Most people think of Daniel in the lions den when they think of the book of Daniel. However, Daniel is one of the major prophets in the Christian and Hebrew Bibles. He was probably a Prince of Judah before captivity and he was second or third in command of the Babylonian and subsequent empires. This book has been proven to be authentic, ancient, and incredibly accurate. A study of this book should remove all doubt as to the authenticity and divine inspiration of Gods word.

Archaeological Evidence

Among the Dead Sea scrolls were fragments of Daniel written in an ancient form of Aramaic, confirming that it was written no earlier than 165 years before Jesus walked this earth. The earliest copies are dated to 125 B.C. This places the writing of Daniel exactly when and probably where the books itself claims to have been written. Until this discovery, scholars had been teaching that it was written around Maccabean Period, or the second century B.C.. Why would they teach this?

Cover-up By Creating Confusion

The answer becomes obvious once you understand Daniels prophecies. The prophecies of Daniel are apocalyptic and outline the empires and events of the world to such accuracy that even the Rabi's have cursed it. "May his bones and his memory rot who shall attempt to number the 70 weeks" (1656 Rabbinic curse).

Today you'll find few if any major religions teaching people how to study this book! The Jews don't want you to know it; the Muslims don't teach it (although they have it); and the modern "Christian" world is so full of confusion and pagan influence that they either don't understand it or don't want you to understand it. Why? Because Daniel warns us that this would happen and that it would be the norm until God establishes His Kingdom on earth, but we'll get to all that a little later.

Daniels Health Message

The book of Daniel opens with the historic introduction to Daniel and his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah - who would all become prominent governors in Babylon. The first chapter records that Daniel and friends determined to keep to the Law of Moses regarding clean and unclean foods. They refused to eat the Kings food and instead ate vegetables and drank water only. After 10 days, they proved to be both healthier and wiser than those who had eaten the provided food (the kings portion). It has taken us 2300+ years to relearn this truth about food!

The Chaldeans

Also of note in Daniel is mention of the Chaldeans. The selected captives (Daniel and friends among them) were to learn the language and arts of the Chaldeans. History records that the Chaldeans were the wise men of the era, versed in mathematics, astrology, literature, and Hellenistic Mystery religions (what we call today Paganism). For three years these Jewish men (who were made eunuchs) learned the ways of the Chaldeans, but the King found Daniel and his three friends to be 10 times wiser than all the other students.

What do We Then Know of Daniel?

We know that Daniel was a trained Astrologer and mathematician - a scientist of that day if you will. He was a Judean Prince captured in the fall of Jerusalem, made into a eunuch, then trained for three years to be a counselor to the king of Babylon. In his lifetime of service there was only one man on earth with more power - the king himself. This assured that the writings of Daniel would survive intact through time. They are writings that deserve a much closer look.