Would you want to know the future if you could? Which details would you like to know? Some would like to know the results of the next election, or the price of the Dow Jones Industrial Average on a certain day. But the future is a mystery, inaccessible to all but the God who controls all things. Of course, that doesn’t stop us from wondering, which leads to uncertainty.
God uses His knowledge of the future to make an important point: He can be trusted. God did this during the time of Daniel by giving the king of Babylon a dream he couldn’t understand. Then God gave Daniel the meaning of the dream. The people of Israel had experienced the trauma of military defeat. The nation wondered, does God have a plan for us? Does He have a plan at all? Their reaction reveals typical human uncertainty. So, God took pains to show that He had things under control; He knows the future (Isa. 46:10).
In a series of visions, God revealed the rise and fall of empires in the region. These were significant details which could not be predicted with such specificity by mortals. In doing so He made it clear that He had His hand on world events. The dream was trustworthy and so was the God who revealed it (2:25). In addition, God showed the powerful Babylonian king and the humble prophet how much they didn’t know!
This prophetic dream covered more than just ancient times. It extended to the end of times as well, when God establishes a kingdom that will endure forever. This kingdom, promised to the nation during the days of King David (2 Samuel 7), represents a great victory over Israel’s enemies and the enduring hope of all who trust in God today.
Go Deeper
Do you ever wonder about what’s next? Does it ever cause you to doubt whether God really has things under control? How do these prophetic visions calm your fears? Extended Reading:
Daniel 1-2
Pray with Us
We are in awe of the vision of the future You revealed to us in the book of Daniel! Lord, You are in control of the rise and fall of empires and of each individual human destiny. It gives us great comfort. Hallelujah!
The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed.Daniel 2:44
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