Lord’s Day, Vol. 12 No. 49
Opening the Book of Daniel
The Book of Daniel is set during the Babylonian Captivity. Daniel was a teenager when he was deported out of his homeland in Jerusalem in 605 B.C. He was among the first group of exiles deported from their homeland. The invading Babylonian army besieged Jerusalem and finally destroyed it and the Temple in 586 B.C.
This begins 70 years of God’s chastening hand upon His wayward people who had sinned against Him by going awhoring after idols for centuries. The Northern Kingdom had already been destroyed in 722 B.C. well over a hundred years ago. The spiritual decay of God’s chosen people seemed to see no bottom. The worship of God has become a mockery to Him. They had only “a form of godliness” and God is not mocked. He saw through their hypocrisy. Because God loved His people, He chastised them.
But God did give Israel a second chance after 70 years of captivity during the time of the Persian Empire, God moved the heart of Cyrus for the remnant to return home. Temple worship was restored under Nehemiah, Ezra, Haggai and Zechariah.
Daniel was taken to Babylon in 605 B.C., on the first year of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar’s reign by Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel outlived Nebuchadnezzar who reigned for 43 years down to 562 B.C. He outlived Nebuchadnezzar’s son Evil-Merodach who died in 560 B.C. He outlived Neriglissar (Nebuchadnezzar’s son-in-law) who married one of Nebuchadnezzar’s daughters. He outlived Nerigliassar’s son Labashi-marduk (556 B.C.), and outlived another son-in-law Nabonidus (556-39 B.C.) who married a different daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. He outlived Belshazzar (553-39 B.C.) when the whole Neo-Babylonian Empire collapsed due to old age but Daniel continued even to the time of Cyrus of Persia. Kings rise and kings fall, kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall and Daniel was still steadfastly following the LORD.
It is amazing how God can honour His servant who puts Him first in his heart and mind. And times haven’t change and still hold true today!
Daniel 1:21 (KJV) And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.
Recall when God first instituted worship when they came out of Egypt into the wilderness with the construction of the Tabernacle in our study of the Book of Exodus. The people covenanted with God to walk with Him. And how God led them to possess the Promised Land through Joshua, Moses’s successor, who left them this pertinent formula for spiritual prosperity.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
When Israel followed God wholeheartedly, they became a strong nation. But when they were seduced to go after other gods as a result of the mixed marriages that Solomon had, Israel declined. It was God who gave Judah into the hand of the invading Babylonians under the leadership of king Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was deported to Babylon in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah (Dan. 1:1-6).
The name Daniel means, “God is my judge” or “judge of God.” He lived up to the responsible name by which he was called. He lived a godly, upright life in a crooked world. God approved him by calling him a man greatly beloved (Daniel 10:19). He fully exemplified one who lived in the world but is not of the world. He held on to his precious identity as a child of God to reflect the glory and testimony of the living and true God.
The book of Daniel is most relevant for our generation. He showed us how we can maintain a consistent Christian testimony in a hostile world.
Daniel’s life exemplified how Christians should live as salt and light in a sin-ridden world. The world is always threatening to totally erase God from the face of the earth. But God always has His courageous remnant that dare stand with God. God manifest His life through His faithful remnant that are humble and would love Him above all. Daniel exemplified such a man. Daniel’s life has much relevance to our lives. He was part of a believing minority in a largely pagan culture. As the world sought to teardown our faith, our Christian values and our identity, we must be like a Daniel.
As subjects of Babylon, the king sought to systematically brainwash them to serve the Babylonian Empire by separating them from their past. Daniel and his friends were given name of the false gods of Babylon and were taught to live and think like Babylonians. They were forcibly indoctrinated so that they would become officers of their new master.
Daniel – God is My Judge Belteshzzar – Bel protect his life
Hananiah – the Lord is gracious Shadrach – Command of Aku (moon-god)
Mishael – Who is as God? Meshach – Who is as Aku is?
Azariah – The Lord is my help Abednego – Servant of Nebo
How could Daniel and his three friends keep their faith in such a hostile environment? Any defiance can be immediate execution!
The Bible tells us he “purposed” (Dan. 1:8) in his heart not to defile himself with the king’s meat and wine. The word “purposed”, in the perfect tense signifying completed action, means “set, determine, fix”.
His conviction to be an obedient child of God was fixed and settled. Daniel determined in his young heart to be dedicated, committed and devoted to his God. Daniel made up his mind in advance he will be loyal to God. He settled it in his heart what he will do and what he will not do. He will not defile or contaminate himself with the pollutions of the idolatrous Babylonian culture that he found himself captive. He made a commitment in his heart to spiritual purity. It was a step of separation unto holiness which was seen throughout his life.
He took such a step come because Daniel knew whom He was serving. The fear of God is the beginning of true wisdom. He will not live his life as dictated by circumstances but by God’s Truth!
Daniel kept his heart with diligence. He kept a watch on his own heart:
Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
He will not eat the king’s food. The Jews had special kosher diet. Daniel kept to it. It protected him from defiling himself for they were possibly offered to idols.
Daniel, in not defiling himself, was a clean vessel for God to manifest His glory. God blessed him in the following ways.
(1) By his obedience, Daniel found favour with God and God gave him favour with men, Daniel 1:9 “Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.” Daniel knew the truth and he abided by it. God blessed him.
(2) He was bestowed with godly wisdom, Daniel 1:17, 20 “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams…And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”
Jesus puts it this way for your encouragement – Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Expect God to be fighting for us when we stand with Him. God’s commandments are given for our protection and blessing rather than to harm us. We are to trust God and act according to His Word leaving the outcome to God. A life of faithfulness in a faithless world.
May we like Daniel, purposed in our hearts not to defile ourselves even when the pressures of external circumstances and influences pressed hard upon us. May the Lord help us to evaluate each area of our life – in school, at work, at home, in our leisure, that we keep our spiritual purity.
Daniel kept himself pure and he kept himself close to God. This was the secret of Daniel’s strength. He lived faithfully in a faithless world. God honoured his faith and blessed his life. It was a worthy testimony to the glory of God’s power in a believer’s life. We left off chapter 1 with this testimony in verse 20:
Daniel 1:20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them (Daniel and his three friends), he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
Proverbs 22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.
This proverb is an observation. It tells that ambition does not always lead to success. There are many frustrated people around. In fact, many people pour so much energy into their ambitions that they have little time to develop any godliness. On the other hand, there are many examples of those who were never seeking promotion or success and yet have achieved it.
Daniel was diligent to seek after God, that’s the definition of faith that Paul gave in Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it isimpossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
God brought Daniel before the greatest king, Nebuchadnezzar in the ancient world and Daniel 1:21 tells us that his ministry transcended human kingdoms.
He was there after the Babylonian Kingdom fell and the Medo-Persians took over.
Daniel 1:21 And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.
But it is a challenge indeed to dare to be a Daniel. He had a conviction and a courage to carry that conviction. He knew Who He is that gives to him his very existence and there is no other true life outside this life as Peter would put it in John 6:68.
John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him (Jesus), Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
For a young man like Daniel, his life was set for good success. He was as a tree that is by the rivers of water, that bringeth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper because his delight is in the law of the LORD and in his law doth he meditate day and night. He knew in Jehovah is hidden all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom (Col. 2:3) and so he held in order, in steadfastness of faith, rooted and built up and stablished in the faith, abounding with thanksgiving.
He tells us the reward of such a life with God in Daniel 12:3 – Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
And now in chapter 2, he will face the challenge of living a righteous life with God. You will see many examples of what does it mean to live faithfully in the subsequent chapters.
The scene opens in chapter 2 in the 2nd year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, having been appointed into the king’s court as wise men, Daniel and his friends together with the multitude of counsellor and magicians served in the kingdom of Babylon.
At this juncture, God gave to king Nebuchadnezzar a disturbing dream that puzzled and troubled his heart. There is a message that God is conveying through this dream. And he summoned all the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers and the Chaldeans but none could show the interpretation of the dream. The king told them that he had even forgotten the dream and it is up to them to show the interpretation promising rewards of gifts and great honour and also their very lives if they would simply lie to him!
The situation was precarious for all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel and his three friends are among those under the wrath of the king. How is it possible to interpret a dream when you do not have any inkling of an idea of it? Impossible with men but not with God! All wisdom comes from Him. This was a great trial indeed for Daniel and his friends. None of the wise men in Nebuchadnezzar had a clue where to begin.
It’s relatively easy to live as a Christian when things are calm. But it’s a much more difficult prospect when the storms of life hit with full force. This was such a time of Daniel. Their very lives were threatened.
James, the veteran shepherd, gave this advice when we face trials.
James 1:5-8 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
To obtain wisdom to endure trials joyfully, see your need, and know your God is able, and then ask Him in faith to meet your need. What James is saying is that we all lack wisdom when we face difficult trials, but we don’t always see our need for God’s wisdom.
Daniel is teaching here the skill that enables us to live obediently before God in the midst of trials – a vibrant prayer life. The result will be a truly beautiful life that glorifies God. Seek God in prayer.
17 Then Daniel went to his house… his companions…18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel and his friends sought the LORD their God in prayer for His compassion upon them that they should not perish with the wise men of Babylon. Instead of fretting and panicking for want of solution, they called upon the LORD in a prayer meeting.
Only believe, only believe
All things for possible, only believe
Only believe, only believe
All things for possible, only believe
We may observe that Daniel and his friends were in a desperate predicament. Their very lives are in danger should there not be any answer found. Yet, they trusted their God and sought Him. This passage provides for us the key to Daniel’s entire career as an instrument of the true God of Israel. He knew the supreme importance of believing prayer, preferably with other believers. Not until three believing men were available to unite their prayers did mankind begin “to call upon the name of the Lord” in a significant new way (Gen. 4:26). The Lord Jesus told His disciples: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20; 2 Cor. 1:11). [Whitcomb]
The great image that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream was a most significant vision. God deemed fit at the fullness of time to reveal the future to mankind. The mystery of the great image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was revealed to Daniel as an answer to prayer. Daniel desire mercies of the God of heaven. We serve a compassionate God. He is fully aware the affliction and suffering of His people and takes action to save them. This deliverance comes by way of God’s special revelation. Indeed, The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day (Prov. 4:18). God’s wisdom for the ages is fully revealed in His Word.
Transitory Nature of Human Kingdoms (Dan. 2:27-43) (2) Permanancy of Christ’s Coming Kingdom (Dan. 2:34-35, 44-47).
Nebuchadnezzar saw a statue with the head of fine gold, the breast and arms are of silver, the belly and thighs are of copper or bronze, legs are of iron and the feet of part iron and part clay made with man’s hands. Daniel with God’s help told Nebuchadnezzar the dream and interpreted it. The head of gold is the Babylonian Empire, the breast and arms of silver is the Medo-Persian Empire to come. We know from history, the belly and thighs of brass refers to the Grecian Empire and the legs of iron refer to the Roman Empire. It was in the “leg” portion that Christ first came. The change of metals denotes deterioration of the empire’s source of power (“inferior”, v39). And history tells us a study weakening of governmental power to a semblance of democracy.
The prophet Jeremiah has warned God’s people in Judah earlier that Nebuchadnezzar would come and conquer Judah and would be granted sovereignty over the entire earth. Jeremiah 27:6-7, 14 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. 7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. 14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
God would have granted Nebuchadnezzar to conquer the entire world, but it seemed he was stopped by God as a result of his sinful pride.
This was the historical record written for this period in Time-Life Encyclopaedia Series Great Ages of Man – Cradle of Civilization, “When, towards the end of the 7th century B.C., a young and hitherto little-heard-of people – the Medes of the Iranian plateau – joined forces with the Chaldeans of Babylonia, they soon succeeded in toppling Assyria and laying waste Nineveh, Assur, and many other of its cities. The Assyrian giant was dead and gone and there was no one to shed a tear. For the next 75 years a line of Chaldean kings enthroned in Babylon held mastery over Mesopotamia. Under them Babylonia enjoyed a brilliant resurgence – a bust of power and glory reminiscent of the age of Hammurabi more than 1000 years earlier. The towering monarch of this so-called neo-Babylonian empire was Nebuchadnezzar II. In re-establishing Mesopotamian control over western territories lost in the debacle of Assyria’s collapse – Palestine, Syria and the rich trading cities of the Phoenician coast – he displayed almost as much ferocity as any Assyrian warlord. It was he who razed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. burned the Temple of Solomon and exiled the Jews to Babylonia. But it was also Nebuchadnezzar who beautified Babylonia. Dominating the renovated city was the fabulous Tower of Babel, a colossal ziggurat rising to a height of almost 300 feet;[1] the city gates, palaces and temples glittered with brickwork in red, cream, blue and yellow; the artificial “hanging gardens” built by Nebuchadnezzar were so impressive that they were regarded as one of the wonders of the ancient world. Babylonia’s renaissance was as short-lived as it was splendid.” Fulfilled in Dan. 2:37-38.
The second kingdom was that of the Medes-Persians (Dan. 2:39). This is a historical record – “The rulers who followed Nebuchadnezzar were weak and vacillating. Nabonidus, the last king of Babylonia, incurred the wrath of many of his compatriots by attempting to substitute another deity for the supreme god Marduk, and the religious dissension he stirred up helped to ease the way for a conqueror with a reputation for respecting tradirions of those he subjected. That conqueror was Cyrus, King of the Persians, a people who had become the predominant poer in Iran by the middle of the 6th century B.C. A brilliant warrior and an outstanding statesman, Cyrus had already curved out for himself an enormous realm that reached from India to Lydia on the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. In the autumn of 539 B.C. he took Babylon with hardly a fight, and the Cradle of Civilization, now time-worn and battered, became a part of the Persian empire.”[1] We shall study this in Daniel 5 that described the fall of Babylon under Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. The third is the Grecian empire under Alexander the Great. This was the historical record of the rise of the third empire, “Within a year of his accession Alexander extended his dominion northwards to the River Danube and westwards to the Adriatic Sea…Alexander now took on a project that Philip had planned but never carried out: an invasion of Persia. Solid political reasons led him to this decision. For a century Persia had interfered increasingly in Greek affairs and had constantly oppressed the Greek cities in Asia Minor. There was always the dangerous possibility that, under a strong king, it might increase its trouble-making and once again actively take the offensive against Greece. Alexander had personal reasons for the invasion too. Avid for glory and for identification with Greece, the young King knew no better way to win both than by attacking Greece’s ancient foe…Alexander, with his far stronger army, had good reason to believe that he could win. In 334 B.C. he crossed the Hellespont which Xerxes had crossed in the opposite direction nearly a century and a half before. Soon afterwards, he defeated the Persian forces gathered to meet him on the Asian side of River Granicus. From the spoils of this victory he sent 300 suits of Persian armour back to Athens…As the campaign progressed, Alexander’s plan expanded. Originally his purpose had been simple to destroy the Persian army. Before long he had decided to take over the whole Persian Empire. And he went on to achieve this aim without losing a single battle. Of all the generals of the ancient world, Alexander was surely the greatest. He possessed an almost clairvoyant insight into strategy and was a consummately resourceful tactician. Like Napoleon, he believed in swiftness in movement, but he could be patient too, as he showed in his long siege of the formidable fortress of Tyre…In two major battles, at Issus in 333 B.C. and Gaugamela in 331 B.C., Darius fled the field. With these two victories Alexander broke the main Persian resistance and in the autumn of 331 B.C. he entered Babylon, the winter capital of the Persian kings. In December of the same year he entered the summer capital at Susa…Alexander burned the huge palace of the Great King for reasons that have never been clear. Possibly it was a whim, possibly he did it in a fit of drunken excitement, or possibly ge dud it to signify that the Persian invasion of Greece had at last been avenged. Alexander already considered himself King of Persia, but his right to the throne was in question as long as Darius was still at large. In the summer of 330 B.C., Alexander marched north in hot pursuit of him. He had almost caught up with his guarry when the Persian leader was suddenly slain by his own men, finally brought to rebellion of their long resentment of his mismanagement of the Persian defence. Alexander came upon Darius’ body near Hecatompylos, and ordered it to be sent back to Persepolis for burial in the royal cemetery of the Achaemenid kings. Now, at last, Alexander was officially the Great King of Persia…On 13 June, 323. B.C. not yet 33 year old, he died.” What was the aftermath of his empire? “Alexander multiplied the Greek world fourfold – and paradoxically made the earth a smappler. When his troops reached India, they effectively ended Persian control of the profitable trade routes to the Orient. Alexander put into circulation the gold hoard heaped up by Darius, and thus further stimulated international trade. He instituted a uniform coinage for his vast domain, thus freeing commerces from ancient regional restrictions. The Greeks came from their tiny city-states to share in the new affluence. In the 300 years that followed Alexander’s death in 323 B.C., they created a new era – the Hellenistic age – that extended the influence of that remarkable man for many more centuries.”[1] The rise and fall of Greece is detailed in Dan. 8:1-8.
Daniel 2:32…his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay…
Iron is not as precious as the other metals but it is the strongest. Rome is distinguished for its strength in putting down all who rise against it though its rule is weakest, with imperialism mixed with democracy or democratic monarchy.[2] “The city of Rome spread over seven small hills on the Tiber to encompass an Empire of several million square miles. In the wake of the Roman legions came governors and civil servants, architects and merchants. They remade the world in Rome’s image; in the teeming cities of the Near East and the rough Germanic provinces, citizens from all corners of the Empire walked down Roman streets…Guidebooks listed 300 major roads throughout the Empire. In the words of a poet, Rome had “made one City, where once was a World”. Rome took power by first the defeat of Pyrrhus for the control of the whole Italian peninsula.
This victory gained Rome the status of a first-class power – and, inevitably, brought it into conflict with Carthage, the mistress of the western Mediterranean. Ultimately Rome would also have to deal with the three great Hellenistic kingdoms carved out of the world empire of Alexander the Great – the Seleucid Empire in Syria, the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt and Alexander’s original Macedonian Empire. Rome found it impossible to live in a world of equals; it thought of the other four great empires as threats, and sent the next centuries to neutralize them…The years during which Rome expanded from a provincial town to a world power were also a period of ambitious empire building elsewhere, far beyond Rome’s reach. In China, the short-lived but aggressive Ch’in dynasty triumphed over neighbouring states and formed the first Chinese Empire, covering a substantial portion of the modern nation. To consolidate his new territories and erect a bulwark against the marauding Huns of North Central Asia, the Ch’in ruler, Shih Huang Ti, himself a relentless cruel autocrat, extended the Great Wall into a single fortified line stretching the north-west frontier to the sea some 1,400 miles to the east. After his death, his dynasty gave way to the Han rules who added further to their Empire. In India, after the invasion of Alexander, brought a brief contact with the West, the Maurya emperors began in 322 B.C. to found a powerful kingdom. It reached to the middle of the third century B.C. under King Asoka…”[3]“The influence of Rome, whether seen in the practice of a courtroom or the facade of a church, in the style of a poem or the structure of a State, remains as a vital force, shaping the ideas and the material works of man. The world is a different place because Rome was once there. The Roman legacy has penetrated regions that Romans never ruled and continents they never dreamed of reaching…Although Jesus preached for less than 3 years, in remote Palestine, His disciples were many, and they were soon travelling Roman roads to distant cities and provinces. In time, the whole Empire became a seedbed of the new religion. Roman authorities used the Christians as political scapegoats for three centuries – until the reign of Constantine, who was converted in A.D. 337. From then on, Roman forms of government, legal tenets and architectural styles were increasingly reflected in the Church’s administration, laws and buildings, and the city of Rome assumed a dual role – as the seat of the Empire and centre of the Church…From Constantine’s time onwards, Christianity was the official religion of Rome. By A.D. 385, only 80 years after the last great wave of persecution of Christians, the Church itself was beginning to execute heretics, and its clerics were wielding power almost equivalent to that of the Emperors…As Church and State grew closer, basilicas, the old public buildings of Rome, were turned into churches; ecclesiastical and civil courts exchanged cases; bishops took a hand in municipal matters; and the State supervised the internal affairs of the church. When at last the political power of the emperors collapsed, the Church endured – and, in the dark ages that followed, helped to preserve the Roman heritage.”[1]
Today, we have not entered into the part-iron and part-clay feet, which is the Revived Roman Empire that will bring forth the Antichrist. Daniel 2:34-35 gives the framework of the picture of Christ’s Kingdom, “Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”
Finally, the stone, not made with man’s hands, Jesus’s diamond kingdom destroyed the statue at Christ’s second coming in Daniel 2:44 “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”
This final empire of God’s rule is detailed for us in Revelation chapters 19:11-22 with Christ’s second coming to establish His millennia rule on earth (Isa. 11) and the eternal state after the millennium. The millennia kingdom of Christ will end all the kingdoms of man forever as revealed in Daniel’s dream. We learn from the book of Revelation that Christ’s 1000 year rule on earth will be the last the final rule on this present earth (Rev. 20). Thereafter this heaven and earth will be destroyed forever and replaced by a new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21-22).
Whereas in Daniel 2, the vision gave the glory of human empires that will give way to Christ’s kingdom, Daniel 7 depicted the human kingdoms as ferocious beasts exemplifying the depraved, fallen human nature. Daniel was given a vision of world empires culmination in Christ’s Second Coming and the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom. Previous visions were given to kings and Daniel interpreted. Now the vision is given to Daniel himself, he sought the Lord for illumination (Daniel 7). This prophecy was given in 553 B.C., where Belshazzar began to rule. 50 years lapsed from the interpretation of the same prophecy in Daniel 2 under king Nebuchadnezzar. This began the second section of the book that gives to us the final 4 prophetic visions as we move back in time from Cyrus’ reign to Belshazzar.
It is a most profitable study for us living at the last of the last days. We are moving towards the ten toes of Daniel and would like to understand the world events in the light of Scripture. Daniel chapter 2 and 7 share the same prophecy depicting human empires culminating in God’s rule. In Daniel 2, it was a great monument depicting human achievement without God that eventually amounts to nothing and in Daniel 7, 4 beasts were described “man from God’s perspective”. [Whitcomb]
Jeremiah described Nebuchadnezzar as “a lion from the thicket of the Jordan” (Jer. 49:19; 50:44), is a picture of the overflowing waters of Jordan in the spring, driving lions from its thickets to devour men in the surrounding villages (Prov. 22:13; 26:13). His armies were like the “wings of the eagle” for the swift destruction it brings to his enemies (Ezekiel 17:3, 7).[2]
I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it – God’s chastened Nebuchadnezzar removing his pride in Daniel 4 that led to his conversion after 7 years of beast-like insanity.
This corresponds to the silver arms of Daniel’s image in Daniel 2. The bear is less majestic and swift than the lion to describe the Medo-Persian Empire of Cyrus and later to the Persian king Xerxes (Esther 1:19).[3]
Greek – Leopard with 4 Wings of Fowl and 4 Heads – Daniel 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. This corresponds to the thighs of bronze in Daniel 2. It describes the Greek Empire of Alexander the Great which grew at incomparable speed. He conquered the Medo-Persian empire under Darius III including Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and the eastern territories to the borders of India and he died at the age of 32.
The Revived Roman Empire – 10 toes, part iron and part clay. Clay suggests dilution of strength, as it does not mix with clay. Just as man is made from dust and will return to dust. The Antichrist will arise after the 10 kings (Daniel 7:24) after he vanquishes 3 kings. The bible describes him as very intelligent (“eyes”), arrogant and boastful (Daniel 7:11), will persecute the saints (Daniel 7:25 cf. Matthew 24:8), subjugate and control Israel and will be judged by God (Revelation 19:19-20).[1]
Roman – Beast with 10 Horns and a Little Horn (Daniel 7:7-8) – After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
The 4th beast describes the Roman Empire identified by iron that extends to the ten toes which is part iron and part clay. It is described as “dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly” (v7) – The form or nature of the beast is not given as in the preceding cases – the lion, the bear, and the leopard – but it is left for the imagination to fill up. It was a beast more terrific in its appearance than either of the others, and was evidently a monster such as could not be designated by a single name. The terms which are used here in describing the beast – “dreadful, terrible, exceedingly strong,” are nearly synonymous, and are heaped together in order to give an impressive view of the terror inspired by the beast. There can be no doubt as to the general meaning of this, for it is explained Daniel 7:23 as denoting a kingdom that “should devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and break it in pieces.” As a symbol, it would denote some power much more fearful and much more to be dreaded; having a wider dominion; and more stern, more oppressive in its character, more severe in its exactions, and more entirely destroying the liberty of others; advancing more by power and terror, and less by art and cunning, than either. This characteristic is manifest throughout the symbol. [Barnes]
Ten horns – “horn” represents power, political or military. The horn gives an animal a regal look and provides such an impressive mechanism that their imagery was widely employed to represent power. [Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, 400] Understood in the light of Daniel 2, we see a corresponding description between the ten toes and the ten horns – in that they are ten kings – 24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise…
There have been suggestions on the regional groupings that we can observe as nations gravitate together as we study the world today in the light of Scripture – this 4th kingdom is diverse and will devour the whole earth (Daniel 7:23).
10 Regions
Region 1-NAU – Canada, United States of America, Mexico
Region 2-EU – Western Europe, British Isles, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Turkey
Region 3 – Japan, Pacific Islands
Region 4 – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
Region 5 – Eastern Europe, Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, Korea
Region 6 – Central America (including Mexico), South America, Carribean Islands
Region 7 – Egypt, Lybia, Tunisia, Algeria, Morrocco, Saudi Penisula, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan
Region 8-AU – Africa (without the above North African countries and South Africa), Madagascar
Region 9 – India, S. E. Asia
Region 10 – China
Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
The Anti-Christ (little horn) will arise after the 10 kings (Daniel 7:24) after he vanquishes 3 kings. The Bible describes him as very intelligent (“eyes”), arrogant and boastful (Daniel 7:11), will persecute the saints (Daniel 7:25 cf. Matthew 24:8), subjugate and control Israel and will be judged by God (Revelation 19:19-20).
The Heavenly Kingdom (Daniel 7:9-14) – I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Daniel 7:9-10a is a description of heavenly worship of glorified saints before God the Father on His throne. The rapture has taken place.
Verse 10b the judgment was set, and the books were opened – alluding to Revelation 20:11-13 “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”
This is the Great White Throne judgment after the millennium where the dead outside Christ were resurrected for final judgment.
The key message for all mankind and for us today is that the greatest prophesy in the history of mankind is about to be fulfilled – the Second Coming of Christ! Jesus will come to take away the church and this is the event that the bible tells us will come. He will then return with His saints to establish His Millennial kingdom upon earth. The Lord bless His Word to our hearts.
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee
[1] Paul Lee Tan, A Pictorial Guide to Bible Prophecy, Bible Communications, 1992, 243.
[1] Ibid.
[2] John C. Whitcomb, Everyman’s Bible Commentary: Daniel, (Chicago: Moody, 1985), p 94.
[3] Ibid., 94.
[1] C.M. Bowra, GREAT AGES OF MAN A History of the World’s Cultures – Classical Greece, TIME-LIFE INTERNATIONAL, 1965, 163-165.
[2] Paul Lee Tan, A Pictorial Guide to Bible Prophecy, Bible Communications, 1992, 227.
[3] Moses Hadas, GREAT AGES OF MAN A History of the World’s Cultures – Imperial Rome, TIME-LIFE INTERNATIONAL, 1965, 175.
[1] Ibid., 62.
[1] The world’s tallest man-made structure is the 829.8 m (2,722 ft) tall Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The building gained the official title of “Tallest Building in the World” at its opening on January 4, 2010.
