THEN DANIEL HAS A VISION. GOD SHOWS HIM 4 BEASTS.

LION-         BABYLONIAN EMPIRE   

BEAR-        MEDIO- PERSIAN EMPIRE:  Lopsided Bear - showing – one side stronger  LEOPARD -GREEKE EMPIRE; -  with  4 wings- After the death of Alexander the Great his empire  was divided between his 4 Generals

COMPOSIT BEAST- ALL OF THEM COMBINED IN ONE BEAST HAVING 10 HORNS.

Chapter Seven: Chapter seven relates the dream and vision of Daniel concerning the Four Great Beasts. The first was like a lion, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard and the fourth beast was dreadful and terrible and exceedingly strong. These were the empires that were to rule the world, the first, Babylon; the second, Medo-Persian Empire; the third, the Grecian empire and the fourth was the Roman Empire. The last beast had ten horns and a little horn came up from among them and devoured the world. Daniel also saw the Ancient of days setting on His throne and He gave dominion and the worlds kingdoms to Him that was worthy, Christ the Lord. Daniel was given the interpretation of his dream and kept the matter in his heart. Daniel's dream is a parallel to Nebuchadnezzar's dream related in chapter 2 of Daniel. Chapter 2 presents the dream from a worldly king and chapter 7 presents the same dream in different symbols from the perspective of a believer.

The word "dream" indicates that Daniel was asleep; the word vision denotes the successive stages of what he saw in the dream. Since the death of Belshazzar is reported in Chapter 5:30, and this dream is in the first year of Belshazzar the book of Daniel is not in chronological order.

The great sea is the Mediterranean. The four great beasts represent four kings or kingdoms (v. 17). The beasts seen in Daniel's dream are parallel to the sections of the image seen in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Chapter 2.

The lion represents Babylon and its most famous king, Nebuchadnezzar. The lion symbolizes the strength and power of the kingdom; the wings symbolize the swiftness of its victories; and the standing up as a man represents the humanitarian character of Nebuchadnezzar in his later years. The winged lion was the national symbol of Babylon in the days of Nebuchadnezzar.

The bear is a picture of Medo-Persia, the empire that succeeded Babylon as the world power. On one side refers to Persia's dominance over Media in the kingdom. The three ribs probably indicate three nations conquered by Medo-Persia in their ascendancy (Babylon, Lydia and Egypt).

The leopard depicts Greece. Though naturally a swift animal, this leopard had four wings in addition to its native agility. This speaks of the lightning speed with which Alexander the Great (336-323 B. C.) conquered the ancient world. The number four represents the four generals who divided up Alexander's kingdom after his death.

The fourth beast is not given a name and therefore must have had the character of an unknown hideous monster. It foreshadows the Roman Empire. The ten hours are 10 kings (v 24) and the little horn is another king who will arise after the 10 and be coexistent with them (v 24). The little horn will subdue three other kings (v 24) and will persecute the saints (v 25). The identification of the 10 horns and the little horn has generated much discussion. The 10 kingdoms represented by the 10 horns may be the nations that will grow out of the old Roman Empire, or they will be 10 future kings who will rule over some form of a revived Roman Empire. The little horn represents the Antichrist. The parallels between this fourth beast and the beast in Revelation 13 are unavoidable. The description of the beast in that passage is clearly intended to depict the same individual as in Daniel's portrayal (v 25). Thus Daniel gives a foreview of the work of the Antichrist in the Tribulation period, and states that he will emerge from the remnants, or revival, of the Roman Empire. In his dream, four empires are portrayed as four fierce beasts ready to devour everything in their path. Again, the first three empires are briefly described, while important details are given concerning the fourth beast, Rome.

DANIEL WAS IN BABYLON FOR APPROXIMATELY 73 YEARS FROM KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR UNTIL KING CYRUS, THE PERSIAN KING  EVENTUALLY ALLOWED THE JEWS TO RETURN TO JERUSALEM (Nehemiah)  AND TO REBUILT THE WALLS AND TEMPLE. JESUS HIMSELF CONFIRMS DANIEL’S EXISTENCE WHEN HE SPOKE OF THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION written by  DANIEL  IN Matthew 24v15; Mark 13v14)

THIS PERIOD OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR CAPTURING JERUSALEM MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD CALLED “THE TIME OF THE GENTILES” DANIEL CHAPTER 1 Verse 1 & 2  STARTS THE PERIOD OF GENTILE RULE. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE GENTILE RULE OVER JERUSALEM 605 BC.

 Luke 21 v 24 JESUS SAID JERUSALEM SHALL BE TRODDEN DOWN BY THE GENTILES UNTIL THE TIME OF THE GENTILES BE FULFILLED (this means Jerusalem would always be controlled by Gentiles until the hour comes before His return, and  before His return, “my people the Jews would take Jerusalem” THIS HAPPENED JUST AS CHRIST SAID, BECAUSE ON JUNE 5-10 DURING THE 6 DAY WAR IN 1967. THE JEWISH PEOPLE REGAINED THE CITY OF JERUSALEM. (THIS IS AFTER 2,500 YEARS)  HOWEVER, THE GENTILES WOULD TRY TO REGAIN CONTROL OF JERUSALEM ALL THE WAY UNTIL THE  TIME THAT THEY WILL ALL BE GATHERED AT THE MOUNT OF OLIVES AND THE VALLEY OF JOSAPHAT, GOD SAID “ I will gather all nations against Jerusalem at the battle, JOEL 3 V 2;

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This site was last updated Saturday June 05, 2004 04:49:17 PM -0400