Daniel, probably a teenager, along with his friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were taken into exile to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah. From the time of the first captivity around 605 B.C., until the time of Daniel's last entries in the book bearing his name, are about 70 years. The last date that he mentioned is "the third year of Cyrus king of Persia" (10:1), around 536 B.C.
We are told of the trials of Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were given new names by the Babylonian court as Belteshazzar, Shadrack, Meshack, and Abed-nego. The stories of Daniel in the lion's den, and of his three friends in the fiery furnace, make for great stories of faith in God, yet, these are but small aspects of the book.
Through dreams and visions, we also learn of the fate of the world's kingdoms, and the triumph of the kingdom of God. Through these dreams and visions, we move from very broad strokes of the future, such as the dream Nebuchadnezzar had of the statue with the golden head, getting more detailed with each subsequent vision, until the last vision (Dan 11 ff.) which handles the time period of great tribulation under Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
I hope this study of the book of Daniel will be of help to you. You may download the PDF from here.
