The Babylonian kingdom is divided at this time between the Medes and the Persians. Esther was crowned Queen of Persia; however, she did not come to royal stature until sometime after 486 BCE. The Temple had been restored by that time and the first wave of Jews had been freed from captivity to live in Jerusalem. Many Jews were comfortable with their lives in Babylon and remained there until after the events in Esther when there was a second exodus from Persia back to Jerusalem.
Chapter 2 – The Dream of the Statue
This event was only two years into Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. The time of preparation for Daniel and the other boys was three years. Because of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, their time in preparation was cut short and they were given places of authority, and Daniel became a prominent member of the king’s court. Eunuchs were never made rulers over provinces or given authority over other men. This is where the controversy comes over whether or not these boys of noble birth were made eunuchs.
One, Unique – Hebrew: Echad
When Yeshua was at the Temple during Hanukkah, (the Feast of Dedication), he told the people that he and his Father are an ‘undivided oneness.’ They cannot be separated into two gods or persons. They are ‘uniquely one.’
Convocation – Hebrew: Mikra
Yeshua says, “many are called, but few are chosen” when talking about guests invited to the wedding feast (Matthew 22:14). The Greek word for ‘called’ means ‘invited.’ He is saying that many are invited, but few actually make the choice to come. He says that many ‘were not interested’ in coming to the banquet. The Greek word says that they were ‘careless and paid no attention to the invite.’ The Greek word goes deeper to say that they found the invite to the wedding feast ‘rehearsal’ to have no value (Matthew 22:5).