Daniel

To assure God's people living under pagan imperial power that God is sovereign over all kingdoms - the most powerful empires rise and fall at his command - and that his kingdom will ultimately prevail.

Daniel and his three friends refuse to compromise their faith in the Babylonian court — in food, in worship, and in the face of the fiery furnace — demonstrating that covenant faithfulness is possible in exile.

The narratives of Daniel 1-6 demonstrate that covenant faithfulness is possible in the most hostile cultural environment, and that God is present with His people in the fiery furnace of opposition.

Four great visions reveal the sweep of world history under the sovereignty of God — from the four beasts to the Ancient of Days, the seventy weeks, and the final resurrection — establishing the framework for all biblical apocalyptic.

Daniel's visions provide the cosmic framework within which all of subsequent biblical prophecy, including Revelation, operates — the sweep of history under God's sovereign purpose.