniel, that is, the visions of the ram, the he-goat, the great horn, the four notable horns, and the little horn. The second half of chapter nine presents Daniel’s third vision, the vision of the seventy weeks. Chapters ten through twelve present the fourth series of visions seen by Daniel.
Of all these visions, the most important are those of the four beasts in chapter seven and of the seventy weeks in chapter nine. These two visions, plus the image in chapter two, are the crucial points of Bible prophecy from the time of Israel’s return from captivity until eternity.
The four beasts in chapter seven correspond to the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The fact that they are signified by beasts indicates that these empires were cruel, merciless, and inhuman.
The seventy weeks in chapter nine can be divided into three stages of seven weeks, sixty-two weeks, and one week (vv. 24-27). Seven weeks are forty-nine years, that is, from the proclamation of Artaxerxes, the king of Persia, to rebuild the city of Jerusalem until the completion of the rebuilding. Sixty-two weeks are 434 years, that is, the exact period of time from the completion of the rebuilding of the holy city to the cutting off, the crucifixion, of the anointed One (Christ). After that, the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (v. 26). This refers to Titus, the prince of Rome who destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Following this, there is an interim period, that is, the age of the mystery of the church. Then at the end of the church age, the final week of seven years will come. In the beginning of those seven years, Antichrist will confirm the covenant with many people. At the middle of the seven years Antichrist will break the covenant, persecute God’s people, carry out destruction in the holy city and sanctuary, and do evil things. At the end of the seven years, Christ will defeat Antichrist at Armageddon (Rev. 16:16; 19:19-21). Thus, Christ will be the King on the earth, and the nations on earth will become the kingdom of Christ (Rev. 11:15).