1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. Chapter 2 - The original dream describing the future kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek, Roman, kingdom of God. 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. In his vision, the statue collapsed and disappeared, because a mysterious stone struck it at its feet. Daniel's righteousness is legendary status Don't mistake Daniel as some conjurer of cheap tricks. Now, in verse 23, the angelic interpreter explains the relationship of the boastful beast and the coming of the eternal kingdom of God. We do not walk by sight, but by faith. The fact that wicked men will prosper and prevail and that the righteous will suffer is hardly pleasant news. So it was for our Lord (1 Peter 1:10-12), and so it will be for us. During times of oppression, it may appear the saints are being defeated and that Gods kingdom is but wishful thinking. The coming of the Son of Man is represented as one coming, and not two. The entire empire was conquered between 334 and 330 B.C., just four years. Consider the birth of a child, remembering that Gods deliverance and salvation is likened to birth. The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer (1 Peter 4:7). Since the head of gold seems to describe the same king and kingdom as the first beast, it may not be too far afield to conclude that Nebuchadnezzar is the king represented by the first beast. 9 If any one has an ear, let him hear. This is describing an event that has never happened in the history of the world and is yet future. (7) No identification is made of the saints as Jews or Gentiles. There seems to be no Jewish nationalistic emphasis here, as there will be later.75. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. In the second scene, heaven calmly prepares for court, which will determine that the time for judgment has come. The angels went on to add that the saints of the Highest One will be given into Antichrists hand for a time, times, and half a time. Daniel uses the expression Son of man twice. Never in the history of the Roman empire has this happened so it is yet future. The prophecy of Daniel 11 includes amazing details about great empires, political developments and end-time powers that would affect the Jews and all people today. But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's rule, he had a dream. The prophecy of Daniel 7 nevertheless had great relevance and application to those in Daniels day. The beast was lifted up and made to stand like a man. The transfiguration of our Lord was but a foretaste of His coming glorious kingdom (16:28). Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13). Then the saints will receive the kingdom which will never end. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. The dream vortex dies with her, and Rose awakens with her brother, Jed, sleeping next to her. (13) In some sense, the last kingdom is still on-going. He had interpreted dreams for this king and yet this dream caused Daniel to be alarmed and to feel physically sick. 26 But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. (9) The interpretation of Daniels vision comes in two parts, beginning with a general interpretation and then a more specific one based on Daniels questions. 17 Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. This horn is called by different names in the New Testament: In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 the little horn is called the man of lawlessness. Revelation 13:1-2 calls the little horn the beast. The name he is best known by in found in 1 John 2:18-24 where John calls the little horn the Antichrist.. (2) While the timing of the fulfillment of divine prophecy may seem remote to the recipient, it still has relevance for him. (10) Daniels preoccupation is with the last beast, rather than the first three. The implication here is that this is a repeated dream, one that is . This scene in Daniel is also similar to a prophecy recorded in the Book of Revelation: 4 and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?. The horn of the beast that made war against the saints was one of 10 kings who prevailed until the Ancient of days came and judged against him in favor of the saints. The vision plays on before Daniel, almost as though in answer to his desire to know more. As Daniel continues to watch, another horn emerges, as three of the other horns are plucked out by the roots to make room for it. How interesting! 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. We see a gapan almost insurmountable gapbetween suffering and glory; God does not. He was at ease when he received the vision, and then he became fearful, and his mind alarmed him (4:4-5). All nations of the earth will serve and live under the peaceful rule of the Son of Man and the people of Israel will receive their promised inheritance in the land of Israel, restored Israel. These kingdoms go from bad to worse. Daniel writes that at this point the revelation was ended. Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. The expression is used in the Psalms in a more pregnant way, in reference to the coming Messiah. 5. In Daniels dream the Medo-Persian empire and it king Cyrus was represented by the bear. The saints of the Highest One are given all the kingdoms of the earth for an everlasting kingdom. in 1971. (Numbers 23:19). As the destruction of the last beast and the blaspheming horn came as a complete shock to them, so the Lords coming will catch unbelievers unprepared as well (24:27-39). (8) The four beasts are all different, with the last standing apart from the first three. March 1, 2023, 6:00 a.m. There seems to be a close connection between the vision of Nebuchadnezzar, which is revealed and interpreted in chapter 2, and the vision of Daniel in chapter 7. 25 And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. As the wicked prosper in their sin, it seems as though they can continue in sin without any fear of divine judgment (see Psalm 73:1-11; 2 Peter 2:3-4). This also underscores that these four kingdoms go from reasonably good to unbelievably bad. (1) Why does Daniel indicate the historical setting of the vision he receives in chapter 7? This designation refers to God the Father in a way that stresses His eternality, dignity, and power. Through this dream, King Nebuchadnezzar learned that only God's Kingdom will last forever. In more detail, the outline would be as follows: (2) The Divine Interpretation verses 15-28. Time: refers to one year, times is understood in Aramaic (the language this chapter was originally written in) to mean a dual or two, so times refers to two years and half a time refers to one half of a year. They are far from pleasant but an unavoidable part of the process. 77 According to Baldwin, This verse [13] has been the subject of more scholarly papers than any other in the book, so indicating its centrality, not only for Daniel but for the New Testament also. Baldwin, p. 142. 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. The Son of Man had the power to forgive sins, as well as to heal a paralytic (Matthew 9:6). And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. Neither peer opposition nor the king's new law (chapter 6) greatly disturbed Daniel. The saints should also expect the wicked to prosper, for a season. What God says, He will do. He staying the decree is brought to the king. God has revealed in this interpretation what He wants us to know and has kept back that which we need not know. It seems that three of the kings try to resist him and he overthrows them by force. Those who rejected the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of Man, would mourn when they saw Him returning in the clouds: And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30). Daniel is greatly distressed by the vision which he sees in chapter 7. They will serve and obey Him forever. Abraham and Sarah were elderly and childless. a. The statue had a head of gold which corresponds to the first beast Daniel saw and described as a lion with the wings of an eagle. - As for these four children, God gave them knewledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.Or, as the words might be more accurately rendered, "these lads, the four of them" (Ezekiel 1:8-10).This indicates that somehow they were separated off into a quaternion. He would, after His death, burial, and resurrection come in His glory, rewarding men according to their deeds (16:27). The message of this prophecy is really quite simple and may be summed up this way. The scene of the four beasts arising from the sea, which Daniel saw in his night vision, is strikingly similar to the account found in the 13th chapter of Revelation: 1 And he stood on the sand of the seashore, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. Da Dn). 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. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4 and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him? 5 And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. What it does not destroy or consume with its teeth, it crushes under foot, much like a bull in a china shop. Belshazzars rise to power and ascent to the throne seems to have inaugurated a new age for Babylon. 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). And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 13 I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.77 14 And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. This was when his life took a sharp turn. The ten horns, Daniel is told, represent ten kings who will emerge out of the fourth kingdom. Between the first half of verse 23 and the second half of this verse we have what has been referred to as the great parenthesis in the Old Testament, the mystery of the church and the Church Age which was not revealed to the world until after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. 16 I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. The statue represented the kingdoms of the earth. Four kings will establish four kingdoms, and some of these kingdoms have a number of kings. We know that Jesus came the first time to die and that He will come again to subdue His enemies and establish His kingdom. 5. 10 If any one is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if any one kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Both sets of kingdoms are brought to a sudden end and are replaced by an eternal kingdom. This fourth beast seems to regenerate in the form of subsequent kings and kingdoms. He will persecute and oppress the saints of the Highest One, the angel says that he will wear them down; the idea comes from the concept of wearing out a garment until it is threadbare. Chapter 7 - In the first vision Daniel sees the same kingdoms, but this time he sees them as beasts. No wonder this vision causes Daniel such distress. According to our text, the prophecies of Daniel 7 will not be fulfilled for a considerable period of time. In verse 1 Daniel indicates his vision came to him in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar. Rome did conquer much of the known world, but it never conquered the whole world as this is describing. His followers too must be alert and ready for His return (24:44). The three and a half years referred to here in Daniel is the last half of the tribulation, also called the Great Tribulation and the Time of Jacobs Trouble. However, the Son of Man must first suffer at the hands of men (17:22; 20:18). His declaration, which resulted from the deliverance of the three Hebrews, made it unlawful to hinder the worship of the Jews; his decree recorded at the end of chapter 4 went much further. In his vision, Daniel observed the sea being stirred up into a raging storm by the four winds of heaven. This signifies that the events which follow have been ordained by God. One of those gaps is found in Daniel 7. Hearing this, Nebuchadnezzar affirms that Daniel's god is "the God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries". Note that the description of the beasts is written in prose, while the description of the heavenly court in verses 9-10 and of the Son of Man in verses 13-14 is written in poetry form. This king and yet this dream, one that is of oppression, it crushes under foot, much a... That Jesus came the first three seems that three of the fourth kingdom it king Cyrus represented! 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