Audio Download

The Book of Daniel – Dan 2:1-30  My spirit was troubled to know the dream

[Study Aired February 15, 2024]

Dan 2:1  And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Dan 2:2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 
Dan 2:3  And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 
Dan 2:4  Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. 
Dan 2:5  The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. 
Dan 2:6  But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof. 
Dan 2:7  They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. 
Dan 2:8  The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 
Dan 2:9  But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof. 
Dan 2:10  The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Dan 2:11  And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. 
Dan 2:12  For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 
Dan 2:13  And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. 
Dan 2:14  Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: 
Dan 2:15  He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 
Dan 2:16  Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. 
Dan 2:17  Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 
Dan 2:18  That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 
Dan 2:19  Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 
Dan 2:20  Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 
Dan 2:21  And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: 
Dan 2:22  He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Dan 2:23  I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter. 
Dan 2:24  Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. 
Dan 2:25  Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. 
Dan 2:26  The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 
Dan 2:27  Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
Dan 2:28  But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 
Dan 2:29  As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 
Dan 2:30  But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart. 

We are told in God’s word to “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1Co 14:40), and the order of events in Daniel’s life is therefore significant regarding how the Lord prepared him in advance to be made ready to interpret the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2 of Daniel. What the body of Christ has to do in order to be “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” is “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts” (1Pe 3:15). The sanctification process is typified by eating the right foods and rejecting the kings food, “the portion of the king’s meat“, which was looked at in chapter 1 of Daniel, and God is the one who is able to sanctify us through Christ who has made that very request of our Father (Joh 17:17) on our behalf so that we can come out of Babylon and be saved by grace through faith, which is a gift of God given to the body of Christ (Eph 2:8).     

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

When God’s word sanctifies us, it prepares our hearts to stand up against the powers and principalities we wrestle against in our heavens (Eph 6:12), typified in this second chapter by king Nebuchadnezzar. Having done all, we stand (Eph 6:13) with a clear conscience and are now able to understand how these next verses in Peter (1Pe 3:16-22) apply to the body of Christ concerning the ‘sanctification of the Lord God in our hearts’ of verse 15 (1Pe 3:15). Daniel’s many fiery experiences in his life, including this one with Nebuchadnezzar, typify for us (1Pe 1:12) what the body of Christ will go through and be blessed to endure through Christ (2Ti 2:10, Php 4:13).

1Pe 3:15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
1Pe 3:16  Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. [your way of life]
1Pe 3:17  For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. 
1Pe 3:18  For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 
1Pe 3:19  By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 
1Pe 3:21  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 
1Pe 3:22  Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Daniel is a type of the elect who has been made ready to suffer for well doing, and his God-given ability to interpret the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar will deliver him and his friends from the king who was intent on killing those who could not interpret these dreams he had. Satan’s goal is to sift us like wheat, but the gates of hell won’t prevail against the body of Christ. However, that does not stop the adversary from doing all that God’s counsel (Eph 1:11) permits, even to the point that he would deceive the very elect if it were possible (Mat 24:24).

The “very elect” of Matthew 24:24 are also represented by Noah who was one of those eight souls preparing the ark at that time. That preparation of the ark represents the sanctification process going on in the body of Christ, who are continuing in the truth (Joh 8:31-32), making us ready for the storms that will come up against us in this life (Act 14:22, Luk 17:26-28). As always we are not looking solely for some dispensational interpretation of what this second chapter talks about, but rather first and foremost, we are asking our Father for the understanding of how these prophecies and events in the life of Daniel apply to us today, right now (1Co 10:11).

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples,[“eight souls were saved by water“] and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 

Luk 17:26  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
Luk 17:27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
Luk 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Dan 2:1  And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. 
Dan 2:2  Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 

The first signified statement (Rev 1:1) we want to take note of in verse one is that these dreams that Nebuchadnezzar dreamed were in the “second year” of his reign, meaning they are going to witness against something (“wherewith his spirit was troubled“). Sending the word of God results in healing, but as always there is a process that must take place in order for this healing to take full effect in the ones that the words are being sent to and witnessing against (Psa 107:20-22, Isa 55:11).

Rev 1:1  The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

Psa 107:20  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. 
Psa 107:21  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Isa 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

The prophecies that are connected to the dreams Nebuchadnezzar experienced had ultimately brought him to acknowledge the power of God working in the life of Daniel, seeing he was able to interpret what no one else was able to interpret. Daniel represents the angel of God that is used to help us understand the truth of what remains a hidden sealed parable in our heavens until the Lord brings His messenger or angel to us to show us that the dream is one, simplifying the message (the ‘dream is one’ principle)  for us so that it becomes clear in our heavens. Christ in us, our hope of glory, is that angel who gives us the ability to speak the truth plainly, and speak no proverb  (Rev 22:6, Act 8:31, Gen 41:25, 2Co 11:3, Joh 16:29).

Rev 22:6  And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Act 8:31  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? [the man Christ Jesus (1Ti 2:5, Eph 3:10)] And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.

Gen 41:25  And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. 

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity^G572 [singleness – the dream is one] that is in Christ. 

G572 haplotēs  hap-lot’-ace

From G573; singleness, that is, (subjectively) sincerity (without dissimulation or self seeking), or (objectively) generosity (copious bestowal): – bountifulness, liberal (-ity), simplicity, singleness.

Total KJV occurrences: 8

God’s sovereign hand was upon Nebuchadnezzar causing these very detailed dreams so that “wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him“, which symbolizes the second part of this verse of John 3:36, “he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Nebuchadnezzar typifies our old man of sin who must be troubled in order for God to get our attention. The dreams that Nebuchadnezzar had got him looking for answers, and like all those that God works with, we must first go into Babylon and seek the counsel of those who have no true spiritual insight, typified by “the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans” that Nebuchadnezzar reached out to, to “shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.“

Dan 2:3  And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 
Dan 2:4  Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. 
Dan 2:5  The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. 
Dan 2:6  But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

The Chaldeans coming to the king speaking in Syriack typifies for us how the world hears the world in their own Babylonian language (1Jn 4:5-6). This was a work of God that was not going to be understood or interpreted by the unbelieving who are represented by the Chaldeans and Nebuchadnezzar. Then the severity of God against our old man is expressed through what Nebuchadnezzar says to the Chaldeans, “The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.” These Chaldeans were stopped dead in their tracks with this part of the king’s statement, “The thing is gone from me“, especially seeing the consequence of them not being able to answer it would mean their death. This dream was forgotten and yet the king was insisting that it be remembered and interpreted or they will die. The spiritual lesson for God’s elect is that if the dream that is one is forgotten and not interpreted, we will die in our sins (Joh 8:24).

Then the second part of the sentence, “if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof“, reminds us that the dream can be interpreted by Christ and His Christ who have that great honor, “gifts and rewards and great honour“, of being able to interpret the dream today in order that we might be in that blessed and holy first resurrection as a result of continuing in the truth, enduring to the end of this life (Rev 20:6). The dream will be interpreted by God, and it takes the destruction of our flesh, the “ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill” to happen in order for us to live unto righteousness. Christ has done that for us, and we are now doing that for each other as we follow His exemplary life (1Pe 2:24, Col 1:24). The dream is truly one.

Joh 8:24  I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

1Pe 2:24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Dan 2:7  They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it. 
Dan 2:8  The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. 
Dan 2:9  But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

These “magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans“, these four representing the whole world, were feigning not hearing him the first time when he said, ‘the dream has left me’, and so they asked again, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.” The king saw through their delaying tactics and basically said, ‘I knew you would take this approach of asking me again and stall for time ,”because ye see the thing is gone from me“.’ In type and shadow, the king is not going to have any part of this carnal reasoning that is trying to preserve its flesh through the wisdom of men and not the power of God (1Co 2:5), so they are between a rock and a hard spot here for our sakes, to show us that it is only God who can make a way where there appears to none (1Co 10:13).

The king then insists that there is only one fate for these lying messengers who “have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me…till the time be changed“, in other words, until the situation just blows over and is no longer a pressing matter. No, he won’t settle for that and so goes on to say, “Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.“

Nebuchadnezzar was being driven to know what these dreams mean, it seems a matter of life and death to him, as it is a matter of spiritual life and death for the body of Christ, “therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof” (Isa 33:6, Joh 10:4-5, Joh 8:31-32). It is this God-given desire to hear the voice of the only true shepherd that can “shew me the interpretation thereof.”

Isa 33:6  And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.

Joh 10:4  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
Joh 10:5  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

Joh 8:31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

This persistence of king Nebuchadnezzar also typifies the zealousness of Christ who was consumed for the temple that we are, wanting to show us what the dream is and the interpretation of it through the zealous work that He is accomplishing through a peculiar and zealous people, who are called, like Christ, to drive out the sheep, the oxen, and pour out the changers’ money and overthrow the tables within us (Joh 2:17, 1Co 3:16, Tit 2:14, Joh 2:14-16). 

Joh 2:14  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 
Joh 2:15  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 
Joh 2:16  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.
Joh 2:17  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. 

Tit 2:14  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Tit 2:15  These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Dan 2:10  The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
Dan 2:11  And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

These next couple of verses demonstrate for us, in type and shadow, the spirit of antiChrist that is in this world, with such phrases as “there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh” and “there is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter.” This is true; no carnal man can show these things, and we don’t need a carnal man teaching us (1Jn 4:2-4), but we do need to acknowledge that Christ has come in the flesh, and that there is a remnant which God has preserved through His spirit who have the hope of glory within them (Col 1:27) and are, as such, able to interpret the dream and be used of God to overcome the spirit of antiChrist that is in this world (1Jn 2:27-28). Daniel typifies for us just such a man.

1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: [Col 1:27, Rom 8:9]
1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 
1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. 

1Jn 2:27  But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 
1Jn 2:28  And now, little children, abide in him; [Joh 8:31-32] that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Dan 2:12  For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
Dan 2:13  And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. 

Nebuchadnezzar, at this stage of the story, represents the beast with the ten horns that hates the whore, represented by “the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans” typifying Babylon or the church systems of this world, false prophets who cannot be of any help to the king (Rev 17:16).

Rev 17:16  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 

Dan 2:14  Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: 
Dan 2:15  He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel. 
Dan 2:16  Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. 
Dan 2:17  Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 
Dan 2:18  That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 
Dan 2:19  Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.

Daniel is now sent forth “with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard“, wanting to stay the hand of Nebuchadnezzar who planned to “slay the wise men of Babylon.” This reminds us that God must send forth His word to bring about healing (Psa 107:20), and He does this through His little fold, typified by Daniel in this instance, who asked this question of “Arioch the captain of the king’s guard…Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.”

Psa 107:20  He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

Daniel typifies for us what we must do to stay the wrath of God against us, as we cry out day and night for each other to be avenged (Luk 18:7) and are heard in that we feared God as Christ did on this earth (Heb 5:7). These events with Daniel going to Arioch typify for us ‘kissing the son now lest he be angry’ of Psalm 2:12. Daniel was asking and seeking and knocking, as we should in our pursuit of truth, and his diligence was rewarded, and he was given the audience with the king he needed in order to ask, “that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.“

Luk 18:7  And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 

Psa 2:12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. 

After Daniel made this request to Arioch (whose name means ‘lion like’), he made the situation known to his three companions, “Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions.” This typifies for us how we need the body of Christ, each member to be a joint supplying in love, praying fervently for each other prayers that will avail much (Jas 5:16). The three men demonstrate that we are in this process together as one body, with the same spirit that is offering up these prayers like incense day and night (Rev 8:4, Rev 4:8). 

Rev 8:4  And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 

Rev 4:8  And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. 

It is after Daniel goes to his companions and asks of them, “That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon” that “Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” Then and not before! (our old man has to be dead, symbolized by sleep, in order to perceive the spiritual instructions God gives us in this life [Job 33:14-18])

Job 33:14  For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. 
Job 33:15  In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; 
Job 33:16  Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, 
Job 33:17  That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. 
Job 33:18  He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

Dan 2:20  Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 
Dan 2:21  And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: 
Dan 2:22  He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Dan 2:23  I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.

Now Daniel offers up the sacrifice of thanksgiving to God, acknowledging Him as being the One who has given the wisdom and might that are His to give (Rev 7:12). He also acknowledges the sovereignty of God and that He is the Father of lights who gives every good and perfect gift from heaven (Jas 1:17) by saying, “And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.” He goes on to show how God answers us so abundantly above what we can ask or think (Eph 3:20) with this sentence, “He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” Daniel then thanks and praises God who has given him “wisdom and might“, and made known to him what he desired of Him; this all pointing to a type of the elect whose praise is continually upon our lips for His mercy and love toward us in this age, revealing great mysteries to us that prophets and kings have desired to know and have not known (Heb 13:15, Luk 10:24).

Heb 13:15  By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Luk 10:24  For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Dan 2:24  Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation. 
Dan 2:25  Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste, and said thus unto him, I have found a man of the captives of Judah, that will make known unto the king the interpretation. 
Dan 2:26  The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 
Dan 2:27  Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; 
Dan 2:28  But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 

These last verses we will look at tonight see Daniel going to Arioch whom Nebuchadnezzar ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon beseeching him to “Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.” Daniel is then brought before the king in haste as one of the captives of Judah, symbolizing for us that when we are slaves to Christ, living sacrifices whose whole lives are dedicated to His service, we are then given the spiritual riches we need through Him to accomplish the works God has called us to in this age (Php 4:19).

Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 

The king asks Daniel if he can make known the dream and the interpretation thereof, and then Daniel gives a very clear witness for our sakes, to make known where this understanding and interpretation are coming from. Firstly, he tells them there is no revelation in the earth that is going to benefit him, “The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king” and then contrasts that declaration with, “But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these.“

Dan 2:29  As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
Dan 2:30  But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

The thoughts of the king were given to Nebuchadnezzar upon his bed, a place that symbolizes where we are spiritually asleep and not able to rightly divide and discern the vision and dream that are one, unless the Lord sends the prophet of God to us who also received his vision in a dream and by the grace of God was able to understand the dream. The king in the earth is receiving knowledge and dreams that he is not permitted to remember so that Daniel, the servant of God, can come along to say, “But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.“

This is the heritage of the saints being discussed here in type and shadow, as Saviors will come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau (Oba 1:21) with the knowledge that they have been blessed to read, hear and keep in this life for the sake of others, to a world that has been spiritually asleep and deceived by the devil (Rev 1:3, Isa 26:9, 2Co 4:4). God ultimately gives us that knowledge for the sake of others “that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart“.

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S. 

Isa 54:16  Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. 
Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment [the great white throne judgment (Rev 20:6)] thou shalt condemn [Rev 20:10-12]. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

In the next study we will get into the actual dreams and their meaning for the body of Christ today (Dan 2:31-49).