For Kids · 3 min with a grown-up
God shows Daniel another vision of the future — kingdoms rising and falling — and reminds him that even hard times have a limit God sets.
Today's Story
God gave Daniel another vision. This time he saw a ram with two horns, and then a fast goat with one big horn that charged in and knocked the ram down. The horns and beasts stood for kingdoms and rulers that would rise up in the future, one after another.
The angel Gabriel came to help Daniel understand. Powerful kingdoms would come and go, he explained, and one day a cruel ruler would arise who would do bad things and even trouble God's people for a while.
But here's the comfort God gave: even that cruel ruler had a LIMIT. God set the time. The trouble would last only so long — and not a second more — and then it would be over, and the ruler would be brought down, not by human power, but by God.
The vision troubled Daniel. Some of it was hard, and he didn't understand it all. But Daniel trusted God anyway, got up, and went back to his work. He didn't have to understand everything — he just had to trust the God who DOES understand everything.
A Big Word
Talk About It
- Daniel didn't understand his whole vision, but he trusted God and went back to work. Is it okay to not understand everything about God? What can we do when we don't understand?
- God set a LIMIT on the hard times — they couldn't last forever. How does it help to know hard times don't last forever?
- Gabriel came to help Daniel understand. Who are the people God gives us to help us understand hard things?