Daniel
Daniel
The Four Beasts in daniel 7
The four Beasts in Daniel 7
The Four Beasts of Daniel 7
Daniel's next apocalyptic vision is found in Daniel 7. From the beginning of the chapter he goes right into the heart of the matter. It says, "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters." Daniel 7:1.
The prophet would then reveal that in this vision he saw four creatures. We don't have to guess what these creature represent, the chapter explains it. Daniel 7:23 says, "The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth..." Again, we see prophecy is about the succession of kingdoms, culminating with Christ's reign as earth's final King.
We also should know that Daniel 7 repeats and expands upon the vision of Daniel 2. And just like Nebuchadnezzar's image contained four metals, Daniel 7 pertains to four beasts. And just like the statue pertained to the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, Daniel 7 refers to the same.
Daniel's next apocalyptic vision is found in Daniel 7. From the beginning of the chapter he goes right into the heart of the matter. It says, "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters." Daniel 7:1.
The prophet would then reveal that in this vision he saw four creatures. We don't have to guess what these creature represent, the chapter explains it. Daniel 7:23 says, "The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth..." Again, we see prophecy is about the succession of kingdoms, culminating with Christ's reign as earth's final King.
We also should know that Daniel 7 repeats and expands upon the vision of Daniel 2. And just like Nebuchadnezzar's image contained four metals, Daniel 7 pertains to four beasts. And just like the statue pertained to the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, Daniel 7 refers to the same.
Babylon
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. Daniel 7:4
Babylon once stood as a magnificent empire, reigning as the king of the jungle. However, following Nebuchadnezzar's passing, the kingdom fell into decline, losing its lionhearted spirit and appearing less ferocious and more human. As a result, the Medes and the Persians were able to conquer them.
Medo-Persia
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. Daniel 7:5
The Medes and Persians was a joint nations that ruled the known world after the fall of Babylon. Although Darius of the Medes and Cyrus of the Persians had an alliance, the Bible accurately predicted that the alliance would end with one kingdom overthrowing the other. The text reveals that one side of the bear was raised up. The historical record confirms that the Persians ultimately conquered the Medes and became the sole world power.
Babylon
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. Daniel 7:4
Babylon once stood as a magnificent empire, reigning as the king of the jungle. However, following Nebuchadnezzar's passing, the kingdom fell into decline, losing its lionhearted spirit and appearing less ferocious and more human. As a result, the Medes and the Persians were able to conquer them.
Medo-Persia
And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. Daniel 7:7
The Medes and Persians was a joint nations that ruled the known world after the fall of Babylon. Although Darius of the Medes and Cyrus of the Persians had an alliance, the Bible accurately predicted that the alliance would end with one kingdom overthrowing the other. The text reveals that one side of the bear was raised up. The historical record confirms that the Persians ultimately conquered the Medes and became the sole world power.
GREECE
After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. Daniel 7:7
Greece was prophesied to emerge as the next global superpower. Alexander the Great's rapid conquest of the known world surpassed all previous kingdoms, symbolized by the leopard with four wings. Following Alexander's passing, his kingdom was divided into the four cardinal directions, as depicted by the four heads.
ROME
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. Daniel 7:7
As the once-divided Greek Empire fell, Rome rose to become a dominant global force. Because the Bible says it devoured the earth (vs. 23), we can see that, it in a sense, it also devoured the kings of all the previous powers. Thus the Roman Empire is seen as inhabiting the kings of all its predecessors.
Greece
After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. Daniel 7:6
Greece was prophesied to emerge as the next global superpower. Alexander the Great's rapid conquest of the known world surpassed all previous kingdoms, symbolized by the leopard with four wings. Following Alexander's passing, his kingdom was divided into the four cardinal directions, as depicted by the four heads.
Rome
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. Daniel 7:7
As the once-divided Greek Empire fell, Rome rose to become a dominant global force. Because the Bible says it devoured the earth (vs. 23), we can see that, it in a sense, it also devoured the kings of all the previous powers. Thus the Roman Empire is seen as inhabiting the kings of all its predecessors.
