Go ahead and turn to Daniel chapter 7 in your Bibles this morning. In many ways Daniel 7 is a key passage in our study of the Old Testament prophets, not only because of the information contained in the passage itself, but because of what we can learn about the structure and patterns of Biblical prophecy. Although I am obviously going to be quite dependent on the last part of the chapter which reveals the interpretation of Daniel’s vision, in order to make the best use of our time, let me begin by reading the first 14 verses:
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 2 Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
9 “As I looked,
thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
13 “I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
Daniel 7:1-14 (ESV)
You will note that Daniel’s vision occurs during the first year of the reign of King Belshazzar, which would have been about 30 years after the end of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. That means that this event would have occurred prior to Daniel 5, which records the handwriting on the wall and the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians and also prior to Daniel 6, the account of Daniel in the lion’s den, also during the reign of the Medes and Persians. So, just as we have seen with other prophets, especially Isaiah, we find that the material is not always arranged in chronological order.
But there is something even more significant that occurs here. The Book of Daniel employs a literary device known by the technical term of “recapitulation”. Recapitulation occurs when one event is viewed from two or more perspectives. This device can usually be identified because there are obvious similarities in the various accounts as well as striking differences that reflect the differing perspectives.
In this case, chapter 7 is a recapitulation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that we looked at in chapter 2. Let’s see if we can’t identify both the similarities and the differences between the two accounts:
SIMILARITIES
Chapter 2 Chapter 7
Four part statue Four beasts
Statue represents kingdoms Beasts represent kingdoms
Deterioration: Gold to iron/clay Deterioration: Regal lion to dreadful beast
Statue destroyed Beast destroyed
Eternal kingdom established Eternal kingdom established
CONTRASTS
Chapter 2 Chapter 7
Nebuchadnezzar’s vision Daniel’s Vision
Daniel’s interpretation Angel’s interpretation
Glorious statue Horrible beasts
Human statue Inhumane beasts
Destroyed by a stone [Jesus] Destroyed by God’s judgment
The similarities reveal that these two accounts are referring to the same events, but the contrasts reveal that these same events are being viewed from different perspectives. In chapter 2, the four kingdoms are being viewed from the perspective of Nebuchadnezzar, an earthly king who sees these earthly kingdoms as massive and glorious. But in chapter 7, Daniel, 40 or 50 years later, sees these same kingdoms from God’s perspective and his vision reveals the true character of these kingdoms.
This concept of recapitulation will be essential for us to keep in mind as we come to the Book of Revelation. Since much of Revelation is based on the Book of Daniel and it shares the same literary form with Daniel, it should not surprise us that John’s visions in Revelation often use this same device of recapitulation where the same event is viewed from two or more perspectives.
In chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar merely saw the course of the Gentile kingdoms that would rule over the Jewish people. But here in chapter 7, Daniel sees…
THE CHARACTER OF THE GENTILE KINGDOMS
We’ll only look at these briefly since we already identified these kingdoms previously in our study of chapter 2:
1. Babylon (612 – 539 BC)
The beast that looked like a lion with eagle’s wings corresponds to the head of gold in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and represents Babylon. The lion pictured the power of the Babylonian empire and the eagle’s wings speak of the swiftness of Nebuchadnezzar’s conquests. The wings being plucked off and the beast being forced to stand on his feet like a man almost certainly picture Nebuchadnezzar’s humiliation which is recorded in Daniel 4.
It is also interesting to note that archaeologists have discovered that the gates into the royal palace in Babylon were inscribed with the images of a lion with eagle’s wings.
2. Media-Persia (539 – 331 BC)
The beast which looked like a bear corresponds with the arms and chest of silver in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and represents the Medo-Persian Empire. The bear is raised up on one side to show the dominance of the Persians in this divided kingdom and the three ribs in the teeth represent the three major conquests of the Medes and Persians – Babylon, Egypt and Lydia. Historically, the Medo-Persian kingdom certain “devoured much flesh” as it extended its boundaries well beyond those of its predecessor, Babylon.
3. Greece (331 – 63 BC)
The beast which looked like a leopard with four wings and four heads corresponds to the belly and thighs of bronze in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and represents Greece. A leopard is a very fast animal, but with its wings would have been even swifter, a picture of the rapidity with which Greece, under Alexander the Great, conquered virtually all of the know world at that time. But upon his death at the age of 33, the empire was split among his four generals, exactly as pictured by the four heads.
4. Rome [63 BC – AD 476 (West)/1453 (East)]
The fourth beast, so terrifying that it was beyond description, corresponds to the legs of iron and represents Rome. And this beast was certainly an appropriate picture of the way the Roman Empire ferociously crushed its foes.
5. Gap
Just as we saw in chapter 2, there is a gap between the historical Roman Empire and the final form of the fourth beast. Here in chapter 7, that gap occurs in the middle of verse 7:
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet.
GAP
It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
In the Bible, horns are commonly used as a picture of power and authority and the ten horns here in chapter seven correspond directly to the ten toes of iron mixed with clay in chapter 2. As we mentioned when we looked at that chapter, there is no time in the history of the Roman Empire when it was ever ruled over by an alliance of ten leaders, so this part of the prophecy is still awaiting a future fulfillment. And just as we saw in chapter 2, that future fulfillment will involve a…
6. Revived Roman Empire
Although there is still much that we cannot determine about this revived Roman Empire that will be in place at the return of Jesus, we are given a bit more insight here in chapter 7. Once again, we see that power will be shared among a group of ten leaders, represented by the ten horns. But then another leader, another horn, who is not part of that alliance, will arise and take power. Apparently he will come to power by putting down three of the ten rulers. Frankly, that’s about all we can really determine from this passage and any attempts to further identify these “three kings” would be nothing more that speculation.
There is little doubt that this “other horn” is none other than the Antichrist and his description here in Daniel is certainly consistent with what we see elsewhere in Scripture. Daniel’s dream specifically reveals certain actions that the Antichrist will take.
There are striking parallels here with Revelation 13, which describes a beast which is a composite of all four beast kingdoms described here in Daniel 7. Here is how John describes the actions that the beast will take:
And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.
Revelation 13:5-7 (ESV)
• The Antichrist (the “other horn”) will:
There is obviously a lot going on here, but the actions of the antichrist fall into two main categories.
o Blaspheme God
The interpretation of the dream reveals that the Antichrist will speak words against the Most High. But his blasphemy will not be limited to words alone. He will also attempt to “change the times and the law”. In other words the Antichrist is going to attempt to pervert God’s moral law as well as the worship of God. This is a picture that we will see again in Daniel 9 as well as in the Book of Revelation. Paul also describes these same actions of the Antichrist:
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4
o Persecute the saints
Daniel refers to the “saints” six times in five different verses in Daniel 7, in most cases calling them “saints of the Most High.” So it is important that we identify who he is referring to when he uses that term. Is he referring here only to Jews or is he speaking of all of those who have come to God by faith in Jesus?
The key to answering that question lies in the context of our passage. Remember that this is in the section of Daniel that is written in Aramaic, which means that it primarily refers to the Gentiles. Additionally, there is nothing else in this passage that would identify the saints as either strictly “Jews” or strictly “Gentiles” as we observe in other passages in Daniel. Therefore it seems best to take the plain reading of the text to include all those who have come to God by faith in Jesus.
According to the interpretation of Daniel’s dream, the Antichrist will “wear out” these saints for a period of three and a half years. This parallels the Revelation 13 where we see that the Antichrist will make war on the saints for a period of 42 months.
Up to this point, there isn’t a whole lot of good news in Daniel’s dream. But as you’ll remember from last week, one of the main reasons for Daniel’s prophecies is to give hope to God’s people who are in exile in Babylon and to assure them that God has not abandoned them. And so, just as we saw in Daniel 2, the prophecy ends on a hopeful note with a description of
THE FINAL, ETERNAL KINGDOM
Here in Daniel 7, God reveals to Daniel some additional details about that final, eternal kingdom that he had not earlier made known in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. In particular, we are given some insight into the separate roles of God the Father and Jesus in the process of ushering in this eternal kingdom.
While the final days of the reign of the Antichrist are occurring on the earth, we are taken, beginning in verse 9, to the throne of God in heaven. Although we don’t have time to look at them in detail this morning, there are a number a parallels between what is described here in Daniel and the scene described in Revelation 5 where God hands the scroll to Jesus in the presence of the great multitudes.
The Ancient of Days, God the Father, takes his seat upon His throne and then in the presence of the great multitude of those who serve Him, he opens the books and begins the process of judgment. As a result, this final beast, along with the “other horn”, the Antichrist, is completely destroyed.
But in verse 12, we find that the first three beast kingdoms will be allowed to live “for a season and a time” although their dominion will be taken away. This seems to imply that the people of the first three kingdoms will live on and that some of their influence will continue into the future even though they will no longer be in power. We certainly can see this in our culture today, where the astrology and mysticism of the Babylonians is manifest in many New Age practices. We also observe the Greek influence in our “Western” mindset which often attempts to mold God’s Word to fit our lifestyle rather than allowing God’s Word to determine how we live.
After all this has occurred, the “son of man” appears before God and is given everlasting dominion over all peoples, nations and languages. This can certainly be no other than Jesus. Even at this point in their history the Jews would have understood the phrase “son of man” to refer to the Messiah, although they would not have understood how it described a Messiah who would be both fully human and fully God.
The title “Son of Man” is the most frequent way that Jesus refers to Himself, using that phrase more than 80 times throughout all four gospel accounts. He especially uses that title when He is speaking of His second coming, which seems to be a deliberate attempt on His part to link his second coming to this passage in Daniel and to confirm that He was the fulfillment of this prophecy.
And when Jesus is given dominion over this final, eternal kingdom by God the Father, beginning with the millennial reign here on earth and continuing into the new heavens and new earth, that reign is going to be permanent. It will never be destroyed or pass away.
There is one more significant aspect of this part of our passage that seems to be often overlooked. Together with John’s vision in Revelation 1, we have one of the most convincing proofs of the deity of Jesus anywhere in the Scripture. As John is there on the island of Patmos, he hears a voice and he records what he sees as he turns to see where the voice is coming from:
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Revelation 1:12-16 (ESV)
As you read that description, you can’t help but notice the parallels between this description of Jesus and the description of Ancient of Days in Daniel 7. That is no coincidence. Jesus is just confirming to John that he is indeed fully God and that therefore he bears the same attributes of God the Father.
To me, these prophecies in Daniel have always fascinated me and every time that I return to them it seems that God has given me the privilege of developing even deeper insight into the passages. So it’s often hard for me to take a step back and to answer the question that we must always ask ourselves as we examine the Bible:
HOW ARE WE TO RESPOND TO THIS PROPHECY?
Fortunately, we get some help from Daniel in answering that question. Twice in chapter 7, we find Daniel’s response to his vision and the interpretation of that vision:
As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me.
Daniel 7:15 (ESV)
Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.
Daniel 7:28 (ESV)
Daniel certainly recognized the seriousness of these matters. Although, as we’ve discussed, God provided Daniel with this vision as a means of assuring His people that he had not abandoned or forsaken them, there are certainly some troubling things pictured in the vision. So it’s no wonder that Daniel is anxious and alarmed.
Although there are certainly a number of principles that we could glean from this passage, I’d like this opportunity to make some broader observations about how we need to respond to prophecy in general. Hopefully these principles will be helpful not just this morning, but they will also be some useful guides as we continue our journey through the Old Testament prophets and Revelation.
1. Although the final fulfillment of prophecy may seem remote, it is still has current relevance.
Although some of Daniel’s audience may have seen the first elements of this prophecy beginning to be fulfilled in their lifetimes, the final fulfillment was thousands of years in the future. The same was true of the Book of Revelation when it came to John’s readers. Although some of the elements of his vision may have been similar to what they were experiencing at the time, the final culmination of that vision is still being awaited nearly 2,000 years later.
While prophecy frequently contains elements of prediction about the future, the purpose of Biblical prophecy is never to simply provide information about upcoming events. It is always intended to be relevant to the generation to which the prophecy is given as well as for the generations that follow.
The fact is that none of us in this room have any idea when these events in Daniel and the events in Revelation will reach their final culmination. About all we can know is that we are one day closer today than we were yesterday. So one of the dangers is that we will just read and study these accounts for the purpose of accumulating information and fail to make any application to our lives. That’s why I work really hard each week to make these passages relevant for us right here and now and to develop some practical principles that we can put into practice in our day-to-day lives.
I’ve always loved to teach from the Book of Daniel because I’ve been so fascinated by the information that I accumulate each time I come to the book. But I’m really grateful to God that this time, God has helped me to focus more on how He wants me to apply what I’m learning to the way I live my life right now. And one of those lessons leads us to the second principle I’d like to share with you this morning…
2. The purpose of prophecy is to produce hope and perseverance in the midst of present tribulation.
Daniel and Revelation were both written to God’s people who were in the midst of tremendous tribulation and persecution. For Daniel, his audience consisted of Jews who had been taken captive and brought into exile in Babylon. So it would only be natural for them to begin to question whether or not God had abandoned them.
John’s readers faced a similar state of affairs. They had expected Jesus to return soon after His ascension. But here they were 60 or 70 years later and He still hadn’t come back. And now they were facing terrible persecution at the hands of the Roman government and they, too, had begun to question whether their faith was in vain.
So, in His complete wisdom, God revealed these visions to His servants and commanded them to write these things down as a means to assure His people that he had not forgotten them and that His purposes, plans and ways were still being carried out.
In a sense, these two prophecies were necessary because God has chosen, in His complete sovereignty, to settle His accounts with those who have rejected Him with great patience. Listen to the words of Peter:
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance…And count the patience of our Lord as salvation…
2 Peter 3:9, 15 (ESV)
Because God does not want to see men perish, He is patient in bringing this current age to an end and bringing final judgment to this world. Unfortunately, we often fail to recognize God’s purpose in His patience. So we see the wickedness in the world and we want God to do something about it right now. We experience tribulation and we want God to end it right now.
But one of the main purposes of prophecy, especially the type we find in Daniel and Revelation, is to provide us with hope and give us the motivation to persevere even when things might appear to be hopeless or when we’re suffering through periods of tribulation. Because we already know the end of the story, we can persevere. That idea leads us to our third and final principle…
3. Prophecy profits us not by giving us the particulars of things to come, but by changing our perspective
It is clear that, even after he is given the interpretation of his dream by the angel, there is still much that Daniel does not understand. How could he? And as we’ve seen this morning, even more than 2,500 years later, there is still much that we just can’t know with certainty about much of what we’ve studied this morning.
Frankly, that’s a very good thing. Because if we could somehow figure out all the details, we would be tempted to rely upon our own knowledge rather than trust in God. So perhaps the greatest value in many of these prophecies is that they allow us to change our perspective. They help us move beyond the helplessness and hopelessness of our world that is the inevitable result of viewing things from our perspective and make it possible to persevere because of the faithfulness of God that is so apparent when we see things from His perspective.
So maybe it’s good to be a bit like Daniel – anxious and alarmed – rather than being smug in our own knowledge and wisdom. Because that will cause us to seek to view things from God’s perspective and to rely upon Him.
