The point of this prophecy is not to tell us who future kings will be, but rather what they will be like. Our Lords first coming happened over a period of more than 30 years, and yet we view this as one coming. All of this is by divine design. In Daniels dream the Roman empire was represented by such a terrible beast that Daniel could name no animal which fit its description. Wherever I see the Scriptures speak of the coming kingdom of God, I find suffering closely associated with it. Never in the history of the Roman empire has this happened so it is yet future. Just what this means is unclear, but it suggests this arrogant king not only speaks against God, but, like Satan, he aspires to change the order God has established. This also underscores that these four kingdoms go from reasonably good to unbelievably bad. 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. Suffering is an inseparable part of the process which leads to glory. This is what we need to know from Daniels vision, rather than the identity of the beasts. Abraham had to believe and behave on the basis of Gods promises, rather than on the basis of his perception. Some people have a rather irreverent attitude toward prophecy, they approach it as a pastime and they delight in figuring out complex date schemes and drawing detailed diagrams of the future. All distinctions of race and colour and nationality are stripped away and one apparently human figure represents the whole human race. Joyce C. Baldwin, Daniel: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1978), p. 150. Suffering and glory are a part of one work. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. Belshazzar came to power several years after the death of Nebuchadnezzar and seems to have turned completely away from the God of Israel. Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, Upon the son of man whom Thou didst make strong for Thyself (Psalm 80:17). He surpasses those before him by speaking boastfully, then blaspheming, and finally seeking to overthrow Gods order. The transfiguration of our Lord was but a foretaste of His coming glorious kingdom (16:28). The fourth portion of the statue in Daniel 2 is the iron legs and feet and toes of partly iron and partly baked clay which represented the Roman empire. I did not include the insert today because I have already included it several times. The expression, son of man, is not new to Daniel nor to the Jews of his day. The next portion of the statue in Daniel 2 was the chest and arms of silver which represented the Medo-Persian Empire which was even larger than the Babylonian empire. In his vision, Daniel observed the sea being stirred up into a raging storm by the four winds of heaven. This signifies that the events which follow have been ordained by God. Daniel was terrified or alarmed by the scenes he had seen in his mind and desired to understand what they meant. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. Prophecy provides men the opportunity to think and act in a way which pleases God, who determines the future and who reveals future events to men. Twice in chapter 7 Daniel speaks of his distress: As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me (verse 15). Desiring a more detailed explanation, he apparently asked for one and received it. (5) What do the four beasts represent? Old Babylonian Omen Text (VAT 7525) In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. A person should not take credit for what God does through him. He distinguishes himself by his ability to overcome the whole earth, crushing it under foot. For this reason, I wish to clearly state the foundational presuppositions and principles on which this exposition of Daniel is based. Would this horn Daniels vision revealed oppose the people of God and even blaspheme God Himself? And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, Arise, devour much meat! 6 After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself. (Daniel 7:1528, NASB95)[1], THE FOUR BEASTS REVEALED (Daniel 7:15-18). Daniel writes that at this point the revelation was ended. Da Dn). The second scene portrays the establishment of the thrones on which the Ancient of Days and those holding court are to be seated to pronounce judgment. Who is the Son of Man? The prophecies of Daniel 7 speak of a future day of reckoning, foreshadowed by the actions of Belshazzar and the judgment of God on him and his kingdom. Before the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt and brought into the land of Canaan, they suffered at the hands of the Egyptians. We do not walk by sight, but by faith. Are we supposed to discover their identity? So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. 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. 7 And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. Different from the first three, this beast seems uglier, more powerful, and much more hostile toward God and His saints. The words of Daniel which applied to the beasts now found application to them. In the first use of this expression, being a son of man was contrasted with being God: God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Thus, the vision is yet unfulfilled in terms of its major emphasis. But later on two came forward, 61 and said, This man stated, I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days. 62 And the high priest stood up and said to Him, Do You make no answer? Upon hearing the details of the dream, Daniel too was troubled (4:19). Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? As we move into the second half of Daniel 7 and begin to dissect Daniels dream with the help of Gods Word and the help of history past because some of this dream which was yet future for Daniel is past history for us. In more detail, the outline would be as follows: (2) The Divine Interpretation verses 15-28. We know from history that though Persia rose later than Media it soon overshadowed Media in its power. They surely knew this text to be messianic, but they had always applied it to the Gentiles. Passing over the first three beasts, his questions focus on the last beast. As I read through the statements men have made about the God of Israel in the first six chapters of Daniel, I find that what men came to know and to acknowledge through history, God declares through prophecy. The righteous will suffer. He questioned His disciples so that they could confess that He, the Son of Man, was the Messiah (16:13f.). In Revelation it is also referred to as 42 months and 1260 days which all work out to 3 years. When that day comes for them, it is too late to repent. Alexandra was also intrigued by the profession Spencer was in, which made her want to spend more time with him. (3) This chapter contains the major segment of Daniel, which is primarily prophetic, although it does not contain the first prophecy in the Book of Daniel. Remember he had seen the innumerable host of angels attending the Ancient of Days. It would be but a very few years until Cyrus would come to power and assist the Jews to return to Jerusalem and the land of Israel. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, [6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy The toasting of the gods of the Babylonians with the sacred temple vessels, recorded in chapter 5, may have been Belshazzars final act of blasphemy. ET. Many Old Testament prophets shared Daniels distress as a result of the prophecies they received and often conveyed to others.74 Why does the prophecy of Daniel 7 cause this godly man so much consternation? to revoke its approval of the two main drugs used for medication abortion in the United States. The saints should neither believe nor behave on the basis of how things appear to be (the wicked prospering and prevailing over the righteous). He had endured the training of the Chaldeans and he had lived his life in the service of a foreign king, at first the foreign king who had overthrown his country. 13 I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.77 14 And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. The stone cut out of the mountain represented the kingdom of God that would fill the earth. Nevertheless, Daniel tells no one, keeping the matter to himself and suffering a quiet agony over the future events God has revealed to him. 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. At this point the revelation ended. His followers too must be alert and ready for His return (24:44). This was when his life took a sharp turn. Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Daniel tells him, was about a statue with a golden head, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, and legs of iron, which is crushed by a giant stone, which itself becomes a mountain (vv. Nebuchadnezzar became distressed when he received his first night vision (2:1) because he did understand some of his dream. The winged lion was a symbol of Babylon, in any history museum that has a Babylonian section you will find artifacts of a winged lion. Specifically, the account of The Bad News at Belshazzars Banquet (not a bad title for that lesson) in chapter 5 was given to us so that we could better understand the prophecies of chapters 7 and 8. By far, this first beast is the best of a bad bunch. This morning we want to look at verses 15-28 and the interpretation of Daniels dream. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. It is significant for us to note Daniels reaction to this revelation from God. So, this phrase refers to 3 years. For the time, it was these Jewish leaders who were beastly, arrogant, and blasphemous, and because of this they would suffer divine judgment. 78 Walvoord thinks this is the year 553 B.C., some 14 years before the fall of Babylon. This is consistent with God's propensity to use miracles to identify His messengers. 1:17) that Daniel had understanding in dreams; and here we have an early and eminent instance of it, which soon made him famous in the court of Babylon, as Joseph by the same means came to be so in the court of Egypt. Did Daniel interpret dreams? In chapter 5, King Belshazzars dream should have greatly alarmed him, but apparantly it did not. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. What is it that these men are testifying against You? 63 But Jesus kept silent. As the beast continues to boast, a second scene commences in Daniels vision, and for a period of time both scenes run simultaneously. Both the statue parts (made of different metals) and the beasts represent kings and kingdoms. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, Embedded video for Daniel's Dream Interpreted - Daniel 7:15-28. The visions explanation was not thorough enough to satisfy Daniel. Daniels response is testimony to this reality. A look through the Scriptures shows that Daniels response to the prophecies he received was not unique. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:13, NASB95)[5] The more we know about the future the more are hearts should be moved to practical preparation. In Ezekiel, and even in Daniel (8:17), it is used in reference to a prophet. So, I began the review by looking at the first 14 verses where Daniel gives us a summary of the visions he had as he dreamed in his sleep. During this ten-nation confederation another ruler will rise as described by the little horn. [1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. Alexander the great and his armies did conquer the nations that became a part of his empire swiftly. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.. The first time in Daniel 7:13, he is referring to Messiah, who will sit on the eternal throne of His father, David. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Just a few years later Alexander died, and his empire was divided into four parts and his four generals became the monarch of a quarter of the Greek empire. See John F. Walvoord, Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 149. Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13). Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. Would Belshazzar toast the gods of gold, silver, wood and stone with the sacred temple vessels? These are the things Daniel sees in the vision. a. But I want you to notice Daniels reaction to the dream that he had. The fact that wicked men will prosper and prevail and that the righteous will suffer is hardly pleasant news. He intends to make changes in time and in law. Rome did conquer much of the known world, but it never conquered the whole world as this is describing. It is at this time that all human kingdoms will become subject to God and to the saints in the eternal kingdom, which the Son of Man will establish when He comes to the earth to judge and to rule. As Daniel watches, the wings are torn off the beast, and the creature stands erect like a man and a human mind is given to it. Abraham and Sarah were elderly and childless. Both sets of kingdoms are brought to a sudden end and are replaced by an eternal kingdom. From the context, it would seem that Daniels distress is the result of the wickedness and oppression of the world kingdoms which are represented by the beasts, and by the knowledge that the saints will be oppressed and even overcome for a period of time. The emphasis is positive. Quite clear, however, is the identity of the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man.. (7) Prophecy is revealed, not to give us the particulars of things to come, but to change our perspective. The lesson was prepared for older students. In our passage, Daniel asks for and receives an explanation. As Daniel continues to watch, someone descends with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man. He is presented to the Ancient of Days, and to Him is given dominion, glory, and the eternal kingdom. Arrogant, boastful, and even blasphemous kings will reign over the nations, opposing God and oppressing His saints. The revelation of the writing on the banquet hall wall, already described in chapter 5, actually happened later, on the last day of Belshazzars life. The next three are waking visions seen in the presence of angels, followed by an appearance of the Messiah - the Son of Man - to interpret the vision for Daniel. Editing is often evident in the Bible (see John 20:30-31; 31:25). God would strike him down in the moment of His choosing to silence him once and for all and put an end to his kingdom. Chapter 9, on the other hand, has a historical account of Daniels study of Jeremiah and of his prayers of repentance and petition for Israels restoration and return to the land of promise. Daniel went at once and obtained royal permission for more time, so that he could tell the king what the dream meant. Daniel himself had many dreams and visions, mostly related to future kingdoms of the world and the . In his vision, the statue collapsed and disappeared, because a mysterious stone struck it at its feet. I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. We are told the Old Testament prophet could not see the distance between the first and the second coming of our Lord, just as one cannot see the distance between two mountains, when viewed from afar. Editing allows an author to set aside details which are not significant and focus on the essence of the message he is trying to communicate. Prophecy is necessary then so that men are reassured of divine deliverance and blessing, as well as divine judgment (see 2 Peter 2:4-9). Agreeing with God that they are sinners but believing that Jesus Christ death paid the penalty for their sin, that He was buried, and rose from the dead three days later triumphant over sin, Satan, and death forever. 2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. Rather than publish what he had learned he kept it to himself, until that time that the Holy Spirit guided him to write down and reveal what he had learned to the saints. In Daniels dream the Greek empire and Alexander the great were represented by the four-headed, four-winged leopard. And they did! 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