The four visions that make up the final part of Daniel’s book (chapters 7-12) fall into chronological order, just as the narratives of chapters 1-6 did. Whether Daniel was still in public office, we do not know for sure, yet Daniel 1:21 suggests that Daniel held office at least until the first year of Cyrus. This means that if Daniel entered Babylonian civil service in 605/6 B.C., then the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia would have marked the end of the seventy years of captivity in Babylon, the same time period the prophet Jeremiah had predicted (Jer 25:11-12 29:10).Īlready, two years earlier, a small group had gone back to Jerusalem and had attempted to rebuild the temple, but a work stoppage had halted that effort because of opposition from their own people in Jerusalem.
The date was “The third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, which would place this vision almost three years after the vision in 9:1, which took place in the “first year of Darius.” This would place it as late as 536 B.C. They focus in particular on the pressure two nations would place on Israel, but the twelfth chapter of Daniel assures that Israel will be delivered in that final day.ĭaniel’s final vision begins with a date formula, just as it also appeared in 1:1 2:1 7:1 8:1 and 9:1. The last three chapters of Daniel (10-12) form one final vision and the most complete revelation Daniel received.