Lesson 2 - The Psychics vs. the Prophet
Throughout the centuries the future has always intrigued people. We have desired to know what lies just ahead. How can we face tomorrow with greater confidence? What kind of world will our children live in? Many sources claim to have reliable information regarding the future. The psychics, astrologers and fortune tellers all claim to have the ability to predict coming events.
In Daniel, chapter 2, God challenges the psychics head on! And He reveals Himself as the only One who really knows the future. In this chapter, God clearly outlines 2,500 years of history in advance, accurately foretelling the rise and fall of empires. As you study this lesson, you will marvel at God’s ability to guide the destiny of the nations. If He is wise enough to predict the future and powerful enough to orchestrate the rise and fall of nations, He can certainly guide our personal lives. Our lesson today clearly reveals that it is safe to trust God.
An Ancient King’s Dream: Questions 1-3
The wise men of Babylon utterly failed. Miraculously, God hid the dream from Nebuchadnezzar’s mind. If the king could have remembered the dream, the psychics would have been able to make up a plausible interpretation.
The King Called in His Brightest Minds: Questions 4-5
- The magicians—used sleight of hand, magic, and trickery.
- The astrologers—observed the patterns of the stars as a means of attempting to forecast the future.
- The sorcerers—spiritualists who claimed to communicate with the dead for information regarding the future.
- The Chaldeans—the educated elite who attempted to tell the future by human genius, mathematical calculations, and an understanding of philosophy.
The angry king condemned all the wise men of Babylon to death when they could not tell him what he had dreamed.