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Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts
7 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. Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 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. 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.’ 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. 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. 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
“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.
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.
“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. 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
“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.
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
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 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. ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
“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, 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. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 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.
“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.
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.
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.
But the court shall sit in judgment,
and his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
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.’
“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.”
(ESV)
Daniel 7 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
The prophetic part of Daniel starts here with Chapter 7. It is unlikely that we can know exactly what is being talked about here, or even the timing of these events. Scholars have differed over whether these prophecies describe immediate events or if they can be continually applied to many situations over a period of time. It is always important to extract the immediate contextual application but for this passage, it is somewhat difficult.
Chronologically, the vision of Chapter 7 takes place during the reign of King Belshazzar placing it in between chapters 4 and 5. If you remember, in Daniel 2 King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that needed to be translated. There were four metals described in that dream which represented four world-dominating kingdoms. Daniel’s vision here in Chapter 7 contains four beasts. It’s quite possible that after King Neb’s dream, Daniel began to pray and wonder about how God would orchestrate such events and what they meant for the coming Messiah through the line of David. God gave Daniel a vision that lines up with King Neb’s original dream.
King Neb’s Dream ⇒ Head of Gold ⇒ Babylon
Daniel’s Vision ⇒ Lion ⇒ Babylon
King Neb’s Dream ⇒ Arms of Silver ⇒ Persia
Daniel’s Vision ⇒ Bear ⇒ Persia
King Neb’s Dream ⇒ Sides of Bronze ⇒ Greece
Daniel’s Vision ⇒ Leopard ⇒ Greece
King Neb’s Dream ⇒ Legs of Iron / Feet of Iron & Clay ⇒ Rome
Daniel’s Vision ⇒ Composite Beast ⇒ Rome
What does this mean for us today? Well, the four winds of Daniel’s vision have begun to blow. Consider the society that we live in today.
“And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.”
There is brainwashing taking place as there is a reversal of right and wrong. Humanism elevates people to the status of gods. In the same way that the ancient Greek theater corrupted the morals of those people, the media powerhouses bring us news and entertainment laced with an agenda. We are told to be independent and “follow our heart” instead of following God. Like the days of Judges, people do what seems right in their own eyes. In this way, truth is subjective because it only matters what you believe and not what God has clearly revealed. The horn speaks great things that will tickle the ears of humanity.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say this prophecy is being fulfilled today. I honestly do not know. I am only pointing out that we are definitely moving in that direction. The winds are blowing.
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.
Daniel 7:21-22 ESV
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.
Daniel 7:25 ESV
Daniel was disturbed by all this. This horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them. He wore out the saints of the Most High and changed the times and the law. The destruction is indescribable. However, the kingdom will be given to the saints by the authority of Jesus. The world, Satan, and his kingdom have a limited amount of time and a limited amount of power. Though they may win the battles, they have already lost the war. Jesus will hand the kingdom over to those who persevere and trust in His saving grace.
Jesus’ Kingdom cannot be taken by human force. The world powers believe this lie and will fail in the end. His Coming Kingdom is a gift to be received just like Salvation. True gifts, by nature, cannot be manipulated or coerced. They are received in due time and dependant upon the Giver. As the saints who received this Kingdom, we wait patiently on our Giver.