- (Daniel 7:7-8) – “After that, I was looking in the visions of the night, when a fourth beast, terrible and well-hipped and exceeding strong, and it had large teeth of iron, it devoured and broke in pieces, and the residue with its feet it trampled down, and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, when another horn, a little one came up among them, and three of the former horns were uprooted from before it, and behold, eyes like the eyes of a man in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things.”
The “great iron teeth”
and the feet which “trampled down” parallel
the fourth part of Nebuchadnezzar’s “great image,” the legs and feet
that were “strong as iron” and “shattered and
subdued all things” - (Daniel 2:40-43).
With its feet, the beast “trampled the
remnant.” The identity of the “remnant” is not given, but verbal
links connect the “trampling” to the next vision - the “goat”
from the “west” with its “little horn” that trampled “some of
the stars underfoot”:
- (Daniel 8:8-10) – “But the goat showed himself very great, and when he had become mighty, the great horn was broken in pieces, and there came up afterwards four in its stead towards the four winds of the heavens; and out of the first of them came a little horn, which became exceedingly great against the south and against the east, and against the beautiful [land]; yea it became great as far as the host of the heavens, and caused to fall to the earth some of the host and some of the stars, and trampled them underfoot.”
The “ten horns” may correspond
to the toes of Nebuchadnezzar’s earlier “great image,” although his
dream did not mention their number - (Daniel 2:41).
The “little horn” emerged from
among the “ten horns.” It was not one of the ten, but a smaller horn
that appeared later. Three of the ten horns were “uprooted.” The text
does not say whether the “little
horn” removed them; in the Aramaic clause, the passive voice is used. The
three horns were “removed” by someone or something.
The number “ten” may be
symbolical or literal. Elsewhere, the number ‘ten’ symbolizes a complete set of
something. But the removal of three horns and their replacement by an eleventh one
is quite specific, making it difficult to interpret the numbers symbolically. More
likely, this level of detail points to known events.
The “little horn” had human
eyes and “a mouth speaking great things.” This suggests intelligence
and individuality, and something blasphemous - A challenge to the sovereignty
of God.
The next paragraph presents the reaction of
the Heavenly Court to the “four beasts,” especially to the
fourth “beast” with its blasphemous “little horn.” The reader is
now presented with events from the perspective of the throne of God:
- (Daniel 7:9-14) – “I continued looking until thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days took his seat, whose garment was white like snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool, his throne was flames of fire, his wheels a burning fire. A stream of fire was flowing on and issuing forth from before him, thousands of thousands waited on him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. Judgment took its seat and books were opened. I continued looking, then because of the sound of the great words which the horn was speaking, I continued looking until that the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning of the fire. As concerning the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but a lengthening of life was given to them, until a time and season. I continued looking in the visions of the night, when lo! with the clouds of the heavens, one like a son of man was coming, and unto the Ancient of days he approached, and before him they brought him near; and unto him were given dominion and dignity and kingship, that all peoples, races and tongues him should do service to him. His dominion was an everlasting dominion that should not pass away, and his kingdom that which should not be destroyed.”
Daniel gazed “until thrones were placed.”
The vision has transitioned to a judgment scene set before the throne of Yahweh.
The image of “one seated on the throne” symbolizes the
sovereignty of God over events on the earth. Fire issuing from the throne
points to His judicial power - (Daniel
12:1-4, Revelation
4:1-8, 20:11-15).
The vision does not identify the other beings
who were sitting on the many “thrones.” Their plurality may stress
the majesty of the “Ancient of Days.” Likewise, the picture of “thousands
upon thousands that served him.”
The picture of four ravenous creatures “ascending from the sea” gave the impression that human kingdoms were not under the control of the “God of Heaven.” Any such notion is now set aside by the actions of the heavenly court.
The “fiery wheels” suggest
mobility - There is no place safe from the judicial reach of the divine throne.
Yahweh’s rule is dynamic and not limited to “heaven.” He determines the
course of history and empires. The “four beasts” could only exit the sea
when and as He permitted. He was the source of the forces that stirred the
surface of the sea that caused their ascent.
The fourth “beast” was “slain”
because of the arrogance of the “mouth speaking great things.” But the
text states it was the “beast” that was slain, NOT the “little
horn” itself. This points to the “death” of a regime, not necessarily to the
death of an individual ruler.
Next, the first three “beasts” reappear
- (“The rest of the beasts”). In history, each kingdom succeeded
its predecessor. In the symbolical world of the vision, on some level, the four
realms remained contemporaneous with the fourth beast and its “little horn.”
In
the first half of the vision, nothing was said about the destruction the first
three beasts - all four continued to exist until they were destroyed collectively
by an act of judgment. Likewise, in Nebuchadnezzar’s earlier vision, all four
sections of the “great image” were destroyed simultaneously
by the stone cut “without hands” – They were constituent parts of one
whole.
Each kingdom was “given a lengthening
of life until a time and season.” Each endured only for the time
allotted by God. Each lost dominion and received the duration of life at the
appointed time. The end of the first three “beasts” was
inextricably linked to the destruction of the last one; especially, to the demise
of the “little horn.”
The destruction of the fourth kingdom brought
the entire World-Power to its destined end, just as in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
when the “stone” struck the “feet” of the “great image,”
causing the annihilation of the entire structure.
Prior to their collective destruction, the sovereignty
of the World-Power passed successively from one kingdom to the next; each
exercised the same malevolent power. The form varied, but the beastly nature
remained the same.
The length of a “season and time”
is undefined. This is a link to Daniel’s earlier statement that God “changes
times and seasons.” This confirms the control of Yahweh over the
political events on the earth - (Daniel
2:19-23).
On some level, the lengthening of life meant that
each beast continued to exist in the subsequent regimes. Nebuchadnezzar saw
four individual kingdoms represented by one figure that consisted of four sections.
Thus, the World-Power has multiple
incarnations but is a singular entity. Its form varies over space and time, but
its true nature does not. Previously, Daniel declared that the “Most-High
has dominion over the kingdom of men,” singular, and “gives
it to whomever he pleases,” also singular.
“One like a son of man” was
seen approaching the “ancient of days.” The figure was likened to a “son
of man.” It does not state whether he was an actual human being or something
else.
The “son of man” was contrasted to the
monstrous four “beasts,” especially to the “little horn speaking
great things” of the fourth “beast.” The nature of God’s kingdom
differs from the beastly nature of the World-Power. Behind the image is the
Genesis account of the creation of Adam. Yahweh made man in His “likeness”
and charged him to take dominion over the earth. This “son of man” succeeded
where Adam failed, and where the beastly regimes of the earth presumed to tread.
The “son of man” did not receive the
kingdom until judgment was given and the “beast” was slain.
Recorded in the “books” were the deeds of the four “beasts.” But
the arrival of God’s kingdom did not produce their immediate destruction.
The “son of man” did not arrive from
heaven but approached the Ancient of Days to receive the kingdom. This is
another link to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream when he saw the “stone cut out
without hands” that became “a kingdom that will never be destroyed”:
- (Daniel 2:44-45) – “And in the days of those kings shall the God of the heavens set up a kingdom which, to the ages, shall not be destroyed, and the kingdom, to another people, shall not be left; it shall break in pieces and make an end of all these kingdoms, but itself shall stand to the ages. Forasmuch as you saw that, out of the rock, a stone tore itself away, but not with hands, and broke in pieces the clay, the iron, the bronze, the silver and the gold, the mighty God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. Exact then is the dream, and trusty its interpretation.”
In the book of Revelation, the single “beast
from the sea” also has “ten
horns” and a mouth “speaking great blasphemies.” There is a clear
familial connection between the “fourth beast” of Daniel and its “little
horn,” and the single “beast” in Revelation. As we will discover,
there are also differences - (Daniel
7:21-26, Revelation
11:3-7, 12:12-17, 13:1-10).
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