20/03/22 – Daniel 7:1-8
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.
Up until now Daniel has kept to chronological order (more or less), working his way from the commencement of his captivity in Babylon until sometime during the rule of Darius the Mede, which took Daniel’s narrative to after 539 (or 538) BC (when Cyrus took over, but with Darius the Mede noted as the ruler). Now we jump back in time to the first year of Belshazzar who seems to have acted as king in place of Nabonidus who was probably his father. Nabonidus took over the throne in 556 BC, thus the first year of Belshazzar would have been 556 BC or later, and therefore up to 17 years before he died and Cyrus/Darius took over.
the visions of his head – or possibly the thoughts that came into his mind during the dream or afterward.
on his bed – the usual place for dreams appears to be on the bed (see Daniel 2:28, 29; 4:10, 13), probably while lying down, or even asleep. It happened at night (see Vs 2 below)
wrote – or “inscribed”. Daniel was probably writing in cuneiform, not because he couldn’t write Hebrew (he may have spoken Aramaic anyway), but because he would have been taught Babylonian cuneiform and would have used it to communicate as part of his high Babylonian office under the king’s authority.
told – or “related”
the sum of – the essentials or main points; a summary of events; a summing up.
told the sum of the matters – related the main points of his dream.
After the dream and having thought about what he had dreamed, Daniel relates (via writing or inscription by cuneiform) the main points of his dream, a summary. This is the first dream or vision or activity recorded in Daniel where one of the kings is not involved. Daniel, like many of the prophets, recorded his prophecy for others to read.
Habakkuk 2:2 – And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make [it] plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
Daniel 7:2 – Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
my vision – the dream or maybe his thinking or interpretation concerning his dream.
strove – broke forth, or were breaking forth.
the four winds strove – the four winds were striving with each other; blowing from all sides at once; in conflict with each other; breaking forth from all directions all at once.
the great sea – While the great sea commonly referred to the Mediterranean Sea, the context does suggest that the sea here is the world of mankind, or people.
It is obvious that the reference to the four winds and the sea are allegorical. “the great sea” represents the huge mass of all mankind which is often depicted as a sea (also “a flood”, “rivers”, “waters” and “the rushing of mighty waters” etc) in the Bible.
Jeremiah 46:7-8 – 7Who [is] this [that] cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers? 8Egypt riseth up like a flood, and [his] waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, [and] will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
Revelation 13:1 – And I stood upon the sand of the
sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his
heads the name of blasphemy.
Isaiah 17:12 – Woe to the multitude of many people, [which] make a noise
like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, [that] make
a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
Thus, if we assume (quite correctly) the sea to represent the mass of humanity, then “the four winds” would be likewise allegorical. In the Bible, “the four winds” can represent all parts of the world.
Zechariah 2:6 – Ho, ho, [come forth], and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord.
Matthew 24:31 – And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Therefore in this verse, the four winds are likely to represent a diversity of influences and pressures (maybe politically and socially) on the mass of humanity in all the world, striving in conflict (maybe political or social) to influence or direct the course of human affairs as represented by the sea. It would have the idea of multiple conflicting beliefs and ideologies striving to control the behaviour of the world’s people (who are pulled in different directions according to these multiple influences).
Ellicott says: “The raging of the winds from the four quarters of the sky points to the various political and social agitations which disturb the world’s history, and lead to the changes and revolutions which mark its progress as it tends towards the end.”
The picture here is a world of humanity in turmoil, pulled this way and that by differing viewpoints, always seeking answers but rarely if ever finding them.
Ephesians 4:14 – That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Daniel 7:3 – And four great
beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
Just as the beast (the antichrist) arises from the sea of humanity …….
Revelation 13:1 – And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten
horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
…. these four beasts of Daniel’s dream also arise
from that sea of humanity.
They were all different from each other, and appear
to have arisen one after the other in order: the first with the appearance of a
lion with eagle’s wings (Vs 4 below), the second of a bear (Vs 5 below), and
the third of a leopard with four bird’s wings and four heads (Vs 6 below). The
fourth beast is not represented by any animal but is simply a “beast, dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly”
(Vss 7 & 8 below)
These beasts represent four empires, from the glorious majesty of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, to the brutal and cruel strength of the Medo-Persian empire, to the swiftness of the Greek empire under Alexander the Great, and finally the dreadful, terrible and exceedingly strong Roman empire which then evolves into the revived Roman empire of the end times.
In a way these correspond to the different sections of the great image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
Daniel 2:31-33 – 31Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness [was] excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof [was] terrible. 32This image’s head [was] of fine gold (Nebuchhadnezzar), his breast and his arms of silver (the Medo-Persian empire commencing with Cyrus the Great), his belly and his thighs of brass (the Greek empire under Alexander the great), 33His legs of iron (the Roman empire), his feet part of iron and part of clay (ten separate yet connected nations of the revived Roman empire).
Daniel 7:4 – 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.
eagle – eagle; vulture;
griffon-vulture. Cambridge says: “a
majestic bird, most abundant, and never out of sight, whether on the mountains
or the plains of Palestine.” Like the lion, this “eagle” also
represents majesty. This first beast represents Nebuchadnezzar and the glorious
majesty of his kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar was majesty personified, like a
lion-eagle in the form of a man with the heart (or the thinking or intelligence)
of a man. With such abilities, it was to be expected that Nebuchadnezzar would
be carried away with his pride, but his humbling (by becoming a beast of the
field for 7 seasons or years – Daniel 4:25) brought him down to earth again;
effectively his wings had been clipped (or his wing-feathers plucked). He had
been able to fly until God brought him down to earth again.
In Daniel Ch.4 that man’s heart was taken away from
Nebuchadnezzar for some time …. as noted by Daniel to Belshazzar ….
Daniel 5:21a – And he was driven
from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling [was]
with the wild asses
…. until it was restored after Nebuchadnezzar was
humbled.
Daniel 4:36 – At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.
Nebuchadnezzar’s empire covered the modern-day countries of Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus, plus some of Saudi-Arabia and Turkey. It wasn’t known by its size but instead by its sheer glory, especially that of Babylon which was one of the wonders of the world. “Under Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon became one of the wonders of the world. He rebuilt the Etemenanki ziggurat (also known as the Tower of Bable), the magnificent Ishtar Gate and is credited with creating the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon.” (https://www.historyonthenet.com/the-wonders-of-ancient-babylon)
This first beast, representing the glorious majesty of the empire ruled by Nebuchadnezzar, was also represented by the head of gold of the great image of Daniel 2:31-33.
Babylon also symbolises the world religion of today as we approach the end-times.
Daniel 7:5 – 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.
The empire that succeeded the glorious majesty of Nebuchadnezzar was the brutal and ferocious Medo-Persian empire. Raising itself on one side probably refers to one side being stronger or more prominent than the other; out of the Medes and the Persians, the Persians were the stronger or with more authority. The Persians had defeated Media in 550 BC with the Medes being made the junior partners in this alliance of the two nations. While their rulers were Persian, they may have put a Mede (such as Darius the Mede) in to rule as junior partner.
The three ribs in its mouth may refer to the three kingdoms taken over after the establishing of the Medo-Persian empire in 550 BC; these three would then be Babylon (539 BC), Lydia, now generally known as Turkey (546 BC) and Egypt (525 BC).
Arise, devour much flesh – Its empire included modern-day Iran (Persia), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Armenia, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Cyprus, Kuwait and most of Iraq, plus parts of India, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Saudi-Arabia, U.A.E., Oman, Greece and Bulgaria, plus other hard-to-define bits and pieces. It was much bigger than that ruled by Nebuchadnezzar. The Medo-Persian empire was characterised by a bear, as is Russia today; many similarities may be noticed in their behaviours.
This second beast, representing the brutality of the empire ruled by the Medo-Persians, was also represented by the breast and arms of silver of the great image of Daniel 2:31-33.
Daniel 7:6 – 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.
the back – back; sides. Could be either back or sides or even both. The wings would have represented the swiftness of movement like a bird. Four wings (rather than two) would symbolise greater speed. Add to this the fierceness, agility and speed of the leopard and you have a deadly combination.
Habakkuk said of the Chaldeans’ horses that they were swifter than leopards.
Habakkuk 1:8 – Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle [that] hasteth to eat. (Habakkuk prophesied around 612 BC, about 6 or 7 years before Daniel was taken captive to Babylon.)
The Greek empire under Alexander the Great covered a similar spread of countries as did the Medo-Persian empire. In fact, the Greek empire may have covered a bit less area. It included more Greek nations but fewer to the north of Persia. It was notable, not for its size or power, but for the sheer speed with which Alexander defeated so many nations. Thus it is symbolised by the leopard, not as powerful as the lion or the bear; instead it is known for its stealthy and deadly swiftness.
four heads – When Alexander died at the age of 33, his empire was broken up into four kingdoms with their four rulers: Macedon, Greece (Cassander); Thrace, Bythynia (Lysimachus); Egypt (Ptolemy); Syria (Seleucus).
dominion was given to it – Similar to the statement “devour much flesh” of the second beast, this Greek empire would rule over much of the known world of that day.
This third beast, representing the swiftness and agility of the Greek empire under Alexander the Great, was also represented by the belly and thighs of brass of the great image of Daniel 2:31-33.
dreadful – causing great fear or dread
terrible – causing great terror
This fourth beast is not characterised by an animal, but simply by causing great fear and terror with exceptional strength. This is that kingdom represented by the iron legs of the great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, with its immense strength able to literally beat other nations into submission.
Daniel 2:40 – And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all [things]: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
It was the Roman empire that made that cruellest of executions, the crucifixion, a main part of its efforts to subdue. The Roman empire was represented by the legs of iron of the great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:31-33).
great iron teeth – It was like a machine mashing and mincing up all who got in its way, a huge grinding machine that not only killed and chewed but broke its enemies up into small pieces. It wasn’t sufficient to just win the battle; they had to demonstrate their absolute superiority over all their opponents. In a way they were the consummate dictators demanding absolute obedience with the totality of their control.
stamped – or trampled
stamped the residue of it – Even breaking up its opponents into pieces (with its iron teeth) wasn’t enough; this beast then trampled their remains (the residue) with its feet. If effectively putting their opponents through a huge grinding machine weren’t enough, they then allegorically put their remains into a stamping press to extract the last bits of cruelty possible. (A stamping press is a series of heavy hammers designed to break up rocks to extract minerals such as gold from the crushed fragments.)
While all the four beasts were diverse (different) from each other (Vs 3 above), this fourth beast is so different from the other three that Daniel notes it as being diverse from the others. It stands out on its own when it comes to diversity!
and it had ten horns – This statement almost sounds like an anticlimax, something added on as an afterthought. But the ten horns relate directly to the number of toes on the great image of Daniel 2:31-33. The ten toes (of clay and iron) effectively “grow” from the legs of iron (the Roman empire). The Roman empire died out many centuries ago, but one day it will return in ten pieces, both united for strength yet weaker because of their individuality.
Daniel 2:42 – And [as] the toes of the feet [were] part of iron, and part of clay, [so] the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
The antichrist beast (which rises from the sea) of Revelation 13:1 has 7 heads and 10 horns; likewise the Mystery Babylon woman of Revelation 17:3 is riding a beast with 7 heads and 10 horns which are 10 kings (Revelation 17:12).
The great red dragon, that seeks to destroy Israel which brings forth the Christ, also has 7 heads and ten horns.
Revelation 12:1-5 – 1And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.5And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne.
The repetitive number ten refers to ten kings who will form that revived Roman empire of the end-times.
Look at Daniel 9:26 – And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Note that “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary”. That is, there is a future prince who is yet to come; he will be of the same people who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. It was the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple almost 2,000 years ago, and it will be a leader or ruler of that same Roman empire’s people who will come as antichrist (the beast of Revelation 13:1). He will lead that 10-king revived Roman empire during 7 years of such tribulation of such troubles that have never yet been seen, leading up to Armageddon and the return of Christ the Messiah.
Matthew 24:21 – For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Daniel 7:8 – 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.
As Daniel continued to contemplate these horns, lo (behold), another little horn arose among them. This horn causes three of the original horns to be plucked out (pulled out) by the roots (uprooted). This represents the violent and thorough removal of three of those ten kings, leaving seven horns around the extra little horn that grew among them. Thus the 7 heads (Revelation 13:1) would represent the remaining kings of the original 10 kingdoms (represented by the 10 horns).
Note that further on in Daniel Ch.7, Daniel gives us more information about the extra horn of this fourth beast. The horn speaks “great words against the most High”.
Daniel 7:24-25 – 24And 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. 25And 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.
Again we see those ten kings of which three will be subdued, leaving seven.
The beast / antichrist of Revelation 13:1 also speaks “great things and blasphemies”, and speaks “blasphemy against God”. And note Revelation 13:4b-6 – and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty [and] two months. 6And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
A number of verses in Revelation talk about 7 heads and 10 horns. That seven could refer to those remaining kings after the three are plucked out or subdued. But it can also represent the seven hills upon which the blasphemous woman who is riding the beast with 7 heads and 10 horns) of Revelation 17 sits.
Look at Revelation 17:9, 12 – 9And here [is] the mind which hath wisdom. The
seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
12And the ten horns which thou sawest
are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet;
but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
The woman sits on the beast with seven heads which are the seven mountains (or hills) upon which the woman sits. Note that Rome is known as the city on seven hills. There’s a town in South Australia, a catholic community, called SevenHill, officially named after Rome. “The name, bestowed by Austrian Jesuit priest, Aloysius Kranewitter, is a homage to the Seven Hills of Rome.” (https://southaustralia.com/products/clare-valley/destination-information/sevenhill)
This extra little horn of Vs 8 above (representing the antichrist) is like a man but is given his power by the dragon who is satan (see Revelation 13:4a – And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast:). The ten kings receive power along with the antichrist likewise from satan.
There’s a lot more on this topic that we’ll cover as we continue through Daniel Ch.7.
To Messages and Teachings page
List of all my posts on this site