The Book of Daniel - part 8
Daniel Chapter 7 - 4 Beasts and the Ancient One
The Vision : 7:1-14
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.
The book of Daniel is divided into sections, the first being the court stories of chapters 1-6, and the second being 7 and following. This vision occurs in the 'first year of Belshazzar' which places it before the Persian conquest. This particular chapter also marks a turning point in the collection of visions and stories in that it is the last chapter that uses the Aramaic language rather than the Hebrew.
This vision is for the wider world to hear, not just God's people.
There is a definite parallel to the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, so it would help to review that story quickly. First, in the dream the giant statue had 4 divisions which coincided with four kingdoms that would arise before the coming of the Eternal Kingdom of God. In the dream a stone from heaven fell onto the statue and transformed this colossus into dust. The stone then grew to a magnificent mountain which covered the earth.
Here, Daniel sees four beasts arise out of the sea which are four kingdoms out of the sea of humanity.
The first is a lion with eagle's wings, but the wings are plucked and it is made to be like a man. The golden head of the statue is the same beast, and we know that golden head represented Nebuchadnezzar himself.
Consider what happened to Nebuchadnezzar later in his life. His boastful arrogance brought judgement upon him, and he was turned into a madman living as the wild beasts. God then restored him and Nebuchadnezzar reasoned the awesome might and sovereignty of God. He turned from a beast into a man.
The second beast is like a bear, raised up on one side with three ribs in its mouth. This second beast correlates with the silver breastplate of the statue, and we know it is the Medo-Persian kingdom. This kingdom is like the Babylonians, wider in power, but inferior in quality. The three ribs most probably represent the three kingdoms Persia conquered in its day--Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. This beast is also told to eat its fill, which correlates with the expanse of the kingdom.
The third beast is like a leopard with four wings. This beast correlates with the bronze midsection of the statue and is most likely Greece. Greece quickly conquered the known world in a mere 10 years. Alexander the Great, who began his rule as a teenager, led the Greek armies to conquer the eastern side of the Mediterranean and into the Middle East. The four heads is likely the four kings which ruled the empire after Alexander's death.
The fourth beast is unlike any other. Here, we should note a change in tone for Daniel's vision. The first three beasts were like particular animals, they could be described with something known, though symbolic. The fourth beast is an unknown. It is not like the other animal hybrids.
It has iron teeth and ten horns, and later in verse 19, Daniel adds it had bronze claws. The word "different" has the root of "altered", so in this inflection "different" points us to something unlike the others. The fourth beast will not be like the other kingdoms.
Now, earlier I noted the first three beasts correlated with the first three kingdoms of the statue. The final section of the statue, the feet, were mixed with iron and clay. Likewise, this beast is so different that we should note it will be a composite kingdom. Rome fits the bill to an extent, however we should not think of it as just the Roman Empire, because that would make it like the other beasts, an historical kingdom with historical kings.
Out of this fourth kingdom will arise a leader with eyes of a man and a boastful mouth. This leader has traditionally been labeled as what John called the Anti-christ or Beast of Revelation. Now, time does not permit dissecting the numerous Scriptures which correlate this identification, but I will assure you that more is to come in later chapters.
Our point today is simply this:
At the very peak of this blasphemous horn's power, the Ancient of Days, our Lord God, will cast judgement and destroy this horn.
The Lord will not neglect His authority to bring an end to blasphemous kings.
The Vision Interpreted : 7:15-28
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. 16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, 20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth,
and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,
and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones,
and shall put down three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
for a time, times, and half a time.
26 But the court shall sit in judgment,
and his dominion shall be taken away,
to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
27 And the kingdom and the dominion
and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’
28 “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.”
As we continue reading, we see that Daniel is disturbed by this fourth beast, so he asks for more information about the fourth beast. From this interpretation we know four principles in identifying the beast.
First, each beast is a kingdom and a king. (v. 17 & 23)
In each kingdom, there is one king who typifies the kingdom. For Babylon, it was Nebuchadnezzar. For Persia, it was Darius. For Greece, it was Alexander. For this fourth kingdom, there will be a king who typifies the kingdom, who will also be the beast of Revelation who wages war against the saints of God.
Second, the kingdom will consist of ten kings, but three will fall to an 11th. (v. 24)
Possibly the most speculated upon portion of prophecy is the nature of these ten kings. Many have tried to explain them, and I have my own ideas, but the thing we know for certain is that when the 11th king emerges, he will depose three of the former kings in some fashion.
Third, the 11th king will wage war against the saints of God and will persecute them successfully for a period of three and half years. (v. 25)
Many have been cited as the great beast. I have on my book shelf The Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse which is a wonderful read. In it, Jason Boyett provides a list of historical characters that have been identified as the beast by some group of Christians. It is a very humorous book, mainly because of some of the ideas people have had over the years. However, it also proves a point in Scripture that many Christians fail to understand.
When this 11th king emerges, there will be no mistake about his identity, because he will purposefully, diligently, and systematically persecute God’s people. For a period of three and a half years, Christianity will face its absolute darkest days. There will be no half-hearted Christians, because to take the name of Christian will be to bring disaster to your house.
Fourth, this final kingdom will be subject to judgement and everlasting destruction. (v. 27)
Once the time for this kingdom’s end comes, the Lord Most High will sit in judgement over the kingdom, and this kingdom will be destroyed. The people of God will inherit the earth, and all nations will be subject to the Lord our God. The Lord’s kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom and his dominion will be forever.
Now, there is much more to the matter of the End of Days, and Daniel will record more for us as we continue. But, for today, we must remind ourselves that the time for half-hearted devotion to Christ is fading fast. We have moved beyond cultural Christianity, beyond Jude-Christian values as the norm, beyond the accepted sacredness of religion in general, and Christianity specifically. As time moves ever forward, we must choose Christ now to avoid being destroyed with the blasphemous fourth kingdom. Do not delay, because soon, you will be deceived by this beast and lose your chance at repentance. Repent today while there is still time.