Click here for more messages from the book of Daniel.
Click here to return to the Sermons page.

Daniel 7:1–8 (Daniel’s first vision)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Stories and Visions. As we shared at the beginning of the series, there are twelve chapters in the book of Daniel. Chapters 1–6 are mostly stories, while chapters 7–12 are mostly visions. But it’s not quite that simple, because the stories and visions are all connected. The stories are mostly stories about visions, while the visions are visions of stories.

Today we come to the first of four visions in the “visions” section. It is a terrifying vision of four beasts that emerge from the sea. (Read Daniel 7:1–3 and pray.)

——————————————

You may recall that at the beginning of our series we learned that chapter 7 is a very important chapter in the book of Daniel. It’s so important that we will spend more time in this chapter than in any of the others. We will devote three messages to learning and understanding what is going on in this chapter.

In our introduction to this series, we called this chapter a “hinge” chapter. This is signaled to us in several ways. For one thing, it’s position — it appears at the very center of the book. But beyond that, it belongs to both sections of the book in various ways.

We just talked about the story/vision structure of Daniel, and we learned that chapters 1–6 are mostly stories, and chapters 7–12 are mostly visions. So structurally speaking, chapter 7 belongs to the second section of the book, the vision section.

However, in the introduction to this series, we learned that the book of Daniel is also bilingual. Chapter 1 is written in Hebrew. Chapters 2–7 are written in Aramaic. And then chapters 8–12 are written in Hebrew again. So linguistically speaking, chapter 7 belongs to the first section of the book, the Aramaic section along with chapters 2–6.

We also looked at the chronological structure of the book. Chapters 1–6 are chronological, and chapters 7–12 are also chronological, but the two sections overlap in time. Chapter 7 goes back and retraces parts of chapters 1–6 but from a different perspective. And so chronologically speaking, chapter 7 belongs to both sections. That’s why it’s a hinge chapter.

In the introduction to the series, we also talked about apocalyptic writing in Scripture. Apocalyptic is a special type of prophetical writing, which presents strange visions, startling symbols, supernatural happenings, and great cosmic events. Apocalyptic draws back the curtain to look at earthly events from a heavenly perspective, especially those events pertaining to the end of the world. The book of Revelation is the book we are most familiar with when it comes to apocalyptic writing.

Right away in chapter 7, you will notice a change in genre or style. In chapters 1–6, the stories were mostly written in historical narrative. We’re all familiar with this style. In historical narrative we are introduced to the characters, the setting and the plot, and it’s easy to follow along. But when you get to Daniel 7, you’re in whole new territory. Without warning, Daniel 7 switches over to apocalyptic style, and we are suddenly thrown into this strange world of terrifying visions and dreams. So let’s get started with this first of four visions that appear here in the second half of Daniel.

I. Daniel has a dream (1–3)

Now this is not the first vision or dream in the book of Daniel. We’ve already encountered a number of these along the way. But now Daniel himself receives a vision. Look at verses 1–3:

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.” (Dan. 7:1–3)

Just as Nebuchadnezzar had his first dream early in his reign, so Daniel has his dream in the first year of Belshazzar’s reign. This immediately tells us that the narrative has jumped backward in time. Remember, chapter 5 described the end of Belshazzar’s reign, but now we’re in the first year of Belshazzar’s reign. That means Daniel would have received this dream somewhere between the events of chapters 4 and 5.

When Daniel wakes up, he writes down the substance of his dream. Do you want to remember a dream? Write it down. As soon as you wake up, write it down before it begins to slip from your mind. That’s what Daniel does here.

In his dream Daniel saw the four winds of heaven churning up the sea. The sea in the Bible is symbolic of chaos and evil (Ps. 89:9; 93:3–4). Here we see heaven stirring up the sea. This tells us that God is sovereign over the sea; he is sovereign even over the evil deeds of man.

As Daniel watches in his dream, he sees these four great beasts emerging from the sea. The fact that they come out of the sea tells us they are evil. He calls them “great beasts.” That means they are big and scary. They are different from each other, and they come out of the sea in sequence, one after the other. The order is very important as we will see in just a moment.

So who or what are these four beasts? Later in the chapter we learn that they represent four kingdoms that will arise from the earth (7:17). These four kingdoms correspond to the four parts of the statue in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream back in chapter 2.

   • The lion represents the Babylonian empire.
   • The bear represents the Persian empire.
   • The leopard represents the Greek empire.
   • The fourth beast represents the Roman empire.

These are the same kingdoms represented by the four parts of the statue in Daniel 2. The interpretation given later in the chapter confirms this meaning, and history verifies the accuracy of these descriptions. The imagery corresponds amazingly to the character and progression of these four empires in history.

World governments are often identified with animals. Modern-day Russia is associated with the bear, China with a dragon, and the United States with the eagle. Notice how countries usually select a powerful, predatory animal for their symbol. This is probably why Ben Franklin’s idea of using a turkey instead of an eagle for our national symbol was soundly rejected.

Chapters 2 and 7 are the first and last chapters in Daniel written in Aramaic. Together, they bookend the Aramaic section in Daniel. Why? Because they both deal with the same four kingdoms following each other in the same sequence. But here’s the difference. Chapter 2 looked at these kingdoms from a human perspective. Chapter 7 looks at these kingdoms from God’s perspective. We are in apocalyptic writing now, and we see things from heaven’s view.

As we will see in just a moment, this new vision expands on the details of these kingdoms and emphasizes their power, ferocity and cruelty. No wonder they are represented as beasts. Daniel’s dream also goes beyond these four kingdoms to take in the whole sweep of human history.

II. The four beasts from the sea (4–7)

So that’s the gist of Daniel’s dream. Let’s take a closer look now at these four beasts from the sea. They are described for us in verses 4–7.

“The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.

“And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’

“After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

“After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. (Dan. 7:4–7)

So, Daniel describes all four beasts in turn. Let’s go back now and learn what the symbolism behind each of them means.

   A. Like a lion = the Babylonian empire (4)

The first beast was like a lion with the wings of an eagle. This corresponds to the gold head of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, which, as we learned, represented the Babylonian empire. Nebuchadnezzar is compared to both a lion and an eagle elsewhere in Scripture (Jer. 4:7; Ezek. 17:3), so this is clearly Babylon.

Daniel watched as its wings were torn off. It was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and it was given a human heart. The wings being torn off correspond to when Nebuchadnezzar’s power was taken away and he became like an animal (Dan. 4:31–33). Being lifted from the ground and given the heart of a man refers to his eventual restoration when he finally humbled himself before the Lord and God restored his sanity and his throne (Dan. 4:34).

   B. Like a bear = the Persian empire (5)

The second beast was like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, so we get this picture of a horrible, deformed creature with one side larger or stronger than the other. It had three ribs in its mouth, which means it had already devoured its prey, and yet it was told to go eat even more.

This second beast corresponds to the second part of the statue — the silver chest and arms. This represented the Persian empire. The Persian empire began as a combined empire of the Medes and the Persians, ruled over by King Cyrus. Cyrus’ father was Persian, while his mother was a Mede. That’s how the kingdoms came together.

However, the Persian side was stronger than the Mede side, which explains why the bear in the dream is raised up on one of its sides. The three ribs probably correspond to the three kingdoms conquered by Cyrus and his son: the Lydian and Chaldean kingdoms along with the kingdom of Egypt. But Persia was not done yet. They would conquer many smaller kingdoms as well, and so the voice tells the beast to go forth and devour more flesh.

   C. Like a leopard = the Greek empire (6)

Daniel says the third beast was like a leopard. It had four wings and four heads, and it was given authority to rule. This third beast corresponds to the next section of the statue — the bronze belly and thighs. This represented the Greek empire. The leopard was known for its speed, but a leopard with wings? That would be even faster.

Alexander the Great was the ruler of the Greek empire. he was especially renowned for the speed with which he conquered the world. It took him only ten years, from age 22 to age 32. The four heads represent the splitting of the empire into four separate kingdoms. After Alexander died, his empire was divided into four parts, which were ruled over by four of his generals: Antipater ruled over Greece, Lysimachus over Asia Minor, Seleucus over Asia, and Ptolemy over Egypt and Palestine.

Before we go on to the fourth beast, I want you to notice God’s clear sovereignty over these first three beasts in the descriptions given. God is the one who stirs up the waters, prompting the beasts to emerge from the sea. God tears the wings off the lion and gives it the heart of a man. God gives the bear the command to eat, and he gives the leopard the authority to rule. God is sovereign over all the kingdoms of man.

   D. Terrifying and powerful = the Roman empire and beyond (7)

Finally, we come to the fourth beast. This one is different from all the rest. Unlike the first three, Daniel doesn’t even try to compare it to any animal we might recognize. And you thought the other beasts were frightening? This one is terrifying, very powerful. It has large iron teeth with which it crushes and devours its victims and then tramples whatever is left.

This fourth beast corresponds to the final part of the statue — the iron legs and feet. This represented the Roman empire. Notice the similarities in the descriptions. The statue has iron legs; the beast has iron teeth. The statue has ten toes; the beast has ten horns. Both are described as crushing all the others (see 2:40).

Horns in the Bible are a symbol of strength, so ten horns are a sign of great strength. Rome was the most powerful and cruel of all the empires. It ruled with an iron fist and obliterated those who did not submit. And yet this beast represents so much more than just Rome. It becomes symbolic of all the evil powers in this world.

III. The little horn (8)

As Daniel considers the ten horns on this beast, suddenly another horn appears. Look at verse 8 with me now:

“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” (Dan. 7:8)

The little horn represents an individual who will have great power and will come against God and his people. This is the first appearance in the Scriptures of the Antichrist. We will learn more about him in the final part of chapter 7.

It’s interesting, in the book of Revelation the Antichrist is also described as a beast. John says in Revelation 13:2: “The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion.” The beast in John’s vision in Revelation takes on some of the characteristics of each of the first three beasts here in Daniel 7. Once again, this shows that these beasts represent something bigger than just the empires we’ve looked at this morning.

CONCLUSION: The message of this section in Daniel is clear. Do not put your hope in the kingdoms of man. These four beasts represent not only Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, but really all worldly systems that are opposed to God and his ways. The vision God gives to Daniel here simply reveals them for what they truly are. We see the same pattern repeated in modern times in the brutal regimes of Nazi Germany, the Khmer Rouge, North Korea’s dictatorship, and ISIS. The list goes on and on.

We live in a sinful world that is opposed to God and his ways. And so we should not be surprised by what happens when sin gains power in the world. Government can be a force for good when it does what it’s supposed to do, when it restrains evil and promotes righteousness. But an evil regime can bring great suffering and oppression to countless people. That’s what God is telling Daniel here in this dream. No wonder these empires are presented as beasts.

However, as Christians we should not be discouraged. The next part of the vision brings God’s word of hope to Daniel and the exiles—and to us. We get to peek behind the curtain, and when we do, we see that God is bigger than the beasts, and bigger than the Beast.

Therefore, we do not need to fear. We should never put our hope in the kingdoms of this world, but rather in God’s kingdom, which stands for truth and righteousness and will endure forever.

© Ray Fowler

You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this message provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and that you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For any web postings, please link to the sermon directly at this website.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copies:
By Ray Fowler. © Ray Fowler. Website: https://www.rayfowler.org

Click here for more messages from the book of Daniel.
Click here to return to the Sermons page.