Remember this from our study (Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation) last year? Some dates maybe a little off from what I gathered at that time. It's interesting!!!
DANIEL AND HIS TIME:
The name "Daniel" means "God is my judge" which provides a hint of one of the key themes in this book: God will judge the nations of men. Daniel was a person of deep and abiding faith...
* As a youth, he purposed not to defile himself –(Daniel 1:8)
* When old, he persisted in serving God despite threats against his life – (Daniel 6:10)
God blessed Daniel because of his faith...
* He rose to great heights in the kingdoms of Babylon and Persia - (Daniel 2:48; 6:1-3)
* He served as a statesman, a counselor to kings, and a prophet of
God
Daniel was contemporary with two other great prophets: Jeremiah and
Ezekiel...
* Jeremiah prophesied in Jerusalem before and during the Babylonian exile (626-528 B.C.)
* Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon among the exiles (592-570 B.C.)
* Daniel prophesied in the capital of Babylon (605-586 B.C.)
Nothing is known of his personal life outside of the book. He descended from one of Judah's prominent families, if not from royal blood (Daniel 1:3). At an early age (likely in his teens) Daniel along with others was taken from his family to be trained in the courts of Babylon (Daniel 1:3-4). Whether he ever married is uncertain.
Some key dates and events will help appreciate the times in which Daniel lived...
* 612 B.C. - Fall of Nineveh, capital of Assyria Assyria had ruled the world since the days of Tiglath-Pileser (845 B.C.). Nabopolassar came to the throne in Babylon and rebelled against the Assyrians in 625 B.C.
Nebuchadnezzar, son of Nabopolassar, was the general who led the Babylonian army against Nineveh, defeating it in 612 B.C.
* 605 B.C. - Battle of Carchemish, establishing Babylonian domination
Pharaoh-Necho of Egypt came to fight the Babylonians at Carchemish. Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians, chasing them south through Judah. At Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar heard of his father's death; he returned to assume the throne in Babylon. The first group of Jewish captives were taken, along with Daniel and his friends (Daniel 1:1-4).
* 597 B.C. - A second remnant taken to Babylon Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Coniah) followed the reign of his father, Jehoiakim. He lasted just three months, when Nebuchadnezzar took him and 10,000 Jews to Babylon (2 Kings 24:8-16). This second group of captives included Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:1-3)
* 586 B.C. - Fall of Jerusalem and the temple destroyed Zedekiah was installed as king in Jerusalem, but was weak and vacillating. Eleven years later, Jerusalem was totally devastated by Babylonian forces (2 Kings 25:1-10). A third group was (2 Kings 25:11-12, 22; Jeremiah 39:11-14; 40:1-6).
* 536 B.C. - Babylon falls, and the first remnant returns to Jerusalem Cyrus, king of Persia, sends the first remnant back under the leadership of Zerubbabel. (Ezra 1:1-5; 2:1-2).
The foundation of the temple was soon started, but the temple was not completed until 516 B.C. (Ezra 3:8-13; 6:14-16).
* 457 B.C. - A second remnant returns to Jerusalem. Ezra the priest returns with this group (Ezra 7:1-8:36). He leads a much-needed revival (Ezra 9:1-10:44).
* 444 B.C. - A third remnant returns to Jerusalem. This group is led by Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1-2:20). Under his leadership, the walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt (Nehemiah 3:1-7:73). Together with Ezra, they restore much of the religion (Nehemiah 8:1-13:31).
Daniel lived through much of these times (605-534 B.C.). He was among the first group of captives taken to Babylon (Daniel 1:1-4). He continued there over the entire 70 years of captivity; (Daniel 1:21; 10:1) cf. (Daniel 9:1-2; Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10). Daniel was certainly a remarkable man. His greatness was recognized by his contemporary, Ezekiel (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3).
No comments:
Post a Comment