who explained daniel's dreams to him

Nebuchadnezzar's Threat One night, Nebuchadnezzar awoke frightened by a dream. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Consequently, it is little wonder that in the events recorded in Daniel 5, Belshazzar was ignorant of Daniel and the abilities God had given him. Chapter 2 contains a very significant prophecy, revealed by God to king Nebuchadnezzar. When we expect it least, the Lord will return, the wicked will be punished, and the kingdom of God established forevermore. We see a gapan almost insurmountable gapbetween suffering and glory; God does not. 78 Walvoord thinks this is the year 553 B.C., some 14 years before the fall of Babylon. Salvation is likewise a process involving sufferingand then glory. (3) What principles should guide and govern our attempt to interpret the prophecy of this chapter? Daniel explained to the king that the statue represented four successive kingdoms based upon power and wealth, beginning with Babylon, while the stone and mountain signified a kingdom established by God that would never be destroyed nor given to other people. They will serve and obey Him forever. This is what we need to know from Daniels vision, rather than the identity of the beasts. (2) While the timing of the fulfillment of divine prophecy may seem remote to the recipient, it still has relevance for him. The coming of the Son of Man is represented as one coming, and not two. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. Daniel 2:9-11 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof, Daniel 1:18,19 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar, We are not told in so many words that this extension of time was granted, or that Daniel undertook to show more than the interpretation of the dream. (See Daniel 2:24, Note. We know from history that though Persia rose later than Media it soon overshadowed Media in its power. 10 A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, and the books were opened. 3 And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. In his vision, Daniel observed the sea being stirred up into a raging storm by the four winds of heaven. This signifies that the events which follow have been ordained by God. In the latter days, before the kingdom of God is established on the earth, kings and kingdoms will become worse and worse. God may choose to delay judgment on the wicked until their sin reaches full bloom; the possession of the land of Canaan would not happen in Abrahams lifetime, but more than 400 years later after the suffering of the people of God (see Genesis 15:12-17). 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy An eleventh king then rises to power, different from the others, replacing three of the previous kings. How easily we turn from what is revealed to speculate about what has been concealed (see Deuteronomy 29:29). The beasts emerge out of chaos and confusion; the heavenly court is calm and dignified. The vision recorded in chapter 8 took place in the third year of Belshazzar. There is fairly strong inferential evidence that Nebuchadnezzar was represented by the first beast, the winged lion. Then the saints will receive the kingdom which will never end. If, in Gods eyes, a day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years as a day (2 Peter 3:8), then the coming of our Lord has only been a few days from beginning to end. Dwight Pentecost writes, The existence of the church in the present Age was nowhere revealed in the Old Testament. This also underscores that these four kingdoms go from reasonably good to unbelievably bad. When He came with His kingdom, they would be sure to recognize Him (24:27). 4 The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. It may seem to them that their defeat is certain and that their hopes of entering into the eternal kingdom are lost. Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. Different from the first three, this beast seems uglier, more powerful, and much more hostile toward God and His saints. In his vision, the statue collapsed and disappeared, because a mysterious stone struck it at its feet. Through this dream, King Nebuchadnezzar learned that only God's Kingdom will last forever. (11) What is the point of the vision? His final offspring, so to speak, is the little horn which becomes the great blasphemer, whose life and kingdom is suddenly cut off by the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man. Through the vision of a magnificent, awe-inspiring statue, God reveals the future for Gentile kings and their kingdoms. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He distinguishes himself by his ability to overcome the whole earth, crushing it under foot. Are we supposed to discover their identity? 4:19; Ezk. He could not figure out what the dream meant, so he wanted his advisors to explain it to him. This morning we are going to go back to Daniel 7 and look at the rest of the chapter where Daniel has the dream interpreted. 23 Thus he said: The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. In Gods economy, things are not what they appear to be. The distance in time of the fulfillment of Daniel 7 said something very important to the captive Jews of Daniels day. 25 And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. It is good for us to understand the theology of the end-times, but we must approach it with reverence. The only human things mentioned of the fourth beast are his eyes and his mouth. The transfiguration of our Lord was but a foretaste of His coming glorious kingdom (16:28). 5. March 1, 2023, 6:00 a.m. The saints should also expect the wicked to prosper, for a season. The second is bear-like. If not, he could never have become airborne again. In his vision, the statue collapsed and disappeared, because a mysterious stone struck it at its feet. He would rise from the dead (12:40). The third portion of the statue in Daniel 2 was the belly and thighs of bronze which represented the Greek empire. We should note Daniels distress in chapter 7 before turning to the other prophecies in Daniel, where we will find that prophecy very often produces distress. This chapter is a history, but it is the history of a prophecy, by a dream and the interpretation . They are far from pleasant but an unavoidable part of the process. The prophecies of Daniel 7 speak of a future day of reckoning, foreshadowed by the actions of Belshazzar and the judgment of God on him and his kingdom. Daniel still dreaming said he approached one of those standing there. Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. At this point the revelation ended. Who is the Son of Man? Abraham and Sarah were elderly and childless. (11) A distinction is made between God the Fatherthe Ancient of Days and God the Sonthe Son of Manwith both playing a part in the establishment of the kingdom. Daniel (Daniel 2; 4): As He had done for Joseph, God placed Daniel in a position of power and influence by allowing him to interpret a foreign ruler's dream. (8) The four beasts are all different, with the last standing apart from the first three. Each of the four beasts represent a king and thus a resulting kingdom. We have already seen this phrase time, times, and half a time in Revelation. This is consistent with God's propensity to use miracles to identify His messengers. This was when his life took a sharp turn. Verse 2. God grants this king success and his saints suffering, but only for an appointed time. Daniel returned to his house and explained the situation to his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel explains that each of these metals represents a kingdom that would rule the world, and the stone is God . Daniel said the king's dream was about a giant statue that was destroyed by a stone cut out of a mountain. Other biblical prophecies bear on the prophecies of Daniel, particularly preceding or contemporary prophecies. This description certainly fits the account of Nebuchadnezzars plunge from power and sanity in chapter 4. Then the time had arrived for the saints to take possession of the kingdom. That was bad enough, from the religious leaders perspective, but the way in which He answered them was the last straw. These saints are the believing Jews of the tribulation, not the believers of the Church Age. Subsequent revelations in the Book of Daniel which Daniel received were closely associated with some kind of agony or distress (see 8:17, 27; 9:20-21; 10:2-3, 7-10, 17; 12:8). Daniel 2:1). His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. These will continue to be separate nations in the confederation but will come under the little horns control and authority. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so . Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:1352, [4]LaHaye, Tim and Hindson, Ed., editors, The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary. He questioned His disciples so that they could confess that He, the Son of Man, was the Messiah (16:13f.). God would strike him down in the moment of His choosing to silence him once and for all and put an end to his kingdom. International Standard Version so Daniel went to ask Nebuchadnezzar for an appointment to see him , and it was granted him so that he could reveal the meaning to the king. Arrogant, boastful, and even blasphemous kings will reign over the nations, opposing God and oppressing His saints. If Daniel had been shaken by the dark side of his vision, he is reminded in the interpretation of the outcome of these eventsthe establish- ment of Gods eternal kingdom. Before the coming of Christ, who would? 16 I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. The timeline reads as follows: It was said ( ch. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. As Daniel sought to discover more truth about the fourth beast he added some details that he had left out of his first description. He will abolish all the religious holidays and seek to abolish Gods law in an attempt to destroy the Jewish people. The Son of Man was also Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). Each beast has its own unique characteristics. When Jesus came, He embraced this expression as a designation for Himself, giving the term meaning vastly beyond that previously held by any Jew. to revoke its approval of the two main drugs used for medication abortion in the United States. The righteous will suffer. This takes place until the Ancient of Days comes and judgment is given to the saints, at the time the eternal kingdom becomes their possession. (10) What effect did the vision have on Daniel, and why? Agreeing with God that they are sinners but believing that Jesus Christ death paid the penalty for their sin, that He was buried, and rose from the dead three days later triumphant over sin, Satan, and death forever. He had endured the training of the Chaldeans and he had lived his life in the service of a foreign king, at first the foreign king who had overthrown his country. At the outset of the account of his vision, Daniel wants his reader to know the historical context in which this prophecy was given and to consider its interpretation and application in the light of that context. In the first scene, heavenly winds are employed to whip up the sea from which the four beasts emerges. He was at ease when he received the vision, and then he became fearful, and his mind alarmed him (4:4-5). We need to be waiting and prepared for His return. Having related the dream, Daniel then interprets it: it concerns four successive kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar, which will be replaced by the everlasting kingdom of the God of heaven. The vision plays on before Daniel, almost as though in answer to his desire to know more. This angel responded and gave Daniel understanding into his dream as he interpreted it for him. The blasphemous horn of Daniel 7, which goes so far as to oppose the people of God, is suddenly taken by death, and his kingdom is removed. (6) Prophecy is written to sober the saints. Daniel is greatly distressed by the vision which he sees in chapter 7. The First Vision is a dream of the king that is interpreted by Daniel. But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come. (Daniel 7:1718, NASB95)[2] The four beasts that Daniel saw in his dream were four kings and represented the four kingdoms of these kings. So it was for our Lord (1 Peter 1:10-12), and so it will be for us. 8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. By far, this first beast is the best of a bad bunch. He will rule over all nations forever. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT Prophets: Daniel 2:16 Daniel went in and desired (Dan. In those days, as in our own, there are always those are too quick to conclude that the kingdom of God has come (see Matthew 24:4, 6, 8, 24-28; 2 Thessalonians 2:1ff.). Editing allows an author to set aside details which are not significant and focus on the essence of the message he is trying to communicate. 24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them,81 and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. Prophecy is always practical and relevant to the person(s) receiving it. Suffering and glory are a part of one work. (5) While the process involves wicked kings and nations and the suffering of the saints, the culmination is the establishment of Gods eternal kingdom. The precise meaning of the symbols of the raised side and the three ribs is illusive. [4] We of the present Age, the church will reign with Jesus Christ as His bride. Daniel uses the expression Son of man twice. The ten horns are of interest to him, but most of all that final horn which arose, surpassing and replacing three others and speaking boastfully. Note that the description of the beasts is written in prose, while the description of the heavenly court in verses 9-10 and of the Son of Man in verses 13-14 is written in poetry form. At this time the kingdom of God is established. He couldn't sleep. 8 While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts. 77 According to Baldwin, This verse [13] has been the subject of more scholarly papers than any other in the book, so indicating its centrality, not only for Daniel but for the New Testament also. Baldwin, p. 142. In the context of the coming of His kingdom and the suffering and trials which precede it, soberness is a vitally important quality which prophecy promotes: 1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. Should also expect the wicked to prosper, for all ages to come and desired (.! Took place in the third year of Belshazzar success and his mind alarmed him ( )... Follow have been ordained by God he urged them to plead for mercy the... Not pass away ; and his saints suffering, but only for an appointed time makes earth. That would rule the world does not know us, because it did not him... Earth and those who dwell in it to him ( s ) receiving it these kingdoms! That is interpreted by Daniel that each of these metals represents a that... The nations, opposing God and his saints waiting and prepared for his return but. Daniel went in and desired ( Dan Gentile kings and their kingdoms Age was nowhere revealed in United... 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