Four Beasts / Four Kingdoms

(Slide) Historically this chapter would belong between chapters 4-5 of Daniel.Belshazzar was the king (Cc-Regent) under his father (Nabonidus) while he was away for 14 years.

(Slide) THE STAGE IS SET

(Slide) First year of Belshazzar (553) -

(Slide) Daniel saw in dream and vision

(Slide) Four winds of heaven

I.(Slide) The Four Winds (Slide) ()

Daniel 7:1–2 NASB95

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.

(Slide) Wind: oftentimes is used in apocalyptic speech as the action from God. God used angels to hold back the four winds in (slide)

Revelation 7:1 NASB95

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree.

(Slide)The wind stirred up the great sea, so what is the great sea?

(Slide) In we can see a good definition of the great sea On slide Rev17:15)

Revelation 17:15 NASB95

And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

(Slide) So the sea is the nations of the world this can be further evidenced (ref only: Isa17:12-13; Isa57:20; Rev13:1 and what we just looked at Rev17:15) - God is stirring up the people, the nations raising up from them the kingdoms that suit God’s purpose and plan.

God will always work out His plan for His purpose. He gave Daniel the vision, the prophesy to record of what was going to happen in the future. To this point we don’t know when that future is, except it is future to Daniel.

II. (Slide) The Four Great Beasts (look up and read )

(Slide) The Lion (v.4)

Wings like an Eagle; then were plucked

then made to stand like a man and given mind of man.

Wings like eagles - think back to

Daniel 4:33 NASB95

“Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

Given a human mind after the humiliation, Nebuchadnezzer was given the heart of a beast until after then given his right mind back.

(Slide) The Lion = the Kingdom of Babylon

The Great Babylon had not yet fallen but would be soon

(Slide) The Bear (v.5)

(Slide) Raised up on one side

Three ribs in its mouth

Told to devour much meat

(slide) the raised up is the dominance of the Persians over the Mead's

(Slide) The three ribs can be looked at the 3 countries they conquered quickly - Lydia, Egypt and Babylon -but only speculation

(Slide) Devour much meat was the veracity that they conquered -like a bear it devoured much in its path

(Slide) Something to note that the bear of Dan7:5 will be seen as a ram with two horns in (Slide) ,

Daniel 8:3 NASB95

Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last.

also can see this in (Slide) where we see the definition

Daniel 8:20 NASB95

“The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.

(Slide) The Leopard (v.6)

(Slide) Four wings like a bird - like a leopard who moves quickly the wings help to move swiftly

(Slide) Four heads - the four heads here will be seen as four horns and Dan 8:21-22

(Slide) Dominion given to it -After the untimely death of Alexander - 4 of his generals took command of a divided kingdom

(Slide) Ptolemy I - just so you know the names that can be researched outside of the scripture in Greek History

(Slide) Seleucius I

(Slide) Lysimachus

(Slide) Antipar and Casander

Let me give you the scriptures mentioned a moment ago (Slide)

Daniel 8:8 NASB95

Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

- here we have the definition of what was the leopard in chapter 7 is the shaggy goat in chapter 8 all representing the nation of Greece under Alexander and then the generals after his death. (Slide)

Daniel 8:21–22 NASB95

“The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. “The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.

Daniel 8:21–22 NASB95

(Slide) The dreadful and terrifying beast (v.7)

(Slide) dreadful and terrifying

(Slide) extremely strong

(Slide) iron teeth

(Slide) devoured, crushed

(Slide) had 10 horns

So what about those 10 horns? what does it mean?

Looking back at we see it is 10 kings - horns in scripture can be a symbol of a ruler or authority (can look at 1Sam2:10 or Psm132:17

Daniel 7:24 NASB95

‘As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.

(Slide) The rulers, the Caesar's - more will follow with these men in future lessons

Augustus

Tiberius

Caligula

Claudius

Nero

Galba

Otho

Vitellius

Vespasian and

Titus

(Slide) The LIttle Horn (v.8) So while Daniel, in the vision, he sees this little horn, there is much to say about the little horn what it means, who it is, there is much debate on it even.

(Slide) What can we see from the scripture about the little horn?

(Slide) came up among them (another king) (see vv.7-8 and 24)

(Slide) three are pulled up by him (more to come on this)

(Slide) Eyes like a man

(Slide) Mouth uttering great boasts (so a braggart ) v.8, (Slide) And

Daniel 7:20 NASB95

and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates.

(Slide) From historical to apocalyptic. as we continue to look at the prophesy we will see the historical from our sight looking back. Hopefully we will gain some understanding

(Slide) In summary we have a vision, a prophesy, something in the future from Daniel’s eyes

Lion = Babylon

Bear / Ram = Medio - Persia

Leopard / shaggy goat - Greece

The dreadful and terrifying - Rome

(Slide) May we remember the words of Darius in - God is in charge, in control on the throne for all eternity S(Slide) of Dan6:26-27

Daniel 6:26–27 NASB95

“I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. “He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.”