Daniel was a one-of-a-kind. Handsome and young, smart and humble, incorruptible and courageous. Perfect to become a Wise Man of Babylon, to deal with a dizzying array of responsibilities from across the empire Nebuchadnezzar and his dynasty had established and was enlarging.
Daniel's writings were targeted at his contemporaries who had experienced the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of all they thought meant security and strength. He wrote to those who had been exiled with him right through the seventy years, and to those who would follow them in expectation of the imminent work of God to send His Messiah to restore the place of the Jews in the world.
The two sections of Daniel's book are like an ongoing fireworks display - on one hand, the noise, light and unrelenting sensations that go with it make you want to yell at it to stop, while desperately wanting it to go on when it is finished. The first section deals with God's work within the historical day-to-day life in the royal courts of Babylon through political upheaval, intrigue and manipulations, while the second half reveals God's dealing with Daniel in visions and dreams that leave him exhausted, fearful - and driven to deeper prayer. In these we are granted brief glimpses behind the veil into the heavenly kingdom of God in its interactions with the kingdoms of this world.
It is difficult to understand much of the apocalyptic writing of the New Testament (the big, scary stuff) without first coming to terms with what happens in Daniel. Jesus, Peter and the "Seer" of Revelation all look back to Daniel and quote him in trying to describe their own visions, and in Jesus' words, the end times. Many Christians shy away from Daniel's writings, and consequently Revelation and New Testament apocalyptic writing through simple ignorance. This is disappointing because of the amount of material there to provide comfort and assurance for the Christian, especially those in the early days of the Church when violent persecution of the Church was the norm. Perhaps this may be the case for the modern Western Church, too - and if so, these writings should be our go-to for guidance.
Daniel's writings, along with the others in the "Big Guns" (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) all remind us repeatedly of God's sovereignty over all creation, this world and the next. We may face elected governments, dictators or monarchs, civil and social media persecution, violent blood shedding and even death as too many of our Christian sisters and brothers suffer across the world - and God is still sovereign over all, and His will will be done. His kingdom will come.
Rather than terrify, these writings comforted and encouraged God's people in the worst of times - and continue to do so. I hope you will take the time and the effort to read through these four "Big Guns" yourself, and turn to the LORD your God in faithfulness and humility.

Ezekiel was thrust into the midst of the chaos around Jerusalem and the forced exile to Babylon. He and his family were forced marched to their new home in the philosophical, military, and scientific centre of the known world at the time.
Ezekiel's writing as a prophet is unique as it is relayed entirely in the first person, from Ezekiel himself, reporting the Word of the LORD. His writing exhibits an expansive knowledge across a variety of fields, probably reflecting his learning and experience in Babylon. However he maintains a strong theme about the LORD's temple in Jerusalem, which was still standing for the first seven years of his exile before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. His prophetic writing about the future centered on a vision of a new Jerusalem,  new Temple and detailed measurements, all of which are overwritten by the final words of his book: "And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE." (Ezekiel 48:35).
Ezekiel was primarily writing to the remaining people in Jerusalem who faced either deportation or destruction. Ezekiel reported vivid heavenly visions, and being transported by the Spirit to see some ungodly, and downright evil, activities of the so-called Temple leadership, inside hidden rooms. There was no faithfulness to the LORD their God, and their religious activity was a sham. Ezekiel wrote to the Jerusalem leadership and exposed the corruption. Of course, the Temple leadership had no idea how this exile so far away could know of their sinfulness - and not believing God's power, they never would.
Ezekiel's writing resonated well into the New Testament times, as his prophecies were read and pondered upon - especially his prophecies regarding God's future plans. Just as Ezekiel lived during the days of Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Solomon's Temple and David's Jerusalem, so the New Testament writers witnessed Rome's full-scale invasion and destruction of Herod's Temple and the Sanhedrin's Jerusalem. Thus Ezekiel's writing of an even greater Temple, and God's impending nearness, were sweet themes to their ears. Of course, for the New Testament writers, the translation came through the coming of Jesus, God the Son.
Indeed, Ezekiel wrote of God's departure from the Temple and His disobedient, unfaithful people. In the same way, the last time Jesus, God the Son, entered the Temple, it was to violently cleanse out the corruption of the traders and money changers in the courtyards. He left - and God never returned to it. The Temple curtain was ripped in half on Good Friday, and a generation later, no stone was left upon another on that site.
The Christian hope is not in buildings, nor institutions. Our hope is in the faithfulness of the LORD our God, who promises that He will dwell with His people forever, in a place purpose built for them. There will be no Temple, no sun, no fear and no suffering, all because of these four words at the end of Ezekiel's book: THE LORD IS THERE.

 Jeremiah's writings covered the time of five different monarchs in the kingdom of Judah. It was a volatile time within and from without the kingdom.
Jeremiah watched the decline of the people of God into rampant apostasy and hypocrisy. They only wanted God involved when an enemy army appeared on their borders. All other times, the people of Jerusalem and Judah rejected the 'Word of the LORD' - most notably the kings and Temple teachers.
Jeremiah repeatedly warned, pleaded and called God's people to turn again to the LORD their God, with all of the hearts and minds. He told of God's future work when the Law would no longer be a codified set of writings that could be legalistically abused to entrench power, but when God's Spirit would write His law on people's own hearts in a new covenant.
Eventually Jeremiah watched his beloved city (Jerusalem) and Solomon's great Temple be destroyed even as he was taken to Egypt to flee the destroyers. His distress at his prophecies becoming reality is clear in his writings.
Jeremiah was regularly referred to in the New Testament writings, and the writer to the Hebrews uses the prophecy of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31 - Hebrews 8) to great effect, showing how Christ's coming, teaching, death and resurrection ushered in the New Testament/Covenant, and Christ's outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost wrote the Law on the hearts of God's people.
That includes us. We must remember the danger of legalistic abuse of Old Testament Law - and be just as cautious of reducing God's Word to a "break in case of emergency" - as when an enemy army is on the doorstep, or the death of a loved one, or faith-shaking event when we only turn to God's Word out of fear.
Let us be those who turn to God's Word to find it wealth and wonder in the good days, and allow the LORD our God to write His law on our hearts by His Holy Spirit. As we read Scripture, this writing will grow in depth and power in our hearts, so when the Day comes when we really need to know how great our God is, and the firm foundation of His promises, we will know and be ready to stand.
It didn't end well for Jeremiah in this life - but he knew the promises of the LORD.  May we have the strength to do the same.