Thursday, November 10, 2016

Daniel 7: Daniel's Dream

The book of Daniel consists of two parts.  The first six chapters are narratives describing events that happened to Daniel and his friends.  The last six chapters detail visions that were given to Daniel, along with his prophetic interpretations.  As we enter into the second half of Daniel, buckle your seatbelts for some pretty wild images!


Chapter 7 begins with Daniel recounting a dream of four beasts that emerge from the sea.  They resemble a lion with eagle wings, a bear with three tusks, a leopard with four wings and four heads, and a yet more terrifying fourth beast with iron teeth and ten horns with an emerging little horn.  Daniel then witnesses the "Ancient One" and "one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven" (vs. 11) who kills the blasphemous fourth beast and subdues the other three.

Without a guide, I'm sure that scholars would have endlessly debated the meaning of this vision.  Fortunately, chapter 7 also includes an angelic messenger who interprets the identity of the beasts:  "I approached one of the attendants to ask him the truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the interpretation of the matter:  'As for these four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth.  But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever—forever and ever'" (vs. 16-18).

Thus Daniel's vision in chapter 7 lines up roughly with Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter 2.  Instead of a great statue symbolizing a succession of world empires, however, Daniel sees these four beasts which also indicate powerful kings ruling four nations.  Like the stone that smashes the statue, the dominion of the Most High is established over all earthly kingdoms.

The conclusion of the matter for Christians is the words of reassurance we find in verse 14: Speaking of the one like a human being coming on the clouds of heaven, who we take to be Jesus, Daniel says, "To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed."  Amen!

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