Today we continue on with our series on Daniel being up to chapter 7.
In chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar had his 1st terrifying dream of the statue of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay and we heard the interpretation, how 5 kingdoms would come before a great rock would finally come and smash them all, very applicable to us today while we wait for Jesus to soon come again.
In Chapter 3, Nebuchadnezzar rebelled against his dream and built the great gold statue of himself and required the whole world to worship it. When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused, they were thrown into the fiery furnace. But a 4th man like a god appeared in the furnace with them and they came out untouched. This is a picture of how Jesus saves us from Hell.
But in Chapter 4 God taught Nebuchadnezzar who really ruled and humbled him, causing him to go insane and live like an animal for 7 years until just like in the story of the prodigal son, he came to his senses, repented and went home. And because of the Lord’s mercy and kindness he was fully restored in his royal household.
In chapter 5, the first part of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was fulfilled in his son Belshazzar’s time, when the Medes and Persians invaded the great city of Babylon and conquered it in 539 BC. When God’s judgement is passed with the famous « writing on the wall », that was the end for Belshazzar. Our days are also numbered and we need to seek the Lord while he may be found before it’s too late.
The first 6 chapters (apart from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream) are primarily historical where Daniel recalls from his life.
The last 6 chapters are primarily prophetic where an Angel interprets the dreams and visions Daniel has. The visions are hard for Daniel to describe since many of the events are hundreds and even thousands of years in the future.
However the big picture is often straightforward and can help us understand who Jesus is, the times we live in and what the book of Revelation means. There are 2 dangers with prophecy in the Bible;
- Neglect prophecy just because the symbolic language is too difficult.
- Obsess and try to match every detail to our time and where we can’t, skip over it missing the bigger picture and the main message and simplicity of the Gospel.
Prophecy fills us with the hope of the return of Christ and purifies us as we get ready. That’s why even it’s so important to teach it even though it can be difficult.
Daniel 7:1-6
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed.
Belshazzar is thought to have reigned for 13 years, so since chapter 7 is recalling Daniels dream in the 1st year of Belshazzar’s reign, it would have been around 552BC about 10 years after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, since Babylon fell in 539BC.
Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.
Wind in the Bible describes Spirit. Sometimes in the Bible, God appears as wind such as the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Sometimes the wind is just nature such as when Jesus calms the storm. But wind can also be of the devil such as when a great wind came and destroyed Job’s house and children. So we need to be able to discern the difference although it may not matter because ultimately even Satan is under God’s authority and cannot do anything other than what God allows. The Holy Spirit is the breath of God. The four winds are of heaven, so that indicates that the Spirit of God is moving over the entirety of the earth - North, South, East and West stirring up the Great Sea. The Great Sea is the Earth and the people’s of the Earth. But the effect is not good in that 4 beasts come up out of the sea. This indicates God’s judgment on the Earth such as in Revelation 7.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
Since it’s a revelation from God, Daniel can only describe the things he saw as like what he saw.
Like a lion. Like a bear. Like a leopard. This picture of the beasts is not what Daniel saw, they are only like what he saw.
The beasts represent 4 empires from the perspective of Heaven. Remember the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay.
We learned that;
- Gold represents the Babylonian Empire
- Silver represents the Medes and Persian Empire
- Bronze represents the Greek Empire
- Iron represents the Roman Empire
- The culmination is the final empire of iron and clay with 10 toes.
We noted that the value of each empire decreased over time, even as the metals get stronger for iron is stronger than gold.
Statues impress man, we see them in our cities. They are majestic, representing strength and power. We are impressed by the history of the major empires of Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greece and Rome. But the beasts represent what those major empires look like from Heaven’s perspective. They are grotesque and fearsome.
In fact the first 3 beasts Daniel could compare with animals he had seen - lion, eagle, bear and the leopard with 4 heads.
The first 3 beasts were easier for Daniel to understand. Nebuchadnezzar had had his wings plucked off so to speak and after he had lived like a beast for 7 years, he had been restored, made to stand on two feet like a man, and given a man’s heart. So the first beast was clearly Babylon. And as we shall see in Daniel 8, more is explained about the Medo-Persian and Greek empires so we don’t need to focus on those beasts today.
But the 4th beast was really scary and unlike anything Daniel had seen before. He cannot find a similarity to any known beast and he has difficulty describing it.
Daniel 7:7-10
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
The 4th beast was terrifying with iron teeth. In fact it also had nails of bronze which we see later on in v19. If you’re wondering what this all means, don’t worry, an Angel is going to explain it later. For now just note the similarity to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, that iron is mentioned in both cases, where the statue had iron legs and we learned that was the Roman Empire when we looked at chapter 2.
I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
So this terrifying beast has 10 horns and then a little horn emerges, an 11th horn. This little horn destroys 3 of the horns making itself the 8th horn. Got that ?! All will be revealed…
What’s important is what happens next. While this 11th horn rises to prominence, something very significant happens in Heaven.
“I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.
The Ancient of Days is seated at the same time as the one speaking pompous words emerges.
Ancient of Days is mentioned only in Daniel chapter 7, nowhere else in the Bible.
Around the Ancient of Days throne is fire. Fire = holiness and presence of God as with Moses and the burning bush and fire is also associated with judgement.
The Ancient of Days is dressed in pure white, unlike any judge we have ever seen. Human judges dress in red or black. Man’s judgements are flawed and need the help of 12 jurors to decide. God’s judgements are pure, holy and true and he doesn’t need others because he knows and has been the witness to everything throughout history and has recorded everything and kept books. And being a trinity there are the 2 other witnesses as required by the Law of God. He is the Ancient of Days.
The Ancient of Days is the highest Judge there is. You think the US or NZ Supreme Court has the final say on abortion, think again.
We know that several big judgements are to come in the future.
- Judgement of the world where God’s wrath is poured out on the Earth and the people on the Earth.
- The judgement seat of Christ for believers based on their works. This is known as the Bema seat mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3.
- The judgement of the nations when Christ returns - the sheep and the goats.
- Great white throne judgement of unbelievers the at end of millenium reign of Christ.
So as this little horn speaks pompous words, the Ancient of Days is getting ready to judge.
Daniel 7:11-12
“I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
Watch as the little horn, this 11th King, this Antichrist is destroyed and given to flame. This is exactly what John said in Revelation.
Revelation 19:20
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
This all happens when the Son of Man comes at the beginning of the Millenium Kingdom and not the Great White Throne judgment of unbelievers at the end of the Millenium Kingdom.
Daniel 7:13-15
“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
This Messiah will defeat the 11th king, bringing an end to all man’s kingdoms/rebellion and take rule over the Earth and whose reign will be forever. Hallelujah !
When Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man more times than any other phrase. He was not saying that he’s just human, but actually divine, he was referring to the Son of Man in this passage, the Messiah. That is why the Jewish leaders got offended because he claimed to be the one who will come on the clouds of heaven that all people, nations and languages should serve him.
Daniel 7:16-20
I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
So even though these great empires seem so powerful, one day it is the Saints who will receive the Kingdom. Now the Saints of God are the least, the most persecuted. But the last shall be first when Jesus comes again. What a destiny for the Saints of God ! Hang in there Ye Saints, your day is coming !
“Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
It was the last beast that Daniel wanted to know more about.
The beasts get more fearsome over time. So as the value of the metals decreases over time as in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the fearsomeness increases, each empire becoming more horrible.
The final kingdom before Christ comes will be the most evil, the most demonic with Satan fully revealed for who he is.
Why was Daniel so interested in this last beast and the little horn.
It’s a pretty good guess that that’s because the 11th horn or king had not been revealed to Nebuchadnezzar. He was only shown the feet of iron and clay with 10 toes. So that’s the one Daniel wants explanation for.
In conclusion today, remember these things for next time;
Beasts = Kingdoms or Empires
Lion = Babylonian Empire
Bear = Medo-Persian Empire
Leopard = Greek Empire
4th Beast = Roman Empire (unfinished)
Horns = Kings
Great Sea = Earth and People’s of the Earth
10 Kings = part of the 4th Beast
11th King = Antichrist.
Stay tuned because next time we’ll see it’s meaning for us today.
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