In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
The Ancient of Days Reigns
9 “As I looked,
thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
The Son of Man Is Given Dominion
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 And 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 one
that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel's Vision Interpreted
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast,
there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns,
out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
and another shall arise after them;
he shall be different from the former ones,
and shall put down three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
for a time, times, and half a time.
26 But the court shall sit in judgment,
and his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
27 And the kingdom and the dominion
and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;
his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’
28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” Daniel 7 ESV
Daniel 7: 1-7 Vision of the Four Beasts
In the first year of Belshazzar - We go from chapter 6, where Daniel is now under the reign of the Persian empire, back to the time of Belshazzar, the king who saw the writing on the wall.
…21He was driven away from mankind, and his mind was like that of a beast. He lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like an ox, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he acknowledged that the Most High God rules over the kingdom of mankind, setting over it whom He wishes. 22But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this. 23Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. The vessels from His house were brought to you, and as you drank wine from them with your nobles, wives, and concubines, you praised your gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you have failed to glorify the God who holds in His hand your very breath and all your ways.… Daniel 5: 21-23
Something to note here is that Daniel chapter 1 was written in Hebrew, chapters 2-7 were written in Aramaic, and chapters 8-12 go back to Hebrew. Chapters 2 and 7 are sister chapters which will help us in our understanding of the prophecies of 8-12 and also Revelation.
A quick overview of chapter 1 introduces us to 4 Hebrew boys going into the Babylonian captivity, which will be the start of the time of the gentiles. It also introduces us to a world system that tries to remove the boys' allegiance to their God, one that would attempt to make them Babylonians, giving them new names based upon that of the gods of Babylon.
In Daniel chapter 2 we also see God use the gift of interpretation, that he has given to Daniel, to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar's dream about the image, and this will match up with and be even more expounded upon in chapter 7.
In chapter 3, which is the sister chapter to 6, we see Daniel's 3 friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, defy the decree of an absolute monarch because to obey it would cause them to disobey God. They have been great citizens in every other way, the most honest, the most loyal and diligent, but they have rightly chosen to put the decrees of the Creator of the universe above an earthly authority. There is a time for civil disobedience. For those that do not yet understand this, their time was the beginning of the time of the gentiles, a time that we are still in, looking forward to the second coming of Christ. These 4 Hebrew boys become the model, blue print, the road map for how believers are to conduct themselves throughout this gentile age, until our Lord returns. We live in the world as sojourners, as light, not conforming to the image of this world but being transformed daily to the image of Christ. Shadrach, Meshech and Abednego were asked to bow to an idol in chapter 3 and Daniel was asked to pray and worship a man rather than God in chapter 6, and this will be a common patter till the end of the age.
…3You shall have no other gods before Me. 4You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,… Exodus 20: 3-5
1Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. 3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.… Romans 12: 1-3
…12And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own.… Hebrews 11: 12-14
So there is a little recap, now back to the text:
The four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea - The biggest Sea that Daniel would know would be the Mediterranean, and though Babylon was east of here at the Euphrates river, it encompassed this territory in it's kingdom as well, as did the Persian empire, and Greece and Rome which were on this sea. All these kingdoms and their rulers perceived themselves as great, but God sees them in turmoil, degenerating to more chaos in every age. The present ruler of this age is a liar and the father of lies.
Now, basically, four is a number that’s associated with the earth. There are four seasons. We talk about the four corners of the earth. Four seems to be identified with the numbers of the earth. The wind comes from the four areas: north, south, east, west. And so, what you see, then, is the earth in turmoil. The sea representing humanity. And this is very common in the Bible.
For example, in Revelation 17:15, it says, “The water which thou sawest are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” The sea seems to be representative of people. And the winds are just another part of the earth and its system. And the earth is in boiling, convulsing, raging, disturbed turmoil. Upheaval, distress. And so, Daniel stands and sees all of human history in turmoil. He sees the upheaval of the day of man. He sees humanity shaken at its very ebb because of the turbulent impact of its sinfulness.” The winds, you see, are the various elements of human sin that play upon the nations, that stir up the strife and the turmoil. - J Mac
These winds are described in a way that pictures them as contemporaneously stirring up the great sea. These probably represent supernatural "winds" and not literal winds, for it states that these winds originate in heaven. The Hebrew word (related to the Aramaic word in this passage) for winds in the OT can be translated as angel. TWOT notes that the Hebrew word may "designate a supernatural, angelic being, "a spirit from God" - Precept Austin
…22Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.” 23And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play, and Saul would become well, and the spirit of distress would depart from him. 1 Samuel 16: 22-23
…35This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold, I will shatter Elam’s bow, the mainstay of their might. 36I will bring the four winds against Elam from the four corners of the heavens, and I will scatter them to all these winds. There will not be a nation to which Elam’s exiles will not go. Jeremiah 49: 35-36
…4So I inquired of the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5And the angel told me, “These are the four spirits of heaven, going forth from their station before the Lord of all the earth. 6The one with the black horses is going toward the land of the north, the one with the white horses toward the west, and the one with the dappled horses toward the south.”… Zechariah 6: 4-6
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree. 2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, with the seal of the living God. And he called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea:… Revelation 7: 1-2
…20Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD. 21And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ 22So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”… 2 Chronicles 18: 20-22
…13The princes of Zoan have become fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. The cornerstones of her tribes have led Egypt astray. 14The LORD has poured into her a spirit of confusion. Egypt has been led astray in all she does, as a drunkard staggers through his own vomit. 15There is nothing Egypt can do—head or tail, palm or reed.… Isaiah 19: 13-15
The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings - The first beasts to arise from the tumult and pride of man, for the time of the gentiles, was Babylon. This corresponds with the head of gold on the image in chapter 2. Some of the sculptures used in Babylon may be older than Neb, possibly derived from the times of Nimrod and the tower of Babel. A lion is the king of beasts and the eagle of birds. Babylon was powerful and ferocious, but also soaring and fast like an eagle, conquering and overseeing a vast region rather quickly.
Jeremiah used both the lion and the eagle as pictures of Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 49:19-22), and Babylon’s winged lions can be seen at the British Museum today. - Enduring Word
Then as I looked it's wings were plucked off - None of the following kingdoms will be so intrinsically identified with their ruler as Babylon was with Nebuchadnezzar. God tells him, you are the head. He was an absolute monarch whose words were law, but he could change his mind at any time. He was also a genius both as a military strategist and architect, but his pride allowed him to elevate himself in his mind to a place he couldn't hold, yet God was merciful and struck him down from his lofty places. Like the tale of Icarus, the son of the craftsman Daedalus, whose wings gave out from flying to close to the sun, Neb's wings are plucked in the vision. This takes us back to the story in chapter 4, where Daniel warns the king about his pride, and cautions him to repent, yet after a year of thinking about it Neb still elevates himself in his mind, but God graciously puts him in his place. He loses his mind for seven years, until he realizes that the Most High God reigns. This is a marked period of instability, as Neb is the head of the kingdom, and now he is eating grass like a wild donkey in the field.
It was lifted up from the ground -
It was lifted up from the ground - Da 4:15, 23 describes a tree chopped down with its roots in the ground which Daniel interpreted as Nebuchadnezzar who was humbled and made to eat grass like cattle (which implies he was on all fours on the ground) (Da 4:32, 33). At the end of 7 periods of time (seven years) the king lifted his eyes toward heaven and his reason returned (Da 4:34), at which time he began to walk on two feet rather than on all four like a beast. - Precept Austin
And the mind of a man was given to it - He was restored to his kingdom realizing the truth that the Most High God reigns and puts in charge who He wills. After Neb the kingdom depreciated further until the taking of the city by the Medio-Persians during the reign of Belshazzar, a wicked king who was probably the grandson of Neb. He knew what his grandfather had gone through because of his pride, yet he blasphemed the only true, living God. Just like the 4 Hebrew boys in chapters 1, 3 and 6 are a road map of how the saints should live in the time of the gentiles, so chapters 4 and 5 are a road map of how rulers should respond, admitting to the sovereignty of God, but also how most will actually respond, following their humanistic hearts, leading others to destruction. They will make much of what they are able to build with the things that God created and left to them, but little, often nothing of how God actually sees them.
…30For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32Remember the early days that you were in the light. In those days, you endured a great conflict in the face of suffering.… Hebrews 10: 30-32
1Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:… Psalm 2: 1-2
Like a bear - This is the next empire, the breast plate and arms of silver that we saw on the statue in Neb's vision from Daniel 2. Daniel predicts this before it happens, but actually gets to see it happen. He is not the first prophet to predict the demise of Babylon though:
A bear although slower than the lion is also a ferocious beast which was exemplified in the Medo-Persian style of war (see Isaiah 13:17, 18 "They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, nor will their eye pity children.") The greater size of the bear may also be related to the larger armies fielded by the Medo-Persians which allowed them to overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers. - Precept Austin
…27who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’ 28who says of Cyrus, ‘My shepherd will fulfill all that I desire,’ who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundation be laid.’” Isaiah 44: 27-28
Cyrus had not been born at the time of Isaiah's prophecy, and neither had Christ, but read Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12
It was raised up on one side - The sides were the Medes and the Persians.
Whitcomb comments on the lop-sided posture noting that…Median influence (was) predominate during the reigns of Cyrus and Cambyses… but shifting to Persian dominance by the time of Xerxes fifty years later (Est 1:19, "the laws of the Persians and the Medes"). (Whitcomb, J: Daniel- Everyman's Bible Commentary)
John Walvoord comments that…Persia at this time, although coming up last, was by far the greater and more powerful and had absorbed the Medes. This is represented also in Daniel 8 by the two horns of the ram with the horn that comes up last being higher and greater (Da 8:3). The ram with its unequal horns is identified as "The kings of Media and Persia" (Da 8:20). This interpretation also helps to support the Medo-Persian character of the second empire and is true to the facts of history. (Daniel 7 - Daniel's Vision Of Future World History) - Precept Austin
It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth - Many scholars find it most probable that this references the nations or Lydia taken in 546 BC, Babylon 539 BC and Egypt 525 BC.
Arise devour much meat - The "bear-like" kingdom is issued two commands. While the speaker is not stated, we know that God is in some way behind the stirring up of these Gentile kingdoms. The Medo-Persian empire seems to have "obeyed" the commands to arise and devour for they extended their conquests (~ "devoured" much meat) until their borders reached from the Indus River on the east to Egypt and the Aegean Sea on the west, which constituted more territory under the control of the Medo-Persian empire than any empire had conquered to date. - Precept Austin
Like a leopard with 4 wings - The third kingdom corresponds to the bronze kingdom in Daniel 2, the belly and thighs of the statue in Neb's dream. This will be Greece. Now Daniel saw the head of gold, and this is in Belshazzar's reign when he has this vision, but soon he will see the breast and arms of silver. He may have even heard of Cyrus at this point from the writings of Isaiah, and know that he is fast approaching. The Geeks and Alexander won't come for another 200 years.
Like a leopard - What characterizes this beast besides the fact that it is a carnivore? The leopard is known for its speed. For example the horses (of the Babylonians) were said to be "swifter than leopards" (Hab 1:8+). Another characteristic of leopards is that they would lie in wait so as to surprise their prey (cp Jer 5:6, Ho 13:7).
Four wings of a bird - Nebuchadnezzar was "two wing" swift, but Alexander was "four wing" swift! This adds to the picture of speed, which characterized the military conquests of Alexander the Great. - Precept Austin
Alexander was super fast, and so was his life. He conquered more area than Persia, yet died an alcoholic in his thirties.
And the beast had four heads - Alexander had four generals to whom the kingdom was divided.
For further discussion of Alexander's kingdom, see Da 8:5-8+.The fact that this beast is shown with "four heads" (compare its "four wings of a bird") points to the four major divisions of Alexander's empire following his death in 323 B.C.: (1) Babylon and north Syria under Antigonus (later under Seleucus I Nicator); (2) Egypt under Ptolemy I Soter; (3) Macedonia under Cassander; and (4) Thrace and Bithynia under Lysimachus. Compare comments on 8:8 and 11:4.2 (Whitcomb, J: Daniel- Everyman's Bible Commentary) - Whitcomb
Four heads - When Alexander "the Great" died as an alcoholic at age 33yo (Da 8:8+), his kingdom was divided between four generals (Da 8:8+, see map below). As one might imagine, the "higher" critics and liberal "scholars" take great umbrage at the conservative interpretation, for otherwise they would be forced to acknowledge that Daniel's prophecy was amazingly (supernaturally!) accurate, his vision occurring 200 years before it occurred. On reading the liberal pondering (wanderings!) on the "four heads" one is tempted to refer them and their specious arguments to the Almighty God, of Whom the words of Whom Isaiah records…
"Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. (Now when one accepts the truth that God is the supreme, supernatural, sovereign Who can not only declare but bring about what He declares they are in a humble spiritual position to heard His call in the next verse which brought C H Spurgeon to salvation) "Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:21, 22, cp Isa 42:9, 44:7, 46:9, 10) - Precept Austin
It had great iron teeth - This is the Roman empire seen in the statue of Daniel 2 with legs of iron and feet mixed with iron and miry clay.
Stamped what was left with it's feet - Rome was famous for it's marching soldiers, it's iron, and building of roads. All roads lead to Rome, someone said. She was also a destroyer at times, shutting down uprisings with crushing displays of power.
1As Jesus left the temple and was walking away, His disciples came up to Him to point out its buildings. 2“ Do you see all these things?” He replied. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3While Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?”… Matthew 24: 1-3
From history we know that the Roman armies were known for their iron armor which led some to refer to them as the "Iron Legions" of Rome, emphasizing their strength and invincibility. But in the sovereign irony (pun intended) of God, the "crushing" kingdom was itself to be crushed by the Stone cut without hands (Da 2:34, 35, 44, 45). - Precept Austin
It was different than all the beast that were before it - Rome lasted longer than any of the previous kingdoms, and no one has risen up to take it's place over such a vast region. Hitler and Mussolini tried, but no go, and from here through verse 8 there is a lot to be said so I will pick it up in the next post.
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