DANIEL SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 7.3

Gleanings from the Book of Daniel:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

DANIEL

 

Chapter Seven

The Vision of the Four Beasts

 

Introduction

Daniel is a prophet of God and there are prophetic visions about to take place. In the opening scene of Daniels’ first vision, he sees himself standing on the shore of the Great Sea – depicting the mass of humankind near the birthplace of civilization.

 

The four winds of heaven are a figurative language for the four directions from heaven and denote political strife and war within the Gentile nations. Seas, of course, are a symbolization of peoples, nations, and tongues (cf. Revelation 17:15).

 

 

2. The Intervention from God continued…

(Verse 3)

 

And four great beasts came up (ascend) from the sea, diverse one from another.

 

Four Monarchies

Out of the sea of humanity, four diverse (different) animals arise, not simultaneously, but in succession to one another. In verse 17, the angel explained to Daniel, who was troubled in his spirit, the meaning of the beasts.

1. Beasts in Scripture are representative of kings:

Daniel 7:17 - These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

 

2. Beasts in Scripture are also emblematic of Kingdoms. For example:

Daniel 7:23a - Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdom. 

 

So, kings and kingdoms are used interchangeably for beasts. Noteworthy: The succession of beasts is in the same number as the body of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Chapter 2. There is also a degeneration of animals as there was a degeneration of metals in Chapter 2.

 

 

(Verse 4)

 

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.

 

The Winged Lion

Interestingly, the first beast is a lion. Lions were predominantly known as being king of the beasts. Whereas in Chapter 2, Babylon was depicted as a head of gold – the most precious of metals, the lion likewise depicts Babylon as the king of the beasts. The two fit a very distinct pattern for being the first empire. Both are a reflection of Nebuchadnezzar’s superiority.

 

3. Lions in Scripture are symbolic of power and strength:

Jeremiah 4:7 - The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.

 

Notice in verse 4, the preposition like – It is not a lion, but it was like a lion.

 

Archaeology has unearthed the ancient ruins of Babylon. Interestingly, they have uncovered figures with the design of lions having wings that stood guard before the gates of the Royal Palace.

 

4. The lion is portrayed by King Nebuchadnezzar

Not only does the lion paint Nebuchadnezzar ruling as a monarch, but it also encompasses his ability to conquer swiftly. History records how this great king swept across the continent and conquered the known world after the Battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. This is where the Babylonians defeated the armies of Egypt and the remnant army of Assyria (see Ezekiel 30).

 

Carchemish (presently in ruins) was located on the western bank of the Euphrates River, now near the modern Turkey-Syria border. Jeremiah documents the account this way:

Jeremiah 46:2 - Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

 

5. The lion also symbolized a hero in the Bible:

2 Samuel 23:20 - And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men (literally,  lion of God, an expression used by Arabs and Persians being great warriors) of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.

 

The..lion, and had eagle's wings

Secondly, the eagle, like the lion, is known as the king of its species, God refers to it as being great. However, something very unusual about the lion has been described: It had eagle's wings.

 

6.  Eagle’s wings in Scripture are typical of strength and swiftness. For example:

Deuteronomy 28:49a - The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth.

 

Briefly, after reading the Parable of the Two Eagles and the Vine in Ezekiel 17: 1-10, its meaning is explained:

A. The Parable

Ezekiel 17:3, 7a - Thus saith the Lord GOD; A great eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest branch of the cedar. There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers.  

 

Lebanon Data

1. Lebanon is the home of the cedar tree

2. Jerusalem is called Lebanon (cf. Jeremiah 22:23)

3. The royal palace in Jerusalem, so rich in cedar, was called “the house (palace) of the forest of Lebanon (cf. 1 Kings 7:2)

 

B. The Parable Explained

Ezekiel 17:12 - Say now to the rebellious house (Israel), Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon.

 

Therefore, in this instance, Babylon is known in Scripture as a great multi-coloured eagle having great long feathered 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.

Several things noteworthy are going on here:

1. The lion’s wings were plucked

a.  Recall: His hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws (cf. Daniel 4:33)

 

b.  Wings being plucked and deprived of their power are indicative of King Nebuchadnezzar's insanity and immobility when he was struck down by pride as he became humbled before God

 

c.  Plucked wings are also descriptive of cessation of power.

 

2. The lion was lifted from the ground

a.  This phrase seems to indicate after seven years, Nebuchadnezzar was lifted from all fours to the once again position of a man

 

3. The lion was made to stand on its feet

a.  Nebuchadnezzar once again stood like a man and reasoned like one as well

 

b.  Restoration: His animal nature was restored to human nature

 

4. The lion was given the heart of a man[kind]

a.  After Nebuchadnezzar lost his beastly nature, he acquired human compassion

 

b.  Conversion: It is believed this is when Nebuchadnezzar came to know the true and living God.

 

Another Viewpoint

First, notice the four beasts mentioned in Daniel 7:

1. A lion having eagles wings

2. A Bear raised up on one side

3. A Leopard – four-winged and four-headed

4. A mighty non-descript beast

 

The viewpoint taken in this course of study has been traditionally upheld by the early church fathers, most conservative seminaries, and biblical commentators, except for a few. They all hold to the view that the four beasts of Chapter 7 are comparable to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue vision of the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman Empires in Daniel 2.

 

They also postulate Babylon was never noted for being a lion. They also project the lion being that of Great Britain, the eagle’s wings representing the United States, and the bear is associated with Russia. Additionally, the world beast spoken of in Revelation 17 is that of the revived Roman Empire during the last days. It is a stretch of the imagination at the time of Daniel’s writing, however, there are some indications their theory may be remotely possible.

 

 

(Verse 5)

 

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.

 

Daniel, in his vision, beheld another beast. Unlike the first, the second was like a bear. This bear would correspond to the arms of silver of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue image – The Medo-Persian Empire.

 

The Bear

Next to the lion, the bear was most feared in the Middle East. It is a huge animal of tremendous strength. For example, some passages elucidate:

2 Kings 2:24b – And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

 

Hosea 13:8a – I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps (cubs), and will rend (tear) the caul (breast, rib cage) of their heart.

 

Amos 5:19a - As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him.

 

Such was characteristic of the armies of Persia.

 

A bear, and it raised up itself on one side

An Unusual Bear

Observe: The bear raised itself up on one side thus indicating one side was dominant over the other. In the Medo-Persian dualistic alliance, the Persians prevailed over the Medes. They had more strength, power, and importance.

 

And it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it

A Bear Caught its Prey

In the bear’s mouth, between its teeth, it had three ribs. This is indicative of an animal that is not hungry but has already eaten.

 

The picture here is of a lopsided bear (the Persian Empire) that overcame three great world powers, all permitted under the authority of God:

1. Babylon

a.  The Persians conquered the Babylonians under Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C. While his co-regent king, father Nabonidus, was in Arabia, Belshazzar staged a palace ball while the Persian army diverted the Euphrates River and sieged the city under the gates of walled Babylon without a battle.

 

2. Egypt

a.  The Persians conquered the Egyptians under Cambyses II in 525 B.C. The tactic they used was to paint cats and other animals sacred to the Egyptians on his soldier’s shields. After the battle, the Persians threw live cats at the retreating Egyptian army. Cambyses II took Psamtik III prisoner and had him executed.  

 

3. Lydia

a.  The Persians conquered King Croesus and the Lydians of Asia Minor under Cyrus the Great of Persia in 546 B.C. Croesus became synonymous with wealth. He is credited with issuing the first gold coins for general circulation.

[Croesus is shrouded in mythology. For further study, see Wikipedia]. 

 

And they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh

The Command to the Bear

In the animal kingdom, even though the bear is less regal than the lion, the bear’s conquests are frightfully destructive. Having three ribs in its mouth between its teeth (representing three conquered nations), a command was given, most likely by angels under God’s authority, to devour much flesh. Since the bear is fulfilling God’s purposes, the command suggests kingdoms operate under divine appointment.

 

 

Daniel’s dream of wild animals will continue in the upcoming study.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1. What does the expression four winds of heaven represent?

2. What do beasts represent in Daniel's vision?

3. Where did the four beasts come from?

4. What are symbolic of lions with wings?

5. Why was the bear raised up on one side?

6. Why were there three ribs between the bear’s teeth?

7. What chapter is similar to Chapter 7?

 

 

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