Daniel's Dream Interpreted - Daniel 7:15-28
INTRODUCTION:
Two weeks ago, after studying Revelation 13 and seeing how much it relates to Daniel 7 I decided we needed to go back and review Daniel 7 which we have not looked at since 2011. So, I began the review by looking at the first 14 verses where Daniel gives us a summary of the visions he had as he dreamed in his sleep.
This morning we are going to go back to Daniel 7 and look at the rest of the chapter where Daniel has the dream interpreted. As we move into the second half of Daniel 7 and begin to dissect Daniel’s dream with the help of God’s Word and the help of history past because some of this dream which was yet future for Daniel is past history for us. Because of this we can have a greater understanding of this dream than Daniel did. I also told you it corresponded to the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 2, but with more detail. That dream was read as our Scripture reading this morning.
Let’s pray and ask God to teach us and guide us as we look at His prophetic word.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Open your Bibles to Daniel 7. Two weeks ago, we covered the first 14 verses, Daniel’s summary of his dream. This morning we want to look at verses 15-28 and the interpretation of Daniel’s dream. Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read verses 15-28.
Daniel 7:15-28,
“As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me. I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’ Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates. I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’ At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.” (Daniel 7:15–28, NASB95)[1]
THE FOUR BEASTS REVEALED (Daniel 7:15-18)
If you remember as I have already stated, much of the interpretation of this dream could be found in chapter 2. Daniel’s dream here in chapter 7 and Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2 are one and the same dream with additional details added to Daniel’s dream. In chapter 2 we read that Nebuchadnezzar was troubled and terrified by his dream, we read here in verse 15 that Daniel was distressed in his spirit because he knew that God had just shown him a panorama of tremendous events yet future and Daniel’s distress was his lack of understanding his dream. Daniel was terrified or alarmed by the scenes he had seen in his mind and desired to understand what they meant.
Daniel still dreaming said he approached one of those standing there. Remember he had seen the innumerable host of angels attending the Ancient of Days. Daniel approached one of theses angels and began to ask him to explain to him the meaning or the truth concerning all that he had seen in his visions. This angel responded and gave Daniel understanding into his dream as he interpreted it for him. He gave Daniel a general summary of the dream, “These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth. But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.” (Daniel 7:17–18, NASB95)[2] The four beasts that Daniel saw in his dream were four kings and represented the four kingdoms of these kings. If we go back to Daniel 2 and look at the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, we find that it too represented four kings and their kingdoms. The statue had a head of gold which corresponds to the first beast Daniel saw and described as a lion with the wings of an eagle. These both represent Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian empire. The winged lion was a symbol of Babylon, in any history museum that has a Babylonian section you will find artifacts of a winged lion. The wrenching off of the wings and the transformation of the lion, making him stand on two legs and giving him the mind of a man was a picture of God humbling Nebuchadnezzar and then restoring him to his right mind, you can read about this in Daniel 4.
The next portion of the statue in Daniel 2 was the chest and arms of silver which represented the Medo-Persian Empire which was even larger than the Babylonian empire. In Daniel’s dream the Medo-Persian empire and it king Cyrus was represented by the bear. If you remember from two weeks ago the bear was raised up on one side, this was to indicate that one part of this united kingdom overshadowed the other portion. We know from history that though Persia rose later than Media it soon overshadowed Media in its power. The three ribs in the bears mouth between its teeth most likely represent Babylon, Egypt, and Lydia, three empires conquered by the Medo-Persian empire. The three ribs may also represent the kingdoms of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon which preceded the Medo-Persian empire and then fell to them.
The third portion of the statue in Daniel 2 was the belly and thighs of bronze which represented the Greek empire. In Daniel’s dream the Greek empire and Alexander the great were represented by the four-headed, four-winged leopard. As I stated two weeks ago the leopard was noted for its swiftness and the two pairs of wings suggests added swiftness beyond the animal’s own ability. Alexander the great and his armies did conquer the nations that became a part of his empire swiftly. The entire empire was conquered between 334 and 330 B.C., just four years. Just a few years later Alexander died, and his empire was divided into four parts and his four generals became the monarch of a quarter of the Greek empire. This is represented by the four heads on Daniel’s leopard beast.
The fourth portion of the statue in Daniel 2 is the iron legs and feet and toes of partly iron and partly baked clay which represented the Roman empire. In Daniel’s dream the Roman empire was represented by such a terrible beast that Daniel could name no animal which fit its description. Daniel described the beast as having iron teeth and that it devours, crushes, and tramples under its feet all that stands in its way. Two weeks ago, we quickly looked at the description of the beast that John sees in Revelation 13 and he described it as a composite of the first three beasts, the body of a leopard, the feet or paws of a bear, and the head and mouth of a lion. The fourth beast in Daniel’s dream relates to the fourth kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the Roman empire.
The angel went on in this summary to tell Daniel that the saints of the Highest One would receive the kingdom and possess it forever. The final outcome is God’s people under the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, will receive the kingdom. Who are these saints that the angel is speaking of? These saints are the believing Jews of the tribulation, not the believers of the Church Age. Dwight Pentecost writes, “The existence of the church in the present Age was nowhere revealed in the Old Testament. The nation of Israel has been set aside by divine discipline in the present ‘times of the Gentiles,’ which began with Nebuchadnezzar. During the ‘times of the Gentiles’ four empires, Daniel was told, would rise and rule over the land and people of Israel. Yet God’s covenant to David (2 Samuel 7:16; Psalm 89:14) stands and will ultimately be fulfilled. The ‘saints’ (believing Jews when Christ return to earth) will enjoy the kingdom, the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel.”[3] The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary states that these ‘saints’ might also include the resurrected Old Testament saints, the martyred tribulation saints, and the tribulation saints who survive the tribulation.[4] We of the present Age, the church will reign with Jesus Christ as His bride.
THE FOURTH BEAST (Daniel 7:19-25)
Daniel was not satisfied with just a summary of his dream, especially of the fourth beast that was so different than the other three, he wanted more detail. As Daniel sought to discover more truth about the fourth beast he added some details that he had left out of his first description. In addition to the beast’s iron teeth, Daniel tells us that the beast had claws of bronze. When mentioning the little horn that grew up and uprooted three of the first ten horns, Daniel now tells us that this little horn grew until it was larger in appearance then the remaining seven horns. This horn Daniel says was also waging war against the saints and overpowering them until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One. Then the time had arrived for the saints to take possession of the kingdom.
The angel that Daniel was talking with gave Daniel greater detail concerning the fourth beast; he described this fourth beast as a fourth kingdom coming from the earth, it will be different from all the rest, this kingdom will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. Rome did conquer much of the known world, but it never conquered the whole world as this is describing. This is describing an event that has never happened in the history of the world and is yet future. Between the first half of verse 23 and the second half of this verse we have what has been referred to as the “great parenthesis” in the Old Testament, the mystery of the church and the Church Age which was not revealed to the world until after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. This angel, beginning in the second half of verse 23 is describing the revived Roman empire which is yet future. During those days the revived Roman empire will be ruled by a confederation of ten kings as described by the ten toes of the statue of Daniel 2 and the ten horns of Daniel’s dream. Never in the history of the Roman empire has this happened so it is yet future.
During this ten-nation confederation another ruler will rise as described by the little horn. This part of Daniel’s dream is new information that was not conveyed in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter two. This little horn is more intelligent and more arrogant than the other horns. It seems that three of the kings try to resist him and he overthrows them by force. The other seven will then likely submit out of fear or a sense of the unavoidable consequences of resisting represented by this little horn growing larger than the seven. These will continue to be separate nations in the confederation but will come under the little horn’s control and authority. This horn is called by different names in the New Testament: In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 the little horn is called the “man of lawlessness.” Revelation 13:1-2 calls the little horn the “beast.” The name he is best known by in found in 1 John 2:18-24 where John calls the little horn the “Antichrist.”
The angel goes on to describe what the Antichrist will do: He will speak out against the Most High, he will be boastful and arrogant, he will deny that the Most High is God, he will deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He will persecute and oppress the saints of the Highest One, the angel says that he will wear them down; the idea comes from the concept of wearing out a garment until it is threadbare. He will keep continual pressure on the saints of the Highest One to try to break and destroy and annihilate them. The angel says the Antichrist will seek to make alterations in times and in law. He will abolish all the religious holidays and seek to abolish God’s law in an attempt to destroy the Jewish people.
The angels went on to add that the saints of the Highest One will be given into Antichrist’s hand for a time, times, and half a time. In other words, this persecution of the saints will not go on unchecked but will be defined to a definite period of time. We have already seen this phrase “time, times, and half a time” in Revelation. The use of the word time in Daniel is understood to be years. “Time: refers to one year, “times” is understood in Aramaic (the language this chapter was originally written in) to mean a dual or two, so “times” refers to two years and “half a time” refers to one half of a year. So, this phrase refers to 3½ years. We have already seen time frame in Revelation referring to half of the seven-year tribulation. In Revelation it is also referred to as 42 months and 1260 days which all work out to 3½ years. The three and a half years referred to here in Daniel is the last half of the tribulation, also called the Great Tribulation and the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The final push of the “times of the Gentiles” will last for 3½ years, then the end will come, the end of the “times of the Gentiles.”
THE JUDGMENT AND THE FIFTH KINGDOM (Daniel 7:26-27)
The angel told Daniel that at the end of those three and a half years the court would sit for judgment and the dominion (a word in Aramaic that means kingdom or empire and the citizens or subjects of that empire) would be taken away from the Antichrist, and the Antichrist and his followers will be annihilated and destroyed forever. Then the kingdoms of the earth, the sovereignty, the dominion, the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heavens, in other words, the whole world will be given to the saints of the Highest One and the Highest One, Jesus Christ, will rule and it will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. Those who populate the earth after the tribulation will give their allegiance to Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. All nations of the earth will serve and live under the peaceful rule of the Son of Man and the people of Israel will receive their promised inheritance in the land of Israel, restored Israel.
DANIEL’S REACTION (Daniel 7:28)
Daniel writes that at this point the revelation was ended. But I want you to notice Daniel’s reaction to the dream that he had. Daniel said that his thoughts were greatly alarming him and his face grew pale. Here is a man that has faithfully walked with his God his whole life. Remember Daniel was in his 60s when he received this revelation. He had lived through the overthrow of his people, his nation, and his hometown by a foreign power, he had been torn from his family and carried off into captivity. He had endured the training of the Chaldeans and he had lived his life in the service of a foreign king, at first the foreign king who had overthrown his country. He had interpreted dreams for this king and yet this dream caused Daniel to be alarmed and to feel physically sick. It is significant for us to note Daniel’s reaction to this revelation from God. Not only was he greatly alarmed and physically sick, but he says he also kept the matter to himself. We must approach prophecy with fear and reverence.
CONCLUSION:
Some people have a rather irreverent attitude toward prophecy, they approach it as a pastime and they delight in figuring out complex date schemes and drawing detailed diagrams of the future. It is good for us to understand the theology of the end-times, but we must approach it with reverence. The seriousness of the prophetic truth personally affected Daniel, motivating godly fear and self-examination. Rather than publish what he had learned he kept it to himself, until that time that the Holy Spirit guided him to write down and reveal what he had learned to the saints.
We have talked about several times since starting this series about how studying Bible prophecy should influence you. I did not include the insert today because I have already included it several times. If you need one see me after the service and I will get you a copy. As we consider what we have just learned from Daniel’s dream and as we look at Daniel’s response to his dream and the interpretation of it; this should indicate to us that the more we know about the future, the more our hearts should be moved to personal purity. 1 John 3:1-3 says, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:1–3, NASB95)[5] The more we know about the future the more are hearts should be moved to practical preparation. We need to be waiting and prepared for His return. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 states, “For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9–10, NASB95)[6] Finally, the more we know about the future, the more our hearts should be moved to prayerful petition for those who will face the judgment of God if they do not turn in faith to Jesus Christ. Agreeing with God that they are sinners but believing that Jesus Christ death paid the penalty for their sin, that He was buried, and rose from the dead three days later triumphant over sin, Satan, and death forever. Peter reminds us of God’s patience, but His patience has a determined end. 2 Peter 3:8-9, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8–9, NASB95)[7] You have a responsibility because you know what the end will bring. It should give you a caring heart toward the unsaved as you seek to win them to the Lord.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]Walvoord, John F.; Zuck, Roy B.; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:1352
[4]LaHaye, Tim and Hindson, Ed., editors, The Popular Bible Prophecy Commentary. Eugene, Ore. : Harvest House Publishers, 2006
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995