Get Ready
Daniel wrote a much shorter book than the three previous prophets, but he packed in some of the most striking images and provocative prophecies of any book in the Bible. Along the way he describes some of the most dramatic miracles anyone has experienced until Jesus arrived.
Author
Scholars agree that Daniel, the Jewish prophet in Babylon, wrote this book. The detail in the first part of the book about life in Babylon and in the king’s court argues for an author who knew such details from personal experience. And the prophecies and images in the second part point to an author very familiar with the Torah and history of the Jewish nation.
A small group of scholars argue that the detail in the prophecies could only come from someone writing after the events described in the prophecies had taken place. However, the amount of detail varies from one prophet to the next and one prophecy to the next. It is no clue to the authenticity of a given prophecy.
Context
Daniel was taken to Babylon in the first wave of captives in 605 BCE. He lived under various Babylonian and Persian rulers, often as part of the royal court. He saw the second defeat of Judah in 597 BCE (when Ezekiel came to Babylon) and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BCE. Yet he lived to see the Persians succeed the Babylonians and answer his prayer that the Jews would be allowed to return to Jerusalem (Cyrus issued his decree in 538 BCE).
Like Ezekiel, Daniel prophesied to the people of Israel in their captivity. He was also a living example of what he preached: he continued to follow the commandments and honor God, even when it might have cost him his life (see below).
Structure
The book begins by introducing Daniel and then presents two major sections:
- First, events in the life of Daniel and his three friends from Jerusalem: Hannah, Mishael and Azariah (whose names were changed to the Babylonian Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) [chapters 2-6]. These events include:
- Proving the Jewish diet was superior to the rich, court foods the Babylonians wanted them to eat.
- Interpreting dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar when his own magicians and sorcerers could not.
- Surviving a fiery furnace when they refused to bow down and worship a statue of the king.
- Interpreting the “writing on the wall” at King Belshazzar’s great feast.
- Surviving a den of lions when Daniel refused to stop praying to God three times a day.
- The second section presents Daniels visions and prophecies about Israel’s future and the end of time (chapters 7-12). These visions include: the four beasts, a ram and a goat, the seventy weeks, and a great battle between earthly and heavenly powers.
The book also includes Daniel’s prayer for the Jewish people [chapter 9]. After realizing Jeremiah’s prophecy that Jerusalem would be destroyed for seventy years, Daniel prays that God will somehow allow the people to return to Jerusalem.
Major Themes
Daniel presents God as the ultimate ruler of history – in Daniel’s time in Babylon, in the near future of the kingdoms of the Middle East, and in the far future.
- The incidents in the first part of the book demonstrate God’s ability to protect his people in even the most life-threatening situations. God is greater than any local god or national ruler.
- God is in control of the near future. Daniel’s vision of the four beasts accurately foretells the rise and fall of the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires over the next five hundred years.
- God also controls events on earth and in the heavens in the far future and the end of time. Daniel also includes God’s promise that Israel (Daniel’s “people” in 12:1) will be delivered.
The final message of the book is a caution to those who would use the detail of the prophetic visions as the basis for predicting when the events will actually take place. Daniel asks the archangel Michael “what shall be the outcome of these things,” [12:8]. Michael replies, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end,” [12:9] and, “you shall rise for your reward at the end of the days,” [12:13].
Get into the Word
1. Who wrote this book? Where did he write it? When did he write it? Who was his intended audience? Why do some believe a different person wrote the book?
2. What was the situation facing the author? What were his living conditions like? What events affected his life? Who else was in similar circumstances?
3. How is this book organized? What are the major sections of the book? What events does the book cover? Why do you suppose the author chose these events and not others? What links these events together? What do they say about the author? About the Jews? About God?
4. What is the second major section about? How does it differ from the first section? What types of events does it present? What images does it include? How do you think the author’s listeners felt about these prophecies? What did the author hope to accomplish with them?
5. What are the primary themes of this book? What does it say about God? About the Jewish people? About other nations?
6. How does this book end? What does the author ask of God? How does God respond to this request? What does this say about our response to questions about the future?
Bible Trivia:
God sometimes uses pagans to accomplish his purposes. King Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream, according to Daniel, meant that he would lose his reason and be forced to live with wild animals because he thought he was more powerful than God. It happened just as Daniel predicted: the king was driven away from Babylon and “ate grass like oxen,” [4:33]. When he recovered he “blessed the Most High, and praised and honored the one who lives forever. For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation,” [4:34].
Notes . . .
Seventy Weeks . . .
Daniel contains one of the most provocative prophecies of the Bible. The angel Gabriel tells Daniel [9:24-27]: Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city. Gabriel goes on to describe “seven weeks” from rebuilding Jerusalem to “an anointed prince,” sixty-two weeks until “an anointed one shall be cut off,” wars and desolations, a “covenant with many for one week,” and “an abomination that desolates.” Many scholars have ignored Michael’s warning and wasted considerable paper and ink presenting interpretations of the “seventy weeks” that predict when the end times will occur.
38: The four beasts – Daniel 7:1-8, 15-28
Get Ready
How concerned are you about the future? Are you more concerned with your near-term future, like the next couple of months, or about what will happen in the more distant future? Are you more concerned about your own future or about the future of a larger group?
The Word
7In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream: 2 I, Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven 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 watched, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a human being; and a human mind was given to it. 5 Another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, had three tusks in its mouth among its teeth and was told, “Arise, devour many bodies!” 6 After this, as I watched, another appeared, like a leopard. The beast had four wings of a bird on its back and four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the visions by night a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth and was devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that preceded it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, when another horn appeared, a little one coming up among them; to make room for it, three of the earlier horns were plucked up by the roots. There were eyes like human eyes in this horn, and a mouth speaking arrogantly.
There is a vision of judgment before the Ancient One and then Daniel’s visions are interpreted.
15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified me. 16 I approached one of the attendants to ask him the truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the interpretation of the matter: 17 “As for these four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever—forever and ever.”
19 Then I desired to know the truth concerning 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 concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and concerning the other horn, which came up and to make room for which three of them fell out—the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that seemed greater than the others. 21 As I looked, this horn made war with the holy ones and was prevailing over them, 22 until the Ancient One came; then judgment was given for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when the holy ones gained possession of the kingdom.
23 This is what he said: “As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth that shall be different from all the other kingdoms; 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. This one shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High, shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and shall attempt to change the sacred seasons and the law; and they shall be given into his power for a time, two times, and half a time.
26 Then the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and totally destroyed.
27 The kingship and dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.”
28 Here the account ends. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly terrified me, and my face turned pale; but I kept the matter in my mind.
Get into the Word:
1. What is happening as this passage begins? Who is involved? When does it take place?
2. What does Daniel see? How many things does he see? How does he describe each of the things in his vision? How do you think Daniel felt about what he saw? How might you have felt if the vision had come to you?
3. Which beast do you think is the most terrifying? What images stand out for you in this vision?
4. How does Daniel respond to the vision? Who does he ask for help in explaining the vision? How does this being respond to Daniel?
5. How does the attendant explain the vision? What do the four beasts represent? What kingdoms actually did exist in Daniel’s future [see Notes]? Why is the fourth beast/kingdom different than the other three?
6. What does the 11th horn represent [see Notes]? How does this being deal with the other horns? With the “Holy ones?” What will ultimately happen to this being?
7. Who are the “holy ones?” Who do you think is the “Ancient One?” Is this being the same as the “Most High?”
Get Personal:
How do you respond to God’s promises about your life? How has God helped you to trust his promise of salvation? How does his promise affect your day-to-day activities?
Notes . . .
7:1. First year — probably 552 BCE – Belshazzar was a co-regent with his father, Nabonidus, before Persian King Cyrus defeated the Medes.
7:2. Winds of heaven — a fairly common symbol of divine activity in ancient cultures [check Jer 23:19; 49:36; 51:1; and Zech 6:1-6; 7:14, as is stirring up the sea, which was a symbol for chaos and uncertainty.
7:4. Winged lion — another common image in the ancient Middle East (the lion and eagle were two of the symbols for Babylon).
7:5. Bear — a symbol of great strength, but little grace or finesse.
7:6. Leopard — a symbol of speed and cunning [as in Hab 1:8 or Hos 13:7].
7:7. Fourth beast — this beast is not named, but described as “terrifying and dreadful.”
Ten horns — horns were a symbol of strength and power.
7:17. Four kings — the “attendant” tells Daniel the four beasts represent kingdoms. Most interpreters agree the lion represents Babylon, the Bear symbolizes Persia, the leopard represents Greece under Alexander the Great, and the fourth beast is Rome.
7:19. Teeth of iron — Rome was the strongest of the empires named and its army destroyed any kingdom that challenged it.
7:20. Horns — the ten horns represent kings, which succeeded Rome (many think the countries of Europe). The eleventh horn is evidently another king (or kingdom) that displaces three of the ten and is intelligent and very arrogant [7:8]. Daniel now learns [7:23-27] that this king will challenge God and persecute his “holy ones,” before being defeated, judged and destroyed. The Apostle John uses this imagery in his description of the end times in Revelation [check Rev 17-20].
Memory Verse
All his works are truth, and his ways are justice; and he is able to bring low those who walk in pride, [Daniel 4:37].
Next Lesson
Hosea 4: God accuses Israel.
