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.). While most of those in this kingdom may not have had a true conversion, at least they tolerated the Jewish faith as the religion of the state. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 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? 5 And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. King Nebuchadnezzar died apparently nine years before Belshazzar came to power. The account of the writing on the wall and the death of Belshazzar (obviously the last year of his reign) is found in Daniel 5. We do not walk by sight, but by faith. Not only was he greatly alarmed and physically sick, but he says he also kept the matter to himself. 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. Before the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt and brought into the land of Canaan, they suffered at the hands of the Egyptians. The wrenching off of the wings and the transformation of the lion, making him stand on two legs and giving him the mind of a man was a picture of God humbling Nebuchadnezzar and then restoring him to his right mind, you can read about this in Daniel 4. In the latter days, before the kingdom of God is established on the earth, kings and kingdoms will become worse and worse. Upon hearing the details of the dream, Daniel too was troubled (4:19). The fact that wicked men will prosper and prevail and that the righteous will suffer is hardly pleasant news. 31-35). The three ribs may also represent the kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon which preceded the Medo-Persian empire and then fell to them. Suddenly, the boasting beast is silenced by death, and his body is cast into the burning fire. Consider the birth of a child, remembering that Gods deliverance and salvation is likened to birth. According to our text, the prophecies of Daniel 7 will not be fulfilled for a considerable period of time. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream ( Daniel 2:1-16) Say: Some time later, the King had a dream. There seems to be a close connection between the vision of Nebuchadnezzar, which is revealed and interpreted in chapter 2, and the vision of Daniel in chapter 7. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. It should be remembered that many narratives of scripture are related in a very condensed form, fuller details being added afterwards. 16 I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. 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. Chapter 2 contains a very significant prophecy, revealed by God to king Nebuchadnezzar. He was chosen by God to speak to the Jews in Babylon and to show them God's future plans. Even those portions which we believe have been fulfilled, students of prophecy differ about the way of their fulfillment. In Daniels dream the Medo-Persian empire and it king Cyrus was represented by the bear. requires it of the Chaldeans, by promises and threats. 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. Peter reminds us of Gods patience, but His patience has a determined end. 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. 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. March 1, 2023, 6:00 a.m. Children need to know that as believers, we are on the winning team and God wins in the end. In the Old Testament, the expression son of man was used most frequently in reference to men, who were merely (as opposed to God) human. Daniel was told that the beasts are kings, but he was not told the identity of any of the kings. When the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, having added perfect humanity to His undiminished deity, He spoke of Himself very often as the Son of Man. In the Gospels, Jesus began not only to identify Himself as the Messiah, the promised Son of Man, but also to explain all that this involved. As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. 21 I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. Chapter 2. 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. Rather than publish what he had learned he kept it to himself, until that time that the Holy Spirit guided him to write down and reveal what he had learned to the saints. When his appointed time is over, God will destroy this king and his kingdom and establish His eternal kingdom on the earth. Humanly speaking, it was impossible for them to have a child. (1) Daniel 7 is the last chapter written in Aramaic in the Book of Daniel. Introduction to Daniel 11 As Daniel watches, the wings are torn off the beast, and the creature stands erect like a man and a human mind is given to it. 25 And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. While conservative, evangelical scholars believe the prophecies in Daniel are true, their interpretations differ greatly. Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. Daniel made it very clear that the dream and the interpretation had come for the one true God. Daniel explains that each of these metals represents a kingdom that would rule the world, and the stone is God . The second scene portrays the establishment of the thrones on which the Ancient of Days and those holding court are to be seated to pronounce judgment. Those who will reign with Christ are those who have suffered (see Romans 8:17; Philippians 3:10-11; 2 Timothy 2:12). While most prophecies in the Bible reveal events which will take place after the death of the recipient of the prophecy, the prophecy is revealed for impact upon those to whom it was revealed. The expression, son of man, is not new to Daniel nor to the Jews of his day. (2) The prophecies of Daniel must be understood in relationship to and in light of the other prophecies of Daniel. We are not of night nor o darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. He gave Daniel a general summary of the dream, These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. Daniel was an intelligent young Jew living in Jerusalem during the late 600s B.C. Each of the four beasts represent a king and thus a resulting kingdom. He will also send forth His angels to gather those who do not belong in His kingdom (12:41). If you remember from two weeks ago the bear was raised up on one side, this was to indicate that one part of this united kingdom overshadowed the other portion. This morning we are going to go back to Daniel 7 and look at the rest of the chapter where Daniel has the dream interpreted. He would, after His death, burial, and resurrection come in His glory, rewarding men according to their deeds (16:27). (8) Is there any relationship between Nebuchadnezzars dream in chapter 2 and Daniels dream in chapter 7? When the child is born, the pains of suffering are quickly lost in the joys of seeing a new life. God is able to raise up kings and put them down. And yet God said they would. 79 Compare Jeremiah 49:14-22, 28, where Nebuchadnezzar is compared to a lion and an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it. As Daniel sought to discover more truth about the fourth beast he added some details that he had left out of his first description. Eugene, Ore. : Harvest House Publishers, 2006, [5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. This angel, beginning in the second half of verse 23 is describing the revived Roman empire which is yet future. Daniel was terrified or alarmed by the scenes he had seen in his mind and desired to understand what they meant. Prophecy greatly benefits the Christian because it enables him to see things from the bigger and broader perspectivefrom Gods perspectiveso that when he suffers, he knows it is but a part of the process of getting to glory. 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. By far, this first beast is the best of a bad bunch. In our passage, Daniel asks for and receives an explanation. The coming of the Son of Man is represented as one coming, and not two. The first time in Daniel 7:13, he is referring to Messiah, who will sit on the eternal throne of His father, David. 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. Je. This is what we need to know from Daniels vision, rather than the identity of the beasts. 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. Remember he had seen the innumerable host of angels attending the Ancient of Days. 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. 18 He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so . Prophecy is not revealed in a historical vacuum. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, Embedded video for Daniel's Dream Interpreted - Daniel 7:15-28. History has shown this to be true in the past, and prophecy assures us that it will be true in the future. Two weeks ago, we covered the first 14 verses, Daniels summary of his dream. (1) It follows the narrative concerning Mishael, Hananiah and Azariah in the matter of Nebuchadnezzar's golden image (Daniel 3). In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's rule, he had a dream. (7) No identification is made of the saints as Jews or Gentiles. There seems to be no Jewish nationalistic emphasis here, as there will be later.75. 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. Should we be troubled as well? The seriousness of the prophetic truth personally affected Daniel, motivating godly fear and self-examination. It was said ( ch. Before the kingdom of God is established on the earth, four earthly kingdoms will rise and fall. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. As the saints suffer at the hands of the wicked, it may appear all hope is lost. Both sets of kingdoms are brought to a sudden end and are replaced by an eternal kingdom. Nothing has caused him to panic or depart from his faith and practice as a godly Jew. The kingdom of God would not be established in Daniels lifetime, nor in the life of those who returned to the land of Israel from their captivity. Daniel described the beast as having iron teeth and that it devours, crushes, and tramples under its feet all that stands in its way. Daniel urged them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven, . (5) Above all, the prophecy in this chapter means precisely what God says it means in this text, nothing more and nothing less. Never in the history of the Roman empire has this happened so it is yet future. [1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. In Daniels dream the Greek empire and Alexander the great were represented by the four-headed, four-winged leopard. Until Gods eternal kingdom is established, kingdoms will progress from bad to worse. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.. 74 The personal cost of receiving divine revelation is never underestimated in the Old Testament (cf. Just what this means is unclear, but it suggests this arrogant king not only speaks against God, but, like Satan, he aspires to change the order God has established. The final outcome is Gods people under the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, will receive the kingdom. Specifically, the account of The Bad News at Belshazzars Banquet (not a bad title for that lesson) in chapter 5 was given to us so that we could better understand the prophecies of chapters 7 and 8. (5) What do the four beasts represent? 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. One of those gaps is found in Daniel 7. A lawsuit could force the F.D.A. 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