Daniel 7
This is one of the most fascinating chapters in Daniel. It details one of Daniel’s most enduring and stirring prophecies of end times. Daniel will first take us through the strangeness of the dream, then the interpretation. The interpretation is a revealing of the dream, so our study will begin primarily in the interpretation.
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.
2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
First, we see an image of the sea. This is perhaps the Mediterranean Sea and it is in chaos. The sea sometimes is used as a picture of the Gentile Nations (Psalm 74:13, Isaiah 57:20), but we also have to understand that Jews didn’t like the sea. In fact, they thought the sea was evil and chaotic, and this makes perfect sense for detailing what he sees coming from it.
Also, he talks about the four winds of heaven. Is this the sovereign power of God (Isaiah 41:6) or satanic forces (Revelation 7:1)? We don’t know, but some interpretation calls it the four directions of the world (North, south, east west).
4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.
5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’
6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.
7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.
8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
9 “As I looked,
“thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened.
11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
The Interpretation of the Dream
15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.
“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
First, Daniel is disturbed by what he sees, which shows us that Daniel is a human being, just like us. He doesn’t understand everything. So he approaches one of the figures inside the dream for clarification.
The four beasts are representations of four kings, or kingdoms. We’ll see that this vision will cover some familiar territory as Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from Daniel 2. The difference is this: Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was from Man’s perspective. Daniel’s vision is from God’s perspective.
In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he saw the empires as stately and noble. This is evident in the statue that was presented. It was built of precious metal (Gold, silver, bronze and iron). In God’s view,, the four kingdoms are seen as wild animals (Lion, Bear, Leopard and something unknown). These are ferocious animals, untamed and brutal.
The first animal (Lion with wings), is a combination of Lion and Eagle (Majesty). This is representative of the Babylonian Empire. The Babylonian Empire was the epitome of power and success, but in Daniel’s time this empire was overtaken. Its wings were torn away.
The second animal (Bear, strong, more crushing than a lion) is associated with the Meso-Persian Empire. The second animal’s brutality is noted, which is in line with Persia. The ribs represent the military conquests of Babylon, Egypt and Lydia. Also in Daniel’s time, he saw the Persian Empire overtake Babylon and the known world. Persia was brutal and barreled over the known world with a severity that left many nations crushed.
The third animal (Leopard-fast, cunning, surprise attacks) is representative of the Greek Empire. Alexander the Great conquered the world by age 28 and in 12 years subdued parts of Europe and Asia. After his death, the empire would be sectioned four ways. This is an empire Daniel would have no known concept of.
19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.
The fourth beast has a dual interpretation. In history, it is fulfilled in the Roman Empire. But it is also intermingled in a future empire, the great government of the final times, which is sometimes referred to as “The new Roman Empire.”
The ten horns of the beast coincide with the toes of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (iron mixed with clay), which is a direct reference to the future government of end times. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, a great stone flies from out of the sky and hits the statue at this point, bringing all governments into understanding of the truth (Daniel 2:34-35). In Daniel’s vision, we’ll see a similar end to the beast.
We again get a vivid description of the beast: Teeth of iron, claws of bronze; It devours; destroys the ground it walks on; ten horns on its head; heads horn comes up with eyes and a mouth; horn speaks blasphemy; will be in power until God comes; God judges against the beast.
23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
The ten horns represent the ten kings who will arise from this kingdom. After the ten kings, another king will rise (this is the new horn with eyes and teeth). He will subdue three kings (fallen horns). He will speak against the church (boastful talk- this is the Antichrist). He will try to change truths (the set time and laws will go away). The church and holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time. This time the people will be delivered into his hands is 3 1/2 years. In the book of Revelation, this is the Tribulation, the final 3 1/2 years when the Antichrist makes himself known and attempts to conquer the world and drive God completely out. The time of the Antichrist is limited though (Revelation 11:2-3, 13:5)
26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’
28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”
The viewpoint changes. We are in the throne room now and the Ancient of Days (God) is taking His seat. He is described in terms of holiness: His hair is white, clothing white, His throne flames (judgment), the wheels are ablaze (activity), and He sits atop a river flowing fire. There are thousands of angels in attendance. The court is set. The books are opened. What are these books? Quite possibly the Book of the Living (Psalm 69:28), Book of Remembrance (Malachi 3:16), and/or the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3). The power is restored to the church (holy people). This is something received, not achieved. The kingdom is given by Jesus to us.
This is one of the most fascinating chapters in Daniel. It details one of Daniel’s most enduring and stirring prophecies of end times. Daniel will first take us through the strangeness of the dream, then the interpretation. The interpretation is a revealing of the dream, so our study will begin primarily in the interpretation.
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.
2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
First, we see an image of the sea. This is perhaps the Mediterranean Sea and it is in chaos. The sea sometimes is used as a picture of the Gentile Nations (Psalm 74:13, Isaiah 57:20), but we also have to understand that Jews didn’t like the sea. In fact, they thought the sea was evil and chaotic, and this makes perfect sense for detailing what he sees coming from it.
Also, he talks about the four winds of heaven. Is this the sovereign power of God (Isaiah 41:6) or satanic forces (Revelation 7:1)? We don’t know, but some interpretation calls it the four directions of the world (North, south, east west).
4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.
5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’
6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.
7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.
8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
9 “As I looked,
“thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened.
11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
The Interpretation of the Dream
15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.
“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
First, Daniel is disturbed by what he sees, which shows us that Daniel is a human being, just like us. He doesn’t understand everything. So he approaches one of the figures inside the dream for clarification.
The four beasts are representations of four kings, or kingdoms. We’ll see that this vision will cover some familiar territory as Nebuchadnezzar’s dream from Daniel 2. The difference is this: Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was from Man’s perspective. Daniel’s vision is from God’s perspective.
In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he saw the empires as stately and noble. This is evident in the statue that was presented. It was built of precious metal (Gold, silver, bronze and iron). In God’s view,, the four kingdoms are seen as wild animals (Lion, Bear, Leopard and something unknown). These are ferocious animals, untamed and brutal.
The first animal (Lion with wings), is a combination of Lion and Eagle (Majesty). This is representative of the Babylonian Empire. The Babylonian Empire was the epitome of power and success, but in Daniel’s time this empire was overtaken. Its wings were torn away.
The second animal (Bear, strong, more crushing than a lion) is associated with the Meso-Persian Empire. The second animal’s brutality is noted, which is in line with Persia. The ribs represent the military conquests of Babylon, Egypt and Lydia. Also in Daniel’s time, he saw the Persian Empire overtake Babylon and the known world. Persia was brutal and barreled over the known world with a severity that left many nations crushed.
The third animal (Leopard-fast, cunning, surprise attacks) is representative of the Greek Empire. Alexander the Great conquered the world by age 28 and in 12 years subdued parts of Europe and Asia. After his death, the empire would be sectioned four ways. This is an empire Daniel would have no known concept of.
19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.
The fourth beast has a dual interpretation. In history, it is fulfilled in the Roman Empire. But it is also intermingled in a future empire, the great government of the final times, which is sometimes referred to as “The new Roman Empire.”
The ten horns of the beast coincide with the toes of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (iron mixed with clay), which is a direct reference to the future government of end times. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, a great stone flies from out of the sky and hits the statue at this point, bringing all governments into understanding of the truth (Daniel 2:34-35). In Daniel’s vision, we’ll see a similar end to the beast.
We again get a vivid description of the beast: Teeth of iron, claws of bronze; It devours; destroys the ground it walks on; ten horns on its head; heads horn comes up with eyes and a mouth; horn speaks blasphemy; will be in power until God comes; God judges against the beast.
23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
The ten horns represent the ten kings who will arise from this kingdom. After the ten kings, another king will rise (this is the new horn with eyes and teeth). He will subdue three kings (fallen horns). He will speak against the church (boastful talk- this is the Antichrist). He will try to change truths (the set time and laws will go away). The church and holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time. This time the people will be delivered into his hands is 3 1/2 years. In the book of Revelation, this is the Tribulation, the final 3 1/2 years when the Antichrist makes himself known and attempts to conquer the world and drive God completely out. The time of the Antichrist is limited though (Revelation 11:2-3, 13:5)
26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’
28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”
The viewpoint changes. We are in the throne room now and the Ancient of Days (God) is taking His seat. He is described in terms of holiness: His hair is white, clothing white, His throne flames (judgment), the wheels are ablaze (activity), and He sits atop a river flowing fire. There are thousands of angels in attendance. The court is set. The books are opened. What are these books? Quite possibly the Book of the Living (Psalm 69:28), Book of Remembrance (Malachi 3:16), and/or the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3). The power is restored to the church (holy people). This is something received, not achieved. The kingdom is given by Jesus to us.