It would be but a very few years until Cyrus would come to power and assist the Jews to return to Jerusalem and the land of Israel. Let us listen then, and be sober, enduring the sufferings and trials sent our way, looking expectantly and certainly for His kingdom to come. 76 It is not altogether accurate to refer to chapters 1-6 as historical and 7-12 as prophetic. 24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them,81 and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. Daniel went at once and obtained royal permission for more time, so that he could tell the king what the dream meant. 12 and he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. The fourth beast is a fourth king, different than the others. The transfiguration of our Lord was but a foretaste of His coming glorious kingdom (16:28). God will establish His kingdom, and that kingdom, unlike the kingdoms of men, is eternal. 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. Daniel said that his thoughts were greatly alarming him and his face grew pale. 4:19; Ezk. In Ezekiel, and even in Daniel (8:17), it is used in reference to a prophet. Encouraged to do so, it savagely devours. (3) What principles should guide and govern our attempt to interpret the prophecy of this chapter? Two major divisions comprise our text: (1) Daniels dreamverses 1-14 and (2) the interpretationverses 15-28. It seems safe to assume the interpreter was an angelic being; at least this is the case in chapter 8 (8:15-26). 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. The ten horns, Daniel is told, represent ten kings who will emerge out of the fourth kingdom. 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. The expression, son of man, is not new to Daniel nor to the Jews of his day. It is explained in a way that children can understand, describing his feeling as butterfly's in his tummy.Daniel's Dream takes you on an uplifting adventure with wonderfully expressivedescriptions of the characters, perfectly capturing bodylanguage and . Rome did conquer much of the known world, but it never conquered the whole world as this is describing. Agreeing with God that they are sinners but believing that Jesus Christ death paid the penalty for their sin, that He was buried, and rose from the dead three days later triumphant over sin, Satan, and death forever. 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. 10 A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, and the books were opened. When the court sits for judgment, his dominion is taken from him and he is destroyed forever. The toasting of the gods of the Babylonians with the sacred temple vessels, recorded in chapter 5, may have been Belshazzars final act of blasphemy. 81 See Ezekiel 29:21 for a similar use of the imagery of making a horn grow to describe a kings promotion to power. Suffering and glory are a part of one work. While God tells neither Daniel nor us that this beast represents Nebuchadnezzar, He does reveal that the head of gold in the vision of the great statue was Nebuchadnezzar (2:36-38). (8) Is there any relationship between Nebuchadnezzars dream in chapter 2 and Daniels dream in chapter 7? As the wicked prosper in their sin, it seems as though they can continue in sin without any fear of divine judgment (see Psalm 73:1-11; 2 Peter 2:3-4). What is its message to Daniel, to the Jews, and to us? Nebuchadnezzar was the first ruler of Babylon to have contact with Daniel. 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. Neither peer opposition nor the king's new law (chapter 6) greatly disturbed Daniel. What role do they play in relation to the four beasts? In the first scene, heavenly winds are employed to whip up the sea from which the four beasts emerges. 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. The lesson was prepared for older students. His thoughts alarm him, and his face pales. In his vision, Daniel observed the sea being stirred up into a raging storm by the four winds of heaven. This signifies that the events which follow have been ordained by God. 26 But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. (4) Suffering is to be expected by the saints, before they enter into the glorious kingdom of God. He will rule over all nations forever. These both represent Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire. The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer (1 Peter 4:7). Daniel 2:1-13 - Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. Through this dream, King Nebuchadnezzar learned that only God's Kingdom will last forever. We should note Daniels distress in chapter 7 before turning to the other prophecies in Daniel, where we will find that prophecy very often produces distress. Usually it refers to a person as a human being. I have heard a number of attempts to explain the gaps in Old Testament prophecy. Remember Daniel was in his 60s when he received this revelation. 18 But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come. 19 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, 20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and which was larger in appearance than its associates. The timeline reads as follows: They will serve and obey Him forever. That dream was read as our Scripture reading this morning. (3) The finest commentary on the prophecy of Daniel 7 comes from our Lord Himself. Yet Gods covenant to David (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:14) stands and will ultimately be fulfilled. The angel goes on to describe what the Antichrist will do: He will speak out against the Most High, he will be boastful and arrogant, he will deny that the Most High is God, he will deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The Ancient of Days is a designation for God, not found elsewhere in the Bible. Daniel 1:1-2:4a was written in Hebrew. His vision in chapter 4 should have produced more distress than it did. In his vision, the statue collapsed and disappeared, because a mysterious stone struck it at its feet. 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.). I believe some in Babylon, like their king, came to a genuine faith in God. Alexander the great and his armies did conquer the nations that became a part of his empire swiftly. As the saints suffer at the hands of the wicked, it may appear all hope is lost. Before the coming of Christ, who would? Students will learn that they can trust God in difficult times because in the end God wins the battle over the enemy of this world Satan. (2) Chapters 7 and 8, while written in different languages, are written during the reign of Belshazzar and somehow linked by the author in Daniel 8:1. This description certainly fits the account of Nebuchadnezzars plunge from power and sanity in chapter 4. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, OT Prophets: Daniel 2:16 Daniel went in and desired (Dan. The fourth beast appears to differ from the other three in that he is more beastly, more powerful, more destructive, and more arrogant. These saints are the believing Jews of the tribulation, not the believers of the Church Age. Each of the four beasts represent a king and thus a resulting kingdom. Many Old Testament prophets shared Daniels distress as a result of the prophecies they received and often conveyed to others.74 Why does the prophecy of Daniel 7 cause this godly man so much consternation? His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. 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. Who are these saints that the angel is speaking of? His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. 13 And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 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. Dwight Pentecost writes, The existence of the church in the present Age was nowhere revealed in the Old Testament. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. Up to this time, it was simply a synonym for being human, a son of man. The beasts are a horrifying and frightening sight; the heavenly court scene is one of regal splendor and beauty. Lion - Babylon. The saints (believing Jews when Christ return to earth) will enjoy the kingdom, the fulfillment of Gods promise to Israel.[3] The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary states that these saints might also include the resurrected Old Testament saints, the martyred tribulation saints, and the tribulation saints who survive the tribulation. 9 I kept looking until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. This was when his life took a sharp turn. 1 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. The wicked will prosper and appear to get away with their opposition toward God and His saints. As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. (5) Prophecy is not written as hype but revealed to produce the hope of glory and endurance in present tribulation. Daniel urged them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven, . Prophecy is necessary because Gods thoughts are not our thoughts, and His ways are not our ways. The angel went on in this summary to tell Daniel that the saints of the Highest One would receive the kingdom and possess it forever. Daniel boiled down his vision to its essence, so we would not fail to understand the message he meant to convey to us. 2 Daniel said, I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. This scene in Daniel is also similar to a prophecy recorded in the Book of Revelation: 4 and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?. Generally, it is agreed that this beast represents the Babylonian empire and king Nebuchadnezzar in particular. Rose withdraws the power from her chest, which takes the form of a ruby heart that then cracks as Unity dies peacefully in her sleep. After this chapter, the book returns to the Hebrew language. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, [3]Walvoord, John F.; Zuck, Roy B.; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. He could not figure out what the dream meant, so he wanted his advisors to explain it to him. (2) Why do you think Daniel summarized his dream when he wrote it rather than tell it in full (see verse 1)? Considering this text has changed my opinion about the gap in the prophecies of the Old Testament. Daniel writes that at this point the revelation was ended. Things are not as they appear to be! As we consider what we have just learned from Daniels dream and as we look at Daniels response to his dream and the interpretation of it; this should indicate to us that the more we know about the future, the more our hearts should be moved to personal purity. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished for a time, and his thoughts troubled him. For the time, it was these Jewish leaders who were beastly, arrogant, and blasphemous, and because of this they would suffer divine judgment. Daniel himself had many dreams and visions, mostly related to future kingdoms of the world and the . The vision comes to Daniel in Belshazzars first year.78 A subsequent and related vision comes to him in this kings third year (see 8:1). Daniel returned to his house and explained the situation to his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Yet, his emotional response was valid and changed little after the vision was explained more fully. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream ( Daniel 2:1-16) Say: Some time later, the King had a dream. Je. 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). He was at ease when he received the vision, and then he became fearful, and his mind alarmed him (4:4-5). The message of this prophecy is really quite simple and may be summed up this way. It not only bore witness to the conversion of this king, but encouraged all of the subjects of Babylonian rule to worship the God of Israel. 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