The seventh chapter of the book of daniel records an unusual vision that he received in the first year of the babylonian king belshazzar 555556 b. While the four great winds blew upon the great sea of humanity, daniel saw four great beasts coming up from the sea. All 4 beasts of daniel 7 are placed above a time line to show that time moves forward to the right as the kingdoms appear in history one by one. God opens the books so everyone can see why he is the rightful ruler. Unsealing daniels mysteries lesson 7 kingdoms in collision it. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other daniel 7. However, this doesnt limit daniel from speaking about later oppressors of gods people. In the book of daniel we are given many characteristics of the fourth beast. The first half of the book chapters 16 contains stories in the third person about the experiences of daniel and his friends under kings nebuchadrezzar ii, belshazzar, darius i. Here in chapter 7, daniel, the servant of god, is shown these kingdoms as they really are. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and given the mind of a man.
The book of daniel begins with king nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of babylon, ransacking jerusalem. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. Daniel 1 new international version niv daniels training in babylon. In the first year of belshazzar king of babylon, daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his.
Daniels vision of the four beasts 2 daniel declared. As previously mentioned, the first six chapters are mostly a historical. If you would like to know gods program for the future, it is essential that you understand this book of daniel. Here, the four beasts arise out of the sea, symbolizing maybe chaos. The vision of the four beasts and the little horn found in daniel 7 reveals more information about the same four empires that are first described in nebuchadnezzars dream of a great image. And these two books bring us face to face with todays actualities.
These he carried off to the temple of his god in babylonia. This is made clear by the reference to the ten horns of the fourth beast which correspond to the ten toes of the great image. In more mundane language, it is an account of the activities and visions of daniel, a noble jew exiled at babylon, its message being that just as the god of israel saved daniel and his friends from. Daniels four beasts bible symbols in the prophecy of daniel. The beasts from the sea daniel the prophet books countdown. These four beasts, from daniels apocalyptic vision in chapter 7, are the same as the four empires represented in the statue nebuchadnezzar sees in his dream, except that dream was actually a relatively staid and buttoneddown one, compared to this vision. Who are the four beasts of daniel 7 bible prophecy. The bible tells us in chapter 7 of the book of daniel, that god gave daniel a vision of four beasts rising from the sea. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. The book of revelation is a prophecy about romes persecution against the lords church. King nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of dura in the province of babylon. Grieved and troubled, daniel asked for the truth of all this. The 4 beasts of daniel and revelation the four beasts of daniel are four kings or governments which shall arise out of the world. Join me for part 110 of our bible study into the book of.
I object to this view because i believe that the prophecies end with the smiting stone dan. The fourth beast is quite different from the previous beasts, in that it has 10 horns. Its prophecies of worldruling empires are closely related to revelation. It is dreadful, exceedingly strong, with brass nails, and iron teeth. In my vision in the night i looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea. This is when the babylonian empire truly began its worldwide domination. As with all of scripture, the book of daniel is profitable for our study 2 ti 3. Daniels vision of the four beasts not only foretold the creation of the worlds modern nations, but also warns believers of the development of a single world government. Daniel 7 the seventh chapter of the book of daniel tells of daniels vision of four worldkingdoms replaced by the kingdom of god.
Note that the bear of daniel 7 is also represented by the ram male sheep of daniel 8, so both are shown occupying the same time period. God has revealed, in the books of daniel and revelation, the worldruling gentile nonisraelite empires kingdoms that would exist from the time of babylons. These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth emphasis mine. The four empires are the same as nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream in daniel 2, although in that dream they are pictured as various metals in a statue. Daniels vision of the four beasts nebuchadnezzar was not the only one to have a vision of the future course of world history. What does the beast from revelation have to do with daniels vision of the statue and the four beasts. In daniel 7 the prophet records a night vision that god gave him concerning four world empires, symbolized as four beasts daniel 7. We now move to the portion of daniels book that primarily consists of visions and revelations. The four beasts of the book of daniel are symbolic of the great image that nebuchadnezzar saw. And looking at the kjv verse above does give one pause. He ends up taking back the cream of the crop, the most elite and noble israelites, to serve at his court in babylon. Daniels beasts and the beasts of revelation, chapter from. The contemporaneous beasts view of daniel 7 by chris white daniel 7 is considered by some to be the most important chapter in the book of daniel, others even consider it the most important chapter in the entire old testament for reasons which we will get into later, but certainly one of those reasons is because of its prophetic significance.
Daniel 3 niv bible king nebuchadnezzar made an image. The book of revelation explains the book of daniel. In both the greek version of the septuagint and the vulgate, the book of daniel is mentioned as the fourth of the major prophets, after ezekiel. Daniel and his friendsshadrach, meshach, and abednegohave to navigate between the demands nebuchadnezzar is putting on them and. An indepth look at the four great beasts of daniel 7. I am studying the prophecy of daniel right now, and having some problems understanding the 4 beast, who are they and what do they represent. This fact will become obvious as we continue our study of the beasts, and the other identities.
The left behind novels portray the beast as a sinister character named nicolae capathia, who also happens to be the antichrist. Nebuchadnezzar had been shown the kingdoms of men represented by the pleasing symbols of a tall statue and a great tree, in daniel chapters 2 and 4. The identities of the beasts in daniel and revelation rev. In daniel 7, the prophet outlines the rise and fall of kingdoms.
Daniel spake and said, i saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. The god of israel is consistently called the most high god in the book of daniel. In daniels vision of a ram and a goat in chapter 8, medopersia is clearly identified as the twohorned ram 8. The book of daniel, also called the prophecy of daniel, a book of the old testament found in the ketuvim writings, the third section of the jewish canon, but placed among the prophets in the christian canon. Four beasts from the sea daniel 7 march 16 the first six chapters of daniels book concern events and episodes in his and his companions lives. In internet travels i have had folks try to suggest that a beast is defined in daniel as a kingdom, or a king, in an effort to advance their belief in john darbys the antichrist is the beast of revelation, actually switching the identity between verse 1 and 5. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all t. Daniels dreams concerning the beasts and their interpretations are the reference points for understanding the book of revelation, in particular, chapters, 17, and 18. He is the god of heaven, whose kingdom will never be destroyed dan 2.
The four beasts or kingdoms from the book of daniel the. The great image and the four beasts 3 daniel and the empire of babylon in 607606 bc, nebuchadnezzar, king of babylon, conquered the empire of assyria, and became the ruler of the world. Daniels four beasts nebuchadnezzar was not the only one to have a vision of the future course of world history. Daniels beasts and the beasts of revelation in popular culture the beast of revelation is a notorious villain who could easily frighten even viewers of topgrossing horror movies. Historically, these revivals began to rise after the fall of rome in a. The prophecy about the fourth beast with ten horns and the little horn in daniel 7 was recorded by daniel in the first year of the babylonian coregentking belshazzar circa 550 b. Bible prophecy is fascinating, especially with what is happening now in the world. The book of daniel certainly speaks of antiochus epiphanes, for example in 8. Who is that fourth beast of the book of daniel youtube. As daniel watches, the wings are torn off the beast, and the creature stands erect like a man and a human mind is given to it. After daniel was given the interpretation for the kings dream, he went on to have several prophetic visions of his own. The seventhday adventist church shares the traditional view that the four kingdoms of daniel, as paralleled in chapters 2 and 7, correspond to the neobabylonian empire, the medopersian empire, the greek empire and the roman empire. The book of daniel lays the basis for the book of revelation. Lion babylonian empire bear medopersian empire leopard greek empire 4th beast roman empire this explanation of the four beasts prophecy is easily derived.
Therefore, since this vision was given to daniel in the time of babylonian kingdom, the first beast can not be the babylon because the word shall implies future, and so on. The last six relate a series of visions the prophet experiencedall of which came late in his life. And four beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. But knowledge of the future can be a very dangerous thing. In about 165 bce, an anonymous jew composed the book of daniel. The 4 beasts of daniel and revelation christian truth center. The hebrew includes it among the ketubim writings, between ezra and esther, but only its protocanonical part chap. The first of daniels four beasts is like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle daniel 7. The lion, the bear, the leopard, and the terrible beast. The book of daniel is one of the most significant prophetic books in the bible. Daniels prayer, and the vision of the seventy weeks 9. I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history with an eschatology a portrayal of end times cosmic in scope and political in focus. Furthermore, they hold the view that the ram and the goat correspond to the medopersian empire and the greek empire, respectively.
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