You can’t read the book of Daniel without being amazed at the miraculous way that God spoke through visions and dreams and how God enabled Daniel to understand them (Daniel 1:17). Visions and dreams are an important part of Daniel’s story.
As a very young man, Daniel was called upon to interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and also to reveal the content of the dream. “Daniel went to his house and told his friends ... about the matter, urging them to ask the God of the heavens for mercy concerning this mystery ... The mystery was then revealed to Daniel in a vision at night, and Daniel praised the God of the heavens and declared: May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him” (Daniel 2:17–20). Did you get that? Daniel and his buddies prayed and then went to bed. In the night, Daniel had his own Heaven-sent dream that revealed the king’s dream and its meaning.
The following day, when he was brought before the king, Daniel humbly said, “No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (Daniel 2:27–28).
Many years later, as an eighty-something year old man, Daniel was called upon again. While the king was hosting an extravagant banquet, a disembodied human hand appeared and scratched a message into the plaster. The queen spoke comfortingly to the monarch; “Don’t let your thoughts terrify you or your face be pale. There is a man in your kingdom who has a spirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your predecessor he was found to have insight, intelligence, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods ... Therefore, summon Daniel, and he will give the interpretation” (Daniel 5:10–12).
Unflinchingly, Daniel stood before the king. “You ... have not humbled your heart ... Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of the heavens ... You have not glorified the God who holds your life-breath in his hand and who controls the whole course of your life.Therefore, he sent the hand, and this writing was inscribed... Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. This is the interpretation of the message: ‘Mene’ means that God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end. ‘Tekel’ means that you have been weighed on the balance and found deficient. ‘Peres’ means that your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (Daniel 5:22–28).
That is exactly what occurred. “That very night Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans was killed, and Darius the Mede received the kingdom” (Daniel 5:30–31). Just as God had promised, the king was murdered, and the Babylonian empire fell to the Persians.
More dreams and visions are recorded in the Book of Daniel. None is more precious than the vision of Heaven’s throne room. “As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire ... Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him ... I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:9–14).
Daniel saw it. Isaiah saw it (Isaiah 6:1-7). John saw it too (Revelation 4:1-11). Oh, come quickly Lord Jesus! I want to see Your glory!
All Scripture quotations, except as otherwise noted, are from
Holman Bible Publishers’ Christian Standard Bible.
