We explored the personal experiences of Daniel and his friends in Babylon (ch1 thru 6) and now we turn to the prophecies (ch7 thru 12)....
“Daniel 7?? Oh we know all about those 4 beasts, representing: Babylon, Medio-Persia, Greece & Rome.
The little horn in verse 8?? Oh yeah that’s the antichrist - he’s got to be the pope!”
WHOA!!...not
so fast. Let’s not kid ourselves we’re wiser than the governor-general of the
greatest empire of the day (2:48) - a
man ‘greatly beloved’ in heaven! (9:23)
Rather, let’s look at Daniel’s dream... AS HE WOULD HAVE SEEN IT... Life has had its moments for these Jews in Babylon but hey, it’s not too bad considering. He knows from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the image, that 4 empires beginning with Babylon must come and go before God’s Kingdom is finally established on Earth (ch2). He would have noticed that the empires diminished in greatness with time: gold down to iron/clay.
So
how long will Jews have to submit to Gentile rule? Daniel doesn’t know. Nor does he know the identities of
those 3 subsequent empires in the future. What he does know is
that here are 4 great beasts – lion, bear, leopard and something ‘dreadful and
terrible’ - emerging from the sea, which empires must all lose their dominion
for the Son of Man to be given everlasting dominion.
So why the dream? It would seem that those 4 empires are not so magnificent after all - heaven sees them as beasts – the last beast being the worst, devouring the whole earth and wearing out the saints of the Most High.
No wonder Daniel was troubled!
Who wins
in the end? The saints of the Most High shall take the Kingdom for ever and
ever. v18
Okay, so who is that little horn?...I hear you ask. We’re just not told.
We can be sure he must be a Gentile prince in the 4th empire, who will finally be given to the burning flame by the Ancient of days. That’s all we need to know, so far.
Meanwhile let's explore those 4 beasts...NEXT
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