Daniel's Vision of 4 Beasts

Our next stop is at Daniel 7. Like I said after our last study, the vision given to Daniel in this chapter parallels the vision in Daniel 2 (statue) and Daniel 8 (ram and goat). This vision also takes place during the Babylonian captivity.


Daniel 7
2 Daniel said: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
4 "The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.

5 "And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!'

6 "After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

7 "After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

The Interpretation
We are given some level of interpretation to at least tell us that the beasts represent "kingdoms" in Daniel 7:16-17. There are no specific names given, but we are given enough clues from the verses above to identify the beasts.

The Lion
The clues we have to identify this kingdom are:
· lion’s wings torn off
· lifted up to stand on two feet like a man
· the heart of a man was given to it

The above clues describe the humbling process that Nebuchadnezzar went through in Daniel 4, when God stripped him of his authority and drove him away from his people to live like a wild animal. Nebuchadnezzar “…ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.” This lasted 7 years until he raised his eyes to heaven and praised God. He was at once returned to his people, restored to the throne, and became even greater than before because he now acknowledged the power and dominion of God.
Head of statue = Lion

The Bear
The clues we have to identify this kingdom are:
· raised up on one side
· 3 ribs in it’s mouth
· told to devour much flesh

The description of the bear being “raised up on one side” parallel the ram’s horn which grew later and longer than the other. This is a description of the Medo-Persian empire.
The description of the 3 ribs parallels the ram charging to the west (Babylon), the north (Lydia), and the south (Egypt). The 3 ribs are the 3 countries they conquered.
The description to “Get up and eat your fill of flesh” would line up well with God’s desire to raise Persia for the purpose of freeing his people from the Babylonians (remember our first study on Cyrus the Great?)
Chest & Arms = ram = bear

The Leopard

The clues we have to identify this kingdom are:
* 4 wings
* 4 heads
* given authority to rule

The description of the 4 wings indicates the great speed that the Grecian empire had. This is also found in the description of the goat “crossing the whole earth without touching the ground.”

The description of the 4 heads parallels the 4 horns of the goat, which represents the 4 divisions of the Grecian empire after Alexander’s death.

The “given authority to rule” description would indicate that Greece was given supernatural power to rule. This idea can also be found in Daniel 10:20 when an angel appears to Daniel and tells him “…Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come…” These princes are not human princes, but spiritual forces that this angel has done battle against.

Belly and thighs = goat = leopard

4th Beast

Be patient, we’ll get to it.

Conclusion

We have now confirmed the identity of the first 3 kingdoms. The book of Daniel is unique in this regard- that we can confirm the interpretations multiple times, and we are even given help by the angels sent to Daniel.

Anyone curious about the 4th empire yet?