Daniels Vision of 4 Beasts

[Dan 7:1, 3-8 ESV] In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. … And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.  And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.  I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

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This chapter deals with the same subject matter as chapter 2, but the first dream, dealt with their external political aspect, but here the image refers to the same kingdoms but their moral features.

Again the Jews were in exile. Their disobedience to God had cost them their nation, their temple, their means to worshipping God (Sacrificial system), their families and they thought the promises given to Abraham and David regarding the coming Messiah were lost. Therefore, the Lord sought to reveal His faithfulness and shows them how many kingdoms must come and go before the promised Messiah and His eternal Kingdom will come.

This vision reveals the persecution that God’s people will have to endure and suffer like them.

The dream of Nebuchadnezzar was of a statue with a

head of gold (Daniel 2:31-35) which we are told was Babylon (vs. 37,38)
Silver chest is the next kingdom of Medes/Persia (5:30) (Belshazzar was Nebuchadnezzar’s son see 5:2)
Bronze thighs represented Greece (8:20,21 – this vision repeats the same order) and
Iron legs and feet represent Rome at the coming of Christ (Luke 2:1) finally,
Christ then is the rock, (Deut 32:4; Psalm 18:31,46; Romans 9:33; 1 Cor. 10:4)

What does Daniel 2:35 mean? See Isaiah 2:1-3; Luke 13:18-20
Has the eternal kingdom of Christ come?
See the promise of this kingdom in 2 Samuel 7:12-14, 16. Isaiah 9:6,7
What was the angels message in Luke 2:26-33 declaring?

Read Daniel 7:4-8

Characteristics of the 4 beasts:

1)

2)

3)

4)

Who is mentioned in Vs. 9 & when is this event happening?

Read vs 17-22 what events are discussed here?

How long is the period described in vs-23-25

What comfort would this vision give to Daniel and the Jews in Exile?

What comfort is there for us?

The Jews in exile needed to know that God was still faithful to the promises He made regarding the Messiah.

The Messiah was 4 Kingdoms away (Daniel 2; 7:17)

The Messiah was coming to…

1. Establish His Kingdom (Daniel 7:18)
2. This Kingdom was to be received by the saints (Daniel 7:18)
3. The Kingdom was described as a period from the Birth to Judgment of Christ (Daniel 7:9,10)
4. This Kingdom was going to include a time of persecution for the saints

(Daniel 7:21,22)

This time of persecution would last for a period described in length as a “Time, Times and half a time” (Daniel 7:25)