Daniel
Chapter 7
Vs. 1 This chapter is placed here in Daniel out of order of when it happened.
Earlier in the first year that King Belshazzar was the king Daniel had a vision. A vision is more real than a dream. You see things that will happen in the future.
This vision has many symbols in it. It is a little hard to understand. Bible teachers have studied the visions of Daniel and tried to explain them.
Daniel saw a storm. Strong winds were blowing from all around.
Then he saw 4 beasts (animals) come up out of water. Each animal was different.
The first beast/animal was like a lion with eagle wings.
As Daniel watched, the wings were pulled off. The lion was left standing like a man stands with its two back feet on the ground. It was given a mind like a human’s mind.
Daniel saw a second beast/animal. It looked like a bear. It was lifted up on one side. It had 3 ribs in its mouth. Daniel heard a voice speak to the bear, “Get up. Eat and destroy many people.”
The third beast/animal was like a leopard. It had 4 wings on its back like bird’s wings. It had 4 heads. Great power and authority was given to this animal.
The fourth beast/animal was very frightening! It was very strong. It ate and destroyed with big iron teeth and what was left it walked on with its feet.
This beast/animal was different from all the others. (Daniel did not say it was like an animal or animal shape that we know of.) This animal had 10 horns.
As Daniel looked at the 10 horns suddenly a little horn came up among the other horns. Three (3) of the first horns were pulled out by the roots to make room for the little horn. This little horn had eyes like a man, a mouth that was talking proud.
Daniel said he watched Thrones (king’s chairs) were put in place. The Ancient (Old) )One (God) sat down to judge.
His (God’s) clothes were white like snow. Like very white wool. His throne had fire. There were wheels of fire around it. A river of fire flowed from God.
There were thousands, and thousands of angels with him. They stood waiting to do what he wanted them to do.
Then God began to judge. Books were opened.
The little horn began to speak. It was talking proud. The fourth beast (this strange different one) was killed. Its body was burned by fire.
The other 3 animals their power and authority was taken from them. They were allowed to live a while longer.
As Daniel watched he saw a person looked like a man coming in the clouds of heaven. He came near to the Ancient One (God) and stood before him. This “man” was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world.
People of every nation and language would obey him. His kingdom his power to rule will be forever. It will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.
Vs. 15 Daniel is told what the vision means.
Daniel was very afraid because of the things he had seen. In his vision, he went near to one of the angels standing near the throne and asked what all those things meant.
The angel told him:
The four beasts/ animals are kingdoms that will be on the earth.
In the end, the holy people of the Most High God (those who believe and trust in God) will be the ones to rule forever and ever.
Daniel asked what or who is that fourth beast/animal that is so frightening? It ate and destroyed with its iron teeth and bronze claws and walked over what was left with its feet.
Daniel asked about the 10 horns and the little horn that came up after the others.
This little horn seemed more powerful than the other horns. It had the eyes of a man and it talked so proud.
This little horn was having war with God’s holy people. He was winning over them. Then the Ancient One came and he judged in favor for the Holy people. Then it was time for the Holy people to take the kingdom and rule.
The angel told Daniel: The fourth beast/animal is a kingdom that will rule over the whole world. It will be different than all the others. It will “eat up” “swallow up” “take over” the whole world to destroy it. It will walk over everything in its path.
The 10 horns are 10 kings. The 10 kings will rule. Then the “little horn” who is another king will come up. He will take out 3 of the kings.
This “little horn” king will be against the most High God. He will be hard on the people who believe in God. He will “wear them out”.
He will try to change their religious holidays. He will try to change their laws.
They will be under his control for “a period of time, another period of time, and a half of a period of time”.
Then the “court” (God’s court) will judge. The little horn king’s power will be taken away. His kingdom will be destroyed. Then all the authority of all the kingdoms of the world will be given to the Holy people of the Most High God.
The Holy people of the Most High God will rule over all the kingdoms. They will rule forever. All the kingdoms will obey them.
Vs. 29 That was the end of the vision. Daniel was full of fear as he thought about all that he saw. But he did not tell anyone.
===============================================================
When Daniel saw this vision it was very long ago. Before Jesus was born.
Thousands of years have passed now. And now, we know who and what some of those world kingdoms were.
The first beast/animal kingdom a lion was the kingdom of Babylon. Daniel was part of that kingdom. He had been taken from his land Israel to Babylon. He lived the rest of his life in Babylon.
The Babylon kingdom did rule over many lands. It was very, very large kingdom.
This kingdom (lion) was like the gold head on the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream.
The second beast/animal a bear was the kingdom of the Medes-Persians. It was like the silver chest and arms of the statue Nebuchadnezzar saw.
The Persians became stronger than the Medes and they took over. As the bear was lifted up on one side the Persians were lifted up higher than the Medes.
The third beast/animal a leopard with wings and 4 heads. Was like the belly and top of the legs of the statue made of bronze. This was the kingdom of Greece.
Alexander the Great was a leader who came to power fast and went across the land taking over other kingdoms. He did it quickly like “wings”.
When Alexander’s kingdom came to an end—–it was divided up into 4 different regions each with a ruler over them. (The 4 heads and 4 wings on the leopard)
The fourth beast/animal is terrible. It was the iron legs of the statue. It was the Roman Empire. It was a great kingdom and covered more than the others did.
The Roman Empire became divided into two (2 legs) Western Roman Empire, and Eastern Roman Empire. The Western Roman Empire was Italy, Europe, up into England. The Eastern Roman Empire was Turkey, and lands of the Middle East.
Daniel saw 10 horns this was the 10 toes on the statue.
There will be (yet to come) 10 Kingdoms to rule. These 10 kings may be joined together as one group working together.
Then “a little horn” king comes. He takes out 3 of the kings. We learn from other Bible verses in Revelation that 7 of the kings give up their kingdoms to this little horn king.
The little horn king rules over the whole world or at least most of the main parts of the world maybe not all the islands and some countries.
We know from Revelation that this little horn king is the Anti Christ.
He is against Christ. “anti” means against. He will be against Jesus. He may say he believes in God but he will not believe that Jesus is God.
He will be against anyone who is a follower of Christ. He will “wear out” the Christians. He will kill them.
At first he may make laws that make it hard for Christians to work and make money, or get food, etc. He may make laws to shut churches.
As time goes on he will kill Christians.
The good thing for Christians will be that most of them will have gone up in the clouds with Jesus in the “rapture”. And they will not be on earth when the Anti Christ begins to be the ruler.
The Bible warns people who are here when the Anti Christ rules. The Bible warns that anyone who takes the Anti Christ’s “mark” so they can work, or buy food, etc. —– anyone who has the “mark” will be dammed.
God warns the people left here on earth. Some of them may begin to believe in Christ. Some of them left behind will “wake up” and realize that the rapture happened. They will repent and start to follow Christ.
They will have a very hard time. Because everything will be against Christians.
Things will also be against the Jews. They are God’s people. The Anti Christ leader will hate the Jews.
He will pretend to be their friend for a few years. But then he shows that he really hates them. Things will be very bad for the Jews.
Most people on the earth will not see the Anti Christ leader as a bad ugly person. He will be very smart and have good ideas of peace and how people can get along. He will help the Jews and Arabs get along and have peace.
People will think he is Mr. Wonderful. Look how smart he is. Look at the good he does. Look how he gets the people to live in peace.
People will praise him. They will follow him gladly. But he has a “dark side” that people will not see until later.
The Bible says that Satan comes into him. Remember Satan comes as “an angel of light”. Satan is very smart. He knows how to deceive people.
At this time, people are wondering who the 10 kingdoms will be.
Will it be a union of the Europe countries? Will the United States be part of it?
Will it be 10 kingdoms that will be set up in the Middle East?
We do not know. People are watching the news. We see the Middle East countries joining together. We know that Europe has already joined together. So we will have to keep watching the news to see what will happen.
As we see these things happening in our day we know we are finally in the “end times” that the Bible told about. The “rapture” — catching of believers in the clouds with Jesus —- is very close. It may happen very soon.
Everyone needs to be ready to go up with Jesus in the clouds.