In fact, Daniel has trouble interpreting some of his own dreams. The Son of Man had the power to forgive sins, as well as to heal a paralytic (Matthew 9:6). We are in harmony with God when our declarations conform to his. (1) The troubling dream. Jesus applied this text to them, not as those who would enter into His kingdom, but as those who would be judged at His return. The Son of Man was also Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). He will also send forth His angels to gather those who do not belong in His kingdom (12:41). (9) What is the relationship between Daniels vision in chapter 7 and the events described in Daniel 5? Twice in chapter 7 Daniel speaks of his distress: As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me (verse 15). We have already seen this phrase time, times, and half a time in Revelation. He wants to know more about this dreadful beast, different from the rest, especially in the destruction he wrought. The first recorded vision comes to Daniel in the form of a night vision, like those of Nebuchadnezzar (2:1; 4:5) during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar. 74 The personal cost of receiving divine revelation is never underestimated in the Old Testament (cf. 21 I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. Daniel's prophecy was one of hope. 4 The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. Daniel finds nothing to compare to it. Some of his alarm arose from his not yet having been given the interpretation of his vision. Chapter 9, on the other hand, has a historical account of Daniels study of Jeremiah and of his prayers of repentance and petition for Israels restoration and return to the land of promise. At least the final portion of chapter 7 has not been fulfilled. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 states, For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:910, NASB95)[6] Finally, the more we know about the future, the more our hearts should be moved to prayerful petition for those who will face the judgment of God if they do not turn in faith to Jesus Christ. Daniel explains that each of these metals represents a kingdom that would rule the world, and the stone is God . The other prophecies were revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar and interpreted by Daniel. Daniel 2:26-49 (See Daniel 2:24, Note. Verse 17. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. 4:19; Ezk. (3) This chapter contains the major segment of Daniel, which is primarily prophetic, although it does not contain the first prophecy in the Book of Daniel. Belshazzars rise to power and ascent to the throne seems to have inaugurated a new age for Babylon. Public sentiment was turning against this foreign religion, and the Babylonians, including Belshazzar, wanted a return to their old time religion the pagan worship of the gods of Babylon. All nations of the earth will serve and live under the peaceful rule of the Son of Man and the people of Israel will receive their promised inheritance in the land of Israel, restored Israel. In the first use of this expression, being a son of man was contrasted with being God: God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; has He said, and will He not do it? Remember he had seen the innumerable host of angels attending the Ancient of Days. This beast is also unique among the four in that he grows 11 horns. 7 And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. When mentioning the little horn that grew up and uprooted three of the first ten horns, Daniel now tells us that this little horn grew until it was larger in appearance then the remaining seven horns. Editing allows an author to set aside details which are not significant and focus on the essence of the message he is trying to communicate. What God determined to reveal to Daniel should be enough for us. His thoughts alarm him, and his face pales. in 1971. Just what this means is unclear, but it suggests this arrogant king not only speaks against God, but, like Satan, he aspires to change the order God has established. The other three are removed from power but allowed to live for some time after their removal (verse 12). This chapter is a history, but it is the history of a prophecy, by a dream and the interpretation . No wonder interpreters differ about the details. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023. Different from the first three, this beast seems uglier, more powerful, and much more hostile toward God and His saints. The revelation of the writing on the banquet hall wall, already described in chapter 5, actually happened later, on the last day of Belshazzars life. And they did! Encouraged to do so, it savagely devours. Before the coming of Christ, who would? Daniel said that his thoughts were greatly alarming him and his face grew pale. The angel went on in this summary to tell Daniel that the saints of the Highest One would receive the kingdom and possess it forever. Before long, Daniel was explaining the dreams of King Nebuchadnezzar. In verse 1 Daniel indicates his vision came to him in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar. The toasting of the gods of the Babylonians with the sacred temple vessels, recorded in chapter 5, may have been Belshazzars final act of blasphemy. We do not act on what we see so much as on what God has said. He will keep continual pressure on the saints of the Highest One to try to break and destroy and annihilate them. (6) Prophecy is written to sober the saints. A person should not take credit for what God does through him. It seems that three of the kings try to resist him and he overthrows them by force. In the Old Testament, the expression son of man was used most frequently in reference to men, who were merely (as opposed to God) human. 1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him." (2:14-16) Notice Daniel's calm in the face of the king's rush to judgment. Not only was he greatly alarmed and physically sick, but he says he also kept the matter to himself. Yet, his emotional response was valid and changed little after the vision was explained more fully. 27 Daniel replied, "No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, 28 but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He is more beastly in the beginning and more human in the end, paralleling the character of Nebuchadnezzar. The statue represented the kingdoms of the earth. It is virtually the opposite of the term beast. The expression, Son of man, is not new to Daniel. A look through the Scriptures shows that Daniels response to the prophecies he received was not unique. The second time, the expression is used in reference to Daniel himself, as it will be used very frequently in Ezekiel to refer to this great prophet: So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end (Daniel 8:17). The wrenching off of the wings and the transformation of the lion, making him stand on two legs and giving him the mind of a man was a picture of God humbling Nebuchadnezzar and then restoring him to his right mind, you can read about this in Daniel 4. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. The death of this king brings about the end of his kingdom. The final words of verse 25 are carefully chosen to let the reader know that while this king appears to be successfully opposing God, all he does is a part of the divine plan for the last days. The only human things mentioned of the fourth beast are his eyes and his mouth. In his interpretation of the dream, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar he was the head of gold. If we go back to Daniel 2 and look at the statue in Nebuchadnezzars dream, we find that it too represented four kings and their kingdoms. The third beast is leopard-like, with four wings and four heads, and it is given dominion. We should not spend a disproportionate amount of time and energy trying to fill in the blanks God has left. Daniel does not date this dream as he did the earlier dream (cf. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself (verse 28). But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come. Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet, and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates. Through this dream, King Nebuchadnezzar learned that only God's Kingdom will last forever. Neither peer opposition nor the king's new law (chapter 6) greatly disturbed Daniel. Daniel's righteousness is legendary status Don't mistake Daniel as some conjurer of cheap tricks. In Ezekiel, and even in Daniel (8:17), it is used in reference to a prophet. 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