0964 Biblical Principles from Old Testament Dreams and Visions A Study from the Book of Daniel. Daniel 2:1-49

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1 0964 Biblical Principles from Old Testament Dreams and Visions A Study from the Book of Daniel Among the most impressive biblical narratives about dreams and visions are those recorded in the Book of Daniel. In this study, we will explore the principles that these dreams and visions can reveal to us. The principle character in the book is Daniel, who the angel called greatly beloved by God. We will also look into the effect that dreams and visions had on the kings Daniel served. Daniel 2:1-49 In Babylon, the ruthless King Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him so much he could no longer sleep. Consequently, he demanded that his wise men ( magicians, the astrologers, and the Chaldeans ) tell him what he had dreamed - not the interpretation alone, but the dream itself! Daniel 2:1-4 (NKJV) Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him.{2} Then the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. {3} And the king said to them, I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream. {4} Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation. Of course, Nebuchadnezzar s demand that his sorcerers and others tell him the content of the dream was humanly impossible. PRINCIPLE 1. At times, God will choose to speak through dreams to people who are His enemies. God always does this for a reason. God is sovereign. He will send dreams to whomever He wishes. Nebuchadnezzar s dream was from God, but it was not to edify the evil king. It was for the benefit of Daniel and his friends. It Robert Abramson

2 would lead to events that would have lasting effect on the king and the people of the land. (It was also prophetic.) Daniel 2:5-13 (NKJV) The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. {6} However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation. {7} They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will give its interpretation. {8} The king answered and said, I know for certain that you would gain time, because you see that my decision is firm: {9} if you do not make known the dream to me, there is only one decree for you! For you have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the time has changed. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can give me its interpretation. {10} The Chaldeans answered the king, and said, There is not a man on earth who can tell the king s matter; therefore no king, lord, or ruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean. {11} It is a difficult thing that the king requests, and there is no other who can tell it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. {12} For this reason the king was angry and very furious, and gave the command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. {13} So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. The king s impossible demand terrified his counselors and servants. They would have to tell him the dreams and their interpretation, or there would be no mercy. It was a test of whether they really had powers that they claimed to have. Of course, it was a death sentence he placed upon them. The punishment would be certain. The king said he would cut his wise men to pieces and make ash heaps of their houses. However, if they were able to tell both the dreams and their interpretation, there would be gifts, rewards and great honor for them. The wise men replied, There is not a man on earth who can tell the king s matter. This made Nebuchadnezzar furious. This command also fell on Daniel and his three friends, who were not very important at the time, but were included among the wise men Robert Abramson

3 PRINCIPLE 2. There will be times when there is nowhere to turn unless you have a relationship with God. PRINCIPLE 3. Dreams can be impossible burdens without God. Daniel 2:14-19 (NKJV) Then with counsel and wisdom Daniel answered Arioch, the captain of the king s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon; {15} he answered and said to Arioch the king s captain, Why is the decree from the king so urgent? Then Arioch made the decision known to Daniel. {16} So Daniel went in and asked the king to give him time, that he might tell the king the interpretation. {17} Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, {18} that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. {19} Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. When Daniel heard of the king s degree to kill all the wise men, he approached Arioch, the captain of the king s guard, who was about to obey Nebuchadnezzar s command to slay them. He convinced Arioch to wait. Daniel then went to the king to ask for time, so he could learn from God what the dreams were. Then, he could bring back what the king required. It was granted to him. Daniel and his three friends went to prayer. God responded and gave Daniel knowledge of both the dreams and the interpretation. The Lord revealed this to Daniel in a night vision (perhaps within a dream or simply another way to say it was a dream). Daniel then blessed the Lord. Daniel 2:20-23 (NKJV) Daniel answered and said: Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. {21} And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. {22} He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. {23} I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to Robert Abramson

4 me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king s demand. PRINCIPLE 4. God responds to prayer in many ways. He may choose to do so in a night vision or a dream. PRINCIPLE 5. When you receive a vision or dream from God, thank Him for the grace. Then, pay attention to what it s saying to you. Knowledge of the Dream Daniel and his three friends prayed. The Lord gave Daniel specific knowledge of the content of Nebuchadnezzar s dream and a complete and accurate interpretation. It was what Daniel would need to meet the king s demands. It was a gift of God s grace to His faithful servant. Daniel gave a detailed account of the dream to the king. He accurately described the great image of which the king had dreamed. He did so without doubt or hesitation. Daniel 2:26-28, (NKJV) The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation? {27} Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. {28} But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these {31} You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. {32} This image s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, {33} its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. {34} You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. {35} Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth Robert Abramson

5 PRINCIPLE 6. God may give a word of knowledge of what another person s dream contained. This can be accompanied by the interpretation. PRINCIPLE 7. God speaks through dreams because He cares deeply about His faithful servants. Daniel accurately described the image the king had dreamed of, without doubt or hesitation. PRINCIPLE 8. When God speaks to us in a dream, we should be bold to testify about it. Daniel was fearless and bold when he gave the detailed account of the dream to the king. The Interpretation: Daniel 2:36-49 Daniel now gives a prophetic word that is revealed within the interpretation of the dream. Daniel 2:36-49 (NKJV) This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; {38} and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all you are this head of gold. {39} But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. {40} And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. {41} Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. {42} And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. {43} As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. {44} And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall Three earthly kingdoms will follow. Then a fourth will arise that will never fall Robert Abramson

6 break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. {45} Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. {46} Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. {47} The king answered Daniel, and said, Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret. {48} Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. {49} Also Daniel petitioned the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego over the affairs of the province of Babylon; but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. There is a fourth kingdom that will arise and will never fall. This is the principle of double fulfillment - an end-time prophecy. Verse 45 records Daniel ending the interpretation with a powerful statement of faith. He said to Nebuchadnezzar: The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. PRINCIPLE 9. Interpreting dreams has a prophetic quality, which at times, can be very specific. PRINCIPLE 10. If God wants you to make known the prophecy, it should be told regardless of any personal concern for safety. Say what God tells you to say. Nebuchadnezzar reacted by falling on his face before Daniel (an amazing spectacle from one with so much pride and power). He declared that God was the God of gods and Lord of lords. The king promoted Daniel, who then sat in the gate of the king. PRINCIPLE 11. At times the interpretation of dreams can be so revealing that unbelievers will give glory to God. Belshazzar s Feast - Daniel, Chapter 7 Belshazzar succeeded his father, Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon. (He was the last king before the Medes and Persians ruled Babylon.) Robert Abramson

7 Daniel 7:1-2 (NKJV) 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. {2} Daniel spoke, saying, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. Daniel wrote down his dream and the visions. Daniel s writings point prophetically to the final victory of Christ (which can also be found in Revelation, Chapters 19-20). Daniel 7:13-14 (NKJV) I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. {14} Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. As Daniel continued to write, the Book of Daniel became something more than an historical narrative. It s also a prophetic oracle or a pronouncement of prophecy that Daniel received in his dream and visions. Daniel s prophetic dream was a vivid vision of the end times, when Christ comes in the clouds, is victorious and is given an endless glorious kingdom. PRINCIPLE 12. Keep pen or pencil and paper near while asleep. When you awake, you can write down your dreams and visions immediately, before you forget them. Daniel s Trance (Deep Sleep): Chapter 8 Daniel 8:1-2, (NKJV) 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. {2} I saw in the vision, and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in Robert Abramson

8 the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai {15} 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. {16} And I heard a man s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, Gabriel, [the Angel Gabriel] make this man understand the vision. {17} 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. {18} Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground [a trance]; but he touched me, and stood me upright. {19} And he said, Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be. Daniel had a vision (Verse 1). In Verses Daniel was seeking the meaning of the vision and the Angel Gabriel appeared to him. A voice, probably God s, instructed the angel to help Daniel understand the vision. Then, Daniel fell into a trance ( a deep sleep ). In this trance, Daniel was touched physically by Gabriel, who awoke him and lifted him up from the ground. Then the angel spoke to Daniel. He announced that he was going to tell him what the future held at the end of the age. PRINCIPLE 13. Visions and trances may occur together in the same encounter with God and His angels. God will use any means He desires to deliver His message to us. A Second Angelic Visitation Daniel 9:21-23 (NKJV) Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, {21) yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. {22} And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. {23} At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: Robert Abramson

9 PRINCIPLE 13. Angels can physically contact us and even touch us following a vision, to provide us with more information. God sent the Angel Gabriel a second time to give Daniel more understanding of the vision he received in Daniel 8. (This time, it was an actual appearance of Gabriel, not a vision.) Daniel recorded this explanation, which when added to other prophetic writings in the Bible, gives us more understanding of God s plan of redemption. (The apocalyptic and symbolic nature of the language Gabriel used is difficult to understand and interpret. Our purpose for this study is not to do so. Therefore, we will not look into the meaning of Daniel 9:24-27.) Daniel, Chapter 10 Daniel s Vision in a Deep Sleep (a Trance) Daniel had a vision that revealed a message. It troubled him so deeply that he mourned for three full weeks. Then, an angel of God appeared who was so terrifying that the people with Daniel fled in terror. Daniel was so struck with awe by the sight of the mighty angel that he lost all his strength. Then, as the angel spoke to Daniel, he fell into a trance ( a deep sleep ). Daniel 10:1-9 (NKJV) In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision. {2} In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. {3} I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. {4} Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, {5} I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! {6} His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude. {7} And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. {8} Therefore I was left alone when I Robert Abramson

10 saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. {9} Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground. PRINCIPLE 14. Angels may appear in visions, trances and dreams to bring us information, messages or clarity from God by speaking to us. They can be a terrifying sight! PRINCIPLE 15. Angels, though spirit beings, have the ability to physically interact with the world. Our visions may turn into physical reality. Daniel 10:10-19 (NKJV) Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. {11} And he said to me, O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you. While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. {12} Then he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. {13} But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. {14} Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come. {15} When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. {16} And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. {17} For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me. {18} Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. {19} And he said, O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong! God sent the angel to assure Daniel, to give him strength and explain the vision. The angel touched Daniel with his hand at least Robert Abramson

11 three times. In Verse 19, the angel said this to Daniel: O man greatly beloved, fear not! Daniel was the object of God s great love. As a child of God, you are also greatly beloved. Therefore, expect God to send his angels to intervene when you need them. PRINCIPLE 16. Look forward to angel-filled visions, dreams and sometimes even the physical manifestation of angels on your behalf. God is forever faithful. ADDITIONAL PRINCIPLES. What can you add from your study of Scripture about visions, dreams and other ways God speaks to us?. This completes the four lessons about dreams and visions. There are many additional examples in the Bible that you may want to study to increase your knowledge and understanding Robert Abramson