Scripture Helps
Daniel 1–7
Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were brought to Babylon with the first group of exiles from Jerusalem. They refused to eat the king’s meat and were protected and blessed by the Lord. Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and was shown a vison of God’s kingdom being set up in the last days. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to worship the king’s golden image and were thrown into a fiery furnace, but they were protected and delivered. Daniel was cast into a den of lions because he prayed to God, and God delivered him from harm. The Lord showed Daniel a series of visions about the rise and fall of worldly powers, the authority of God given to His people, and the ultimate deliverance of God’s faithful people through Jesus Christ.
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Background and Context
What is the book of Daniel?
The book of Daniel provides an account of the experiences of Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were later given the Babylonian names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. As young men they were taken to Babylon around the beginning of the sixth century BC, after King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and brought a select group of Israelites to his kingdom be to be trained to serve in the royal court and in the administration of the empire. Daniel’s ministry continued for many years, lasting into the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, who conquered Babylon in 539 BC.
The first half of the book (chapters 1–6) shares several well-known experiences Daniel and his friends had while in the royal court. The second half (chapters 7–12) records Daniel’s prophetic visions, including prophecies about the last days.
Why did Daniel and his friends refuse the king’s food?
Daniel refused to eat the king’s meat because he did not want to defile himself, or make himself spiritually unclean. One reason Daniel and his friends could have become defiled by the king’s meat and wine is that these items may have first been offered to Babylonian gods as part of pagan rituals. Consuming such offerings would have been seen as participating in idol worship. Additionally, the food may have violated dietary laws given in the law of Moses.
Daniel Refusing the King’s Meat and Wine, by Del Parson
What does the stone “cut out without hands” represent?
King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream of a large statue with a head of gold and other sections of the body made of various materials. The statue was destroyed when it was struck by a stone that had been “cut out of the mountain without hands.” The Lord helped Daniel interpret the king’s dream and revealed that the head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian Empire. The other sections of the statue represented kingdoms that would rise after Babylon’s fall.
Nebuchadnezzar also saw that “the stone … became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” Daniel taught that the stone represented a kingdom that God would set up, “which shall never be destroyed.” The stone being cut out of the mountain without hands symbolizes that the kingdom would be established by God, not by humans. Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught: “The Church [of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] is that prophesied latter-day kingdom, not created by man but set up by the God of heaven and rolling forth as a stone ‘cut out of the mountain without hands’ to fill the earth [Daniel 2:45].”
In our dispensation, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that “the keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.”
Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream, by Grant Romney Clawson
What is significant about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego’s response to the king?
After King Nebuchadnezzar offered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego a second chance to worship his golden idol, they responded, “We are not careful to answer thee in this matter.” Modern translations render this phrase as “We have no need to answer you in this matter.” In other words, they were firm in their decision to not worship the image.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego boldly stated that they knew God could save them from the punishment of death, but even if He chose not to, they still would not bow down to the king’s gods. President Joy D. Jones, former General Primary President, taught: “These three young men were not basing their obedience upon being delivered. Even if they were not delivered, they would keep their promise to the Lord because they said they would. Keeping our covenants is always independent of our situation.”
What do we know about the fourth man seen in the fiery furnace?
When the king looked into the fiery furnace, he was astonished to see not three but four men walking unharmed in the flames. He said the appearance of the fourth man was “like the Son of God.” It is unclear from the text whether this was Jehovah or an angel. Some translations render the phrase as “a divine being” or “son of the gods.” Later in chapter 3, Nebuchadnezzar expressed his belief that “the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego … hath sent his angel” to rescue them.
Three Friends in a Fire: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, © Lifeway Collection/licensed from goodsalt.com
What was the meaning of the writing on the wall?
Approximately two decades after Nebuchadnezzar died, King Belshazzar hosted a feast for leaders in the kingdom. Belshazzar had the vessels that had been taken from the temple in Jerusalem brought to the feast. He and the people mocked the Lord by drinking wine from these sacred vessels while they praised their false gods. During the feast, a hand appeared and wrote on a wall in the palace. Belshazzar was greatly concerned, and when others were unable to interpret the writing, he had Daniel brought before him.
Daniel’s interpretation of the writing on the wall had two levels of meaning. First, the words mene, tekel, and upharsin referred to ancient units of weight, listed in descending order. This may have symbolized the diminishing power of Babylon. Second, when these three words were spoken, they sounded like Aramaic verbs, which Daniel used to describe God’s impending judgment on the Babylonian kingdom. To his listeners, mene would have sounded like “to number”—God had numbered the days of Belshazzar’s reign, and they were finished. Tekel would have sounded like “to weigh”—God had weighed or measured Belshazzar and found the king deficient. Upharsin would have sounded like “to divide”—Belshazzar’s kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and Persians.
How were Daniel’s experiences similar to events from the life of Jesus Christ?
The following are examples of similarities between Daniel’s experiences and events that took place during the Savior’s life:
|
Daniel |
Jesus Christ |
|---|---|
Daniel His enemies “sought to find occasion” against him, but “they could find none occasion nor fault … in him” (Daniel 6:4–5). | Jesus Christ The chief priests “sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none” (Mark 14:55). |
Daniel Continued to pray to God, even though doing so placed his life in danger (see Daniel 6:7–10). | Jesus Christ Remained obedient to Heavenly Father, even when it led to suffering and death (see Philippians 2:8). |
Daniel King Darius wanted to spare Daniel but gave into pressure and carried out the sentence (see Daniel 6:14–16). | Jesus Christ Pilate found no fault in Jesus and sought to release Him but ultimately delivered Him to be crucified after yielding to the demands of others (see Luke 23:13–24, 33). |
Daniel Was thrown into the den of lions, which was sealed with a stone and the king’s seal (see Daniel 6:16–17). | Jesus Christ Was laid in a tomb, which was sealed with a large stone and a Roman seal (see Matthew 27:59–66). |
Daniel Was miraculously preserved from harm and emerged alive from the den of lions (see Daniel 6:19–22). | Jesus Christ Miraculously rose from the dead and emerged alive from the tomb (see 1 Corinthians 15:3–4). |
Daniel and the Lion’s Den, by Clark Kelley Price
What is the meaning of the beasts in Daniel’s dream?
Like Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2, chapter 7 depicts a symbolic vision of history. Each beast in Daniel’s dream represented a powerful empire that would rise and fall before the kingdom of God was established eternally. The first beast is often understood to represent the Babylonian Empire, the second beast the Medo-Persian Empire, the third the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great, and the fourth the Roman Empire. Other biblical scholars understand the second beast to be the Median Empire, the third the Persian Empire, and the fourth the Greek Empire. Regardless of the specific meaning of the beasts, Daniel’s vision makes it clear that earthly kingdoms are temporary and that God’s kingdom will ultimately prevail and endure forever.
What does it mean that the Son of Man will come to the Ancient of Days?
After witnessing the frightening beasts in his dream, Daniel saw a wise man, called the “Ancient of days,” sitting on a throne in judgment. He also saw the “Son of man” coming with the clouds of heaven to appear before the Ancient of Days. Daniel prophesied that the beasts, which represent worldly kingdoms, would lose their power and that the Son of Man would receive “an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,” and a kingdom “which shall not be destroyed.”
The Son of Man refers to Jesus Christ, and modern revelation tells us that the Ancient of Days is Adam. Commenting on Daniel’s prophecy, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “Daniel in his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he means the oldest man, our Father Adam, Michael; he will call his children together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man [see Daniel 7:9–14]. He (Adam) is the father of the human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that have had the keys must stand before him in this grand council. … The Son of Man stands before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human family.”
This sacred event will take place at Adam-ondi-Ahman, a location in Missouri, USA, and will involve Saints from all dispensations. President Joseph Fielding Smith taught that at this gathering, Jesus Christ “will come, and Adam will make his report. … Christ will be received and acknowledged as the rightful ruler of the earth.”
Learn More
Remaining faithful amid worldly pressure
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D. Todd Christofferson, “Worship,” Liahona, May 2025, 75–80
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Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Be Not Afraid, Only Believe,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 76–79
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Joy D. Jones, “A Sin-Resistant Generation,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 87–90
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Dennis E. Simmons, “But If Not … ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 73–75
The latter-day kingdom of God
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David A. Bednar, “The Times of Restitution of All Things,” Liahona, May 2025, 82–84
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Ronald A. Rasband, “Fulfillment of Prophecy,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 75–78
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Neil L. Andersen, “A Witness of God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 35–37
Media
Videos
“God Gave Them Knowledge” (13:49)
“The Gospel Shall Roll Forth” (2:47)
Music
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“Adam-ondi-Ahman,” Hymns, no. 49
Images
Daniel and the King’s Meat, by Brian Call
Daniel in the King’s Court, by Simon Vedder
Old Testament Stories: Daniel and the King’s Dream, by Bryan David Beach
Three Refuse to Bow, by Review & Herald Publishing
Belshazzar Sees the Finger Writing on the Wall, by Robert Theodore Barrett
Three Men in the Fiery Furnace, by William Maughan
Daniel Interpreting the Writing on the Wall, by Gustave Dore
Daniel in the Lion’s Den, by Briton Riviere
As He Did Aforetime, by Eva Timothy