Daniel 7
Daniel Has a Dream!
Read
Dan. 7:1 In the
first year of Belshazzar king of
Pray
Intro
√ Daniel has a dream!
That’s a switch! The guy who has been busy interpreting everyone else’s dream now has a dream of his own!
1st of 4 revelations from God
1 dream ~ chapter 7
3 visions ~ chapters 8, 9 & 10
God reveals to Daniel additional information about the kingdoms of Man that would dominate the people and land of the Jews.
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2 is an overview.
Daniel’s dream & visions fill in a lot detail about the kingdoms shown in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
The totality of the dreams and visions covers the time during which God disciplines His chosen people…
From
…called “the time of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24) and
concludes with the hope of the Messiah coming to Earth to establish the
√ Timing
Vs. 1 tells us…
“In the first year of Belshazzar king of
…or, 553 B.C., about 14 years before the events recorded in chapter 6!!
Chapters 1-6 written in 3rd person
Chapters 6-12 written in 1st person
So, the first half of Daniel is an overview of Daniel’s public life, while the last half of the book gives us details of his personal life that weren’t revealed until later.
Ex. Newspaper vs. autobiography
Daniel’s dream has three parts, or three movements, that reveal the future of the kingdoms on Earth…
Man’s Kingdom’s on Earth
God’s Kingdom in Heaven
God’s Kingdom on Earth
…followed by the interpretation of the dream.
Man’s Kingdoms on Earth (vs. 1-8)
Dan. 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of
Dan. 7:2 Daniel
spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of
heaven were stirring up the
Dan. 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
Dan. 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
Dan. 7:5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’
Dan. 7:6 “After this I looked, and there was another, 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.
Dan. 7:7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
Dan. 7:8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
√ Man’s Kingdoms on Earth
Or, as I like to think of this section…
“Where the wild things are!”
Daniel’s dream is a direct parallel to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from chapter 2.
Both reveal the future kingdoms of Man that will rule over
the world, or control the land and people of
But, note the difference between Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s…
Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of a magnificent image of a Man!
Daniel dreamt of a four wild beasts!
Both dreams speak of the same 4 kingdoms, but from different perspectives.
Nebuchadnezzar saw the kingdoms of Man from a human perspective ~ seen through the fuzzy lens of Man’s pride.
Daniel saw the kingdoms of Man from God’s perspective ~ seen through the clear lens of God’s truth.
We’ll save the interpretation of each beast till the end of the chapter, but let’s look at a couple of the symbols used that will help us with the interpretation of the dream.
√ Symbols
Dan. 7:2 Daniel
spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of
heaven were stirring up the
Dan. 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
Four winds ~ the word “winds” can also be translated “spirits” and is probably a reference to angles (either holy or unholy)…
…who are sent by God to promote His Sovereign will on the earth.
Ex. Angles and demons
Angels
Zech. 6:1 Then I turned and raised my eyes and looked, and behold, four chariots were coming from between two mountains, and the mountains were mountains of bronze.
Zech. 6:2 With the first chariot were red horses, with the second chariot black horses,
Zech. 6:3 with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot dappled horses—strong steeds.
Zech. 6:4 Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”
Zech. 6:5 And the angel answered and said to me, “These are four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth.
Demons
Rev. 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev. 16:14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
The point is that we’re reminded once more that God rules over the affairs of Men through the unseen world of the Spirit where angels and demons wage war.
…and
Ex. Via Maris ~ the way of the Sea
But, it lies right in the middle of three continents!
Africa, Europe and
So, whoever controls the
Thus, we find the kingdoms of Man continually warring over
the tiny nation of
So, the Four Beasts of Daniel’s dream speak of the same four kingdoms represented by Nebuchadnezzar’s dream…
…four kingdoms that would rule over
God’s Kingdom in heaven (vs. 9-12)
Dan. 7:9 “I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels a burning fire;
Dan. 7:10 A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened.
Dan. 7:11 “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.
Dan. 7:12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
√ God’s Kingdom in Heaven
Daniel’s eyes are now directed heavenward where he gets a glimpse of the One Who really…
“…rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will” ~ Dan. 4:17
That is, God the Father here described as…
“And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow,, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire” ~ vs. 9
The description of God is similar to that of Jesus in Revelation 1 and communicates something of His nature and character…
“Ancient of Days” ~ speaks of His eternal being/nature
“White as snow” ~ speaks of His Holiness
“Fiery flame” ~ speaks of His perfect discernment
“Seated” ~ speaks of His authority as Sovereign Judge
Daniel also tells us that once God was seated that court began, books were opened, and the beast with the big mouth is judged and tossed into the fire.
√ God’s authority on Earth
Vs. 10-12 give us a picture of the end of the Kingdom’s of
The judgment described is a picture of the end of the “time
of the Gentiles” when Jesus returns to establish the
The final world ruler, the Antichrist will be captured and
thrown into the
The kingdoms of Man will be removed and in their place Jesus
will set up the
Just like in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, when the tiny stone struck the Image on the foot and destroyed it, then grew into a mountain that covered the whole earth.
God’s Kingdom on Earth (vs. 13-14)
Dan. 7:13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Dan. 7:14 Then 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 the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
√ God’s Kingdom on Earth
Now Daniel sees another Person whom he describes as…
“One like the Son of Man” ~ vs. 13
…to whom the Father gives complete authority over all the
kingdoms of
This is of course Jesus who often referred to Himself by this title, as did His disciples (ref. Matt. 9:6 & Acts 7:56).
Speaks of His humanity (the incarnation).
In fact, when Jesus stood before the high priest and was asked if He was the Messiah, Jesus said…
“I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” ~ Mark 14:62
…which sounds very similar to the description in Daniel’s dream, and John’s account in Revelation 5!
So, what’s it all mean!
The interpretation (vs. 15-27)
Dan. 7:15 “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
Dan. 7:16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:
√ The interpreter needs an interpretation!
Here’s another switch-a-roo!
Daniel the interpreter of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams and Belshazzar’s obituary…
…needs help interpreting his own dream!
Note that he, like Nebuchadnezzar was “troubled” by his dream.
In fact, he tells us that he was physically, spiritually, and emotionally undone by the dream.
Most likely because he recognized that it was significant (as did Nebuchadnezzar)…
…but he doesn’t know what it all means!
So he asks a friendly angel to help (probably Gabriel ~ ref. Dan. 8:16 & 9:21).
√ The interpretation
Dan. 7:17 “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.
Dan. 7:18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
Dan. 7:19 “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet;
Dan. 7:20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.
Dan. 7:21 “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,
Dan. 7:22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
The angel doesn’t give us much to work with here! That’s because we’ve already had these four kingdoms identified for us in Daniel chapter 2!
The four terrible beasts represent the same history of Man
as in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, but from God's
perspective!
As compared to the magnificent image the Nebuchadnezzar saw.
√ Quick review…
The 2-Winged Lion (vs. 4) - in scripture the Lion is
always portrayed as the king
of the animal kingdom. Represents
strength, splendor and glory. In the
history of the Gentile kingdoms
The lion’s wings were plucked, speaking of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity, but then he was given the mind of a man, a reference to his restored sanity and his acknowledgement that God rules!
The Bear (vs. 5) - is always mentioned as inferior to the lion in scripture
because although it is as strong as a lion, it is clumsy and slow by
comparison. The Medo-Persian army was
large (2 million men) and powerful, but lacked the speed and continuity of
Raised up on one side ~ probably speaks of the greater
influence of
Three ribs ~ speaks of the great BBQ found in the South! Actually, speaks of the three kingdoms conquered by the Medo-Persians…
The 4-Winged Leopard (vs. 6) - the Leopard represents strength and agility. The addition of Four Wings represent the supernatural speed by which Alexander conquered the world (only 4 years to completely overthrow the Medo-Persian Empire).
The 4 heads represent the 4 generals who divided Alexander’s kingdom after his death…
Seleucus ~
Ptolemy ~
Lysimacus ~
Cassander ~
The Beast (vs. 7) - this kingdom is so terrifying in it's destructive power that Daniel cannot compare it to any known creature in the animal kingdom!
Rather it is represented as a monster with huge iron teeth, and ten horns. It was bent on destruction and violently devoured, broke and trampled everything and everyone in its path.
This is the beast that Daniel wants to know about!
√ The 4th Beast
Dan. 7:23 “Thus he said:
‘The fourth beast shall be
A fourth kingdom on earth,
Which shall be different from all other kingdoms,
And shall devour the whole earth,
Trample it and break it in pieces.
Dan. 7:24 The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.
This 4th Kingdom is different than the first 3 in that it covers two eras (like the difference between the legs and feet of the Image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream)…
The Beast itself ~ the ancient
…ends with the crowing of Charlemagne, king of the Franks, who is crowned emperor by Pope Leo III and founds the Holy Roman Empire (800 A.D)
The horns on the beast ~ the neo-Roman Empire of the Last Days that “arise from this kingdom”…
…a confederation of 10 nations who will surrender their power to the “little horn” with the Big Mouth ~ the Antichrist.
Interesting that we find a historical collusion of power in
A picture of the future Antichrist who will use the Church of Rome under the direction of the False Prophet to consolidate his power over the people!
√ The end of Man’s Kingdoms
Dan. 7:25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time.
Dan. 7:26 “But the court shall be seated,
And they shall take away his dominion,
To consume and destroy it forever.
Dan. 7:27 Then the kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
Once again we can see the similarities to other prophetic revelations…
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream ~ chapter 2
Daniel’s vision ~ chapter 9
Jesus’ predictions ~ Matthew 24
Paul’s writings ~ 2 Thess. 2
John’s revelation ~ the Book
We’re told that the king with the Big Mouth…
“Mouthus Maximus”
…blasphemes God and persecutes God’s people (the Jews and their nation) for a period of 3 1/2 years (where have I read that before!).
Then, God judges him, takes away his power and gives the Kingdom to His people forever!
In view here is the last half of the Tribulation…
The Antichrist enters the
The False Prophet makes an image of the Antichrist and requires everyone to worship it or die.
The Jewish people reject the Antichrist.
The Antichrist attacks
Jesus returns and destroys the wicked, tosses the Antichrist
and the False Prophet into the
Wow, with a dream like that Daniel probably didn’t wake up very rested!
Dan’s done (vs. 28)
Dan. 7:28 “This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.”
Close
√ Reads like the morning paper!
We’ve seen the first 3 kingdoms of Man come and go just as God revealed to Daniel that they would.
The 4th kingdom has also come and gone, yet out of its ashes we can see another kingdom rising.
They have a common currency.
They have their own army.
They’ve created a political spot for a “supreme ruler”.
They’re man is in
All in the generation that saw the rebirth of the nation of
So, make sure that you’re…
A citizen of the eternal kingdom!
A servant of the Ancient of Days!
Looking for the Return of the Son of Man!
Don’t be caught unaware ~ the days are short!