Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints (Revelation 13:1-10). It's build upon the passage in Daniel 7 where he has a disturbing dream. (10) Daniels preoccupation is with the last beast, rather than the first three. 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 beast is also unique among the four in that he grows 11 horns. If you remember from two weeks ago the bear was raised up on one side, this was to indicate that one part of this united kingdom overshadowed the other portion. The final words of verse 25 are carefully chosen to let the reader know that while this king appears to be successfully opposing God, all he does is a part of the divine plan for the last days. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so . According to verse 1, the written record of the revelation Daniel received in his first night vision is but a summary of the prophecy he received. Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, Upon the son of man whom Thou didst make strong for Thyself (Psalm 80:17). A true account of what happened can only be gathered by reading Daniel 2:18; Daniel 2:28 by the side of this verse. See John F. Walvoord, Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 149. The Old Testament prophet did not see the gap because he viewed the coming of Christ as God does. His mouth is used to speak boastfully. The king is told that all of these earthly kingdoms would be destroyed by the stone not fashioned by human hands, and that an eternal kingdom would take the place of these temporal kingdoms. 5. Dan 2:1-4 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. History has shown this to be true in the past, and prophecy assures us that it will be true in the future. I believe some in Babylon, like their king, came to a genuine faith in God. In the first scene, heavenly winds are employed to whip up the sea from which the four beasts emerges. How easily we turn from what is revealed to speculate about what has been concealed (see Deuteronomy 29:29). (11) A distinction is made between God the Fatherthe Ancient of Days and God the Sonthe Son of Manwith both playing a part in the establishment of the kingdom. This is represented by the four heads on Daniels leopard beast. It would be but a very few years until Cyrus would come to power and assist the Jews to return to Jerusalem and the land of Israel. The Septuagint renders, "And the king commended that the magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers of the Chaldeans be brought in to tell the king his dream. King Nebuchadnezzar died apparently nine years before Belshazzar came to power. It is virtually the opposite of the term beast. The expression, Son of man, is not new to Daniel. 15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. The righteous will suffer. In the Old Testament, the expression son of man was used most frequently in reference to men, who were merely (as opposed to God) human. How was the fourth beast different from the first three? We do not act on what we see so much as on what God has said. 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. Would this horn Daniels vision revealed oppose the people of God and even blaspheme God Himself? (8) Is there any relationship between Nebuchadnezzars dream in chapter 2 and Daniels dream in chapter 7? The head of the statue was made of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of bronze, and the legs and feet of iron and clay. Open your Bibles to Daniel 7. So, this phrase refers to 3 years. Introduction to Daniel 11 74 The personal cost of receiving divine revelation is never underestimated in the Old Testament (cf. The point of this prophecy is not to tell us who future kings will be, but rather what they will be like. (6) Prophecy is written to sober the saints. 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. Rather than publish what he had learned he kept it to himself, until that time that the Holy Spirit guided him to write down and reveal what he had learned to the saints. At this point the revelation ended. (1) The troubling dream. As Daniel watches, "four great beasts," each different from the others, emerge from the dark waters (verse 3). 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. 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. - Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show the king his dreams. Our study of this chapter will isolate what troubled Daniel about the future. The first beast was lion-like, with wings like that of an eagle.79 Its wings were plucked from it; if this happened in mid-air, he must have plummeted to the ground. Let us listen then, and be sober, enduring the sufferings and trials sent our way, looking expectantly and certainly for His kingdom to come. The final outcome is Gods people under the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, will receive the kingdom. (3) This chapter contains the major segment of Daniel, which is primarily prophetic, although it does not contain the first prophecy in the Book of Daniel. (1) The Book of Daniel is a part of the Holy Scriptures, and thus inspired, accurate, and trustworthy. Daniel's Dream is instantly appealing as you can reallyrelate to how Daniel is feeling. God grants this king success and his saints suffering, but only for an appointed time. But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. The nation of Israel has been set aside by divine discipline in the present times of the Gentiles, which began with Nebuchadnezzar. 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. When they came in and stood before the king, 3 He had endured the training of the Chaldeans and he had lived his life in the service of a foreign king, at first the foreign king who had overthrown his country. God is in no hurry to fulfill His promises, whether His promise of the eternal kingdom for all the saints or the promise of eternal destruction and judgment for sinners. 8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. The ten horns, Daniel is told, represent ten kings who will emerge out of the fourth kingdom. 81 See Ezekiel 29:21 for a similar use of the imagery of making a horn grow to describe a kings promotion to power. So King Nebuchadnezzar honored God's men. The fourth beast is a fourth king, different than the others. Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. At this point the revelation ended. Daniel explained to the king that the statue represented four successive kingdoms based upon power and wealth, beginning with Babylon, while the stone and mountain signified a kingdom established by God that would never be destroyed nor given to other people. 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. Prophecy is not revealed in a historical vacuum. 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. Before the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt and brought into the land of Canaan, they suffered at the hands of the Egyptians. Nothing has caused him to panic or depart from his faith and practice as a godly Jew. How interesting! It seems safe to assume the interpreter was an angelic being; at least this is the case in chapter 8 (8:15-26). He distinguishes himself by his ability to overcome the whole earth, crushing it under foot. 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. I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. in 1971. The emphasis of this brief interpretation falls not on the enemies of God, their power, their brutality, nor their boasting, but on the kingdom of God, its certainty and its permanence for all the saints forever. International Standard Version so Daniel went to ask Nebuchadnezzar for an appointment to see him , and it was granted him so that he could reveal the meaning to the king. Abraham and Sarah were elderly and childless. Upon hearing the details of the dream, Daniel too was troubled (4:19). Both the statue parts (made of different metals) and the beasts represent kings and kingdoms. Both series of four kingdoms begin well and end badly. [4] We of the present Age, the church will reign with Jesus Christ as His bride. Specifically, the account of The Bad News at Belshazzars Banquet (not a bad title for that lesson) in chapter 5 was given to us so that we could better understand the prophecies of chapters 7 and 8. This was when his life took a sharp turn. Even those portions which we believe have been fulfilled, students of prophecy differ about the way of their fulfillment. By far, this first beast is the best of a bad bunch. (5) Above all, the prophecy in this chapter means precisely what God says it means in this text, nothing more and nothing less. In our passage, Daniel asks for and receives an explanation. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these: In Gods economy, things are not what they appear to be. Interpretations of Daniels prophecies differ widely. (12) No distinction between the first coming of Christ and the second is made in the coming of the eternal kingdom of God. Gogglebox star Stephen explained the reason for him and husband Daniel Lustif missing the show on Instagram. Note these general observations about our passage before we turn to a more detailed study. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:13, NASB95)[5] The more we know about the future the more are hearts should be moved to practical preparation. This description certainly fits the account of Nebuchadnezzars plunge from power and sanity in chapter 4. 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. Thus, the vision is yet unfulfilled in terms of its major emphasis. In Revelation it is also referred to as 42 months and 1260 days which all work out to 3 years. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. A revelation from God in his sleep discloses future events which Daniel finds most troubling. In the latter days, an unusually powerful and evil king will arise, who will blaspheme God and oppress the people of God. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. Their perception is wrong, for suddenly and without warning their day of destruction will come upon them. Neither is prophecy written to make us happy or to feel good. Then, in Daniel 2, the Lord gave Nebuchadnezzar a dream that only Daniel could interpret. 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. The other seven will then likely submit out of fear or a sense of the unavoidable consequences of resisting represented by this little horn growing larger than the seven. (2) While the timing of the fulfillment of divine prophecy may seem remote to the recipient, it still has relevance for him. 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). 76 It is not altogether accurate to refer to chapters 1-6 as historical and 7-12 as prophetic. This part of Daniels dream is new information that was not conveyed in Nebuchadnezzars dream in chapter two. When He came with His kingdom, they would be sure to recognize Him (24:27). Daniel returned to his house and explained the situation to his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Suddenly, the boasting beast is silenced by death, and his body is cast into the burning fire. Prophecy is always practical and relevant to the person(s) receiving it. The angel told Daniel that at the end of those three and a half years the court would sit for judgment and the dominion (a word in Aramaic that means kingdom or empire and the citizens or subjects of that empire) would be taken away from the Antichrist, and the Antichrist and his followers will be annihilated and destroyed forever. He will keep continual pressure on the saints of the Highest One to try to break and destroy and annihilate them. 5. 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. This chapter is a history, but it is the history of a prophecy, by a dream and the interpretation . Alexander the Great's empire and its divisions after his death were predicted long in advance in Daniel 11. According to our text, the prophecies of Daniel 7 will not be fulfilled for a considerable period of time. (4) This is the first prophecy in the book revealed directly to Daniel. What role do they play in relation to the four beasts? 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. 27 Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. 28 At this point the revelation ended. Daniel explains that each of these metals represents a kingdom that would rule the world, and the stone is God . If not, he could never have become airborne again. 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. He intends to make changes in time and in law. (6) How important is it for us to identity the kings and the kingdoms mentioned in our text? The words of Daniel which applied to the beasts now found application to them. He surpasses those before him by speaking boastfully, then blaspheming, and finally seeking to overthrow Gods order. Generally, it is agreed that this beast represents the Babylonian empire and king Nebuchadnezzar in particular. The saints (believing Jews when Christ return to earth) will enjoy the kingdom, the fulfillment of Gods promise to Israel.[3] The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary states that these saints might also include the resurrected Old Testament saints, the martyred tribulation saints, and the tribulation saints who survive the tribulation. Fourth beast is the best of a prophecy, by a dream that only could! Imagery of making a horn grow to describe a kings promotion to power troubled ( 4:19 ) 4 ) is... Before we turn to a more detailed study 7 where he has a disturbing dream x27 ; dream... Virtually the opposite of the dream, Daniel: the Key to Prophetic Revelation ( Chicago Moody! 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