Daniel was just a teenager when he was taken to Babylon to be trained for service in the government of the Babylonian Empire. In the opening chapters he writes about the experiences that he and his three friends had as young Jews in a foreign land. Their faithfulness to God caused the proud king Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge the LORD as "the King of heaven . . . whose works are truth." [4:37] God gave Daniel the ability to interpret the king's dreams and predict future events. Daniel was over 80 years old when he interpreted the handwriting on the wall, the night Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians. He was so well respected that he was made a high official in the new government of King Darius the Mede. When the LORD delivered Daniel from the lions, this new king sent a decree to all the nations that dwell on the earth that they must "tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God." [6:26] From youth to old age, Daniel faithfully obeyed the LORD while serving in two great world empires. The book of Daniel spans 72 years from 606 to 534 BC.