Daniel had visions/dreams in the night with the Lord of the Rings type creatures. He was given a glimpse of things to come and some things, I believe, still haven’t happened yet. Both times he asked the Lord for an interpretation, and he got some explanation. I’m going to give some snap shots of these two accounts. However, in both times, his ending words were the same. Daniel was distressed.
Chapter 7
“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.”
-Daniel 7:1 NKJV
“I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’”
-Daniel 7:15-18 NKJV
“Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. ‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’ This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.”
-Daniel 7:19-28 NKJV
Chapter 8
“In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me the first time. I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai.”
-Daniel 8:1-2 NKJV
“Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, ‘How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?’ And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’ Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, ‘Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.’ So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, ‘Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.’ Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright.”
-Daniel 8:13-18 NKJV
“‘And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future.’ And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.”
-Daniel 8:26-27 NKJV
The footnotes say this:
The prophet Daniel, like any godly leader, craved insight from the Lord. But Daniel wanted more than to receive a vision from God; he wanted God to explain the vision. The Lord obliged but also showed Daniel the price attached to such a privilege.
Do you realize the cost of receiving a genuine vision from the Lord? After Daniel received this prophecy, he fainted, lay sick in bed for days, felt great astonishment over what he had seen, yet still didn’t fully understand it (Da 8:27). And during the vision itself, he felt great fear (Da 8:17). It is no trifling matter to receive a genuine word from God!
By the time of this vision, Daniel was an old man. He had served three pagan kings and had accumulated enormous experience. He constantly studied the scripture. Yet he realized he still had to work to gain an accurate understanding of what God told him. After he receive this vision, he tells us that he was “trying to understand it” (8:15).
It is not enough for leaders to know the word of God or to know the prophecies contained in that Word. They must seek to understand how that word applies to them and to their followers. And they must never take for granted the enormous privilege of communicating the revelation of God.
Are you a dreamer? Do you feel like you get intel from heaven in your dreams? I don’t personally, but I know those who do. They write them down and then ask the Holy Spirit for understanding. Sometimes it’s about them. Sometimes it’s about others. Sometimes it’s about their community or the election. It’s about many things, for we ponder so much in our hearts. These two chapters are pretty crazy. They would be fun to watch in a movie, but hard to process and believe if it was you who had the dream. Daniel was gifted in dream interpretation and helped many kings, but even with that, he was distressed about his own. They were heavy and beyond his scope of understanding.
Why do I stop and pause here today? Because, I believe many followers of Christ have no idea the intel they are receiving, for they just chalk it up to that was a crazy dream. If you feel like you have had that happen to you, but never got an interpretation of your dream, we can help. I know many believers who have the gift of dream interpretation. Rule of thumb: if you feel distressed after a dream, pray and intercede until that feeling lifts. That is the best line of defense for your emotions. Then, write it down and ask the Lord for direction. It might just be the clarity you have been waiting on.
Stay dreaming, my menders, for you never know what Jesus might be speaking to you next. You hold an amazing position here on the earth, and He is relying on us to be the voice.
Until next time,
Stay Tender
Connect to the Mender
Be a Sender
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