DANIEL — LESSON 8

Scriptures for Lesson 8 will be taken from Daniel 7 and Ezekiel 1.

In Daniel chapter 6 the Medes and Persians had taken Babylon and Darius the King had declared that he was going to make Daniel the head of all the governors over the provinces of the kingdom. Some of the other leaders in the kingdom were jealous of Daniel and convinced the king to make a Law of the Medes and Persians which could not be changed even by the king, declaring a thirty-day worship festival of the king as a god. The unsuspecting but prideful king agreed and signed the law. Daniel’s jealous enemies informed the king that Daniel was worshiping his God and not the king as the law required. Punishment for worshiping another god was death in the lion’s den. Reluctantly the king ordered that Daniel be thrown in with the lions. When God protected Daniel and he was safe the following morning, King Darius sent a proclamation to go all over his kingdom praising and honoring the God of Daniel.

At the beginning of chapter 7, Daniel was given a vision by God in the first year of Belshazzar the king of Babylon which would make the time frame about 553 BC, some 14 years before the fall of Babylon and between the events of Daniel chapters 4 and 5. This vision gives Daniel the same information given in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision in Daniel Chapter 2. Both visions are a panorama of history from the Kingdom of Babylon to the Kingdom of the Messiah or the 1000 year reign of Christ. All the kingdoms that will reign over Israel until the Messiah or God once again reigns as King of Israel.

[Daniel 7:1-3] (1) In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. (2) Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. (3) Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

Daniel was asleep in his bed when he was given this dream vision. He realized the importance of this vision and he wrote it all down so he would not forget. Remember in Daniel chapter-2 Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a giant statue that was divided into sections made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and iron and clay mixed. This vision represented the nations that will rule over Israel in their future. God gave Daniel the ability to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Now Daniel was having the dream. He saw the winds of heaven or the powers of God stirring up the great sea which refers to the people and nations of the earth. The four beasts coming out of the sea represent four great world empires.

[Daniel:7:4] (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 human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

This first beast is a lion that represents Babylon, like the head made of gold in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision. The lion is a common representation of royal power. Solomon has twelve lions on either side of the steps leading up to his throne and winged lions guarded the gates of the royal palace of Babylon. The plucking off of its wings probably represents God humbling Nebuchadnezzar by causing him to be like a beast that lived outside as an animal for seven years and then restoring the kingdom to him.

[Daniel 7:5] (5) And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’

This beast represents the Kingdom of the Medes and Persians. It corresponds to the silver chest of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision. The raised side probably represents the Persia which was the more powerful side of the kingdom. The three rib bones in its mouth may represent Babylon, Lydia and Egypt. These three nations were conquered and oppressed by the Medes and Persians like an animal is ground and devoured in the mouth of a bear.

[Daniel 7:6] (6) After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

This beast represents the Nation of Greece. It corresponds to the hips and thighs of bronze in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision. The leopard is extremely fast. Alexander the Great, the head of the Macedonian army conquered nations with great speed and he was the instrument for setting up the monarchy of Greece. History says that Alexander died in Babylon of pneumonia at the age of 32. The four wings on the leopard’s back and its four heads represent Alexander’s four generals who divided the kingdom after Alexander died. These four kingdoms were: Macedonia under Antipater, or Cassander; Egypt under Ptolemy; Syria under Seleucus; and Asia under Antigonus, or Lysimachus.

[Daniel 7:7-8] (7) After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast — terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. (8) While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

The fourth beast was frightening with great iron teeth. This kingdom corresponds to the legs of iron on Nebuchadnezzar’s statue vision. It represents the eastern and western areas of the Roman Empire. This monarchy answers to the legs and feet of iron in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The Roman army gobbled up nations with an iron hand and brought them under Roman rule. This beast was such a powerful monster that there was no beast in nature to compare. The ten horns represented ten kingdoms. These kingdoms correspond to Nebuchadnezzar’s vision where the statue had ten toes. The ten horns and ten toes are ten nations that will be established after the fall of the Roman Empire.

While Daniel thought about the ten horns, a little horn or king subdues and takes over three of the kingdoms. There are seven kingdoms of the ten left. The Little Horn will be the ruler of the seven remaining kingdoms. The Little Horn is the beast or the Antichrist. This fourth beast then represents the kingdoms that will rise out of the old Roman Empire in the end times and the Antichrist will rule over these nations.

[Daniel 7:9-10] (9) As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. (10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.

As Daniel watched he had a vision of the Ancient of Days on His throne. This of course refers to God on His throne in heaven. Daniel’s description is like unto that given by Ezekiel.

[Ezekiel 1:25-28] (25) Then there came a voice from above the vault over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. (26) Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. (27) I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. (28) Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

[Daniel 7:12-14] (11) Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (12) (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) (13) In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. (14) He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

We have two leaders in this passage. First the beast, the Antichrist, the head of the last world kingdom is destroyed. The second is “like the son of man,” a reference to the Messiah, come to rule the Earth. At the bottom of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue vision there was a stone not cut out with hands that crushes the feet of the statue. Daniel’s vision was more defined as to the meaning of the final world kingdom. In two visions, one given to Nebuchadnezzar as a statue and one given to Daniel as beasts, God reveals the future of the world nations.

In lesson 9 we will study the interpretation given to Daniel of his beast vision.

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