31 The Book of Daniel, Chapter 7

Nov 3, 2020

Revelation is listed as an open book per 22:10. Daniel is a closed book till the time of the end per 12:4. The book of Daniel began to open in 1894 with the publication of The Coming Prince by Sir Robert Anderson, who explained the 69 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9:24-26, including the date for the coming of Christ as Messiah, the desolations of Jerusalem, and the captivity of its inhabitants. In the last two to three decades, it appears that Daniel is opening much further.

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon (circa 552 BC), Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.

2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.

The Great Sea is usually the Mediterranean Sea, but it can also mean the mass of humanity from which the great beasts will come forth.

3 “And 4 great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.

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.

A winged lion was the symbol for the nation of Babylon and was on each wall beside the main gate. The eagle’s wings were removed, and a human heart was given to the standing lion. This appears to refer to Nebuchadnezzar after being put out to pasture for 7 years. He was transformed and wrote the fourth chapter of Daniel. Many believe he made heaven.

5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on 1 side, and had 3 ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

This appears to represent the Persian Empire, which captured Babylon on New Year’s Eve in October of 539 BC. Originally, it was the Medo-Persian Empire, hence, raised up on 1 side, when the Persians took over. The 3 ribs were Babylon, Lydia in Turkey, and Egypt. Greece Under Alexander replaced Persia about 330 BC.

6 “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back 4 wings of a bird. The beast also had 4 heads, and dominion was given to it.

A leopard suddenly destroys its prey. A winged leopard would be even faster, as represented by the one-horned goat in Daniel 8, whose feet do not appear to touch the ground as it comes to attack the ram. This refers to Greece under Alexander the Great, who was of Macedonia before Greece was conquered. Macedonia’s symbol was a one-horned goat, and the goat represented Greece also with the Aegean Sea being the “goat sea.” The Roman Empire took over the last two parts of the remnants of Alexander’s empire in the first century BC, with the Seleucids in Syria about 64 BC and Ptolemy’s Egypt about 31 BC.

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 10 horns.

This represents Rome which delighted in destroying its enemies. It lasted about 500 years with Rome being captured in 410 AD, and the last eastern Roman legion destroyed in 476 AD, but its eastern half, Byzantium in Constantinople was finally taken by the Turks in 1453 AD, or about a millennium later. Most empires last about 200 years, but Rome lasted much longer. However, it never had 10 horns, i.e. it was never divided into ten pieces.

Let us go back to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel’s 2nd chapter. He saw a huge statue with a head of gold which represented his Babylon. Below it were arms and a chest of silver representing Medo-Persia, above belly and thighs of bronze representing Greece. Below this were the iron legs of Rome, finally ending in the 10 toes of feet of iron and clay with the feet indicating Rome II ending in ten parts, confirmed by the ten horns. The statue in Daniel 2 represented man as seen by Nebuchadnezzar and man; the four beasts represented the same entities but as seen by God- ravishing beasts. Rome in ten nations or 10 groups of nations is yet to appear. Keep in mind that Nebuchadnezzar’s statue ended in ten toes also, and the feet were struck with a stone cut out without hands that destroyed the statue completely, and then the stone became a great mountain that filled the whole earth, the stone, of course, being Christ. I suspect this is a double prophecy, accurate up till the ten horns as already mentioned. Can we possibly find another group of nations that could fill in this prophecy a second time at another time in history?

America is symbolized by the eagle: Britain by the lion. The U.S. was a colony of Britain, and then the eagle’s wings were removed by the American Revolution, and Britain grew even more powerful. Indeed, the 19th century belonged to the British as the 20th to the Americans. Of course, this is not unexpected if the Angles and Saxons were the lost tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who had the blessings of God given in Genesis 49:22-26 and Deuteronomy 33:13-17. But who would be given the man’s heart? Answer: William Wilberforce, who entered Parliament in 1780 as not a Christian. He gained his human heart, becoming a Christian in 1787, and began to campaign against the slave trade when Britain and France were the world’s greatest slave traders. Parliament outlawed the slave trade circa 1807, and then slavery within the British Empire circa 1833.

The bear represented Russia, which expanded into Siberia in the 1700s. Subsequently, it conquered the Muslim Asian republics, and at the conclusion of the Second World War, Eastern Europe, the latter two areas freed after the Berlin Wall fell circa 1989. It was lifted up on one side as most of the population is in the east.

The winged leopard represented Nazi Germany, which rapidly captured most of Europe through blitzkrieg or lightning war. The four heads were Nazi Germany, Italy, Japan, also known for rapid conquests, and a rump of Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary.

The European Union with its 27 nations is the most likely candidate for the fourth and final beast with ten horns- the kingdom that bestrides the entire earth. That may not seem likely at present, but remember that Islam will be defeated on several occasions beginning with Amos 1 & 2 and Ezekiel 25 to their final destruction in chapters 38 & 39, when Russia is also soundly beaten. There is no evidence the U.S. is still in existence at this time. Perhaps, America will be done in by her massive debt. If the Anglo-Saxons are the lost tribes of Joseph, their descendants must return to Israel along with the rest of the lost tribes and the Jews not there at present. The world powers will be quite different then.

8 I was considering the horns and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom 3 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.

The ten horns represent 10 nations or groups of nations that come together. Afterwards, a charismatic, boastful leader, the anti-Christ, appears who rips out the leadership of 3 of the original 10 nations or groups of nations.

9 I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days (God, the Father) 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.

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.

13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man (Christ). 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 a 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.

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.

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 (like the iron legs of Rome) 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 (tribulation saints. The church is gone. Per Matthew 16:18, … I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.)

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.

24 “The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different form 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. (In the 1790s, the French Revolutionaries changed the calendar to 12 months of 30 days each with 5 added days every year. Christmas and Easter were not among them. The peasants were told the day of rest was the tenth day rather than the Christian seventh. I doubt they were pleased.) Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time (1260 days, i.e. the Great Tribulation).

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.

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.”

- Gentry