The young Jewish boy gazed about him in awe - the awe-inspiring images, the barely comprehensible language, the bustle of the huge city, all left him feeling alone and afraid. Desperately he longed for the familiar sights and sounds of the home he was never to see again. For the next seventy years he would serve a succession of foreign kings, some great, some contemptible. He would rise to undreamed of heights - and more than once stare death in the face. But above all, he would be faithful to his God. In consequence, he was entrusted with the most awesome secrets - events yet to come, the rise and fall of kingdoms, above all, the coming of the Messiah and the great climactic battle that would usher in the end of all things.
