Note to the reader: As we prepare
our hearts to hear the message of God in chapters seven through twelve, it's
important to remember that Daniel often spoke of visions and dreams that he
encountered later in his life. Some he received prior to the events of chapters
five and six; at least one was received later.
Daniel 7:1-14
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon
Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the
dream, and told the sum of the matters.
Daniel spake and said, I
saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove
upon the great sea.
And four great beasts came up from the sea,
diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings:
I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the
earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to
it.
And behold another beast, a second, like to a
bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had
three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto
it, Arise, devour much flesh.
After this I beheld, and lo another, like a
leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also
four heads; and dominion was given to it.
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold
a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great
iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and
stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts
that were before it; and it had ten horns.
I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up
among them another little horn, before whom there were
three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn
were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the
Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his
head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame,
and his wheels as burning fire.
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before
him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
I beheld then because of the voice of the great
words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the
beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had
their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and
time.
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like
the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days,
and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed.
We are now going to move away from
the historical material that we encountered in chapters one through six and
plunge into the exciting depths of Daniel's prophetic material, starting in
chapter seven. Daniel's end-time dream in this chapter consisted of symbols of
real events to come-mysteries we are now able to unravel. In many ways,
chapters two and seven of the Book of Daniel are similar in that they portray
the most comprehensive pictures of history to its conclusion.
Chapter two depicted
Nebuchadnezzar's dream concerning the great statue with a head of gold down to
its feet and toes of iron mixed with clay-a prediction of how the Babylonian
empire would be destroyed by Medo-Persia, followed by
the conquering superpowers of Greece and Rome. Chapter seven refers to these
identical empires in the form of beasts, indicating that within the final
revived Roman Empire there will be many problems during the course of its
restoration. In fact, one major challenge after another can already be observed
within the framework of the European Union presently taking shape.
To the extent we saw unity in
chapter two, we see diversity in chapter seven. But
regardless of the message, the single most exciting thing that you are now
reading is the fulfillment of Daniel 12:4, which says,
"But
thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the
end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
The Book of Daniel was designed to
be a mysterious, closed, sealed book until the time of the end, but at the time
of the end the Holy Spirit would enlighten people to expound this great portion
of God's Word. This is now our assignment, and you are privileged to have a
ringside seat as we begin to unravel the mysteries so long alien to anyone's understanding.
The Times of the Gentiles
The Jewish people controlled
Jerusalem until 586 B.C. Then, according to Daniel 1:1, Nebuchadnezzar and his
troops marched into the Holy City and took its inhabitants back as captives to
Babylon. It is important to remember that this single historical event marked
the beginning of what is known as "the times of the Gentiles." An
important caveat was spoken by Jesus in Luke 21:24 when He said,
"And
they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into
all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the
times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
Jesus was saying that Jerusalem
would remain under Gentile control until the time of the end. Isn't it
fascinating that from June 5 through June 10, 1967-as a result of the Six-Day
War-the Jews took back Jerusalem and have been in control of the Holy City ever
since? Even though we are still in the era called "the times of the
Gentiles," this remarkable historical reality reminds us how close we are
to the time of the end. How can we say this with such certainty? In Zechariah
14:2-4 God states:
For
I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be
taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city
shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut
off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those
nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in
that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and
the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward
the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain
shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
This entire scenario began with
Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. and ends when Jesus Christ returns to take Jerusalem
back from the Gentiles. We are extremely close to that time when such an event
takes place. Here's why. The Gentiles could not take Jerusalem from the Jews
until the Jews controlled the city-which happened in 1967 after 2,553 years
of Gentile dominion. According to Jesus, the generation who lives to see this
event will be alive for the battle to recapture Jerusalem by the Gentiles plus
observe Christ's return.
The Four Beasts
Daniel dreams about four winds and
four beasts-all which represent the same four powers we read about in
Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter two: Babylon, Medo-Persia,
Greece, and Rome, along with the ten toes of iron mixed with clay-a description
of the revived Roman Empire, a regrouping of nations I believe to be the
European Union. The fourth beast has ten horns, similar to the ten toes on
Nebuchadnezzar's image: again, symbolic of the restored Roman Empire.
The four winds blowing upon the sea
indicate trouble-and all these nations near the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea,
and the Mediterranean have indeed experienced troublesome times throughout
history. However, only when the European Union ultimately produces the
Antichrist will the world truly know what real trouble is. It will be nothing
like the nuisance these nations have been prior to this time in history. Isaiah
57:20 states,
"But
the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up
mire and dirt."
Now let's look at the four beasts
and indicate what each represents. Beast number one-a lion with the wings of
eagles-is the same power that was described in Nebuchadnezzar's dream as the
"head of gold"-the Babylonian empire. The wings of the lion suggest
that it is a swift beast, with the ability to conquer great nations with its
mighty armies. But as its wings are "plucked," the kingdom begins to
deteriorate, even though there remains a hint of Nebuchadnezzar's
humanitarianism. Since verse 4 makes reference to this first beast "being
given a man's heart," you'll recall that this is the manner in which
Nebuchadnezzar closed out his days after his conversion
experience-compassionate, docile, and caring for his subjects.
Beast number two is a bear that
raises itself up on one side, holding three ribs in its teeth-conceivably
representing Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt-a hungry beast, and capable of gorging
itself. Following the pattern of Nebuchadnezzar's image, this second beast is a
symbol of the Medes and the Persians, with Darius ruler of the Medes and Cyrus
the Persians. Ultimately, however, the Persians demonstrated greater strength
because of their massive armies, and, as a result, the bear "lifted itself
up on one side," indicating Persian political and military superiority,
all borne out by historical fact.
Beast number three is Greece, a
leopard with four wings and four heads. The wings picture the speed of
Alexander the Great and his enormous armies, reckoned to be the swiftest in the
known world. Alexander conquered one and one-half million square miles of the
globe, stretching for more than eleven thousand miles from Greece in the west
to India in the east, a man who, even after his many conquests, is said to have
wept because he felt he had no more worlds to conquer.
Beast number four is Rome-a terrible
beast with enormous power to maim, crush, and kill. So violent is this beast
that no animal on earth can represent it. Its iron teeth are similar to the
toes on the image composed of iron mixed with clay as observed in Daniel
chapter two. Its ten horns are a graphic description of the final revived Roman
Empire-fulfilled in 1981 when Greece became the tenth nation to join the
European Union.
Some people ask me, How can these things be? How can you be so certain that your
interpretation of Daniel's dream is correct?
First of all, the nations are
mentioned by name in Daniel 1:1, 8:20, 8:21, and Romans 1:7. These empires
cover a period of 676 years. Adding scholarship to the truth of God's Word, a
prophet by the name of Esdras wrote in 90 A.D. that there was little doubt that
the fourth beast was Rome. Add to these the research insights of Drs. Gabelein, Scofield, Bultima, Ironside, Barnhouse, DeHaan and other
evangelical scholars, and the evidence mounts that the only possible meaning of
the symbolic fourth beast is Rome itself. Specifically, Dr. Harry Ironside, pastor of Moody Memorial Church, said there will arise a great confederacy of nations springing forth from an
old Roman Empire that will become the devil's last trump card.
The
Plot Thickens - and Will Get Thicker
It is only within the last century
that God has been unsealing the mysteries of this book and Daniel's dream.
While the significance of the first three beasts is relatively easy to
interpret because of its solid basis in historical fact, the ten toes (Daniel
2:41-42, 44) and the ten horns (Daniel 7:7, 20, 24 and Revelation 12:3; 13:1;
17:3, 7, 12, 16) must now be addressed in some detail.
To do this, we need to go back to
the year 1947 when Benelux came into power: Belgium, the Netherlands, and
Luxembourg-the first three horns on the terrible fourth beast, and the first
three nations of what presently comprises the European Union. In 1957, France,
Italy, and Germany joined the confederation, making it six, with the Treaty of
Rome ratifying this amalgamation. In 1973, Britain, Ireland, and Denmark joined
for a total of nine. Then, on January 1, 1981, Greece joined the group to make
it ten in number.
At this point many evangelicals were
elated, making the assumption that all the members of the group had finally
been assembled. However in Daniel 7:8, 20, and 24 we read that the
confederation will grow to thirteen. This has already taken place: Numbers
eleven and twelve who joined the EU were Spain and Portugal, coming into the
confederation in 1986. Then with the arrival of Austria into the movement in 1996,
the EU grew to thirteen.
But this is only the beginning.
Eventually the fourth beast becomes a world empire-the New World Order,
something we are already beginning to witness. Daniel 7:23
states that he shall devour (or engulf) the whole world. Revelation 13:7
adds:
"Power was given him over
all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
No longer is this fulfillment of
prophecy something you and I read about in the Book of Daniel alone, but it is
also the subject matter for the correspondents and editors of the pages of your
daily newspaper: Prophecy is being fulfilled in black and white each day for
those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
The
Little Horn
Now let's look at the "little
horn" of Daniel 7:8. Who and what is it? What is its influence? Martin Luther
said that this little horn is the New Testament Antichrist of the future, and I
agree. This little horn's appearance was not for an earlier period in history,
but for the end time of Daniel 12:4. Why? Because this little
horn-the Antichrist-arises at the last day out of this grouping of ten nations.
Since the European Union is now in place, there is little question
that the Antichrist can-and will-arise soon.
The
Beast Speaks
Verse 11 says the little horn, or
beast, speaks, and his words are great. This event takes place during the
Tribulation hour when the little horn, the infamous Antichrist, finally arises
and comes to power. Revelation 13:5 and 6 add,
"And there was given unto
him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him
to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against
God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."
The Antichrist blasphemes God
almighty and eventually calls himself God, but at a great cost to this
"beast" because Jesus Christ will destroy him with the brightness of
His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8). However, there is even more devastation ahead
as the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire burning with
fire and brimstone (Revelation 19:20). Furthermore, when Satan is cast into the
lake of fire one thousand years later, the beast and the false prophet are
still in existence-proving that the fires of hell do not annihilate anyone, as
some cults teach (Revelation 20:10).
And what
about the other beasts in Daniel's dream?
When do they have their dominion taken from them? This is a fascinating
question, and an important one. The Medes and the Persians destroyed Babylon;
Greece destroyed the Medes and the Persians, and Rome destroyed Greece. Their
kingdoms and powers were taken away. Yet, the passage tells us that they still
exist because all their customs and cultures were passed on to each nation that
conquered them, meaning they are all still with us in some way. Remember that
the old Persian Empire is today's Iran and Iraq. Would
you not agree these two nations are still with us, continuing to create havoc
in the area and around the world with their commitment to regional conflict and
international terrorism?
The
Son of Man and the Ancient of Days
In his dream, Daniel had a vision of
one like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. This is none other
than the Lord Jesus Christ. This prophecy is about to happen because the term Son
of Man is definitely the Messiah and the Savior. Let's investigate further.
The term Son of Man is the precise one Jesus used repeatedly to describe
Himself. Matthew 8:20 says,
"And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have
holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where
to lay his head."
Matthew 24:30 tells us,
"And then shall appear the
sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth
mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory."
Now the
Ancient of Days-Yahweh-presents the kingdom to His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the moment when the stone cut out without hands
smashes the feet of the image in Daniel 2:45. This announces the return
of Christ because He is the stone or rock (1 Corinthians 10:4). Then comes the tremendous battle we read about in Revelation 19
when Christ comes on a white horse (v. 11) and the armies of heaven follow Him
(v. 14). Verse 19 says,
"And I saw the beast [the
Antichrist, the little horn], and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him [Jesus] that sat on the horse, and
against his army."
But they do not prevail. This is the
time when the prophecy of the stone smashing the feet of the image is
fulfilled. It's all over for the world powers at this point because Jesus
Christ has arrived to set up His Kingdom. However, as the Lord appears, the
armies of the revived Roman Empire attempt to stop the King of Kings and Lord
of Lords (Revelation 19:19-21). Psalm 2:1-6 pictures this final battle:
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the
earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD,
and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak
unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my
king upon my holy hill of Zion.
This will be the great climax, that
moment in history when Gentile dominion ends, and when Jesus Christ is seated
on the throne of David. Luke 1:32-33 says, "He shall be great, and shall
be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the
throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
After the thousand-year reign of Christ, the earth is purged and Christ is recommissioned and rules eternally upon earth (1
Corinthians 15:24-28). That's why Ephesians 3:21 adds, "Unto Him be
glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
Amen."
We will continue our study next week
with Daniel's response to the vision.
Daniel's Response
Daniel Is Confused
Daniel had no one to help him
understand what he had been dreaming, so God provided a messenger to interpret
the dream on His behalf-the angel Gabriel. The message of chapter two,
Nebuchadnezzar's dream, had been so clear and unified, whereas now his own
dream was filled with diversity, the edges of his understanding ragged, all
because he was dealing with four terrible, vile beasts-not an immense one-piece
image of gold, silver, and bronze-but a diversity of four beasts acting out
their beastly nature in fits of anger, violence, and conquest.
Then, suddenly, something exciting
happens in verse 18 where the saints of the most High
take the Kingdom. This is when Jesus Christ returns, and, as we have already
stated, the stone smites the feet of the image, placing Christ and His saints
in control. They are the ones who return with Jesus-individuals who missed the
terrible seven-year period of Tribulation because they were called up in
Revelation 4:1.
In Revelation 19:11-14, when Christ
returns on that white horse, we discover that the armies in heaven follow Him-a
picture of the Church returning to earth. Jude verse 14b says, "Behold,
the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints." They had no way of
saying millions, billions, or trillions in the first century, so they used the
term tens of thousands. But there is also the group of
saints-the 144,000 Jewish messengers (Revelation 7:4-8)-who preached the gospel
of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14). You see, not only will many Jews be
converted through mass, worldwide efforts of evangelism, but multitudes-yes,
millions-of Gentiles will also be saved, many of whom are put to death for
loving the Word of God. Revelation 20:4-5 speak of this treachery:
And
I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I
saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the
word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither
had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not
again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
The saints are coming from heaven.
Those who have died during the tribulation are then raised from the dead
(Revelation 20:4). The Jews in Daniel 12:2 who "slept in the dust of
the earth" also awaken, while Gentiles who died for their testimony
also arise. Now we have saints from heaven, tribulation saints who were brought
back from the dead, Jewish saints who also were resurrected, and saints who are
still alive on earth at Christ's return who somehow escaped the death penalty
for rejecting the "mark of the beast" (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation
13:15-18). They will all rule and reign with Jesus Christ, giving further
credence to the passage, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him"
(2 Timothy 2:12a).
The European
Community-Antichrist-and 666
While general concern may have
reigned in Daniel's mind regarding much of the dream, there seemed to be a
special confusion regarding the fourth beast. Daniel had a reasonably adequate
understanding of Babylon, the Medes and the Persians, and Greece, largely since
they already existed within his own time frame. But this next beast-Rome-and
the revived Roman Empire-would come centuries later, and he could not, in his
day, know anything about this mystery without the enlightenment of the Holy
Spirit concerning end-time events. This was the empire with the two legs and
ten toes, and the animal with ten horns that was a composite of all the others.
Ten toes
and ten horns. Try though he might, Daniel could
not grasp their meaning. Yet now, twenty-five hundred years later, you and I
are on the edge of watching such mysteries unfold as the European Union flexes
its international muscles, preparing the world community for the advent of the
Antichrist. During the terrible Tribulation hour, the Jewish people are
primarily the saints against whom the Antichrist prevails. Jeremiah 30:7 says,
"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is
like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble."
Jacob is another name for Israel (2
Kings 17:34). We find that when Satan is cast to earth he becomes extremely
angry when he realizes his time is exceedingly short (Revelation 12:12). For
this reason, he makes every attempt to obliterate the Jewish race (Revelation
12:13). He persecutes the woman who brought forth the man-child-that woman is
the Jewish virgin, Mary. The Son that came from her is that man-child, and this
Antichrist is trying to get rid of all those who came forth from her, as well
as millions of Gentiles. Both groups find salvation during the Tribulation hour
(Revelation 7:14). These are the ones who have come out of the Great
Tribulation and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of
the lamb.
At this point of time the Antichrist
will call himself God, and the false prophet sets up an image of him to
worship. The Bible says in Revelation 13:15,
"And
he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that
the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not
worship the image of the beast should be killed."
He says, "Bow down and worship
this image of me and take my mark '666' or you will lose your head" (see
Revelation 13:15-18; 20:4). This is that period of time when the Antichrist
will prevail over the saints. But to reiterate the good news, the Lord Jesus
Christ ultimately returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16)
and defeats the Antichrist and his hoards (Revelation 19:19-21; Psalm 2:1-6).
Good news indeed! At that crucial
moment in history, almighty God says, "How dare you think you can stand
against me and my Son as I present Him to the world as King of Kings and Lord
of Lords. You lose.., because I now set up my King
upon the holy hill of Jerusalem!"
We will continue our study in Daniel
in our next newsletter.
The
Reign of the Antichrist
Before we close this chapter, it's
important to review the activity of the Antichrist for the eighty-four months
that he appears on earth. His reign begins when he makes a peace contract with
Israel and the nations. Daniel 9:27 says, "And he shall confirm the
covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." The Hebrew word for week
in the above passage is shabua, a time
period of seven years, or eighty-four months.
In the midst of the week or shabua-after forty-two months-he shall cause
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. His first item of business is to make
peace with Israel, an agreement he honors for three and one-half years. At that
point, however, Russia begins its march southward to Israel to break the peace
contract that the Antichrist originally made with Israel. Then Gog and Magog (Russia) go up against the land of unwalled villages when Israel is at rest (Ezekiel 38:11).
We know that since she became a
nation in 1948, Israel has neither been at rest nor at peace. Soon a peace
program of seven years duration will be contracted. But it will be short-lived.
Russia ruins it. During this battle the Antichrist comes to his end (Daniel
11:45). Yes, he actually dies, but Revelation 13:3 says, "his deadly wound
was healed: and all the world wondered [marveled] after the beast." In
other words, the Antichrist is resurrected. He comes back to life. That's why
everyone marvels at him, literally standing in awe of his great political
prowess and enormous ability to move the minds and hearts of people globally.
To the world, he appears to be like
Jesus, returning to life. It's at this point he magnifies himself above every
God (Daniel 11:36) and exalts himself above all gods to a deluded and deceived
world (2 Thessalonians 2:4). He literally says, "I am God." Today, as
you watch an acceleration of the New Age movement and its "I am God"
philosophy, crystals, shamans, chants, and channeled messages that permeate
every segment of our society-even entering the church of Jesus Christ-be aware
that this global satanic activity has already proved instrumental in preparing
the way for this great deceiver to set himself up for worship (Revelation
13:15), a time when he literally "wears out the saints" (Daniel
7:25). This activity takes place through to the end of the seven years when
Jesus Christ ultimately returns and destroys the evil one with the brightness
of His glory, casting him into the lake of fire where he remains forever and
ever (Revelation 19:20).
Daniel's Reaction
When his dream had been explained by
the angel Gabriel, Daniel felt a sorrow of heart, for he now began to
understand what would one day happen to his people, the Jews. His dream had
helped him catch a glimpse of the terrible times of persecution that would fall
upon them. He was rightly disturbed and confused because he was not totally
privy to understanding the great blessings-the rest of the story-that would
ultimately come to his people-blessings we will discover as we continue to
unwrap the sealed mysteries of the time of the end, even as we see Daniel's
humanity surface when he is physically and psychologically devastated by the
vision he sees in chapter eight.
We have come to the close of the
section that addresses God's rule over the Gentiles. To help you understand
where Daniel is emotionally at this point, I'd like you to put yourself in his
position for a moment. You have just dreamed something tantamount to a
nightmare in chapter seven that has unnerved you. You fainted; you became
anxious-so fearful that you needed help to interpret what you experienced. Now,
you are taking your agitation and dismay to the next practical level by asking
yourself:
If three more Gentile kingdoms, as
suggested by the dream, are supposed to arrive on the scene to dominate the
world after Babylon, what will be the fate of my people, the Jews, during that
period of time? How long will their trials last? What will be the end result?
These vexing questions are coursing
through Daniel's mind, but still, he has no answers.
But God never leaves His people in a
state of confusion. For that reason, God begins to provide Daniel with specific
revelations that relate to the future history of His people. With that brief
background, we now spend the remainder of the book reviewing these revelations,
giving special emphasis to interpreting the prophecies that address "the
time of the end"-predictions that not only relate to Israel during the
latter days, but also speak to you and me-Jew or Gentile-today.