Lions and Leopards and Bears (Oh My)!

The first (and only) time I bought a new car, I was in my early 20’’s, waiting tables for a living in Los Angeles. The payment was daunting and the thought of being tied to a rapidly depreciating hunk of metal for 5 years was just shy of terrifying. I remember having a recurring dream about my teeth falling out, all at once. This was before the days of Google, but I do remember hearing later that dreams about losing teeth are tied to financial stress. Fair enough! 

 Then, a couple of decades later, (and this one’s gross so if you’re eating-especially chocolate, you’ve been warned) when going through a major life event, I began having dreams about overflowing toilets. So many toilets- in public places. Lots of poop. The venues varied wildly from nightclubs to churches, schools, or even mansions (remember, these are dreams).  The floors were always flooded and it was super disturbing. Someone close to me did “research” and determined that this dream means a person has overwhelming emotions weighing them down. Again, pretty accurate!

Dream analysis can be interesting but it can also be a bit misleading and for that reason, I don’t typically put much stock in it. 

But then we have Daniel, who was a master at, not analyzing dreams, but truly interpreting them. Why? Because he was guided by the Lord. 

Daniel was a man who faithfully followed God at all costs. The book of Daniel in the Bible gives his account of miracle after miracle as God showed His power over those who oppressed Daniel. In Daniel Chapter 7, we learn that Daniel had a dream (some translations say “vision”) that was far more disturbing and difficult to decipher than the ones I mentioned above.

At the beginning of the dream,  Daniel tells of the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea and four beasts coming up out of the sea, each different from the others. The first appeared to be a sort of hybrid lion-eagle creature. I don’t know about you, but the thought of a lion with wings is slightly horrifying. I mean, I’ve often thanked God that he didn’t create flying snakes, but I feel like a flying lion would be even more threatening, considering all those teeth and everything. The good news though: the wings were then plucked off. But then the lion was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man and was given the mind of a man. So we’re back to super creepy, at best.  

Beast two looked like a bear who apparently was in need of a Chiropractor because it was raised up on one of its sides. It also had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth and was told to “Arise, devour much flesh.” Ewww. 

The third beast was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. Practically speaking, I do take some solace in thinking that surely, a bird’s wings wouldn’t be able to support a leopard, right? Oh, and on top of that, this leopard had four heads. Because you know that old saying, “Four heads are better than one…” Dominion was given to this beast; it was given authority to rule.  It seems like each beast has more power than the one that preceded it in numerical order.

The fourth and final beast, Daniel referred to as “terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong”. It’s worth noting that Daniel is much braver than most of us, considering this is the first time he uses the word “terrifying” when describing this dream or vision. This fourth beast was an absolute wrecking ball. Daniel says “It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts and it had ten horns. Then he tells us that, while he was thinking about the horns, there was another horn. A little one which came up among them and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” Okay. A horn with eyes and a mouth? This just gets weirder and weirder. The text doesn’t tell us if this happened at night, but can you imagine waking up with that kind of visual in your head at 2 a.m.? 

Daniel then describes seeing the Ancient of Days (God), seated on His throne, with clothing white as snow, and hair white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him (most Bible scholars agree this refers to angels); ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. This means too many angels to count surrounding God’s throne. Next, Daniel says that the court was seated and the books were opened. 

Wait. Book? What book? 

Did I mention this is not just a dream; it’s a prophecy? A prophecy that, unlike many others, has not yet come to pass (but may, very soon)?

The phrase, “The books were opened” refers to judgment. God’s Judgment. 

In a culture that shirks responsibility and shuns judgment, here’s the hard truth: there is a God and there will be a judgment. Each of us will stand before a Holy and perfect God and will be judged, not according to our standards, not according to the cultural norms, not in comparison to our jerky next-door neighbor Joe, but according to God’s holy standard. Hearing that may make us bristle. That’s okay, that’s just pride and this is a natural response to a supernatural dilemma. See, in The Book of Life are the names of all who have chosen Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives. These people are seen by God through the blood of Jesus on the cross when he took on the sin of mankind. It’s not because these people are better than anyone else, but because they have chosen to accept the gift Jesus gave them -eternal life- when he bore their sin on the cross. A gift freely given to all who call on His name. It starts with realizing our need for a Savior. And that is offensive to our pride. 

But I digress.

Regarding the four beasts, there is speculation as to what they symbolize. Many believe it has to do with the coming “New World Order” ( google it- it’s a thing), where globalism replaces individual nations. We can read about that happening in the here and now. I  don’t know about all that, but what I do know is this: when the events of Daniel start playing out, I want to be on the right side. God’s side. Don’t you?

How do you know if you’re on the right side? It’s best to answer that question with a question: have you accepted Jesus as your Savior? If not, may I encourage you to talk to God?  Don’t worry about sounding eloquent. There are countless testimonies of people who were literally on the brink of ending their lives, who simply looked up and asked God to show them that He’s real. God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13). Be honest. I mean arms-flailing-snot-running-down-your-face-crying-honest.  He already knows everything you’re thinking anyway and He can handle your every emotion. He loves you fiercely and won’t be pushed away by angry words. He wants you to know His perfect love for you! He created you and knew you before you were ever born! And when you admit that you sin and that you fall short of His glorious standard and call on His name, you will be saved. He will take the dirt and make it clean. He will take fatigue and replace it with strength- His strength made perfect in your weakness! He will exchange all the shame of your past with His glory and will transform you into a new creation! 

It’s also vital to be part of a community of believers who can come alongside you in your pursuit of Jesus. We are stronger together and carry each other’s burdens and lift each other up in prayer. We are family. While accepting Christ will give you a sense of love you’ve never imagined, being with other believers will help grow you in your love for God and others. At ALC, we have life groups, which are designed just for that reason. We grow in our faith together. 

Reading the Bible can seem intimidating, but it’s crucial to learning who God truly is (often very different from who our culture says He is)! Fortunately, there are lots of reading plans on free apps such as You Version. Bible Project is an amazing app that breaks the Bible down in ways even a kid can understand. If you have the willingness to seek God in his Word, the Bible, He is faithful and will meet you there and honor your efforts. 

The same God that revealed these things to Daniel wants to know you and walk with you. The God of the Bible is anything but boring. In fact, he’s more exciting than you could possibly imagine in your own wildest dreams.