DANIEL REVEALED
DANIEL 7 is the first of four late-life visions given to Daniel. Unlike the first six chapters, Daniel was instructed that these visions were to be 'sealed' or hidden to the understanding of men until the 'time of the end;' and further, that these visions were telling of details that would be occurring in the 'last days.'
'When is the 'last days?' That is a good question. The first time 'the end' is mentioned in the Bible, it is associated with the rise of Israel as a nation.
There are many interpretations of these prophecies. Almost all of them started to come to light before Israel became a nation and therefore are suspect, according to the words of the angel in Daniel 12:4.
If you are wondering about the visions of Daniel and if there is a nation of Israel, then you have a good chance of matching the beasts of Daniel 7 & 8 with kings and nations that are actually in existence, and a good chance of coming up with the correct fulfillment of the prophecies of Daniel.
For instance, Russia has been known as the 'bear' for decades, the far east as the 'sleeping tiger'. Now, let's wrestle with the first beast, the lion with eagle's wings.
THE LION--In a world of animals, the lion is the king of the beasts; the eagle is the king of the air. No beast could stand against a lion with eagle's wings. The angel who tells Daniel what the beasts symbolize, equates the beasts with kings and kingdoms that had the power to make war and overrun other kingdoms. In other words, a beast could be visualized as a military power.
Since Israel became a nation May 14, 1948, has there been a military power on earth that cannot be touched by any other military power? The United States has emerged to become head and shoulders above any other nation and many historians believe that the U.S. could take on several other military powers at the same time.
As we follow the narrative, the powerful lion loses his eagle's wings, and then his fighting heart, and becomes in all respects a man in a world populated by animals. While some might think that a man can use his intellect to even his chances among the beasts, this narrative doesn't give him that choice. This is now a man who has to stand against the other beasts with two legs and a man's reflexes. With that kind of profile, there is no contest and the U.S. will slip from power.
THE BEAR--As the lion with eagle's wings is humiliated, there is a power vacuum. In a vacuum there is always something rushing in to fill the void. The narative of the vision says the bear is the first power to begin to rise as the lion fades. The bear is shown as raised on one side, in a posture of aggressive behavior, and holding three ribs in its mouth. Russia has been called the bear for decades. It is well known that Russia wants to regain the land and the stature that she once presented. If indeed, the bear is modern Russia, then we should anticipate that as the limits proscribed on her by the international community, led by the United States are lifted, she will again become aggressive in obtaining new land and power in her sphere of influence. It may even be that Russia will make a land grab and three surrounding states will fall to her power.
THE LEOPARD--As the narrative continues, a beast like a leopard, with four heads and wings of a fowl appears. Using logic, this power may be made up of four nations. The leopard has speed, and with the wings of a fowl, the implication might be that this power comes onto the stage very fast. As to whom it would be, one consideration would be
China. Long known as the tiger of the east, China is a sleeping giant. She could rally the eastern powers in a trading conglomerate, then start to use their military to protect the shipping lanes. Another consideration would be India and Pakistan. These two nuclear powers are not know for agression, but the future is uncertain. There could be a situation where these two nations would team up with some others to protect their interests and then grow in power.
THE NON-DESCRIPT BEAST--There has been much speculation about the description of the fourth beast. The narrative states that this military power is different in makeup from any seen before. It is dreadful, strong, and mean without empathy. On its head were ten horns, maybe signifying that there were ten kings or nations in its makeup. As the narrative continues, three of those kings were usurped by an eleventh, who is even more of a mystery than the other ten. This beast continues in power until the end of time. The three other beasts, though not in positions of power, do
continue as entities also until the end. The area controlled by this fourth beast is described as the whole earth. There are two thoughts on what the 'whole earth' means. There is the intuitive meaning: the whole world. There is also the consideration that since the Bible was written by the Jew, for the Jew, about the Jew; and since the Jew considers the 'whole earth' to be the complete land promised to the Jew, that this beast's sphere of influence could be the near east. In Psalms and Ezekiel, the image that is portrayed, is one that the nations around about Israel will combine to be a power dedicated to the destruction of Israel.
Daniel 7
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the
dream, and told the sum of the matters.
This is the first of Daniel’s late life visions, and an overview of the ‘last days’. As a young man, Daniel had been the person to explain Nebuchadnezer’s dream which had been a prophecy of time from that day to the end of time.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The Bible was written by the Jew, for the Jew, and about the Jew. If you are a Jew, then Israel is the center of the earth. Other countries are ‘nations’ ‘round about’ or ‘islands of the sea’. Here we ‘see’ unrest on the great sea, and countries which are great military powers coming up out of the sea. There is the perception that they are going to be ‘islands of the sea’. If you look at the whole of Daniel and Revelation; beasts symbolize military powers. And each of these military powers are different from each other.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the
earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
In a world full of animals, the lion is the king of the beasts. The eagle is the king of the air. There would be no comparison between a ‘lion’ that ‘had eagle’s wings’ and any other normal beast. Daniel, and through him us, is told that his ‘ book’ would be ‘sealed’ until the ‘end time’ or ‘end of years’. His book would not have meaning until it started opening in the ‘end time’.
So, sometime in the ‘end time’, a military power that stands out above all others will be revealed. And, when it should be most powerful, its own weaknesses will be probably be its undoing. Its power will be humbled, and in the end it will be as a man in a forest of wild animals; weak and slow. I believe that the beast in verse 4 is the United States.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of
it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
In the vacuum left by the humiliation of the super power, other military powers, which had been held in check begin to emerge with new agenda. Verse 5 tells of another beast ‘like a bear’. It does not take much looking around to realize that even now there are military powers that are ‘chomping at the bit’ to exercise power which has been checked for decades. Two emerging military powers are mentioned every day. One is Russia-the bear-what a coincidence! Those who have ‘eyes’ are taking notice of how Putin is trying to grab power for the Kremlin at the expense of capitalism. The bear in verse 5 is ‘raised up on one side’ in the stance of intimidation. In its mouth are ‘three ribs’, possibly from those countries, that a few years ago pulled away from the Russian Empire-an action which disappointed Russia and who she is harassing now.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also
four heads; and dominion was given to it.
This beast reminds me of the Four Tigers of the East of history. China is flexing her muscles, trying to be more of a world power in today’s politics. She may organize the East into a formidable military power. The leopard-like beast has four heads, which may symbolize that it is made up of four individual governments in one military power. The ‘four wings of a fowl’ may represent swiftness in the speed with which the power comes together.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had
great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the
beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
This beast, I believe, is the same as the first beast of Revelation 13, and the clues to who make up the beast are found there also. As long as I can remember, Bible students have recognized that this beast has something to do with religion because of the statement ‘upon his heads the name of blasphemy’ and ‘it was diverse from all the beasts’. Israel of the Old Testament was a theocracy, ruled by and then associated closely with the God of the Old Testament. Governments calling themselves religious but associated with a god other than the God of the Old Testament could be considered ‘blasphemous’. I have been studying Ezekiel 38; how the nations around Israel will gang together to come against Israel. These Islamic nations consider themselves to be nations of Allah who they say is God. When they band themselves together to make war with Israel they will be a military power which is the definition of a ‘beast’ of prophecy. A military power made up of Islamic nations would be ‘dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly’ because of the fact that they are fearless in a fight. They believe that if they die in battle with ‘infidels’, that they will go to their heaven and be treated as royalty, and, in fact that they would prefer to be in their heaven. By watching Islamic factions around the world and how they treat those who they wish to subject to their rule; I believe they could be described as a power that ‘devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet’. If there are ten nations that form this military power that comes against Israel, I believe that it could be this ‘diverse’ beast.
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the
first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
This ‘little horn’, I believe, is the man of sin himself, the ‘dragon’ of Revelation that gives the ‘diverse’ beast its power. If, when the dragon sets up his own government, and since the ‘diverse’ beast worships the dragon, according to Revelation 13, the dragon would not think it unreasonable to ‘annex’ three of the beast’s nations as his own.
9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair
of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times
ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Our attention is drawn to the scene in Heaven, where God calls court into session because He knows that time is nearing the end and he needs validation to claim his followers from an earth that is about to be destroyed by fire. This scene is described with more detail in Revelation 4 and 5. The gravity of the scene is described by the first angel of Revelation 14:
*6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel
*to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
*7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come:
In the Greek, the phrase “the hour of His judgement’ is actually the hour of His CRISIS! The human race is not on trial; God is on trial! Satan has made the claim that God’s government is substandard to Satan’s government, and God will call court into session to get the will of His creation; whether or not He has the right to claim His people and take them out of the experiment that is still taking place in the universe controlled by the dragon.
11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: beheld even till the beast was slain, and his
body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
Daniel’s attention is drawn back to the words of the ‘horn’, and he watches as the reign of the ‘diverse’ beast comes to an end.
12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
While the first three ‘beasts’ lost their government, they were not swallowed up by the mentality of the ‘diverse’ beast. And although the ‘horn’ power was able to prevail over the saints of the Most High, that power is able to prevail only for a definite period; whereas once God’s probation is over, His government will last for eternity.
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the
Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him:
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
But, the vision really bothers Daniel, and he looks for someone to explain to him what it all means.
15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.
16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the
interpretation of the things.
17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth
were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that
horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the
saints possessed the kingdom.
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and
shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be
diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to
change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
This is a pattern that is repeated for each of the visions; Daniel sees the vision, then the angel comes to him and gives an explanation and/or relative facts.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
God promises He will prevail and all the history of this earth will be useful through eternity to keep the problem of distrust from rearing its head again.
27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people
of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Isn’t that wonderful? God’s kingdom is voluntary. Everything that He has He gives to His saints, who have lived through the terrible experiment of sin. They are immune now and are witnesses forever of the true consequence of distrust of God.
28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in
me: but I kept the matter in my heart.