Previously,
the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar,
had received a dream that deeply troubled him, a vision of a “great
image” with a head of gold. Likewise, now Daniel finds himself troubled
at the end of his vision about the four “beasts ascending from the sea.”
This is a verbal link between the two visions:
- (Daniel 2:1) – “And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep had gone from him.”
- (Daniel 7:15-18) - “The spirit of me, Daniel, was troubled in the midst of the sheath, and the visions of my head terrified me. I drew near unto one of them who stood by and made exact enquiry of him concerning all this—so he told me, and, the interpretation of the things, made he known to me. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings who shall arise out of the earth; but the holy ones of the Highest shall receive the kingdom, and shall possess the kingdom for the age, yea, for the age of ages.”
In the vision, the “Son of Man” received
everlasting dominion over all the nations. In the interpretation, it is the “saints
of the Most-High” that received sovereignty. That is, the “Son of
Man” represented the people of God.
The four “beasts” represented four
kings and their respective kingdoms. In the vision, the “beasts” were ascending
“from the sea.” In the interpretation, the “kings” ascended “from
the earth.” Thus, the interpretation moves out of the symbolical world
and into the realm of history. The “earth” represented the peoples from
which the four kings and their kingdoms originated.
The Aramaic verb rendered “rise”
is the same verb found in the earlier declaration by Daniel – It is God who “removes and raises up kings.” Implicit
in this context is that their rise to prominence was in accord with the
purposes of God for His people - (Daniel 2:20-21).
- (Daniel 7:19-23) - “Then desired I to be sure concerning the fourth beast, which was diverse from all of them, exceeding terrible, whose teeth were iron, and his claws of bronze, he devoured, broke in pieces, and the residue with his feet he trampled; also concerning the ten horns, which were in his head, and the other, which came up and there fell from among them that were before it three, and this horn which had eyes and a mouth speaking great things, and his look was more proud than his fellows. I continued looking, when this horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and justice was granted to the saints of the Highest, and the time arrived that the saints should possess the kingdom. Thus, he said, the fourth beast is a fourth kingdom which shall be in the earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour all the earth, and shall trample it down and break it in pieces.”
Each “beast” represented a “king”
and “kingdom”, and each was set in contrast to the “saints of the
most-high” who were destined to receive the everlasting kingdom.
The “little horn” appeared “stouter
than its fellows,” that is, the “ten horns,” and it became the prominent
one. He would “make war with the saints and prevail
against them.” Before the term “saints” could receive the kingdom, they
had to endure an assault by the “little horn.”
This attack on the “saints” corresponds
to the “fourth beast” that “trampled the remnant with its feet,”
the “remnant” being identical with the “saints.” This is
confirmed in the next paragraph when the “little horn” spoke words “against
the Most-High and wore out his saints.”
- (Daniel 7:24-26) - “And the ten horns of that kingdom are ten kings who will arise, and another will arise after them, and he will be diverse from the former ones, and three kings will he cast down; and words against the Most High will he speak, and the holy ones of the Highest will he afflict, and will hope to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time and times and the dividing of time, but Judgment will take its seat, and his dominion will they take away to destroy and make disappear to an end.”
The “little horn” symbolized a
malevolent king who attempted to destroy the “saints” - the focus is on
his efforts to destroy the people of God. He prevailed over them “until the Ancient of Days arrived, and justice was
granted for the saints.”
In the vision, the “ten horns” represented
ten kings, but the “little horn” was distinct from them. He rose to
prominence after three of the ten were “removed.” Whether
the ten kings reigned concurrently or consecutively is not stated.
This king “spoke words against the Most-High
and wore out the saints.” This statement expands on the earlier description
of the “mouth speaking great things.” Words that “wear out” the “saints”
suggest royal edicts designed to harm them.
The “little horn” attempted to “change
times and the law” - It trespassed on divine territory. As Daniel
previously declared, God alone “changes times and seasons.” This ruler presumed on what is God’s
prerogative alone - (Daniel 2:21).
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| Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash |
“Times” is a generic term and may refer to time delimited in any number of ways - weeks, months, years - (Aramaic, z’man). The Septuagint version uses the Greek word with kairos, meaning “season, set time.” Most likely in view were the annual feasts and rituals from the Levitical regulations, which the “little horn” attempted to change - (Leviticus 23:1-4).
The “war” against the “saints”
would last for a “time, times, and a dividing of time.” The sentence
reads - “time (singular), times (plural),
and part of a time.” The last clause could mean any portion of a
full “time,” however long or short that period was.
The “time, times and part of a time” was
not the duration of the reign of the “little horn,” but the period
during which it waged war against the “saints.” That things and events were
“given into his hand” signified that God remained in firm control.
- (Daniel 7:27) - “And the kingdom, and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under all the heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Highest, his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions unto him will render service, and show themselves obedient. Here is the end of the matter.”
The period of suffering would come to an end at
the appointed time. In contrast to the kingdoms of the earth, the victory and
sovereignty of the “saints” would endure forever. The “little horn”
would lose its dominion and be “consumed and destroyed.”
The oppression of the “saints” was part of the necessary process for establishing the kingdom of God, otherwise, why would God “give” persecuting power to a malevolent ruler?
The interpretation ends with the “kingdom
and dominion” given to the “people of the saints.” The kingdom was
given to the one “likened unto a son of man,” then to the “saints.”
Again, the “son of man” represented the saints of God.
In verse 27, the plural pronoun gives way to
a singular - It is “his kingdom” and “all
dominions will serve him”. The singular pronouns refer to the “son of man.”
- (Daniel 7:28) - “As for me, Daniel, greatly did my thoughts terrify me, and my bright looks were changed upon me, but the matter—in mine own heart I kept.”
The chapter concluded with Daniel troubled by
his vision, indicating he did not understand it. But he kept the matter in his
heart. This sets the stage for the further illumination in the next vision - (Daniel
8:27 - “And I wondered at the vision, but none understood it”).
To this point, only the first “beast”
can be identified with certainty - The lion-like figure represents Babylon.
The beastly symbols for the next three regimes are enigmatic. The pattern of “four
beasts” rising in succession indicates that the second, third and fourth
kingdoms followed Babylon in historical sequence.
The several verbal links to the dream of
Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2 are important. The vision of the “four beasts
from the sea” expands on the previous vision of the “great image”
divided into four sections that represented four kingdoms. That same fourfold
structure is present in chapter 7; the same four kingdoms are in view in both visions.
In the book of Daniel, the several
visions are all connected and build on one another as they present a picture of
a coming attack on the “saints” of God, their victory, and the
establishment of the kingdom of God.
At this point, there as many questions as
there are answers. The prophet himself did not yet under “the vision.”