Bible Study: Daniel 7
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good Morning
Let’s share any Prayer Requests and Praises Reports.
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Let’s pray
Text: Daniel 7:1-8
Text: Daniel 7:1-8
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.
2 Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.
4 The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.
5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’
6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
This dream happened about 14 years before the events of chapter 5 when the Medo-Persian Empire took over Babylon.
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The “great sea” in verse 2 represents “nations and people.”
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The “four great beasts” in verse 3 represents the same four empires from the statue in Chapter 2:
Babylonian Empire, Medo-Persian Empire, Greek Empire, and Roman Empire.
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The “lion with eagle wings” in verse 4 represents the Babylon Empire.
The lion is vicious, powerful, swift and the king of beasts.
Likewise. winged lions guarded the gates of the royal palaces of Babylon.
Daniel’s contemporaries, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Habakkuk, used animals to describe Nebuchadnezzar.
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The “bear” in verse 5 represents the Medo-Persia Empire.
The greater “side” being Persia and “ribs” referring to vanquished nations.
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The “leopard” in verse 6 represents the Greek Empire.
This represents Greece with its fleetness in conquest under Alexander the Great.
He ruled from Europe to Africa to India.
The “four heads” represent the 4 generals who divided the kingdom after Alexander’s death at age 33.
They ruled Macedonia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt.
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The “fourth beast” in verse 7 represents the Roman Empire.
It was not represented by a specific animal because it was to show that no such animal exists like it...
Rather this is a unique beast pointing to the Roman Empire’s devastating conquest of other nations.
The Roman dominion fell apart in 476 AD, yet it lived on in a divided status...
It will be revived and return to great unified strength near Christ’s second coming.
Then it will be comprised of the 10 parts under kings/world leaders, as well as an 11th king/world leader, the Antichrist.
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The term “another horn” in verse 8 represents the rise of the Antichrist.
Text: Daniel 7:9-12
Text: Daniel 7:9-12
9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.
12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
The “Ancient of Days” in verse 9 is referring to God the Father.
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Verse 10 is describing the Great White Throne Judgement from Revelation 20.
Specifically Revelation 20:11–15:
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
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Verses 11 and 12 are describing how this fourth beast (the revived Roman Empire) was slain.
This Empire was headed up by the “little horn” or Antichrist.
He will be destroyed at Christ’s second coming as it says in Revelation 19:20 and Revelation 20:10:
20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
This is also a reference to the he smashing of the stature by the Stone in Daniel 2:35 and Daniel 2:45.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
Text: Daniel 7:13-14
Text: Daniel 7:13-14
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
The “Son of Man” in verse 13 is referring to Jesus.
This is title Jesus uses most when talking about Himself in the New Testament.
27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
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The reference to “all people, nations, and languages” in verse 14 are meant to show that they speak of the promise of an earthly kingdom, ruled by Christ, that merges into the eternal kingdom.
We see this referenced in Revelation 20:1–4 and additionally to the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation 21 & 22 ).
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.
2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Text: Daniel 7:15-28
Text: Daniel 7:15-28
15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me.
16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things.
17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.
18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
19 “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet,
20 and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions.
21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them,
22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
26 But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end.
27 And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’
28 “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.”
The term “those who stood there” in verse 16 is referring to angels that helped Daniel understand God’s revelation.
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In verse 17 the beast as we discussed earlier represent the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
The “kings” are represented by the most notable leaders over these empires...
So, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Alexander the Great, and finally the “little horn” who is the Antichrist.
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The “saints” from verses 18, 22 and 27 are the followers of Christ.
The “Most High” in verse 18 represents God as He is above all.
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The “fourth beast, which was different” from verse 19 refers to the empire’s far greater diversity than previous empires.
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The 10 horns in verse 20 refers to a confederacy of 10 nations, and the 11th horn is the Antichrist’s kingdom that will last until Christ’s second coming.
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The “war with the saints” in verse 21 refers to the Antichrist’s great persecution of believers, especially in Israel.
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Verse 22 refers to The Ancient of Days, who is God the Eternal One, who and how He confers the messianic kingdom on the Son to rule at His second coming.
Judgment is against the Antichrist, Satan who empowers him, and the unsaved who are not allowed into the kingdom and await the final, Great White Throne resurrection and judgment.
The phrase “saints possessed the kingdom” in this verse refers to believers who enter the kingdom in its earthly, millennial phase following Christ’s second coming...
Additionally the saints have eternal life that continues into the eternal state after the thousand years.
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The phrase “time, times, and half a time” in verse 25 refers to the 3½ years which are the last half of the 7 year period of Antichrist’s power, continuing on to Christ’s second coming and final judgement.
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The “court” in verse 26 refers to how God will have His court session to judge sinners and sin.
He will remove the Antichrist’s rule, and destroy him and his empire in eternal, conscious hell.
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Verse 27 describes God’s kingdom in both earthly and heavenly phases.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Please join me one more time in prayer.
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