Daniel – Chapter 7c
Chapter 7 Outline
I. Introduction to the Dream (7:1-3)
a. The Date of the Dream (7:1)
b. The Detail of the Dream (7:2-3)
1. The Four Winds (7:2a)
2. The Great Sea (7:2b)
3. The Diverse Beasts (7:3)
II. Information about the Dream (7:4-14)
a. The Earthly Empire (7:4-8)
1. The Lionlike Beast (7:4)
2. The Bearlike Beast (7:5)
3. The Leopardlike Beast (7:6)
4. The Terrible Beast (7:7-8)
b. The Heavenly Empire (7:9-14)
1. God’s Sovereignty (7:9)
2. God’s Sentence (7:10-12)
3. God’s Son (7:13-14)
III. Interpretation of the Dream (7:15-28)
a. Daniel’s Troubled (7:15-16)
b. Dream’s Truth (7:17-27)
1. The Five Kingdoms (7:17-18)
2. The Fourth Kingdom (7:19-25)
3. The Fifth Kingdom (7:26-27)
c. Daniel’s Thoughts (7:28)
Message
III. Interpretation of the Dream (7:15-28)
a. Daniel’s Troubled (7:15-16)
Verse 15
Daniel did not hide the fact that he was grieved and troubled by this vision. The Jews had failed and their world empire would have to wait. Theocracy and monarchy alike had ended in apostasy and disaster.
Maybe Daniel had hoped that at the end of the 70 year captivity that Jeremiah had foretold of, that the monarchy would be restored in Israel and that they would return to their former glory.
Perhaps he hoped for a national repentance, a spiritual awakening, a revival in his land ending with the arrival of the Messiah and a new Theocratic kingdom being set up under Christ at Jerusalem.
Unfortunately for Daniel he knew that with the destruction of Jerusalem the “time of the Gentiles” had began, and according to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream there would be another three gentile world empires after this one before the Messianic Kingdom.
What disturbed him more than the time frame was the wild beast character of the coming kingdoms and what that would mean for the world in general and for God’s people in particular. As for the fourth beast, Daniel trembled at the thought of it. No wonder he was grieved in his spirit and his thoughts troubled.
Verse 16
Who is this celestial being that stood by Daniel in his dream? We do not know his name, what he looked like or what rank he held. But what we do know is that God had place him there so that he could answer Daniels question.
b. Dream’s Truth (7:17-27)
1. The Five Kingdoms (7:17-18)
The first answer of the angel was brief enough. It concerned the 5 kingdoms. There would be four kingdoms of men and the final kingdom of the Messiah. Look at what the angel draws our attention to. He says matter of factly that the four beasts are just four kings, then in verse 18 he says BUT the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and posses the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever…. With the word “but” he draws our attention to what was really important.
He was not interested in the rise and fall of human empires, he saw the wonders of the Great White Throne, the splendour of the Ancient of Days, the majesty of Most High God, these four beast were just kings.
The whole sad episode of Cyrus the Persian, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and all the rest of them were eclipsed by the fact that once the saints of the Most High took over, there would be a Kingdom that would never end.
2. The Fourth Kingdom (7:19-26)
Verse 19-22
Daniel, however, was not satisfied, he was concerned about this fourth beast. He wanted to know about the ferocity and features of this beast, especially about the ten horns and the little horn that could speak. How did it make war with the saints? How did it not win? How did the Ancient of Days come? How, how, how???
Verse 23
In answering Daniels question, the angel told him about the fourth kingdom. We know that the first phase Roman Empire never did conquer the entire earth. The Romans never subdued the Scots, the Welsh, the Parthians, or the Scythians. They never crossed the Cacausus mountains or went beyond the Sahara, but as we saw earlier on in the chapter, another phase of this empire is on its way.
Verses 24
Who then is this little horn? He is known by many names:-
Isaiah 14:25 he is called the Assyrian
Daniel 9:26 he is called the prince that shall come
2 Thessalonians 2:3 he is called the man of sin
Daniel 8:23 he is called a king of fierce countenance
Daniel 11:21 he is called a vile person
Daniel 11:36 he is called the wilful king
2 Thessalonians 2:8 he is called that Wicked (or lawless one)
Revelation 13:1 he is called a beast
1 John 2:18 he is called the antichrist
The Greek prefix anti can mean “against” and “instead of.” The final world ruler will be both a counterfeit Christ and an enemy who is against Christ. The Antichrist has to overcome the power of three other rulers to be able to do what he wants to do, become world leader….
Verse 8 tells us of his eyes which would suggest that he has remarkable knowledge and skill in planning his exploits. We are also told that his mouth spoke great things, he will be a man skilled in using words and be able to promote himself so that people will follow him.
Think of people in the past who have been able to speak to crowds and whip them up in a frenzy to follow their crazy ideas. Hitler convinced a nation that they were justified in going to war and creating a master race.. If you think he was a good speaker, wait until the Antichrist comes on the scene.
He will control this third phase of the Roman Empire, he will have all the political, economic and military might of the west and will be in a position to make his move to world domination.
According to Daniel 9:24-27, the Antichrist will make a covenant with the Jewish nation for 7 years. This peace treaty will guarantee the security of the country earning him great support from the humanistic Jews. He will endorse the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem on its original ancient site, which will win the support of the religious Jews.
Imagine how the Islamic world will feel about this.. maybe they will turn to Russia for help and here is where the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 is fulfilled. Gog and Magog, (Russia) will invade Israel along with its Islamic supporters and they will meet disaster. The overnight collapse of Russia and the Muslim world leaves a vacuum for the Antichrist to fill and now the world seems to be his, or as Daniel puts it he will devour the whole earth.
Verse 25 And he shall speak great words against the Most High,
The prominent feature of the Antichrist is his blasphemies. Even though people through the ages have blasphemed God and said awful things about Him, even though people today seem to be more outspoken about their contempt for the things of God, even though Communism and humanism have created a climate for blaspheme, the Antichrist will outdo them all.
Verse 25 .. and [he] shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
Millions of people will be saved after the rapture of the church. In Revelation 11 we see the two witnesses who will witness to the Jews, of whom 144,000 will be saved, sealed and sent to evangelise the world. They will reach a great multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues Revelation 7:9. Against these late converts and against the Jewish people, the Antichrist will turn his hatred and his spite.
As he rises to world domination he no longer has any need for the Jews and he will renege on the treaty he signed with them and he will move his armies into their country, seize their temple and set up his image in the holy place and begin a bloodbath of God’s people on earth. This coming universal holocaust is also know as the Great Tribulation Matthew 15:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
He will think to change times and laws. He will abolish the Judeo-Christian system of laws, along with its religion and its institutions. However, a divine limit is set on the Antichrist’s activities a time and times and the dividing of times. So what does that mean?
The plural word times can mean dual, so it would read, a time, two times and a half a time. A time being one year means this last period will be three and a half years, which also fits with Revelation 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
In summery this is what will happen:-
Antichrist will be leading one of ten confederate nations in Europe. He will overcome three other nations and, with the help of Satan, move into the position of world dictator.
At first he will appear friendly to the Jews and will sign a seven year covenant to protect them (Dan 9:27). The signing of that covenant will signal the start of the last seven years of Daniel’s seventy weeks outlines in Chapter 9 Verses 24-27, this period is commonly known as “The Tribulation” and is described in Matthew 24:1-14, Mark 13:1-13 and Revelation 6-19
After three and a half years, the Antichrist will break the covenant and set up his own image in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, forcing the world to worship him and the devil who is energising him. Using the language of Daniel the Lord described this as the “abomination of desolation” (Dan 11:31, Mat 24:15, Mark 13:14, 2 Thes 2:1-4)
This signals the last half of the Tribulation, a time known as “the wrath of God” Rev 14:10. It will climax with the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth and the defeat of the Antichrist and his army (mat 24:29-44) Jesus Christ will then establish His kingdom.
3. The Fifth Kingdom (7:26-27)
This remarkable vision, given when Babylon was still a world power, has an awesome climax. The Fifth Kingdom – the storm clouds roll away, the sun breaks through at last. The sound of war is silenced and the Messianic Age arrives.
An age proclaimed by the prophets when men will beat their swords into ploughshares, the dessert will blossom as the rose, when the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, peace and prosperity will be the norm, man will have just begun his life at a hundred, the world will be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters now cover the sea, and Jesus will reign from Jerusalem.
No wonder the Lord taught us to pray, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
c. Daniel’s Thoughts (7:28)
The angel had finished the interpretation and had dwelt for the most part on the encouraging outcome of it all, but, Daniel’s thoughts much troubled him. The angel could rejoice at the outcome but Daniel and his people were to face the stormy and violent centuries ahead. Daniel was upset because of the tribulation that lay ahead for his people.
