5/23/26 Daniel 7: The 4 Beasts

Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.

Daniel sets the stage here by giving you the setting. It is a common setting we can relate to. It is a place we should be at peace, should be in silence & is a place meant for comfort. To be honest some wish we were there right now back in bed because we can relax there.

The historical marker is the 1^st year of Belshazzar who is over a city renowned historically for those in their Bible as a place of not only historical significance but prophetic significance. This means that the atmosphere is filled with wickedness, run by wicked spirits because wicked principalities are running the area given dominion & utilize people to run the area who are like themselves in rebellion to God.

Babylon the location for the tower of Babel was constructed by Nimrod who in the HEB says he was in the face of God as a mighty man of, might have been a portion of the Nephilim or the Rephaim emergence that resulted from the rebellion of a portion of angels sent to earth to teach mankind to worship but rebelled against God resulting in the great flood during the days of Noah.

It is in this area many things historically can be found regarding the drive of mankind. It was here we can in these End Times we can compare nots as to what mankind is doing & how they were trying to replace God & become the lord of our lives. In that day they spliced DNA, they had rampant sexual immorality, they threw off all boundaries to try like the fallen cherub to become God. All the while they were led by angels of God who led them to worship the creation instead of the Creator. Perversion, self-worship, unrestrained sensuality, lust, gluttony & pride ruled the day plus the move to create a monument too high for God to flood them out again.

The world was unified in one language, one govt, & one ruler. Here is a man who is held captive remembering the God of Abraham and is blessed.  Daniel had dreams & visions while in his bed. Draw what you want about being in a comfortable place, a place of silence & peace where God decided to show him some things. The dream became multiple, the visions increased & notation was needed to meditate upon. The vision at night, known as a dream was vivid, rich in detail & descriptive enough to lead a student of the Word on a deeper understanding.

² Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea.

The 4 winds of heaven is a manner to describe the entire breadth of creation is under the mastery & control of God himself. IT is used in EZ 37:9, Zech 2:6 & in Revelation 7:1. Each connotates a dynamic remarkable event that can be a form of judgment unleashing devastation. In Revelation 7 it is a worship experience for the holding back of the 4 winds differing from the others where it was sent forth. These winds are making eth sea rather unsettled. For Babylon this would be a disturbing reminder of the days of Noah, when water came from above & below.

This stirring was to bring something upon the earth that Daniel saw also in Ch. 2 just in a different fashion.

³ Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

The 4 came from the sea, often utilized to represent those outside of the Jewish context known as gentiles. Each different, but they came again just like chapter 2.

⁴ “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 human being, and the mind of a human was given to it. ⁵ “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!’ ⁶ “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.

In a sequential order they came. In this order the first kingdom a lion representing royalty, sovereignty with eagle wings furthering the idea that there was no one higher, no kingdom before that could unseat it, but the wings were torn. This was Babylon itself represented as the present day beast represented in chapter 2 as gold. Here a flying lion, eventually loses its wings because it got humbled & given the mind of a man which is exactly what happen to Nebuchadnezzar when he was reduced to madness until he understood he had to give God glory.

The 2^nd beast was a bear with 3 ribs in its teeth while on its side. This is what history reveals as the Medo-Persian empire, a combination of the Persians & the Medes the 3 ribs represent the 3 enemies this empire will consume & display them as trophies as it filled its flesh like a glutton.

The 3^rd beast was similar but different than the 1^st in that it is a predatory cat with wings. The difference is that the cat is a lesser cat but it is faster because it has 4 wings. The leopard was unusual because it had 4 heads. This represented that 4 generals would rule it. This was the Empire of Alexander the Great ruler of the empire from Greece & upon his death his empire would be split 4 ways.

Next week we are going to look at Daniel 7:7 & the 4^th beast, for this week let’s put ourselves in Daniels position. He is in a rough place having been a POW, had his manhood taken from him & made to serve a hostile govt against his will, but this is what the Spirit wants me to show you today in this.

Despite the rough situation he is in & despite the physical harm done to him, Daniel is granted something that is terrifying. Imagine seeing the devouring beasts that will fulfill human prophecy & rule the world while you are a prisoner. But consider this, Daniel’s mind was on the Lord.

He had served his rulers with integrity & class. He spoke with boldness to the gifting the Lord had given him & it was through him history was changed. It was through him multiple rulers were exposed to the truth of the Lord despite being locked in a wicked culture where the wrong is culturally right.

We can relate to Daniel because we have all been traumatized, we have all seen the evidence of our own elevtred officials in control working against our common good. We have seen reality in our face of corruption & our neighbors walking away from the Lord. Like Daniel though we have the opportunity to gain from him blessings we do not desire in the face of all of this brokenness.  Daniel stood for God as God stood for him We need more Daniels in this world.