It was during a bible study in the book of Daniel I became struck with the stark reality—there are always two sides to every story. This realization flooded my mind as I read about two dreams; King Nebuchadnezzar’s and Daniel’s both of the same event. The dreams were prophesy about kingdoms that would rise and fall. However, the kingdom’s leader looked different in each dream. One dream described the leader as a head of gold (King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream) and in the other a vicious lion (Daniel’s dream). They were dreaming the the same dream, but with very different descriptions of a main character. But why? Keep in mind both dreams were initiated by God.

The American Commentary offers a plausible explanation,

“The image with its glittering metals portrays the world’s kingdoms from humanity’s viewpoint—impressive and great, whereas the beasts depict these earthly kingdoms from God’s perspective—vicious and destructive.”

What a great reminder that God is keenly aware of both views—our earthly perspectives, what we see with our physical senses, as well as, the higher truer view which we discern with our spiritual sense.

He uses both to unfold the marvels of life’s mysteries. In other words, there are always two perspectives occurring at the same time of the same event. An example of this might be a trial that is happening in your life. Let’s say a person you love has betrayed you. This makes you hurt/angry at the person from a temporal perspective. From a higher perspective Gods sees that another source behind it. You see and feel the wounds from a flesh and blood loved-one, but God sees the satanic influence that has generated it in the first place. You have valued your loved one like gold so it’s painful, and that’s a valid perspective. But, the truth is a vicious lion has made his way into the story. You aren’t battling your loved one but an opposing force bent on causing a division.

So, let’s consider this question… in the two dreams in the book of Daniel was the character a head of gold or a vicious lion? It was both. But the second was a truer reality of the first from a higher perspective. In our humanness we will often get stuck on only the human side of a view because that’s what we see. Remember—there is always a simultaneous event occurring, an unseen reality that warrants our consideration. And when we contemplate both views it changes our perspective. Drawing from a higher eternal perspective helps us in our ability to deal with the personal pain of a trial. God’s view is always a more trustworthy perspective.

Yes, we still hurt because someone we valued as gold has let us down, but we realize we are not really fighting the person to the degree we thought, but the influence driving them. Ephesians describes it this way “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12