“And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand” (Daniel 8:23-25, ESV).

In the Lord’s Prayer we recite the words: “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, ESV). Most of us who recite this prayer probably believe its supplication but don’t really think about the Old Testament theology behind our petition.

When we entreat God to accomplish His will on earth as in heaven, we are acknowledging that heaven and earth are two interconnected realms that God created and rules. And, the biblical pattern is that what happens in heaven impacts what happens on earth–and vice versa.

At a fundamental level the Bible is the story of God’s rule over those two realms through His created image-bearers. While the Bible primarily relates the story of humanity’s struggle with God, God’s created beings are both human and supernatural. The biblical story of God’s will unfolds simultaneously in the earthly and heavenly realms. But, sometimes the Bible provides us a glimpse into the corresponding events unfolding in the heavenly realm.

Daniel 8 is one such place in the Bible that reveals these parallel universes. The narrative of Daniel’s vision seems to allude to the activity of both heavenly beings and humans–the Israelites. Israel is being attacked on earth while a corresponding conflict is occurring in the unseen heavenly realm. Daniel described these earthly events using supernatural imagery because the earthly conflict reflected a corresponding heavenly conflict. So, Daniel 8 is an example of the biblical pattern of “on earth as it is in heaven.”