“Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.” Daniel 2:1
When we come to Daniel 2 we see God begin to use Daniel as a young man. Paul told Timothy “let no man despise your youth”. God uses people whose hearts are right toward Him, age and even experience are not what counts to God – just the willingness and purity of the heart. In the first two chapters of Daniel, he begins by telling us exactly when each event occurs. He does this to give us historical reference points but also to link the two chapters together there is an important relationship between them. Of course when God gives accurate information, the world uses it to attack God and to try and prove scripture is not accurate and therefore God cannot exist. Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign We met Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 1 where he besieged Jerusalem and took Daniel captive. Immediately this gives the Bible deniers glee for they say if the time in Chapter 1 is true the date in chapter 2 obviously cannot be true. IfNebuchadnezzar takes Daniel captive in chapter 1 there is no way Daniel can complete a three year training program and respond to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2 when that is the second year of his reign. As a result we need to look at this timing carefully for if this passage is in error, the whole Bible is then in question (the denier’s goal). John Walvoord, renowned Bible prophecy expert, provides a timeline that gives us understanding as to the dates and how they relate. June-August, 605 B.C.: Fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, and Daniel and companions taken captive. At this time Nebuchadnezzar is the general of the Babylonian army that attacks Jerusalem. September 7, 605 B.C. :Just a few months after the attack on Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar, the general of the army is made king over Babylon after the death of his father, Nabopolassar. September 7, 605 B.C to Nisan (March-April) 604 B.C.: The first year of a Babylonian king’s rule was known as his year of accession of Nebuchadnezzar as king. This year is not counted as his first year of reign, This would be the first year of Daniel’s training. Nisan (March-April) 604 B.C to Nisan (March-April) 603 B.C: This is the first full year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar and it would be the second year of Daniels training Nisan (March-April) 603 B.C to Nisan (March-April) 602 B.C: This is the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar (noted in Daniel 2:1) and the third and final year of training of Daniel. This is the year we study in Daniel 2 in which Nebuchadnezzar is troubled about the future, his legacy and world power and God sends him a dream of things to come. What can we learn? There is no conflict between the timing of Daniel Chapters 1 and 2 and what we know of world history. What we see is that at the very end of Daniel’s training or shortly after his graduation from the king’s leadership development program God provides him an opportunity to use the gift he had been given. Once again the young man will come face to face with the king of Babylon.