Four Beasts That Have Reigned

O. T. #1998 "Four Beasts That Have Reigned"

August 9, 2021

Daniel 7-Part 2

LET IT GLOW

Just a reminder, this chapter took place before chapter 5. Belshazzar was king of Babylon and he had not seen the handwriting on the wall yet. Daniel was probably in his sixties. the first 6 chapters, Daniel presents history, but in the last 6 chapters, he relates the visions mainly to the future.

Daniel saw a great storm of 4 winds (spirits) churning the surface of a great sea (Mediterranean Sea) in his dream and visions one night. He wrote down the dream:

New Living Translation tells it like this about Daniel's first vision:

Four huge beasts came up out of the water:

1. A lion with eagles' wings, which were pulled off, and left standing with its 2 hind feet on the ground, like a human being. It was given a human mind, also. (Winged lions guarded the gates of the royal palaces of Babylon.) The lion is king of the beasts; the winds denoted its swiftness to conquer; it was a personal being with a man's heart. God humbled Neb and made the prideful king live like a beast for 7 years.

The lion represented Babylon and the nation's leader. (Note that Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Habakkuk used animals to describe Nebuchadnezzar.) God told Daniel that the Babylonian Empire would fall, and it did. (verse 4)

2. A bear reared up on one of its sides; it had 3 ribs in its mouth between its teeth. A voice told the bear to get up and devour many people. The bear represented the Medo-Persian rule. In 539 BC, Darius, the Mede, ruled in Babylon, then Cyrus the Persian conquered it with greater strength. (Cyrus was the king who permitted and supplied the Jews to leave and return to Jerusalem to rebuild it after 70 years of captivity.) As they marched across the battlefields, they devoured much flesh. One commentary said the three ribs were vanishing nations of Lydia, Egypt, and Babylon. (verse 5)

Even nations are subject to the power of Almighty God. Do we put our trust in governments or God? Are we allowing our government to dictate when, how, and if we assemble to worship Jehovah?

LET IT GROW

3. The leopard had four wings and four heads, which represented Alexander the Great, establishing the kingdom of Greece. It moved at lightning speed to victory over the civilized world. (Leopards lie in wait for their prey and then pounce upon their victims with great speed and agility.) Alexander conquered most of the civilized world from Macedonia to Africa and eastward to India. After Alex's early death at 32, his empire divided into 4 parts by four generals in 323 BC:

1. Palestine and Egypt went to Ptolemy I;
2. Syria was ruled by Seleucus I;
3. Thrace and Asia Minor were assigned to Lysimachus;
4. Macedon and Greece were governed by Antipater and Cassander. (verse 6)

As I looked at a timeline, I saw that during the Greek reign, philosophies popped up-Buddhism in India, Confucianism in China, many Greek gods, such Artemis at Ephesus. Then there was Sophocles the dramatist, Herodotus, the historian, the Aramaic language replacing the Old Hebrew in Palestine.

4. A terrifying, dreadful, and very strong beast crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled their remains beneath its feet. It had ten horns. (Daniel had never seen such a creature like it, so it seems that he had difficulty in labeling it, doesn't it?) Rome was this beast. (Rome fell in AD 476.)

At some time in the future, 10 nations will lock arms politically, economically, and militarily, forming a revived or realigned Roman empire. (Remember that God was silent for 400 years between the Old and New Testaments. He had spoken through His prophets, whose warnings and call to repentance of sins were ignored.)

During this Roman Empire rule, Jesus Christ was born, lived, and died. During this time the Pharisees and Sadducees gained importance in Judea. The society of the pagans worshiped many other gods, yet they allowed the Jews their religion. Caesar Augustus, nephew of Julius Caesar, was emperor of Rome when Jesus was born. Herod captured Jerusalem and was appointed king of Judea. When John the Baptist began his ministry, Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea.

Then Paul was converted and had three missionary journeys to share love and salvation through faith in Jesus as Messiah. The followers and disciples of Jesus were tortured and killed for their faith. John was exiled to Patmos, where he wrote Revelation (of the end times).

Swindoll said, "The God who has mapped out our future is certainly able to handle the present. Though it may seem at times that the Lord has abandoned us, He has promised He will never forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5-6)"

*I hope this was not too lengthy or wordy, but I felt it was needful. Next time, we will study on the Antichrist and the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

 

LET IT GO

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Father God.

There is no one like You, Creator, Savior, Sustainer.

My God is greater, stronger, higher than any other.

Our God is healer, awesome in power, our God.

And if our God is for us, who can ever stop us?

And if our God is with us, what can ever stand against us?

Take courage, dear one, Jesus has overcome the world!