Daniel 7
The prophecies/visions begin in chapter 7 are about successive empires that persecute Daniel’s people, the Jews, through several generations, from Babylon to the Caesars. Since the Angel interprets these visions, we do not have to speculate on who the beasts, etc. are. Mixed in with the persecution prophecies are prophecies about Messiah, and the eternal kingdom.
The false interpretations of Daniel come into play when the pre-millennists try to make Daniel fit their futurist eschatology.
Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of the “beasts”, “horns” etc because the prophecies sometimes swing quickly from one to the next.
Chapter 7
1st vision in the year 553 BC (the first vision is an overview of the prophesy)
1. Daniel has his first vision in the 1st year of Belshazzar’s reign as king of Babylon. This is 14 years before the fall of Babylon described in Chapter 5. Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus, who was part of a group that assassinated the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, and seized the throne.
3 - 8 Four great BEASTS coming from the sea, (the SEA being people) The beasts are the succession of the kings with descriptions of their reigns
v17 4 kings who will arise from the earth (they are men, not gods, tho they act like they are)
4. one like a LION with wings like an eagle, it’s wings are plucked, he falls to the ground and he is made to stand up like a man.
BABYLON …….intellect, strength and speed Jer. 4: 7
5. one like a BEAR, raised up on one side, three ribs in it’s mouth between it’s teeth (greed) 3 ribs, suggesst the expansion of the empire to the west, south and north….3 points.
MEDO-PERSIAN EMPIRE strong and fierce in battle Is 13: 17-18 “ arise and devour”
6 one like a LEOPARD and on it’s back 4 wings of a bird, the beast has 4 heads and dominion is given to it. Wings signify swift easy conquest (power)
GREEK EMPIRE (Alexander the Great)
The beast with 4 heads – Alexander is the beast….the 4 heads are the 4 generals who later divided his kingdom among themselves after Alexander’s death. The FOUR WINGS indicate that they came into power on the “back of Alexander”.
1. Ptolomy – Egypt
2. Cassander – Mascedonia
3. Lysimanchus – Thrace and most of Asia Minor
4. Seleucus – Syia
7. 4th beast – dreadful and terrible, strong with iron teeth (grabs hold and will not let go easily), it devoured, crushed, and trampled down…….arrogant. claws of bronze v19 ROME, the Casars reign
It was different from the other beasts…. One difference is that this beast brings religious overtones to their rule, making themselves to be gods (Emporer Worship)…..Another difference was the size of this beast’s empire, which extended from England to Egypt, they truly had conquered the world.
had 10 horns (the 10 conquered nations of the Roman Empire)
1. Heruli 2. Suevi 3. Burgundians 4. Huns 5. Ostrogoths 6. Vandals 7. Lombards 8. Franks 9. Visigoths 10. Anglo Saxons
3 of these fell to the other 7
(three horns torn out by the roots, which means
they did not rise again but their territory
stayed with the nations that conquered it)
These three horns are: Heruli, defeated 493 BC, Vandals, defeated 534 BC, and Ostrogoths, defeated 553 BC. These nations were swallowed up in the nations that defeated them.
verses 13 is the prophecy of Messiah to come, ……though these kings are powerful on earth, they are temporary,
but kingdom of the Lord is eternal, and it is given to the saints to possess forever. <~ Verse 18
(in the midst of all the persecution visions…God gives Daniel hope for the future also…through the coming Messiah and His gift to the saints…many of these verses pertaining to the coming kingdom are scattered among the verses on the persecution.)
Little horn comes up AMONG the 10 horns of the 4th beast. V19 boastful, eyes like a man – He holds a high position among men, his manner may be humble, but his appearance boasts of his position; and He sees with the eyes of a man, not with spiritual eyes. This horn comes out of the beast, the Roman religion .
“larger in appearance than it’s associates” …..it dominates the nations, yet is not a nation. ( Roman Catholic Religion?)
This horn becomes a nation within a nation…..not named among them, but not subject to any of them. Because of the Caesar rule, the roman church was made possible. Constantine desired to unify his conquered nations and used religion, much as the Caesars had used Caesar worship, to unify their nations. Since Christianity was a stronger influence by this time, a perversion of Christianity was tolerated by Constantine as the state religion to quiet the general population and unify them under the banner of a state church. However, Constantine was never a convert to Christianity, and remained a SUN worshipper, with much of the symbolism of sun worship being incorporated INTO the state church of Rome, ( this sop was given to Constantine for giving this apostate and heretical religion power over the people and power for themselves through the hierarchy of this religion.) and the sun is still an obvious symbol in the Roman church today.
the BEAST (collectively, the reign of all the Caesars) v23
*It wages war with the saints (the Caesars tolerated no worship but that given to Caesar)
*Speaks against the Most High – the Caesars tolerated no religion but their own and demanded worship to their claimed deity.
*He will intend to make alterations in time ….the ROMAN CALENDAR was introduced by Julius Caesar,and is a measure of time we use today.
And in law - “there is no law but Caesar’s law”
assurance that he will not rule forever, but will be destroyed (the foretelling of the end of the power of the Caesars
The BEAST is slain v 11 (the 4 kings/rulers) formerly great empires lose power and vanish into history This is the beast of verse 11…..the beast of FOUR heads.
verses 9-12 the Books are opened, it is the final judgement on the beasts (given over to the burning fire v12)
verses 17-25 the interpretation of the vision by the angel Gabriel (which means God’s hero) These are incorporated into the verses above.
25 He will speak out against the MOST HIGH and the saints of the HIGHEST ONE – He is blasphemous.
He will intend to make alterations in times and in law
(alteration to times came with the CALENDAR, an innovation of a Caesar)
alteration to the Law – the mixing of God’s law and man’s law
saints will be given into his hand for time, times, and half a time
3 ½ years….. time of Nero’s war against Jerusalem (also Nero dies 3 ½ yrs into war
26. The court will sit for judgement……his dominion taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. The reign of the Caesars comes to finality (as all governments serve for God’s purpose, this reign of the Caesars was also by His predetermined plan)
27 THEN the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of ALL the kingdoms under the whole heaven (earthly kingdoms) will be given to the SAINTS of the Highest One.
HIS kingdom will be EVERLASTING kingdom (as opposed to the earthly kingdoms) which all the dominions (all the ruling authorities will serve and obey. <dominion means absolute ownership of>
28 the vision ends….Daniel is alarmed.
Daniel has seen the persecution of his people for generations to come under the future world rulers. I sense that the glimpse of Messiah’s coming (those verses scattered among the persecution verses) was to give Daniel hope and lift his spirit as he takes in these horrible events that will fall on the Jews.