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given dominion

Daniel 7:1-8 (JDV)

Daniel 7:1 In year one of Belshazzar King of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions appeared as he was lying in his bed. He wrote down the dream, and here is the beginning of his account.
Daniel 7:2 Daniel said, “In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of the sky stirred up the great sea.
Daniel 7:3 Four huge animals came up from the sea, each different from the other.
Daniel 7:4 “The first was like a lion but had eagle’s wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a mortal human, and given a mortal human mind.
Daniel 7:5 “Suddenly, another animal appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up! Devour much meat.’
Daniel 7:6 “After this, while I was watching, suddenly another one appeared. It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. The animal had four heads, and it was given dominion.
Daniel 7:7 “After this, while I was watching in the night visions, suddenly a fourth animal appeared, scary and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the animals before it, and it had ten horns.
Daniel 7:8 “While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And suddenly in this horn, there were eyes like the eyes of a mortal human and a mouth that was speaking arrogantly.

given dominion

All we know about Daniel’s dream at this point (before the angel begins interpreting it in verse 17) is that four ferocious animals appear in sequence, and each of them represents a kingdom that is “given dominion” (verse 6). The superpowers that rule the world today have been given dominion by the same supreme being — the one responsible for Daniel’s vision. He wants them to know that they are not sovereign. Their power depends on him.

That message is a comfort to those of us who often feel like pawns of the powers that be. We are anxious because there is so much chaos and so little control. The big powers seem to devour, crush and trample with immunity. When such things happen, it is nice to know that God has a plan and that a greater power is coming — not from the sea of humanity, but from the clouds of the sky. When his dominion comes, it will stay.