Daniel 7

The rest of the book of Daniel is all about visions that the Lord gives him. Through his these visions Daniel is given a glimpse of the apocalypse. Throughout the rest of the book of Daniel you will read a lot of intense things but one theme that will always be present is that no matter what happens God is still in control.

This chapter is full of prophesy that has already been fulfilled and others that have yet to be fulfilled. It speaks of the rise and fall of four different kingdoms, the rise and fall of the antichrist, and the establishment of the millennial kingdom. Through this chapter we see that God is in control of the world powers. He is the one that allows kings, kingdoms, and nations to rise and fall.

Daniel see’s four beast’s and each one represents a different nation or empire. The lion with Eagles wings represents the nation of Babylon, the most powerful nation during Daniels life. The bear represents the Medo-Persian empire that rose to power after Babylon. The leaopard that came next with the wings of eagles represents the Greek empire which was led to greatness by Alexander the Great. The fourth and final beast which Daniel could not describe represents the Roman empire that rose to power after the Greek empire. The small horn that came up among the other horns represents the antichrist who has yet to be revealed.

Not only is God in control over empires and nations but He is also in control of what is happening in your life. He cares for you and watches over you. Sometimes you may face something that does not make any sense at all but you must remember that God is in control and He knows what He is doing. When the storms of life hit remember Romans 8:28-29. God is working things out for good and transforming you into the likeness of Jesus.

Daniel 6

Daniel and the Lion’s Den

Of all the Bible stories, the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den would definitely be in the top 10 of well known Bible stories. Anybody who has gone to church or Sunday school for any significant amount of time has heard this story. You could probably even tell me this story from memory without even reading the chapter. What can we learn from this chapter? Pray and ask the Lord to reveal something new to you as you read this great chapter of the Bible.

God’s Faithfulness in the Darkness

Because of his passion to praise and thank the one true God, Daniel was sentenced to death by being thrown in a lions Den. This was a common practice during the time and it was a horrible way to die. Imagine being thrown in a dark pit that is home to very hungry lions with no possibility of escape. All you can see is a tiny bit of light reelecting off the eyes and teeth and of the hungry lions. This is exactly where Daniel found himself. One minute everything was great, the next minute he was cast into the darkness awaiting a painful death. But the story does not end there.

The next morning the king had the pit opened and he called down to his friend Daniel, who replied “O king, live forever!” Kind of a shocking reply when you consider that it was because of this kings foolishness that Daniel was thrown in the den. But God saved Daniel from certain death. In the Darkness an angel came and shut the mouths of the lion’s. The Lord was faithful to Daniel.

Maybe you find yourself in a dark place today.  A person hurt you. A situation came up that you had no control over. Someone or something has turned your life upside down. You feel like Daniel may have felt; alone and scared. How did Daniel get through this trial without freaking out completely and ending up on anti-depressants? He trusted God! Verse 23 tells us that no harm was done to him, because he trusted in God.

So what are you doing in your Lion’s den? Are you freaking out? Are you worried about what is going to happen? What if Daniel had done what you are doing now, would he have made it through the night? Do what Daniel did and trust in God.  Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Daniel 2

True Faith

The book of Daniel is exciting and fun to read. We see some great insight on being bold for the Lord. We see God’s complete control over the lives of these men and we also see some prophetic events that will take place. Daniel has it all as a narrative. Nebuchadnezzar was the king over Babylon at this time and Daniel and his budies were taken from Jerusalem and brought to Babylon. In this particular chapter, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream. .

The Dream

King Nebuchadnezzar had this dream that bothered him so much so that he could not sleep. He then gathered all his magicians and enchanters to tell him the dream and the meaning of the dream but they could not. The king became angry and wanted to kill all the wise men because they were useless. When word reached Daniel he told them to tell the king that he could interpret the dream.

Daniel prayed to God and God revealed the dream to Daniel and he told the king about the dream and the meaning of it. As a result of Daniel telling the king about the dream and the meaning of the dream Daniel was promoted to a high position.

For Us:

As this chapter is fun to read we see the act of faith completely demonstrated in it. Did you notice in verse 14, Daniel before even knowing what the dream was about and before the Lord revealed it to him told the captian of the kings guard to appoint a time to meet with the king. Daniel had faith that God would show himself in a mighty way. He acted before even knowing what to do.

I am amazed at this type of faith. We usually will act on faith after we have some type of security, some promise of a future but Daniel leaped before knowing about his landing.

We also see God’s faithfulness in this chapter. God brought them to Babylon for a reason. Daniel and his friends were used for God’s glory. Having faith in God’s faithfulness is so important. If you were in Daniel’s shoes and the threat of being killed over this, what would you do? Would you respond like Daniel,  out of faith knowing that God will reveal it in his timing? I pray you are challenged to act out in faith. To know that God is faithful in his promises (See 2nd Timothy 2:13).