The message of this prophecy is really quite simple and may be summed up this way. The lesson was prepared for older students. Yet Gods covenant to David (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:14) stands and will ultimately be fulfilled. 77 According to Baldwin, This verse [13] has been the subject of more scholarly papers than any other in the book, so indicating its centrality, not only for Daniel but for the New Testament also. Baldwin, p. 142. This description certainly fits the account of Nebuchadnezzars plunge from power and sanity in chapter 4. (5) Above all, the prophecy in this chapter means precisely what God says it means in this text, nothing more and nothing less. Daniel (Daniel 2; 4): As He had done for Joseph, God placed Daniel in a position of power and influence by allowing him to interpret a foreign ruler's dream. A person should not take credit for what God does through him. 4:19; Ezk. The three ribs may also represent the kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon which preceded the Medo-Persian empire and then fell to them. Would Belshazzar toast the gods of gold, silver, wood and stone with the sacred temple vessels? (3) What principles should guide and govern our attempt to interpret the prophecy of this chapter? Lion - Babylon. Our deliverance from the power of sin and the penalty of death has been accomplished by our Lord, who suffered in our place. I have heard a number of attempts to explain the gaps in Old Testament prophecy. 8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 27 Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. 28 At this point the revelation ended. Should we be troubled as well? As the destruction of the last beast and the blaspheming horn came as a complete shock to them, so the Lords coming will catch unbelievers unprepared as well (24:27-39). Rome did conquer much of the known world, but it never conquered the whole world as this is describing. (2) The prophecies of Daniel must be understood in relationship to and in light of the other prophecies of Daniel. Child-bearing is a process which involves suffering and glory. Neither peer opposition nor the king's new law (chapter 6) greatly disturbed Daniel. Daniel 2:1-13 - Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. Encouraged to do so, it savagely devours. In the euphoria of this grand event, someone might well conclude the kingdom of God was to be established within the lifetime of those returning to Israel. However, the Son of Man must first suffer at the hands of men (17:22; 20:18). In Daniels dream the Medo-Persian empire and it king Cyrus was represented by the bear. As the wicked prosper in their sin, it seems as though they can continue in sin without any fear of divine judgment (see Psalm 73:1-11; 2 Peter 2:3-4). Looking about with its numerous eyes, no one can escape his look or hide from him.80 With its mouth, the beast continues to speak boastfully. The precise meaning of the symbols of the raised side and the three ribs is illusive. Daniel was told that the beasts are kings, but he was not told the identity of any of the kings. We do not walk by sight, but by faith. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it. Liberals reject all prophecies, because they require a sovereign God and a miraculous revelation of future events. Daniel said that his thoughts were greatly alarming him and his face grew pale. We should not spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy trying to fill in the blanks God has left. Daniel explained to the king that the statue represented four successive kingdoms based upon power and wealth, beginning with Babylon, while the stone and mountain signified a kingdom established by God that would never be destroyed nor given to other people. Verses 15-28 contain the divine interpretation of this vision. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. 21 I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. The other prophecies were revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar and interpreted by Daniel. Did Daniel interpret dreams? Daniel described the beast as having iron teeth and that it devours, crushes, and tramples under its feet all that stands in its way. Some of his alarm arose from his not yet having been given the interpretation of his vision. Daniel 2:24-49 New International Version Daniel Interprets the Dream 24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, "Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. When the iniquity of the blasphemous horn reaches full bloom and his appointed time to rule is fulfilled, God will destroy him, casting his body into the fire. The angel that Daniel was talking with gave Daniel greater detail concerning the fourth beast; he described this fourth beast as a fourth kingdom coming from the earth, it will be different from all the rest, this kingdom will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. 8 While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts. The seriousness of the prophetic truth personally affected Daniel, motivating godly fear and self-examination. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:1-8). 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. The prophecy of Daniel 7 nevertheless had great relevance and application to those in Daniels day. The vision comes to Daniel in Belshazzars first year.78 A subsequent and related vision comes to him in this kings third year (see 8:1). 7 After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. The fourth beast in Daniels dream relates to the fourth kingdom in Nebuchadnezzars dream, the Roman empire. If, in Gods eyes, a day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years as a day (2 Peter 3:8), then the coming of our Lord has only been a few days from beginning to end. These will continue to be separate nations in the confederation but will come under the little horns control and authority. During times of oppression, it may appear the saints are being defeated and that Gods kingdom is but wishful thinking. 2 Daniel said, I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. The second is bear-like. Because of this we can have a greater understanding of this dream than Daniel did. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. Part of the dream seemed good, and part of it seemed bad. The scene of the four beasts arising from the sea, which Daniel saw in his night vision, is strikingly similar to the account found in the 13th chapter of Revelation: 1 And he stood on the sand of the seashore, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. These kings will rise to power and dominate the earth. Nothing has caused him to panic or depart from his faith and practice as a godly Jew. Daniel's righteousness is legendary status Don't mistake Daniel as some conjurer of cheap tricks. God also allows the wicked to persist and even to prosper, so that those whom He has chosen might be saved (Romans 9:22-24). (1) Why does Daniel indicate the historical setting of the vision he receives in chapter 7? 75 Everything in chapter 7 is on a world-wide scale, the empires of the beasts, the judgment, and the nations that worship and serve the one like mortal man. 3 And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. 16 I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. The final push of the times of the Gentiles will last for 3 years, then the end will come, the end of the times of the Gentiles., THE JUDGMENT AND THE FIFTH KINGDOM (Daniel 7:26-27). When Jesus came, He embraced this expression as a designation for Himself, giving the term meaning vastly beyond that previously held by any Jew. If we go back to Daniel 2 and look at the statue in Nebuchadnezzars dream, we find that it too represented four kings and their kingdoms. The stone cut out of the mountain represented the kingdom of God that would fill the earth. In his interpretation of the dream, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar he was the head of gold. God is able to raise up kings and put them down. In our passage, Daniel asks for and receives an explanation. (4) Suffering is to be expected by the saints, before they enter into the glorious kingdom of God. His mouth is used to speak boastfully. It's build upon the passage in Daniel 7 where he has a disturbing dream. (7) Who is the Ancient of Days? Neither is prophecy written to make us happy or to feel good. The angel went on in this summary to tell Daniel that the saints of the Highest One would receive the kingdom and possess it forever. Those of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, and Darius all agree with the prophecy of Daniel 7. Before the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt and brought into the land of Canaan, they suffered at the hands of the Egyptians. The saints of the Highest One are given all the kingdoms of the earth for an everlasting kingdom. Daniel's Dream is instantly appealing as you can reallyrelate to how Daniel is feeling. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. 5. requires it of the Chaldeans, by promises and threats. The nation of Israel has been set aside by divine discipline in the present times of the Gentiles, which began with Nebuchadnezzar. God will establish His kingdom, and that kingdom, unlike the kingdoms of men, is eternal. Chapter 2 - The original dream describing the future kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek, Roman, kingdom of God. a. 81 See Ezekiel 29:21 for a similar use of the imagery of making a horn grow to describe a kings promotion to power. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. In more detail, the outline would be as follows: (2) The Divine Interpretation verses 15-28. Prophecy becomes necessary from time to time to remind men of those things God has planned for the future which He will surely fulfill. (2) Why do you think Daniel summarized his dream when he wrote it rather than tell it in full (see verse 1)? Consider these lessons as we conclude. [1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. In Daniels dream the Roman empire was represented by such a terrible beast that Daniel could name no animal which fit its description. Daniel uses the expression Son of man twice. During the times of the Gentiles four empires, Daniel was told, would rise and rule over the land and people of Israel. The fourth beast receives greater attention and is of the most interest to Daniel. (3) These prophecies must be understood in light of their historical background as provided in Daniel, in the inspired revelation provided by other portions of Scripture, and the cautious use of supplementary information by reliable historical documents or study. The saints should neither believe nor behave on the basis of how things appear to be (the wicked prospering and prevailing over the righteous). At-A-Glance 1. God has revealed in this interpretation what He wants us to know and has kept back that which we need not know. Daniel, a godly prophet and a man of unshakable faith, has been steadfast in his daily walk of fellowship with God throughout the first six chapters of the Book of Daniel. He will abolish all the religious holidays and seek to abolish Gods law in an attempt to destroy the Jewish people. The beasts are hardly worthy of prose, but the court of heaven deserves a description of the finest words. Each beast has its own unique characteristics. The fact that wicked men will prosper and prevail and that the righteous will suffer is hardly pleasant news. Alexander the Great's empire and its divisions after his death were predicted long in advance in Daniel 11. The saints must believe and behave according to what God has promised about the future the righteous will possess the kingdom of God forever. Prophecies are given so that we may look at history, especially events occurring in our own lifetime, from Gods perspective. In Ezekiel, and even in Daniel (8:17), it is used in reference to a prophet. Nebuchadnezzar's Threat One night, Nebuchadnezzar awoke frightened by a dream. Nevertheless, Daniel tells no one, keeping the matter to himself and suffering a quiet agony over the future events God has revealed to him. Valentina's bond with Sophie, Sid's reaching out to Jesse, and Charlie trying hard to bring Sid and Jesse back together so that the group can go back to being their normal selves and not be an awkward bunch of people not wanting to discuss actual problems. Alexandra was also intrigued by the profession Spencer was in, which made her want to spend more time with him. Because of his wisdom, and the favour of God, Daniel rose to a position within the Babylonian government. When the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, having added perfect humanity to His undiminished deity, He spoke of Himself very often as the Son of Man. In the Gospels, Jesus began not only to identify Himself as the Messiah, the promised Son of Man, but also to explain all that this involved. The reign of Belshazzar was, in some measure, a foretaste of what was yet to come in full measure during the reign of the fourth beast, especially of the eleventh horn. Through the ages, the saints have learned that they must wait for the promises of God to be fulfilled and that this may not happen in their lifetime (see Hebrews 11:13-16, 39-40). It may seem to them that their defeat is certain and that their hopes of entering into the eternal kingdom are lost. Usually it refers to a person as a human being. 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