Chapter 7 - Vision of the Four Beasts (NKJV)
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.
Critics argued that there was no king named Belshazzar among the Babylonian kings. But later, Nabonidus cylinder was discovered, proving that Belshazzar was indeed the king in Babylon, coregent with his father Nabonidus, who was not ruling from the city of Babylon.
Prophets in the Bible received revelation from God through dreams and visions (See Numbers 12:6). They then wrote them down or delivered the message in words.
2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.
Four winds – according to Jeremiah 49:36,37, the symbolism of four winds represents strife and war.
Sea – according to Isaiah 17:12 and Revelation 17:15, sea represents many people, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
Great Sea being stirred up means that many people and nations are involved in war and strife.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
Bible here reiterates the four kingdoms from Daniel 2 from a different angle. This is very obvious when we compare the description of the fourth beast with the fourth kingdom in Daniel 2 (See commentary on verse 7 below).
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
The lion with eagle’s wings is a very fitting symbol of ancient Babylon, because they used it to represent their kingdom.
Wings represent great speed, and it represents how fast Babylon conquered the then-known world to become the most prominent power.
This beast’s wings were plucked off – meaning they lost that ability to swiftly conquer as history proves. It became like a man, meaning it has lost its’ ferocious nature as a beast, representing Babylon in its’ later stage where Belshazzar didn’t even fight to defend his kingdom.
5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’
The bear is a very fitting symbol of Medo-Persia. One side being higher than the other represents the imbalance between the Medes and the Persians. Persians were stronger of this union.
Three ribs represent the major nations that were conquered, likely Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt.
Medo-Persians were very ferocious, like a bear. However, they were very slow to turn in certain areas, such as their laws; once they were made, they could not be changed.
6 “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
Leopard is a fast yet strong land beast, and the four wings represent the extreme speed at which this kingdom conquered the world to become the most dominant power in the scene. This description goes very well with Alexander the Great’s Greece.
Four heads represent the four divisions after Alexander’s death, where his generals fought each other and formed four Hellenistic kingdoms.
7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
Note the similarity in the language of this fourth beast and the fourth kingdom in Daniel 2:40, which said: “And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.”
Daniel could not find the words to describe this beast. However, it’s interesting that it has ten horns, just like the ten toes of the statue in Daniel 2.
This fourth kingdom is the Roman empire, and the ten horns are the division of Rome into ten kingdoms in AD 476.
8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
In this vision, there is this added information. A little horn arises among the ten where three of the ten were plucked out.
According to verse 17 and verse 23, king and kingdoms are synonymous in this chapter, and according to verse 24, these horns are kings.
The three that were plucked out are: Heruli (AD 493), Vandals (AD 534), and Ostrogoths (AD 538).
This little horn has these features:
1. eyes like the eyes of a man – a man at the center, watching over all affairs.
2. a mouth speaking pompous/great words – this is speaking blasphemy against God (See commentary on verse 25 below).
9 I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels a burning fire;
10 A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened.
Suddenly the scene changes to the heavenly throne room where God the Father is seated on the throne (God’s throne is a moving throne in the Bible. See Ezekiel chapter 1).
“The books were opened” indicates the judgment happening in this scene.
11 I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
The judgment of the fourth beast, in the stage of the little horn, comes directly from God in the end times, whereas for the other three beasts, the direct judgment of God will be carried out later (See Revelation 20:7-15).
13 I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
Here, Jesus comes to this heavenly judgment scene taking place in heaven before He gains dominion and glory and a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.
15 “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.
According to verse 23, four kings are really four kingdoms.
18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
After the four kingdoms, the little horn power, and last day events, there is the second coming.
19 “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; 20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. 21 “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,
The little horn is stronger than the other horns.
Additionally, it makes war against the saints of God.
22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
Judgment seems to be for the saints of the Most High. It is a judgment to see who will be part of the eternal Kingdom of God. This is evident in Revelation 22:12, where it said:
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
Jesus here promises to come quickly for the second time, but interestingly He says his reward for the saints according to their works is with Him, which means there must have been a judgment to determine their works.
23 “Thus he said:
‘The fourth beast shall be
A fourth kingdom on earth,
Which shall be different from all other kingdoms,
And shall devour the whole earth,
Trample it and break it in pieces.
24 The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.
25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High,
And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand
For a time and times and half a time.
Additionally, the little horn will try to change God’s law and times that God has set.
The saints will suffer from this entity for 3.5 prophetic years, which in reality is 1,260 years, because a prophetic day is a literal year (See Ezekiel 4:6 and Number 14:34), and the biblical month has 30 days (See Noah’s flood account in Genesis chapters 7 and 8).
26 ‘But the court shall be seated,
And they shall take away his dominion,
To consume and destroy it forever.
27 Then the kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’
Eventually, as the result of the judgment in heaven, Jesus comes to reward the saints, and His everlasting kingdom starts.
28 “This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.”