Hopes and Dreams

“There is a God who reveals mysteries.” — from DANIEL, Sight & Sound Theatres®

Dreams and visions are often the most intimidating and mystifying part of reading the Bible. The book of Daniel is no exception. Daniel experiences several dreams and visions that, on the surface, seem confusing and terrifying. The encouraging truth is that as overwhelming as these chapters can be, they are threaded with and headed toward a much-needed hope.

The first dream that Daniel encounters isn’t actually his own. King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about a crumbling statue that becomes a nightmare in his eyes. It’s so disturbing to him that he threatens to execute his entire staff if no one can interpret it.

Enter Daniel. God gives Daniel the interpretation: The kingdoms of this world will be destroyed, and the one true God will establish His Kingdom on Earth forever. The imagery is specifically curated for Nebuchadnezzar to understand, and it gives him the opportunity to respond to the Lord's kingship.

Throughout the rest of the book, Daniel sees ferocious and unusual beasts rising from the sea, rams and goats in canals, the angel Gabriel, the Lord over the waters. It must have been so challenging to live in the here and now when you knew that major events were coming. But that’s what Daniel did. He knew that as intense as these visions were, he was being given hope through them. The Scripture says that he was troubled “but kept the matter to [himself].” (Daniel 7:28). Once, he was ill from the dream but got up and “went about the king’s business.” (Daniel 8:27). Nothing kept him from his daily faithfulness to the Lord.

The stone that hit the statue, the one like the Son of Man taking the throne, the Lord over the waters — they all preached the same message. If you have been through hardships like those in Daniel’s life, the news of God’s coming King and Kingdom is good news! These revelations give the world insight into God’s hopeful plan through Daniel. While they may be confusing, they ultimately gave Daniel and his people the hope they needed to keep going. The same is true for us!