The only human things mentioned of the fourth beast are his eyes and his mouth. The saints should also expect the wicked to prosper, for a season. It was said ( ch. Daniel 2:24-49 New International Version Daniel Interprets the Dream 24 Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the wise men of Babylon, and said to him, "Do not execute the wise men of Babylon. That night his life and his kingdom came to an end. As Daniel continues to watch, someone descends with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man. He is presented to the Ancient of Days, and to Him is given dominion, glory, and the eternal kingdom. The precise meaning of the symbols of the raised side and the three ribs is illusive. Not only was he greatly alarmed and physically sick, but he says he also kept the matter to himself. The emphasis of this brief interpretation falls not on the enemies of God, their power, their brutality, nor their boasting, but on the kingdom of God, its certainty and its permanence for all the saints forever. God would strike him down in the moment of His choosing to silence him once and for all and put an end to his kingdom. He could not figure out what the dream meant, so he wanted his advisors to explain it to him. It may seem to them that their defeat is certain and that their hopes of entering into the eternal kingdom are lost. Those of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, and Darius all agree with the prophecy of Daniel 7. God will establish His kingdom, and that kingdom, unlike the kingdoms of men, is eternal. All nations of the earth will serve and live under the peaceful rule of the Son of Man and the people of Israel will receive their promised inheritance in the land of Israel, restored Israel. Until Gods eternal kingdom is established, kingdoms will progress from bad to worse. The woman endures in the view of the final outcome of the process. Both sets of kingdoms are brought to a sudden end and are replaced by an eternal kingdom. Their perception is wrong, for suddenly and without warning their day of destruction will come upon them. The lesson was prepared for older students. Daniels first inner turmoil occurs in chapter 7. This beast is also unique among the four in that he grows 11 horns. His mouth is used to speak boastfully. The entire empire was conquered between 334 and 330 B.C., just four years. 1 John 3:1-3 says, See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. The expression is used in the Psalms in a more pregnant way, in reference to the coming Messiah. The expression, son of man, is not new to Daniel nor to the Jews of his day. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. The reign of Belshazzar was, in some measure, a foretaste of what was yet to come in full measure during the reign of the fourth beast, especially of the eleventh horn. In the Old Testament, the expression son of man was used most frequently in reference to men, who were merely (as opposed to God) human. Since the last kingdom and the prophecies associated with it have not yet been fulfilled, we must in some way be a part of that kingdom. That dream was read as our Scripture reading this morning. (13) In some sense, the last kingdom is still on-going. 23 Thus he said: The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. Passing over the first three beasts, his questions focus on the last beast. According to verse 1, the written record of the revelation Daniel received in his first night vision is but a summary of the prophecy he received. In those days, as in our own, there are always those are too quick to conclude that the kingdom of God has come (see Matthew 24:4, 6, 8, 24-28; 2 Thessalonians 2:1ff.). 15 And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed (Revelation 13:4, 11-15). The saints must believe and behave according to what God has promised about the future the righteous will possess the kingdom of God forever. 9 If any one has an ear, let him hear. When that day comes for them, it is too late to repent. The prophecy of Daniel 11 includes amazing details about great empires, political developments and end-time powers that would affect the Jews and all people today. The righteous will suffer. Daniel himself had many dreams and visions, mostly related to future kingdoms of the world and the . This kings boasting turns to blasphemy. This fourth beast seems to regenerate in the form of subsequent kings and kingdoms. Two major divisions comprise our text: (1) Daniels dreamverses 1-14 and (2) the interpretationverses 15-28. Prophecy is not a pep rally, which generates a great burst of short-term enthusiasm but does little to inspire faith and endurance in the midst of suffering. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. Who is the Son of Man? (6) None of the kings or the kingdoms are identified. This is describing an event that has never happened in the history of the world and is yet future. We are told the Old Testament prophet could not see the distance between the first and the second coming of our Lord, just as one cannot see the distance between two mountains, when viewed from afar. Before the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt and brought into the land of Canaan, they suffered at the hands of the Egyptians. He distinguishes himself by his ability to overcome the whole earth, crushing it under foot. This little horn is more intelligent and more arrogant than the other horns. If you need one see me after the service and I will get you a copy. As the boasting horn of Daniel 7 seems to be getting away with his blasphemies and his oppression of the saints, it seems to him he can do whatever he wishes, including the changing of times and law. (See Daniel 2:24, Note. From an eternal perspective, the coming of Christ and His kingdom is but one coming. When the Lord Jesus came to the earth, He often referred to Himself as the Son of Man, gradually making it clear that He was the Messiah who was God incarnate. If, in Gods eyes, a day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years as a day (2 Peter 3:8), then the coming of our Lord has only been a few days from beginning to end. Nothing has caused him to panic or depart from his faith and practice as a godly Jew. The words of Daniel which applied to the beasts now found application to them. The nation of Israel has been set aside by divine discipline in the present times of the Gentiles, which began with Nebuchadnezzar. While most prophecies in the Bible reveal events which will take place after the death of the recipient of the prophecy, the prophecy is revealed for impact upon those to whom it was revealed. 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. A night vision is given to king Nebuchadnezzar, apparently early in his reign as king of Babylon. Encouraged to do so, it savagely devours. The king knew that Daniel spoke the truth. Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13). When Jesus came, He embraced this expression as a designation for Himself, giving the term meaning vastly beyond that previously held by any Jew. Please stand in honor of the reading of Gods Word and follow along as I read verses 15-28. History has shown this to be true in the past, and prophecy assures us that it will be true in the future. Daniel 2:1). The ten horns, Daniel is told, represent ten kings who will emerge out of the fourth kingdom. The death of this king brings about the end of his kingdom. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him." (2:14-16) Notice Daniel's calm in the face of the king's rush to judgment. We do not walk by sight, but by faith. The coming of the Son of Man is represented as one coming, and not two. Even the fate of this fourth beast is different than his three predecessors, as his life and his kingdom seem to end at the same moment. The other prophecies were revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar and interpreted by Daniel. Daniel boiled down his vision to its essence, so we would not fail to understand the message he meant to convey to us. The process of having a baby involves the pains of childbirth. The message of this prophecy is really quite simple and may be summed up this way. With the death of Nebuchadnezzar comes a change in the peoples attitudes, especially their leaders toward Judaism. The Son of Man had the power to forgive sins, as well as to heal a paralytic (Matthew 9:6). 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him. The kingdom of God will be established and the saints will possess it forever. Lion - Babylon. Prophecy is necessary then so that men are reassured of divine deliverance and blessing, as well as divine judgment (see 2 Peter 2:4-9). Verse 17. 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. That was bad enough, from the religious leaders perspective, but the way in which He answered them was the last straw. Salvation is likewise a process involving sufferingand then glory. A lawsuit could force the F.D.A. As Daniel sought to discover more truth about the fourth beast he added some details that he had left out of his first description. Through this dream, King Nebuchadnezzar learned that only God's Kingdom will last forever. As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. He will persecute and oppress the saints of the Highest One, the angel says that he will wear them down; the idea comes from the concept of wearing out a garment until it is threadbare. 75 Everything in chapter 7 is on a world-wide scale, the empires of the beasts, the judgment, and the nations that worship and serve the one like mortal man. Both the statue parts (made of different metals) and the beasts represent kings and kingdoms. A revelation from God in his sleep discloses future events which Daniel finds most troubling. Daniels response to the vision was far from assuring or calming. The inter-relationship between the prophecies of chapters 2 and 7 is demonstrated on the following page: Deterioration: Gold to iron mixed with clay, Deterioration: Nearly human to blaspheming beast. Daniel's Dream is instantly appealing as you can reallyrelate to how Daniel is feeling. Consider the birth of a child, remembering that Gods deliverance and salvation is likened to birth. His mind was troubled. The beasts emerge out of chaos and confusion; the heavenly court is calm and dignified. In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. We should not spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy trying to fill in the blanks God has left. Daniel 2:9-11 But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof, Daniel 1:18,19 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar, We are not told in so many words that this extension of time was granted, or that Daniel undertook to show more than the interpretation of the dream. God may choose to delay judgment on the wicked until their sin reaches full bloom; the possession of the land of Canaan would not happen in Abrahams lifetime, but more than 400 years later after the suffering of the people of God (see Genesis 15:12-17). 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. Thirdly (and most importantly), the prophecies of Daniel mean exactly what God says they mean, nothing more and nothing less. She makes it clear in a rather public fashion that she finds him desirable. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. For the time, it was these Jewish leaders who were beastly, arrogant, and blasphemous, and because of this they would suffer divine judgment. The angel told Daniel that at the end of those three and a half years the court would sit for judgment and the dominion (a word in Aramaic that means kingdom or empire and the citizens or subjects of that empire) would be taken away from the Antichrist, and the Antichrist and his followers will be annihilated and destroyed forever. Daniel explains that each of these metals represents a kingdom that would rule the world, and the stone is God . Considering this text has changed my opinion about the gap in the prophecies of the Old Testament. Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. At this point the revelation ended. After this chapter, the book returns to the Hebrew language. During this ten-nation confederation another ruler will rise as described by the little horn. The timeline reads as follows: The horn continues to sound off while the court is being set up for judgment. During times of oppression, it may appear the saints are being defeated and that Gods kingdom is but wishful thinking. The statue represented the kingdoms of the earth. Both series of four kingdoms begin well and end badly. The boastful beast becomes even more aggressive, waging war with the saints and even overpowering them. The day of judgment is still future and has not yet been fulfilled. The wicked will prosper and appear to get away with their opposition toward God and His saints. God is eternal, and so is His plan for all creation. Daniel 2 (the second chapter of the Book of Daniel) tells how Daniel related and interpreted a dream of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon.In his night dream, the king saw a gigantic statue made of four metals, from its head of gold to its feet of mingled iron and clay; as he watched, a stone "not cut by human hands" destroyed the statue and became a mountain filling the whole world. These will continue to be separate nations in the confederation but will come under the little horns control and authority. When He came with His kingdom, they would be sure to recognize Him (24:27). Each beast has its own unique characteristics. Old Babylonian Omen Text (VAT 7525) In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. Gods plan and program are carried out on His schedule, not ours (see 2 Peter 2:8-10). 4 The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. The Ancient of Days is a designation for God, not found elsewhere in the Bible. Suffering is an inseparable part of the process which leads to glory. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. He gave Daniel a general summary of the dream, These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. The statue has four parts; there are four beasts. His declaration, which resulted from the deliverance of the three Hebrews, made it unlawful to hinder the worship of the Jews; his decree recorded at the end of chapter 4 went much further. The visions explanation was not thorough enough to satisfy Daniel. Daniel was told that the beasts are kings, but he was not told the identity of any of the kings. The use of the word time in Daniel is understood to be years. At-A-Glance 1. We are in harmony with God when our declarations conform to his. 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