Before the kingdom of God is established on the earth, four earthly kingdoms will rise and fall. The king called for his magi to interpret the nightmare. 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. These beasts, each different from the other, are described in verses 4-7. 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. Public sentiment was turning against this foreign religion, and the Babylonians, including Belshazzar, wanted a return to their old time religion the pagan worship of the gods of Babylon. Each of the four beasts represent a king and thus a resulting kingdom. The head of the statue was made of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of bronze, and the legs and feet of iron and clay. Daniel 2:1-23 - The King's Dream (Pastor Nate Wagner) A. Nebuchadnezzar's dream. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:13, NASB95)[5] The more we know about the future the more are hearts should be moved to practical preparation. Through the vision of a magnificent, awe-inspiring statue, God reveals the future for Gentile kings and their kingdoms. When mentioning the little horn that grew up and uprooted three of the first ten horns, Daniel now tells us that this little horn grew until it was larger in appearance then the remaining seven horns. During this ten-nation confederation another ruler will rise as described by the little horn. The angel told Daniel that at the end of those three and a half years the court would sit for judgment and the dominion (a word in Aramaic that means kingdom or empire and the citizens or subjects of that empire) would be taken away from the Antichrist, and the Antichrist and his followers will be annihilated and destroyed forever. He had interpreted dreams for this king and yet this dream caused Daniel to be alarmed and to feel physically sick. Should we be troubled as well? 8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, every one whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. When the child is born, the pains of suffering are quickly lost in the joys of seeing a new life. When He came with His kingdom, they would be sure to recognize Him (24:27). The prophecy of this chapter is divinely interpreted. When the court sits for judgment, his dominion is taken from him and he is destroyed forever. The latter prophecy of Daniel 7 adds many more details than were revealed in chapter 2. With the death of Nebuchadnezzar comes a change in the peoples attitudes, especially their leaders toward Judaism. The use of the word time in Daniel is understood to be years. His final offspring, so to speak, is the little horn which becomes the great blasphemer, whose life and kingdom is suddenly cut off by the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man. Two major divisions comprise our text: (1) Daniels dreamverses 1-14 and (2) the interpretationverses 15-28. The fourth beast receives greater attention and is of the most interest to Daniel. His thoughts alarm him, and his face pales. (5) What do the four beasts represent? The chapter falls into two major parts. Verses 1-14 contain the vision which God gave to Daniel. The emphasis is positive. 1. Daniel's prophecy was one of hope. The beasts are a horrifying and frightening sight; the heavenly court scene is one of regal splendor and beauty. Nebuchadnezzar became distressed when he received his first night vision (2:1) because he did understand some of his dream. What God determined to reveal to Daniel should be enough for us. This vision was an interactive vision, as Daniel was not only present in the vision but was able to approach one standing by to ask the meaning of what he saw. Upon hearing the details of the dream, Daniel too was troubled (4:19). It is at this time that all human kingdoms will become subject to God and to the saints in the eternal kingdom, which the Son of Man will establish when He comes to the earth to judge and to rule. A number of lessons from our text have broad application to our thinking and conduct as Christians. 2 Daniel said, I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. Two weeks ago, we quickly looked at the description of the beast that John sees in Revelation 13 and he described it as a composite of the first three beasts, the body of a leopard, the feet or paws of a bear, and the head and mouth of a lion. In His response to the demand of the high priest, Jesus directly claimed to be the promised Messiah. When we expect it least, the Lord will return, the wicked will be punished, and the kingdom of God established forevermore. We are in harmony with God when our declarations conform to his. 74 The personal cost of receiving divine revelation is never underestimated in the Old Testament (cf. Would Belshazzar toast the gods of gold, silver, wood and stone with the sacred temple vessels? The woman endures in the view of the final outcome of the process. Two weeks ago, after studying Revelation 13 and seeing how much it relates to Daniel 7 I decided we needed to go back and review Daniel 7 which we have not looked at since 2011. The lesson was prepared for older students. 23 Thus he said: The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. The king is told that all of these earthly kingdoms would be destroyed by the stone not fashioned by human hands, and that an eternal kingdom would take the place of these temporal kingdoms. Valentina's bond with Sophie, Sid's reaching out to Jesse, and Charlie trying hard to bring Sid and Jesse back together so that the group can go back to being their normal selves and not be an awkward bunch of people not wanting to discuss actual problems. Thus, the vision is yet unfulfilled in terms of its major emphasis. Daniel, a godly prophet and a man of unshakable faith, has been steadfast in his daily walk of fellowship with God throughout the first six chapters of the Book of Daniel. God may choose to delay judgment on the wicked until their sin reaches full bloom; the possession of the land of Canaan would not happen in Abrahams lifetime, but more than 400 years later after the suffering of the people of God (see Genesis 15:12-17). As I read through the statements men have made about the God of Israel in the first six chapters of Daniel, I find that what men came to know and to acknowledge through history, God declares through prophecy. (Numbers 23:19). 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. The Old Testament prophet did not see the gap because he viewed the coming of Christ as God does. Thirdly (and most importantly), the prophecies of Daniel mean exactly what God says they mean, nothing more and nothing less. Their perception is wrong, for suddenly and without warning their day of destruction will come upon them. 13 I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.77 14 And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. Since the last kingdom and the prophecies associated with it have not yet been fulfilled, we must in some way be a part of that kingdom. His mind was troubled. Then the kingdoms of the earth, the sovereignty, the dominion, the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heavens, in other words, the whole world will be given to the saints of the Highest One and the Highest One, Jesus Christ, will rule and it will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. The beast was lifted up and made to stand like a man. March 1, 2023, 6:00 a.m. In the Psalms and also in Daniel 7, the expression Son of Man begins to take on a more technical meaning, referring to the Messiah, who will sit on the throne of His father, David, to rule over men forever. The process of having a baby involves the pains of childbirth. Alexandra, the daughter of a rich British aristocrat, caught his attention. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. The First Vision is a dream of the king that is interpreted by Daniel. 31-35). Both series of four kingdoms begin well and end badly. Nebuchadnezzar's Threat One night, Nebuchadnezzar awoke frightened by a dream. The words of verse 1 point to the relationship between the prophecy Daniel received and its historical setting and context. In Ezekiel, and even in Daniel (8:17), it is used in reference to a prophet. Who is the Son of Man? Passing over the first three beasts, his questions focus on the last beast. For this reason, I wish to clearly state the foundational presuppositions and principles on which this exposition of Daniel is based. 77 According to Baldwin, This verse [13] has been the subject of more scholarly papers than any other in the book, so indicating its centrality, not only for Daniel but for the New Testament also. Baldwin, p. 142. (1) It follows the narrative concerning Mishael, Hananiah and Azariah in the matter of Nebuchadnezzar's golden image (Daniel 3). The only human things mentioned of the fourth beast are his eyes and his mouth. 15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. Daniel 2: Nebuchadnezzar's Dream by Larry Murray King Nebuchadnezzar had a puzzling dream that no one could explainuntil God gave the interpretation to Daniel. (2) The prophecies of Daniel must be understood in relationship to and in light of the other prophecies of Daniel. The fourth beast appears to differ from the other three in that he is more beastly, more powerful, more destructive, and more arrogant. What is its message to Daniel, to the Jews, and to us? No wonder interpreters differ about the details. 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy He not only speaks against the Most High, he oppresses the saints. Daniel himself had many dreams and visions, mostly related to future kingdoms of the world and the . Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. Editing is often evident in the Bible (see John 20:30-31; 31:25). We will deal with the meaning and application of Daniels vision later on in our questions and answers. 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