|
THE NORTHERN KENTUCKY SEARCHER VOLUME 5, NUMBER 14, APRIL 10, 2005 DREAMS – 2 While considering the role that dreams played in God’s communication with man in scripture, we would certainly be remiss if we did not spend some time discussing the book of Daniel. Dreams play an important role in the writings of the fourth major prophet, as do visions. They are not the same thing. Dreams were presented to the mind during sleep, whereas visions could be seen both in times of sleep and in times of wakefulness. In Daniel 2, we read of dream that the Babylonian Emperor, Nebuchadnezzar, had involving the image of a man. This dream was interpreted by the power of God through Daniel. It foretold the three world empires that would follow the Babylonian, and it also addressed the timeframe in which the kingdom of God on earth would be set up. The image Nebuchadnezzar saw consisted of a head of fine gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, with legs of iron and feet of part iron and part clay. In verses 36-45, we find the interpretation of this famous dream. “This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron; forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breatketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, and the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” What an incredible communication that God had given to man through this dream! We know that the head of gold was the Babylonian Empire. History shows us that the breast and arms of silver was the Medo-Persian Empire. That empire was followed by the empire represented in the dream by the belly and thighs of brass. It was the Macedonian Empire under the original leadership of Alexander the Great. That world empire was followed by the greatest of them all, the Roman Empire. It was comprised in the dream of the legs of iron and the feet that were part iron and part clay. The most fascinating aspect of this magnificent and meaningful dream was that in the days of the fourth world empire, “shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed.” That is exactly what He did. Luke was careful to provide us with the information we need to date the coming of Jesus into the world. In Luke 2:1, we read, “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.” We all know that that decree is what would ultimately bring Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. It was in the days of Caesar Augustus, an Emperor of the fourth world empire, Rome. By the way, we might also mention the role that another dream played in the events surrounding the birth of Christ. Once Joseph found out that his espoused wife, Mary, was with child; he was of the mind to break the espousal and put her away. He was going to do it privately so as not to make her a public example. Matthew 1:21-21 tells us what happened. “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” When John began his ministry, Luke tells us that it was “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…” In other words, it was in the days of the kings of the fourth world empire. Absolutely fascinating! It was also through another dream that God took measures to assure the safety of the child Jesus as the plans that God had formulated before the foundation of the world were being carried out. Remember in Matthew 2, as Herod plotted to use the wise men who came because of the star to kill the newborn child that he saw as a threat. Verse 12 tells us, “And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” In Daniel 4 there is another dream of Nebuchadnezzar that Daniel interpreted. If you have opportunity, study that chapter and see how entirely God is in control. In Daniel 7, Daniel himself has a dream that, while different in appearance, closely parallels Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of chapter 2. God is not now using dreams to reveal His will, for He has done that once and for all in the scriptures – the complete and total, divine inspired word of God.
Greg Litmer
|