Topic: Daniel Part Seven – Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts

Text: Daniel 7:4-7

The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

“And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’

“After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

“After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

The events of this seventh chapter of Daniel took place during the first year of Belshazzar, acting king of Babylon. The incident we’ve already talked about, the writing on the wall, took place at least three years after Daniel had this vision.

One of the books I have been using as a reference to flesh out our series on Daniel is the Thru the Bible Commentary Series by J. Vernon McGee.

Remember the image in the vision/dream that Nebuchadnezzar had. That image represented four world empires. Each empire was of a different metal, gold, silver, bronze, and iron/iron mixed with clay. In this vision that Daniel had the four beasts are a different version of the four empires.

Daniel’s vision started with the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea (believed to be the Mediterranean Sea) with four beasts, each different from the other, coming up out of the sea.

“The “winds” speak of agitation, propaganda, public opinion, and disturbance. The “sea” suggests the masses, the mob, and the peoples of the Gentiles. Rev 17:15 says, “Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.’ The sea, therefore, represents a conglomerate of Gentiles throughout the world.”[1]

The lion beast represented Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. The eagle’s wings denoted the ability that Babylon had for moving its army with speed and agility. The lion losing its eagle’s wings is believed to represent Nebuchadnezzar being humbled during the time God gave him an animal’s mind and he lived with the wild animals for seven years. Being made to stand up on his feet, and receiving the mind of a human is a reference of Nebuchadnezzar having his mind restored and regaining his sanity and his throne. The lion corresponds to the head of gold.

The second beast is described as looking like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, having three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. This bear was told to ‘get up and eat its fill of flesh. This bear corresponds to the arms of silver in Nebuchadnezzar’s image. The three ribs in the bear’s mouth represent three kingdoms that constituted the Babylonian empire: Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt.

“The army of the Medo-Persians moved like a great, lumbering, and rumbling bear—they even took their families along with them. It was Xerxes who led about 300,000 men and three hundred ships against Greece at Thermopylae and was defeated.”

The third beast was a leopard. On its back were four wings like those of a bird and it had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. This third beast is believed to represent the Graeco-Macedonian empire of Alexander the Great which corresponds to the belly and thighs of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw. The wings imply the ability of Alexander to move his army with great speed and agility. The four heads represent the division of Alexander’s empire after his untimely death in his early thirties. Four of his generals divided the empire because they knew they couldn’t rule the whole of it themselves.

Cassander took Macedonia
Lysimachus took Asia Minor
Seleucus took Syria
Ptolemy took Egypt

“Scripture does not give us a historical record of the Graeco-Macedonian kingdom. It falls chronologically between the Old and New Testaments—-the period known as the inter-testament period. It was, however, the time when the remnant in Palestine endured the greatest suffering at the hands of Egypt and Syria.”[2]

The prophecies pertaining to these three beasts have been fulfilled.

The fourth beast is described as terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

“More attention is given to the fourth beast than to all of the other three put together. This section is very important to us because we are living in the time of the fourth beast—-the time when the ten toes and horns are beginning to manifest themselves.”[3] This beast with the ten horns is representative of the part of Nebuchadnezzar image that was composed of legs of iron with feet (ten toes) mixed with iron and clay. This beast is believed to represent the Roman Empire.

We have ten horns on the head of this fourth beast. Daniel 7:8 tells us, “There before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.”

Then Daniel saw thrones set in place and the Ancient of Days took his seat. We are given a description of his appearance:

His clothing was white as snow.
The hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire.
It wheels were ablaze.
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him.
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated and the books were opened.

Daniel 7:11, 12

Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

The other beasts (three world empires) had already been destroyed, but the ideology and philosophy of the kingdoms they represented apparently lived on for a season.

Next Daniel saw before him one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.

He was given authority, glory and sovereign power.
All nations and peoples of every language worshipped him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away.
His kingdom will never be destroyed.

Daniel saw all these things in his vision, and he was troubled in his spirit. Daniel needed someone to interpret his vision. I found it interesting that the man who could interpret others dreams and visions needed someone to interpret his dreams.

Daniel 7:16

I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.

“So, he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things:

The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth.
But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever.
Because the fourth beast was more terrifying than the other three, Daniel wanted to know its meaning, and the meaning of the ten horns on the beast’s head, and the other horn that came up that replaced three horns and had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
This horn waged war against the holy people and defeated them until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

The interpretation of the dream:

Daniel 7:23-28

He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.

“‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’

This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

“Daniel 7 paints a horrifying picture of human evil. The picture of the beasts is consistent with the lesson we learn throughout the Bible—every man and woman is at heart a self-seeking rebel against God.”[4] That is a result of our sin nature.

I’m reminded of these words of the Apostle Paul found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:3 to endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Which means the trials we have that test our faith build patience, maturity, and spiritual strength rather than breaking our spirit.

Study Questions

We found out the dream Nebuchadnezzar had and the dream Daniel had were different but the same. Can you think of another example where two different examples meant the same thing?
Do you believe God still warns or prepares us for the future?
How does it make you feel to know that if you remain faithful to God regardless of what you experience in this life you will be redeemed?
What kinds of things are you aware of, but you keep them to yourself?
Would you rather be made aware or not of future events in your life?
What have you found to be helpful, living in this 21^st century?
Do you fear the future?
What has helped you as you have endured hardship as a soldier of Jesus Christ?
Has this lesson encouraged or discouraged you?

[2] Ibid 115.

[3] Ibid 116.

[4] NIV Life Application Study Bible, study notes on Daniel 7:1-28.