by Lane Rogers
Daniel 7
I. Vision of the Four Beasts
| 1In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.2Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.3"And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.4"The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. 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. 5"And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. 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.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 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.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. |
B. Verse 2___The "four winds of heaven" has many different interpretations. Given the general theme of this book that it is God who gives and God who takes away nations, this can only be a description of God at work. There is some indication in Scripture that God does "stir up the spirit" of certain rulers and nations and is providentially active in the affairs of history (cf. Isa. 10:5-16; 45:1-7; Jer. 27:5-7; II Chron. 36:22=23; Ezra 1:1-14).
C. Verse 3-7___ Same as the Dream of Daniel 2__4 beasts = 4 Kingdoms
D. Verse 8___See below for the interpretation of the ten horns plus the little horn. Verses 24ff.
Meaning of the 4 Beasts_______________
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Daniel 7 |
Daniel 2 |
Kingdom |
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Lion
Bear |
Head of Gold Breast & Arms of Silver |
Babylon Medo-Persia |
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Leopard |
Belly and Thighs of Bronze |
Greece |
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Dreadful Beast |
Legs of Iron, Feet of Clay and Iron |
Rome |
Interpretation: 7:17___"These four great beasts are four kings who shall rise out of the earth....7:23. As for the fourth beast, he will be a fourth kingdom of earth."
B. Lion with eagle's wings___Babylon
Isa. 17:12; Jer. 4:7; Ezek. 17:3, 12,15; Isa. 14:12-15.
Discovery of Images of lion with eagle's wings have been found and they represent Babylon.
C. Bear___second kingdom__Medo-Persian kingdom
Dan. 5:23__31; 6:8; 10:1
1. Raised up on one side: Persian superior to Media.
2. 3 ribs in its mouth: kingdoms of Egypt, Lydia, and Babylon, conquered in that order ___from Herodotus.
D. Leopard__third kingdom: Grecian Kingdom.
Daniel 8:20-22__
1. Four Wings__rapidity with which Alexander conquered the world.
2. Four heads__four divisions of the empire. Dan. 8:21-22.
E. Dreadful, Terrible Beast = Rome, fourth kingdom.
To be described and interpreted in verses 23-27.
II. The Vision of the Ancient of Days on His Throne with this Court of Judgment Assembled___7:9-12.
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9"I
kept looking 11"Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. 12"As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. |
1. God decides the fates of nations and empires. Rev. 16:5; Isa. 3:13.
2. God assembles His court and considers the opinion of His heavenly creation. 1st Kings 22:19-21; Rev.4:4; Psa. 82:1,6.
3. The myriads of angels that surround His throne. Rev. 5:11; Ps. 68:17.
A. Verse 9___It should be noticed that there is more than one throne. It is a matter of speculation as to who is sitting on the other thrones. Young thinks it is angels who help God judge. My view is that these are the thrones of the saints (1st Cor. 6:3).
The "Ancient of Days" is a term meaning one who has lived longer than anyone can remember. It is a symbol for eternity, thus it is God the Father and the Son (see Micah 5:2). He is clothed in holiness and purity, symbolized by His white garments and His white hair (Revelation 1:12-20). His throne is fire represents judgment and judicial power. (Psa. 50:3; 97:3; Ex. 3:2; Deut. 4:24). Fire can symbolize a purifying agent issuing forth from God's throne. Wheels symbolize God's omnipresence. He is everywhere all over the earth. In Ezekiel 1:15-21 it is God riding through the earth dispensing judgment.
B. Verse 10___ The thousands upon thousands are expressions as to the number of those who do the work for the Ancient of Days. In this case they are gathered to do judgment on the "fourth beast" and the "little horn."
The "Books" tell us that God records the actions of His enemies. (cf. Isa. 65:6; Jer. 17:1; Mal. 3:16; Lk. 10:20). In Revelation, John makes a point to show that those who worshiped the "beast" and had its mark on them were judged by what was written in the book, but those who had passed from death to life through the "first resurrection" (baptism, see Romans 6:3-4), over whom the 2nd death has not power.
C. Verses 11-12___Once again, we are looking at the little horn. This little horn was still bragging and boasting and saying great things of himself. As Daniel watches, the beast (which includes the little horn) was slain and destroyed. The fourth beast as a whole, was slain and its body given to the fire. This correlates precisely with John's vision of the end of the "beast" found in Revelation 19:20-21, where it is thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone.
The rest of the beasts (the first three, the lion, bear, and leopard) had their dominion prolonged "for a little while" correlates with John's beast of Revelation 13:1-2. In other words, the former three empires were absorbed and preserved by the 4th empire and finally destroyed by the kingdom of God. This idea fits the great image of chapter 2. When the fourth beast was slain, the essence of all the beasts were gone and their dominion taken away and the saints were victorious.
III. The Vision of the Son of Man Ascending to Heaven to Receive His Kingdom. 7:13-14__
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13"I
kept looking in the night visions, 14"And
to Him was give dominion, |
1. The Son of Man. Psa. 8:4-8 fulfilled in Hebrews 2:5-10. Jesus was both one after the nature of man and one after the nature of God.
2. He ascended to the Ancient of Days in the clouds. Acts 1:9; 2:32-36; 3:21; Eph. 1:20-22; Phil. 2:9-11; 1st Cor. 15:25; Heb.1:3; Rev.5:6-13. The Kingdom is/was established Col.1:13; Rev. 1:6,9.
3. The Kingdom is not for a literal millennium (1000 years) but for eternity. Dan. 7:14; 27; Rev.22:5.
4. The Kingdom culminates in the final judgment, the end of the world and the saints in control of the kingdom of the world, when every knee bows & the wicked are cast into hell.
A. Verses 13-14__The "fourth beast" and the "little horn" are the Roman Empire. These verses (13-14) reveal the downfall of Rome as a consequence of judgment from "one like a son of man" who came to the Ancient of Days. The "Son of Man" was given dominion and glory and a kingdom everlasting. The "kingdom" of the Son of Man is depicted as victorious over the fourth beast and enduring ever after as the only kingdom with universal dominion.
B. The Son of Man is the Lamb or Christ. The Roman Empire did not fall completely in the reign of Domitian (81-96) but this is where the fall begins. John wrote Revelation about 95 AD and while the Revelation does not pretend the fall of Rome was to come immediately it does predict the future death of the Roman Empire. From the end of the 1st Century on, the history of the Roman Empire is one of civil war, financial disaster, and decimation by famine and disease. The empire was attacked by enemies and was weakened to the point of eventual collapse. All of this was precluded by moral debauchery, the rise of feminism, and other political forces that we see even today.
C. In Revelation 17: 8-11, John is referring to Domitian in his riddle. Counting from Tiberius (omitting the "barrack emperors"), who was emperor when Jesus was crucified and the church established, to Domitian there are 7 emperors. Five had fallen, one was, and the other hand not yet come. We can know just exactly who John and Daniel were speaking of since they told us in Revelation 17:8-11 that one of the emperors mentioned was ruling at the time of the writing of the letter (One is).
D. Domitian was considered to be the "reincarnation of Nero," the king that was and is not was the eighth.
IV. The Interpretation of the Visions___7:15-18
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15"As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.16"I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:17'These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.18'But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come |
A. Verses 15-16___Daniel wants to know the meaning of these visions. He is distressed. He seeks angelic help.
B. Verses 17-18___We find out that these are four kings or kingdoms that are on earth. It is during this period of time that the eternal kingdom of God was to be established. Specifically, during the reign of the 4th beast (see verse 19).
V. The Meaning Explained ___19-28.
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.'19"Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet,20and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates.21"I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them22until 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.23"Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.24'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(see note of grammar) three kings.25'He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. |
A. Verses 19___We just left the part of the conversation where the eternal kingdom of God was mentioned (v. 18) and now we turn to the 4th beast. This 4th beast was brutal, with teeth of iron, claws of bronze, it tore things apart, devoured much, and trampled everything it didn't devour.
B. Verses 20__Daniel also wants to know about the 10 horns on the head of the beast and the little horn that which came up form among the ten horns. This was the one horn which had eyes like a man and a mouth that spoke blasphemous and boastful things against God, and was stouter that all the other horns.
C. Verse 21___It was this little horn who made war with the saints and overpowered them. The little horn symbolizes the dictator who follows the first ten, different from the others, eliminating three others and will blaspheme God by calling himself a god and persecute the saints.
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Domitian (A.D. 81-96). Domitian's reign was characterized by the exile and execution of quite a number from the senatorial families, so his memory was formally condemned by the senate after his assassination. Domitian insisted on the title "dominus et deus ("lord and god") and Christian tradition remembers him as a persecutor and the emperor under whom the book of Revelation was written. Ferguson |
D Verse 22___ Judgment was passed on the little horn in favor of the saints and the saints took possession of the kingdom.
E. Verse 23-24___The Fourth Kingdom: Something new is added to the one horn which we were not told about in verses 1-8. It was to make war on the saints and even seem to prevail over them. John wrote in Revelation that the beast was human__not divine__ and he was to be destroyed by the church (Rev.13:18). John is quick to inform the readers that in the war of the beast upon the church those who die will "rest from their labors" (Rev.14:12-13). The war of the beast will continue upon the saints until the judgment on the beast (7:26).
F. Here is the message condensed. God reveals to the covenant people that his people will prevail over four successive world empires (Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome). This is the theme of chapter 2 and chapter 9. God's redemptive plan moves forward in the Anointed One (9:24-27). The Messiah will establish God's eternal kingdom on earth and it will be done in the days of the 4th world empire mentioned in Daniel. A note about the English word church. If you are looking for the English word "church" in the Old Testament it will not be found since it was an invention of the Calvinists.
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There has been some confusion over the years caused by the use of the English word "Church." Some religions make a point that the "church" was never mentioned in the Old Testament, ignoring the fact that the "church" per se is not mentioned in the New Testament either. This confusion stems from a translation problem and the invention of this word by early translators. To my knowledge, the Geneva Bible of 1599 (the Calvinist Translation) was the first time the word "church" was used. Prior to this the word "assembly" or congregation" was used. The invention of the word "Church" in the New Testament disconnected the assemblies of the New Testament with those of the Old Testament and is at the root of a great deal of false teachings. |
G. These verses fit precisely the Roman empire and Domitian and are parallel to the book of Revelation. Domitian through his election as consul for ten years and censor for life, openly subordinated the republican aspect of the Senate and established a monarch. He was in fact the re-incarnation of Nero. Seutonius says he would spend hours catching flies and stabbing them with pins. He ordered one of the Vestal Virgins i to be buried alive and her lover clubbed to death. Another man insulted him and he ordered him to be torn to pieces by dogs. He hit on the novel idea of scorching his prisoners' genitals to make them divulge the whereabouts of other rebels in hiding and cut off the hands of many more. He hated the Senate and inaugurated a reign of terror that kept all of Rome in constant fear. He assumed the right of voting first in the Senate, so that anyone who voted differently was a marked man. He issued his letters and imperial edicts with the salutation: Dominus et Deus, Meaning, your Lord and Your god instructs you and so forth. He renamed September and October , the months of his accession and birth, to "Germanicus" and "Domitianus." Thus, he sought to change the times. Finally, he paid no attention to the policies of the Senate but all decisions were his and his alone. He demanded to be hailed as Jupiter's son and heir, the earthly vicegerent and representative of the king of the universe. He was extremely lustful. Seutonius says he consorted with prostitutes and homosexuals and seduced his young niece who became pregnant by him and died as a result of a forced abortion.
Domitian is the Roman emperor remembered for bathing the empire with the blood of Christians.
H. Verse 24__ If one looks at older translations, we notice that this king "rooted out" three other kings. In the NAS it is translated "subdued" three other kings. I don't think either translations is correct. Notice below:
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The NAS Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon Strong's Number: 8214 Browse Lexicon Original WordWord Origin lpXcorresponding to (08213) Transliterated WordTDNT Entry Sh@phal (Aramaic)None Phonetic SpellingParts of Speech shef-al' Verb Definition
NAS Word Usage - Total: 4 humble 1, humbled 2, subdue 1 NAS Verse Count Daniel4
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I take this to mean that Domitian was much worse than three other kings. That puts him the worst all the way back to Nero.
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26'But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.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. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself. |
A. Verses 26-28___A judicial sentence is passed. Domitian was assassinated by one of his wife's servants (joined by others) and his body cremated by his nurse at her suburban home and the ashes were deposited in the temple of the Flavian family. It was the end of a dynasty. His troops began to speak of "Domitian the God" and looked for leads in order that they might avenge him. The Senate could not wait to denounce him. Even to remember him was a shame. They sent for a ladder to take down his images and inscriptions before the ashes of his body reached home. Thus, his dominion was "taken away."
B. The Saints now have the kingdom and dominion and the Lord's people are in charge.
1. 4th beast = 4th world empire. 7:19,23.
2. 11th horn = 11th king 7:20, 24-25.
The 11 horns of Daniel 11-3 = 8 kings (eleven minus three equals eight kings)
compare to the 7 + 1 = 8 kings
7 (8) Heads of Rev. 13, 17.
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Daniel 7 |
The Roman Emperors |
Rev. 17 |
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1_ |
Augustus |
1_ |
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2_ |
Tiberius |
2_ |
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3_ |
Caligula |
3_ |
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4_ |
Claudius |
4_ |
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5_ |
Nero |
5_ |
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6_ |
Galba 7 mos. Fallen |
not permanent enough to be a head |
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7_ |
Otho 3 mos. Fallen |
not permanent enough to be a head |
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8_ |
Vitelius 9 mos. Fallen |
not permanent enough to be a head |
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9_ |
Vespasian |
6_ one exists |
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10_ |
Titus |
7_ endure as short time |
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11_See Below for the 3 humbled by Domitian |
Domitian |
8_the 8th |
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Roman Empire Ends |
10 Persecuting Emperors after Domitian to Diocletian |
Roman Empire Ends |
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a. Utters great boasts against God. vs 20,25
b. Wars against the Saints. vs. 21,25
c. 3 kings rooted out before him. vs. 20,24
d. Yet, arises after the 10 horns. vs 24
e. Seeks to change in times and law. vs. 25
f. Persecutes the saints for 3 1/2 times. vs. 25.
E. Meaning of the Judgment Scene. 7:26
1. Court judges the Beast
2. Dominion taken away
3. Kingdom destroyed
F. Meaning of the Eternal Kingdom. 7:27
1. Dominion of all kingdoms given to the saints.
2. All people will obey the Highest One.
V. Daniel's Reaction 7:28
SOME GENERAL REFLECTIONS:
Nations come and go. The eternal kingdom of God alone affords us our eternal security. Daniel chapter 7 is a chapter of hope and reassurance for those who live under persecution. God is aware of conditions and will pass judgment on evil.
1. NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL OR HOW SUBTLE GOD'S ENEMIES, THEY SHALL NOT ENDURE.
A. The fourth beast, which incorporated all the deceit, magnificence, power and beastliness of the "beasts" before it did not endure.
B. All human power opposing God is initiated by the devil. But no matter how ferocious, or invincible it may seem it cannot last. Every fufilled prophecy proves it. Daniel represents over 600 years of human history predicted in minute detail for men to check for fulfillment and believe.
2. CHAPTER SEVEN SHOULD STIR THE HEARTS OF MEN TO BELIEVE IN GOD.
A. It is prophecy fulfilled, therefore divinely trustworthy.
B. A definite and glorious note or victory prevades the whole chapter.
C. By it man may know how history must run its course; the kingdom of God the church, will stand forever while all other institutions, societies, cultures will fall into the lake of fire and brimestone.
D. God permits His saints to be tested and tried by those forces that oppose His kingdom in the world. He does this to purify their lives and strengthen their faith in Him, He does it to let them see the transitory nature of the world and the way of destruction chosen by those who worship the beast (in this case__the state).
E. Praise Him for His love. He desires only that we better than we are!
In mythology, the infamous Tarpeia, daughter of Spurius Tarpeius, was a traitorous vestal virgin. Rhea Sylvia, who was raped by Mars and conceived Romulus and Remus, and Tuccia, whose chastity was questioned, were sometimes accounted prototypes of vestal virgins.
The discovery of a "House of the Vestals" in Pompeii made the vestal virgins a popular subject in the 18th century and the 19th century.
The objects of the cult were essentially the hearth fire and pure water drawn into a clay vase.
