Key Verse:
7:13-14
“In
my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,
coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led
into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all
peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an
everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will
never be destroyed.”
The book of Daniel is regarded as
the Old Testament version of Revelation because it shows the future events of
the kingdoms of this world and the people of God. Starting from chapter 7
Daniel received direct revelations from God through his dreams 2500 years ago.
His prophesy covers a long period of time ranging from the Babylonian Empire to
the second coming of Jesus. All human history is pointing to the coming of the
Son of Man. Chapter 7 is similar to chapter 2. But it is different because in
chapter 7 the Son of Man will come to judge the kings of the world and give his
kingdom to his saints. It depicts the sufferings of God’s people by the
Anti-Christ but in the end they will possess the kingdom of God. The kingdom of
God will prevail over the kingdoms of this world. This passage is a vivid
picture of God’s judgment over the beast-like kings of this world and his
eternal salvation for the saints of the Most High. May God bless us to wait for
the coming of Jesus patiently and have a living hope to live with him in the
eternal kingdom of God. I pray that God may open our spiritual eyes to
understand this prophetic vision given to Daniel through the Holy Spirit.
PART 1 DANIEL’S DREAM
OF FOUR BEASTS (1-8, 17-25)
Look at verse 1. “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon,
Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his
bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.” In chapter 7 Daniel describes a
vision which he saw in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar. What was the
general content of the dream? Look at verses 2 and 3. “Daniel said: ‘In my
vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds heaven
churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others,
came up out of the sea.” In this verse the word “winds” is compared to the
Spirit of God. Before God spoke, there was the Spirit of God. He was hovering
over the “waters.” Genesis 1:2b says,
“The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” The first sight Daniel saw
was the great sea whipped into a tumult by the four winds of the heaven. The
turbulent sea likely represents the constant state of the turmoil which exists
in the political world. Daniel next observed four fearsome beasts emerging from
the sea. These represented kings or kingdoms which would arise out of the
earth. (v.17) Let’s see about the four beasts.
First, a lion with the wings of an eagle
(4). Look at verse 4. “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an
eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the
ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was
given to it.” The first beast was like a lion. It also had the wings of an
eagle. As we saw in the movie “the Lion King”, the lion rules the animal
kingdom. The power of the lion is matchless. Which animal can beat the lion?
The eagle is the king of the birds. It soars high in the sky and catches its
preys swiftly. The eagle’s eyesight and flying speed are peerless. Which bird
can beat the eagle? The first beast Daniel saw was a winged lion. This beast
stood for the Babylonian Empire. The swift and powerful Nebuchadnezzar had made
himself master of the world at the battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. He was
everywhere like a winged lion. He was likened to the head of gold, and whose
dominion and civilization were superior to all other nations. Nebuchadnezzar
established a totalitarian empire and ruled the world with the eagle’s insight
and the lion’s power for 43 years. (Dan. 2:36-38) In archaeology we see that
the national symbol of Babylon is a lion with the wings of an eagle. At the
time of Daniel’s dream, the power of the Babylonian Empire was weakened by the
rising power of the Medo-Persian army. When its wings were torn off and it was
lifted from the ground, the Babylonian Empire stood on two feet like a man.
When God stripped their power and glory, they became a normal nation like
others. They were no longer a super power nation. In the sport world an
excellent player is called “a beast.” If people say, “Oh man, he is a beast,”
this means that he is a good player. But when he retires, people no longer call
him “a beast” because he cannot play as before. He is like everybody else. When
Michael Jordan returned to the MBA last year, people expected him to become a
super star again. Even there was a sport program called “Jordan Watch.” But one
player said, “He is one of the players.”
In the same way the Babylonian Empire rose and fell and disappeared in
the background in human history. Their glory did not last and faded very
quickly like flowers. That is the destiny of the worldly kingdoms.
Second, a bear which had three ribs in
its mouth (5). Look at verse 5. “And there before me was a second beast, which
looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs
in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of
flesh.” If someone says to you, “You look like a bear”, how do you feel? A bear
looks chubby and slow. The character of a bear is simple and very powerful and
it has the spirit of never giving up and is compared with the kingdom of the
Medes and Persians. They had no strategy in fighting with enemy nations. They
simply mobilized a huge number of people to attack their enemies. They only
overpowered other nations with their “human sea” tactics. They were like
bulldozers and lawn mowers. They mowed down their enemies. The Medes and
Persians ruled 200 years until 330 B.C. The bear was raised up on one of its
sides that is 2 of its legs were longer than the ones in the other side. This
means that the Persian element dominated the Median. The last part of verse 5
says, “Get up and eat your fill of flesh!” This means that the Medes and
Persians would conquer many countries of the Near East and grow bigger than the
Babylonian. Empire. Three ribs in its mouth means the conquest of Babylonia,
Libya and Egypt.
Third, a leopard with four wings on its
back (6). Look at verse 6. “After that, I looked, and there before me was
another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four
wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given
authority to rule.” The third beast resembled a leopard with four wings and
four heads. The Greek Empire is thus symbolized. The wings point to the
rapidity of the conquests of Alexander the Great. When he moved too fast, his
generals had to slow him down. When I was young, I liked him because he
conquered the world in his young age. His personal tutor was Aristotle. He had
an ambition to build the world super power. He began to conquer from Macedonia,
then North Africa and part of India. His conquest was as speedy and sudden as
the tornado that hit the College Park last year. They say that after Alexander
conquered all the nations of the world, he cried aloud, “I have no more nations
to conquer.” He ruled the world for 8 years from 330 B.C. to 323 B.C. After world conquest, he soon died of a
marsh fever in the Babylon, the new capital of his Empire. The four heads
probably represent the divisions of the kingdom by his generals after the death
of Alexander. He was 32 years old. The glory of Alexander was very short and
his Empire crumbled soon after his death.
Fourth, a beast with iron teeth (7). Look
at verse 7. “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me
was a fourth beast terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large
iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever
was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.”
There is no name of this beast. Maybe it was a combo of all the beasts
mentioned above. This beast not only had iron teeth, it had ten horns. Around
241 B.C. Roman power originated from Sicily. Rome conquered Spain, Macedonia,
Greece, and Asia Minor. In 10 B.C. she conquered Jerusalem. During the next 10
years she conquered England, France, Belgium, and Germany. By 17 A.D. the Roman
Empire had conquered all European countries and part of India and rose to be
the greatest empire in human history. When the Roman army marched forward in
the battle formation, small nations were terrified and trembled because they
devoured their opposition and crushed them beneath their feet. When the Roman
Empire was powerful, she did many evil things beyond imagination. When they
conquered other nations, they destroyed all inhabitants; killing the weak
people and dragging off the strong people to make them soldiers in their
fighting forces. They did not allow any rebellion from their colonies. They
crucified anyone who rebelled against them. They had a terminator mentality.
Their cruelty was well revealed when the Roman governor Pilate crucified Jesus.
They enjoyed the gladiators fighting. They persecuted the early Christians. The
Roman Empire is a symbol of cruelty.
Fifth, a little horn (8,24,25). Look at
verse 8. “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another
horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were
uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that
spoke boastfully.” Daniel’s attention was drawn to the emergence of a little
horn which uprooted three of the ten horns. As we know, a horn is a symbol of
power. Here, “ten horns” symbolizes all the powers which have followed Rome on
the stage of history. Who, then, is the little horn? The little horn looked
small in size, but it uprooted three horns. It had eyes like the eyes of a man
and a mouth that spoke boastfully. Biblically, a mouth that speaks boastfully
is the Antichrist. This one not only destroys mankind, he also stands against God.
Read verses 24 and 25. “The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this
kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones;
he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his
saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed
over to him for a time, times and half a time.” According to the interpreting
angel, the Antichrist would blaspheme against God, wear out the saints, and
‘think to change times and laws.” This Antichrist wants to change the set
times. He wants to interpret the Bible differently. The character of the
Antichrist is to mock God and deny God’s sovereignty and boast about human
achievement. Is Antichrist present now?
1 John 2:18 says, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard
that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how
we know it is the last hour.” Here Apostle John is talking about the last days, the time between Christ’s first
and second comings. The first-century readers of 1 John lived in the last days,
and so do we. During this time, antichrists (false teachers who pretend to be
Christians and who lure weak members away from Christ) will appear. Finally,
just before the world ends, one great antichrist will arise (Rev. 13; Rev.
19:20; Rev. 20:10). We do not need to fear these evil people, however. The Holy
Spirit shows us their errors, so we will not be deceived. However, we must
teach God’s Word clearly and carefully to the weak members among us so that
they won’t fall prey to these teachers who “come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15).
So my
answer is yes. There are many antichrists today. Of course, they will not have
a little horn. They are near us. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 says, “He will oppose and
will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that
he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Here we see
the Antichrists substitutes themselves in the place of God. These days we see
many signs of the end times. Humanism and relativism replaces God. Many
antichrists worship money instead of God. The mood of the Wall Street set the
tone of the day. They worship technology instead of God. Some churches say that
homosexual is okay. Catholic churches are struggling to overcome sex scandals
by their priests. What’s going on in America? America used to be a
Bible-believing and missionary-sending nation. But today terror rules America
and people are boasting about their individual achievements. In the name of
freedom many people live for their selfish sinful desires. Many people are
hostile towards God. High school students are not allowed to pray. We must pray
that God may bless America to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation
once again so that people may worship God and may not become the Antichrist.
PART 11. VICTORY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD (9-14, 26-28)
This part shows the eventual
victory of the kingdom of God over the little horn and the fourth beast. The
important point in this passage is that all the world powers are destroyed by
decree of the sovereign God who rules over all.
First, the throne of God. The throne of
God is the place where the Son of Man and the Saints of God can dwell. Look at
verse 9-10. “As I looked, ‘thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days
took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was
white like wool. His throne was flaming
with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming
out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times
ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were
opened.” As Daniel heard the arrogant boasting of the Antichrist, he was
distressed. Then, suddenly he saw that the throne of God was set in place and
the Ancient of Days took his seat. Here the word “Ancient of Days” means one
advanced in days more than anyone else from the beginning of the world. God
exists from eternity to eternity. When someone becomes 100 years, we celebrate
a big BD party. But God did not have a BD. Therefore the “Ancient of Days” is
God himself. What is depicted in verses 9-10 seems to be the last judgment on
world power. The Ancient of Days, the eternal God, who has witnessed the rise
and fall of innumerable governments, sits upon his fiery judgment throne. The
white garment depict his absolute righteousness, the hair like wool underscores
his eternality. Ten thousand times ten thousand of the heavenly host are
standing there ready to serve God’s order. The last part of verse 10 says, “The
court was seated, and the books were opened.” This means that all people must
strand before the Judge not a group but one by one. We must give our accounts
before God some day. The heavenly host asked, “What is your name?” The man
answered, “My name is John Paul Smith.” “Okay, we find your name in the book
and welcome to the kingdom of God.” But the other man said, “My name is Nero.”
He was thrown into the fire because his name was not in the book. The son of
man refers to the books at the court to see if each one’s name is in the Book
of Life, and he judges the wicked and unclean people according to the teachings
of the Bible. Therefore we should live
according to the teachings of the Bible, not according to our calculations. The
eternal God knows all the savage deeds of the beast-like governments which
ruled the world. According to verses 11 and 12, unlike the first three beasts,
the fourth was slain, his body destroyed and burned. This will happen when
Jesus comes again in his glory. Until then our struggle will continue to
overcome deceptions of the antichrists. In Daniel 7:1-12 the prophet sees what
the future holds for the beast-like kingdoms. They enjoy their heyday and then
they meet their doom. By way of contrast, the prophet sees in verses 13-14 the
glorious future of God’s kingdom.
Second, the son of man. Look at verse 13.
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,
coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led
into his presence.” The son of man (13) is Jesus Christ-the one and only Son of
God. Though Jesus is the Son of God, King of kings, and Lord of lords, he
humbled himself to be like a slave or servant. Jesus is different from the
beastly governments and ruthless kings who were depicted in verses 1-12. He
possesses gentleness. Though Jesus is the one and only Son of God he did not
use his glory and power over the people of the world. Rather, he became the eyes to the blind, a friend to the lonely
tax collector and a man of sorrow to the sorrowful. He is truly worthy to be
our Shepherd King. Daniel witnessed Jesus coming with the clouds of heaven to
the Ancient of Days. Jesus was ushered by the angels into the presence of the
Ancient of Days. What a happy welcome it must have been when the Lord of glory
returned to the heavenly realm! Where is Jesus at this point? According to
Hebrews 1:3b, Jesus is sitting down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
He is listening to all our prayers and pleads to God on our behalf. Though
God’s fiery judgment looks terrifying, we can approach to God through Jesus who
died for our sins and rose again. We can stand before God’s judgment seat only
by the grace of God.
Look at verse 14. “He was given authority,
glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language
worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away,
and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Now here in the presence
of God the Son of Man is crowned king. The Ancient of Days bestowed upon him
three gifts-dominion, glory, and a kingdom. God had given only temporary
dominion to the beastly kingdoms. But God gave Jesus an everlasting dominion.
The kingdoms of the world appear and disappear like mosquitoes in the
summertime. But the Kingdom of God is forever and his dominion is everlasting.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away. And his
kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. It is because it is the kingdom of
the holy God. Jesus is worthy to be worshipped by all people.
Third, the saints of the Most High. Look
at verse 25b. “The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half
a time.” For a brief period, three-and-a-half years, the saints of God would be
delivered into the power of the little horn. This means that God’s people will
suffer in this world. How long? It will be three and half years. Of course, it
may be longer than that for some people. What should be our attitude when we
suffer in this world? Revelation 13:10b says, “This calls for patient endurance
and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” Patience and faithfulness are the
keys for us to overcome many hardships. Missionary James Park endured 8 years to
finish his school- works and finally graduated. If he dropped impatiently, he
never would get a computer degree. Now he needs to wait for the proper job
again. Shannon Smith is struggling to live by faith but he never quits his
Bible study. S. Steve is longing to reunite with his wife in August. Two
years seems to short to other people but to Steve it was long. But if we wait
enough, we will see the end of suffering.
Look at verse 27. “Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the
kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people
of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers
will worship and obey him.” Wow! All Christians will be victorious in the end.
We can defeat the Antichrists by the help of God. We will possess the kingdom
and we will reign with Christ. We can endure temporary suffering of this world
because our eternal life is waiting for us when Jesus comes again in his glory.
We must follow the world but we should be holy pilgrims in the sight of God. We
must also shepherd his flock as our own children and pray for them. This is the
way of life for those who are waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ. If
we do so, God will give his kingdom to us-the saints of the Most High. Read
verse 22. “.. until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor
of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the
kingdom.”
Look at
verse 28. “This is the end of the matter. 1, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my
thoughts, and my face turned pale, but l kept the matter to myself.” It is
amazing that Daniel saw the prophecy of God in a vision of his dream around 553
B.C. Daniel was not intimidated even before Nebuchadnezzar or Belshazzar. But when he saw the prophecy of God in a
vision he was frightened and could not eat for several days. It was too scary
to think about. Why-was he so scared?
It was because it was certain that the prophecies would come to pass. He
was horrified that the kings of the world are like brutal beasts. He was also
terrified that the judgment of God is so severe that no one could survive, but
all would be burned to ashes.
In this
passage we learn that we should not worship beasts. We should not try to
receive recognition from beasts. We must worship the holy God and the son of
man who judges all mankind one by one. Most of all, we learn here that we
should not live an unclean life, but we must live holy lives before the holy,
holy God Almighty. Then God will give us his kingdom as our inheritance.