Sermon Tone Analysis

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Understand the Context

Around 553 BC, during King Belshazzar of Babylon’s first year, Daniel had a vision that he then wrote down (Dan.

7:1).

This vision was the first of four visions Daniel 7–12 records.

The visions highlight God’s sovereignty over all nations and kingdoms and the ultimate victory of God and His people.

[LifeWay Adults (2021).

Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide - ESV - Winter 2022.

LifeWay Press.]

Next week we will examine Daniel’s confessional prayer for his people in Chapter 9 which will conclude our quarterly sessions for “Winter 2022”.

Our passage today is the last chapter written in Aramaic letting us know that it was intended for the Gentiles to be able to understand and learn about God.

The first chapter in Aramaic is a corresponding dream by Nebuchadnezzar of the large statue made of various materials that matches today passage in the general interpretation.

These two corresponding chapters are the book ends for Daniel’s writings to the people of the land.

Chapter 7 is also the first book not in chronological order with the preceding ones and begins the series of prophecies written down by the exiled Israelite.

Wiersbe and several other commentaries mentioned another correlation between the king’s vision in chapter 2 and the prophet’s in chapter 7. “This vision complements and supplements the one in chapter 2. There we have man’s view of the nations (precious metals), and here we have God’s view (ferocious beasts).”[

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament] We can see this reference to man’s kingdom as beasts in Ps. 49:12 “Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.”

Let us take a look at how else God visually described to Daniel some of the major kingdoms of the earth.

Explore the Text

Our lesson material states the date as 553 B.C. but in the readings that I did this week I found dates ranging from 550 to 555.

Chapter 5 records the “last day” that this king ruled as king.

It is difficult to tell from the wording whether this vision occurred while Daniel was asleep or “about to fall asleep” as he was laying on the bed.

Either are plausible or would give the man opportunity to be able to quickly record his thoughts privately once more awake.

As it typical for prophetic visions, Daniel writes what them down for others to read at a later time to either be warned or comforted by the contents.

The Aramaic word translated saw describes an intentional, reflective look at something.

This word is used repeatedly through the passage as he “keeps looking” at the events and images appearing before him.

He knew that God was showing him something important and studied intently what the Lord was revealing.

Daniel’s prophetic dreams and John’s revelation should be studied together as they help us interpret and understand both texts.

The four winds reference is our first connection between the two in today’s passage and we know these correlate with the four major directions on the compass and are restrained or loosed by God’s angels (Rev 7:1).

These “winds” stir up a great sea.

Although visually it may have appeared like the Mediterranean as it is a vision, we cannot take that too literally.

The sea is often used throughout the Hebrew Bible as a symbol of turmoil and chaos [Faithlife Study Bible].

The Moody Bible Commentary reminds us that “the sea” is frequently symbolic of Gentile humanity in other biblical passages (Isa 17:12-13; 57:20; Rev 13:1, 11).

The clearest stated interpretation of the meaning of the sea and what it represents comes from Rev 17:15 “And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.””

This lets us know that everything that comes out of this sea comes up out the peoples of the earth and is not down from God in heaven.

The four great beasts are four kingdoms (Dan 7:17), or groups of people that have coalesced under a common leader or ideology.

They are viewed as animals and instinctual in nature to show their lack of willful submission to God’s sovereignty as He must guide them as He would other livestock and beasts of the field.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge takes the reference even further describing bestial natures as representative of “tyranny and oppression, emerging from the wars and commotions of the world.”

Each creature does seem to be increasingly more horrifying and violent in nature and their represented kingdoms do grow in power and ferocity.

The first beast is a lion with eagle’s wings.

As part of the list of curses for not following God as a nation, Deut 28:49 “The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand.”

Part of the reason Daniel and his friends were brought to live in exile was so that they would be taught “the literature and language of the Chaldeans”.

All but two of the resources I read agree that this beast correlates to the “golden head” of chapter 2 and is Babylon and its leader of the time Nebuchadnezzar.

A lion was a powerful animal, and Babylon was a powerful empire.

The eagle’s wings probably denote great sovereignty over a large area, but the clipping of its wings likely refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling (Dan 4:31-33) and perhaps Belshazzar’s (Dan 5:24-30).

[LifeWay Adults (2021).

Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide - ESV - Winter 2022.

LifeWay Press.]

This “clipping of the wings” and “mind of man” could also correlate to the decrease in the warring and expansionist tendencies shifting toward the building of great works and cities for more peaceful and civil pursuits.

This shift from beast to more man-like behavior would be a promotion from God’s view and would make this beast the least ferocious.

Our second beast in the vision is a that of a bear “raised up on one side.”

Some interpret this as a deformity that caused the animal to lope along strangely, others correlate it to being upright on one leg.

Most agree however that this is an image of the Medo-Persian kingdom.

Dan 5:28 helps affirm this as the writing on the wall told Belshazzar, “Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

Most of my materials agreed that the three ribs being “eaten” by the bear are the regions of Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt conquered by the Medo-Persians in 546 BC, 539 BC, and 525 BC.

Although the lion may be considered the “king of the beasts” the bear is less noble and known for its rampaging and fierce defense of territory.

The prophet Isaiah describes the Medes as having, “no regard for silver and do not delight in gold.

Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.”

(Isa 13:17-18)

The third beast to come out of the sea of people would have to be more powerful to overcome this bear.

It is a leopard with four heads and four wings.

Most attribute this symbol to the rise and fall of Alexander the Great and the Grecian era.

It was the fastest and farthest-reaching kingdom up until that time.

Vaster than the previous two kingdoms and accomplished in half the time.

Although the influence of the Greek culture lasted much longer than its first world leader, the death of Alexander prevented the kingdom from remaining a single realm.

The four heads are most often associated with the four generals, Antipater, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy, who divided the kingdom after the conquering leader’s death.

Dan 11:4 corroborates this perspective.

The beasts Daniel saw frightened him, yet they only ruled by God’s authority.

People should not place their ultimate hope in the kingdoms or rulers of this earth.

We should respect our leaders, and pray that they may be willingly guided by the Lord, but also recognize God guides them whether they acknowledge Him or not (Rom.

13:1-7).

[LifeWay Adults (2021).

Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide]

Daniel lived and saw the fruition of the first two beast coming to power, but third would not come for a couple more centuries.

The final and fourth beast would not rise to power for nearly 500 years.

Thus far, Daniel had seen three beasts and had likened each one’s appearance to an earthly animal.

However, a fourth beast appeared in Daniel’s vision.

This fourth beast was terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong.

The first three beasts also were frightening but not as much as the fourth beast.

In contrast to the other animals, the fourth beast had great iron teeth.

Thus, it possessed a power to destroy that the other three kingdoms did not.

[LifeWay Adults (2021).

Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide]

Not being able to describe the animal using known references would make the beast more terrifying.

Because of the horns and teeth imagery many associate this with the Eastern images of a dragon.

Today with so many movies and shows using computers to create and depict various fanciful and alien beings the dragon may not be a terrifying enough image for this beast.

Dan 7:23 expands on the imagery and saying, “it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.”

To add to its ferocity and terror may have been what this beast would accomplish that the others would not.

All the other kingdoms rose up from the throng of peoples and joined together to oppress and dominate the people and image bearers of God’s creation.

This fourth kingdom would be used to attack and crucify God Himself.

Most interpreters identify the fourth kingdom with the Roman Empire.

Rome became the dominant empire in the second century BC and surpassed the other empires with its superior administrative capability.

Rome ruled the world at the time of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:1).

Scholars have identified the beasts’ ten horns with ten emperors of Rome.

[LifeWay Adults (2021).

Explore the Bible: Adult Leader Guide]

In the dream of chapter 2, the fourth kingdom is at the bottom with the feet of iron and clay and is said to be “a divided kingdom.”

(Dan 2:41) Several scholars correlate the ten toes with the ten divisions and our fourth beasts 10 horns.

This view is also corroborated with Rev 17:12 “And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.”

Out of these ten divisions another “little one” will arise.

Dan 7:24 tells us that this horn “shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.”

The timing of this “rising” to power and who this horn is attributed to symbolize depends on your overall view of the vision’s timeline.