Courage in the Midst of Captivity (5)

Daniel 7

There are a few things I want you to keep in mind when studying Daniel, and especially chapter 7.

Number 1- Daniel skips around in time. For example, two chapters ago, in chapter five when Belshazzar saw the handwriting on the wall, that chapter was the end of Belshazzar’s reign as king. Now, two chapters later, Daniel does back to the start of Belshazzar’s reign.

Number 2- All of these visions Daniel is going to have is all centered around the first dream of King Neb. in chapter two. We call chapter seven the ‘vision within a vision’ because Daniel goes back to Neb. dream and fills in the blanks, and gives more details. In verse one of chapter seven, in the NASB, it says ‘Daniel saw a dream and visions.’ The dream he saw was Neb. dream from chapter 2, while the vision he had is described in chapter seven as a more detailed account of Neb. dream.

Do you remember I told you Daniel and John used similar symbolic terms? Revelation 13:1 “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” Daniel 7:2-3 “Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea,” The sea is not a literal sea. Daniel does not mean these four beasts rose up out of a literal body of water. Instead, both Daniel and John are referring to the human race. Both of their respective beasts will arise from the human race. Write this down, because you will need it when we get further into Revelation.

#1 Lion with wings like an eagle-(Babylon) When you read verse four, what does it remind you of? Remember back in chapter four when Neb. had the dream of the big tree, and was made to roam around like a beast for seven years? Daniel 4:33 “The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.” The beast rising on two feet and being given a human heart could resemble Neb. change of heart after his insanity. In fact, winged lions guarded the gates of royal Babylonian palaces. Jeremiah 50:17 “Israel is a scattered sheep; The lions have driven him away: First the king of Assyria hath devoured him;”

#2 Bear raised up on one side with three ribs in its mouth- (Medo-Persia) If you remember, the kingdom that overtook the Babylonians was actually a dual-kingdom-The Medo-Persian empire. The bear being raised on one side represents one of those kingdoms being stronger than the other-the Persian empire was the stronger of the two, being ruled by Cyrus. Persia is in modern day Iran. The three ribs in its mouth probably refers to the three recent kingdoms Persia conquered-Babylon, Egypt, and Lydia. We draw this conclusion at the end of verse five- ‘devour much meat.’

#3 Leopard with four wings on its back and it also had four heads-(Greece) This refers to the Kingdom of Greece ruled by Alexander the Great. First off, the leopard signifies how quickly Alexander the Great conquered the world. In just twelve short years, he had conquered the entire known world without losing a single battle. Alexander conquered more land than any other man in recorded history. Alexander was 32 years old when he died, and left his kingdom to his four generals. This is where the four heads fit in. We will study Greece and Alexander the Great more in depth next week in Daniel chapter 8.

#4 The terrible beast with iron teeth, and ten horns and a little horn- (Rome and Antichrist) This one is a bit more difficult to break down. We already know from our handout and Neb. dream that the fourth kingdom of iron legs and feet of iron and clay is Rome, and the ten horns are the ten Caesars that ruled. As a prophesy, it is Rome as a United Europe consisting of ten nations and ruled by the Antichrist. Although Rome was the last dominant world power, it is not completely out of the picture. Think of Rome as ‘hibernating.’ It will awaken as a ten nation revised Roman Empire headed by the little horn (Antichrist.) The Antichrist will put down three of these kingdoms in his rise to power. The Antichrist will have a universal rule during the final three and a half years of the Tribulation. Revelation 13:5 “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” He will shed blood upon the Earth in an unprecedented manner. He will wear out God’s people-Israel. Daniel 7:21 “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;” Revelation 12:13 “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.” The dragon is Satan, and the woman is Israel, and the male child is Jesus. He will attempt to change times and laws. Daniel 7:25 “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”

This was foreshadowed by Antiochus Epiphanes to stamp out the Jewish religious calendar and all Jewish laws, but will find its ultimate fulfillment in the Antichrist attempting to wipe out all Christian and Jewish meaning from the calendar (AD, BC, 7 days a week, holidays, etc.) and trying to change all of God’s natural and moral laws.

He will blaspheme God. He will be defeated at the Coming of Christ and his body given over to the flames of hell. Daniel 7:11 “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.”

#5 King of kings (Kingdom of God) He comes in the clouds to claim His rightful Earthly inheritance. He is given His universal and eternal throne by His Father, the Ancient of Days. Daniel sees a continuous river of fire gushing from the throne. This is a stream of judgment. Millions of angels stand and minister to the Ancient of Days and His Son. Hundreds of millions stand before Him ready to be judged and the books are opened. Revelation 20:11-15 “ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”