Daniel 7 - Daniel’s Dream (notes)

Daniel 7 - Daniel’s Dream

Principles of Daniel

1. Daniel was a man of influence.
2. Daniel understood the culture of his day but was not changed by it.
3. Daniel communicated with God and God communicated with him.
4. Daniel shaped history because God spoke through him.
5. Daniel lived a lifestyle of prayer.
6. Daniel loved God.
7. Daniel was loyal and full of integrity.

Daniel 7

1. Daniel has a dream during the reign of Belshazzar the last king of Babylon.
2. The four winds of heaven whipped up a great storm.
3. The sea is the Mediterranean. This sets the scene for a forecast of historic events that by God’s providence would unfold in the nations surrounding the Mediterranean.
4. The lion with wings of an eagle is the Babylonian Empire.
5. The lion with its wings torn off is symbolic of Nebuchadnezzar when he lost his mind.
6. The beast becoming a man is when the King is restored and he becomes more compassionate.
7. The bear lurching from side to side is the Medo Persian Empire with 3 ribs in his mouth.
8. The panther with four wings is the Grecian Empire & Alexander the Great.
9. The fourth animal is the Roman Empire that lasted from 400 B.C. to 410 A.D.

Daniel 7

The last beast that came out of the sea is also a type of a future kingdom with ten kings. The little horn is the antichrist. Three of the original horns were pulled out to make room for it. The human eyes in the little horn speaks of the humanistic spirit of the antichrist. The big mouth speaking arrogantly is the satanic deception that the antichrist uses to persuade the nations to believe lies.

What We Can Learn From History:

1. God makes the final decision on who will be the next kingdom, world ruler or nation.
2. Nations rise and fall but God’s kingdom will last forever.
3. Nations who turn to God will be protected by the hand of God.
4. America was founded like Israel as a nation dedicated to God to give His revelation to the world.
5. No nation can depend on itself to become a world power, it must depend on God and when it does it will succeed.
6. God’s will will prevail, He even uses the adversary to do this.
7. History is His story, it is about Him. Man is under His authority and every nation will submit to Him.

The Heavenly Court

9-10 "As I was watching all this, "Thrones were set in place and The Old One sat down.
His robes were white as snow, his hair was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire, its wheels blazing.
A river of fire poured out of the throne.
Thousands upon thousands served him, tens of thousands attended him.
The courtroom was called to order, and the books were opened.

There is a court in heaven that makes decisions for whatever happens on earth, who will rise to world prominence and who will fall, what nation will rule over another and what nation will be defeated in war.

Daniel received the revelation that God is the judge of the court of the universe and when He makes a judgment on who will rule and who will be subjected to that rule. When the Lord decides His angels go into action and carry out the judgments of God. Once a nation runs it course and God’s will is performed God raises up another nation to do His will in that period of time.

Daniel

Sees Jesus arriving in a whirl of clouds.
13-14He was given power to rule, all the glory and royalty. Everyone--race, color, and creed--has to serve Him. His rule would be forever, never ending. His kingly rule would never be replaced.

Daniel Asked For Revelation

15-16 "But as for me, Daniel, I was disturbed. All these dream-visions had me agitated. So I went up to one of those standing by and asked him the meaning of all this. And he told me, interpreting the dream for me: 17-18 "'These four huge animals,' he said, 'mean that four kingdoms will appear on earth. But eventually the holy people of the High God will be given the kingdom and have it ever after yes, forever and ever.
19-22 "But I wanted to know more. I was curious about the fourth animal, the one so different from the others, the hideous monster with the iron teeth and the bronze claws, gulping down what it ripped to pieces and trampling the leftovers into the dirt. And I wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that sprouted up while three of the original horns were removed.

The Message

This new horn had eyes and a big mouth and spoke arrogantly, dominating the other horns. I watched as this horn was making war on God's holy people and getting the best of them. But then The Old One intervened and decided things in favor of the people of the High God. In the end, God's holy people took over the kingdom.

Daniel 7

23-25 "The bystander continued, telling me this: 'The fourth animal is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from the first three kingdoms, a monster kingdom that will chew up everyone in sight and spit them out. The ten horns are ten kings, one after another, that will come from this kingdom. But then another king will arrive. He will be different from the earlier kings. He will begin by toppling three kings. Then he will blaspheme the High God, persecute the followers of the High God, and try to get rid of sacred worship and moral practice. God's holy people will be persecuted by him for a time, two times, half a time.

The Interpretation

26-27 "'But when the court comes to order, the horn will be stripped of its power and totally destroyed. Then the royal rule and the authority and the glory of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the people of the High God. Their royal rule will last forever. All other rulers will serve and obey them.'28 "And there it ended. I, Daniel, was in shock. I was like a man who had seen a ghost. But I kept it all to myself."

The Interpretation

• Jesus said it was the Father’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom.
• Jesus taught on the Kingdom of Heaven.
• Jesus said He would give us the secrets to the Kingdom of Heaven.
• Jesus is the King and we are joint heirs with Him.

Application

• God is our King, we will reign with Him forever and ever.
• Our reign starts when we are born into His Kingdom.
• We must learn the Kingdom principles to live a life of Kingdom significance.