In His response to the demand of the high priest, Jesus directly claimed to be the promised Messiah. From the context, it would seem that Daniels distress is the result of the wickedness and oppression of the world kingdoms which are represented by the beasts, and by the knowledge that the saints will be oppressed and even overcome for a period of time. Chapter 2. 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. I also told you it corresponded to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 2, but with more detail. Daniel uses the expression Son of man twice. The prophecies of Daniel 7 speak of a future day of reckoning, foreshadowed by the actions of Belshazzar and the judgment of God on him and his kingdom. (3) What principles should guide and govern our attempt to interpret the prophecy of this chapter? In the latter days, before the kingdom of God is established on the earth, kings and kingdoms will become worse and worse. Passing over the first three beasts, his questions focus on the last beast. Before the kingdom of God is established on the earth, four earthly kingdoms will rise and fall. One of those gaps is found in Daniel 7. Our attention should be given to what is clearly and emphatically said. Desiring a more detailed explanation, he apparently asked for one and received it. Verses 1-14 contain the vision which God gave to Daniel. While most of those in this kingdom may not have had a true conversion, at least they tolerated the Jewish faith as the religion of the state. These were represented by the image of a statue. (5) What do the four beasts represent? At this time the kingdom of God is established. During times of oppression, it may appear the saints are being defeated and that Gods kingdom is but wishful thinking. (4) Suffering is to be expected by the saints, before they enter into the glorious kingdom of God. 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. God is eternal, and so is His plan for all creation. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. We are not told precisely what it is that troubles Daniel. Old Babylonian Omen Text (VAT 7525) In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. ET. The king knew that Daniel spoke the truth. How was the fourth beast different from the first three? Valentina's bond with Sophie, Sid's reaching out to Jesse, and Charlie trying hard to bring Sid and Jesse back together so that the group can go back to being their normal selves and not be an awkward bunch of people not wanting to discuss actual problems. This description certainly fits the account of Nebuchadnezzars plunge from power and sanity in chapter 4. In chapter 5, King Belshazzars dream should have greatly alarmed him, but apparantly it did not. The expression, son of man, is not new to Daniel nor to the Jews of his day. 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. 74 The personal cost of receiving divine revelation is never underestimated in the Old Testament (cf. Just a few years later Alexander died, and his empire was divided into four parts and his four generals became the monarch of a quarter of the Greek empire. Before the coming of Christ, who would? Daniel was told that the beasts are kings, but he was not told the identity of any of the kings. Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation. 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). The prophecy of Daniel 7 nevertheless had great relevance and application to those in Daniels day. Daniels dream here in chapter 7 and Nebuchadnezzars dream in chapter 2 are one and the same dream with additional details added to Daniels dream. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. We need to be waiting and prepared for His return. Then, in Daniel 2, the Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream that only Daniel could interpret. His followers too must be alert and ready for His return (24:44). The Son of Man was also Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). In other words, this persecution of the saints will not go on unchecked but will be defined to a definite period of time. Lets pray and ask God to teach us and guide us as we look at His prophetic word. Daniel does not date this dream as he did the earlier dream (cf. In the Psalms and also in Daniel 7, the expression Son of Man begins to take on a more technical meaning, referring to the Messiah, who will sit on the throne of His father, David, to rule over men forever. He will keep continual pressure on the saints of the Highest One to try to break and destroy and annihilate them. A Vision of Judgment (Daniel 7:9-12) 2. The final outcome is Gods people under the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, will receive the kingdom. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. King Nebuchadnezzar died apparently nine years before Belshazzar came to power. The transfiguration of our Lord was but a foretaste of His coming glorious kingdom (16:28). Open your Bibles to Daniel 7. Verses 15-28 contain the divine interpretation of this vision. Introduction to Daniel 11 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. He was chosen by God to speak to the Jews in Babylon and to show them God's future plans. Liberals reject all prophecies, because they require a sovereign God and a miraculous revelation of future events. 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. 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. 31-35). At this point the revelation ended. Daniel 2:1-13 - Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. Daniel finds nothing to compare to it. But I want you to notice Daniels reaction to the dream that he had. In our passage, Daniel asks for and receives an explanation. (1) Prophecy is necessary because God has chosen to settle His accounts with men slowly. The emphasis is positive. So, I began the review by looking at the first 14 verses where Daniel gives us a summary of the visions he had as he dreamed in his sleep. The first recorded vision comes to Daniel in the form of a night vision, like those of Nebuchadnezzar (2:1; 4:5) during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar. This little horn is more intelligent and more arrogant than the other horns. In the latter days, an unusually powerful and evil king will arise, who will blaspheme God and oppress the people of God. 11 Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. He distinguishes himself by his ability to overcome the whole earth, crushing it under foot. It seems that three of the kings try to resist him and he overthrows them by force. 10 A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, and the books were opened. 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. Daniel was an intelligent young Jew living in Jerusalem during the late 600s B.C. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, [2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. Should we be troubled as well? Daniel 2:1). A person should not take credit for what God does through him. a. The winged lion was a symbol of Babylon, in any history museum that has a Babylonian section you will find artifacts of a winged lion. The woman endures in the view of the final outcome of the process. Daniel 2:26-49 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. If taken seriously, we will find the future sobering as well. Two weeks ago, we covered the first 14 verses, Daniels summary of his dream. These saints are the believing Jews of the tribulation, not the believers of the Church Age. He is more beastly in the beginning and more human in the end, paralleling the character of Nebuchadnezzar. The words of verse 1 point to the relationship between the prophecy Daniel received and its historical setting and context. (6) Prophecy is written to sober the saints. In the context of the coming of His kingdom and the suffering and trials which precede it, soberness is a vitally important quality which prophecy promotes: 1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 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 . JPS Tanakh 1917 By far, this first beast is the best of a bad bunch. Consider these lessons as we conclude. Daniel writes that at this point the revelation was ended. Public sentiment was turning against this foreign religion, and the Babylonians, including Belshazzar, wanted a return to their old time religion the pagan worship of the gods of Babylon. Wherever I see the Scriptures speak of the coming kingdom of God, I find suffering closely associated with it. God would strike him down in the moment of His choosing to silence him once and for all and put an end to his kingdom. Both sets of kingdoms are brought to a sudden end and are replaced by an eternal kingdom. Just what this means is unclear, but it suggests this arrogant king not only speaks against God, but, like Satan, he aspires to change the order God has established. (11) What is the point of the vision? This is describing an event that has never happened in the history of the world and is yet future. We dare not ignore that which is revealed nor do we dare go too far afield in speculating about what is concealed (see Deuteronomy 29:29; 1 Timothy 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:23). Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints (Revelation 13:1-10). So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. Two weeks ago, after studying Revelation 13 and seeing how much it relates to Daniel 7 I decided we needed to go back and review Daniel 7 which we have not looked at since 2011. If Daniel had been shaken by the dark side of his vision, he is reminded in the interpretation of the outcome of these eventsthe establish- ment of Gods eternal kingdom. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself (verse 28). When the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, having added perfect humanity to His undiminished deity, He spoke of Himself very often as the Son of Man. 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