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Scripture Reading: Dan. 7:1-8, 11-12, 15-28
The book of Daniel has two main sections. The first section (1:3—6:28), which comprises six cases, speaks of the victory, in their captivity, of the young descendants of God's degraded elect over Satan's further devices. The second section (chs. 7—12) records the visions of the overcoming Daniel. Daniel's faithfulness and victory gave him the position and the right angle to receive the visions from God.
Daniel received vision after vision. He received visions from God not only concerning the destiny of His elect but also concerning God's eternity. This book, at its highest point, touches the matter of how God intends to spend His eternity.
In chapters two and four, Nebuchadnezzar, a Gentile king, saw two great visions — a great human image and a big tree. Although Nebuchadnezzar saw these visions, Daniel was needed to interpret them. The big tree in chapter four corresponds to the head of the human image in chapter two: both signify Nebuchadnezzar. When the head was touched by God, the tree was cut down, and Nebuchadnezzar became a beast (4:16, 25).
In the first vision, the head of the great human image was gold. Each successive part of the image was made of different metals from silver to bronze and eventually to iron. In man's eyes these four metals represent four great human governments and cultures. However, what Daniel saw in the vision in chapter seven was very different. Instead of four different metals, he saw four cruel beasts. We need to study carefully the description of these four beasts.
Daniel 7:1 says, "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head upon his bed. Then he wrote down the dream; he related the sum of the matters." This indicates that the year of the vision in chapter seven was the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, about 555 B.C. The captivity began in 606 B.C., and the return of the children of Israel from captivity took place in 536 B.C., nineteen years after Daniel saw this vision.
Daniel 7:2-8 describes the four beasts which came out of the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Sea was the center of the inhabited earth. God's economy in His creation was to make the Mediterranean area the center of culture up to the time of Columbus. Human culture has become a great sea full of winds and storms.
The four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea, and four beasts came up from the sea (vv. 2-3). This does not mean that heaven is the source of these beasts but that heaven arranged the situation that produced the four beasts. The four winds signify moves of heaven from four directions; the stirring up of the great sea signifies the stirring up of the political situation around the Mediterranean Sea; and the four beasts which came up from the sea signify four great, fierce, cruel, and inhuman kings with their empires (v. 17).
In chapter two, in Nebuchadnezzar's dream human government on the earth was signified by a great human image full of glory and splendor. In chapter seven it was unveiled to God's prophet, Daniel, that the heads of human government on the earth, and the governments themselves, were signified by wild beasts.
The first beast (v. 4) corresponds to the head of gold of the great human image in 2:36-38, signifying Babylon with its founder and king Nebuchadnezzar.
The first beast was like a lion — the king of the beasts, the most fierce and cruel.
The first beast also had the wings of an eagle. The eagle is the king of the fowls. The beast's eagle wings signify that it was in the air, which belongs to Satan, the ruler of the air, and that its move was swift.
Daniel tells us that he watched until the wings of this beast were plucked. This plucking of its wings signifies that its moving power was taken away and that it became like a beast in the field, as mentioned in 4:23-25a. When God touched Nebuchadnezzar, he became like a beast in the field.
"It was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man; and a man's heart was given to it" (7:4b). This means that it became like a man standing on the earth with a man's heart, as indicated in 4:25b, 32b.
The second beast (7:5) corresponds to the breast and arms of silver of the great human image in 2:32, 39a, signifying Medo-Persia.
The second beast resembled a bear. This signifies that it was not as strong and swift as the lion but that it was still fierce and cruel.
This beast raised up on one side. This signifies that Media and Persia became one dominion.
Three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth. This signifies that three kingdoms, Babylon, Asia Minor, and Egypt, were devoured by it.
The second beast was commanded to arise and devour much flesh. This signifies that it would devour more nations.
The third beast (7:6) corresponds to the abdomen and thighs of bronze of the great human image in 2:32, 39b, signifying Greece with its king, Alexander the Great.
The third beast was like a leopard. This signifies that it was fierce, cruel, and swift (Hab. 1:8a).
This beast had four wings of a bird on its back. This signifies that it was swift by means of its four generals, like a bird with four wings.
The beast had four heads. This signifies that the four wings for swiftness became four heads, four generals who became the heads of four kingdoms. After the death of Alexander the Great, his four generals divided his empire into four kingdoms.
The third beast was given dominion. This signifies that it was given authority to rule over the nations.
The fourth beast (7:7-8) is the beast as revealed in Revelation 13:1-2.
The fourth beast corresponds to the legs of iron and the feet partly of iron and partly of clay of the great human image in 2:40-43, signifying the Roman Empire.
As signified by iron, the fourth beast was dreadful and frightful and exceedingly strong.
This beast had large iron teeth and claws of bronze, and it devoured, crushed, and trampled under the remainder (v. 19). This signifies that it had great power to devour and crush nations and trample down the remainder.
The beast had ten horns (7:20a). This signifies that it had ten kings (Rev. 17:12-13).
A small horn came up among the ten horns, and three of them were uprooted before them (Dan. 7:8a, 20b, 24). This signifies that Antichrist will come up among the ten kings, and before him three of them will be destroyed. In this way Antichrist will become the strongest horn.
In this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things (Dan. 7:8b, 20c, 25a). This signifies that Antichrist will have sharp sight to perceive things and a mouth to speak great things against God (Rev. 13:5a, 6). Because of this, Antichrist will be slain, and his body will be destroyed and given to the burning fire (Dan. 7:11; Rev. 19:20).
This horn (Antichrist) waged war with the saints, wore out the saints of the Most High for three and a half years, and prevailed against them (Dan. 7:21, 25; Rev. 13:7a).
This horn (Antichrist) intended to change the times and the law (Dan. 7:25).
This horn (Antichrist) will be judged by God, and his dominion will be taken away, so that it will be annihilated and destroyed unto the end (vv. 11b, 26).
According to 7:22 and 27, the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High.
As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion (authority and kingdom) was taken away, but an extension of life (culture) was given to them for a season and for a time (v. 12). This indicates that although the dominion and authority of Babylon, Persia, and Greece were taken away, their life, that is, their culture, will be extended and still remain. Today we are a part of Western culture, the Roman culture. Western culture is the consummation of Roman, Greek, Persian, and Babylonian culture.
Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was defeated by Darius the Mede. Then Alexander the Great came to defeat Darius the Persian (a different Darius) in 330 B.C. Alexander's four generals succeeded him to rule over four kingdoms. In 27 B.C. Caesar Augustus became the emperor of the Roman Empire, replacing the Grecian Empire. Although the actual Roman Empire came to an end around A.D. 476, the Roman spirit, culture, law, politics, and customs continue to exist. Therefore, in a sense, today we are still a part of the Roman Empire.
The books of Daniel and Revelation unveil God's economy. According to His economy, God will rule over the world, produce a situation for Israel to be His elect, gain the church to be His mysterious people, and have all the nations to be the peoples in the eternal kingdom of God. If we see this, we will know where we are, and we will know the meaning of our human life.
