(4) This is the first prophecy in the book revealed directly to Daniel. The angel says the Antichrist will seek to make alterations in times and in law. A night vision is given to king Nebuchadnezzar, apparently early in his reign as king of Babylon. If a man cannot remember the dream he saw (it means): his (personal) god is angry with him. A true account of what happened can only be gathered by reading Daniel 2:18; Daniel 2:28 by the side of this verse. Then He said to me, Son of man, stand on your feet that I may speak with you! (Ezekiel 2:1). God answered Daniel's prayer, and Daniel praised the Lord (Dan 2:19-23). La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, [2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. I did not include the insert today because I have already included it several times. He is more beastly in the beginning and more human in the end, paralleling the character of Nebuchadnezzar. He had interpreted dreams for this king and yet this dream caused Daniel to be alarmed and to feel physically sick. Two weeks ago, we quickly looked at the description of the beast that John sees in Revelation 13 and he described it as a composite of the first three beasts, the body of a leopard, the feet or paws of a bear, and the head and mouth of a lion. We are in harmony with God when our declarations conform to his. How easily we turn from what is revealed to speculate about what has been concealed (see Deuteronomy 29:29). 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. 74 The personal cost of receiving divine revelation is never underestimated in the Old Testament (cf. Thus he said: The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. 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. In other words, this persecution of the saints will not go on unchecked but will be defined to a definite period of time. 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. Episode 5 of "How I Met Your Father" Season 2 tested the friendships of everyone in the group. 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. The first time in Daniel 7:13, he is referring to Messiah, who will sit on the eternal throne of His father, David. The next portion of the statue in Daniel 2 was the chest and arms of silver which represented the Medo-Persian Empire which was even larger than the Babylonian empire. The subject of the vision in chapter 2 seems to be taken up again in chapter 7. The day of judgment is still future and has not yet been fulfilled. Daniel was told that the beasts are kings, but he was not told the identity of any of the kings. From an eternal perspective, the coming of Christ and His kingdom is but one coming. 2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The wicked will prosper and appear to get away with their opposition toward God and His saints. 1:17) that Daniel had understanding in dreams; and here we have an early and eminent instance of it, which soon made him famous in the court of Babylon, as Joseph by the same means came to be so in the court of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C., some 9 years before Belshazzars reign began. Daniel 2:24-49 New International Version Daniel Interprets the Dream 24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, "Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. The next three are waking visions seen in the presence of angels, followed by an appearance of the Messiah - the Son of Man - to interpret the vision for Daniel. The fourth beast is a fourth king, different than the others. Neither is prophecy written to make us happy or to feel good. 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). We need to be waiting and prepared for His return. Here is a man that has faithfully walked with his God his whole life. This fourth beast has the distinction of ten horns. Students will learn that they can trust God in difficult times because in the end God wins the battle over the enemy of this world Satan. (See Daniel 2:24, Note. 3 While they are saying, Peace and safety! then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. His thoughts alarm him, and his face pales. 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. Our study of this chapter will isolate what troubled Daniel about the future. 1. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Lets pray and ask God to teach us and guide us as we look at His prophetic word. In the verses following our lesson text, the vision is explained (Daniel 7:21-27). 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). 18 But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come. 19 Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet, 20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and which was larger in appearance than its associates. 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). 11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. At the outset of the account of his vision, Daniel wants his reader to know the historical context in which this prophecy was given and to consider its interpretation and application in the light of that context. We are told the Old Testament prophet could not see the distance between the first and the second coming of our Lord, just as one cannot see the distance between two mountains, when viewed from afar. His disciples were promised that they would share in His reign as King (19:20). 4:19; Ezk. (5) While the process involves wicked kings and nations and the suffering of the saints, the culmination is the establishment of Gods eternal kingdom. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. (5) Above all, the prophecy in this chapter means precisely what God says it means in this text, nothing more and nothing less. 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. As Daniel watches, "four great beasts," each different from the others, emerge from the dark waters (verse 3). The fact that wicked men will prosper and prevail and that the righteous will suffer is hardly pleasant news. These were represented by the image of a statue. 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. Prophecy is necessary because Gods thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. At this time the kingdom of God is established. Many others may have reluctantly professed or actually adopted the Jewish religion. At-A-Glance 1. Choosing his words tactfully, Daniel asks Arioch why the king has made such a decree. 78 Walvoord thinks this is the year 553 B.C., some 14 years before the fall of Babylon. Centuries must therefore pass before the prophecies of Daniel are fulfilled. Prophecy is always practical and relevant to the person(s) receiving it. Because of this we can have a greater understanding of this dream than Daniel did. His vision in chapter 4 should have produced more distress than it did. 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.. (1) Why does Daniel indicate the historical setting of the vision he receives in chapter 7? Our Lords first coming happened over a period of more than 30 years, and yet we view this as one coming. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, [7]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. The angel that Daniel was talking with gave Daniel greater detail concerning the fourth beast; he described this fourth beast as a fourth kingdom coming from the earth, it will be different from all the rest, this kingdom will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. Considering this text has changed my opinion about the gap in the prophecies of the Old Testament. We should note Daniels distress in chapter 7 before turning to the other prophecies in Daniel, where we will find that prophecy very often produces distress. Different from the first three, this beast seems uglier, more powerful, and much more hostile toward God and His saints. 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 . Hearing this, Nebuchadnezzar affirms that Daniel's god is "the God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries". Who are these saints that the angel is speaking of? What God determined to reveal to Daniel should be enough for us. Consider these lessons as we conclude. And yet God said they would. 15 And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed (Revelation 13:4, 11-15). 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. Daniel 2:1). Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him." We know from history that though Persia rose later than Media it soon overshadowed Media in its power. 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. He couldn't sleep. Gods plan and program are carried out on His schedule, not ours (see 2 Peter 2:8-10). ), Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation, Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular, Daniel -- 'God is my judge', an Israelite leader in Babylon, Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular, Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular, Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular, Preposition | third person masculine singular, Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular determinate, Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular determinate. Eugene, Ore. : Harvest House Publishers, 2006, [5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. How was the fourth beast different from the first three? (4) Suffering is to be expected by the saints, before they enter into the glorious kingdom of God. The final push of the times of the Gentiles will last for 3 years, then the end will come, the end of the times of the Gentiles., THE JUDGMENT AND THE FIFTH KINGDOM (Daniel 7:26-27). In spite of all these beasts do and say, in spite of their power and even their success, neither they nor their kingdoms will last. 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. The blasphemous horn of Daniel 7, which goes so far as to oppose the people of God, is suddenly taken by death, and his kingdom is removed. These saints are the believing Jews of the tribulation, not the believers of the Church Age. Should we be troubled as well? 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