Lift Your Eyes

Daniel chapters 7 and 8 are filled with strange imagery, but the message underneath is clear: when the world feels chaotic and out of control, God is still seated on His throne. The four beasts Daniel sees represent real kingdoms that rejected God, and from a spiritual perspective, power without God is monstrous. Daniel also sees the Ancient of Days, calm and in complete control, and a figure called the Son of Man receiving an everlasting kingdom. Jesus later identifies Himself as that Son of Man, pointing back to this very vision. The prophecies in these chapters found an early fulfillment in the brutal ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, but they also point forward to a final fulfillment still to come. The spirit behind that kind of evil is already present in any culture that tells you truth is self-defined or that you have no need for God. Daniel faced lions, corrupt kings, and impossible circumstances because he had already seen how the story ends. You have access to that same story, and it is meant to give you the same courage.