Daniel 7
Chapter 7 marks a sharp division in the book of Daniel. The first 6 chapters were mainly historical narratives about important events in the life of Daniel. They also followed chronologically according to the kings that Daniel served under. The remainder of the book focuses on several personal visions that God gave Daniel about the coming years before the time of Christ.
Since the last chapters of Daniel are largely figurative and prophetic, it can be difficult to determine, at times, exactly what God was revealing to Daniel. There are some things that we aren’t given exact details on. So, in these last chapters of Daniel our approach with the content will be two-fold:
1. We will do our best to break down the parts of the vision and their meaning for Daniel, without adding to the Word. At times, we don’t know exactly what the vision represents.
2. We will attempt to understand the point of
the vision and its meaning for our lives. Even without knowing all of the
details, we can still gain valuable insight for our faith and certainly see the
activity of God in Daniel’s time. Through this, the Holy Spirit surely can
strengthen our faith and teach us equally important truths.
So, our story today in chapter 7 takes us back a bit to the first year of Belshazzar’s reign. If you remember, Belshazzar was the last king of Babylon, so this account comes to Daniel as he is an older man. The vision given to Daniel is closely connected to the vision Nebuchadnezzar was given in chapter 2. The main identifier between the two is that God reveals the next kingdoms that would arise after Babylon.
Just as Nebuchadnezzar was given a vision about four sections of a great statue, so Daniel receives a vision about four beasts coming out of the sea. There is also some connection between this vision, and the others that Daniel speaks about in the coming chapters. The main connection between all of them centers upon the history that will take place up to the time of the Messiah. From the vantage point of Scripture, we could say that this vision deals with the remainder of the Old Testament period. Therefore, although the exact kingdoms are not specified in Scripture – at least in this chapter, we can say with a good deal of confidence that they match the major kingdoms at the tail end of the OT period.
Therefore, the first beast, the lion with wings – corresponds to the kingdom of Babylon, which at the time of this vision was still the major power. What makes this more convincing is that the winged lion was actually the emblem of the Babylonian empire.
The second beast, the bear, corresponds to the Mede and Persian empire, which, as found out in the last chapter, swept in and conquered Babylon. Many Bible scholars believe that the three ribs in the bear’s mouth are symbolic of the three major kingdoms that were toppled by the Medes and Persians – Babylon, Egypt, and eventually further to the West, the kingdom of Lydia.
The third beast, the leopard with four wings and four heads, corresponds the Greek empire, which would become the world leader through the conquests of Alexander the Great. The four wings and four heads are believed to be symbolic of the four partitions of the Greek empire following Alexander’s death.
The fourth beast is certainly the most unique and the one which is described in the greatest detail. It was also the kingdom that Daniel wanted to know more about. Following the chronology of this sequence, the fourth beast corresponds to the Roman empire, which was more dominant than all the others, and also which held power during the birth of Christ.
What are we to make of all the unique details given about the Roman empire? Well, many believe the 10 horns represent total power. The number of ten in the Scriptures often denotes completeness. Some have even attempted to trace the number to the Roman Caesars, but that seems less likely. Of greater importance to Daniel, and to us, is the identity of the single horn that grew out of this fourth beast. The vision depicts this final beast as not only the most powerful, but also that it would change in its nature. As week seek to understand the identity of this single horn, it helps to list the details that are given to us in the text:
Here’s how Daniel described what he witnessed in this vision about the single horn:
·
Boasts – speaks words against the Most
High
·
Eyes like human eyes
·
Shows strength over earthly kings
·
Comes out of the Roman empire (if indeed
that is the fourth beast)
·
Persecutes the saints
·
Changes times and the law
·
Destroyed only by Ancient of Days -
through the Son of Man (vv.13-14)
These are indeed specific details, but still no exact name is given to this single horn. However, when we consider the context of Daniel in both history and the rest of Scripture, the identity of this single horn fits best with the Antichrist. Now, the Antichrist alone is also a controversial topic. The Apostle Paul described this individual most specifically in 2 Thessalonians 2. Listen to what he said and trace the parallels with Daniel’s revelation:
2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
According to Paul, the Antichrist is a specific person who:
·
Stands in the place of God and is associated
with the worship of God
·
Despite this, he is also someone who
opposes God, even claiming to take the place of God.
·
Deceives people and who is active for
quite a length of time
·
Will only be conquered by Jesus – at His
final coming.
These details all fit with the single horn that Daniel saw. When you put it all together, there is only one fulfillment that fits the complete description – the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church. The Antichrist does not fit with any single pope, but it is characterized as an office that continues until the end of the world. The Antichrist does not fit with any earthly ruler – for he is someone who associates with God – at least, outwardly. The Antichrist is also someone who deceives people, persecutes believers, came out of the secular empire of Rome, has changed the law of God, displays power over earthly rulers, and takes the place of God through boastful words. These details, provided for us through Daniel’s vision and Paul’s letter – find a match only in the institution of the papacy. Only the papacy has both persecuted the saints and deceived many by false teaching. Only the papacy both came out of the Roman empire and holds temporal power over secular rulers. Only the papacy has been audacious enough to claim an equal status of respect and honor with God.
This is not a popular understanding today, but it fits with Scripture’s revelation. That we identify the papacy as the Antichrist does not give us freedom to judge and condemn Roman Catholic Christians, nor do we deny that the papacy has done good things for people at times in history. Popes today are seen as kind and benevolent. Others in the past certainly acted in much greater outward immorality. But human standards of holiness are set aside in God’s sight. He measures one’s faith and righteousness with His own standards, and through such, as delivered to us in Scripture, the papacy has been shown to be thoroughly corrupt and deceitful.
You may be thinking. This is interesting but what does it matter today? Obviously, the papacy isn’t mentioned in Scripture by name. Furthermore, these were things revealed to Daniel about things which already happened. What is the value in this text for our lives? Outside of a historical lesson from the past, what do we learn from it? Well, the answer is that we arrive at the same place God was leading Daniel – to assurance of the victory of Jesus. As I mentioned at the beginning, with each of these visions we’ll try to unlock what we can about the details, but the most important element is understanding the overall truth. And the overall truth of this chapter is abundantly clear – Jesus reigns!
God provides the historical details He does as a signal in time and space of when Jesus would arrive. But the entire lesson for Daniel was the same as it is for us – Jesus will take care of all foreign kingdoms and enemies that are against God and His people. Though we can’t pinpoint every detail of this vision with certainty – consider what we can say with absolute confidence:
-Jesus, the one who would take the title of Son of Man, first given in Daniel’s vision, is already victorious now.
-We can see God’s deliberate plan in providing a Savior at the right time in history, just as Paul echoed in Galatians 4:4-5: But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
No matter how terrifying and powerful this last beast is – he is no match for God’s only begotten Son. Political power. Spiritual power. A combination of both. Wars and persecutions against believers. Using even the church to deceptively lead people astray. None of this falsehood and treachery can hold up against Jesus. He melts away the lying, the deceit, and the evil and ushers in truth, life, and peace under His cross. No wonder that Daniel records how all peoples, nations, and languages will worship Him and how His kingdom will be eternal. Mankind has continually striven and fought for power here on earth, and that lust will never go away as time endures. Jesus alone secured it in His own unique way – through His self-sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection over the grave. Nothing is greater than His power and love for fallen sinner – and He calls you to trust that His will is effective in your life.
What a message for Daniel! He surely knew what oppression and captivity under the kings of the earth felt like. By the point in his life he had spent so much time in a foreign land that his own cultural identity had surely changed. But Daniel’s identity as a child of God never changed – it only grew stronger.
So, it is with us. What a message in our day! A day when politics and earthly power reach their greedy fingers into just about every area of life. A day when Satan and the world tempt you with a bevy of personally chosen identities that exalt you and not God. A day when fear and anxiety spread in abundance about what ruler will come next. The stories of the past are in the past, but the lessons are repeated in the future. No matter what comes our way. No matter what enemy exalts against our faith. No matter how we are tried in the furnace of God’s refinement – Jesus reigns. His kingdom, which is yours today by faith, will never be defeated. Let us trust in Him and go forward with confidence. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment