The magicians belonged to a guild that was supposed to be expert in handling the rituals of magic and priestcraft. But they could not interpret these dreams. Likewise, a later guild of wise men in Babylon would not be able to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s symbolic dream of the sweep of history. But Daniel would. In Egypt and in Babylon, a Hebrew captive would interpret the dreams, showing that no matter how powerful these nations became, they were still not beyond God’s sovereign control. In both events the interpreters were rewarded: Joseph came to be ruler, and Daniel ascended to a high post in government.

Dreaming, like sleep, has been studied extensively but still remains a mystery. One very old explanation (still current in New Age thought and some older tribal cultures) is that dreaming allows one’s spirit access to a realm beyond the physical plane. However, this view is difficult to reconcile with the finding that dreaming is not just a human activity. All mammals and some birds engage in REM sleep, and there is evidence that they dream. Cats whose brains have been lesioned to prevent atonia act out their dreams during REM.

From a Christian perspective, God has communicated with humans through dreams (e.g., Jacob, Joseph in Egypt, Joseph the earthly father of Jesus, Paul). More often, however, God communicated with humans directly, often providing tangible evidence of his presence (e.g., Moses and the burning bush, the miraculous events of the exodus, Abraham and Sarah, Paul on the road to Damascus, and so forth). God spoke through dreams infrequently (only to a few people and only once or at most a few times to each of them); each dream had a special purpose, so we should not construe such accounts to mean that God communicates regularly to humans through their dreams or that we can gain special access to God’s will or spiritual things by recording and interpreting our dreams.

The Hebrew word translated “grievous” literally means “heavy.” Seven years of unparalleled prosperity would be followed by seven years of unparalleled problems and heaviness—which speak of the Tribulation. Described in Revelation 6–19, the Tribulation is referred to as “Jacob’s Trouble.” Just as Jacob and his sons will be so troubled by famine that they will be forced to go to Joseph for grain, one of the purposes of the Tribulation is to force Israel to turn to Jesus.

Never in the history of humanity has the world been as prosperous as it is presently. Are these the years of prosperity preceding the Tribulation?

Perhaps.

Most of us are not exactly like Joseph—serving high up in the government, or impacting a nation’s finances. But in our spheres of influence, are we using the manifest blessings of God (be they influence, position, popularity, or money) to bless others and speak for God? Think of it like this: What would you do if God really did send you a five-thousand-dollar check in the mail? Would you immediately get about alleviating the misery of others, blessing the missionaries, or helping your church complete its building campaign? Or would you simply burn it up, making all your problems go away?