There’s More Going On Than You Realize | Devotional | Daniel 7:2-8

So today, I am going to read a text that's going to describe a dream that Daniel had. The dream is prophetic. But before I read the text, I want you to note that this dream speaks of four empires over time. The four are the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman empires, which were all different in size and strength. So here is the dream: Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, 'Arise, devour much flesh.' After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. — Daniel 7:2-8 A lot is happening in this vision. But today, I want to step back from the details of the vision and the text and notice a greater theme. That is, this. In this world, there are things we see and things we don't see. Daniel sees a very specific vision of the future. And it's not just his future. It is the vision of four empires over hundreds of years that will extend into the time of Jesus. Here's the application. In our time, we are tempted to look at events only from a natural perspective. We see natural occurrences, and we interpret them as only natural occurrences. But God is showing Daniel that while he considers events, empires, and regimes, there is something supernaturally at play. There is a story playing out that he does not see. Therefore God gives Daniel just enough of a glimpse to let him know that he's got this and that during that last empire, the Roman Empire, salvation would be realized in his son Jesus. Gentlemen, I want to encourage you to look at the natural events and occurrences of your day spiritually. Don't spiritualize everything, but take a moment to look at an encounter or a challenge from a supernatural perspective, not a natural one. And then remind yourself that God is up to something in those events. God has a story he is writing, communicating, and showing to each of us. And the story in his vision is way better than the one we see naturally. And then trust him because, in his vision, salvation is coming. It is coming and has come in his son — Jesus Christ the Lord. ASK THIS: What encounter or challenge do you need to see from a spiritual perspective today? DO THIS: Share this below. PRAY THIS: God, show me what you are doing through my encounters and challenges. PLAY THIS: King of Kings. Check out other all Vince Miller's videos and audios for small groups at: https://beresolute.org/ Get Vince's most widely read resources The Daily Devotional at: https://beresolute.org/mdd Check out more ALL IN products like the one Vince is wearing at: https://beresolute.org/product-category/all-in-hats/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Connect with Vince socially: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/millervince INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vinceleemiller LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincemiller TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vinceleemiller