My study of this passage took a longer time than usual, but I wanted to be sure to give you the best blog entry I could.
Also, I want to share with you dear readers, that I have put I Corinthians into a 40-day study, and have published it on Amazon. Since this epistle appears to be like a constitution for the Christian faith, I want to market my first book to those who have a religion with no power, as I grew up with, so I have titled it, "Why Christianity Isn't Working For You." I would encourage you to go to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086XHFFJL to download it or purchase the paperback for your personal study to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And please go back and give me an honest review. Thank you.
Daniel 7: 1-14
Now that Daniel is retired, he's going back to some writings he did to put them all in order.
(1) In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.
He says back when Belshazzar was king, Daniel had a dream and wrote it down then, when he woke up. Now he's going back to it to lay it all out.
(2) Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
The "four winds of heaven" are mentioned also in Revelation 7:1, where four angels are holding them back so they won't blow. Here Daniel sees them blowing and stirring up the sea. This is probably the Mediterranean Sea, and it represents the ever-changing Gentile world.
(3) "And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.
From this sea of nations are emerging in succession four fearsome beasts, that correspond to Nebuchadnezzar's dream statue (in chapter 2).
(4) "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.
The lion corresponds to the golden head of the statue, which represented Nebuchadnezzar. The wings being plucked and dropping him to the ground would refer to his period of insanity, when he was then "lifted up" and given back his mind and his majesty (in chapter 4).
(5) "And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'
This second beast would correspond to the silver chest and arms of the dream statue, the "raised up on one side" would indicate the alliance of two powers, one stronger than the other. This describes the Medo-Persian Empire, the Persian element dominating the Median. The three ribs that it was encouraged to feast on correspond to the three major conquests the Medes and Persians made: the Lydian kingdom in Asia Minor (which fell to Cyrus in 546), the Chaldean Empire (which he annexed in 539), and the kingdom of Egypt (which Cambyses acquired in 525).
(6) "After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
The third beast would correspond to the bronze hips and thighs of the statue, and it has four wings and four heads. This represents Alexander the Great and his conquests being divided among his four generals. This Greco-Macedonian Empire was the largest empire of ancient times, and it lasted about 300 years.
(7) "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
This fourth beast kept his fascination for its complexity. It was terrifying in its power and ferocity with its "large iron teeth," to be more crushing in its military power, exploitation, and repression than the other three. It "trampled down" everything that was left, whatever survived the other three empires.
This beast was nothing like any of the others that went before, and unlike any predator known to natural history. And it had ten horns; these correspond to the ten toes on the feet of the statue.
(8) "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.
This looks like some inconsequential upstart that grows in political power and authority to destroy three of the ten in the federation of powers, and is a man who lives "bigger than life" with a huge ego.
(9) "I kept looking
"Until thrones were set up,
"And the Ancient of Days took His seat;
"His vesture was like white snow
"And the hair of His head like pure wool.
"His throne was ablaze with flames,
"Its wheels were a burning fire.
(10) "A river of fire was flowing
"And coming out from before Him;
"Thousands upon thousands were attending Him,
"And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him;
Daniel kept watching until the Ancient of Days appears, and this looks just like what Ezekiel saw in his vision in chapter 1 of his book; and also John saw and recorded in Revelation 1: 13-16.
"The court sat,
"And the books were opened.
This looks like what will transpire as the King over all Creation sets up His Kingdom on the Earth, when the "stone was cut out of the mountain without hands" and it crushed and destroyed all the governments that went before it (Daniel 2: 45). We see also in Revelation 19 and 20 the thousand-year Golden Age of the world, and the final end of the Earth and judgment of all.
(11) "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.
Daniel saw that this boastful egotist is still running his mouth, until he is finally destroyed (Revelation 19: 20).
(12) "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.
The remnants of the world powers that will precede the final Last Days will come under judgment. Then follow these curious words, that an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. There is no agreed idea of what this might mean among theologians.
I, like Daniel, am perplexed, I also have questions that have not been answered yet. (But I'm not distressed in not knowing, I trust God has it all in hand!)
(13) "I kept looking in the night visions,
"And behold, with the clouds of Heaven
"One like a Son of Man was coming,
This is the only place in the whole Old Testament where the term "Son of Man" is used of a divine personage rather than a human being. Jesus used this term for Himself more often than any other. And coming "with clouds" describes how His second coming will appear (Mark 13: 26; Matthew 24: 30; 26:64; also Revelation 1: 7). Frequently in the Old Testament God is said to come from Heaven in a chariot of clouds to execute judgment (Psalms 18:10; 97: 2-4; 104: 3; Isaiah 19: 1; Nahum 1: 3).
"And He came up to the Ancient of Days
"And was presented before Him.
This looks like an official, ritualistic process of coming before a monarch. Since Jesus is our Lord God Almighty, the Most High God, and I John 4: 12 says that "No one has seen God [the Father] at any time," I take this "presentation" as an official joining of the human Jesus (Son of Man) with the divine Christ the Lord (Ancient of Days), the True God and True Man who is our Savior and Redeemer and King.
(14) "And to Him was given dominion,
"Glory and a Kingdom,
"That all the peoples, Nations and men of every language
"Might serve Him.
"His dominion is an everlasting dominion
"Which will not pass away;
"And His Kingdom is one
"Which will not be destroyed."
Here Daniel was shown that the final Kingdom that is headed by our Lord God Himself will never end or be destroyed or superceded by any other forever!
O my Father, You have planned out everything before You ever made anything! That's why You could tell Daniel way back so long ago what will be happening in the world even today.
We are seeing today how our past history has borne out the fulfillment of most of what You told Daniel, and he faithfully recorded for us to read today.
Now we are living through the Last Days of all that You revealed here, so that we could be prepared to face what is coming upon us in these days. Please help us understand what we are seeing in the world in the light You have given us in Your written Word. Let us recognize Your hand in all that is transpiring before our very eyes!
O Father, strengthen us to rely only on You in these days that are coming and that are upon us already. Give us understanding of Your care for us through the even more difficult times that will come. Draw us into Your strong and gentle arms of compassion and protection, Abba Daddy, as we curl up in Your lap!
Show us how to reach out to others who are hurting around us, to help them to know Your great Love and compassion, to rescue and redeem all of Your children. And deprive all those who refuse Your gracious and generous offer of any excuse at all for their rebellion.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Most High, Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, please come quickly, Lord Jesus!
