Book of Daniel - Study

Chapter 7
Daniel's Dream

In reading this chapter I had to go find even more reference material than the Bible study I was using. It was very deep and this dream has the meanings of prophecy and the coming of the Messiah. I prayed that God would give me better understanding to His word here so I might be able to share better insight and understanding to this chapter of Daniel. It is intense and one of the most powerful books in the Bible.

One question I had to ask myself is do I ever dream? Yes I do. Do I ever have dreams that are premonitions of things that actually take place? No, I don't remember anything about my dreams that have become a reality. Then I had to ask myself do I know anyone who dreams and see future events happening? The answer to that question is yes. It is Cara Jane.

Now before you say Mama Barb has lost her mind...Let me continue for a moment. The very first summer camp Cara attended was a pre-teen camp in the Dallas area. It was her first time away from home and we didn't really think about all the problems she wound encounter being gone from home and her parents. She had told us about a dream prior to going to camp...it was a dream were she was playing a game and got hurt and these two counselors came to help her and she had never seen either one of them before. We talked about the dream...and knew she was anxious about attending the summer camp.

When the camp week had come to and end...several of us parents drove to Dallas to bring the children home. I was excited to see Cara and hear all about her experiences from camp that week. I loaded her things in the trunk of the car and said our good-byes. Cara was pretty weak and tired from all the activities. Food was a big problem during the camp. We were just beginning to understand how diet played a big part of Cara's health back then.

The minute we got into the car and pulled away from the camp facility Cara began to share stories and events that took place during the week. She was very excited about one event in particular. She asked me if I remembered her dream she had before she went to camp. I told her yes, and asked why. She said the dream was a premonition of her time at camp...I asked her "HOW?" She began telling me about a game they were playing and during the game she got hurt. Two people came to help her...she reminded me that in her dream she did not know who they were...but the event happened at camp and the people were her camp counselors...she had seen them in her dream...and when it happened she realized she had had the dream about them.

Now I may not have remembered all the events perfect as Cara Jane would tell it...but it is not the only time Cara has had a dream that predicted a future event. She has even had dreams that scared her to a point she was afraid for someone else...not knowing what the dream could have meant...but knowing how real her dreams are...so she would pray for that person with her whole heart. Feeling that God had placed them on her heart to pray.

God used dreams and visions to speak to His people in the Old Testament. Daniel's dream in chapter 7 does line up with the dream that he interpreted for the King in chapter 2. It had more detail than that of Nebuchadnezzar.

I found this additional reference about the dream of Daniel in chapter 7. It gave me some insight to what I was reading. Believe me I'm still confused about all the translations I have read today about Daniel chapter 7. But one thing is for sure...God's Word is perfect and Holy!


Dreams of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel.
These four beasts and the four metals in King Nebuchadnezzar’s statue of Daniel 2 represent the same four kingdoms. The nation symbolized by the winged lion is the same nation symbolized by the head of gold in Daniel 2 - the Babylonian Empire. The bear in Daniel 7 and the chest of silver in Daniel 2 both represent Medo-Persia. The leopard and the statue’s waist of bronze symbolize Greece, and finally the dreadful and terrifying beast of Daniel 7 and the legs of iron in Daniel 2 are the same kingdom. It is the Roman Empire. These four kingdoms are past history. Of these four kingdoms only three of them were defeated by another empire. Rome died from within. Yet, there is also a future for the Roman Empire. It is called the Revived Roman Empire.

"Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle" (Daniel 2:41-42).

“After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns" (Daniel 7:7).

Did you notice that Daniel 2:41-42 talks about the toes of the feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue and Daniel 7 refers to ten horns on the monster? This is the future empire which will be a coalition of ten nations. It will control the world. This coalition of ten nations will come to power during a time we call the Tribulation. It will be a terrible time in which to live. Jesus spoke of this future empire during his last recorded sermon, the Olivet Discourse . He warned those who were listening and He warns us today about the misery this empire will cause.

"Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

“If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:20-22).


God gave both Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel dreams about the future, but Daniel’s dream has more details.

(Reference from the Coalition of Ten Nations http://www.neverthirsty.org/pp/series/DAN/D010/D0102.html)


Really through a vision God told Daniel about the coming Messiah and the final judgment. Daniel didn't understand everything he saw, because many of the events would take place hundreds of years later. God always fulfills his prophecies. As Christians we can have full confidence that no matter how bleak the world situation may seem...God is still on His throne!

Thousands of people today are excited about Bible prophecy. The revelation about what the Bible says about events past, present and future, has become more prominent in the themes, books, sermons, and conferences of today. We are being told the second coming of Christ is becoming a closer and closer reality by those who study the Bible and the world scene.

The entire plan for the future has its key in the resurrection. Unless Christ was raised from the dead, there can be no kingdom and no returning King. When the disciples stood at the place Jesus left this earth, which is called the place of ascension, they were given assurance by angels that the Christ of resurrection would be the Christ of returning glory.

The resurrection is an event which prepares us and confirms for us of that the future event, He will return again! Yes, Jesus is alive...and He rose to establish His Kingdom! Christ's physical resurrection is an essential part of God's plan to save us. Have you ever given yourself to the living Christ?

Who tries to predict the future for you? What forecasts do you rely on? If your biggest fears and problems could be solved, would the future really make you happier?

Pray that God would fill your heart with assurance of his love and care. He is coming again...I hope you will be prepared and ready when He does!

Again, I'm not sure of all the visions and prophecies of this chapter...but it is God's Holy Word to me and I believe in Him. I want my future to be secure...and it is because I have given it to Christ. He went to the cross for me...and for you! Believe in that fact!

Mama Barb