Bible Memory Verse:
“…Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.” Joel 2:28
“…’Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments.’” Revelation 16:7b
During Daniel’s life, he was in the service of three kings—King Nebuchadnezzar, King Belshazzar and King Darius. He interpreted dreams and visions, and he explained many other mysteries because God gave him the power to do so.
Daniel had dreams and visions that were sent to him by God. These dreams and visions had special meanings. That is why Daniel is called a prophet. A prophet is someone that hears from God and tells others what God has to say.
Last week we talked about Daniel’s strange dream of four animals: a lion, a bear, a leopard, and another powerful beast. The angel Gabriel explained to Daniel that four great kingdoms would rise and then fall, and after that the Most High would rule and His kingdom would last forever.
Another time Daniel dreamed of two animals: a ram and a goat. In the dream the goat attacked the ram furiously and knocked it to the ground. The angel Gabriel came and explained the meaning of the dream. He said that the ram represented the kings of Media and Persia and the goat represented the king of Greece. The goat (the king of Greece) knocked the ram (kings of Media and Persia) to the ground and trampled on him. This all happened, just as God had told Daniel through the dream. Greece became the world empire after conquering the Medes and the Persians, almost 200 years (331 BC) after Daniel’s death
Daniel had studied what God’s prophets had written. He had learned that seventy years would pass between the time the Israelites, God’s people, were taken into captivity and the time they would return to their homeland. That time was just about up. Daniel had been a young boy when Jerusalem was destroyed and he and many others had been taken captive.
Daniel knew that sin had brought destruction to his homeland. The Israelites had been taken captive by other nations because they had sinned against God.
Daniel prayed to God. He asked forgiveness for the people of Israel: “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong.”
While Daniel was praying, the angel Gabriel came from the Lord. He said to Daniel, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray an answer was given which I have come to tell you…”
Then Gabriel explained to Daniel how much time would go by before Jerusalem would be rebuilt.
Daniel had another great vision. He was standing on the banks of the TigrisRiver. When he looked up, he saw a man dressed in linen, with a belt of gold around his waist. His face and eyes and arms and legs gleamed! The man said, “Do not be afraid, Daniel…I have come to explain what will happen to your people in the future.”
The man told Daniel of kings and kingdoms that would rise and fall, of armies and battles and great fleets of ships. He told Daniel of things that would happen before the end came.
Then the man said, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens.” The man, who was a messenger from God, told Daniel to seal the scroll on which he was writing until the time of the end. There are some things written in that book that we will not understand until the time of the end.
Daniel’s work for the Lord was completed. He had written the words on a scroll that the Lord had given him. Some of the things that God gave Daniel to write have already happened. Some of still in the future.
The Bible tells us that Daniel was a man highly esteemed of God. That means that God greatly honored and respected Daniel. He gave Daniel great gifts–such as the ability to understand dreams. This was all because Daniel greatly loved & obeyed God. All wisdom comes from God. Daniel was wise because he asked God and listened for His answers. God wants to give us that ability, too. If we are willing and obedient, God will greatly use us as He did the prophet Daniel.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is a prophet?
2. What special gift did God give Daniel?
3. What was Daniel’s job? Who did he work for?
4. What country did the ram represent?
5. What country did the goat represent?
6. Has what the vision of the ram and the goat was talking about already taken place?
7. What did people write on in the days of Daniel?
8. What kind of a person does God give the ability to interpret visions?