Lesson for July 20, 2022
The Book of Daniel
Chapter 7
Daniel’s Vision of the Four Beasts
The last six chapters of the book of Daniel are prophetic. Chapters 7-12 are prophesies about great kingdoms on earth – the Chaldean/Babylonian Empire, the Medo/Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, the Roman Empire, which is revived during the Tribulation and the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Verses 1-8
“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. Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. 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.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!’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. 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. 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.”
Verses 1-8 give an overview of the history of four powerful nations. Using animals (beasts) as analogies for the four great kingdoms, Daniel’s description of his dream began with Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldean/Babylonian Empire. Daniel’s dream corresponds to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2, which saw the future world powers.
The first beast looked like a lion with an eagle’s wings, but the wings were taken away and the beast stood upright like a man. This beast represented the Chaldean/Babylonian Empire and King Nebuchadnezzar. The eagle’s wings may have referred to how rapidly Babylon had conquered Jerusalem and many other countries. The eagle’s wings were plucked when Nebuchadnezzar went insane for seven years. When the lion stood upright, it could have been referring to the time when Nebuchadnezzar came to his senses and acknowledged Jehovah as his Savior and was restored to his kingdom. The lion corresponded to the head of gold of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
The second beast looked like a bear with three ribs in its mouth. The bear represented the Medo/Persian Empire. The bear corresponded to the chest and the arms of the statue of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The three ribs represented the three nations that allied themselves against Medo-Persia, which were Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt. These three nations were conquered by the Medo/Persians.
The third beast looked like a leopard with four wings and four heads. The leopard corresponded to the belly and thighs of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. The leopard represented the Greek Empire. The four wings represented the speed with which Alexander the Great conquered the entire known world, and the four heads represented the way he divided the kingdom among his generals. The empire was divided into Thrace, Egypt, Syria, and Macedonia.
The fourth beast looked like what seemed to be a beast unlike the others with iron teeth and ten horns. This beast corresponded to the legs and feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. Daniel saw another little horn (the Antichrist) appear and it devoured three of the ten horns. This beast represented the Roman Empire both during the Church Age and during the Tribulation. Remember that the Age of Israel was interrupted by the Church Age when Israel rejected Jesus Christ’s offer to set up the millennial kingdom. (Acts 1:6-8) The last seven years of the Age of Israel under the rulership of the “revived Roman Empire” is called the Tribulation. Therefore, Daniel saw both the Roman Empire in the first century, and the revived Roman Empire during the Tribulation, which will be the continuation of the Age of Israel.
Verses 9-18
“I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took His seat;
His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. His
throne was ablaze with flames, its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before Him; thousands upon thousands were serving Him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; the court convened, and the books were opened. Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.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. I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man was coming,and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, honor, and a kingdom, so that all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away;and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. I approached one of those who were standing by and began requesting of him the exact meaning of all this. So, he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and take possession of the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’”
Daniel saw the Throne Room in Heaven and Christ prepared to pass judgment. He also saw the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to earth to set up his millennial reign and the destruction the Antichrist. The rest of the beasts, which include Satan and certain fallen angels, were allowed to live (though imprisoned) for 1000 years.
Verses 19-20
“Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet,and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of the horns fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and which was larger in appearance than its associates.
Verses 21-28
“I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and prevailing against them,until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and trample it down and crush it.As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will humble three kings.And he will speak against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time.But the court will convene for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated, and destroyed forever.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 empires will serve and obey Him. At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face became pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”
Verses 19-28 are a description of the Antichrist’s rise to power and ultimate destruction prior to the Millennium. The Antichrist comes on the scene with promises of peace and prosperity which last for three and half years (time, times and half a time).
In the middle of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will rise up and begin to persecute believers (mostly Jews) causing them to flee into the mountains for safety. During the Tribulation, Satan will be in full control of two beings, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. The Anti-Christ will dominate the world political system like never before in the history of mankind and will mimic the ancient Roman Empire. The False Prophet will represent the false religion of “Antichrist worship” and will do the bidding of the Antichrist in convincing the world that he is the true messiah. Revelation 13 describes these two beings, which along with Satan form an unholy trinity, mimicking the true Holy Trinity. (Revelation 13:1-18)
The fourth beast in verse 23 will be the Antichrist who conquers all the nations (ten horns) of earth and dominates the political scene. The Antichrist’s kingdom will be a revival of the ancient Roman Empire, politically (ruling with an iron fist). The ten horns represent kingdoms that will be controlled by Satan.
Daniel saw the Antichrist in a dream and interpreted it as a representation of a satanic person ruling a satanic kingdom. We are told that the Antichrist will derive his power from Satan and take over the rulership of the world system. He will draw attention to himself by counterfeiting the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Antichrist will be brought back to life by Satan according to Revelation 13:3-4. Remember that he is the false Christ and performing this miracle will cause people to think of him in terms of deity, though he is not. People will worship him as a god.
In Revelation 13:5-8 some of the activities of the Antichrist are given. He will be a persuasive speaker as he speaks against God, the Tabernacle and all who live in Heaven, which would include elect angels and believers. He will also engage in war with the earthly believers who have not yet fled to the wilderness. He will overcome the saints and have authority over the entire world system.
The False Prophet’s role will be to convince the world to worship the Antichrist. He will have great power over mankind just like the Antichrist and perform miracles in order to deceive people. The people of the world will be duped into building an image to the Antichrist for the purpose of worshipping it. The False Prophet will also cause this image to come to life and speak. Those who refuse to worship the Antichrist will be killed. During this time, if anyone wants to buy or sell anything, they must first have the “mark” of the beast put on their hand or forehead. This mark itself is not specified in Scripture, but the beast will have a number, which is 666.
At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ returns to earth with believers to engage in war with Satan, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and all those who oppose Christ. Rejoicing and praise will break out in Heaven because God’s deliverance has come. Therefore, all glory and honor belong to God alone. He is the One Who judges truthfully and righteously. The angels will begin the song of praise and are joined by the twenty elders and the four living beings, both who are angels themselves. Then all believers will be commanded to join the song of praise to God. And finally, a voice from Heaven will declare the omnipotence of God.