Daniel 7
Last Updated:
08/30/2008 16:15
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This amazing chapter covers ancient history for us and yet our
near future also!
Daniel 7
1-3: In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream
and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the
sum of the matters. 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, diverse one from another.
[Babylon]
4: The first was
like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were
plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet
as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. [I believe that Nebuchadnezzar believed
in God because of Daniel and that's why he was turned from a beast into a
man with a man's heart. More on this here]
[Persia]
5: And behold another beast, a
second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had
three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus
unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
[Greece]
6: After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back
of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was
given to it.
[Rome/Revived Roman Empire]
7,8: After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth
beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron
[Daniel
2:40-45]
teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the
feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and
it had ten horns. [Revelation
13:1-10] I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among
them another little horn, [The
beast or antichrist] before whom there were three of the first horns
plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes
of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
[Christ's Kingdom at Christ's
Return in Glory]
9,10: I beheld till the thrones were
cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery
flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth
from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand
times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books
were opened.
11,12: 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. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they
had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season
and time. [These kingdoms were
older, so while they weren't in power, they still existed until the end.]
13,14: I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they
brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory,
and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him:
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
15,16: I Daniel was grieved in my spirit
in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near
unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he
told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
[Interpretation]
17: These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which
shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High
shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even
for ever and ever. [Big picture]
[Western
European Union:
Treaty of Brussels March 17, 1948]
18-20: Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which
was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth
were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in
pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten
horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and
before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a
mouth that spake very great things,
[Revelation
13:5] whose look
was more stout than his fellows.
[This is the antichrist at his revealing,
the
abomination of desolation]
[The 2nd Half of the
70th Week of Daniel]
21,22: I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and
prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and
judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time
came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
23-28: Thus he said, The fourth
beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from
all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and
break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that
shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from
the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 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. [3 ½ years or 42 months
Revelation 13:5 or 1260 days] But the judgment shall sit, and
they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the
end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under
the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most
High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve
and obey him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my
cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept
the matter in my heart.
Four beasts from the sea
representing four kings in history.
-
Lion with eagles wings that were
plucked (Babylon)
-
Bear that devours much
flesh (Persia)
-
Leopard with four
wings and four heads and given dominion (Greece)
-
Fourth Beast with iron
teeth and 10 horns (Rome/European
Union)
-
3 horns plucked by
the roots before... (Three countries presently stand in the way of
controlling the Foreign Minister seat as he says is necessary to have one
effective voice speak for Europe. The three countries that presently
appear to be taking preventive measures to block him are Germany,
France, and England.
http://www.jewsformorality.org/javier_solana.htm)
-
Little horn comes up
amongst the 10 (Javier
Solana?)
- 3 Plucked Horns perspective from Jerry: The AC
will make war on the saints in the middle (3 ½ years) [of the 70th week]
using 7 of the 10 kings (10 kings less the 3 he subdues) and God will
give him power to overcome them for 42 months. Currently, the WEU
(Western European Union) 10 permanent/only-voting members have a 6 month
rotating presidency. So, take the 10 kings less 3 = 7 x 6 months each =
42 months! Surely the WEU is the 10 horns/kings brought down to 7 who
give their 6 month rotating presidency to the AC to rule for 42 months.
-
Little horn has eyes
like a man and a mouth speaking great things (Confirming
the Covenant)
Regarding Daniel 7:4, is the
"season and time" taken prophetically to mean 1 year (time) and
3
months (season)? Here is a post by
bill at
ProphecyNewsWatch that I found interesting:Times and seasons, season and a time, 1 year 3
months?
Ecclesiastes 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a
time to every purpose under the heaven:
Daniel 2:21
And he changeth the times and the seasons:
he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise,
and knowledge to them that know understanding:
Daniel 7:12
As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away:
yet their lives were prolonged for a
season and time.
Honestly, I don't know what it means that "the
lives of the beasts were prolonged for a season and a time." I lean toward
'a season and a time' defined as a special time, a time when kings of old
empires are changed, a time when wisdom and knowledge increase. In the
recent past, Saddam Hussein compared himself to King Nebuchadnezzar, the
first beast. Hussein's kingdom has been removed. Will the president of Iran
make us remember the Persian Empire, the 2nd beast. Will he gain control
over Iraq (Babylon) as did Darius? Will we see the lives of the former
beasts during this special time? Having seen one, I am looking for the rest.
Is
Daniel 7:4 Referring to Babylon?
Daniel 7:4
The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until
its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood
on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.
I am also intrigued by the story written by
Nebachadnezzar in
Daniel 4.
Daniel 4:30-37
The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for
the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my
majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from
heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is
departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling
shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as
oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most
High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 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. And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine
eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the
most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to
generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and
he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What
doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory
of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my
counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my
kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar
praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth,
and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
Nebuchadnezzar's pride is brought low when he is made
to be like the beasts of the field for seven years. After that time, he is
again given his human faculties and resumes reigning Babylon.
There is the aspect of
timing since this vision in Daniel 7 is after Nebuchadnezzar's reign is
over.
Daniel 7:17
These great beasts, which are four, are four kings,
which shall arise
H6966
out of the earth.Shall Rise
(H6966)
qûm (koom)
(Chaldee); corresponding to H6965: - appoint, establish, make, raise up
self, (a-) rise (up), (make to) stand, set (up).
(H6965)
qûm (koom)
A primitive root; to rise (in various applications, literally,
figuratively, intensively and causatively): - abide, accomplish, X be
clearer, confirm, continue, decree, X be dim, endure, X enemy, enjoin, get
up, make good, help, hold, (help to) lift up (again), make, X but newly,
ordain, perform, pitch, raise (up), rear (up), remain, (a-) rise (up)
(again, against), rouse up, set (up), (e-) stablish, (make to) stand (up),
stir up, strengthen, succeed, (as-, make) sure (-ly), (be) up (-hold,
-rising).
Does this necessarily mean they were all
future kingdoms? Or could it
be that even though Daniel received this vision past Nebuchadnezzar's reign,
the prophecy is given regardless of time? He
would certainly understand and recognize Daniel 7:4
as having happened before, giving him some grounding in the present for what
was to come in the future. The idea of appointing is related to these
four kings. That they shall arise from the earth doesn't necessarily place a
time that must be after the vision given does it? Regardless of when, they
will arise from out of the earth.
It seems to me that the story of Nebuchadnezzar being made low as a beast
after his god-complex in order to be made a humble man giving glory to God
seems to fit the idea used in other Biblical illustrations of those making
their nests in the heights of the eagles,
the proud, being brought low. This
seems to be exactly what Daniel 7:4 is talking
about.
Jeremiah 49:16
Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou
that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the
hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring
thee down from thence, saith the LORD.
From
Winged Lions: The
Gate of
Xerxes at Perespolis shows
that the Winged Lion was placed at the corner of one entrance. When you stood
in front of the gate you saw a lion with four legs and when you were inside
the gate you saw a lion with four legs.
Other views:
What I quoted above from my overview is basically the
dispensational view of Bible prophecy. So, there are many areas where I
agree with dispensationalism. But, as I said before, there are some areas
where I disagree. What first caught my attention was apparently finding a
different order of events in Daniel from that which strict dispensationalism
taught. In chapter seven of the book of Daniel we read about the prophet
Daniel seeing the four beasts rising from the sea. The forth beast was
different from the other beasts and it trampled down and devoured the first
three. It also had 10-horns -- identifying it as the same beast that John
saw rising from the sea in
Revelation 13. Daniel sees a little horn appear among the 10 horns
and uprooting three. And, Daniel sees this little horn possessing a mouth
and boasting great things ( Daniel
7:7-8).
So far nothing appears out of order from strict
dispensationalism. However, what comes next is. In the next verse we find
the same throne room scene that we find in
Revelation 4. And, in the following verses (Daniel
7:9-11), we see some of the same things happen that occur in
Revelation 4 through
Revelation 19. For me, the implications were obvious. Although the
dispensational view teaches that Revelation chapter four marks the beginning
of Israel's final seven-year period, the book of Daniel appears to teach
that Revelation chapter four marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation,
which is only a 3 ½ year period. You see, Daniel places the
throne room scene of Revelation chapter four happening after the Antichrist is
boasting great things. And, from other related passages, we know that
this boasting occurs in the middle of the seven-year period -- when the
Antichrist goes into the Temple and declares himself to be God.
At first I pretty much kept my new thinking to myself.
Then, I ran across something that gave the idea further support. I read a
piece by an expert on the original languages who pointed out that John in
Revelation was making direct word connections back to the book of Daniel. As
an example, he said that the book that was sealed in
Daniel 12 should be understood as the scroll with seven seals in
Revelation 5.
If that's truly the case, once again it suggests that
the events unleashed by the breaking of the seven seals on the scroll could
happen over a 3½ year period, not seven. That's because, in
Daniel 12 where the book is sealed, an angel asks how long until the
end of these wonders. The reply is, time, times and a half time (3½ years),
until the power of the holy people is shattered.
I began finding other Scripture that supported the
3½-year idea. For example, we read that the Antichrist and his 10 kings will
be given authority to wage their war against the saints for 3½ years. And,
when the first seal on the scroll is broken, we read that the rider on a white
horse is given a crown and then he goes fourth to conquer. Once again, the
passage may suggest the beginning of the foretold 3½ year period, not seven.
You see, when the rider is given his crown, he may be receiving his authority
to act -- or make war -- for forty-two months (3½ years). And, in
Revelation 13, when the 10-horned beast rises from the sea, it has 10
crowns -- meaning the 10 kings now have their authority to act for 3½ years
too.
I now have more reasons why I believe the events that
begin in
Revelation 4 may occur over a 3½ year period. For example, with my new
way of thinking, I can even see the Scripture that I quoted at the beginning
suggesting a 3½ year period for the scroll now too. Let's look at it again.
Daniel 9:27
(NASB)
And he will make a firm covenant
with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop
to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come
one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is
decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.
Notice the part I highlighted. In ancient times, a
scroll in the hand of someone sitting on a throne represented a king issuing a
decree. So, even here, in the passage that's referred to by Jesus in
Matthew 24:15, we can find it being suggested that the seven-sealed
scroll in Revelation isn't opened, and it's judgments poured out, until after
the Antichrist has been revealed in the Temple in the middle of the seven-year
period.
As I said before, what I have presented above is not
intended to be an academic argument. It's only my attempt, in simple fashion,
to explain the how and why of what I have come to believe. Now, as many have
requested, I will give my basic time line.
NCBreeze: I have been studying Daniel lately, and the strong
instinct I had, from reading Daniel 7, was that this set of 4 beast
mages represent ruling authorities that are distinctly
different than the body parts of Daniel 2. Is it possible that
Daniel 2 represented only kingdoms
that interacted with the existent Jewish nation,
prior to its destruction in AD 70? Is
it possible that the 4 beast images described by Daniel 7 describe
ruling authorities that postdate the
1917 British Balfour declaration, beginning the path to reestablish the Jewish
nation? All of the nations described in the Daniel 7 analyses below
have had distinct high-priority interactions and attitudes about the Jewish
state.
- Britain (Lion)
- Russia (Bear)
- Germany (Leopard/Panther)
- US/UN - "different beast"
Here are several analyses... what do you make of this analysis?- It
basically takes the EU off the table as the one world government, and puts the
UN in.
Christian Media Network -
Beginning with Babylon
[Daniel 2 vision), all four kingdoms dominated the people of Israel. The fourth kingdom (the legs of
iron), the Roman empire, presided over the destruction of Israel in
70 AD. The fourth kingdom also provided the countdown
to the first coming of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. Conversely, the four beast kingdoms function in
reverse as they provide the historic countdown to the resurrection
of the state of Israel; and once again these empires also serve as a
sequential countdown to the second
coming of Christ. Because the
fourth kingdom is the empire that catapults The Antichrist to power, our
identification requires a global perspective. Every verse in the Bible
implies he is a global figure. Speaking of his confederate The False
Prophet, the text does say "...he causes ALL to receive a mark...." 11. The
word all would appear to imply far more than Europeans. Indeed a quick bit
of research in practically any Encyclopedia will find the European Community
listed under regional organizations. Yet, to this day, the vast majority of
prophecy teachers confidently and categorically state that the European
Community is the final empire that will host The Antichrist.
There is only one
global political entity of a
lasting consequence in the world today. It was founded between 1945
and 1948. It has claimed absolute authority in establishing jurisdiction
over the historic land called Palestine. Its power and political reach is
now reaching overwhelming proportions as its members include virtually every
government on the face of the Earth. The
United Nations IS the prophesied one world government so frequently
mentioned in the Bible. The recognition of the intermediate American
hegemony that is presently being manifested only serves as a `red herring'
in understanding how these kingdoms fit into the scriptural account.
In many respects, America and the United
Nations are alter egos of each other. The US created the UN as a
vehicle to draw in the rest of the world's nations to the construct the
American government intended to engineer. At the very same time the UN was
formed (1947), the United States implemented the National Security Act which
formed the National Security State the US has become. By
slowly ceding power to it's own creation,
the US is transitioning its power base into world government and the UN is
the heir apparent. There are some very important details to this process
that are found in our study on The Beast with Seven Heads — however, those
are beyond the scope of the present exposition. For the present, suffice it
to say that the United Nations is the designated entity for world government
and significant elements of the US and the UN may be seen in the description
of the fourth Beast of Daniel Seven.
NCBreeze: This is an alternative view of Daniel 7 (it says the
same 4 kingdoms of Daniel 2 will
be reconstituted in the latter days, having direct conflicts with Israel)..
e.g. Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran), Greece and Rome. (However, I don't see any
signs that Greece will arise again, in the latter days.. ??) This analysis
justifies it by the fact that Daniel 8 defines the third kingdom as Greece. I
confess, I'm stumped at this point. What do you make of Greece, in this
analytical point of view? How could it possibly be reconstituted as a world
power?
Kingdom Baptist -
It appears there is
no great agreement on the 3rd kingdom. Some say it is Germany, others say
France, and Beirnes says it is an "Arab Federation." This is precisely one
thing that is wrong with this whole methodology. Once we have left the
Bible's own interpretation of these kingdoms, "anything goes"! Sir Robert
Anderson was perhaps one of the first to suggest that the kingdoms of Daniel
7 were not identical with those of Daniel 2. It is clear that he erred
because he did not see that these same four
kingdoms would be revived in the latter days. I believe G.H. Pember
("The Great Prohecies of the Centuries Concerning Israel and the Gentiles")
and William Kelly are both much more sound on Daniel 7 (at least in regard
to the identity of the 4 kingdoms). Kelly writes: "Accordingly the Spirit again
goes over the ground of the four great Gentile empires, as well as the fifth
empire, the kingdom of heaven, to be introduced by our Lord Jesus. But all
is presented, though, of course, with perfect consistency, from a different
point of view. It is not now a great image, beginning with that which was
gorgeous...Here we have ravening wild beasts.
The very same powers are meant [as in Daniel 2], but it is another aspect of
them....it is now God's view of these same powers, and their relation to His
people." ("Notes on Daniel," 1902)
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