Sunday
Morning Bible Study
May
26, 2013
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved?
We’ve now crossed into a new section of the book of Daniel. The first half of the book gives us an historical
account of Daniel’s life in Babylon. This
second half will give us a record of Daniel’s prophecies concerning the future.
7:1-8 Four Beasts
: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.
:1 the first year of Belshazzar
The year is 553 BC, and Daniel is
in his late sixties. Belshazzar’s
kingdom won’t end (Dan. 5) until 539 BC, some fourteen years later.
:1 Daniel had a dream
Keep in mind that when Daniel is
interpreting Belshazzar’s “writing on the wall” in Daniel 5, he probably had
this vision in the back of his head.
:2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by
night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.
:2 the four winds of heaven
This could be a generic reference
to all the winds of the earth (as if coming from the “four corners” of the
earth).
It could be a reference to four
angels – “wind” and “spirit” can be used interchangeably.
:2 the Great Sea
This phrase is generally used to
describe the Mediterranean Sea. The
events in this dream will be centered on empires that touch the Mediterranean.
:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea,
each different from the other.
:3 four great beasts came up from the
sea
Daniel’s dream is going parallel the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had back in
Dan. 2.
Nebuchadnezzar saw a statue made out of four different materials, and the
four parts of the statue represented four world empires.
Daniel’s four beasts are same four world empires that were in
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.
The “Great Sea” is usually used in Scripture to describe the Mediterranean.
These four empires will have borders on the Mediterranean Sea.
: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.
:4 The first was like a lion
The first beast is Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian Empire.
Lions and eagles are common in Babylonian artwork, even a winged lion
The plucking off of the wings, standing like a man, and the “man’s heart”
all seem to refer to Nebuchadnezzar’s humbling by God, when he spent a time in
the psych ward mooing like a cow until he finally looked up and recognized that
God was greater than he was (Dan. 4).
: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!’
:5 like a bear
This second beast represents the Medo-Persian
Empire, which would conquer Babylon in fourteen years from this vision.
:5 raised up on one side
The Persian part of the Empire was greater than the Mede part.
:5 three ribs in its mouth
This may refer to the nations Persia conquered to form their empire. It might mean they like barbeque.
This may refer to Egypt, Assyria,
and Babylon, the three world empires that preceded the Persians.
This may refer to Babylon, Lydia,
and Egypt, the three nations that the Persians conquered to form their empire.
: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.
:6 like a leopard … wings
This is a picture of speed. The Greeks under Alexander the great conquered
the entire known world in just four years (334-330 BC).
:6 four heads
Alexander died at an early age, and his empire was divided into four parts,
ruled over by four of his generals.
: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.
: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.
:7 a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible
The fourth beast is the Roman Empire.
They crushed the world with their armies.
Unlike the other empires, there is no known animal associated with this
empire.
:7 huge iron teeth
In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the fourth part of the statue was made of iron.
:8 another horn, a little one
We’ll get into the details of this empire later, but let me just say that
this little “horn” is known by us as the antichrist.
7:9-14 Ancient of Days
: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;
:9 thrones were put in place
Thrones of judgment are being set
up. (Rev. 20:4)
(Re 20:4 NKJV) And I saw thrones,
and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the
souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the
word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received
his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and
reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
God will be the ultimate judge, but
we will be judging with Him. (1Cor. 6:2-3)
(1 Co 6:2–3 NKJV) —2 Do you
not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged
by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3
Do you not know that we shall judge
angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
:9 the Ancient of Days
This is God the Father. He is
described in human terms as being “ancient” with white hair. He has been around since before time began.
(Ps 90:2 NKJV) Before the
mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed
the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are
God.
God’s age doesn’t mean He is fragile and ready to die. It means that He is wise and good at
judgment.
:9 throne … flame … wheels
These are the same kinds of images that Ezekiel describes in his own vision
of God (Eze. 1) and His throne.
: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.
:10 A thousand thousands …
God’s throne is surrounded by
millions of beings.
:10 The court was seated
This is a picture of judgment
Lesson
God will judge
He has the right to judge.
He is our Creator, and that gives Him the right to judge.
The Maker has
rights over His creation.
Even back in ancient history,
Abraham said,
(Ge 18:25 NKJV) …Shall not the Judge
of all the earth do right?”
The Psalmist wrote,
(Ps
96:13 NKJV) For He is coming, for He is coming to judge
the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And
the peoples with His truth.
He is a good judge.
Even though I believe we have an excellent legal system in the United
States, and I have a new appreciation for those who work in law enforcement and
in the court system, I know that even our legal system isn’t perfect.
Illustration
A defendant in a lawsuit involving large sums of money was
saying to his lawyer, “If I lose this case, I’ll be ruined.” “It’s in the
judge’s hands now,” said the lawyer. “Would it help if I sent the judge a box
of cigars?” asked the defendant. “Oh no!” said the lawyer. “This judge is a
stickler for ethical behavior. A stunt like that would prejudice him against
you. He might even find you in contempt of the court. In fact, you shouldn’t
even smile at the judge.” Within the course of time, the judge rendered a
decision in favor of the defendant. As the defendant left the courthouse, he
said to his lawyer, “Thanks for the tip about the cigars. It worked.” “Well,
I’m sure we would have lost the case if you’d sent them,” said the lawyer. “But
I did send them,” said the defendant. “What?!? You
did?” “Yes. That’s how we won the case.” “I don’t understand,” said the lawyer.
“It’s easy. I sent the cheapest cigars that I could find to the judge, but enclosed
the plaintiff’s business card.”
When the angels in heaven are watching how God handles judgment, this is
how they react:
(Re
16:7 NKJV) And I heard another from the altar
saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your
judgments.”
Clear and convincing evidence
God’s judgment isn’t going to be based on what
kind of mood He was in when you faced Him, His judgment is going to be based on
clear evidence, all the evidence.
“The books were opened” indicates that there are records in heaven of what
happens here on earth.
Some people love to make up stories and lie to those in
authority.
In heaven, the court will simply play back the video of
what really took place.
I think that in heaven, the records aren’t just made up of
sound and pictures, but also will contain our thoughts as well.
When God judges the world, no one will be able to say that they didn’t get
a fair deal.
Ready for court?
Are you ready to face the judge?
(Lk 12:16–21 NKJV) —16 Then He
spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded
plentifully. 17
And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I
have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build
greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will
say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your
ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required
of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is
he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich
toward God.”
You may think you can put off thinking about God for some other day.
But what if that day comes sooner than you expect?
There is only one way to prepare to stand before the Judge.
You need a good defense attorney, Jesus. (1Jo. 2:1-2)
(1 Jn 2:1–2 NKJV) —1 My little children,
these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we
have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2
And He Himself is the propitiation for
our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Jesus not only came to defend you, but He died on the
cross in order to pay the penalty for your sins.
(Jn 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life.
(Jn 3:18 NKJV) “He who
believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God.
Are you ready to face the judge? You need to turn your life around and start
trusting in Jesus.
: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.
:11 the sound of the pompous words
The court has been called to order, but instead of silence, everyone in the
courtroom can hear this little horn spouting off blasphemous things.
:11 given to the burning flame
The antichrist will meet his end when Jesus returns and throws him alive
into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:20).
(Re 19:20 NKJV) Then the beast was
captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by
which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who
worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning
with brimstone.
: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.
:12 their lives were prolonged
When Jesus returns, the entire
world isn’t wiped out, just the unbelievers and those in the antichrist’s
kingdom. Those who believe in Jesus and
make it through the Tribulation alive will make up the other kingdoms of the
world.
The idea is that the other kingdoms
of this world aren’t destroyed when Jesus comes back, but there will be a
period of 1,000 years when Jesus will set up His kingdom and will rule over the
rest of the kingdoms of the world.
It is only those who believe in
Jesus and are living in these other kingdoms when Jesus returns that will make
up these other nations of the world.
: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.
:13 the Son of Man
This is Jesus.
When He returns, He returns “with the clouds”.
It may refer to actual puffy white clouds.
When Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection, He was taken up
into a cloud. Two angels appeared and
told the disciples that He would return like He left, with clouds (Acts 1:11)
(Ac 1:11 NKJV) …“Men of
Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who
was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him
go into heaven.”
He will come in
the clouds.
(Mt 24:30 NKJV) Then the sign of the
Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will
mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory.
(Ac 1:9–11 NKJV) —9 Now when
He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud
received Him out of their sight. 10 And
while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men
stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also
said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same
Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as
you saw Him go into heaven.”
It may refer to the armies of heaven, the “clouds of witnesses”.
The writer of Hebrews talked about us being surrounded by a “cloud of
witnesses” (Heb. 12:1).
(Heb 12:1 NKJV) Therefore
we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us,
Revelation tells us that when Jesus returns …
(Re
19:14 NKJV) And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean,
followed Him on white horses.
:14 to Him was given dominion and glory
Jesus is the name above every other
name. He will rule the world one day.
(Php 2:9–11 NKJV)
—9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him
and given Him the name which is above every name, 10
that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the
earth, 11 and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father.
7:15-28 Interpretation
: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:
Daniel comes up to one of the individuals around heaven’s throne and asks
for help.
:17 ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are
four kings which arise out of the earth.
:18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive
the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’
: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,
: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.
: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.
:23 The fourth beast
Again, the fourth beast is the
Roman Empire.
: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.
:24 The ten horns are ten kings
In the third kingdom, the Greek
Empire was eventually divided into four parts, the “four heads” on the leopard,
but the division didn’t happen at the beginning, it happened later.
These ten horns / ten kings could
also be speaking of a later time in the history of the Roman Empire.
In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2), we saw two parts of the Roman Empire,
an ancient part, and a future part. Note that it had “toes”, probably ten toes.
We stated back then that we believe the future antichrist’s kingdom will be
something similar to a revived Roman Empire, perhaps something that covers
Europe.
I believe these ten “horns” are part of the future revived Roman Empire.
Just as the statue in
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream had toes, most likely ten toes. Here there are ten
horns. There will be a ten-fold division in this latter Roman Empire.
Just to make things more confusing,
you will see that sometimes in prophecy the term “king” and “kingdom” are
interchangeable (Rev. 17).
These ten kings might be ten different human rulers, or it may refer to ten
divisions, ten “states”, or a confederation of ten nations.
:24 another shall rise after them
This is the antichrist. He will
apparently conquer three rulers, or perhaps three countries.
: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.
:25 He shall speak pompous words
Back in verse 8, he was described
as having a mouth speaking pompous words.
pompous – rabrab
– from the word rab, which means
“great”. He speaks “great great” words.
During World War II, the two main leaders that collided during this
worldwide conflict were Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill. Both men knew the power of words. Both men were able to inspire and direct
their nations – one towards monstrous, evil things (Hitler), and the other
inspiring the rest of the world to stand up against evil (Churchill).
The antichrist will also be a great communicator. His language will be aimed against God
Himself.
:25 Shall persecute the saints
This isn’t referring to the church (also known as “saints”), but against
the nation of Israel.
During the seven year Tribulation period, the antichrist will unleash a
great persecution against the Jews. (Rev. 13:7)
The book of Revelation records:
(Re 13:7 NKJV) It was granted to
him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given
him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
We saw a foreshadowing of this kind of evil during World War II with
Hitler’s “final solution” of exterminating Jews around the world. The antichrist will follow in these
footsteps.
Today you see a rise in anti-Semitism around the world. Whenever the president of Iran speaks about
wiping Israel off the map, you ought to tremble at how close we’re getting.
:25 change times and law
This is something that Daniel had earlier attributed to God:
(Da 2:21 NKJV) And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises
up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have
understanding.
God is the one who decides when events in history will take place. For
Daniel in chapter 2, the fall of Jerusalem was fresh in his mind. It was no mistake. God even declares how long things will
last. Jeremiah, in Jerusalem, will soon
declare that the captivity will last for seventy years.
Now Daniel uses the same phrase with the antichrist.
Perhaps this is hinting that the antichrist is trying to
control world events like he’s God.
:25 For a time and times and half a time
time – ‘iddan – time (of duration); year
If you want to get technical, this is describing 3 ½ segments of “time”. (one “time”, plus two “times”, plus a half a “time”)
This fits with the other Scriptures that speak of the Tribulation period
lasting for seven years, and in the middle of the Tribulation, when the
antichrist declares himself to be “god” in the Jerusalem Temple (the
abomination of desolation), and unleashes his anti-Semitic fury against the
Jews … for 3 ½ years. (Rev. 12:14-15)
(Re 12:14–15 NKJV) —14 But the
woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a
time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the
serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he
might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
:26 ‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall
take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever.
:26 the court shall be seated
A judgment is issued from heaven’s courtroom, and the order will be given
to take away the antichrist’s kingdom.
: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.’
: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.”
:27 given to the people, the saints
This can refer to Israel, but in reality, all of God’s people will take
part in God’s kingdom when Jesus returns.
Lesson
We win
Sometimes life gets pretty discouraging. It seems that one thing after another hits us. We wonder how long it will last.
There are a few of us here who are fans of the Angels baseball team.
Last Christmas, it looked like our team was going to be
invincible this year.
And yet once the season actually began, our team has
reached record lows in loss after loss.
The last week things seem to have turned around, but who
knows how it’s all going to turn out?
We may not know who whether or not the Angels will win the
World Series this year, but we DO know who wins the WORLD.
Illustration
Early in 1941, before America entered WWII, President Roosevelt had sent
his closest advisor, Harry Hopkins, to England.
The British were in a terrible spot and were desperate for help against
Hitler’s armies. Hopkins was supposed to
see if the British were “worthy” of receiving the kind of help that Roosevelt
was proposing in his “Lend-lease” initiative.
In particular, he was supposed to see what kind of man Winston Churchill
was. After spending a week with
Churchill ... (from The Last Lion:
Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965)
That night, after dinner at the Station Hotel, Hopkins lifted his glass in
a toast that was to become one of the best remembered of the twentieth
century. “I suppose you wish to know,”
he began, “what I am going to say to President Roosevelt on my return. Well, I’m going to
quote you one verse from that Book of Books… ‘Wither thou goest,
I will go; and where thou lodgeth, I will lodge: thy
people shall be my people, and thy God my God.’” Then, he quietly added, “Even to the
end.” Churchill was in tears. Hopkins’s words, Dr. Wilson noted in his
diary, “seemed like a rope thrown to a dying man.”
When you are on God’s side, you won’t be facing the battle alone.
You may go through difficult times when you feel like you are in a losing
battle.
Just remember that God wins the war.
Whose side are you on?
Who are you rooting for? Whose
kingdom are you trying to build?
(Kindle Location: 6029 of 24620)
:28 my thoughts greatly troubled
me
Lesson
Motivation
The subject of prophecy can be
quite disturbing at times.
It caused Daniel to be quiet about
the whole thing.
Yet for us, prophecy can also be a
great motivation to keep going in the right direction.
We actually have an advantage over
Daniel in that we have the rest of the Bible and 2500 years of history to have
a clearer picture of what’s up ahead.
Peter writes,
(2 Pe 3:11–12 NKJV) —11 Therefore,
since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought
you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking
for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens
will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
Are you motivated
to live for Jesus?