The wrenching off of the wings and the transformation of the lion, making him stand on two legs and giving him the mind of a man was a picture of God humbling Nebuchadnezzar and then restoring him to his right mind, you can read about this in Daniel 4. 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). He intends to make changes in time and in law. That dream was read as our Scripture reading this morning. In spite of all these beasts do and say, in spite of their power and even their success, neither they nor their kingdoms will last. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, [2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. The last kingdom has at least eleven kings. So the king spoke, and said, "Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble you." The beasts emerge out of chaos and confusion; the heavenly court is calm and dignified. This little horn is more intelligent and more arrogant than the other horns. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He would rise from the dead (12:40). The angel told Daniel that at the end of those three and a half years the court would sit for judgment and the dominion (a word in Aramaic that means kingdom or empire and the citizens or subjects of that empire) would be taken away from the Antichrist, and the Antichrist and his followers will be annihilated and destroyed forever. He only called on him in a moment of sheer panic when no one else could help, and only then because of the recommendation of the queen mother. This beast is also unique among the four in that he grows 11 horns. Introduction to Daniel 11 The lesson was prepared for older students. He is more beastly in the beginning and more human in the end, paralleling the character of Nebuchadnezzar. In order to save Rose, Unity asks her to give up whatever makes her the dream vortex. In Daniel's dream the Medo-Persian empire and it king Cyrus was represented by the bear. When God granted Daniel the wisdom to interpret the king's dream, it launched Daniel's long career as a political leader, trusted adviser, and well-known prophet. 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. 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. Verses 1-14 contain the vision which God gave to Daniel. If you need one see me after the service and I will get you a copy. As we shall show later, the content of the prophecy of Daniel 7 is very closely related to the reign of Belshazzar. Neither peer opposition nor the king's new law (chapter 6) greatly disturbed Daniel. God would strike him down suddenly too and bring his kingdom to a swift end. The message of this prophecy is really quite simple and may be summed up this way. 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. 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. While God tells neither Daniel nor us that this beast represents Nebuchadnezzar, He does reveal that the head of gold in the vision of the great statue was Nebuchadnezzar (2:36-38). What God says, He will do. For the remainder of Nebuchadnezzars life, it seems that religion in the kingdom of Babylon was at least favorable to the worship of the God of the Jews. The account of the writing on the wall and the death of Belshazzar (obviously the last year of his reign) is found in Daniel 5. This angel responded and gave Daniel understanding into his dream as he interpreted it for him. 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. Until Gods eternal kingdom is established, kingdoms will progress from bad to worse. Encouraged to do so, it savagely devours. Other biblical prophecies bear on the prophecies of Daniel, particularly preceding or contemporary prophecies. We have already seen time frame in Revelation referring to half of the seven-year tribulation. (1) The troubling dream. 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. Liberals reject all prophecies, because they require a sovereign God and a miraculous revelation of future events. Nebuchadnezzar may have started badly, but by the time we read of him in Daniel 4 he seems to be a true believer in God, urging the citizens of his kingdom to worship and serve Him. In other words, this persecution of the saints will not go on unchecked but will be defined to a definite period of time. The fourth beast in Daniels dream relates to the fourth kingdom in Nebuchadnezzars dream, the Roman empire. Then the saints will receive the kingdom which will never end. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Gogglebox star Stephen explained the reason for him and husband Daniel Lustif missing the show on Instagram. Suddenly, the boasting beast is silenced by death, and his body is cast into the burning fire. (3) The finest commentary on the prophecy of Daniel 7 comes from our Lord Himself. (2) Why do you think Daniel summarized his dream when he wrote it rather than tell it in full (see verse 1)? Prophecy is revealed to men to change their perspective, to urge them to see things as God sees them rather than as they appear to the human eye. Before the kingdom of God is established on the earth, four earthly kingdoms will rise and fall. A Vision of Judgment (Daniel 7:9-12) 2. But I want you to notice Daniels reaction to the dream that he had. The first time in Daniel 7:13, he is referring to Messiah, who will sit on the eternal throne of His father, David. We should note Daniels distress in chapter 7 before turning to the other prophecies in Daniel, where we will find that prophecy very often produces distress. This is consistent with God's propensity to use miracles to identify His messengers. Many others may have reluctantly professed or actually adopted the Jewish religion. Daniel was not satisfied with just a summary of his dream, especially of the fourth beast that was so different than the other three, he wanted more detail. The prophecy of this chapter is divinely interpreted. Are we supposed to discover their identity? His vision in chapter 4 should have produced more distress than it did. In chapter 2 we read that Nebuchadnezzar was troubled and terrified by his dream, we read here in verse 15 that Daniel was distressed in his spirit because he knew that God had just shown him a panorama of tremendous events yet future and Daniels distress was his lack of understanding his dream. In spite of these kings, the saints of the Highest One will possess the eternal kingdom forever and ever. Not only was he greatly alarmed and physically sick, but he says he also kept the matter to himself. So it was for our Lord (1 Peter 1:10-12), and so it will be for us. They are far from pleasant but an unavoidable part of the process. His thoughts alarm him, and his face pales. The third portion of the statue in Daniel 2 was the belly and thighs of bronze which represented the Greek empire. The woman endures in the view of the final outcome of the process. What it does not destroy or consume with its teeth, it crushes under foot, much like a bull in a china shop. - Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show the king his dreams. 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. (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. When we expect it least, the Lord will return, the wicked will be punished, and the kingdom of God established forevermore. When the sin and oppression of evil men reaches a predetermined point, God will remove them and establish His promised eternal kingdom. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, [3]Walvoord, John F.; Zuck, Roy B.; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Never in the history of the Roman empire has this happened so it is yet future. By far, this first beast is the best of a bad bunch. 31-35). He couldn't sleep. International Standard Version so Daniel went to ask Nebuchadnezzar for an appointment to see him , and it was granted him so that he could reveal the meaning to the king. (9) What is the relationship between Daniels vision in chapter 7 and the events described in Daniel 5? The gap is not the prophets problem; it is ours. I encourage you to compare the statements of Daniel 2:21-22, 44, 47; 4:3, 34-35, 37; 6:26 with the content and declarations of Daniel 7. The eleventh horn may hope to change the time, but in Gods plan this king is granted a time, times, and half a time three and a half years to oppose and oppress the saints. In a similar way, Belshazzar becomes blasphemous and is suddenly removed by God for his wickedness. Because Daniel possessed wisdom bestowed by God and was conscientious in his work, he not only prospered during the reigns of successive rulers, but King Darius planned to put him in charge of the entire kingdom. We will deal with the meaning and application of Daniels vision later on in our questions and answers. It's build upon the passage in Daniel 7 where he has a disturbing dream. 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 Old Testament prophet did not see the gap because he viewed the coming of Christ as God does. It seems safe to assume the interpreter was an angelic being; at least this is the case in chapter 8 (8:15-26). No wonder this vision causes Daniel such distress. Daniel said the king's dream was about a giant statue that was destroyed by a stone cut out of a mountain. Two weeks ago, we quickly looked at the description of the beast that John sees in Revelation 13 and he described it as a composite of the first three beasts, the body of a leopard, the feet or paws of a bear, and the head and mouth of a lion. In the latter days, before the kingdom of God is established on the earth, kings and kingdoms will become worse and worse. Old Testament Jews would likely regard the reference to the Son of Man in Daniel 7 as a reference to the Messiah, although they would probably not understand Him to be both divine and human. The subject of the vision in chapter 2 seems to be taken up again in chapter 7. Generally, it is agreed that this beast represents the Babylonian empire and king Nebuchadnezzar in particular. It is explained in a way that children can understand, describing his feeling as butterfly's in his tummy.Daniel's Dream takes you on an uplifting adventure with wonderfully expressivedescriptions of the characters, perfectly capturing bodylanguage and . We are not of night nor o darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 9 I kept looking until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. (4) Prophecies not completely fulfilled cannot be fully understood until after their fulfillment. Daniels response to the vision was far from assuring or calming. We should not spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy trying to fill in the blanks God has left. (1) Why does Daniel indicate the historical setting of the vision he receives in chapter 7? The saints must believe and behave according to what God has promised about the future the righteous will possess the kingdom of God forever. They will serve and obey Him forever. (1) It follows the narrative concerning Mishael, Hananiah and Azariah in the matter of Nebuchadnezzar's golden image (Daniel 3). As I stated two weeks ago the leopard was noted for its swiftness and the two pairs of wings suggests added swiftness beyond the animals own ability. The seriousness of the prophetic truth personally affected Daniel, motivating godly fear and self-examination. They believed that the Messiah would come to establish the kingdom, to bless the Jews and to condemn the Gentiles. The blasphemous horn of Daniel 7, which goes so far as to oppose the people of God, is suddenly taken by death, and his kingdom is removed. Before long, Daniel was explaining the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar. When Jesus came, He embraced this expression as a designation for Himself, giving the term meaning vastly beyond that previously held by any Jew. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. In Daniels dream the Greek empire and Alexander the great were represented by the four-headed, four-winged leopard. The visions explanation was not thorough enough to satisfy Daniel. 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. 3 And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. So they came and stood before the king. The point of this prophecy is not to tell us who future kings will be, but rather what they will be like. The first of Daniel's four beasts is "like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle" ( Daniel 7:4 ). 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. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so . Peter reminds us of Gods patience, but His patience has a determined end. This takes place until the Ancient of Days comes and judgment is given to the saints, at the time the eternal kingdom becomes their possession. Those who will reign with Christ are those who have suffered (see Romans 8:17; Philippians 3:10-11; 2 Timothy 2:12). In His response to the demand of the high priest, Jesus directly claimed to be the promised Messiah. Daniel described the beast as having iron teeth and that it devours, crushes, and tramples under its feet all that stands in its way. 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