Did you catch the qualifications for the young men chosen to enter the king’s service in the first part of the book of Daniel? Daniel and his friends had some pretty impressive credentials, young men without physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of leaning, well informed, quick to serve, and qualified to serve in the king's palace (most likely this referred to castration - most of the time those who served the king were castrated to protect the harem). And as if these weren’t enough, God gave them some additional abilities, knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and all kinds of learning.

Concerning the royal food - Daniel didn't just refuse to eat the rich food, he said, let me prove to you that the vegetables and water will be much better for us. Notice that the test of the food lasted for 10 days and God blessed Daniel and his friends by making them 10 times better than all the others who were in the king's service.

Daniel found himself in a very precarious position.  The king ordered the execution of all the wise men in the kingdom.  Daniel sought out his friends and urged them to plead for mercy from God.  When these prayers were answered, Daniel praised God for the answered prayers. There are times when we forget to give Him the praise for our answered prayers.

When Daniel was taken to the king to interpret the dream, he goes with a very humble attitude and is quick to give God the glory for the interpretation.  Love the verse that God is a "revealer of mysteries".

This dream has such profound and significant meaning. The destruction of the statue in the dream is representative of the destruction of the earth when Jesus (the rock) returns. This dream is a perfect example of what will happen in the last days and into the Millennium.

Dan 2:35b
The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
This verse ties in beautifully with the following.

Isa 11:9
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
After the destruction will be the Millennial Kingdom. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord just as the rock became a huge mountain.

Dan 2:44
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

Once the Millennium starts, it will continue on into the eternal kingdom.  While the earth may not be filled with the knowledge of the Lord in our lifetime, our lives can be filled with the knowledge of the Lord.  After all, God is a "revealer of mysteries".