Nothing is known of Daniel’s parentage, though he was undoubtedly of royal descent (Dan. 1:3)[1]; he was taken captive to Babylon around 605 BC and received the name of [Belteshazzar] (1:6–7). There are references to Daniel in [Ezek. 14:14, 20; 28:3; Heb. 11:33]. There are interesting points of similarity between the history of Daniel and that of Joseph who was sold into slavery in Egypt. Along with three others Hananiah. [Shadrach], Mishael [Meshach], and Azariah [Abednego],[2] Daniel and his friends refused the “king’s meat” for fear of defilement (1:8–16). The king’s meat would have included pork which was prohibited in (Leviticus 11:7) as a forbidden food. Instead they chose to eat Pulse.[3]
Daniel served in the king’s court under five different kings: Three Babylonian kings including Nebuchadnazzar II (605-562 BC), Evil Merodach (562-560 BC), [2 Kings 25:27], and Belshazzar[4] (560-539), and two Persian kings. The first Persian king was Darius I (539 BC -535) followed by Cyrus also known as Cyrus the Great who died in 530 BC. It was Cyrus who authorized the return of the Jews to Jerusalem. The prophecy of Isaiah alluded to by Josephus and implied in [Ezra 1:2] is found in [Isaiah 44:28–45:1]. Daniel won the favor of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius by his power of interpreting dreams (Dan. 2; 4) and the handwriting on the wall (Dan. 5)[5] [According to Daniel, Belshazzar saw the handwriting on the wall telling him of the fall of Babylon the very night before Cyrus entered the city and brought an end to the Babylonian empire]. Later Daniel was thrown into a den of lions (Dan. 6), but his life was preserved. Daniel was appointed as the First President of a triad of three presidents that governed the 120 princes that ruled over the kingdom of Darius.
Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts (Images of earthly things)[6]. First beast: like a lion with the wings of an eagle, but the wings were plucked so that it could no longer fly. Second beast: like a bear holding three ribs. Third beast: like a leopard that had four wings and four heads, “and dominion was given to it.” The fourth beast: had ten horns, and was notably different from the other beasts and “exceedingly strong”. Three horns were plucked to make way on the fourth beast’s head for a new horn that speaks pompously.”
Daniel prayed to understand the meaning of his vision and it was interpreted to him that the four great beasts were a representation of earthly kings. The fourth beast was a kingdom dominating the entire Earth, its ten horns representing ten kings. The new horn that supplants the three that were plucked represents a new king that overpowers three of the ten kings and then makes war with God’s followers. Eventually all the kingdoms of the earth will be cast down. As a part of the Second Coming, Adam, the Ancient of days, will come to Adam-ondi-Ahman and prepare the way.[7] It will be Adam who fights Lucifer and cast out the Devil. The evil king will be supplanted by the Son of Man, who is Jesus Christ. Hence, the final horn represents the Antichrist and his world government, which precedes the Second Coming of the true Christ. (Daniel 7:17-27).
Joseph Smith said that Daniel’s visions represented earthly kingdoms. We don’t know for sure which nations Daniel referenced. Some have speculated that England was the lion. England’s coat of arms carries three lions. The eagle’s wings removed from the lion represent the United States, which was separated from England during the American Revolution and has the eagle as its national symbol. Daniel’s bear = Russia, whose national symbol is a bear. Daniel’s leopard = Germany, whose Leopard tanks have been used predominantly in European armies since their introduction in the 1960s. The four heads of this leopard represents a reign or Reich. Germany’s Third Reich historically attempted to gain world dominion during World War II, and that the Fourth Reich or head is emerging in our time. The leopard Daniel saw also had bird’s wings, which represent France and its national symbol of a rooster. The fourth beast is a world government controlled by the Antichrist, like the United Nations with China (dragon)[8] and other atheistic godless leaders from all nations fighting against Israel and the True Believers in Christ around the world. In [Revelation 13:1-2], the Apostle John depicts Daniel’s four beasts again, now combined into one: a beast that is part leopard, part bear, and part lion, with ten horns.
The Shushan vision of Daniel in chapter 8 involved a ram with two horns and a goat with a single horn between his eyes. The goat had “choler” [bitterness] against the ram and destroyed the ram. The goat replaced the one large broken horn with four smaller horns. Out of one of these four horns proceeded a small horn which became very powerful (Rome). The angel Gabriel [Noah][9] appeared to Daniel and explained that the two horns on the ram were Media and Persia. [Daniel 8:20]. The rough goat was the king of Greece [Alexander the Great]. After the death of Alexander his four generals divided up his kingdom into four smaller but powerful nations. The Battle of Ipsus, fought in Phrygia, Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) in 301 BC between rival successors, resulted in the dissolution of Alexander’s kingdom. The kingdom of Cassander, consisted of Macedonia, most of Greece, and parts of Thrace. The kingdom of Lysimachus, included Lydia, Ionia, Phrygia, and other parts of present-day Turkey. The kingdom of Seleucus, comprised present-day Iran, Iraq, Syria, and parts of Central Asia. The kingdom of Ptolemy I included Egypt and neighboring regions. It was from the kingdom of Cassander that Rome emerges as the small horn that would dominate the whole Mediterranean area.
In chapter 9 Gabriel explains the coming of the Messiah and his being “cut off.” Rome will destroy the rebuilt Jerusalem and the Temple (sanctuary). That actually happened in 70 AD.
Chapter 10: Daniel sees the Lord and is shown a vision of the latter days. Daniel’s description of the Lord is similar to that of John in [Revelation 1:13] and Ezekiel’s in [Chapters Ezek. 1 and 10].
In chapter 11 Daniel sees numerous kingdoms rise and fall in preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord.
The last chapter 12 of Daniel foreshadows Adam (Michael) at the time of the resurrection of the dead at the Second Coming of Christ. He refers to the resurrection of “everlasting life” and to those sons of perdition who received mortal bodies being resurrected to “everlasting contempt.” Daniel also sees that the tribulation that will precede the Second Coming will be “a time (one year), times (two years) and a half (year) or 3 ½ years. This is the same time that John on the Isle of Patmos said the tribulation would last or 42 months (Revelation 11:2; 13:5, 1,260 days). 3 ½ is also the number of days that the two prophet that are to be killed in Jerusalem will lie dead in the streets. After 3 ½ day the Lord will appear on the Mount of Olives and resurrect them in front of the people. [Rev. 11:9]. One half of the city of Jerusalem will be destroyed. The survivors will come to Jesus and ask him the question, “What are these wounds in thine hands?” Jesus will answer, “Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” [Zechariah 13:6], “I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.” [D&C 45:52].
[1] Kings took the children of captured royalty as a way to control the conquered kingdoms. Daniel and his friends were taken in the first wave of captives in about 605/6 BC indicating they were from royal families.
[2] Names in brackets represent their Babylonian names.
[3] Pulse usually means peas, beans and the seeds that grow in pods, but may include vegetables.
[4] Technically Belshazzar was a regent or second-in-command, but ruled while the king was away fighting wars which often involved years of conquest.
[5] Belshazzar, king of Babylon, held a great feast, during which a hand appeared and wrote on the wall: “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN” (מנא מנא תקל ופרסין). Daniel interprets the words as “numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided” meaning that Belshazzar has been judged and weighed in the balance and his kingdom would be divided.
[6] Joseph Smith, “Teachings” pp.289, 291
[7] Ibid pp. 39, 122, 157, 167, 237. [D&C 27:11, 29:26, 78:16, 88:112-115 107:54, 116:1, 128:20-21], Jude 1:9
[8] The serpent dragon has been a symbol of China as well as the Devil. [Rev. 12:9].
[9] The Angel Gabriel that appeared to Mary and Daniel was Noah. Joseph Smith, “Teachings” p.157